chuck kottke

Paradise! :flutterby:

Burma:cool:

The Benny Hill Show:P

Huarmey, Peru

Freetown, Sierra Leone!

Durban, SA

I wish someone had told me it was so easy! Making connections quickly in airports is important, but otherwise, it's a pretty tame ride. You could take the train though, if you want to go at a slower pace and see more country!;)

It's not at all like being in a really small plane, you hardly notice that you're flying. More like being lifted in an elevator with a little window on the side. You get a rush at take-off, like accelerating fast in a car, then everything like smooths out, a little pressure in the eardrums as they adjust cabin pressure, then you're up and climbing slowly, things just get tinier below. Not a big deal. If there's turbulence, it gets a little bumpy, like riding in a car with worn suspension, not all that big a deal either, and the turbulence usually is over quickly, once the mountains are passed or the weather is through. And it really isn't all that long, compared to a bus ride or car trip, it's pretty fast, so you won't really get all that bored. Just think of it as a long, mostly horizontal elevator ride, and you've got the picture.;) PS - it's really safer than cars, and most of the mishaps result in return landings or splashdowns anyhow. Everything we do in life entails a little risk, so as a calculated risk, it's about as safe a way to move as it gets.

:laugh3: Hardly, I simply haven't need drugs to get into a state of mind that is enchanting; it's all in the mind really anyhow. We can choose to change the frequency we're on, it's easy! Just think of what was fun when you were a kid, and be there! ;)

These new amendments being proposed are substantially pretty solid, but they feel like they are lacking the undercurrent of that intangible higher calling to us all, because they are so specific. I don't know how to put it, but they need some real soul, real rootedness in some deeply felt beliefs, to rise to a higher calling. Maybe I'm old-fashioned, maybe Eric's right and we need to get that specific, but when there's some heart to the words and phrasing, they resonate with great power within us all. And yes, the amendments are only as good as the government which is tasked with protecting our rights, but in another sense, they provide a touchstone for us all to connect with, some core principles to rally around, familiar to us all. It may be just an academic exercise, but I feel compelled to put pen to paper and write with the broader, greater humanness in mind, to strike a chord which resonates deeper within us all, for I sense what we all sense, and I see that not much changes unless there is a rallying point, pressure to correct the frameworks we construct and back the rules with some clearly articulated moral principles. We are coming upon Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, and in every speech he gave, he hit the heart chords, got to the root of the matter, and held nothing back. Rare are the men and women who rise above themselves, and speak deeply to the true heart of the matters of their day.

I found the answer in Neatorama! The Origin of Sherlock Holmes It has all to do with Prof. Bell...:toff: And Doyle's choices for names that followed.. quite interesting if you take a gander at it!

Woodstock the woodcock did! :woodstock:(preceded the chicken by a mile):smug:

Poke and peek, basic computer commands from wayy back.. Welcome to Coldplayland XyloPlay! ;) ========================================== ========================================== ==========================================

Winter can be a blue time of the year, but here, we get to play with the whole Spektrom of Colors :sunny:

Sour cream, cheese, peppers, corn chips..!! :stunned: (gnaws on paper here). I gotta make supper!! :escaping:

:laugh3: Rudy's in seventh heaven! Life inside the freezer must have been exactly right then!:laugh3: Let's hope :fingersx: we get oodles of snow Rudy, that's when winter really gets cool here.:cool: (I like the inch, it's about a thumb across in size. Save the metrics for you scientists.:smart:) :inquisitive::wacky::chef:Burrito!! I must get food!!

Yea, actually I do like Tacos! Both are great, soft and hard-shelled, some spiciness, but I prefer them a bit cooler. Damn, now I'm getting hungry! :nod::tongue: bean burritos are great! with slightly melted cheddar cheese.. Which burritos do you like best? |||

:sombrero: Well there has to be a compromise somewhere in Missouri. Rounding up the wild tacos! For us it was always Taco Tuesday back in the day.. Been a long time I've had Tacos. Soft shell or hard shell? Hot sauce or mild??

Just an odd thought - how did Sir Arthur Conan Doyle come up with the name Sherlock? A sure lock on a case? Or sheer luck with a case?

:laugh3: hm.. Lasagna, with really good grainy cheese, mm!

Well, YAY!! Winter has arrived to North America!! Brusk out there, winds whipping furiously at the trees, driving the snow into the crevices of every coat sleeve and hat, but we love it. Right Rudy?! :laugh3: Maybe 2" if we're lucky, but it at least looks right for this time of year.. Taco delivery halted because of inclement weather? In Missouri? Must be in the higher elevations then... taco trucks climbing up the Ozarks, I can just imagine.

Happy B-I-R-T-H-D-A-Y Celien! ;) Because time and space are relative, especially with the planet the way it spins! :P So I hope you had a spinning good time, unraveling a mystery!:)

I really like the MiEV from Mitsubishi :sunny::sunny::sunny::sunny::sunny: MiEV / Mitsubishi i Electric Vehicle / Mitsubishi Motors

I am beginning to wonder about the assumption that we are, by our nature, so self-interested. What I've been hearing is that empathy may be actually hard-wired into us, that the notion that we are naturally selfish isn't always true, that we are by our very nature a blend of both, depending on circumstances. ======================================================== > As for taxes, I believe a progressive tax policy makes the most sense - since those who have greater income levels have increased their incomes in part from the benefits derived from a healthy society, from infrastructure improvements and from improvements in health and education in the general public, and from environmental improvements. ========================================================= > I think it's somewhat offensive to classify government employees into the category of "thieves" Jay, when I think of all the good, honest, hard-working, and effective teachers I have been taught by in the public school system and at the land-grant public universities, not to mention all the dedicated hard-working employees who built our roads, bridges, parks, and so forth. To achieve government that truly represents and promotes the general wellness of the citizenry makes sense to me, not everything fits neatly into the box of markets. In fact, it seems that when businesses grow too large they can have a negative effect on good government, since their ownership wields enormous power by buying influence through paying for candidate campaigns, through preferential legislation and subsequent enormous tax breaks and subsidies, so it is this interference by those who wield the most power economically that often creates the dysfunction in government. A government of, by, and for the citizens ought to break up these giant entities, especially the big banks on Wall Street, push for reforms to both diversify ownership and make businesses inclusive of all stakeholders. To that point, I've been reading what one former Yale dean has to say on the subject: Off the Pedestal: Creating a New Vision of Economic Growth by James Gustave Speth: Yale Environment 360 For the latest actions: Occupy Wall Street | NYC Protest for World Revolution

Welcome Marcell! :sunny: