guess what Chris? Today I donated A$37=US$25 to Open Library. I downloaded some great out of print books from the 19th century and quite a few in German as I am bi-lingual---great resource--

Chris, can you please stop posting for the weekend?  I think you need to take a vacation from AU for a few days. Any post you make will be deleted by me, Doone so please do not waste your time.  Thanks in advance for complying wiht my wishes.

Angelspit has some excellent lyrics---given the place it originates from. Not all of my cds are like this. In fact that is one of the exceptions. But for bandwidth I play cd's. Uses very little electriciy

All money that has taxation, and interest involved is a form of percentage slavery.  No way around it. 

Every major form of theism has a version of the Golden rule.  Some times called the law of reciprocity.  Atheists generally refer to it this way.   It is probably the most common sense ideology humans ever came up with.  Every aspect of our social behavior should be tested against this law, rule, or what ever you want to call it.  If that was done, and enforced it would solve 90% of our problems.   Think of all the human constructs that are in conflict with the Golden Rule.  Monetary system, Economics, Markets, capitalism, literally any thing that causes social stratification, or inequality.   Think of the number of products that would not be sold or traded as they cause health harms to individuals as well all of society.    If we simple took seriously the act of doing no harm to anyone, or any society that we would not want imposed on our selves.   Well you get the idea.  Humanity has had the answer to its' problems for centuries.   If it had only practiced what it preached.    

excellent find there...good stuff

your friends remark about barley soup- very astute-because the Mesopotamians did brew beer from this. thousand of years ago. then this idea ended up in Egypt. Where they had seven different brews. In Mesopotamia it was sucked up through a straw. There is this classic two some- clay figurines I saw this in Der Spiegel where they showed this guy shafting his girlfriend-wife-lover from the rear as she was bending over and sucking beer with a straw from a bowl. rippa people.

I got this Chinese Astrology book. Interesting form all sorts of views. I am a metal-rabbit! They have five elements not four. The fifth is this metal. Their history is amazing. Way ahead of all the others. Including Mongol invasions. Their philosophy much more nuanced. Not this waffling of the Greeks who mangled Indian thinking. And not religious at all. More spiritual. But not this new age crap either. Based on Tao--which is best left uncommented on [by me!] Their poets are so spot on. Chung Tzu and Lao Tse are two of the best there. Then by the ninth century came Buddhism. This blended with Tao to crate Ch'an Buddhism. That ended in Japan to become Zen. Another branch went to Thailand. These Thai Buddhists had a temple and a separate mediation place in Sydney's China Town. Where I learnt their meditation. By concentrating only on breathing. Not as simple as it is. But well worth it. No propaganda, no chanting, no mantras, no candles, nothing at all. Just like my brain. If only I could empty the shit it gestates continually.

I blame my brain --- it is a vomitorium and tells me things---

then goes mental---