chuck kottke

Foggy England? Sounds Picturesque!:rolleyes: Here, it's a lovely -20C, and dropping.. IIEE!!! Why do I live in this god-forsaken ice box!:stunned:

Hmm.. well, we're meant to be thin, but not too thin.. I mean, that's part of the longevity code - provided we get plenty of nutrition, rest, exercise, socializing, and play in the mix, while being productive. I wonder though, she does look a bit too thin - I'm thinking that too. And stress has a lot to do with our health - more than we used to think. If she would just visit, I could serve here a big meal with chili beans, noodles, and some home-made whole wheat bread, with plenty of garden veggies!! No hassles, no rush, lots of quiet in the country.. Maybe that would help.:)

Wow - an excellent montage of scenes from NY set to Lovers in Japan, JB!:)

Comeon now, we need to stimulate the economy and improve the mood in the country - to reverse the negative slide!! Obama really does want to do the right things, and with enough support, he will have the backing to do so. But we must provide the push. I'm feeling optimistic - but if the economy slides any further, that means greater turnover in Congress, and that's a good thing too. Out with the cronies, in with the representatives of the people! Licoln isn't responsible for more American deaths than just about anyone in history, Jay - it took the civil war to end the argument over the abuse of 'state's rights', that allowed the institution of slavery to go on as it had - truly the underlying cause of the war, and Lincoln did what the times called for - to end the institution of slavery. Conisider the arrogant attitudes of the southern gentry towards Americans of African origin, as the real culprit - they refused to acknowledge their wrongs and change their ways, as they were depriving a fair percentage of Americans their due rights to life, liberty, and the persuit of happiness. Unwilling to right their wrongs when faced with the verdict in the court of human justice, the war was an inevitable result, and they bear the responsibility for it and for the deaths that followed. They could have opted for industrialization and mechanized harvesting equipment, but instead stuck with the wrong-headed ideas of slavery. And consider also, the Northen Generals who could have ended the war decisively and quickly had they acted swiftly, but their reluctance led to a long, bloody war. Lincoln had to fire them one-by-one to get the job done. Unfortunate as well, Johnson who followed Lincoln let things slide backwards and allowed the confederate senators to resume their posts unchecked. But Lincoln was a progressive, moving the country forward against the repressive, backward forces of the past. I for one am grateful for what Lincoln did, and though it was a horrible conflict, it moved us closer to the ideals of fairness for all. FDR's new deal may not have been perfect, but it was an honest attempt at getting people back to work, and lowering the costs of owning a new home, which led to the beginnings of the suburbs. I'm no economic expert, but wasn't it during Roosevelt's time that the glass steigel act had been passed, and put in place some very important checks on the markets, to prevent another black monday from occuring? Of course, the act was repealed not too long ago, and the inevitable result of an ungoverned system has left us with unstable markets ever since the controls were taken off..

Sunshine, I'm not an expert on the region nor the conflict, but tell me what you think would stop the conflict. I will listen.

The UN is a peace-keeping and humanitarian force generally, and they need the approval of the general assembly and the security council, I think, to act. So, maybe the US government is blocking a measure to act, in favor of the Israeli government's action. Perhaps this will change when Obama takes office in a few short days from now, but given the power of the Israel lobby and the attitude towards Iran (who is supporting Hamas I gather), it will be a hard thing to change in Washington (unless the press begins to show more of the horror of it all, but at present has been kept out of much of Gaza). I think it's absurd; letting it get to the point where rockets were being fired on a constant basis to begin with, and then using excessive force with many tragic consequences is very saddening. Here's a bit from The Nation magazine, in case you haven't access to it: "Bomb a Ghetto, Raise a Cheer.. Half drowned in the torrents of supportive speech and prose lavished here and in Europe on Israel's criminal onslaught on the Palestinian inhabitants of Gaza, one naturally tends to compare and contrast such paens to those extended to kindred barbarities by Israel in the past. Is the amen chorus louder, softer or more or less the same? If you stick to highway traffic through the columns and bulletins of the major media, aside from some passable stuff on the cable news shows, the flow of ignorant drivel seems as toxic as ever, maybe worse, since Israel has tried to empty Gaza of all reporters. The Israelis wipe out whole families, phone apartment blocks to terrify the occupants with boasts that their homes will shortly be blown up, and the Israel claque here stresses the consummate humanity of the attackers. Charles Krauthammer in the Washington Post celebrates the birth of the new year by extolling Israel for being so "scrupulous about civilian life." Professor Alan Dershowitz dishes out congratulation for Israel's "perfectly porportionate" onslaght. My mind goes back to Martin Peretz in 1982 inscribing in The New Republic glowing sermons on the doctrines of humainty instilled in the IDF (meaning the Israeli Defense Forces I gather), words written not long before Israeli generals gave the green light for the killers of the Phalange to go to work, disembowling women in the camps under the indifferent or admiring gaze of the IDF personnel. Bomb ghettos and civilians die. I write as news comes that Israeli gunners have managed to shell and kill nearly fifty Palestinians, including women and children, fleeing a UN-run school in Gaza. I can guarantee that Israeli claims about Hamas's use of that school are already on the wires. Since no one is going to quiz him on the matter of bombing civilians, let me quote Hamas leader Khaled Meshal on this issue in a response to Alya Rea of CounterPunch and me in Damascus last May. The interview appears in the latest CounterPunch newsletter: Rea: "My question is about using violent means. When people use violent means, inevitably innocent people suffer, children, not only on the Palestinian side, but Israeli children too. What do you think?" Meshal: "Unfortunately the insistence on violent street repression by our assailants leads to innocent blood on the streets. Since 1996, 12 years ago, we have proposed to exclude civilian targets from the conflict on both sides. Israel did not respond to that...." Later, in the article, "The precipitous decline of the Old Information Order is marked in the shift of opinion, noted in a December 31st Rasmussen poll showing that while Americans remain overwhelmingly supportive of Israel, they are split evenly on the question of whether Israel should attack Gaza. 44 percent in favor of the assault, and 41 percent against. The same poll showed that in contrast to solid Republican cheers, only 31 percent of Democrats are supportive of Israel's attack, unlike their elected representatives. On Obama's "Change" website, there has been pressure from the Democratic base for Obama to condemn Israel's attacks."

This as well:Gaza Conflict: 'The Street Smells of Death' - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News - International

RAnDoM Coldplay Thoughts.. They said they would return the bell, after it was on tour for a while, didn't they?? How long qualifies for a while?? Hmm.. not that it's that big a deal, but I suppose Vi really didn't want to part with it. I could bring over the bell we've got, but maybe someone else in the family want's it.. what to do.. There's always something else I could do to cheer her up - plenty of other things... Oh well, at least it's getting some good miles on it!!

The mainframe bulletin board at the U, ca. 1986. :P

ABBA - Waterloo:)

I'd like to arrange a trade. I'll send you some -30C cold air (slightly above the temperature of liquid air outside), in exchange for some +40C air. This would be a win-win deal!!:) (It's so cold, even the snow creaks when you walk on it..) Q: is hell freezing cold, or frying hot?

Perhaps in a perverse sense, extremists can only remain in power if under siege. So, perhaps Hamas sent off the rockets knowing & hoping that the Israeli government would retaliate? In the same sense, the government of Israel may have allowed Hamas to send off the rockets? Thus justifying their need for weapons, and the need for US support? Sounds conspiratorial, but it could just be true.. And yes, I understand that, as has been the case for a long time - peanuts and deer pose greater risks to our health than terrorists. But the news splashes from a terror attack are 1000X more riveting.. The attention is a problem too - less of that, and less effective the terrorism would be.. Still, it's so tragic, all the bloodshed, damage, refugees fleeing from place to place within Gaza. It's quite an awful thing either way, and limiting the suffering makes so much more sense. I think it's not the justification for governments, but rather the justification for militarists who will argue endlessly for more and more militarization, and then use it to boot! Would we have been so bold had our military budget not been so bloated?? My hope is that we contain the military-industrial complex, before it eats us all alive...

Thanks - it was quite good, but the tuna, tomato, pepper, onion, and lemon sounds better!!

Absolutely!:smug2::p (chocolate that is..) THE NEXT POSTER has a poster!

Sounds pleasing to the appetite, Ricardo! Supper here consisted of a slice of whole wheat bread with chicken, tomato, and some green peas on the side.. And I cooked some dates in a sauce pan; a little scorched, but still quite good!!

Greetings Ziggy! Welcome to the one and only greatest show on earth - the Coldplaying Forum! YAY!!!:sunny::hat: Nice avatar - very country reminiscent of youthful experiences; apple trees are a favorite memory of mine as well. (and no need to be afraid of the type who say negative things on the board - they're just wanting attention, and perhaps a bit of it is the 'misery loves company' thing.. really, just remember Oscar the Grouch from Sesame Street, and you've instantly understood about 90% of them!;)) I'm 42, no artist of any particular talent, but I do have an interest in art. Are you a landscape artist, or do you paint pop art? ..And Coldplay does a tremendously good thing in getting to the emotional states we all sense at times; I am as well a fan of theirs. The positive stuff seems to me their best, but the range of moods is quite refreshing; Have you heard any of their earlier works?? I'm partial to Highspeed. Yellow is also very good, as is Everything's not Lost.. Much of it keyed into Douglas Adams' works.:cool: BTW, my name is Chuck, and it's a pleasure to meet you, Ziggy!

Hmm! That looks good! I'll have to do that for supper... Thanks for the idea!

Do they use pigs to hunt for the Belgian Truffles? :laugh3: (I just have this mental image of pigs digging up these little chocolate truffles, happily enjoying them to the dismay of their owners..)

A Brief Editorial.. There has to be a better way forward. If anything is to succeed in the Holy Lands, it cannot come from one group pounding another, or treating another unfairly. What religious extremism does is cement one's views to a particular narrow picture of things, and that's a problem. The idea of creating a new Kingdom of David, or creating an Islamic Republic as the One True Republic, and the single entity ruling all is also dreamy and impractical. If a given faith is to succeed, it must succeed in an environment where converts are won in the marketplace of religion, in a state that allows the individual to choose for themselves, be they divinely inspired by God or through other motivations of their own choosing. It cannot succeed through warfare, unfair economic policies, or through controls put on the free will of others, insofar as they do no harm towards their fellow humankind. If I could wave a magic wand, I would let the region's people decide where there boundaries lay, and that geography would be more natural, and hence a good fit for the Holy Lands. Since this region is central to three very important religions of the world, it should be very accommodating to and respectful of the needs of all who view it's central role as having great importance, and use the best systems of diplomacy to deal with critical issues. But above all, cement the values of fairness and improvement for the well being of all the regions citizens, use common sense when dealing with issues of justice, and aspire to those commonly held beliefs in the rights of mankind. Outside interference shouldn't be tolerated, especially if it leads to violence as a means to affect change.

But on second thought, it's often tempting but incorrect to attribute motivation to conspiracy, when arrogance and ignorance are often the case.. Looking back at the attack on the trade towers, wasn't it the head of the FBI who canned Paul O'Neil just as he was unraveling the attack plot? And before that, how did a van full of explosives get parked in the parking lot beneath the towers, and detonated, with FBI informants on the inside of the whole operation?? Somebody either wanted the whole credit, and the biggest case win in history, with no-one else getting credit, or didn't like the success of lower ranking members of the organization who might upstage their high-and-mighty positions, and who wouldn't play along with the group-think. So maybe the rockets got launched because so many agents were kept from doing their jobs for reasons of pleasing agency heads in Israel as well. It just seems like such a gross oversight in intelligence as to make one wonder.. But in the case of Iraq, obviously false intelligence was ordered, and facts were rearranged to fit the agenda. So I wonder..

Jay, I was thinking that myself in the back of my mind as well. Having access to such incredible firepower is a huge temptation, especially if it's being subsidized. Military options become the option of choice when that's primarily what's available to any government, and looks effective at the onset.. I know Israel's situation as well, but to defuse the tension by encouraging better economic improvements and being as fair a partner with the Palestinians as is possible seems to be so much better a path to take. The extremists will always be there - but the middle grows when things look better and there's no threat of attack. What I am wondering to myself is perhaps incorrect, but I begin to wonder.. Would the Israeli government, if hard-liners were in power, actually allow the missiles to be smuggled, placed, and launched, just to justify the used of their military? It seems that Israeli intelligence is the best in the world, and yet how did things get so far along?? Hmm.. I'd like to think these were just suspicious thoughts, but it just has me wondering.. How much of conflict is a matter of allowing a force to advance sufficiently to play "war games" of sorts.. ?

One thing I am concerned with is what happens when individuals in the military (any military, for that matter) have been so trained as to be completely insensitive to what they are being asked to do. Why does this matter? Well, launching rockets at civilian homes, for one thing. But on a larger scale, using precision guided weapons to blow up entire buildings just because a ground spotter sees a militant going into the building. Maybe I'm mistaken, but that looks a lot like some of the worst things the U.S. military did during the Iraq war, and it could be what some of the military personnel are doing on the Israeli side using U.S. weapons systems. I remember watching one TV program on returning US vets, and how they were having nightmares as they came to full realization of what they had done in so desensitized a fashion, and they were having significant psychological problems from coming to terms with this. In Vietnam, the often quoted "we had to burn a village to save a village" is used to represent this extreme bend on justifying the destruction of a whole village, inhabitants and all, just because one suspected member of the enemy could be hiding there.. And then there's action-at-a-distance. When a bomber at several thousand feet drops a load of bombs, it's hard to sense what's really being done, as the removal from actual circumstances is so great. Hence, the US government under Nixon justified carpet bombing Cambodia, hitting a full 50% of the land surface.. Imagine what that was like on the ground - fully half of the country's surface was being pulverized with high explosives - everyone and everything being seriously affected; but the pilot and the bomber does not hear nor see anything but little explosions down below. So today, these guidance systems turn the targeting of objects into little more than a video game for the operators, and this is what has me concerned. We cannot go on with such methods to respond to attacks, as they will only enrage those who suffer from these extreme measures. There simply has to be a better way to deal with things by either side; have we forgot all the lessons of the 60's and 70's?? Anyhow, I'll get off my soap-box now. Just a little concerned about what's really afoot.

Chicken Ala' on the cart!:) (missing a wing and a leg - this bird must have led a dizzy life!:laugh3:)

Well, I just think we can't go there.. The realization of what that would mean might be enough to promote sound, well-reasoned thinking to prevail. And besides, it's a more global world than it's ever been - it just would not be possible today - no continent or nation-state possesses enough means of production alone - it's all multi-tiered manufacturing and such - we make the cab, they make the frame, the other place makes the electronic assembly, but the chips are made in XYZ... All the terrorists are is groups of frustrated and often misled individuals who seek inspiration from charismatic leaders, who are often misleading in their real goals and aims; these are the products of fringe behaviors and states which have massive failings in either economics or in government.

I have to go do something with all this stuff! From trays to treasures, Ebay will save me!! (I hope?!)