You ever think about personal freedom? I do, but there's different types of personal freedom, right? And I never really thought or worried much about the 'Big Brother is watching you' aspect.
But of late I sometimes feel like the net of being monitored and controlled by government, rules and regulations is getting tighter and the mesh is getting smaller and smaller.

We got these adds now 'informing' people that when you import/export you have to pay VAT and import duties. Right, nothing new. It just means they're gonna keep a closer eye on everyone, basically a warning, not really information. I mean, you gotta be quite a knucklehead to not know this?

If you sell a book on Ebay for €1, you have to inform the tax office. (I'm sure the administrative work to process that info, costs a hell of a lot more than €1) If I was to sell paintings, I have to inform them, because suddenly I'm a trader.
Over the last 2 years or so most ppl with money abroad, to avoid the steep taxes here, did declare it here. They had x amount of time to do so without being fined for tax evasion, after that ... they would get fined .. So billions of Euros ... Thank you computers, internet, EU, trade agreements etc..
And okay, law's the law, but doesn't all that chit squeeze the life out of living, the joy and take our personal freedom away from us? Turn us into puppets on a string? I sometimes really hate this world ...

And there's also smaller things. I had to see an employment specialist a couple of weeks ago. He can push one button on a computer and get my entire resume ..
15 yrs ago he would have had to go through plural organisations to get all that info, now it's all there, on one screen. No one even has to ask my permission, no one even seems to consider it's an encroachment on my personal life and privacy??

Then he starts questioning me, why did I work part-time, not full-time ... in 1990. Why didn't I work at all ... in 1992? In this tone of voice, as if I'd done something horribly wrong.
Errr ... sorry mate, but that's none of your effing business, is it?
For him it's analyzing how I 'function' as an employee I guess. To me it's invading my privacy and personal life. My husband and I agreed that I'd stay home with our kids, so they'd have a decent upbringing, a mom who was there for them whenever they needed a parent. Nothing unusual, not over here anyways.
Now, over 20 years later!, I have to explain and defend what my husband and I talked about, our reasoning, norms and values???
Made me want to ask "What's it to you? None of your business!!! I'm not a prisoner of state, am I?"

Needed a rant ... sometimes really wonder what this world is coming to...

What is noodling? lol

I know absolutely nothing about it, which is why I included a hot link to their site so others could read all about it, first-hand.


Pretty sure DNA-splicing happens frequently in scientific experimenting; perhaps you're wondering how does a firefly have sex with an oak tree and create glowing acorns,


which would - probably - be difficult to do.

I'm kind of intrigued with the group of botanists in San Francisco who've spliced the DNA of a fireflies to produce glowing plants, with the idea of replacing street lights with bushes and trees...





http://www.glowingplant.com/