chuck kottke

Osaka Sun Dreaming_of_the_Osaka_Sun_by_americanpsycho.jpg (JPEG Image, 1600x1200 pixels) - Scaled (52%) Penobscot, Maine

Wow, almost 1 million people in Kigali! :stunned: That surprised me! Luderitz, Namibia Le Havre here is know for its soft cheeses, usually mixed with dill and other herbs. mmmmm, Good!!! I was surprised to discover that the city is more famous for its cider and other beverages: Le Havre in Normandy, local homemade products, discover the country, apple, cider, distillery, cheese

^^Rudy's first experience with super-cold clear sunny days!:rolleyes::laugh3: Welcome to Wisconsin Winters, Rudy!! Time to move to Argentina! But it's not that bad (yet). -10C, sunset, and a pleasant breeze. :cool:

Hamburg, Germany!

Without a doubt!!;):sunny:

As Henry David Thoreau wrote, "There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root." This is where we stand today; the problem is in the essential framework, or lack of it, in our political system. And an excellent place to start examining the problem as a whole and then dealing with it in a coordinated fashion is through the lens of what Lawrence Lessig has to say about it: Lawrence Lessig on How We Lost Our Democracy | Lawrence Lessig | Rolling Stone A good quote; let's believe in ourselves, in our ability to make real change happen: "In the end, the people always win" ~ Ralph Nader

Given the level of performance expected, I can understand why Chris is having trouble sleeping! It's similar to pre-exam jitters sounds like to me, which can be overcome with less self-pressures to perform flawlessly. We are at our best when we exist in the moment and can throw aside the weights of our own excessive expectations. It's a common problem though, we've all had to deal with in one sense or another! I hope Chris gets the rest he truly needs to stay strong and perform well. Sometimes though little things like having a warm, comfortable place to sleep, or some familiar surroundings to keep one's bearings in life helps - all that time traveling probably makes it a challenge, plus jet lag maybe? You'd almost want to carry around some sort of wall coverings and familiar objects just to feel comfortable in one's surroundings before dozing off to sleep..

AUSTRALIA !!

Wallace

:rolleyes::laugh3: ok, pee then! I was thinking something, I know I was!...:thinking: I think what Americans want is honest government, not zero government. Ron Paul's philosophy seems to be to just get rid of government, have zero trade regulations, eliminate the Fed, and switch back to the gold standard. But I prefer government that is made to represent us as it should be, then fully support social goods like public education, infrastructure improvements, basic research, social safety nets, and the like. I think Brian Epstein is on the right track when he makes his assessment of things. To fix the money addiction congressmen and congresswomen have, we do need amendments to set down basic rules on limiting campaign contributions to an affordable level by all citizens, on term limits, on equal candidate access to the major medias of the day for real debates and candidate information, and a way to redirect elected officials away from lobbying jobs and towards future careers that don't interfere with the proper functioning of representative government.

Welcome aboard dreamsofparadise! There's nothing to be confused about, just ask and search a little, you'll get the hang of it! ;) And welcome novocaine89 too! :)

His idea is that it's better it go to us first, then to their campaigns, than just circumvent us and go from plutocrats to politicians, that way the politicians will work for us. A rather expensive stone to cast into the proverbial Greek jar, it may add up to a sum much larger then what they currently shake the elites down for and maybe tip the balance. Personally, I'd rather cap the donation limit at 1/2% or 1/4% of median income level per citizen, use census figures to determine that, and no outside money used in campaigns - yes to public candidate forums, all equal time slots, open debates (no horse trading of topics), and no ads. Well, I'm not a big fan of Ron Paul quite yet because I believe we do need a reasonably sized government, especially to provide social and economic safety-nets for average citizens, and for public works and basic research, things common to us all but often unsupported otherwise. I do think however that our military budget is very excessive and should be greatly reduced, much of that money then applied to peace initiatives to foster good will and real tangible economic improvements in places which truly need them. I haven't followed his proposals fully, nor looked into his finances (if they are fully disclosed), I will do that! My philosophy is that we can achieve true representative democracy, permitting agencies to do their jobs, and we do need oversight and regulation to protect those things we share in common from unethical practices, and more promotion of public works and basic research.

Reverend Billy's Message to us all!! [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJ8sjHweKgg&feature=player_embedded]Reverend Billy's Holy Day Message from Zuccotti Square - YouTube[/ame] Come May, we will be celebrating:sunny: +Direct Democracy +Fair Economies +Protecting Earth Revolujah!

Well then play instead!:laugh3:

:laugh3: It was a close game, but a rulings a ruling.:P ...and onward to the Vince Lombardi Trophy we go!!:dance::sunny:!!!

>Welcome! :sunny::sunny::sunny::sunny:

Welcome to Coldplaying, Jennifer! :) :sunny: :) Enjoy them when they tour there, & San Francisco Bay Area sounds so enjoyable this time of year!!

Occupy Wall Street | NYC Protest for World Revolution Occupy Retakes Liberty Square in NYC!:sunny: > Lawrence Lessig proposes caps on candidate donations to restore true democracy, and proposes a State's Constitutional Convention governed by a citizen body selected at random, much like jury duty: [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ik1AK56FtVc]@Google: Lawrence Lessig: Republic, Lost: How Money Corrupts Congress—and a Plan to Stop It - YouTube[/ame] He was on On-Point today, his proposal was to offer everyone a $50 tax rebate to all taxpaying individuals, to be sent to candidate of choice during a given election cycle, and a maximum contribution limit of $100 per person to the candidate of their choice.

I had a life too, I know I did! I better get back to it, before this whole house of cards comes tumbling down on me! :laugh3: We now return you to reality. Papers to shuffle, things to sort, dust to dust off, micrometeorites to vacuum up

:laugh3: It's just so fun though! Good thinking Brent.

The Bad Queen? I like the good Queen!:crown::escaping: Bye David, take the Sinclair for a spin!

The current Queen? Like, she's electrified of something?:confused:

:stunned::shocked2: I wasn't doing calculus II at age 13!! Anna will lap me in about 1.3 years. Besides, we're all part of a supercomputer called Earth. The hyperintelligent mice programmed the whole thing, and before they pave it all over with the intergalactic highway, we'll be alright. Vogons beware!:P EDIT: Illinoise:laugh3:

Metropolis, Illinois

But don't waste your time, or time will waste you!:laugh3: