Things I would like to see are diaries about social/cultural/political trends that are occuring not just in one country, but across Europe. Diaries about the emerging 'European space', as it were, above the national, but below the global. Member of the Anti-Fabulousness League since 1987.
There's probably a space for question diaries: ask a question in enough detail and with enough hooks for the experts to get a grip on it or for the generalists to do a decent Google search.
Pity to see Frank apparently putting his bread and cheese in his spotted handkerchief and about to resume his search for the blogging Holy Grail.
Me? I found my blogging Holy Grail when I happened upon good old ET a couple of years ago - as I recall as a result of Jerome monstering the now mythical "Iran Oil Bourse".
ET is the original on-line Groucho Club. And I'm proud to say therefore that I'm not a member (or maybe am an UnMember ? Please tellme, rg ), but come here anyway.
I just enjoy putting up my stuff to be shot at. Apologies to those of you bored to death with it, but I reckon I've managed to refine my thinking enormously in a way that would have been impossible any other way.
Big thanks to Jerome in particular, and above all to Migeru and the other front pagers.
I can't think of any changes I would like to see - but I'm sure I'll have an opinion on changes people actually do put forward.... "Any economic unit can emit money. The serious problem is to get it accepted" Hyman Minsky
LOL. The story of my life, I'm afraid. Change is the only constant (Heraclitus). I once dreamt of Heraclitus before I was even conscious of knowing his name. Who knows what tomorrow brings, let's hope it is both a discovery and a surprise. "It's a mystery to me - the game commences, For the usual fee - plus expenses, Confidential information - it's in my diary..."
Perhaps one of the reasons for this silence is that you have to know how to read the music. For instance, the scientific article may say, "The radioactive phosphorus content of the cerebrum of the rat decreases to one-half in a period of two weeks." Now what does that mean? It means that phosphorous that is in the brain of a rat - and also in mine, and yours - is not the same phosphorus as it was two weeks ago. It means the atoms that are in the brain are being replaced: the ones that were there before have gone away. So what is this mind of ours: what are these atoms with consciousness? Last week's potatoes! They now can remember what was going on in my mind a year ago - a mind which has long ago been replaced. To note that the thing I call my individuality is only a pattern or dance, that is what it means when one discovers how long it takes for the atoms of the brain to be replaced by other atoms. The atoms come into my brain, dance a dance, and then go out - there are always new atoms, but always doing the same dance, remembering what the dance was yesterday.
It means that phosphorous that is in the brain of a rat - and also in mine, and yours - is not the same phosphorus as it was two weeks ago. It means the atoms that are in the brain are being replaced: the ones that were there before have gone away.
So what is this mind of ours: what are these atoms with consciousness? Last week's potatoes! They now can remember what was going on in my mind a year ago - a mind which has long ago been replaced.
To note that the thing I call my individuality is only a pattern or dance, that is what it means when one discovers how long it takes for the atoms of the brain to be replaced by other atoms. The atoms come into my brain, dance a dance, and then go out - there are always new atoms, but always doing the same dance, remembering what the dance was yesterday.
And a different Frank, too.
Any requests/recommendations for change on a postcard please..... "It's a mystery to me - the game commences, For the usual fee - plus expenses, Confidential information - it's in my diary..."
Yeah that's what I want to see more of too. If I had the time I'd produce more of it, but really don't underestimate the contributions you make here, you make some very informed and well articulated comments. You've been an extremely welcome newcomer from my point of view!
I initially felt the same about drowning in all this incredible knowledge and expertise that other people have and not feeling that I had anything good enough to say, but write about the things that interest you and it will develop. I'd like to see more diaries from you. Ad astra per aspera
The advantage of ET is that each could bring knowledge about his own country ; and that sometimes happen in some diaries. But is that enough to identify EU-wide trends ? Un roi sans divertissement est un homme plein de misères
But then again, it also provides me with a perspective that isn't narrowed by conventional lines of wisdom. There are pan European reports and stats on a number of websites and for me it could be a case of trawling through these, picking a topic, presenting what I can find on that and seeing what experiences are on the ground elsewhere.
My interest in asking members - how do you view this issue, what's happening in your country - comes from the fact that I know there are significant enough culture differences that a UK policy that works here would fall totally flat elsewhere in Europe (the diary I did on flexicurity brought that up). If we hope to seek ways of influencing at a European level we need to have some understanding of the impact and barriers that our policy direction could have on individual countries.
So people may not have stats to bring to me but they can give an insight into how that topic is dealt with. Our discussion around ethnicity and the difference in France and the UK on approach was hugely insightful for me. Ad astra per aspera
please diary and comment more... ~"When an inner situation is not made conscious, it appears outside as fate." Karl Jung~
