Manifestations of reality….

Posted on July 25, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Be on your guard against a silent dog and still water.”

~~ Latin proverb ~~

Siberian volcano as viewed from the ISS

Image from www.nasa.gov via Space.com

Hajime…. Having been assaulted in my sleep by a small, fur-bearing extortionist, to the point of meltdown before I was even awake, I sit to write, only to find myself with no inspiration whatsoever. In fact, a complete meltdown remains a definite possibility for the rest of the day, I’d say. I can’t say why I’m so fragile this morning, but, hey, that’s PTSD for ya. A lot of generals, and armies, could take lessons from PTSD, regarding stealth; it seems to be masterful at sneak attacks….

Since finding something in my head about which to write seems futile, I think I’ll skip the intro altogether, giving it up as a bad investment of time. I can’t see it getting much better than what you’ve already seen, although the possibility of getting worse doesn’t seem out of the realm. In fact, I can feel it getting away from me the longer I type. In the interests of saving face, and time, I’ll end this now, before it gets to a point from which I cannot save it. I’m not sure what the regulations say about that, but, it probably fits into the rudeness category, if naught else….

Rather than risk relatively undeserved rudeness, I’ll go on. You’ll probably see some archived material below; fresh stuff probably isn’t on the agenda for today. But, that also means no further whining, so, it all balances out. Let’s see what I can find to make this semi-okay, or, at minimum, inoffensive…. Oh, wait. Too late for that, and it’s against policy. Oh, well. We’ll see what we can do….

Shall we pearl?….

“There is a time in every man’s education when he arrives at the conviction
that envy is ignorance; that imitation is suicide;
that he must take himself for better or worse as his portion;
that though the wide universe is full of good,
no kernel of nourishing corn can come to him
but through his toil bestowed
on that plot of ground which is given him to till.”

~~ Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self-Reliance ~~

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Naturally, since I’m in default production mode, you, and I, get classical music for today’s selection. I hope you enjoy it; I intend to do so myself….

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Classical Music

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“It is ridiculous to lay the blame of our wrong actions upon external causes, rather than on the facility with which we ourselves are caught by such causes.” — Aristotle

As I predicted in the intro, we’re hitting the archives. The following is one of the longest, and harshest rants I’ve written. It’s a subject about which I feel strongly, so, since I have nothing today of my own, here is something from my past…

From 8/20/2014:

This is a long rant, ffolkes…. When I start on this particular subject, I have a hard time stopping…. this time, to the tune of over 2500 words…. I figured I should give fair warning; this is not an easy rant to read, nor will it give any quarter to those it targets as the evil protagonists…. If you don’t feel up to it, then you can skip it…. However, this is an extremely important subject, to me, so, I’m asking you to take the time to read it, think about it, and maybe pass it on…. This needs to change, for sure, and for certain…. I’ve even given it a title, in case I decide to publish it alone, elsewhere….

A True Plague upon Our Houses….

In which we take issue with those who would call themselves Men, having none of the qualities of a Man…..

“Resolved, that the women of this nation in 1876, have greater cause for discontent, rebellion and revolution than the men of 1776.” — Susan B. Anthony

As we know now, 1976 has come, and gone, along with 1776, and 1876; yet, the oppression and ongoing abuse of women continues, unabated and unchecked, in spite of any progress shown by society, which would be thanks to Ms. Anthony, and others, for having instigated, and overcome a number of the legal challenges involved in securing full rights for women, efforts resulting in SOME legislation that SEEMED to make some needed changes, not the least of which was voting rights…

In too many ways, unfortunately, things are worse, due to the ubiquitous attitudes, of misogyny and unreasoning fear of sexuality, which is so ingrained in both the male, and female members of society, there are few who even acknowledge the issue, unless pressed…. at which time, they generally become either defensive, feign indignation, or go into active denial…. This fear, based on ignorance, of course, is complicated by religious attitudes heaped upon men and women from birth, which only encourage such ignorance, in favor of dogma….. Now, 40 years into the next hundred years since the beginning of the women’s movement in America, the same can be said to be absolutely true….. Nothing below the surface has changed at all….

“You, you, you shouldn’t, you shouldn’t traumatize women with sexual intercourse. I should know, I’m a medieval doctor, I own a mansion and a yacht.” — excerpted from the AMA manual of advice for teens and newlyweds, 1910, 1926, 1933, 1947, 1955, and, every year since then, without changing a word….

Okay, so, it’s not really there…. but, it certainly would be, if they could get away with it…. and, is definitely there, in place, in the ingrained prejudices of virtually every male doctor alive…. This idiocy is an example of the attitudes of which I’m speaking; the hidden, slyly perverted belief that women are no more than the sum of the misguided and totally false characterizations placed on them by men, who insist on perpetuating the false image of women, in general and as individuals, as weak, feeble-minded, emotional, sex-crazed, or frigid, selfish creatures concerned only with using their beauty and sex to control men….

These claims are, of course, completely untrue in reality, but, the unreasoning, innate fear of their own sexuality, and the fear of being controlled by women, that permeates male attitudes, causes them all, or mostly all, to believe all of it, true or not… Thus, as the quote below from former President Jimmy C. notes, this belief in a full set of delusions, falsely accusing women of evil intent, is used to justify all of the pervasive objectification, abuse, and oppression of women throughout history, continuing today, no matter how much anyone says to the contrary….

Jimmy Carter sez:

He would know, wouldn’t he?…..

Below this paragraph, I am placing a link, to the web site/blog of a woman who rescued herself from sexual slavery; there is no other term that fits. She was forced, at a young age, to become a prostitute, and spent most of her childhood and teen years trapped in the sex trade…. Her experiences should never happen to anyone; when I read her writing, it takes ALL of my control to keep from jumping up, buying weapons, and going hunting, for human males…. I get so angry it wouldn’t even matter to me WHICH males I started wasting; all bear equal guilt, from at least one point of view…. Otherwise, why would the rest of us, we males who do NOT wish to oppress our species’ mates, ALLOW this to take place? How can we know of this, and not act?

http://rmott62.wordpress.com/2012/04/27/are-we-not-human

Lack of honor is the only answer that occurs to me; there are not enough men, it seems, with sufficient honor to stem the tide of idiocy, gross perversion, and lack of moral fiber that infuses the greatest portion of humanity’s male members…. I would guesstimate that 98% of all males never even THINK about the issue of how women have been oppressed throughout history; most are perfectly happy to enjoy the lack of responsibility that such moral and ethical blindness allows; we are, as a species, after all, lazy by nature…. (Nothing wrong with lazy, as long as it’s not a way of life, but a tool, to make one look for smarter ways to do things….) But, to allow that laziness to act as an excuse for not acting in this respect, can only indicate a complete lack of what I call HONOR…..

This may sound like a harsh accusation; to that charge I say: Yes, it is and so fucking what? It’s a harsh world, and what men have been doing to women for millennia….. not years, not centuries, MILFUCKINGLENNIA, PEOPLE! No exaggeration or hyperbole is necessary or, in my case, desired….

Listen up, all of you men out there, because I am talking to YOU!…. It IS harsh, and I make the accusation without apology, because, I must in all honesty include myself in the group of those who have not done all they could to see the issue addressed; if it is never addressed, it can never be resolved…. I’ve done more than many, perhaps, and I do acknowledge the seriousness and urgency of the issue…. but, I, too, am guilty of NOT doing enough…. S’okay, it just makes me madder, & more determined to keep writing about this….

You see, the whole issue illustrates one small, but, critical facet of human nature that is part and parcel with those other character flaws in us which are leading us merrily down the road to hell, blithely wishing we had a bigger handbasket….. This tendency on the part of human males, to abandon honor and ethical behavior, in favor of allowing their fears and misapprehensions rule them, for our ENTIRE history, has held us back, from becoming all we have the potential to be, as rational creatures with an understanding and appreciation for what is good and beautiful in life.

Instead, we have witnessed, over those thousands and thousands of years, virtually unending wars, conflicts, slavery, abuse of women and children, or anyone considered weak and unable to defend their rights. We have seen people learn to use lying, cheating, aggressiveness, and self-interest as their primary tools for obtaining the resources needed to live, and to hoard what they have taken, by right or threat of force; this process is, in today’s world, considered to be a blueprint for successful living, with the ultimate goal in life being the fulfillment of one’s own personal goals and desires, at the cost of whatever it may take to wrest it from other people, and the world at large….

“Get it while you can!” Do unto others before they do unto you.” Bigger is better!” “One nation under God!” (It would be more honest if they just said what they REALLY believe which is, “As a Christian, I have more rights than anyone who isn’t….”)

Okay, so the last line, in parentheses, is one most people will only say under their breath; you can be sure, though, that every “Christian” alive believes they are the elite of the species, the only ones with the true answers…. This, you see, naturally gives them all a completely unwarranted and false sense of entitlement, one that really annoys the rest of us, who haven’t fallen under the spell of that particular delusion, and couldn’t care less who they think they are…. I GUARANTEE, even if there WERE a God, such as the figment they seem to believe in, I’m pretty sure, as an omnipotent entity, She wouldn’t want to have anything to do with such idiotic wastes of sperm….

Ooh! That was harsh, too, wasn’t it? Oh well… Again, I have to say, so fucking what? If people insist on showing their lack of intelligence in public, they are fair game for anyone who cares to come along and poke holes in their lack of logic, and/or foolishly naive belief in delusions that someone taught them before they could defend their own minds…. It isn’t my problem if they are offended; that is their own reaction, for which THEY bear ALL the responsibility….

I welcome dialogue, and will listen to any argument, as long as it is evidence based…. However, don’t even think about coming at me with something that has nothing more to verify its veracity than “ispe dixit”…. You will regret it to your dying day….. And, so will I, for I am not really mean, or cruel by nature; I just can’t abide people acting as if being stupid is better than ANYTHING else; it isn’t, and wishing won’t make it so…. But, it’s better to put such folks out of their misery, before their ignorance can spread to others….

Men and women are in this together, ffolkes; neither sex can possibly survive without the other, and why would anyone wish to? But, the way things are going now, if we don’t figure out, soon, how to take care of each other, instead of being at odds all the damn time (as all the people who spread jokes about the “war between men and women” keep yelling about, thus keeping the divisiveness alive, and actively harmful….), we will surely reach the point, in the not so very distant future, when our insistence on making the worst of our differences will result in the only possible ultimate end, to wit: our own extinction as a failed species.

The abuse of women, and anyone else; war; sales of drugs and/or arms; and the relative insanity of the divisive elitism as acted out by all organized religions….. All of these blights and plagues upon the spirit and growth of Man, carried out for thousands of years by those in our species who refuse to embrace any sort of beliefs that do not serve their own ends alone, all spring from one source in human nature; the expression of that negativity in our spirit has held sway since the beginnings of recorded history……

It is that part of our inner selves which compels us to use our innate talents for violence, treachery, and selfishness, using them to take advantage of others for our own benefit, using fear, and the threat of reward or punishment to control others, the use of which has led us to the impending threat of doom we face in coming days…. In order to survive, human nature MUST change…. Hmm…. not terribly good odds, I should guess….

I wish I had the ultimate answer; I wish I knew just the right words, and could say “THIS, THIS, and THIS…. just do that, and we’ll all be okay….” I don’t have them, though, any more than anyone else has had so far…. The worst part is, I know what needs to be done; but, due to the fact that I can only make changes to myself, I can’t just DO it, or even just SAY it…. It has to come from all of us, or it won’t work at all….

SIGH…. Damn if I know what to do…. I guess I’ll just go out, shoot a couple of pimps, and call it a day….. Oh, and if those pimps happen to be wearing a uniform of some sort, you may count on them being fully guilty as charged, with sentence carried out according to the dictates of justice…. in spite of any loud noises they might make to the contrary. Any noise they make in these situations is merely an automatic defense against the insistence on them taking responsibility for their actions….

Any lawyers who may try to involve themselves may try to make us feel differently, but, we can discuss that later, right? (We can decide what to do about them when we figure out where to dispose of the bodies….) For the moment, my day will be over, and justice done; it’s all I need to get to sleep….. especially knowing the women freed by my good aim will have the choice and opportunity to start the process of changing out of their slave clothes, into something a bit more free, and of their own choice….

Well, we all have our fantasies, right? Now, the trick is to remove all the above from the realm of speculation and imagination, and make it so, in Reality…. I guess we’ll see how it goes, eh?…. Later, ffolkes, & remember…. Free our sisters, and we free ourselves….

This took a long time to write, because it’s important to me…. Hence, I took a long time to pick a closing pearl, one that had the right feel to it, to express the depth of emotion involved, while still giving a nod to importance of addressing the issue’s less palatable aspects, such as the way women having to live in today’s world, or any world we have seen, are consistently, often brutally, abused, made to feel secondary, and at the very least, completely misunderstood, by their own alleged mates.

I am speaking of men who, in the final analysis, are failing their own species, not to mention failing to understand the concept, or to comprehend the importance, of such old-fashioned words as honor, compassion, and duty…. any one of which requires much more strength than any sort of aggressiveness, or shows of physical prowess…. Such behaviors are those of a child, based on fear, a child who never grew out of being selfish and/or afraid of girls, (i.e., afraid of their own sexuality, and of women’s….), refusing to grow up and truly BE a man…..

We need each other, men and women; nature’s other creatures have shown us how it is supposed to work, using the blueprint of nature’s design…. Each gender of a species is made to contribute certain characteristics to the solving of the puzzle of living, in concert with their opposite half, with the caveat being the simple FACT, that neither can survive, one without the other. Both are needed for the species to prosper, and grow…… It’s a shame there are so many men in the world who are so afraid of themselves, and of women, they can’t learn to act as men….

Between the acting of a dreadful thing
And the first motion, all the interim is
Like a phantasma, or a hideous dream:
The Genius and the mortal instruments
Are then in council; and the state of man,
Like to a little kingdom, suffers then
The nature of an insurrection.

— William Shakespeare ~~

Julius Caesar — Act ii, Sc. 1

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Between what I see and what I say
Between what I say and what I keep silent
Between what I keep silent and what I dream
Between what I dream and what I forget:
Poetry.

~~ Octavio Paz (1914-1998) ~~

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Shot in the dark….

Nothing old will do
to soothe such internal fire;
only new haiku.

Infernal chaos
bites with vicious teeth of steel.
Starts the day poorly.

Routines fill an hour
seeking a sort of balance.
Not easily found.

To bring serenity
is a task for a lifetime.
Today’s morning chore.

Five times seventeen
seems to have brought me some peace.
Counting words for hope.

~~ gigoid ~~

7/25/2016

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Naked Pearls

A path to freedom…

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“He said that there was one only good, namely, knowledge;
and one only evil, namely, ignorance.”

~~ Diogenes Laertius (c. 200 AD) — Socrates, xiv ~~

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“The only tyrant I accept in this world is the still voice within.”

~~ Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi ~~

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“Before you can be creative, you must be courageous.
Creativity is the destination, but courage is the journey.”

~~ Joey Reiman ~~

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“To be possessed of a vigorous mind is not enough;
the prime requisite is rightly to apply it.”

~~ Descartes ~~

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“The aim of life is to live,
and to live means to be aware,
joyously, drunkenly, serenely, divinely aware.”

~~ Henry Miller ~~

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“I’ve wrestled with reality for 35 years,
and I’m happy, Doctor, I finally won out over it.”

~~ Jimmy Stewart in Harvey, 1950 ~~

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“When I speak to you about myself,
I am speaking to you about yourself.
How is it you don’t see that?”

~~ Victor Hugo ~~

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The mere fact this is done should be recorded in the Book. But, it probably won’t be, and, that’s okay. It’s done, so, I win. For now. To maintain my record at that, I will warn y’all now, I’ll try again tomorrow, without any claims as to any sort of improvement, or even change. All I know is, I have to try. See y’all then, provided the meltdown has been averted, once again….

Y’all take care 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….

Emboldened by the intricate scrollwork….

Posted on May 5, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Fewer possess virtue, than those who wish us to believe that they possess it “

~~ Cicero ~~

Are you ever going to finish?….

Hajime…. For some time this morning, while working on what you’ll find below, I considered what might appropriately be used for an opening. Now the time has come to write one, it’s all gone. I’m a bit foggy today, having slept, again, more than expected; of course, my expectations for sleep are dead low, so…. Nonetheless, I don’t think my body, or mind, quite knows how to deal with it, which leaves me in a quandary of confused emotions. I can’t say that state is particularly uncommon, either, but, knowing that makes it no less uncomfortable. Hmph. So be it.

I confess to some nerves today, anyway; Leelu is going in to have her procedure to prevent kittens, an event for which I already am suffering guilt and remorse, even though I know it’s best for everyone. She’ll be at the vet’s until Saturday morning, so, it will be very quiet and subdued around here until then…. Can’t say now how it will sit with me; my PTSD can surprise me sometimes. But, we’ll all get through it, and, now, I’ve used up all there was in my head to put in the intro. Pretty clumsy, eh? Oh, well, we’ll just resort to a very old literary trick, and get where we need to be without further ado. It’s subtle, so, you’ll need to watch closely, or you’ll miss the change….

Shall we Pearl?….

“Mankind has become so much one family that we cannot insure our own prosperity except by insuring that of everyone else. If you wish to be happy yourself, you must also resign yourself to seeing others also happy.” — Bertrand Russell

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Yep. You got it. Classical music, just because I like it, and it’s all I want to hear today…. Deal with it, or leave it off Or, enjoy….. please.

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Classical Music

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https://youtu.be/UAUMY8er8Cw

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Our rant today will be from the archives, just because I said so. It is about a subject I call A Plague of Evil, which is a euphemism for the sexual abuse that men perpetrate on women every damn day, as a matter of course in this society, which is completely sexist, biased toward men. Our culture is based entirely on their cowardice, exhibiting that cowardice in every aspect of their insanely blind ignorance of themselves, and the world at large…. The simplest way to comprehend the basic flaw in the male of the species is best said this way: men are cowards at heart….

That probably won’t make me particularly popular with most men, but, that’s fine with me, because, quite frankly, I don’t like the assholes anyway…. Let me say this to any males reading this…. just read, and try to set aside your fears & prejudices, none of which you ever thought about before, and just listen up. Try to understand…. much as it strains those almost useless neurons…. And, if you have any questions or comments, use a bit of sense, and make them intelligent, okay? I don’t want to have to put it into the kind of physical message most of you understand best….

From 5/10/2012:

“I’m just sitting here watching the wheels go round and round.” — John Lennon

Men are afraid of women… hence all the jokes about them taking over, over slyly ruling us without us knowing it. Men’s fears of just that thing are what cause him to hate women, because they do not understand them, and fear arises out of lack of understanding. Here are a few examples of such lies, the lies that perpetuate the war between the sexes…..

“My notion of a wife at 40 is that a man should be able to change her, like a bank note, for two twenties.” — Warren Beatty

A lady is one who only shows her underwear intentionally. — Smart Bee

— Yo momma……so fat she has to buy two airline tickets. — Smart Bee

“A beautiful woman is paradise for the eyes, hell for the soul, and purgatory for the purse.” — Smart Bee

“Passionate kiss like spider web, lead to undoing of fly.” — Confucius say (No, he didn’t, but liars don’t care….)

Really, really sexist and paranoid, yes? Yes….

The mere existence of these jokes, and others like them, indicates clearly what men are afraid of in women, and that is their sexuality. We… well, men, not necessarily we men, because not all of us hate them… No I don’t understand them, but that doesn’t make them any less fascinating or wonderfully different. I am aware of my own self, and my own powers, and they have naught to do with what women can do; I feel no need to compare the two, or to assume one is stronger or better. They are just different, and what is different about women is not to be feared, even if not understood. It is just to be learned, that’s all….and the learning is a totally awesome trip, I assure you….

But, back to the sexuality that men fear. It is because these men have never learned to understand themselves, or their place in the scheme of things, that makes them unable to understand women, and turns their ignorance to fear, from thence to hatred and abuse against them. Men cannot stand the thought that a woman might be more important than him, and that is a certain sign of lack of confidence, and of ignorance. Men who know their place in life, and who are confident of their own ability to cope with that place and its demands, have no need or desire to be more important than anyone; they are complete within themselves….

Too many men in this world don’t come anywhere close to this kind of self-knowledge; most go through life without exercising more than two neurons at once, and those tend to lose function whenever the blood goes elsewhere than the brain (such as during an erection). Most men are so afraid of women that they spend half their life telling jokes like the above, and spreading the nonsensical lies that perpetuate this atrocity.

Yes, atrocity, because it is this fear and loathing, of both themselves and women, that leads to issues such as domestic abuse, sex trafficking, prostitution, and abuse of children. The only women who are actively engaged in these activities are those who have been brainwashed to believe the crap they’ve heard all their lives, and who have given up their own humanity; they are very few in number. Otherwise, it is men who perpetrate these vile actions on women…. all because of their own fear and ignorance…. and I say, shame on them, for they are not men, in my world…. they are vicious, unredeemable beasts, and should be put down like the dangerous creatures they are…..

“In the dark colony of night, when I consider man’s magnificent capacity for malice, madness, folly, envy, rage, and destructiveness, and I wonder whether we shall not end up as breakfast for newts and polyps, I seem to hear the muffled cries of all the words in all the books with covers closed.” — Leo Rosten

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A Seasonal Approach

Absolute stillness grips a frozen field,
anticipating dawn with such patient yield
morning burgeoning in dark winter’s hold
brings promise of tales yet to be told.

Lengthening days of pale sun unto night
slowly tell of time’s subversive flight
bringing such original songs of natural fire
with melodies complex in casual attire.

The months are certain they will always win
it is just the way it has always been.
None may argue, nor yet slow life down
Nor dim the eternal beauty of nature’s gown.

Winter evolves from fall into spring,
sending flocks and hearts ever awing.
Summer follows suit, t’other way ’round
Spring into fall, often without a sound.

Life is meant to be lived, beginning to end
choices abound, and change can be a friend.
Yielding with grace to reality’s compelling ploy
fills our plain existence with clean, honest joy.

~~ gigoid ~~

10/2/2012

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Naked Pearls

Pay attention!

*********

“Be loyal.”

~~ Things We Can Learn From Dogs ~~

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“Even if you’re on the right track,
if you stand still you’ll get run over by the next train.”

~~ Will Rogers ~~

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“Better a cruel truth than a comfortable delusion.”

~~ Edward Abbey ~~

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“The great thing about getting older is that
you don’t lose all the other ages you’ve been.”

~~ Madeleine L’Engle ~~

*********

“Don’t think there are no crocodiles because the water is calm.”

~~ Malayan Proverb ~~

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“He who knows that enough is enough will always have enough.”

~~ Lao Tzu ~~

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“Often when he was looking on at auctions he would say,
“How many things there are which I do not need!”

~~ Diogenes Laertius — Socrates, x ~~

*********

“Deem not life a thing of consequence.
For look at the yawning void of the future,
and at that other limitless space, the past.”

~~ Marcus Aurelius Antoninus — Meditations, iv, 50 ~~

*********

“Iyam what Iyam.”

~~ Popeye ~~

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I can’t say how it happened, but, it’s done, so, we won’t complain, or even question. Instead, we’ll use the same trick we used in the intro, and be done with it for today. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, unless I figure out a way to stop myself….

Y’all take care 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….

Brokering unvalidated envelopes for charity….

Posted on April 17, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“It is not the one with many possessions who is rich,
but the one who has no needs.”

~~ Philoxenos ~~

gigoid and Charlie C. in Portobello Road, London

Hajime…. I’ve decided sleep is a good thing again. For some time, it’s been rather a hit or miss proposition, leaning heavily toward the ‘miss’, so I had placed it in one of the less accessible files where I put such stuff so it doesn’t clutter up my RAM. But, with persistent perseverance (is there another kind?), I’ve finally ascertained the proper material to consume at the appropriate hour, to both improve my overall pain levels, and, help me get drowsy enough to fall out. I’ve now enjoyed five straight days with six hours or more sleep, which has improved everything. So, yay me, and we can now get on with other stuff I find more compelling.

Shoot. I’ve left myself high and dry again; maybe I should have extended the chat time for a while. This vast, featureless plain which now inhabits my creative imagination is somewhat daunting in its scarcity of intelligible offerings I might use; all I see are a couple of semi-transparent circles, and a couple of tricks. Not what I was hoping, to be sure. I think, instead, we’ll use the new brevity button I had installed in the Tardis (yes, we have alteration permission, as long as we avoid anachronistic designs, or incompatible fittings…..). It’s pretty cool; watch what happens when I push it, like this….

Shall we Pearl?….

“I fill MY industrial waste containers
with old copies of the “WATCHTOWER”
and then add HAWAIIAN PUNCH to the top…
They look NICE in the yard–“

~~ Zippy the Pinhead ~~

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Young Dubliners

Image from http://www.ocweekly.com via Google Images

When I went to pick music for today, I was feeling a bit Irish. Since I’ve enjoyed this band for a while, they were a natural choice. I hope you enjoy this live cut of a cover of a traditional Irish tune. The sound quality isn’t the best, but, live cuts on YT often are not; there are any number of similar choices at the end of this cut, which may provide a better sound…. Let the ceili begin….

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Young Dubliners
Foggy Dew

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https://youtu.be/lRUOi3MGLQ0

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Since I slept later than usual, the rant I am working on didn’t get finished in time. Here, instead, is a discussion of matters with which we frequently concern ourselves here at ECR, about issues that need attention if we are to survive with any dignity, or virtue, as a species….

From 124/2012:

“Free enterprise ended in the United States a good many years ago. Big oil, big steel, big agriculture avoid the open marketplace. Big corporations fix prices among themselves and drive out the small entrepreneur. In their conglomerate forms, the huge corporations have begun to challenge the legitimacy of the state.” — Gore Vidal

In his book, “Friday”, Robert Heinlein details a society of humanity’s possible future, one in which corporations have continued to grow beyond the boundaries of mere countries, until their interests become paramount even over that of the state, as observed by Mr. Vidal. We, of the society here on Earth in the early 21st century are witnessing that growth, as I write, and as you read…..

The small enterprise markets still exist, but only on the fringes of the economy, the major portion of which is busy manipulating the population into serving the economic trends that the corporations control, in the essential markets that cover everyone… In other words, the corporations monopolize most of the economy, allowing the fringe markets to exist to provide exotic, alternative toys and entertainments for the working classes.

Mr. Heinlein’s character, a young woman with designer genes, genius IQ, and Heinlein’s innate sardonicism, as part of an assignment, is required to perform a research and analysis of how the corporations affected the political and economic scenes of their society, obliquely referring, of course, to the one we have now. It is a very interesting part of a very good book, and well worth a read, not only for its perspicacity in explaining the piracy we are seeing today, but because Heinlein was a master storyteller, who created fascinating characters in fantastic situations, making it all seem perfectly normal and real.

“The phenomenality of organic, conscious existence should, could have made impossible the sadism, the unending hurt of our ways. The impotent fury, the guilt that master and surpass my identity carry with them the working hypothesis, the ‘working metaphor’, if you will, of ‘original sin’. To this expression, I am unable to attach any reasoned, let alone historical substance. On the pragmatic-narratological plane, stories of some initial crime and inherited culpability are universal fables — uncannily profound and lasting. Nothing more. Yet in the presence of the beaten, raped child, of the horse or mule flogged across its eyes, I am possessed, as by a midnight clarity, by the intuition of the Fall.” — Rudolf Steiner, Errata: An examined life, Phoenix — (a division of Orion Books), London, 1998), p. 169

At first, this quote may not seem to be related to the first. However, it is this “original sin” of which he speaks that is the root cause of the problems with corporations in society. Those humans who reject commonality with the rest of humanity are the villains in this play that passes for modern culture, for they do not accept their debt to the rest of the species, and have determined that they will use whatever means they need to become ascendant over the rest of us. Greed is only the most obvious of the ills that this group has subjected our culture to, with cruelty, dishonesty, and lack of compassion as side attractions. Through the actions of their corporate entities, they work to maintain their power and control of others, all for the sake of their own aggrandizement….

These are the men who run the trade in human trafficking, abducting and abusing children and women, for sex and slavery. These are the men who run the brothels, and the underground casinos, and the money-lending, and the protection rackets, and the drug dealing rings. What many folks don’t realize is that they are also the men who run for political office, or become preachers/priests, and the bankers, and the CEO’s, and other corporate officers, who make their decisions based on self-interest, never on altruism. They seem, and act like, they are the leaders of society, when, in fact, they are the very reason our society is headed for extinction….

Unfortunately, these men (and they are almost ALL men….) will not give up their power and control without a fight. They will not respond to reason, giving up all their wealth and perceived power, to benefit the rest of mankind. They will not suddenly see the light, and give it all back. They will have to be rooted out like weeds, tough, hardy weeds, and destroyed, if we are to have any chance of survival…. It is unfortunate, but no other method will work, and it brings with it the danger of falling into the same kind of behavior by which they operate. But, I can see no other way to solve the issue, since they will not cooperate with the rest of us for the benefit of all….

1. If you keep doing what you are doing, you will keep getting what you are getting.

2. What you settle for is what you end up with.

3. If you think that worrying about a problem is the same thing as solving it,
then you must live in some other universe where different laws pertain.

~~ Smart Bee~~

********************************

Seeing is Conducive to Belief

Folly sits so comfortably upon my fevered brow
one would easily believe that I would know how
to look at Life with a jaded, weary eye
seeing enough, and more, to know Why.

Such seems the case, as I will it to be,
an open book of a face, it looks so like me;
what’s known to be so, needs no close attention
familiar sights require no minding, nor mention.

The eye is drawn at once to the stark and new,
and sent back to sleep by successful review.
Once we find evidence we feel we understand,
curiosity languishes, dismissed at command.

Ancient sages knew the insidious value of illusion,
preachers and pundits know the power of confusion.
Each pair of eyes contains its own point of reference,
each mind sets its own standards of preference.

Seeing is believing, for those who live in thrall,
accepting what is perceived is all they ever recall.
Unknown to them, reality follows another set of rules,
Deeper, more dangerous, and no place for fools.

~~ gigoid ~~

10/11/2012

********************************

Naked Pearls

All you need to know….

*********

“You cannot give away kindness, it always comes back to you.”

~~ Zen Bee ~~

*********

“The best laid plans of mice and men are usually about equal.”

~~Blair’s Observation ~~

*********

“Sports do not build character. They reveal it.”

~~ Heywood Brown, journalist ~~

*********

“Vision without action is a daydream.
Action without vision is a nightmare.”

~~ Japanese proverb ~~

*********

“It is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation.”

~~ Herman Melville ~~

*********

“Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others, can not keep it from themselves.”

~~ Irish blessing ~~

*********

“Anything is possible, but nothing is easy.”

~~ Bill Gray ~~

*********

“To be “matter of fact” about the world is to blunder into fantasy….
and dull fantasy at that,
as the real world is strange and wonderful.”

~~ Robert A. Heinlein ~~

*********

“Here. Have a jelly baby.”

~~ Doctor Who ~~

********************************

Today’s effort is one I can use in the future, as a reminder this process will stand up to the test of time. I’m beginning to think there is something to this evolution stuff. On that cryptic note, I shall leave you until the morrow, when you will find me here, spouting off, once more. I don’t think there is any way to stop me now…. Bwahahahahaha!…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes…. Fair warning….

Y’all take care 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….

Flagrant passions arise from mundane roots…

Posted on March 9, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Take away love and our earth is a tomb.”

~~ Robert Browning ~~

Break Time

Hajime….. Good morrow, ffolkes. As I sit to write today, I find myself more than merely reluctant to begin, for I am, alas, unsure of what to say. Not to say that’s ever stopped me before, but, today, I am suffering from the aftereffects of a major battle, complete with increased pain, fatigue, and, the natural accessory for those, a major grumpfest. Oh, good, spell-checquer doesn’t like my coined words; how droll!…. To continue, as is probably clear by now, I’ve got nothing significant to say, other than to inform you today’s Pearl will be severely truncated, because I’m taking the day off. I may even take tomorrow off; if I do, you won’t know until then, because I feel like it.

When I say severely truncated, I mean it, too. All you get today is a rant, and this intro. I know, I know, cruel, but, necessary for my own sanity, trust me. The mood I’m in today, nobody really wants to hear what I have to say, (even though they might find out anyway, if I find the energy to visit any other blogs, and have the urge to let this out on a politico, or a neocon…. but, that doesn’t count anyway, not even karmically….), and, I really would prefer to avoid any lawsuits today…. It would only make things worse, and the world isn’t ready for worse…..

All that said, to little point, or use, I’ll get on with this mess, and leave y’all be for now. I could use one of the Tardis toys to get us onward, but, it seems a waste for so little result, as we are witnessing today. Perhaps I’ll just let this die a relatively natural death, by saying I appreciate the courtesy y’all show us in these lesser states of being; there is still hope in the world when people like those I find here, and on the Net, share the compassion they have with each other…. as they do on a regular basis. It does make this a much more fulfilling experience…. On that pleasant note….

Shall we Pearl?

“Human progress is furthered, not by conformity, but by aberration.”

~~ H.L. Mencken ~~

********************************

Sandra, the Free Orangutan

As advertised, one rant. This one is in belated honor of International Women’s Day, which was yesterday. I sort of missed it, as I didn’t catch any of whatever advance notice there was, or wasn’t. Regardless, this is a rant on a subject which is perfectly suited for that day, as it speaks of what I call The Plague of Evil, an issue which has contributed to our species’ complete lack of moral growth for our entire history….

From 3/8/2013:

Smart Bee is having a tough morning, pearl-wise; I can’t seem to find a single worthy quote…. so, I’m going to fall back on my vast repertoire of Past Pearls, which I try not to abuse by using too often. In fact, I think this is only the second time in almost two years I’ve done so…. Any who, this particular pearl is a tough one… I wrote it last July, on the third of that month, and it remains as valid today as it was then…. Perhaps more so, as the situation has changed not at all, nor will it until people start to realize the extent of the problem…. I won’t say “enjoy”, as you won’t…. I will say, “listen up, please”…..

“I do not know whether I was then a man dreaming I was a butterfly, or whether I am now a butterfly dreaming I am a man.” — Chang-tzu, Taoist

So, as it turns out, I am a coward. What I mean by that is, when it comes to emotional pain, I will go through all sorts of contortions to avoid it. I will distract myself, I’ll deny, I’ll forget…. all time-tested methods of putting something unpleasant aside. I can say in my own defense that a) I’ve already experienced enough turmoil in my life, and don’t need more, and b) I have yet to start lying to myself about being a coward in this area…..

How does the butterfly koan apply? That’s for me to know, and you to figure out…. No, really, sorry, I didn’t mean that, just fooling around. It applies because the world exists in duality; we perceive that universe by defining and evaluating those dualities according to their relation to each other (light/dark, etc.) as well as according to our own preconceptions and/or preferences. Sometimes what we perceive is clear and readily defined, while at other times, one can make no “heads or tails” of what we see, hear, taste, smell, or feel. And sometimes, the perceptions are just so powerful that we cannot easily deal with what we are perceiving, so we retreat from them. Or I do, anyway….

Now, my cowardice in this respect is, perhaps, justifiable. I put myself through a lot of hard times during certain periods in my life, and the emotional toll was heavy. I am now more in balance, but the feelings and thoughts I had can come back in full force, at unexpected moments… Such is the case when I read about the sex trade, and think about how many of my sisters in the world are still being abused, physically and mentally, by the misogynistic assholes that perpetrate the atrocities so prevalent in that trade.

I have previously re-blogged several articles from blog sites written by women who have survived, and left, the sex trade. The stories they tell, and the insights they have come to have, are incredibly powerful, and wrenching to the emotions. It is a rare thing for me to be able to stop myself from crying after reading the first paragraph, and it can take me ten minutes to read a two page article, as I have to stop and compose myself before returning to the story being related. I am always astounded by the strength of mind it took for them to get where they are, and I grieve for the pain and misery they still must contend with, as survivors of Hell, burdened with PTSD (my old friend….).

Reading their stories also have the effect on me of wanting to buy a gun, and start eliminating some of the traffickers from the planet. This urge arises out of my anger and guilt, for it is males who perpetrate the atrocities, and I am ashamed of how low others of my gender can sink. But, alas, until I CAN afford to buy one, that little dream will have to wait…..

All I can do is to try to make people aware of the extent of the problem, by directing them to the stories told by the women who have lived through that Hell, with re-blogs and pearls such as this one. That is why I say I’ve been a coward, because my mind cravenly hid the awareness that connects to the outrage I feel when I get started on this issue, not being brave enough to put my emotions up on that higher level….and used the technical glitch I’ve been having with WordPress as an excuse (I’m currently unable to connect to any other WP sites if I’m signed in… I just get sent to a blank page while the browser falls into an infinite loop….).

Hence this somewhat dispassionate discussion of the issue. I’ve managed to get through this without bursting into tears, so I’ll consider myself lucky, and make myself a promise to re-blog for them as soon as I can get there to do so…. and I’ll not let myself chicken out…. This is an issue that will not go away; we men will never be free until we free our sisters from this bondage….

To read some of these articles yourself, use the WordPress search function to find these three sites, by blog titles…. Diary of A Dublin Call Girl; rmott62- Are We Not Human?; and Stella Mar, a Manhattan Call Girl…. all three have powerful messages that need to be spread around the planet….

********************************

Okay, that’s all I’ve got today. I’m not sure, at this point, whether I’ll be any better off by tomorrow; hard to say at this point. But, I’ll be here, if only to let y’all know I won’t be here. Meantime, y’all stay chill, and be happy, as best you may…. I’ll be back, as somebody once said. See ya….

Y’all take care 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….

Instant gratification on sale tomorrow….

Posted on February 19, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“If a fish is the movement of water embodied, given shape,
then a cat is a diagram and pattern of subtle air”

~~ Doris Lessing~~

I deleted ALL your files….

Hajime….. If there were any method available to tell, I would tell you. Since, however, such a method has yet to be discovered, we’ll have to make do with the older version, where I just say it out straight and clean…. Okay, here goes….. Hang on…. Wait for it…. Alright, here you go….

It’s too late. I’m sorry, but, in spite of everything I was able to do, and, in direct opposition to every effort made by a number of compassionate volunteers, it’s just not going to happen…. The sign says we’d have it on sale tomorrow, but, the vendor just couldn’t get his shit together to ship it on time, so, it’s going to be late, again…. I guess that’s what we get for trying to obtain the instant gratification of desires everyone in this plane of existence seems to have to have; such a rare item is, as you can see, a bit hard to come by…. Ah well, maybe next week…

That, you might wish to note, is one of the very rare occasions in which you will ever see a reference to a title of a Pearl IN the actual Pearl it graces. I decided when I began this process, almost twenty years ago now, to never connect the title and the material in the piece. Don’t ask me why; I didn’t know then, and I care less now. Such is life with a self-defined curmudgeon of relatively advanced years, who has, through a lifetime of practice, become quite adept at doing exactly as he wishes, and reality be damned. It can get a bit crusty, but, it suits me.

I think that’s quite enough blather for one day. If I don’t stop here, this could get a bit top-heavy. Since I AM driving this bus, what I say must go, so, we’ll just pretend it’s the right thing to do, and do it. I would suggest, given the return of Luigi to the pilot’s chair today, you secure your personal safety restraints, and put your adult beverage down in the holder provided for that purpose. You might also wish to call your insurance guy, to make sure you’re up to date….. The rest of you…. look busy, the proctor’s on board today…. Hit it, Luigi!….

Shall we Pearl?….

“He should not vow to walk in the dark, who has not seen the nightfall.”

~~ Elrond ~~

********************************

Tom Waits

One of my Gentle Readers mentioned their fondness for this artist. Let it never be said I ignore the wishes of my readers…. I do, but, let it never be said, for I didn’t do that today…. Enjoy, ffolkes, this one is another Original…. and, it’s an album I haven’t heard yet…. Yay!….

********************************

Tom Waits
Mule Variations

********************************

https://youtu.be/c_OkcVLBB9A

********************************

I’m working on a rant to end all rants (so to speak), but, it’s stalled for the moment. Here is a set of rules which I haven’t posted in a while, but, is worth a repeat every once in a while. It’s a list I try very hard to live by, as it was all stuff the Sarge embedded in my persona, to my endless gratitude… These rules, if followed by ALL men, would make the world a very different place than the one in which we actually live…. Read them, and, I think you would agree…

Last posted on 11/18/2013:

********************************

Unheralded Sagacity…

To many, who will not see beyond their nose
the world becomes a dangerous place,
a bullet in every gun, a thorn with every rose,
no magic comes to save us, reality leaves no trace.

Minds closed, wrapped tight in manufactured fears,
men become clay, easily molded into complacent form.
No chains needed, held in thrall for years,
lies become gospel, when dishonesty is the norm.

Shed the chains you wear in durance, in kind;
Oh, ye of little faith, and much doubt
Strength is found in an unfettered mind,
Cry “freedom” with a great shout.

No help from any gods can hinder so much
as our own lack of confidence;
finding the light within, knowing it as such
confirms us, becoming consequence.

Illumination…..

~~ gigoid ~~

4/17/2013

********************************

Today’s final old-school pearl is a bit esoteric, but, not so much it’s obscure…. Mostly, it’s just good stuff to know about Life, Reality, and All That Stuff…. Enjoy!….

“By letting go, it all gets done.”

~~ Tao Te Ching ~~

*********

“A man cannot be comfortable without his own approval.”

~~ Mark Twain ~~

*********

“Silence speaks with eloquence.”

~~ R. Reiley ~~

*********

“Je me presse de rire de tout, de peur d’etre oblige de’en pleurer.”
(I make myself laugh at everything, in case I should have to weep.)

~~ Pierre-Augustin de Beaumarchais ~~

*********

“Unless you love someone, nothing else makes any sense”

~~ E. E. Cummings ~~

*********

“One of the sayings of Diogenes was that most men
were within a finger’s breadth of being mad;
for if a man walked with his middle finger pointing out,
folks would think him mad,
but not so if it were his forefinger.”

~~ Diogenes Laertius (c. 200 AD) — Diogenes, vi ~~

*********

“All authority is quite degrading.”

~~ Oscar Wilde ~~

*********

“Just think of the tragedy of teaching children not to doubt.”

~~ Clarence Darrow ~~

*********

“Life without learning is death.”

~~ Cicero ~~

********************************

At this point, undue confidence would be out of place; I’ll merely say, it’s done, and, I’m glad, for it looked a bit shaky there during the process. Since this ain’t go gift horse, we won’t peer too closely into its mouth, lest we see things we should regret. No regrets, ever….. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, unless my insanity assumes a more significant role in reality before then….

Y’all take care 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….

Drifting pieces of abject devotion….

Posted on January 29, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“For one human being to love another human being:
that is perhaps the most difficult task
that has been entrusted to us,
the ultimate task, the final test and proof,
the work for which all other work
is merely preparation.”

~~ Rainer Maria Rilke ~~

Guarding her flock of toys/prey….

Hajime…. I would call today’s Pearl a bit eclectic, but, that might be dignifying it more than it deserves. Given the extra time it took to complete it, one might think it would be better; so much for that idea. Smart Bee was more than a little reluctant to cooperate, not to mention the mitigating circumstance of my own lack of chutzpah during the process. It did, however, get done, so, we’ll refrain from any further complaining, which would only detract even further from any value there might be to be found today….. Hmph.

Disgruntled, I am. Yoda-ish, too. Fortunately, I also have the wherewithal to make decisions on my own behalf, which, today, may be our only hope of getting anywhere at all. In fact, I have a feeling if I don’t make it right now, I may just blow this whole deal…. I don’t usually give in to unreasonable fears, but, hey, there’s always something, right? So they say, anyway, and, I’m taking them at their word today…. Here’s how that looks….

Shall we Pearl?….

“The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane.” — Marcus Aurelius Antoninus

********************************

Jorma Kauknonen

Image from wikiwand.com via Google Images

Jorma Kauknonen is probably a new name for many of my Gentle Readers, though not all, I am sure. One of the finest guitarists to come out of the hippie era in San Francisco, he was an integral figure in the development of rock & roll into what it is today. As lead guitarist for first, the Jefferson Airplane, then Starship, and Hot Tuna, he set a standard for musicianship reached by few….. This takes a bit of time to get going, but, believe me, he rocks…. Enjoy!….

********************************

Jorma Kaukonen

********************************

https://youtu.be/GK9bPsHtJ3I

********************************

Here is one of my first rants on the subject I have tagged The Plague of Evil….. Not to worry, it’s short, and my writing wasn’t up to current standards…. but, the message is clear…..

From 10/29/2012:

“Abolition of a woman’s right to abortion, when and if she wants it, amounts to compulsory maternity: a form of rape by the State.” — Edward Abbey

This is a difficult pearl to write, as it turns out….. I’ve been cutting and pasting it ahead now for a week or two, trying to get past the anger I feel whenever I think about the number of asshole men who actively perpetrate the oppression of women in our society, a number far too large for my taste, and one I hope to make smaller before I leave this world…. one way or another.

I’d prefer to have them listen to me, and consider what I say to them, and subsequently change their ways…. but, if it takes more than that, say, the judicious application of brute force upon their person, well, I hope to be able to oblige them…. because, in my world, any man who is cowardly enough to try to assume his delusional superiority over women deserves whatever they get from other men, as well as from women strong enough to fight back….

“You’re a very strong woman… Though this would be a traumatic experience that you would never forget, I think that you would be very successful in
life.” — Senator Dan Quayle telling an 11-year-old girl — why he would want her to have the baby if she were raped by her father, 10/18/88 (reported in Esquire, 8/92)

Note, please that this quote from the Quail was made 20 years ago…. yet, the Republican party includes this very atrocity as a part of its platform…. disguised of course, and never directly addressed, or even obliquely alluded to, but, these attitudes are just the same now as they were then; perhaps even worse.

A very similar statement, just one of several in the same vein, was made in the last couple of weeks by a currently running candidate for the Senate, and the R/R ticket has steadfastly refused to speak out against what the man said…. or about any of the other statements by the low-class misogynists now inhabiting the entire Republican party. In fact, Lyin’ Ryan is already on record as having made the same assertion as Mr. Quayle did in 1988, earlier in this year’s campaign.

“The moral test of government is how it treats those who are in the dawn of life — the children; those who are in the twilight of life — the aged; and those who are in the shadows of life — the sick, the needy and the handicapped.” — Hubert Humphrey

These asinine fools would have us believe that their entire concern in this issue is for the fetus…. when in reality it is their own sexual insecurities that they are protecting, by taking the decision about any such matters, involving women’s health, out of the hands of the women involved, and putting it in the hands of men, who are deathly afraid of the women’s sexuality, because they automatically feel inferior…. This creates the reaction of rage, or anger, which always covers our fears, and these cowards in men’s clothing cover it all by spouting their lies and insanity even more….

I find at this point that I must bring this to a (temporary) end…. I am not paying attention to the lesson of today’s first section, and my anger at these assholes is getting to the point where I want to put away the computer and pick up my stick, to go looking for a few of them to bludgeon until some of my anger is released. That, while satisfying in the short run, would no doubt lead to complications I’m not prepared to accept, so….. But, I’ll be back to this subject, be sure…. I need to ask all those women out there who are supporting Romney and Ryan just when it was they lost their minds….

********************************

When life calls, ready or not….

Memories are all we have sometimes
to keep our sanity intact,
with learned phrases and subtle rhymes
lessening life’s vicious, vibrant impact.

Presently all seems composed and intent
in stark contrast to hollow day,
forlorn patchwork emotions of unheralded bent,
fill up night’s bower, leaving hell to pay.

Such vigorous and elevated temper
brings us rare moments to ponder,
filled with lessons all need to remember
lest base perception lose valued wonder.

Laugh loud when entropy sticks fast
leaving shameless anger in its wake.
Let bygones pass quietly into the past
reaping only what is left to take.

Final words of wise imagination
tell us living well’s the best revenge, it appears
ever eluding choirs and congregations
finally finding home, never buried in tears.

~~ gigoid ~~

9/10/2012

********************************

Naked Pearls

Odd Bits of Truth

*********

“A good laugh is sunshine in a house.”

~~ William Makepeace Thackeray ~~

*********

“All the magick of creation exists within a single, tiny seed.”

~~ Magi ~~

*********

“Not every truth is the better for showing its face undisguised;
and often silence is the wisest thing for a man to heed.”

~~ Pindar ~~

*********

“We lie loudest when we lie to ourselves.”

~~ Eric Hoffer ~~

*********

“Aristotle was once asked what those who tell lies gain by it.
Said he, “That when they speak truth they are not believed.”

~~ Diogenes Laertius — Aristotle, xi ~~

*********

“A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds,
adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines.
With consistency a great soul has simply nothing to do.”

~~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~~

~~ Essays: First Series (1841) “Self-Reliance” ~~

*********

“It is the edge and temper of the blade
that make a good sword,
not the richness of the scabbard;
and so it is not money or possessions
that make man considerable,
but his virtue.”

~~ Seneca ~~

*********

“The fear of death is more to be dreaded than death itself.”

~~ Publius Syrus (42 BC) — Maxim 511 ~~

*********

“The more you love, the more you can love
—and the more intensely you love.
Nor is there any limit on how many you can love.”

~~ Robert Heinlein ~~

********************************

All I can say today is, we’ll be back tomorrow, with a greater effort, if not superior results…. Of course, given this one, getting better shouldn’t e too difficult…. I’ll be back, ffolkes. You can take it as a threat, a promise, a warning, or, a joke…. take your pick. I’ll be here, regardless….

Y’all take care 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….

Three frozen minuets, if you please….

Posted on January 7, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

The miracle is not to fly in the air,
or to walk on the water,
but to walk on the earth.

~~ Chinese proverb ~~

Festive Display of the Law of the Jungle

Galway ~ Ireland

Hajime…. Well, ffolkes, here I am, such as I am. I used up my ranting angst last night for today’s ranting section; it’s a good one. Powerful message, anyway, if not perfectly disseminated. ‘T will do for our purpose. With that said, I believe today just might be the day I create a new record here on ECR; this is going to be, perhaps, the shortest intro I’ve done since 2001, or thereabouts. Hmm, not in the dictionary, but, you get the idea…. Oh, right. Short, I said…. How short? This short….

Shall we Pearl?….

“Dying is a very dull, dreary affair. And my advice to you is to have nothing whatever to do with it.” — W. Somerset Maugham

********************************

royalty-free-clip-art-vector-logos-of-black-and-orange-floral-acoustic-guitars-by-seamartini-graphics-6573

Having walked a lot yesterday, I’m tired, & in the mood for some classical music. Here is another mix from someone who also likes to have music while reading…. As usual, I picked the one with a picture I liked the best today….. Enjoy!…

********************************

Classical Mix

********************************

https://youtu.be/2v1NicefAfE

********************************

“Of all the animals, the boy is the most unmanageable.”

~~ Plato (428-348? B.C.) ~~

We all know Plato is thought to be one of the most influential thinkers in history; little did we know just HOW correct this particular example of his conjectures/assertions were to be in the final analysis of human nature; nor, I think, did anyone guess/believe how NOT paying attention more closely would cost the entire species.

As humanity exists in today’s world, virtually every man alive is, not merely unaware of this powerful description, personally, but is, as well, completely ignorant of the implications of this simple truth for society, by virtue of their ignorance of self…. This is, essentially, why the most common human male unconsciously bears an unwarranted sense of entitlement, which allows them to put aside any moral, or ethical, rational considerations, in favor of what they WANT….

These boys, for they never become what I would consider men, live their entire lives without examining their own feelings; it is discouraged from birth, by dress, by the attitudes of their parents, siblings, and any peers, all of whom are under the same illusion of superiority, based solely on physical strength, on a gross level. In short, from birth, men are taught “might is right”, and anyone who doesn’t learn to fall in line is branded for life, with any number of labels, which have attached to them a perception of shame for the bearer, all of which discourage individuality and introspection, while simultaneously encouraging the completely unnatural, divisive attitude of false entitlement.

Thus, these ‘boys’, in men’s bodies, learn to abuse women, or any other creature they wish to intimidate, such as the weak and/or vulnerable, or animals. They are taught it is their right, and duty, to “get what they can, and hold it”, usually justifying with such grand logic as “chicks dig dudes with money”… or, a car, or power, or whatever their personal fantasy entails…. and, as behaviorally shaped by commercials on TV….

Finally, without ever having learned any restraint, they learn the most dangerous of these perversions of rationality, they learn it is acceptable to kill to achieve their own desires, at no cost to their own sense of self, or conscience, if any….. These attitudes are all the more insidious for their its most attractive feature, to wit: there is no personal responsibility borne by those who assume the mantle of what I term rogue males of the human species… None of any of what I have described above is ever examined, or discussed, or acknowledged, in public, or in private…. Thus, darkness covers the entire human culture on the planet. Many of the rational men and women in history who HAVE resisted such insanity have noted, “Repression can only exist in silence.”

I saw a picture flash by on my screensaver a moment ago; the subject was a face shot of a lovely young woman, draped in a softly white, almost transparent shawl/scarf, with a pensive expression, fingers of one hand to her chin, with heavily accented eyes… My first thought was of Keats, or another poet’s verses on love…. Then, in a faint echo, from the deep past, I heard, in an accent much as that of the TV character Gomer Pyle (or Goober; perhaps Gomer was talking to his cousin…), a voice saying, “Boy, I’d sure lahk to fuck that!” I realized, even though the thought, or the feeling that spawned such a vile epithet in regard to any woman, was not mine, it was one I have heard so many times, the attitude it represents is embedded in the very culture in which all the men on this planet, mostly (certainly more than 90%…) have been raised since their birth….

I have actually heard, in defense of the human male’s urge to fight, and fuck, whenever he likes, this urge, or, in truth, false sense of entitlement, is based on natural laws, such as the behavior of the lion in re: they will fight over the right to copulate with any female willing & in season. Of course, these idiots, (excuse my mild flame….), when it is pointed out they are completely wrong, both as to motivation of the lion, as well as the consistent non-lethal results of such fighting, and the natural urges involved, (they don’t want to hear how the males never fight the females… ever, unless they are, for their species, insane…) they refuse to listen, or even, if invited, to go actually watch a pride of lions for some time, to try to understand what is actually going on, rather than assuming what they WANT to be true, is as they wish it to be in reality…. (see Plato, above….)

I challenge any one of my readers, male of female, to dispute this assertion> Any who do so, if you would, please provide some sort of justification for doing so. I’d hate to flame anyone on my own blog for trying to do so without any sort of evidence at all. I’m willing to listen to any reasonable contrary opinion, as long as it is presented in the same framework I am offering with mine.

My own evidence lies partially in my own experience as a male growing up in this culture, and, 65 years of experiencing, observing, and studying (with books and social intercourse, i.e. discussion), the human species, and, its society,, throughout human history, with a focus on trying to understand the nature of the bloody beast. I may not be Aristotle, or Plato, but, I’ve sure as hell read more on the subject(s) than they ever had the chance to do, for sure and for certain….

Go ahead. I’ll wait…. While we are waiting, how about an old-school pearl, touching on some of what we’ve been discussing, sort of, in general, or, that vicinity…. You’ll see…. Some of it, if one observes closely, provides some of the evidence for my assertion, if in no other way than to point one’s study/focus/thoughts in a certain direction, in order to find the tangible proof….. Trust me not; follow them to their end, and it will be there for you to perceive, inside yourself, as verified by what you see in the world…. Or, ask/comment below, and we’ll try to come to a consensus both can accept…..

*************

“MTV – Why Johnny can’t read, tie his shoes, speak, think.” — Truthful Bee

“A man would still do something out of sheer perversity – he would create destruction and chaos – just to gain his point…. and if all this could in turn be analyzed and prevented by predicting that it would occur, then man would deliberately go mad to prove his point.” — Feodor Dostoevsky, “Notes From the Underground”

“It is forbidden to kill; therefore all murderers are punished unless they kill in large numbers and to the sound of trumpets.” — Voltaire

“There are more horses’ asses in this world than there are horses.” — Grandma Soderquist’s conclusion

“A committee is a cul-de-sac down which ideas are lured and then quietly strangled.” — Sir Barnett Cocks

“Independent self-reliant people (would be) a counterproductive anachronism in the collective society of the future […] (where) people will be defined by their associations.” — John Dewey (1859-1953), educational philosopher, — proponent of modern public schools. 1896 — “The Tyranny of Government Schooling”, John Gatto, 1992

“Clinton wants us to sacrifice – We should start with the politicians. Which do you recommend – burning at the stake, an altar & knife job, or the tried-and-true ‘Feed the Volcano’ method?” — Don Meyer dlmeyer@uiuc.edu

“If the Catholic church couldn’t stop Galileo, then governments won’t be able to stop things now.” — Carlo de Benedetti of Olivetti on the folly of trying to regulate information technology

“Give a monkey a brain, and he’ll think he’s the center of the universe.” — Ouch! Bee

“A “pacifist male” is a contradiction in terms.” — Lazarus Long

“He who is bent on doing evil can never want occasion.” — Publius Syrus (42 BC) — Maxim 459

********************************

After the odyssey….

Portraits of iconic symbols, crashing, singing, forgotten;
evolving into mature innovation, as yet pale, and rotten.
Still water justly breeds, impenetrable primal verses resound;
unholy moments tarry, emotion swirls in passion unbound.

Spiritual ovulation precedes each pregnant pause;
gravid, time moves on, following destiny’s cause.
Cast adrift on waves of confusion, to a final, damp landing;
salvation beckons sweetly, fed well on understanding.

Dreams directly fall, in night’s grey bower, unbidden;
lingering flavors in simple taste, lovingly, cleverly hidden.
Childish laughter sounds, joyful, bright, and clear;
no need ever to hide, no more monsters to fear.

Temper most foul arrives under unregistered mail;
forgotten taunts live on, lashed by an ancient flail.
Plain dealing delivers such lasting specks of honest hate;
savage in retrospect, never hasty, always running late.

Forever, cries an ambient lover of the pending night;
his pale, weak issue forms its own failing light.
Still, fortune favors such as those who apprehend;
Sweet love of Gaia, let it never end.

~~ gigoid ~~

3/10/2013

********************************

Naked Pearls

Being Human

*************

“The more clearly you understand yourself
and your emotions,
the more you become a lover
of what is.”

~~ Spinoza ~~

*************

“When nothing is sure, everything is possible.”

~~ Margaret Drabble ~~

*************

If you can distinguish between good advice and bad advice,
then you don’t need advice.

~~ Van Roy’s Second Law~~

*************

“In our haste to deal with the things that are wrong,
let us not upset the things that are right.”

~~ Unknown Bee ~~

*************

“Man is great by thought.”

~~ Blaise Pascal ~~

*************

There is always more than we see.

~~ Mindful Bee ~~

*************

“He who possesses most must be most afraid of loss.”

~~ Leonardo Da Vinci~~

*************

“Excellence is an art won by training and habituation.
We do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence,
but we rather have those because we have acted rightly.
We are what we repeatedly do.
Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.”

~~ Aristotle ~~

*************

“Man is free to think as his reason tells him.”

~~ Spinoza ~~

********************************

Not too bad, I think. With the help of the Tardis, it’s even done at a reasonable hour…. To echo the brevity seen in today’s intro, I’ll merely say this: Bye, ffolkes. See y’all mañana, if my luck holds…..

Y’all take care 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….

Pike staffs with curlicues….

Posted on January 4, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Bravery is being the only one who knows you’re afraid.”

~~ Franklin P. Jones ~~

Luna, 12/25/2015

Image found at https://europasicewolf.wordpress.com/author/europasicewolf/

Hajime…. I’m unsure as to why eight hours sleep results in awakening if a foul mood; it’s foul enough I don’t give a shit. Everybody ELSE in the world, today, will just have to deal with it, because, I don’t intend to. For some reason, I woke up with absolutely no patience; not for foolishness, not for rudeness, not even for cat nonsense. Moreover, this time, I am NOT going to be the one making any fucking adjustments. Whoever crosses my path will act with perfect rationality, or they WILL pay a price for not doing so in my presence….

That out of the way, I’ll note today’s effort won’t be much of one, anyway…. I spent much of yesterday working on the no-doubt excessively wordy rant you’ll see today, but, it’s a pretty important one, to me, so, read it anyway, ‘kay? I worked on it pretty hard, even so far as to re-blog another bloggers most excellent piece as part of the lead-in to our subject matter today…. I guess the theme ended up being “how to fix things, or not” which is about as murky and unclear as I can make it… Sorry, not in a mood to be anything but straight-line. In fact, I’m done here; let’s get to it….

Shall we Pearl?….

Cat: Ethereal music wreathed in mystery.

~~ Bastet Bee ~~

********************************

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

I’m in a rotten space, as I’ve noted. One of the few pieces of music tolerable at all are these two symphonies, by the man I consider the most talented musical genius mankind has produced, thus far. Don’t care if anyone feels otherwise; in this mood, this is the only thing that can bring me any peace, so, if you don’t appreciate classical music, you may move on to the ranting section, where you will be encouraged to use the mind you possess for its intended purpose…. See you there, if I can manage not to get arrested before I get there….

********************************

Mozart
Symphonies 40 & 41

********************************

https://youtu.be/X5ZS8jCrnh4

********************************

Le Penseur ~ The Thinker

August Rodin

“Never frighten a little man.
He’ll kill you.”

~~ Lazarus Long ~~

~~ from Robert A. Heinlein’s “Time Enough For Love” ~~

At first look, this short, pithy assertion about human nature by The Eldest may not seem particularly apt, nor deep enough to warrant a picture of Le Penseur to begin an examination of such a complex subject…. No worries, mates; it’s much, much deeper than it appears, and, I’m about to explain why…. (For those readers who don’t know why I call Lazarus by that title, ask in a comment, & I’ll explain)

Since the first of our species, long ago, before any modern human can even comprehend, first picked up a rock or stick, to defend itself against an attack by a predator, or, even, another of its own relatively peaceful species when not aroused to violence, (all of which, after all, is a natural function of life on Earth before technology…,), and, by virtue of possessing a weapon, killed his/her antagonist, the human imagination has turned its power to the improvement of the stick, and/or the rock, as a weapon, and, to the various methods of killing other creatures, whether predator or prey, upon which it fastened, as our primary means of fulfilling its natural function, of creation…

We have spent the intervening millenia in creation, mostly along those lines, improving both our weapons of death, and, the use of our imagination, to give free rein to the most vicious side of our animal nature… We became the planet’s most efficient predator, so much more of a killing machine than any other, almost NONE of our competitors are left, but for the power of Nature itself, which our imagination continues to attempt to control, to turn the very nature of Reality to its own vicious purposes, to the detriment of not only all the other animals and other life forms here, but, to the entire ecosystem, of which we are only a part… In short, we are so intent on the achievement of our own foolish desires, we are killing ourselves…. Stupid is as stupid does, it seems, is a truer representation of Reality than we knew….

If we are capable of viewing our species’ history in this light, the above statement takes on new meaning; the most dangerous human is one who fears…. There have been many sages throughout our history who, in contrast to those who pursue predation as their means of survival, have pointed out the folly of such avarice based upon ignorance and fear, and, of the necessity of learning about the universe, rather than fearing it, as we do…. Most people, because of the fear they feel, are given little chance to ever USE the mind with which we are equipped; from birth, they are taught to fear… to fear God, to fear other people, to fear reprisal of any kind….

The other side of that counterfeit coin is the promise of reward (i.e., the removal of fear), as well as the promise of ‘immortality’, which is, as is eminently clear, merely the province of the Universe as a whole… All of the individual PARTS of that Universe, in Reality, die, and change form into something else…. They, and everything that exists in Reality, ‘die’, and are ‘born’ again, as a different type of energy/matter…. Matter becomes energy, energy becomes matter, in a duet, a dance of Life and Death, through all of Eternity. Or, as much as we can perceive in this form.

That much is plainly visible to the simplest mind, as the proof is visible, in plain sight, in everything we witness in this consciousness we call Life…. This means, of course, the reward promised is fake, for each and every person is already immortal, as a part of the Eternal NOW, in motion through time, moving without cease, until it is destroyed, thus changing form….

One of the worst factors of this approach to Life the majority of our species has chosen, whether consciously, or not, is the sense of false entitlement, and, assumption of superiority which is characteristic of those who ascribe to any such philosophy…. It is particularly egregious, as well as culturally embedded, in the male members of humanity, who have, for all the time since we first became a species of killer apes, have abused their naturally greater physical strength to abuse and intimidate the female of the species, believing ‘might makes right’, no matter the resulting pain, or death, it may cause to others…. Only the wishes and desires of the strong, in their minds, have any validity….

I’ve often used the following meme, from ex-President Carter, to illustrate one of the ways this attitude has manifested throughout history, and, in truth, before we started keeping it in written form. It is a very clear summary of the issue, from the point of view of an intelligent, well-educated man, who was NOT one of those men who feel as most others do….

Before finishing this post, I had decided to re-blog the piece of work located at the link you see just below…. I’d like my Gentle Readers here today to take a few moments to read it, if they haven’t already, before resuming this narrative…. In my opinion, the story this woman has conceived is, absolutely, the most powerful, and, the most logically likely scenario for the familiar tale to have occurred, in true Reality, as opposed to what everyone today has been taught to believe…. In my mind, this is, most probably, the actual way Mary became known as the Mother of God…..

