_www.FantasyLibrary.com [Visit Who Is Joseph Teller?] Synthesis & Synchronicity 018

Synthesis & Synchronicity #18

Hodge :

Yes, its only two days since my last column. I've decided I need to get back into a writing routine, which has been disrupted badly in recent months, and among other things post up the column more frequently. This may mean you get subjected to more of my opinion and personal life sludge, but it also means you may see more interesting material that has been getting cribbed into my handwritten notebook (which accompanies me everywhere when I don't have this computer nearby).

Those not interested in my personal life, but gaming related, should jump on down to the Podge. Those who aren't interested in either but are interested in comments on the weird world we live in should go down to the Ping! and be ready for the worst.

The grand construction project has hit a really big snarl at our home. Last night was the zoning board hearing here in Cambridge. The plans to finish digging out the basement, opening up a previously bricked up window in the basement, and finishing it have been turned down by the zoning board vote (a 2 for, 2 opposed and 1 abstaining) because it would "Add too much living space" to our condo building.

It seems that we have been targeted for refusal because of the other owner's plan to move a home office into part of what would be his space from this, as they fear it could be made into an illegal apartment. This despite the amount of construction in our neighborhood, and that at least 3 basement apartments have been evidently approved by the board on construction projects within two blocks of us in the past 2 years!

Under the rules of the board, we're not able to re-submit for 2 years, without substantial changes to the project. We're looking into our options with the other owners, but it doesn't look too good. What this will do to things in the long term, I don't know.

Our porches are slowly completing, although todays rain means we're delayed, again. We're looking now at construction done on Tuesday, and another 2 days for the sealant to dry, but this could again be expanded on if we get rain between now and then (except Sunday).

Comcast came out to deal with our cable problems.... and discovered that the guys working on our porches were the cause of our problems (for the 2nd time!). It seems that they had moved and stretched the main cable coming through Hoyt field to our building, and this caused a huge drop in signal output, which made us lose access to about 6 channels entirely and is keeping our phone line 'dirty' which is why my modem speeds have been so horrible. There's nothing they can do, until the porch work is done, so they'll be back in 2 weeks (to be safe) to run a new secure cable across the space which should restore our signal strength.

Podge

The second session of the "Department of Things That Go Bump In The Night" went reasonably well on Wed., with the characters not really sure if the problems they are facing are magical or mundane (the team is split in half in opinion on what is really going on in their new office space, and how to handle it). This falls in well to me original plan for the scenario and is keeping it fun. My pacing is a little off, so things are a bit slow, and we're seeing some of the usual in-party struggle for control that happens in a group. This was expected since the person who was the party leader for the Quartermain group is not in the game (shes working out of state for the summer) and no clear leader has emerged among the characters.

Cindy does not agree with Kiralee's plan to shut down the Wed group after this scenario run, so exactly whats going to happen in the long term to the group is up in the air. I'd prefer to keep the Wed group going, but we have to work out some of the ongoing problems, and deal with Kiralee's desire to reclaim Wed so she can meet her other social obligations and her ambitions for her career, but having her impose her schedule on how we spend our evenings based on her is a bit unfair to the rest of us.

I'm sure this will continue to be a point of friction... and eventual discussion, if I can ever get both Kiralee & Cindy & Myself home and NOT doing things related to regular household maintenance, the construction project or other things. The trick is of course getting Kiralee not to be away from home every night/day that there isn't a game going on. She's overscheduled herself to a ridiculous level, and now is talking about taking some additional computer courses in the fall to expand her career.

PING!: How to Rig an American Election

The duct tape has been found... that is, according to this article at http://www.truthout.org/docs_03/voting.shtml the American election system is, at least for 80% of the voting public, rigged and being manipulated thanks to the wonders of modern voting technology in the hands of the Republicans. And like the infamous duct tape on the door at the Watergate, we're in for another long Republican coverup, potential scandal etc.

I always had known that there was fraud and corruption in the election system, but this is on a scale that is beyond belief. Please read the article, and spread it around to others, it's important that we manage to shake the tree and get the scoundrals exposed. This makes Watergate look like a college prank in comparison.

I've never trusted the election system, from my early experiences with the old lever/punch tape systems they used to use where I lived my early years as a voter. I experimented in those days and on a few occasions did the unspeakable, clicked the lever for obscure candidates (like communists, socialists, etc.) out of curiousity in election seats where I didn't care who won. Amazingly in those early elections (this would be in the very early 80s) none of my votes for such persons would show up in the official tallies in the city I lived in, those candidates would have ZERO votes! This meant that they were either disregarding my vote entirely, refusing to admit such minor candidates would have any support in their 'perfect little city' or the votes were being counted for one of the other candidates instead.

Considering the sorts of things that city covered up in regards to race problems, violence in the schools, bribery by city officials, etc. it was not that unexpected. I had witnessed much of this face to face over the years growing up there, especially regarding the race problems and school violence when I was in high school. Cover up of the truth was easy too when the local newspaper was pretty complacent and seemed to be interconnected to the ruling politicians of the day. (It was good for shopping ads and cartoons and not much else).

I put this down to the 'machine politics' of that city, where the folks doing the counting were amazingly appointed by elected officials that had sat in the same seats for 20+ years and was happy to move elsewhere where change was more honestly available.

Seems I didn't move far enough (until I moved to Cambridge) as now 80% of the country is now being manipulated behind the scenes.

Of course, the next trick is getting the media to pick up the ball and run with it.... hard to do considering how much of it is now owned by Republicans.

Thanks for taking the time to read my ramblings.....

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