Me first!

Well . . ., darn, now that I don't have anything intelligent or inspriring to say . . ., uhhh:

me first!

pax vobiscum

Or howsabout Rove copping pleas b/4 the war crimes tribunal comes-a-calling . . .

peace

Hi Craig,

Today I am able to send you the most wonderful smiley you have ever seen:

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap081203.html

Last night (my time) I expressed the wish on the other OT that people would place a picture of this wonderful celestial event.

And they did, Huuray!

And there is another site where one can see more pictures to one's hearts content:

http://spaceweather.com/archive.php?view=1&day=01&month=12&year=2008

Thank you Bonnie!

Have a great day!

Mieke

So a happy face over LA ignites you Mieke:

I am thinking a mushroom cloud over each of the states of America will be salvation.

But perhaps it would be best if the entire middle east was nuked as well!

Then us peace lovers could make love and not war; but if you want to fight about it, hey, I am down with that too!

Or maybe we should just kill them all (Europeans included of course); then God, I wonder if I can kill God . . .

O, whoops, already been done (according to "Christians" anyway).

Peace

Well Craig, you do not sound that much different from what my husband sometimes mutters:

"shoot them all"

I guess every person makes his/her own perception of it all and that is very much dependent on one's past and present.

Peace inside

I guess I've come to the age of seeing the relevance of many things.

Hereunder the last part of the comic verse I received from a relative who just turned 65 and wanted me to prepare for that lol:

How To Know When Your're Getting Old:

- Your house is too big (not necessarily)

your medicine box is not big enough (well, I have a very small one up till now)

You sink your teeth into a steak
and they stay there (that might be possible yeah)

Your birthday cake collapses from the weight of all the candles :)

Well, now I've come to know the reason why I love to play a card game called: Solitaire

I even have one called: Master Solitaire!

All the best and be well!

I know I will, because where there is a will there always is a way, no matter how small.

Love, Mieke

well what up?

charles gibson asked bushnut if he had to do something differently, what would it be?

he said he would not go to war in iraq and the only reason he went was because he had bad information...well...liar liar ur pantz on fire...

where's kate, tammy, north, UT...damn!

What is everyone's favorite holiday movies and why?

Mine is It's a Wonderful Life because it shows the power of inner transformation and offers the possibility that angels may intercede in our life during a time when we need their help the most.

Thanks,
Matthew

Yeah, uhhh, sorry about post #4 Mieke. That was one of those PWIs (posting while intoxicated) that reveal my self-hate and misanthropy . . .

Keith Olbermann stated the other night that Joseph McCarthy died of alcoholism and hepatitis; this process is too slow and painful for me; where is a terrorist when you need one . . .

Yo Craig

The late Edward Abbey said: "When the situation is desperate, it's too late to be serious, be playful."

We are living in an age of mad men and magic. Grab some magic.....it's free.

Hi Mieke
Thanks for the photos.

B

Good artcile at the Politico:

Hillary Clinton: The new survivor

By JOHN F. HARRIS & GLENN THRUSH | 12/3/08

Hillary Rodham Clinton has a favorite expression for turning setback into opportunity: “Bloom where you’re planted.”

Her three-decade career on the public stage has produced countless examples of Clinton sprouting a flower in a pile of manure.

Few of them are more vivid than this week’s official announcement that she is the nominee to serve as secretary of state to Barack Obama — the man whom she refused to[...]Read on...

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1208/16135.html

I hear you Bonnie.

Maybe Richard has some of those "magic mushrooms" stashed somewheres . . .

Deepak interview over at Huff-po (click name).

Peace

Hi Matthew #11,

Yes, that movie is my favourite too. Hereunder my translation in English of a poem made by a Dutch poet that more or less tells the same:

The stone

I moved a stone
In a river on earth
The water flows different there
Than before
The stream of the river
Does not stop you
Water always finds
Its way around

Maybe, once filled
By snow and rain
The river takes
My shingle with it
To let it then rest
Worn out smoothly and roundly
In the shelter of the sea

I moved a stone
In a river on earth
Now I know that
I will never be forgotten
I delivered the proof
Of my existence
By moving that one stone
The stream will never
Move the same way again……

Original Dutch version: Bram Vermeulen

Mieke

Hi Craig,

I had to laugh reading you #12 :)

When it wasn't for you we wouldn't have had so many good and playful conversations here.

You have moved a 'mile'stone for me lol so the stream will never move the same way again.....

Hi Bonnie,

You are so welcome. This afternoon I went to a female friend of mine to buy her painting, she made not so long ago about piling up stones.

When I saw it the first time, about a month ago, I felt the synchronicity with the poem hereabove.

We piled up quite some stones here together at Intentblog.

That's why am going to make a special page on my website containing the poem and the painting, dedicated to I.B. :)

Love and Light to all from the..... :)

Inspired by:
- Mieke
- Shekhar
- Gotham

http://www.intentblog.com/archives/2008/12/today_4_pm_gand_1.html#comment-189608

-----

Crossing my eyes-door
And sitting inside
Even, behind, on the shadow-side of me.

One day your love became a terror
A terror when compared to the unimaginable, to isolation and disconnection
A force-charm ending in a taste for adventures and risks

I do not know all the details
But many reports war-fields of good intentions
A force-wind of convertions and repressions

Today I am asking you
You, my terror
Who are you?

Who are you, force-love
Why are you forcing us back on terror?
Back on this field of love-destruction...

xmas and santa and lights and gifts and a pine tree...

the guy with a big bag who cums once a yr down a chimney ...hes been lookin at the lonely emperor....hehe

You are echoed by so many fix-cells-antennas
You terror, spreading yourself everywhere
In a way, we are supporting you, I am sure

So, I am listening
I am listening with heart-cells
What is your message...

To all here at IB who have lightened up each other time after time, here is the link to a very special page dedicated to Intent Blog:

http://www.heartphone.org/poem_of_the_stone.htm

Thank you Jean for your poems, music and videos :)

Oh! Thanks Mieke!

Well, you know, today is a clock-day!

I want to share this cake-music to all of you; it's the birthday of my dad! A chinese-monkey just like me.

For me, a 40 years-blues!

I still can't believe that...

Hi Jean,

Wow, most beautiful video and music!

What is a clock-day?

I looked it up through Google but found so many different meanings. Even one about Strawberry Jesus, made me think of 'Strawberry fields forever' from the Beatles :)

Happy birthday to your dad!

Mieke

Thanks Mieke #16 for the poem. Yes, isn't it a bit amazing to contemplate what type of impact you have on the world around you...

hi there Diablo!

i have really had trouble signing into IB, and like others ... it has not recorded my comments ...
frustrating
yeah!

wow,
two comments in row,
on OT IB

I am excited :-)

Grace is like gentle refreshing water
its strength hidden by its soft flow
yet wearing away of rock imperturbably.

No one watching can tell
how its cutting force is wielded.
The trick is not to block the flow,
with stumbling blocks left
by self-deprecation

nor with accumulated muck
and brittle leaves of sadness
to clog the path of water's
onward moving
journey

Grace flows where there is an opening.
It stops at obstacles,
and waits with infinite patience,
and does not force on anyone
who is not yet aware ... they are free to go.

oh, but a single sorrow healed
and ... Grace floods through in an instant.

Watch out! You shall be made Whole.*

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


* based on Sacred Moments by Linda K. Popov

evening everyone,

Mieke.....your dedication to IB...is lovely....thank you :)))....you are a million dollar voice on this Blog...:))

a great evening to all...ruth

Hi Ruth,

Well that is a big compliment, thank you.

But guess by whom I got inspired during those three years?

By all of you! Together we are a million dollar voice. And I read something very interesting on Matthews's blog. Something Paulo Coelho wrote about how writing his books makes it possible for him to understand himself and other cultures better.

Well, we all got to know each other and oneself better here by writing, by making poems, by making videos etc. etc.

Latest happening I heard on our telly today is that Youtube has invited every young musician in the world to take part in an audition in order to set up a special Youtube Orchestra.

Well, I guess this is one of the wonderful ways the Internet offers for youth all over the world to get to know each other better and better.

And not only for the youth.... :)

Much love to you!

Mieke

And Kate, hello to you! Thanks for trying to log in here time after time :).

Me having the same problem. I will copy your comments, with those of others and my own into one big email and post it to Six Apart at the end of this week.

They have already confirmed to me that they know there is something not working correctly on some blogs with the underlying template for logging in and promised to fix that, but couldn't tell when.

I have already understood from comments here that it is a specific problem for Windows-based computers, so will inform them about that too.

Lots of love to you,

Mieke

Hello Mieke! (#23)

Well a "clock-day" is an expression that "pop-up" in my head while writing my comment. It's a way to say that today is a special day. It's the birthday of my father and it's my birthday too.

The "clock-day" is a way to say; to be conscious of time, the present time. 40 years on this planet. 40 years of events. There is something strange inside that expression because I think about; What is the meaning of love?... What is love?... Where does it come from?... time and love... a strange couple.

Well, a "blues-way" to see my life getting older!
A life getting older and waiting too much...

It's no good to wait
Endlessly waiting for the sun

Let's be flawless
Just the way we are
Flawless...

Hi Jean,

Well, happy birthday to you too :)

Compared to me you are still so young lol.

Do not think too much i would say, but then again my husband sometimes calls me 'la penseuse' :)

Enfin, you have found a very creative way to see your life getting older, enjoy it.

This is what I did when I found out what I could do with the computer, long time ago (making games etc.).

Have a great day!

Mieke

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZtQh5EIgWQ

dear Jean-Francois,
hi there and Happy birthday to your Dad & too you!
~ Kate

here is the song that is playing just now ....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYpqFnYpjag&mode=related&search Lyrics:

Sometimes I remember reasons I let you go
Inside them I see your face and all I really know
I was scared to share the love I have inside of me
Through all the heartache I know that I was meant to be

With you
I have everything I've ever wanted
Simple and true
With you

Crying eyes so beautiful
It's you

If I could follow my heart again it would be yours
With every breath I would find a way to love you more
I can't imagine life without your silent bravery
And I'm grateful for every moment that I get to be

With you
I have everything I've ever wanted
Simple and true
With you
Lovely night so beautiful
It's you

And if the stars should disappear
In the dark I'll still be here
Forever in your arms where I belong

With you
I have everything I've ever wanted
Simple and true
With you

hi kate!

hi emperor

hi gang!

nice to see u all being able to log in minus the great difficulty...btw...a certain name-calling troll has been absent since the day he was asked to apologise for making nasty, unprovoked personal attacks.

he should be aware that admin will not tolerate any kind of hatred.

ur man D will be in the Cayman's for xmas...yo!.....just booked ma tickets tom paradise...got a real good deal to boot....and there's gonnna be a beach party for a whole week straight every nite on that caribbean beach...non-stop....well into the night...and u can bet on that...damnnnnnnnnnn...whoa.

Can I come home now?!?

I feel so badly Mieke, I am so sorry!

Nice poetry everybody (and I was reading your odes on the last open thread Mieke: good stuff!).

Wonder if I can fit in Diablo's suitcase . . .

Hi Craig,

Welcome home :)

And Diablo, that sounds great! Have fun and yes, take the emperor with you :)

Winter settled in
For a spell to cast a spell
Spelling tests ordered

lol, footnote to Open Thread! (as found)

Thanks for signing in, . Now you can comment. (sign out)
(If you haven't left a comment here before, you may need to be approved by the site owner before your comment will appear. Until then, it won't appear on the entry. Thanks for waiting.)

Thanks for signing in, . Now you can comment. (sign out)
(If you haven't left a comment here before, you may need to be approved by the site owner before your comment will appear. Until then, it won't appear on the entry. Thanks for waiting.)

URL:
Remember me? YesNo

Comments:
You are not signed in. You need to be registered to comment on this site. Sign in
You are not signed in. You need to be registered to comment on this site. Sign in
Email this entry to:
TYPEPAD!!

That was before I actually signed in and, as you see, I made it.

heartfone..damn! the emperor is too old for all nite beach bashes and splashes...no?

there's an old tree stump pearched forlornly on a desolate cold river bank as another chilly winter sets in...this year there will be no girl tree to keep him(it) company...the one that was there last summer was chopped down by a careless logger...sad.

Diablo #44,

Well, take him with you then in your heart :).
One is as old or young in the heart as one feels.

The philosophers had their days, mostly in the past though. The scientists have bypassed them and today, just like in the past, philosophers argue mainly about language and meaning.

The great Wittgenstein said: ‘The sole remaining task for philosophy is the analysis of language. What a comedown from the great tradition of philosophy from Aristotle to Kant!’

Ed, our own holistic observer and philosopher appears to have trouble taking a stand on the holistically observed. Let’s see what he might do with this:
If nothing accounts for something and in fact is something, then there always was something and we can stop looking for a beginning!

-:)-(:-

no more bail outs for fat cats! enuff! rise or fall on ur own tubbies...the world still keep on turnin' without you.

Can you imagine the leader of one of the G8 nations, facing the biggest world recession, closing up shop and go home until January 26th 2009. Canada’s Harper did just that.

This is the same guy who thinks global warning is not a thread, that the invasion of Iraq was justified, and who supports the U.S. assembling a missile defense system in Europe. What a dope!

Canada, where are your great statesmen of the past?

Should read global 'warming'.

~~~
Take heart Michel, we are leaving an old era and entering a new one. There are bound to be upheavals, but the new Aquarian age implies that conflicts concerning faith and belief give way to reason.

Both religious fundamentalism and the cult of personality will likely continue, given human nature, but more as a backlash and last bastion rather than the cutting edge of human endeavor.

B

Keeping fingers crossed this cutting edge technology of typepad allows this post to go through. :)

Sheesh bro!

Don't get me inspired, I might start doing sit-ups and pull-ups again, and I'll show you whuppersnappers!

Me and baby D with two fine babes sitting on the beach: o yeah!

He-he

Peace

With you, things are getting so easy
We are making us feel so good
Now There are two branches for the collective

So today let's play a bit
Let's make it flawless
Put your head out of Holly-Bolly-wood

Put it out
Don't you see this wall-pressures
Don't you see these streets sad-molecules

Yes, we see
Ohhhhh yes, we see....

#47 Hi Michel, you're a welcome skeptic here...

"If nothing accounts for something and in fact is something, then there always was something and we can stop looking for a beginning!"

Some-things are best left unsaid, said Ed ;)

However, it was very ungentlemanly of you to call me a philosopher. Dare I call you a scientist.....
No end of time has been spent looking for beginnings and no end of beginnings have extruded time, which doesn't exist as some thing, any old how ;)

me Sceinstein, you Frankenlystein ;)

Great rythm Jean et très avant-garde :)

picture the emperor with a martini in hand and a beautiful babe sitting ...side by side..on a warm tropical beach with a thousand palm trees reaching far inland behind him and a low setting sun ..colorful..in front of him and waves rollin' in...and the sound of sweet caribbean music in the mix and laughter and the aromas of food wafing thru the air..and so on...hmnn...how would describe it?

paradise!

flabs once vacationed in st. croix...damn! was he a hit or what...he ate so much mahi mahi on the island, they are still trouble restocking their inventory...whoahaha...hehe!

To Craig and Diablo:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0eAMDtuTWg&feature=related

:)

We are down to ten
We know who we are and/or were
We count on ourselves

.

Type Pad can kiss mine

.

Rosy Red Ash

.

Tree

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFHinYEn1eU

zara si dil mein de jagah tu
zara sa apna le bana...

yo...don't make another person...love? make u deeeeepreessssed u hear me?

i am starting a petition to bring back north...

if u want her back...let her know on this thread...ok...considering how ill she was...i hope she's still alive!

# 55. Good morning to one side from the good night side.

You posted a typical Edian response, still driving your hazy, lazy, and this time not so deep thought sedan that would fit perfectly into any Havana street.

# 63. Sign me up on your North Drive.

here is a shout out to North,
and blessings and wishes
for her & her son, Lee
a Merry Christmas
with love

#64 Good morning Michel, you're so mean....I thought it was a mEdian response.
Maybe I should have gone there with you.

#63 Diab, this is not a good time to be calling up North.

Re. 37

Talk about projection and hypocrisy:

"...a certain name-calling troll has been absent since the day he was asked to apologise for making nasty, unprovoked personal attacks.

he should be aware that admin will not tolerate any kind of hatred." --Diablo

I'm sorry you couldn't deserve more attention from me. Stop being a moron, and I shall refrain from pointing out your idicoy with substancial arguments and criticism and not just insult you by calling you out on that.

And yes, stop acting like a juvinile school yard whiny bully who cries and complains to his grown up teachers when the playground gets hot.

Speaking of trolls ...this artcile by Jason Kottke published a few days ago is a must, must read (you will certainly find some insights into how intentblog has evolved over time, apart from a general idea about a common relation between offline and online communities):

Does the broken windows theory hold online?

"The Economist reports that experimental tests of the controversial "broken windows theory" of social behavior indicate that the theory is correct.

'The most dramatic result, though, was the one that showed a doubling in the number of people who were prepared to steal in a condition of disorder. In this case an envelope with a EUR5 ($6) note inside (and the note clearly visible through the address window) was left sticking out of a post box. In a condition of order, 13% of those passing took the envelope (instead of leaving it or pushing it into the box). But if the post box was covered in graffiti, 27% did. Even if the post box had no graffiti on it, but the area around it was littered with paper, orange peel, cigarette butts and empty cans, 25% still took the envelope.'

http://www.economist.com/science/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12630201

"Here's the 1982 Atlantic article in which the theory was first discussed in a popular forum. (Great article, BTW.)

'At the community level, disorder and crime are usually inextricably linked, in a kind of developmental sequence. Social psychologists and police officers tend to agree that if a window in a building is broken and is left unrepaired, all the rest of the windows will soon be broken. This is as true in nice neighborhoods as in rundown ones. Window-breaking does not necessarily occur on a large scale because some areas are inhabited by determined window-breakers whereas others are populated by window-lovers; rather, one unrepaired broken window is a signal that no one cares, and so breaking more windows costs nothing.'

"Reading these articles, I wondered: how does the broken windows theory apply to online spaces? Perhaps like so:

"Much of the tone of discourse online is governed by the level of moderation and to what extent people are encouraged to "own" their words. When forums, message boards, and blog comment threads with more than a handful of participants are unmoderated, bad behavior follows. The appearance of one troll encourages others. Undeleted hateful or ad hominem comments are an indication that that sort of thing is allowable behavior and encourages more of the same. Those commenters who are normally respectable participants are emboldened by the uptick in bad behavior and misbehave themselves. More likely, they're discouraged from helping with the community moderation process of keeping their peers in line with social pressure. Or they stop visiting the site altogether.

"Unchecked comment spam signals that the owner/moderator of the forum or blog isn't paying attention, stimulating further improper conduct. Anonymity provides commenters with immunity from being associated with their speech and actions, making the whole situation worse...how does the community punish or police someone they don't know? Very quickly, the situation is out of control and your message board is the online equivalent of South Central Los Angeles in the 1980s, inhabited by roving gangs armed with hate speech, fueled by the need for attention, making things difficult for those who wish to carry on useful conversations.

"But what about a site's physical appearance? Does the aesthetic appearance of a blog affect what's written by the site's commenters? My sense is that the establishment of social norms through moderation, both by site owners and by the community itself, has much more of an impact on the behavior of commenters than the visual design of a site but aesthetics does factor in somewhat. Perhaps the poor application of a default MT or Wordpress template signals a lack of care or attention on the part of the blog's owner, leading readers to think they can get away with something. Poorly designed advertising or too many ads littered about a site could result in readers feeling disrespected and less likely to participate civilly or respond to moderation. Messageboard software is routinely ugly; does that contribute to the often uncivil tone found on web forums?"

http://www.kottke.org/08/12/does-the-broken-windows-theory-hold-online

Irvine Welsh...it is true...it does take a moron to know another...

a smart man with an IQ above that of bushnut's would feed his audience with his own, creative thoughts ...not that which is burrowed from others like u are obsessed in doing...u do have an insatiable appetite to cut and paste...us to death like a boring, pesky spammer...the only thing u prove by doing so is that u like to read which is not a bad hobby.

but most of the warm, decent bloggers here would appreciate originality...

i suppose it is a moronic act to use the brains of others when u cannot use ur own.

hey north...so far kate and michel want u back...

that means u have three friends here who are pulling for u...hope u are keeping well...

North not love us anymore . . .

But we love her!!!!!!!

Yep.

Hi all,

I had a lot of difficulty today to log in.

After trying 6 or more with no result, my eye fell on the button 'Preview', left to the button 'Post' and... yeah you guessed it, on that page I was able to preview my comment and post it too.

And that worked.

I have been searching on Typepad's blogs.com and they could not find Intentblog. Perhaps they are very sensivite on how one writes the word, I will do a search again.

This evening (my local time) I am going to send an email, with experiences with logging in on this blogsite of the past week, to Six Apart.

Will be away tomorrow, celebrating a birthday in the family, but will be back with their comments.

Wishing everybody a great weekend!

Thank you, Meike, have a good one yourself and family.

Yep, I tried that preview thing ;) They made me log in again but it worked AND I stayed logged in for more workables!

Diab, you know North would have apoplexy with all this Typepad hassle. I think I'll go break a few windows!! Hi Irv, it's worse than I thought, IQ. In Question ;)

hi north...so far the list grown to five

kate
michel
the emperor (craig)
granpa ed
diablo..

Hi Diablo

Make that list 6...you can sign me up.
Would love to see North back at IB.

B

If the paddie type will let me vote,

I'm all for going after North!

Honey Nuts & Oats! (wink)

Hi B!

Thank you Ed :).

You can count me in Diablo as far as your request to North is concerned, but I doubt whether she will return.

Last time we discussed this, here on IB, she placed a comment on her MySpace site that said it all.

I emailed her today....... but it is totally up to her.

I have regular email contact with North at the moment and can tell you that she is doing fine, having settled now in her new apartment, that is a lot bigger than the one she had before, so she has to spend more time doing her household, all by herself.

If you really are interested, than visit her MySpace site once in a while, which I do regularly:

http://www.myspace.com/northdesigns

Love, Mieke

friends of north...list grows to seven...

kate
michel
the emperor (craig)
granpa ed
diablo..
bonnie
mieke

thanks for the update...mieke...

btw...nice background holiday music...

u want to hear it...too..just click on mieke's name...damn!

How can we testify this experience?
Where should I go?
Nobody has been able to understand its value

I am turning my back to face you
I am asking you
Are you feeling the wave, crossing my shore?

I know, first it's painful, I know so well
Be sharp-wise, adventurer of open-heart
This is south-vibs, this is my life...

Hi everyone,

I see we have a "list" going on who wants to see North back at IB.

Well, I never wanted to see her gone in the first place, and, really, do not understand the "great affront" that caused her to be banned, by the Admin....she did tend to get in scrimmages with other IB'ers once in a while and although I did get impatient with her writings once in a while I would never have banned her from the blog....now, frankly, I felt that a lot D's comments were a lot more insulting to fellow IB'ers than North's ever were, but, where, folks found him entertaining they took offense at North.....so, heck, I, just write here....what do I know....I am not the Admin....frankly, I am surprised they have put up with me for this long....I know I have gotten under others's skin a time or two....but that is life....some like you sometimes, other's like you less....big deal...for the most part...it is better to write your honest perspective as best you can than cater to what you think others may want to hear in order to be popular with the crowd....and that is my once cent for this day....

I say the more the merrier....it would be great to hear from North here at IB.....and since I do not travel to "my space".....I probably will not visit her there.....but....she will always have my best wishes......have a great day everyone, ruth

well...granny if u say so...honesty is the best of policies...with that u are added to the list, now up to eight...

kate
michel
the emperor (craig)
granpa ed
diablo..
bonnie
mieke
ruth

Do not forget to mention Keith in the list (#76)

:)

Am at my daughter's home at the moment, trying out her Vista computer and found out it gives the same difficulty in logging in.

Haven't received a reply from Six Apart yet.

IB Fantasia

A handful of hippos dancing with
a couple of banalities butterflies.
Would a hippo kiss turn a butterfly
into a princes? Butterflies droppings
are getting thick. My Monitor needs
windshield wipers.

thanks mieke...u eagle-eyed...sorry UT for the oversight..

well lady north...your list of friends growth by the hour...

kate
michel
the emperor (craig)
granpa ed
diablo..
bonnie
mieke
ruth
keith

# 66 Ed, there is no purpose to be mean to a holistic observer like you and don’t worry about being called a philosopher, some of those guys still operate a crystal clear thought process. Grandpa Dan Dennett is one of them.

About Cuba, most of us know the freedom limitations existing in that beautiful country, but do we also know that there are very few beggars and starving people found anywhere in Cuba? That Medicare is available to everybody, and nobody will lose anything because of illness? Yes luxury items are hard to come by and food rations are still in effect. The three hurricanes devastating different regions of island this year were no help and neither is the United States Embargo.

You won’t find a single Mc Donald or any other American fast-food outlet. The average Cuban appears to eat less that half as much as a typical North American and as a result fat people are a rarity and ‘well proportioned ones’ the norm.

Yah, come along next time Ed, and let’s take Craig along too. You guys probably would not mind spreading a bit of science in some local school. There is complete separation of church, state and the education system. And no opposition to get red of ignorance and replace it with knowledge and science.

All Cubans are well educated, however a simple portable DVD player is a rarity. The plan is to go back next year. Hopefully, just like in Honduras and Guatemala, seeing Carl Sagan present his Cosmos Series on a little TV screen will give the little people as much of a lift as the old guy gets from showing it.

Apologies for posting this again but maybe some have not seen it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4Wonbqh6Tw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sntLv5riXd0

all u computer "geeks" (kiddin' i mean pros) come on, dudes(ettes)...what's up with all this log-on fickleness with the paddies? damn! oft it takes like 7 tries to geton ...at other times just once...is this a test of patience or perseverance? yo!

tis a typepad problem only, baba.

No beggars in Cuba because no one has any money to hand out, and no one falls down dead of starvation because hunger is shared pretty equally, wherefore rations and few overweight people. As I understand it, universal medical care is available, but equipment and medicines are in short supply. You might want to feel a little deeper on your next trip. If seeing Carl Sagan on a little TV screen is going to give people a lift, they are bottomed out, hai na?

where is doodooman? dude u been MIA for a while now...are u alright?

girl...i betcha...

that dude neva really went to cuba...

if he did then why is he showing us the same old tired vids for the last three yrs running?

won't it be more credible if he could show us some new vids from his so-called recent visit there?

it's hard to see what this cat is trying to prove?

perhaps he wishes he could be in cuba to see how things are...for real!

Hey you guys!!!! Does anybody happen to have any of these books lying around they want to donate to the cause of social justice (and I am the avenger empyrius who needs these materials); I'll sell my soul (unless that diabolical devil already owns it . . .):

American Apartheid: Segregation and the Making of the Underclass by Douglas Massey and Nancy Denton (Paperback - Jul 15, 1998)

Crimes Of Style: Urban Graffiti and the Politics of Criminality by Jeff Ferrell (Paperback - Jul 3, 1996)

Tearing Down the Streets: Adventures in Urban Anarchy by Jeff Ferrell (Paperback - Dec 31, 2002)

Empire of Scrounge: Inside the Urban Underground of Dumpster Diving, Trash Picking, and Street Scavenging (Alternative Criminology) by Jeff Ferrell (Paperback - Dec 1, 2005)

Learning to Labor: How Working Class Kids Get Working Class Jobs by Paul Willis and Stanley Aronowitz (Paperback - April 15, 1981)

Punishment and Inequality in America by Bruce Western (Paperback - Dec 2007)

Marked: Race, Crime, and Finding Work in an Era of Mass Incarceration by Devah Pager (Hardcover - Oct 1, 2007)

The Politics of Inequality: A Political History of the Idea of Economic Inequality in America by Michael J Thompson (Hardcover - Oct 24, 2007)

Malign Neglect: Race, Crime, and Punishment in America by Michael Tonry (Paperback - April 11, 1996)

Cop in the Hood: My Year Policing Baltimore's Eastern District by Peter Moskos (Hardcover - Jun 22, 2008)

Overcriminalization: The Limits of the Criminal Law by Douglas Husak (Hardcover - Jan 8, 2008)

People and Folks: Gangs, Crime and the Underclass in a Rustbelt City by Perry Macon and John M. Hagedorn (Paperback - Jan 1, 1998)

I cannot afford these books, even on Amazon, but if anybody has any of these aforementioned books just sitting around collecting dust . . .

I would put them to good use!

Peace

“i betcha…that dude neva really went to cuba...”

The IB dummkopf is still faithfully looking into his ever-present crystal ball.

Here is a reminder:

“I'm sorry you couldn't deserve more attention from me. Stop being a moron, and I shall refrain from pointing out your idiocy with substantial arguments and criticism and not just insult you by calling you out on that.

And yes, stop acting like a juvenile school yard whiny bully who cries and complains to his grown up teachers when the playground gets hot”.

Dear Heather,
You may be an “IT person, very techie, used to read Scientific American for breakfast and understand every word, sometimes read medical textbooks cover to cover for fun & retain about 80% etc. Real smart, real logical, real evidence oriented…”

I am not being sarcastic; these are your own words!

With all that in mind, how come you appear to never have shown an interest in evolutionary biology and astronomy?

Do you believe in miracles?

If there is not now
If there never will be
Anything new under heaven

Then a miracle must be
Ready-made and waiting
Right around the corner

The event horizon
Seeing begets believing
Guessing for all it's worth

everybody knows that this dude is an IB reject who has a weird obsession with spoon bending who always talks about the same crap year after year...and who pretends to go with his CS DVD player to latin america to teach the poor peasnants ....as if..about the universe...when he should be teaching them how to grow crops to survive..

and when he's called out, he uses one of his many aliases to insult... i hope it makes u small dude feel large.

appear is the key word.

love to all & g'nite

i got a party to go to so ...won't have time to respond to his crap should he decide to fire more of it...have a nice weekend all u nice folks...damn!

There's a book I'm reading that is changing how I view the world, and how I fit into it.

It's not an easy read, and I don't know what's in store for me as I continue with it. Its concepts seem so revolutionary and profound that I read it a page or two at a time, and think about the ideas spinning out for hours.

Its ideas about the balance and flow of energy, creativity, commerce, economics, and generousity are so lucid and sensible, that I recommend it to anyone who is too stubborn to be put off by books that aren't easy to read.

It is:

The Gift: Creativity and the Artist in the Modern World, by Lewis Hyde

g'nite, baba, have fun fun fun.

#102 Hi Heath, me happy to have been a gardener......wtf next!! (don't ask Michel ;-)

From Mr Lewis Hyde himself:-
"The main assumption of the book is that certain spheres of life, which we care about, are not well organized by the marketplace. That includes artistic practice, which is what the book is mostly about, but also pure science, spiritual life, healing and teaching….This book is about the alternative economy of artistic practice. For most artists, the actual working life of art does not fit well into a market economy, and this book explains why and builds out on the alternative, which is to imagine the commerce of art to be well described by gift exchange.

In other words, “Don’t quit your day job, dude.”

Yo, to Derek, too, and the gift of Keith!

#102 Hi Heath, me happy to have been a gardener......wtf next!! (don't ask Michel ;-)

From Mr Lewis Hyde himself:-
"The main assumption of the book is that certain spheres of life, which we care about, are not well organized by the marketplace. That includes artistic practice, which is what the book is mostly about, but also pure science, spiritual life, healing and teaching….This book is about the alternative economy of artistic practice. For most artists, the actual working life of art does not fit well into a market economy, and this book explains why and builds out on the alternative, which is to imagine the commerce of art to be well described by gift exchange.

In other words, “Don’t quit your day job, dude.”

Yo, to Derek, too, and the gift of Keith!

#102 Hi Heath, me happy to have been a gardener......wtf next!! (don't ask Michel ;-)

From Mr Lewis Hyde himself:-
"The main assumption of the book is that certain spheres of life, which we care about, are not well organized by the marketplace. That includes artistic practice, which is what the book is mostly about, but also pure science, spiritual life, healing and teaching….This book is about the alternative economy of artistic practice. For most artists, the actual working life of art does not fit well into a market economy, and this book explains why and builds out on the alternative, which is to imagine the commerce of art to be well described by gift exchange.

In other words, “Don’t quit your day job, dude.”

Yo, to Derek, too, and the gift of Keith!

Here Princess ZAZA met someone VERY important this week and she believes her life will be changed for ever but she is almost sure he cannot accept her as she is and they have their first date to night at 6 but it is also the appointment for doing her fingernails...

Princess ZAZA can't solve the dilemma

Princess ZAZA is puzzled

her soul is muzzled

her heart befuddled

her will muddled

although she would like it so much to be cuddled.

http://www.criticsrant.com/Images/criticsrant_com/Retro_Princess%20Bride/PrincessBride01.jpg

http://www.heartphone.org/poem_of_the_stone.htm

The stone
WE moved a stone
In a river on earth
The water flows different there
Than before
One cannot stop
The stream of a river
Water always findsIts way around

Maybe, once filled
By snow and rain
The river takes
OUR shingles with it
To let it then rest
Worn out smoothly and roundly
In the shelter of the sea

WE moved a stone
In a river on earth
Now We know that
WE will never be forgotten
WE delivered the proof
Of OUR existence
By moving that one stone
The stream will never
Move the same way again……

This goes to say that everyone ever being born on this earth moves a stone and contributes to the evolution of mankind.

Dear Irvine,
I went through the same experience you try to sketch above #107 and with the picture under the link you give.

Yet, if one falls in love, one falls in love forever and if one muddles through, through life there will be a revelation one day, that in the end one always falls in love with oneself :)

And if one knows this as a truth, creativity becomes a natural gift!

But still today, this is an evolutionary process in one's life and can only sprout forth from experiences, for better and for worse

Therefore wisdom in creativity and creativity in wisdom is the way to go!

And the moment when I feel that.......

You're feeling it too......

Is when I fall in love with YOU

good sunday all,

I must say I am a ponderer. Lately, I have been a pondering the state of our affairs on this earthly plane and I must say things do not look so good for us humans.

Well, I have been on this earth for more than 52 years but less then 62 years and I have to ask myself how it is all looking after all this time and the self just give me a shake of the ole noggin..the "not so good" shake.

The biggest tale-tale sign of a not so good state of affiars is the cell-phone in my pocket addiction of our current social cultures. Whether folks are driving their cars at 70 miles an hour or doing heart transplants their phone is always on...for that "emergency"......"what kind of pizza should I order for your dinner?"......now, to be fair...the cell phone has come in handy in the recent attacks in Mumbai for the hostages but on the other hand the terrorists had a great advantage in using them too....but enough with the cell phones....they appear to be simply a symptom of the disease that will most certainly be our downfall.....INATTENTIVNESS.

Yes, the human race seems to be bombarded with stimulus that it cannot handle and our attention span on any one sitution or subject is suffering...we, the human race has...ADD.....bigtime....and either we realize this, and, deal, or, well, we will be happily running ourselves off the face of this planet, cell phone in hand...ordering...cheese with pepperoni, while we wait for the shootings to stop so it can be delivered to our place of hidings....

Listening to the news this week I realize it is time to stop listening to how bad things are...they are bad.....in the next few months they may prove to be worse...well, I have known bad, it is not a stranger...and, I suspect, there are many like me...we know, it is time to hunker down...it is the...chop wood, carry water routine that gets us through....humming a little diddy of a tune helps...with the weight of the load....we carry on.

In the past they usually treat ADD with drugs, drug kids up, to keep them still because they didn't have time to otherwise deal....I don't think drugs will work in this case though. I am not sure what will but this financial crisis is going to be an ATTENTION getter, for sure, and it will affect....all, it hasn't yet, but, then, we, are just at the opening, the unwrapping, of this pandor's box. It will bring change, it will sober, it will put a dent in the cell phone use, I mean, why pay those rates when you can use the money for food and rent and health care....or even bus fare to get to that job interview.

the times they are a changing....choppng wood, carrying water and ADD.

have a good sunday....ruth

In understanding the meaning of the gift and gift economies, I read the opening up of all possibilities by giving honor to the gift. The gift doesn't have to be the opposite of a day job. The day job itself can be an act of dharma, which is a gift, and the effort expended and privation experienced while doing it can increase the value of other, more personal gifts that are waiting to be developed and given.

Please forgive my random musings about gifts and gift economies. I'm still reading the book and thinking about the ideas, and I have a long way to go.

One thing is as sure in me, though, as knowing I'm alive. It is this: the creative gift is not a limitation or a disease or a crippling factor in one's life, and the fact that Western culture right now doesn't have a lot of conscious awareness or respect for gifts and gift economies is no excuse for not living out one's creative gifts to the fullest. It's by living to the fullest, in fact, that a creative person participates in all the economies in his or her culture. Without creative people and their gifts, human culture itself wouldn't exist. To hold on to our gifts, and not express them, to hide them in dark places instead, is something we may do because we don't understand how important they are to everyone. It is through the genuine expression, sharing and passing on of such gifts that humanity's spiritual health and integration with the rest of the natural world increases.

Get on with the 'gift.' Eddys will be spun of to tickle the 'gift' in others.

# 111 Similar thoughts.

Once a year some of the brightest minds meet to discuss and exchange ideas and new discoveries. The 2008 gathering was under the motto “Candles in the Dark”

“Science is more than a body of knowledge; it is a way of thinking. I have a foreboding of an America in my children's or grandchildren's time -- when the United States is a service and information economy; when nearly all the key manufacturing industries have slipped away to other countries; when awesome technological powers are in the hands of a very few, and no one representing the public interest can even grasp the issues; when the people have lost the ability to set their own agendas or knowledgeably question those in authority; when, clutching our crystals and nervously consulting our horoscopes, our critical faculties in decline, unable to distinguish between what feels good and what's true, we slide, almost without noticing, back into superstition and darkness”.

The title of the conference and the section above was taken from to Carl Sagan book: “The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark” It was first published in 1996.

Someone on IB wrote:
“If seeing Carl Sagan on a little TV screen is going to give people a lift, they are bottomed out, hai na?”

Again, that lady shows her ability to reason and think! A real techie with telepathic abilities!

http://thesciencenetwork.org/programs/beyond-belief-candles-in-the-dark

telepathic communications are two-way exchanges.

zaza is the word of the day.

After reading Ruth's # 111 and heath's # 112, I can't help but think that as one economy ends another arises.

The new one arising is one where the art of living Life is the primary mover. It works like sculpture. One pares away everything that isn't needed until one finds the essence of one's life.

Within that, one is not secure unless one's neighbor is also secure.

B

well thought & written.

This morning the sky is draped in gray.
The dark clouds sulk, menacing rain.
Somber like priests before a sacrifice,
the trees pray. Impassive, their throats
proffered, the clouds await.

Morning Sacrifice

The sacredness of the moment fills my heart. A prayer forms in my mind, its words not spoken since amphibians invaded the land. I feel like climbing to the highest branch, and intoning a
primordial chant. A mighty drama is about to enfold. Full of expectation I hold my breath, but the fluffy herd moves on and is gone, without a drop of rain.

Morning Sacrifice

This morning the sky is draped in gray. The dark clouds sulk, menacing rain. Somber like priests before a sacrifice, the trees pray. Impassive, their throats proffered, the clouds await.

The sacredness of the moment fills my heart. A prayer forms in my mind, its words not spoken since amphibians invaded the land. I feel like climbing to the highest branch, and intoning a primordial chant. A mighty drama is about to enfold. Full of expectation I hold my breath, but the fluffy herd moves on and is gone, without a drop of rain.

"smoke grey feathers" by Anna

Someday, if i'm still here,
perhaps i'll wear sensible shoes,
and a red hat,
i'll stand a little less than straight,
with all my grandmothers behind me,
perhaps with the help of a cane,
i'll not walk alone,
someday, maybe a purple sari I'll wear
with corn rows in my hair,
or a silver-mooned ponytail
braided long, past my knees,
someday, i'll have written enough poems
to hang on white clouds with melancholy tips
bring down the sky
close enough for me
to lie down in
when it's time for me to go
with the spirit of the dolphin
dancing in the sun,
just as i notice smoke-grey
feathers where my fingers used to be,
my arms already forming wings.

~A

Re. 107

Cuddled, that's the word i was looking for!

( http://www.janhana.com/statues/cuddled/ )

Beautiful, how in that zaza screenshot(#107), the mousehand finger is pointing to the moon.

Oh, and:

http://www.leconcombre.com/flash/card5us/concombre-zaza.jpg

Sacrifice the US auto industry?

“Nobel Prize winner Paul Krugman says US auto industry will probably disappear.

By MALIN RISING , Associated Press
Last update: December 7, 2008 - 6:36 AM

STOCKHOLM, Sweden - Nobel economics prize winner Paul Krugman said Sunday that the beleaguered U.S. auto industry will likely disappear”

http://www.startribune.com/business/35675324.html

#122 Thank you for that special gift, Scott!

How that lady touches me with those wings.....

I had the extreme displeasure of being around a couple of multi-millionaires yesterday (don't ask me how that happened), and it is so funny hearing them try to justify their bs using Scripture up close and personal: all rich people are evil -- every last one of them!

Reasoning with these people is useless, and they are totally insulated from the rabble up their atop their mountains with their private golf clubs; dressing like rabble so they can shop at Wal-Mart, then once safely back in their castle they make small talk of the samll people as they sip their wine . . .

Evil mother fu**ers man. All is lost.

Peace

An ageing farmer - who was very fond of his old horse Samson. He had raised it from fowl many years ago and by horse years it rivaled the old man in both wisdom and mind.

Samson had fallen in the barn, lame and old - though he was the sire of many great horses and had been the profile of the artists landscape for decades of beautiful sunrise and sunsets; his day had come to reckon with time.

"Get up old man! you ain't finished yet" sighed the old farmer. But the velvet nostrils of the old horse fluttered no more. A single tear swelled over the deep weathered wrinkles of the old mans cheek and soaked into the horses mussel..

As the old farmer walked away from the barn toward his home that night strickened with sorrow he lit his pipe and held on to the gate post. The warm summer night felt as cold as the North pole on his back as he mourned the loss of his old friend. He looked up at he clear sky and to the light from the stars that had taken a millenium to reach the pupils of his tear filled eyes and whispered "What a Stud"

Smiling: he swung the gate, creaking and hitting the post with a crash and a click - he headed for the house.

LOL

Love

Simon xx

This one is for the Girls

An ageing farmer - who was very fond of her old horse Samson. She had raised it from fowl many years ago and by horse years it rivaled the old Woman in both wisdom and mind.

Samson had fallen in the barn, lame and old - though he was the sire of many great horses and had been the profile of the artists landscape for decades of beautiful sunrise and sunsets; his day had come to reckon with time.

"Get up old man! you ain't finished yet" sighed the old farmer. But the velvet nostrils of the old horse fluttered no more. A single tear swelled over the deep weathered wrinkles of the old Woman's cheek and soaked into the horses mussel..

As the old farmer walked away from the barn toward her home that night strickened with sorrow She lit her Cigarette and held on to the gate post. The warm summer night felt as cold as the North pole on her back as she mourned the loss of her old friend. She looked up at the clear sky and to the light from the stars that had taken a millenium to reach the pupils of her tear filled eyes and whispered "What a Stud"

Smiling: she swung the gate, creaking and hitting the post with a crash and a click - she headed for home

Love

Simon xx

to the outsider dude who pretended he was not that multiple id-ed spammer, the andouille, the aebun...

this is what i have to say to u....whoahahaaawhohaaaaaaaaaaaaeeeeeaaaaaaaahahhhwhaaaaaaaaaaaa

Hi All,

As far as the log-in problem is concerned:

I received a reply from Six Apart this weekend:

""Six Apart (Jen) said: 12/07/2008 02:43 PM
Hi Mieke-

Could you ask the Owner of the blog to open a Help Ticket within their account to report the problems with commenting? Then, we can take a look at the blog and communicate with the blog Owner directly and troubleshoot any further problems.

We apologize for any inconvenience. Please let us know if you have any other questions.

Thanks,
Jen
TypePad Technical Services""

Well, in the end they refer me back to the blog owner and now am beginning to doubt very much whether this owner is still interested in troubleshooting this site with so few commenters.

However, I will send an email to Admin and will see what reply (if any) I receive.

Greetings from Holland :)

Mieke

All I can say for this moment is that I personally had a great experience here the past three years, learnt a lot and did some creative projects with a number of bloggers here too :)

Thank you all for that.

All good things come to an end and what's left then is the beginning of a wonderful memory.

It's for sure that I have that and no-one can take that away from me :)

Much love from the heart

"You give what you take, you take what you give" ~~~~ Suri

Thanks Suri! :)

yo IB computer dudes(ettes)...

the system was working fine before u got a brain (fart), oops, i mean wave), why tinker with it if it ain't broke? ...i'd be duly flattered if u take my(our) advice and go back to the old, workable format...come on, surprise me and clear up this mess! damn!

Mieke, thanks for the update on logging problems. It's true the problem is intentblog-specific. The log-in and commenting works perfectly well for other OpenID/TypePad enabled blogs I used in the past couple of weeks.

Re. 133

"...i'd be duly flattered if u take my(our) advice and go back to the old, workable format..."

Intentblog didn't make any changes. TypeKey updated itself to TypePad and there's nothing anyone can do about it except them. And somehow intentblog doesn't seem to respond ideally to the change. I am sure, .like Mieke's correspondence suggests, SixApart(which owns TypeKey/TypePad etc) can help out the individual blog owners with their issues.

what would u do if u caught someone breaking into ur car?

Yo Diablo what up

I have been super busy. I have not even turned my computer on. Yo, I am still very busy and will have to get caught up later.

peace comes from peace

derek

Yo Diablo what up

I have been super busy. I have not even turned my computer on. Yo, I am still very busy and will have to get caught up later.

peace comes from peace

derek

The faithful are at it again; this time it is the Muslims.

“Muslim pilgrims stone devil amid tight control
Mon Dec 8, 2008 4:14pm EST

By Inal Ersan
MENA, Saudi Arabia (Reuters) - More than two million Muslim pilgrims stoned walls symbolizing the devil in a narrow valley outside Mecca in Saudi Arabia Monday at the most dangerous stage of the haj pilgrimage.”

http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSTRE4B60H020081208?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews

First put up your wall.
Then blame it for spoiling the view.

Well said, Ed.
Those view-spoiling walls seem to get built in many places but especially in religious minds.

HAWK RAVEN & HERON

We nearly reach the ocean
when we hear a loud squawking
& look to see not a raven
but a red-tailed hawk standing
in an evergreen
where the branch is bare
One leg out with feathers ruffled
to its ankles holding its prey firmly
belly open with fur dark like a rat

It's beak is sharp in the sun
pulling up intestines until they snap
& then slurping them down
The raven is on the same branch
but in the needled part
a safe distance away
It gets so excited by the prospect
of eating the leftovers that it
can't help taking off in exuberance
& flying in a circle around the tree
before landing in the same place
still squawking for joy

We would like an even closer look
but we know that prey is hard to catch
so we back off before we disturb it
& are rewarded around the corner
seeing in the golden brown grasses
where the creek splits off
a great blue heron
standing so still with the tide coming in
you could take it for a dead bush

~~Steve Toth~~

did you read Winter Light by ~A?

```
The Peace of Wild Things

When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children's lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world and am free.

```Wendell Berry

A beautifully-written piece by someone determined not to feel sorry for herself after injuries, and just as determined to stay open to her experiences and feelings:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/07/nyregion/thecity/07smel.html

(or click my name)

Here is ~A's Winter Light:

http://www.poetry-chaikhana.com/Forum/viewtopic.php?t=7505

(or click my name)

was it love or lust?

who are you asking and what is the it?

enquiry minds want to know? damn~!

#145 Oh thanks, Heath, nearly missed that with the new OT beginning.

You know, I've never been able to track down Anna, cos I didn't have what R stood for, from way back when you asked me about AR and I thought you referenced Adrienne Rich!!

I did outright ask Tiger for a link a while back but, when no hint was given, assumed he wanted to keep her for himself ;)

I've patiently waited for the absolute treats here :)
Ha, had to smile at Anna's IMpatience with lack of comments at the poem entry. Anyone who writes like she does is entitled and I don't read egotism, one iota.

I certainly picked up a sync of your proffering 'Winter Light' here, at least to me, if that was your intention.

I'm glad there was a sync, Ed, though I had no intention of it. And I'm glad AR is now open to you.

Enquiring mind wants to know how you're keeping, Irish. Well, I trust. However, you didn't answer my questions.