chuck kottke

Aww, goodnight too to you Emma.:)

> You mean to say that I passed up a life of great wealth, fantasy delusions, and consistency, and I wouldn't even be able to be talked out of it? Where did I ever go wrong?! :stunned: Where's mah millions! Dubloons, triploons, I could be fabulously wealthy, and ridiculously self-delusional! Woohoo!! Instead I chose a meaningful life of struggle & self-imposed austerity, one of rectitude and humbleness beyond compare. Ah, if only I had other people's problems.. wonder what it's like?:inquisitive:

Hello !:)

Megalomania is ...Delusional fantasies of wealth, power, and omnipotence - wow! Where can I get my fix?:lol: I want some!!:P

I just can't imagine...:laugh3: Are they in the circus by any chance? ;) Ah, the joys of youngsters. I'm sure you have some precious moments with them too no doubt.:nice: (but everyone needs a break now and then)

"Send in the clowns... do da do dit da do.. " And just which megalomanic are you , BTW?:P

You're missing out! ;):P (are they driving you ba-na-nas?):lol: Oooo, I amost forgot - High Five!!

Strangely enough I am bored too! :laugh3: (the hog wrestling here this week-end wasn't my cup of tea) Oh gawd, I can't stop laughing, we're the "hog wrestling capitol of the world"?! :laugh3::laugh3::laugh3: Caldron Falls Bar and Grill Crivitz, WI-Hog wrestling capitol of the world! This is just .... I don't know:lol:

In Jeff Madrick's new book, Age of Greed, he talks about how greed in general and greedy individuals since the 1970's have been screwing up our economy. In a recent interview by Lynn Parramore for Huffington Post, he explains the long slide into the abyss we've been experiencing: "The history of this period is a history of the abdication of government authority. Part of it was the result of this rising ideology in the 70's. Part of it was because Americans became convinced that big government and some kinds of regulations are problems. A lot of it had to do eventually with the sheer power of business to attract & influence these decision makers. Greed would have remained checked had government been doing what it should have been doing." Now, why wasn't government doing what it should have been doing? I think the answer is with the power of the biggest gamblers with the most money to buy the government they wanted, through campaign financing, election / issue ads, and lobbying jobs to lawmakers. And they're still doing that, only even more so. So to take the influence of big money out of politics is to level the playing field and set fair rules of conduct for all to follow in the economic sphere. That is why I am such a strong advocate for campaign finance reform and Constitutional Amendments. We have the right to Fair Elections because we deserve a fair economic system. We the People, not a limited few, but all Citizens are in charge of this nation. And if we truly believe in Liberty and Justice for All, now is the time for us to act. I believe there is an intersection where the Right to Fair Elections meets the Right to Free Press, and at that intersection, the Right to Fair Elections has the right-of-way. Why? Because if we don't have Fair Elections, we won't have a Free Press. We are slowly abdicating all of our rights as well as compromising the rights of citizens in other nations via poor policies, the result of allowing a ruling plutocracy to dominate government. Some might even argue that our press is already highly compromised, and indeed it seems to be. But to break up the media monopolies and return journalism to it's roots of journalistic integrity and accurate analysis, the essential prerequisite is to take the big money out of politics. The role of government is the role of the arbiter of fairness in society and promoter of progress. Let's make it work for us again by restoring the foundations of our Democracy.

Car Kids must refer to something, eh?!:smart::sunny:

You're most welcome! Keep on tuning in here & chiming in with the ticking of the clocks. ;)

Welcome Aboard I hope to fix you! Funny user name, you'll find plenty to do with that attitude! :laugh3: Welcome to Coldplaying :sunny:

I really liked her music, how sad to see her pass on. :sad: My condolences to her family and to her friends. Too young to be taken away, really tragic.

I think we need to rethink the car. Look back to move forward. The car began as a bicycle maker's dream, a light-weight, efficient, affordable transportation alternative, to free us from dependencies on carriages and horses. It was in the beginning quadricycles, tricycles, and bicycles with engines. For local commutes, this makes much more sense - going to the grocery store or just tooling around, why not something simple and light weight? I think what we want is a sense of freedom, and it's a lot more fun to get the exercise on a bicycle, to feel the fresh breeze, sense the wonder all about us... From Flower Power:daisy::hippy: to Pedal Power !;) Quadricycle Manufacturer, the definitive listing.

Which reminds me, we need a planet smiley! Or just a little blue and green planet would be nice. Ian:crown:, can you whip one up? :sunny:

Bolivia! :sombrero::sunny:

I've been feeling nostalgic today.. listening to Fly Away by John Denver and Olivia Newton: [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkNugqMMwxU]‪Fly Away by John Denver‬‏ - YouTube[/ame]

:cry: Big ouch. I am so sorry to hear that ainsley, so very sad is the news. I hope you friend is ok, wish there was a way to rewind the time and stop the madness before it started. My heartfelt sympathy to you at this moment. :hug:

I am relieved that your friends made it out alive, and how truly heroic of the one to try and help out others while getting hit by bullets - he deserves a great honor for that act of bravery. What a nightmare that scene must have been. My heart goes out to all those families who are still waiting for news, that has got to be gut wrenching to be waiting on needles and pins, not knowing if their loved ones are alright or not. To do such a horrific thing all because someone dislikes an ex-Prime Minister, that's simply madness. The answer to frustrations is never violence against the innocent, violence only makes things worse.

A very long wait then. I'll be thinking of you and your countrymen tonight. With sympathy and hope.

Here too, there is the income inequality issue, and I think also one problem is that whoever takes care of the children falls behind economically, and I think the Scandinavian countries do a much better job of helping mothers and their newborns, giving adequate time off, and keeping pay on a more even keel. I guess what I think is that of unseen value in the economic sphere is the value of strong, healthy families. It's so important, but so underrated, and caregivers in general are underrated and underpaid. The compassionate work, or careers, are at the foundation of society, and people that do that deserve better.

Aww, hello vicki:) Welcome aboard, glad to share your love for Coldplay, and Argentina:sombrero::gorgeous: is a neat country! :hug:

Yes, it was a feeling of surreal disbelief at the time it happened. Thanks. Sorry to hear that one brother is in the hospital, but at least he is still alive. The other brother, did he make it out alright?

The sense of waiting to see if someone is alright after a tragedy is a long wait. I recall the wait to hear news about a shipwreck here; it was a long wait, sad news at the end..... "Does any man know where the love of god goes, when the waves turn the minutes to hours." it still brings tears to my eyes, I feel for your loss. :cry:

Sorry to hear that:cry:, I do hope they are alright.