chuck kottke

Zeged/Zegedi is about the only Hungarian word/ town in my vocabulary - U2's 3D is getting good reviews in Hungary?:)

So what?! Anyhow, is it true that Mark is Will?:confused:

Hmm.. yea, Martin maybe got a little too self-absorbed on the "give me credit for my generosity" thing, but let's see Chris Rock offer a free concert as well (Chris Rock, you should be coming from a position of 'freeness')!:P Marie, that's Chris Rock's humor - it's his trademark to fame, so-to-speak. Part of what you expect from his gig. There are some mild cultural differences - all fine with me, that's what makes life interesting, and funny at times!:laugh3:

:sunny: Hello Marie!! :sunny: Welcome to the community!:cool:

Mars is now located in Iowa??:laugh3:

I like the way you think English Rose! Sunny day, and enjoy a little of the time we've got here.. Basically, the English are all moving to Spain, and let's see.. the Spanish are all moving to France, and the French are all moving to Monaco, and..:laugh3: Frankly, we're surrounded. I mean, with our military overstretched overseas, if the Canadians came from the north, and the Mexicans from the south in a pincer move, we'd all have to move to England!:P (and the country would become Canmexico? Mexicanada?)

You're like the rest of us - human!:laugh3:

Sweet side? Hmm.. well, which side is that?:P

Hmm.. So what does that make me? Just plain Vanilla?? I've got a bit of a tan, so maybe strawberry vanilla?:laugh3:

Are you a double-stuff oreo??:P (personally, I like the plain oreos, as the chocolaty part is the best..) I'm just wondering when are people going to realize that there are no races, just us humans!;)

:rolleyes:Hmmm... Well, if you're real sweet with a sugar cream filling, you might just be a twinkie! :P

Hmm.. Well, I do agree on giving to aid organizations (which I donate to as funds permit), as that's the best immediate way to help those in need. But getting elected officials here in this, the so-called "wealthiest" nation on earth to give some of the budget to foreign aid is a good thing. They're not all the same, and checking out where they stand does make a difference! First and foremost, people in Africa's poorest regions need the preventive measures so they can lead full, productive lives. Helping them with mosquito netting, vaccinations, etc. will do a great deal to prevent the health crises they face, and allow them to join the work force instead of having to spend inordinate amounts of time caring for their ill family members will greatly increase their productivity. Also, balancing the trade agreements, which requires the political will, can greatly strengthen their economies, and allow them the chance to get out of severe debt, repair and rebuild their infrastructures, and then thrive as trading partners! Poverty can be a drain on the human capacity and will to improve, and I'm all in favor of getting better people elected so that the poor have hope and a way out of poverty.

11:14 PM, and chilling in the subterranean part of the residence here!:nice:

Inglewood, CA! Welcome aboard Ouiparis!! (Got a name to go with that saying?):)

Hello to the Orlando Oranges!:P

:laugh3:Oh, I've just gotta laugh! Hmm.. Let's see... looking at the demographics put out by Quantcast, this site has a huge Asian and Latino audience, as well as a very large following by Americans of African Descent, and Americans of European Descent.. I give up - Coldplay is all about coming together, and all the old stereotypes are just that! So, does that mean if I listen to rap music, I have fantasies about becoming a rap star?? Or, can I listen if I just like the music and the message?? I think music is the universal language, and what divides us are minor cultural differences; flavors of humanity, or the spices of life. What is this vanity fair anyhow? A fair for vain people??:P

