chuck kottke

:indianbrave:Last of the Mohicans.. Daniel Doubleday Lewis.:bandana::indianchief::cool: & Peter Gabriel's Solsbury Hill would be pretty neat to hear re-captured.

The willow in spring wears a grass skirt and slowly sways to the gentle pulse of the wind.. air washes through, like the sounds of drifting sand on an instrument only nature could make, and plays a soft sweet tune on the lake in early June For all to enjoy - sweet sound of freedom whispers through, warm spring breeze, leaves of green; sky of blue.

Jesus is dead, and the accuracy of what's verifiable lies in Q. If Jesus said that he is the only way to heaven, then I feel he was wrong. This claim assumes that those who have no knowledge of Jesus are doomed, and that he is the only portal to the afterlife. I would rather think we create either a better or worse world here for ourselves and others, in the sense that life is a wheel, and we pass on to the next a pattern and a future shaped by the past and present. I do feel that much of what is written as the story of Jesus is good and provides some great examples of morality tales and just acts, but there's more to life than Jesus. The biggest problem I have with the Bible are the absolutes which can put blinders on people. The way to "heaven" is to simply do what is good (in my mind); Many paths we walk, and to respect the paths of others as we wish the same done to ourselves makes sense.

Looking past language What Obama says about those who are 'bitter' here has a ring of truth. I have a cousin who infiltrated the Clan, and the clan grew from the ranks of the "downwardly mobile". That's not to say all who feel the economic bite go in that direction, or to so great an extreme, but when times get tough, those who get hurt economically often cling to those things they feel secure about, or things that restore their self-confidence - whatever that may be; and I've felt this way at times, because an economic loss makes us all feel unsure of ourselves and avails our vulnerabilities to the world. We've lost a certain amount of certainty and control over our lives, and face serious challenges, so he's right about this. And much of the anger / bitterness is justified, when one considers how American workers are treated, amidst all the job losses in the manufacturing sector. We are the land without safety nets; so when the platform looks unstable, it causes a lot of emotional and psychological stress, with real consequences. The 'fort in the wilderness' is a part of the American psyche, so the past is where we turn when times get tough. It is the last saving grace we have to cling to, and a natural response to hard times here. With regards to Barack's comment on comparing Hillary Clinton to Annie Oakley, - is this that serious? Sure, a sincere apology is in order, but for voters to get so wrapped up in emotional rhetoric, and forgetful of who's got their best interests in mind (ie - their campaign funding) - this is unfortunate - more attention should be paid to who's the more honest candidate in the sense that counts - who's chipping in to the campaign, and what results have occurred. Unfortunately, the dog fight it has become, especially when it's so close.. I just hope we win in November.

!Feliz Cumpleanos Nik!:egypt:

!!!!!Happy Birthday Tracie:hat::jester::hat::thumbsup:!!!!

Gotcha. ;)invite Russia to the club..:laugh3: Oh, the humanity of it! I must go consult Putin's contacts here.:P

I think Tracie's neighbors need no explanation - basically, they're the next thing to living next to the Tasmanian Devil from what I gather. I still think she needs to call an animal control officer, and have them relocated:laugh3:. But what could you get out of them, if they won't even pay their rent??:thinking: I was thinking: How did we get this far along the path to madness in America? All the technology in the hands of loud-mouth people on TV who couldn't screw in a light-bulb to save their lives..

I need sleep. Sleep is good.:sleeping2::sleeping2::sleeping2::sleeping2::sleeping2::sleeping::sleep::smug2:

Yes, I have heard about Moravian Wine.. Nice to have good growing conditions! Keep growing those spuds, too;)

I guess religions' got it's place - sure, I can see that. If it's all about compassion and reminding us to be thoughtful of one-another, that's all good stuff. But it goes off-tangent when some use the absolute rhetoric found in a given text. Then, instead of being about something kind, it starts to devolve into something akin to a fight over the poorly-written rules of a board game.. only with worse consequences! Moderation is the key.

West Virginians All Live in Mud Huts!:P

First, I would like to set some of the record strait on history. Yes, history affects the future, and countries have long memories. But it is constructive to be fully truthful about that history, lest we loose ourselves in bombastic rhetoric. The European powers were vying for world domination via their colonialism (the US got a late start at colonizing), and WWI was perhaps as much an economic war as it was a war to counter some aggression, although German militarism pushed Europe into the war more than the rest after the assassination of the Archduke of Austria (Franz Ferdinand- how a name comes back!). But, after the war, the European powers (mainly France and Great Britain) insisted Germany pay the full war costs, after Germany was exhausted from the fight. Add to that, Germany had lost it's colonial possessions (less income), AND because of poorly regulated US investments in the stock market "bubble" of the 20's, the crash started fist in Germany in the mid 20's. So sever was the depression in Germany, that the fringe parties rose to the top, and hence Adolf Hitler and German Fascism. Who's fault?? Well, looks like all the powerful nations at the time had a hand in the failures that led to European Fascism - the US, France, Germany, Great Britain... So, I would have to say it's more a failure of modern society to see our interconnectedness, and how decisions affect the whole. As for the present situation, consider how to defuse the matter, and have firm but reasonable expectations with regards to all parties. I know, via a friend, of people in Russia who are feeling the return of the power consolidation there, and it's got them on edge. But posing a threat can only strengthen the xenophobic tendencies of Russian reactionaries. Poisoning the Ukrainian president and other misdeeds by some powerful individuals in Russia is a very serious matter, so I see the need to bolster security help for the Ukraine and Georgia if they so desire, but keeping out military hardware would lessen the arguments of the hard-liners. I too feel this is primarily a European matter, but it is also a global issue where the US has a stake in the outcome as well. Ironically, NATO was begun to contain German aggression in Europe, and quickly had changed course during the Soviet era! Now, it might be better to see NATO's purpose as containing threats from states that behave dangerously and act outside the bounds of accepted international law. Having a place for new members, but limiting the placement of weapons and weapon systems should limit the tensions created, and in time a more stable Russia should be welcomed among the NATO nations. As far as containing American aggression, I think that will solve itself. We're not far from disembarking from Iraq, provided we can get Russian help in convincing Iran to help stabilize the Shea's they have some influence over. In return, less pressure militarily on Russia's front door would help ease the tensions.

Yes, that does seem to be the case - very much so! I was watching a PBS special on a famous African-American writer from the 1920's-1950's (I'm racking my brain, but her name is not popping up in my mind right now..) - and she was attending some sort of Baptist revival church where they were experimenting with newer rhythms using tambourines, and it sounded so much like U2's "I still haven't found what I'm looking for" in the beginning, I was quite surprised! But then again, Rock & Roll is basically an outgrowth of African Rhythms and Irish Sand Dances - since wayy back in the 1800's.. And yes - Coldplay's fascination with Latin music probably has them fired-up. What this new album will sound like will, if nothing else, come as a surprise!

It's possible to predict some things with a reasonable degree of accuracy, but music and bands? Intertwined with all the social phenomenons and forces at play in the world - we shall see!:) I'm guessing the album may have more of a Latin twist to it - perhaps the name, and perhaps in part the audience has grown; although, it is just a name - could be something completely different. Oliver Twist seems to be Coldplay's musical trade-mark.

Classifications for the complexities of any one of us is a lit like herding cats.. It has happened, but the odds are pretty much against it.;) I wonder if Mike really does communicate with Putin on Pravda's site?? Hmm. What to send him..

AC/DC:laugh3: (they could play Thunderstruck for an opener!)

Tracie, according to Steve, the Fundi he works with couldn't read Tolkien anymore, because it was "too real" and this poor Fundi got wayy too wrapped up in it (believing it was all real). So, perhaps another Fundi who can no longer read other works? They're annoying - at the U they kept trying to indoctrinate students into their cults (ie - campus crusaders). And you can't really discuss things rationally with them - "because the bible is perfect, and it's all there in the book!":rolleyes5: Yea, right:dozey:. Needless to say, most of them flunked out of college (little wonder!):laugh3:..

Bose-Einstein Condensate of matter. Electron Fog. Hey, where would we be without the dreamers? Imagination is more powerful than knowledge. An ounce of brains is worth a ton of brawn. And who said this: "Give me a long enough lever arm, and I will move the planet." My view is that we are all important. Each is a facet of the gemstone called humanity, and each adds to the dazzle of the whole.

David Gray > Shine

Here Here. Free speech!:smash::thumbsup:

:laugh3:That's pretty good Rudy! & 11 is a lucky number too! OK then how about this::gorgeous::whip::gorgeous::whip::gorgeous::whip::gorgeous::whip::gorgeous::guitarist::whip::gorgeous::whip::guitarist::guitarist:

Hey, listen you Michigan Mitten Resident, without us "technical experts" you would still be making horse buggies instead of autos!:P

I have to listen to more Rachmaninov on piano..

Thanks Bea!!:):):) My name actually is Chuck.