Ffolkes,
we will have freshness
and the greatest fulfillment possible.”
~~ Deng Ming-Dao ~~
Where’s my lap?….
Hajime…. There are days here at ECR when we have to trust the process; today is such a day. The Pearl is done, such as it is. It’s been a tough night, and morning, due to the night; ’nuff said on that, so, we’ll leave it in the past. Moving on, we have an archived politirant from 2013, unproofed, so it may be a bit pedantic, as I’ve learned a bit about writing since then. There’s a decent poem, and a decent old-school pearl. The music is a nod to the weather being suffered this winter by our friends in the Eastern US & Canada…. Thus, as you see, done, but for the blurb here, and at the end….
So be it. We’re gonna let it fly, as is….. This is how that looks….
Shall we Pearl?….
but there is nothing that can defeat him if he won’t give up.”
~~ Greg Praino ~~
********************************
Today’s music is for those Gentle Readers locked into their homes by the snow this winter…. Changes in latitudes, as this man knows, results in changes in attitudes…. Hopefully, this will warm y’all up a bit…. Enjoy your trip to the tropics….
Jimmy Buffet
Live in Anguilla
********************************
********************************
********************************
********************************
Running late again, so, here is a politirant from the archives…. I have not re-proofed it, so it’s liable to be a trifle pedantic; it’s a gift….It’s also just a filler, ffolkes; if you decide to skip it, I won’t be hurt….. Disappointed, as, in the process of moving what I’ve been working on, I lost all of it…. C’est la fucking vie…. Try to enjoy this one, if you can, while I weep in the background….
From 3/7/2013:
“It is useless for sheep to pass resolutions in favor of vegetarianism while wolves remain of a different opinion.” — William Ralph Inge, D. D. 1860 – 1954
I’ve seen this little statement before, and like it a lot, for its honesty in describing our Beloved Ruling Class in relation to the flock of sheep that comprises most of mankind. And, yes, this is the beginning of another politirant….. This one is prompted by the most recent activities that our leaders, if such word applies, have been shown to be engaged in by the news outlets I watch…. to wit: the legislation under review and up for vote in the House of Reps that is concerned with the economy, to wit: the “sequester”, and the recent comments by the POTUS re: global warming and climate change…. Let’s see what we can note about these issues, shall we?….
I have noticed that the Congress, and the POTUS, are currently at odds, as usual, over the economy, and arguing over how to address an issue over which they have absolutely no control…. I just don’t get it, actually…. There is no evidence whatsoever that anything the government does, or has ever done, about the economy has any effect at all on it…. none. Zero. Zilch. Nada damn thing…. The economy of the world, or even just this nation, is not subject to any manipulation by us; it’s too big, too amorphous…. It’s like trying to herd cats…. a lot of effort for small results, and you end up with a bunch of pissed off felines… If you know anything about cats, you will realize that this is never a good thing….
Yet, because the public demands that something be done, the politicians start their idiotic posturing, pontificating, and, otherwise polluting the airwaves with nonsensical suggestions as to what should be done to fix the problems. NONE of those ever work, nor will they ever work; the economy does not move according to any rules that we can control, or even know, and any action we take is just as liable to have a bad effect as a good one….. But, the public wants the government to fix it, so they try to make noises as if they actually could do something helpful, when in fact, anything they do is as liable to hurt as to help….. Sad, but, true as the day is long….
It’s actually kind of fun watching the contortions they go through for issues such as this; since I know for a fact that none of it will have any real effect on the issue, I can enjoy the parade without worrying about whether it will actually do anything useful…. It is a bit depressing to watch, since I am aware of just how little can be done, but, the show can be entertaining, and it does pass the time… The depressing part is knowing that the public is actually buying all of what they are saying, and really do expect something to change for the better… But, then, I am always amazed at the depth of human stupidity. I don’t know why, as I KNOW how dumb people can be… I am one, you know…. but, it always is a surprise to see just how deeply that stupidity is ingrained in the human condition…
Of course, this stupidity is part and parcel of why we are experiencing the second issue I mentioned above… global warming and overpopulation. I will be very interested to see exactly how the POTUS intends to address the issue, as he has promised to do, several times now since his inauguration. Since the issue is well advanced beyond the point that most people think it is, it will be a telling factor in deciding how seriously the issue is being taken, and whether or not it will have any chance at all of being either enough, or soon enough… Both of these are critical factors, as the point of no-return for the ecological balance of this planet is so near, it may have already been passed some months ago…..
I’m not sure how scientifically minded many of y’all are, but, I am… scientifically minded, that is, and I can tell you without fear of contradiction (from anyone with any reliable scientific knowledge, anyway….) that the atmosphere of this planet is, without doubt, and without evidence to the contrary, on the very edge of becoming unbreathable for humans…. The millions of tons of carbon monoxide and other toxic substances that are being pumped into the air EVERY SECOND, and that has been pumped in now for over a hundred years, has reached the point where it will begin a process of leaching oxygen from the air, and the balance of gases we need to survive will change, hell, IS changing, and fairly rapidly, until it is no longer of a balance that we can safely breathe… This is scientific FACT, not speculation, not a guess.. the process has already begun, the only question remaining is, how quickly will it happen?
“In the game of life you get to choose where you keep your brain – heads you win, tails you lose.” — Smart Bee
So, we’ll see where the POTUS keeps his brain, as he speaks in the next few days about this issue… Whatever he decides to do, you can bet that it won’t be enough, and it won’t make a damn bit of difference, other than in a few Presidential approval polls, perhaps. After all, even though he is a fairly reform oriented politician, he is still a politician, and you can lay good money, without fear of losing, on the fact that whatever he does is designed to benefit him and his Presidency, and any benefit for the public is a secondary concern….
He IS a politician, after all, and his primary concern is for his own success; it’s NOT the welfare of the people… He has merely discovered that being the “People’s Champion” is currently a good political stance to take…. if it ever becomes too itchy a coat to wear, he will take it off in a heartbeat…. Count on it…. You don’t get to that level of the game without being a complete asshole in some respects, and I don’t think anyone who WANTS to be President can be accused of not being ambitious, and, in the process, sociopathic….
“No people in the world ever did achieve their freedom by goody-goody talk and moral suasion: it being immutable law that all revolutions that will succeed, must begin in blood, whatever the answer afterward. If history teaches anything, it teaches that.” — Mark Twain, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (1889)
In this case, we aren’t talking about freedom, unless by that one means, freedom to stay alive…. and the BRC isn’t going to do anything about it, I don’t believe…. Or, rather, I’ll believe it when I see it, and, so far, no dice in that respect. I’m enough of a cynic to believe, sadly, that it isn’t GOING to happen, either… because I don’t believe that the POTUS, or the rest of the BRC, gives a damn about the rest of us, as long as they have their own….. This much is obvious from history, but, when did mankind at large ever pay any attention to history?….
If you have some evidence that contradicts that belief, I would dearly love to see it…. Truly, I would, because, quite frankly, my own intelligence, and the evidence I have now, forces me to conclude that we humans are shortly about to come to a bad end…. not with a bang, not with a whimper, but, choking to death in our own planet’s toxic air, victims to our own stupidity, and cupidity….
Daniel: “We’re damned if we do, we’re damned if we don’t; we need other options…” — from Stargate
********************************
My mind wants to fly,
my soul wants to hold close, the source,
strong, the moments of time;
each as precious as golden thread,
binding together such elements of longing desire.
Love hovers, always patient,
seeking the open heart,
reaching for the promise of tomorrow…..
only for one, only for now, only what is real….
Dreaming, the morning calls,
heavy with mordant belief,
replete, and eternally alive…..
~~ gigoid ~~
4/1/2013
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Lesser Known Stuff re: Life at Large
***********
“No excellent soul is exempt from a mixture of madness.”
~~ Aristotle ~~
***********
“I think it’s good that everyone becomes food.”
~~ Hobbes ~~
***********
“A human being is a part of the whole, called by us Universe,
a part limited in time and space.
He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings
as something separated from the rest,
a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness.
This delusion is a kind of prison,
restricting us to our personal desires
and to affection for a few persons nearest to us.
Our task must be to free from this prison
by widening our circle of compassion
to embrace all living creatures
and the whole nature in its beauty.”
~~ Albert Einstein ~~
***********
“I’ve wrestled with reality for 35 years,
and I’m happy, Doctor, I finally won out over it.”
~~ Elwood P. Dowd ~~
~~ played by Jimmy Stewart in Harvey, 1950. ~~
***********
“A man makes no noise over a good deed,
but passes on to another
as a vine to bear grapes again in season.”
~~ Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, Meditations, v, 6 ~~
***********
“In handling a stinging insect, move very slowly.”
~~ Lazurus Long ~~
***********
“Character is that which can do without success.”
~~ Emerson ~~
***********
“An infinite universe presents infinite examples of unreasoned acts,
often capricious and threatening,
godlike in their mystery.
Without god-powers, conscious reasoning
cannot explore and make this universe absolutely known;
there must remain mysteries beyond what is explained.
The only reason in this universe is that which you,
in your ungodlike hubris, project onto the universe.
In this, you retain kinship with your most primitive ancestors.”
~~ Raja Flattery, “The Jesus Incident”, Frank Herbert ~~
***********
“The worst fear is the fear of living.”
~~ Theodore Rosevelt ~~
***********
“Entropy requires no maintenance.”
~~ Amanda Walker ~~
***********
“Never play leapfrog with a unicorn.”
~~ Ancient Human Wisdom ~~
********************************
As noted in the intro, we’re trusting the process today; this means I’ll be out of touch a while, to forgo any unpleasantness, should this prove to be less acceptable than we calculated. Ah, well; so be it. My Gentle Readers can take anything; they do, after all, hang out here…. As for me, well, we’ll try this again tomorrow, to see if we can’t find some elegance or actual literature in there somewhere…. Until then, y’all try to stay strange, because it’s cool out there…..
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark,Theresa, & Richy
and everyone else, too…
When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.
Which is Why….
Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes,
I just sits.
gigoid, the dubious
The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.
PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.
“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch
À bientôt, mon cherí….
gigoid 
Buffet’s harmonica guy use to play in the pub I managed….his name is “Fingers” Taylor……about 5 yrs ago CNN had an expert on for comment…he was a “political rhetoric” expert….had to laugh….what a BS title that is…..hope your day gets better my friend….chuq
Thanks, ami; me too. Sleep has become elusive again, thanks to my arthritis…. C’est la vie….
I love the Coral Reefers; I’ve seen them live about thirty times or more, all over the west coast, as well as Tahoe, and back east…. It’s always a party when the parrot heads gather….
😉
“rhetorical” is the only kind of political speech ever made…. no real connection to Reality….
See ya; hope the gulf coast is quiet today….
gigoid
A bit cool and cloudy……but that will turn to rain then cooler temps…..typical Coast winter…LOL chuq
“A human being is a part of the whole, called by us Universe,
a part limited in time and space.
He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings
as something separated from the rest,
a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness.
This delusion is a kind of prison,
restricting us to our personal desires
and to affection for a few persons nearest to us.
Our task must be to free from this prison
by widening our circle of compassion
to embrace all living creatures
and the whole nature in its beauty.”
~~ Albert Einstein ~~
Smiles.. gigoid.. and relatively
few people noticed
that Einstein
was Jesus
COMING
AGAIN..
both as
destroyer
and savior
AND JUDGEMENT..
all wrapped
up into one
package of
science
and philosophy..
and of course Jesus
is metaphor as always
as the change among us..
And relatively speaking as always
change starts at the individual and
politicians are
just grinding
theIR overall
psychopathic
leaning aspirations
of opposite from
what the
prophet
Einstein
suggests in the
holy quote above…
So Einstein helps in
leaving tools of destruction
and discovery.. and the exploration
of the real UniVerse iS
the philosophy and
science
of our
minds
and bodys
iN balance now..
but still the body relegated
as inferior to the mind iN
most all of philosophy..
science.. religions
and obviously
culture still
now.. ugh..
as all the perfect
models belie the human
iN AiSles of Super-Walmart..
waddling to a death of still..
moving makes better
breathing.. no
doubt..
i must
exercise religiously
to keep my oxygen uptake
great.. as the functional
disability of not
much nasal
air intake..
means i must
stay as oxygenated
as possible through
the art of day to day
moVinG
but it
works
great.. as
i never get out of
breath as long as i keep
moving.. and yes.. it gets harder
to breathe.. the further one travels
from the
Forest
of life..
WITH TREES..
AND FORTUNATELY
i live close to one of the
biggest National Forests
alive today..
where i for
one will
stay..
for life
giving air
for and to me..
AND AS FAR AS WHAT PROPHET
EINSTEIN SAYS.. i will reach out my
tentacles online.. and do my best to
achieve..
his law
for connecting..
but still there is moving
and creating.. to make a New
World real.. both in us and others…
and so good to know that politicians
do not control art..
as art comes..
true heArT..
comes..
from within..
the individual holding
hands moving and creating
with others in a real dance
of connecting creating life..
either iN
flesh
or now
vicariously
virtuAlly here..
as such in mirror
neuron and oxytocin
way online in sign language
of visual images.. and symbols
including the old standard of words..
WITH
MORE
TO COME..:)
Ah, FRiEnD…. always a joy to read what I’ve stimulated in your mind with my posts…. Especially since most of the picking of pearls is a relatively unconscious process in me; they sort of fall into the pattern of my thoughts without any conscious intent. Since Albert is one of my heroes, I can’t disagree with your assessment, other than to point out he resisted any sort of claims to divinity, in himself, or the Universe, as much as did the Buddha himself. Plus like some fairly recent philosopher pointed out, Emerson, I think, if the average man is made in God’s image, clearly men such as Aristotle and Einstein are superior to God….
😉
Dance on, my brother…. Zorba would approve….
Love
gigoid….
SMiLes.. Divinity is just a word..
Feeling the divine is not a word.
Sure.. probably a Neurochemical
associated derivative of Nature
manifest in us.. inspiring the
FEELING of so-called
divinity.. and no.. it
doesn’t scare
me that either
God iS ALL
of Nature
and the feeling of
divine.. may only
be generated by
a Neurochemical..
likely from
our Pineal
gland
when it is not
withered away
from non-use
and comes alive
in activities
like trance
dance or
still..
meditating..
to stimulate
the all natural
Love drug.. DMT..
allowing us to feel aLL
one with Nature in how
Nature now manifests
as us.. in these
human skins
we wear always now..
not likely that Einstein
experienced this
from any of
the words
i’ve read
on record
from him..
but a regular experience
from the less mechanically
cognitive oriented ancestors
and still primitives of the rain
forest who still GET THE
fact AND FEELING THAT
WE ARE ONE WITH
THE GOD OF NATURE..
Anyway.. Einstein
had great
reverence
for the balance
of Nature.. and
Human Nature
as innately
in balance
and not
WACKO OUT
OF BALANCE LIKE
WE SEE ALL AROUND
US NOW but no.. he only
saw the tips of the iceberg
then out of balance in human
cultures.. as the Titanic steers
ahead.. with a few weary sailors
that are
watching
for frozen
mountains ahead..
The fact that close to half
of the world assigns the
personal pronoun of
he to the God
of Nature..
is a very
tiny
view
of something
as large as Infinity
and beyond words for
beyond what exists for that..
Any discussion of God must
include a definition for God
to have any relevance at
all more than
a three letter
idol as symbol..
Nature both seen
and unseen is a clear
and present REAL
DEFINITION THAT
IS AN IRREFUTABLE
GOD WITH 100%
evidence
in all
pArts
of the
whole.. that
include us.. now
but haha.. to equal
any human with this
definition of God is
pure silliness beyond
the fractal Nature of
the smAll pARt
we play
iN
ALLTHATIS
AS NATURE
THAT IS GOD ALWAYS
NOW.. REALITY AS IS..:)
Love the pic of Leelu! Give her your lap already!
LOL… She gets plenty of lap time; that’s why the look. She feels entitled….
😉
gigoid
AW! Just absolutely darling!
Reblogged this on gigoid and commented:
Ffolkes,
Events encountered yesterday on walkabout (put in at least 3 miles…), which engendered further events to be accomplished today out in the BBR, prevented getting any work done on a fresh Pearl for today…. To sublimate the urge, here’s another re-blog from the nearly endless archives here on ECR.
This one was put together when I was taking the first steps out of Hell, where the kindly so-called ‘doctors’ at the Kaiser Pavilion sent me in their ignorance. This particular Pearl is one I remember, as it provided me with a healthy degree of distraction, as well as cathartic expression, using pieces of former Pearls to augment the material presented that day. I like it, so, it’s what you get today. I’ll see if a fresh Pearl can be cobbled together for tomorrow, but, don’t hold any breath, as it may, or may not, happen as planned…. You know what ‘they’ say about plans, even the best sort….
In any case, I’m off to the tune of the task-master, & shall return in good time…. which I hope y’all may experience while I’m gone…. a good time, that is. Until then, be well, be happy as you may, and for goodness’ sake, stay strange….
gigoid, the dubious
😎