Thank you! *****

Jay, It seems a likelihood, given the amount of waste in poorly guarded situations, etc. - hopefully not a thermonuclear device, but even that is an unfortunate possibility. Yes, I agree. Technology is a lot like containing water - no leak-proof planets exist as of yet - so even the technology for mining and refining nuclear isotopes is really.. well, it's only a matter of time before some aberrant group does the unthinkable. Uranium is everywhere in small quantities, and isolating the isotopes isn't all that difficult- thankfully, it hasn't already happened with unstable groups! Washington cautioned us against having a standing army; basically, though, disbanding the US Army in times of peace will never happen - I agree! Eisenhower thought the military-industrial complex was a frightening danger in and of itself, and I would like to see our Defense budget cut in half, especially for the pork-barrel projects! (a good start). Yes, isolationist policies were one of our approaches in past years; I think in one sense I do agree - there seems to be a tendency to use military intervention all too quickly in instances where we should use caution, just because it is part of past policies, and and all too easily used as a "solution". I think it should be used as the last, most grave option only, and more money on prevention through diplomacy, containment, and encouragements should be first! Protection is necessary, but in some senses, acting too late has consequences as well (as was the case during WWII). Had we waited to defend only the contiguous US, we would have almost certainly lost the war! But in the immediate future, I think we will be looking at small actions, and hopefully better prevention through peaceful means. We're too intertwined I think to go the isolationist route today; I like the idea of saying to heck with dangerous entanglements, but today's world doesn't afford much room for that. Promoting healthy economic growth, fair policy, & fair market practices will help out our image more than all the PR we're putting out currently, as I see it. Either way, it's a wild world out there in some ways!! Hope for the best possible outcomes, and keep working towards sensible solutions.;)

Hola! What is the time now in Argentina? My globe suggests 1PM or 2PM??

Pardon me?:confused::rolleyes:

Hmm.. Well, George wanted to use the nuclear bunker-busting missiles!:shocked2: So much for what happens when crazy people get into office! The idea I had was for a robotic lander to land on top of a bunker. It could be equipped with weapons to deter anyone from disabling it, and as it sat there, would be designed to quickly drill and set charges into the bunker's hardened concrete dome. Either that, or perhaps a series of hard steel-tipped, explosive driven points could be dropped onto hardened bunkers to chip away at them, and make them vulnerable to conventional bombs. But really, I think warfare is extremely dehumanizing and ugly - something to be avoided through better policy choices, diplomacy, and containment. Sell Democracy (by setting a good example) through peaceful means to the youth in those troubled nations - they'll make the change happen in time! Having nuclear means a great deal of processing, and quite a bit of nuclear waste, even if they are never used. That presents a challenge, in and of itself. If we're lowering risk, the radioactive handling equipment, heavy metal wastes, and dusts from depleted Uranium shells may do as much harm in cancer deaths and birth defects as the original weaponry did on the battlefield! Perhaps you're correct Jay - we haven't had a major war with another nuclear power, and yes Pakistan and India fought, but skirmishes in Cashmere, Utter Pradesh(?) and elsewhere isn't full-scale war; a simmering border dispute, and no nuclear weapons used. Yes to Energy Independence!!! But hey, scientists need sleep too! They work better on a good night's rest.;) We really need to incentivise efficiency, where the 'low hanging fruit' are to be gotten. But on the other side of the coin, I have to agree as well - we should be way ahead in solar panel production, as well as wind turbines, geothermal plants, etc. Nuclear proliferation: some are for, some against..- hmm.. well, one thing that does make me wonder is, what happens when a country with nuclear weaponry suddenly falls apart (as did the former Soviet Union), and then there's all those suitcase nuclear bombs, of which not all could be accounted for! And some of the nukes wound up in countries that were cash-strapped. Gives one reason to pause..

Yea, it was on the events calendar - but then, how secret is that!:P

"this Blond lady and the small people (midgets) - that wouldn't happen to perchance be Gweneth and their children??:laugh3: If he's changed, and it shows in the music, I think for the better! The music's more forceful, more positive; more about possibilities and hope - so, I think he's actually loosened up a bit, sings with added confidence, and feels more comfortable!!!

Did you buy any fleas at Fairplane?:rolleyes::laugh3: Hey, and believe it or not, there's a town called Ripley??:stunned: Amazing! Tomorrow sounds like a blast! Here, bomb shells are bursting in air.. rocket's red glare.. there's a lull just now - which lasts until midnight, whereupon more explosions begin again. So let's see - buy the fireworks in Wisconsin, and sign a permit claiming that you're only moving (shipping) them to another state. Then, as if almost by accident, they never make it all the way to (where the heck is this stuff legal? Montana? Wyoming??) wherever, and accidentally they catch on fire in the subs here! Quite amazing, how many fuses get "accidentally" lit - some of this stuff you need like the permits cities issue to carnivals, baseball teams, etc. to use! Sheesh! Oh well, it's beautiful and quite rebellious!:laugh3:

Where are the over 6 billion? Present and counted for!:laugh3: