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If the hottest topic in the news is whether or not one person going into the senate chamber every 3 days constitutes the aforementioned body being "in session", then this country is in deep trouble.

If a significant number of people think that such actions really mean that the body (Senate) is "in session", then this country is in deep trouble.

I can define the current behavior of the the House and Senate as bipartisan and productive. That does not make it true.

Even Rush Limbaugh had an appropriate phrase "Symbolism over Substance". That was back when I considered myself to be a Republican, now I must force myself to capitalize House, Senate, and Republican (Democrat, too for that matter). I'm sure Rush is taking the side of symbolism now, though.

Not that I have an opinion, one way or the other on "recess appointments". Is it just me, or are they just making up the rules as they go along?

Oh, and the punch line?

This country is in deep trouble.

Don't know where that title came from, except maybe in a bolt of blinding inspiration???

I don't have any resolutions this year, but I've been conscious of reducing the stress and hassles in my life these last few years. So when I saw this article on CNN, it caught my attention.

8 ways to simplify your life in 2012

Although this article is aimed specifically at women, I think the stresses of "modern" life hit everyone.

My big prediction, not necessarily for this year, is that computers and technology will actually be used to simplify and improve our lives. In my opinion, that isn't happening yet... (I've probably said it before and I'll say it again)

What things in your life cause the most turmoil, aggravation, and stress? Or what things do you want (or hope) to change?

From the title for this post, you can see that I am obviously a staunch supporter of the OWS movement. Although I wish different people were doing the talking and I'm a little dismayed at what I think are some misdirected priorities, I'm thankful that a such a movement has started and that it has endured long enough to give me confidence that it is more than a fad.

Of course there are many "activists" who protest because that is what the do. And yes, many of them are naive and some are downright silly.

However I gain a little more hope each time there is some inane attack on the protesters. Whether they come from comments here on LJW, FOX news, CEO's I know, or wherever.... It is the people that I see and hear being disparaged, but not the ideas.

I guess we take it for granted that you can buy anything with money: influence, fame, and politicians to name a few.

Chad Lawhorn's article on rising farmland prices today caught my attention. If, as he reports, farmland is being bought for investment purposes and that is the cause of the increasing prices, then we should call this activity just what it is.

Speculation. Brought to you by the same guys who lent money to anyone with a heartbeat, then refused to restructure loans even though it would have reduced their losses, then foreclosed, then negligently neglected many houses causing them to be trashed (frozen/broken pipes....).

There are those who claim that speculation is a sign of a free market and therefore a good thing. It definitely is, at least for the speculators. For those of us who pay for the products grown on this land, or the vanishing family farms, and those of us who don't have the money, or the leverage to invest in any commodity and drive the price up, well, I don't think that it is such a good thing.

We can chose to look at some of the antics of the OWS movement and find fault. Or we can listen to the message and make a decision based on our experience and common sense.

Perhaps you can watch the coverage of people having their belongings piled on the sidewalk and not feel shamed and anger at the greed and stupidity that caused it. Maybe you can make yourself believe that it could never happen to you.

The truth is the truth, no matter what we think of the speaker. The way things are now is not the way is they must remain.

These people may not have done things the way I wish they had, but they have more gumption and determination than I do...than we do.

Our history is filled with people who'd had enough. Each time, I imagine it took a while before we recognized them. They're the ones who were at the Boston Tea Party, campaigned for civil rights, and protested against the Vietnam War.

I apologize for, yet again, disappearing for a period. How active I'll be here is hard to predict. Starting a new job on Monday.

The quote in the cryptogram this week is, I believe, a subtle comment on current events.

Well, this week it was either punt and post a link to a previous post, or post of nothing at all.

Describing this as "The Best Of" may be a bit pretentious, but then, pretension is the new humility. (That makes at least as much sense as white is the new black).

You heard it here first.

Anyway...

This was one of my favorites, from almost 2 years ago. IPS 11/11/2009

Previous:

jehovah_bob evidently silenced everyone with his quick answer this week. See the end of the post

Returning back to the normal formula for the post this week. If I think the subject is easy, it often turns out to be hard and vice versa.

In Plain Sight 7/14/2011 #1 by dklamet

The image(s) above is(are) of a part of a photo of a subject somewhere in the area. I'll add additional parts of the entire photo over the next few days. You are invited to try to guess the subject and location. I'll notify the first person who correctly identifies the subject or location of the entire photo. That subject or location won't be revealed until later, after the answer is obvious. I suggest that people indicate that their guess is "Final" as opposed to just speculation and limit themselves to one final answer per person.

The Chateau, 2412 Iowa by dklamet

Previous: IPS 8/31/2011
Next: IPS 7/14/2011

Check hujiko's post for the correct answer.

This week will be a little different and easy, short and sweet. Rather than not post at all, I'm posting a recent photo I took.

Guess, or not as you chose, the photo doesn't do justice to the actual view. The subject may be obvious, what about the approximate location from which it was taken?

IPS September 7, 2011 #1 by dklamet

Full size image

If you have "weird video" in the title, does that attract a lot of views?

This is like the IPS posts I do, but a short video. You will not have seen this exact subject, but since I took it in my home, you might possibly see something similar in yours.

Later, I'll add a second similar video which will reveal the nature of this mysterious phenomenon. You can ignore the sound in the video, it will only mislead you.

http://youtu.be/MEJHXsfTz2E

Over a period of more than 10 years, the HST (Hubble Space telescope) recorded images of young young stars and the changes in jets of gas. These videos are time lapse images taken yearly from 1994 to 2007

IMHO, pretty darn cool.

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Another quote that might say volumes about our current leaders.