Tyler's Mate

,,,express contempt for a huge proportion of their fellow Americans, condemn their nation's legitimate democratic process and squeal at the civic duty of paying taxes?

Now I'm reading how they're going to leave the country since the re-election of one of their more intelligent, well-balanced and thoughtful presidents whose economic policies are a little more moderate than one of their most paranoid, self-serving and Republican presidents (Nixon, in case you were wondering). Genuinely, I'd like to know.

Yahoo Mail recently changed its format and, I have to say, it doesn't suit me as well. My way of managing work was to mark messages as unread as a kind of prompt list for what I needed to do and it worked well for me. In the new format imposed by Yahoo I can't see how to organise my e-mails this way. I really would be very grateful if anyone out there can explain how I can set my view to unread messages only.

Also unsure if I'm receiving messages from my other e-mail accounts (POP) since the changeover. Less of an issue but if you know how to remedy this please let me know.

Thanks.

Specifically I need to know which common species migrate to and from the UK during springtime (March-May). Also - do these birds gather and make wonderful formations as they do in autumn? Any technical information and terminology on this latter point would also be much appreciated.

Capitalism is promoted on the premise that competing self-interests, regulated by the realities of "the market", work for the general benefit of human society. However, if the modern pillars of Capitalism - the banks, the stock markets, global corporations - are so powerful that political institutions will take "any action necessary" to prevent these pillars from falling, then the market cannot perform its essential function. Such a dysfunctional market means we do not have capitalism, but possibly something akin to an oligopoly - a very unhealthy and dangerous state of affairs where immense power is concentrated in a relatively small, but completely unaccountable group interested only in perpetuating and extending its own power. Not unlike the totalitarian Eastern European states of recent history.

What is to be done?

Capitalism is promoted on the premise that competing self-interests, regulated by the realities of "the market", work for the general benefit of human society. However, if the modern pillars of Capitalism - the banks, the stock markets, global corporations - are so powerful that political institutions will take "any action necessary" to prevent these pillars from falling, then the market cannot perform its essential function. Such a dysfunctional market means we do not have capitalism, but possibly something akin to an oligopoly - a very unhealthy and dangerous state of affairs where immense power is concentrated in a relatively small, but completely unaccountable group interested only in perpetuating and extending its own power. Not unlike the totalitarian Eastern European states of recent history.

What is to be done?

Tougher regulation to prevent credit being marketed and sold to those unable to repay, and (globally agreed) restrictions on sharp practice and the bounteous bonus culture of the financial institutions - well, it would be a start.

Now governments plan to borrow unprecedented sums many on the right wing are calling for the monies to be used for tax breaks to "stimulate entrepreneurs and investment". Here's the thing: Why not give tax cuts to the poor instead?

Significant tax breaks for low to middle income families would help households pay off their sub-prime mortgages - making them rather less "sub" prime - while enabling people to cope with the inevitable inflation about to ensue. This way the economy could be rebuilt steadily through increased stability of those at the "foundations" of society - i.e. ordinary working people.

It's a reversal of the old adage that "to make a rich man work harder you pay him more, to make a poor man work harder you pay him less".

Your thoughts, opinions, critiques, etc. would be appreciated.

Thanks

...and that this claim was made on the basis of their ancient traditions, and then further decreed these people deserved a nation of their own to shield them from presecution, and that the area hitherto called the USA will now be theirs in perpetuity - how would you react?

Now ask yourself: Why do Palestinians react as they do?

No disrespect to David Tennant (who may well survive this regeneration), but he'll have to go sometime. My nominations would be:

1. Martin Freeman

2. Robert Carlyle

3. Helen Mirren

4. Shanjeev Bhaskar

5. Robbie Coltrane

Any one of them would take it in a fascinating new direction -but I'd love to hear your ideas!

I've tried several quotation sites without success, so I'm looking for guidance, suggestions or ideas on the attribution of this quote. The quote may not be precisely correct, but that is certainly the sense of it. This is a serious piece of research, incidentally, not just a whim so any help would be most welcome.

I've tried several quotation sites without success, so I'm looking for guidance, suggestions or ideas on the attribution of this quote. The quote may not be precisely correct, but that is certainly the sense of it. This is a serious piece of research, incidentally, not just a whim so any help would be most welcome.

I've tried several quotation sites without success, so I'm looking for guidance, suggestions or ideas on the attribution of this quote. The quote I've given may not be precisely correct, but it is certainly the sense of it.

This is a serious piece of research, incidentally, not just a whim so any help would be most welcome. Thanks.

Religions tend to attribute consciousness, intelligence and coherence and consequently a 'big' God...

But what if God is tiny.

Microscopic.

Sub-atomic.

God simply as Energy:

Energy never dies, only changes form.

God manifest as Time:

omnipotent, relentless, the dynamic to everything.

No guiding hand - just a perpetual, dynamic spirit that connects everything - creating, destroying, mutating.

Assume for a moment - just for a moment - this is correct - a big ask, I know, but please... just meditate on this idea.

How does it feel?

Religions tend to attribute consciousness, intelligence and coherence and consequently a 'big' God...

But what if God is tiny.

Microscopic.

Sub-atomic.

God simply as Energy:

Energy never dies, only changes form.

God manifest as Time:

omnipotent, relentless, the dynamic to everything.

No guiding hand - just a perpetual, dynamic spirit that connects everything - creating, destroying, mutating.

Assume for a moment this is correct - a big ask, I know, but please... just meditate on this idea for a few moments.

How does it feel?

...I'm hoping to have published in a poetry magazine. Any constructive contributions very welcome:

Kissing Yourself Goodnight

You cover your mirror in lip prints

Boots no.7 cherry red smeared on the glass:

One-two-three-four-five-six-seven.

Fingerprints push here and there too –

Three-four-five-foot-seven -

Those greasy grey whorls so individually you

So uniquely you, so…

You.

On the other side of the glass the other You:

Sagging...

naked...

panda-eyed,

cake-faced

tear-stained, half-drunk.

Touching your pubic,

touching yourself,

wrapping yourself in your own big arms,

no longer denying anything you are,

anything you were,

or what you’ve become.

You’re WeightWatcher, GymMember,

CareerWoman, CaringMom, DutifulDaughter,

YoungerSister, OlderSister, AttentiveNiece,

HappilyMarried, GoodTimeGirl, DemonLover,

CleanLiving, GoodHouseWife, BiCurious,

CloseFriend, EnvironmentallyAware,

LifeAndSoulOfTheParty,

MyKindOfAGal.

Sleep tight.

x

If so, are we ceding more power to the State to monitor every action of every citizen in order to protect freedoms from being abused?

And is all this the kind of freedoms we want, or need?

will they refuse all offers of coalition with an SNP-led Executive for fear they'll be portrayed as betrayers of the Union back in Westminster?

I thought - and still hope - the refusal to discuss while the referendum was a bit of (rather clever) initial posturing designed to let the SNP know they were no push-overs.

If the SNP offer a 'Constitutional Convention' to take the whole issue out of the Parliament for at least four years, will the Lib Dems refuse even though a similar idea is in their manifesto?

Will the SNP make such an offer, or are they scared to dilute the referendum proposal for fear of being portrayed as betrayers of the independence struggle by their supporters?

Is Scotland in for a minority administration with little power to tackle real issues - education, environment, local government reform, etc. - but plenty of time for cold war manoeuvering between the parties in Holyrood and Westminster?

Is this in the spirit of 'new politics' & PR?

... so why don't we create more incentives for locally based micro-renewable generation projects?

Some plus points:

- If we're responsible for generating our own power, it would probably make us far more responsible in our consumption.

- Communities are often atomised, people isolated from their neighbours; creating an important common purpose would foster co-operation and help rebuild communities - that's how they got formed in the first place.

- If neighbourhoods were organising and taking on such responsibilities, then they might gain the confidence to take on other roles - e.g. custodianship of their green spaces and other heritage.

- Such initiatives could go a long way to reversing the trend for bigger, more centralised government, and help counter the power of multi-national energy brokers.

Ay, there's the rub: Power's crucial to their power.

Will they let us?

Do we need their permission?

Whaddya think?