Be warned; it is a powerful tale, and not to be taken lightly; if you cannot disengage from your feelings while reading, you WILL weep before you are done…..

http://bellejar.ca/2015/12/29/blessed-art-thou/

Ffolkes, this has to stop. The men of the human race are killing each other, and all of us; raping women, and children; and, are, in general, strutting around the planet acting as if they are the only ones who matter at all…. They are not only dead wrong, but, they, in their extreme ignorance, blinded by the lust for power, and control over others, (which exists only to assuage their own fears of inadequacy), are in the process of killing us all; a species which does not act in concert to survive, will never do so… That particular rule of existence is written right in the basic roots of Universal Reality in this plane of existence….

Kindness, compassion, love, and honor are what characterizes my view of a Man; I see very few of our species living up to that standard…. The most painful irony, and, most painful truth is, most of the men alive on this planet are too ignorant, too weak, too afraid, and too wrapped in themselves to ever realize it….. The man of honor is no longer the majority, in this country, or, in the entire world, I’m afraid. Instead, they exist, only, as a rarity….

Pathetic is what they are; I guess it’s almost time for me to go hunting….

gigoid has spoken.

So be it.

It seems gigoid has more to say….

Yesterday, after writing the above, I read a blog, written by a Palestinian woman I regard as one of the most intelligent humans on the planet; she is burdened by not being free to use her full intelligence, simply by being born in a place that places little regard in women, at all, and, are actively repressive to any who display such power of mind, in public, and mostly, in private….

Moreover, she is trapped in a country which is occupied by another, and must survive, protect her family, and keep herself safe in what is, essentially, a war zone, called Palestine, in Gaza, next to the zone occupied by the Israelis, at whose bloody hands the city has become a festering cauldron of murder, repression, and, quite simply, inhuman atrocity, against an entire culture…. all in the Name of God.

She wrote a long piece in her native language, which Google could only HOPE to come close to translating. However, it was clear enough to me she had written her usual brilliant analysis, with her own reactions, of a recent meeting with a man and woman she considers as mentors in rational Islamic thought. While trying to make sense of the translation, it occurred to me, she was also trapped by the same trap as every other woman, man, and child on Earth, to wit: she has been labeled…..

All of us bear labels; it is human nature to assign a word to another, in order to place them into the proper slot in their mind’s world view… We get so wrapped up in labels, we confuse our real selves with what we have been labeled as being, though it may not have any real relevance to what is in our hearts and minds….

Names, places, religions, skin colors, genders, hair/clothing/body/life styles; we all receive them, and, usually, accept them as true without thinking about it, since it fits into our preconceived notions of self, or others….

And, it’s all another fucking illusion, ffolkes…. To comment on her post, I wrote a more prosaic, somewhat shorter version of the following, which I have decided to entitle….

Manifesto

I was born in the USA;
it is a place on the Earth.

I am not an American.

I am a human.

If I MUST be labeled an American,
then,
I must also consider myself
to be :

Palestinian,
Egyptian,
Israeli,
Chinese,
Russian,
Irish,
Belgian,
Kenyan,
Tibetan,
Afghani,
AND,
every other country
in the world.

If I am anything,
I am a citizen of Earth,
of Terra,
our Home.

As long as humans regard themselves any other way,
as citizens of different countries,
as proponents of different religions,
as possessors of different colored skins,
or different genders,
or,
as ANYTHING other than a human being,
FIRST and LAST,
we will never learn to make peace with each other.

Applying a label, of any sort, to a human,
is to place limits
on what they can be, or think, or do….

Accepting such labels
as truth
leads only
to death,
without honor,
without hope,
without peace.

Freedom,
true freedom,
has no limits;
there are no labels
among the free.

Humans don’t need
a creator,
money,
fear,
or,
violence.

Humans need
compassion,
kindness,
love,
honor,
and,
each other.

Simple logic,
and absolute truth
about human nature.

You won’t find it
in any version of a Bible,
or of the Quran,
or any other book.

You can only find
this absolute truth
in your own
heart and mind.

~~ gigoid ~~

1/3/2016

********************************

Future Shocked:

Weeping, I wake;
waking, I weep, I weep.
I weep for the ages to be lost,
for the children never to be born.

Time comes calling, strident and spare,
nudging us toward the future with bony hands.
No pausing, no waiting, always away,
Frantic hearts unseen, unheard.

Spirits are dark, afraid.
And the Beast hunts, hungry and cruel,
seeking out the weak, and the foolish.

We all weep now…..

~~ gigoid ~~

7/22/2013

********************************

Naked Pearls

Life at Large, Redux

*************

“It’s amazing how much one person can do,
little by little,
over time.”

~~ Worker Bee ~~

*************

“There are no mistakes.
The events we bring upon ourselves,
no matter how unpleasant,
are necessary
in order to learn what we need to learn;
whatever steps we take,
they’re necessary
to reach the places we’ve chosen to go.”

~~ Richard Bach, The Bridge Across Forever ~~

*************

“The chief cause of human error
is to be found in prejudices picked up in childhood.”

~~ René Descartes ~~

*************

“The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it.”

~~ Flannery O’Connor ~~

*************

“A lotta cats copy the Mona Lisa,
but people still line up to see the original.”

~~ Louis Armstrong ~~

*************

“I do not believe in the creed professed
by the Jewish church,
by the Roman church,
by the Greek church,
by the Turkish church,
by the Protestant church,
nor by any church that I know of.
My own mind is my own church.”

~~ Thomas Paine ~~

*************

“Children are remarkable
for their intelligence and ardour,
for their curiosity,
their intolerance of shams,
the clarity and ruthlessness of their vision.”

~~ Aldous Huxley ~~

*************

“If I were to wish for anything,
I should not wish for wealth and power,
but for the passionate sense of potential;
for the eye which,
ever young and ardent, sees the possible.
Pleasure disappoints; possibility never.”

~~ Soren Kierkegaard ~~

*************

“Fortune rarely accompanies anyone to the door.”

~~ Balthasar Gracian ~~

********************************

It’s done, & I’m still in a foul mood…. I’m gonna go play with Leelu, & see if I can find a bit of peace inside…. See y’all tomorrow; I’m pretty sure, if I can keep myself from going out into the BBR, I’ll still be here to do so…. Time will tell, the tattletale….

Y’all take care 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….

Tidy bonuses on a tiny table….

Posted on December 28, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“It is useless to close the gates against ideas; they overleap them.”

~~ Metternich ~~

Avenue of the American Dream

Note the two signs….

Hajime…. No, don’t worry; I’m not going to start off with a rant. In fact, I looked below, & there’s already a good long one down there, so, no worries… the intro is safe…. I remember this one; it leaked out a few days ago, & I’ve been waiting to the right chance to use it…. It’a relatively long, but, it’s on a subject on which I feel strongly, so, I don’t care. Y’all, as always, have the choice to read or not, but, I hope you do, because it’s all stuff that needs to be heard, by more than just y’all…. so, spread it around…. Just the subject is fine; I became a bit phantasmagorical at the end of this one; I got so worked up over the subject, I indulged myself with some dreams, so to speak….

We all have dreams; mine, like all else I do, are pretty strange, I’d guess, in comparison to many others; these are probably fever dreams, but, nonetheless enjoyable, on a private, personal level, for all that…. Now I’ve successfully told you nothing, about nothing, in more words than are, not merely necessary, but, desirable, by any stretch of the imagination. Nothing new there, right?

Hmm…. not much else to cover…. I did have a great time, yesterday, with my kids and grandson; I’m feeling the price today, physically, but, every minute is worth anything I must go through later, so, no complaints….. Can’t share pix, naturally; too many weird people trolling the Net for photos of children, especially good looking kids, to share with other perverts…. I may not LOOK cynical, but, believe me, I’ve seen the worst of human nature (I’ll speak of that below….) and it’s victims are NOT going to be from my family, if I can help it….

Enough blather, I think. I’ve wandered around, saying little to nothing, to little purpose other than to bring us here. We’re here, so, my work here is done…. Damn good thing, too, as I’m now fresh out of any ideas for what to do next…. I think Id best go find a video for today…. See y’all at the oyster beds; you’re on your own today for getting there…. You can just follow me if you like…..

Shall we Pearl?….

“If all mankind were to disappear, the world would regenerate back to the rich state of equilibrium that existed ten thousand years ago.If insects were to vanish, the environment would collapse into chaos.” — Edward O. Wilson

********************************

Image from guitarplayer.com via Google Images

I feel like rocking out today…. Nobody can help with that better than this performer…. Enjoy, ffolkes….

********************************

Stevie Ray Vaughan
Live at Montreux ~ 1985

********************************

https://youtu.be/dIhVJnYaRX4

********************************

This rant, a long one, didn’t just leak out; actually, it was all I could do to keep it this short, as I tend to get a bit worked up about this…. It’s fresh in the last week, and probably could use some punching up…. But, what you see, today, is what you get…. If you become uncomfortable when asked to think, or feel about injustice, well, better skip to the poem….

Plague of Evil

In this blog, I speak of a number of issues which are a part of human society/culture, most of which are discussions of how poor a record in embracing human rights, and/or, living up to the twin concepts of kindness and compassion, our species has exhibited throughout history…. One subject, which often gets neglected, for reasons we will discuss, is the abuse of women, and children, and, even some men; in short, the continued presence in our society of the abhorrent practice of human slavery, generally for the purposes of the sex-for-sale business, but, often enough, just plain slavery.

I refer, of course, to a huge number of corporately sponsored factories, farms, or other businesses, in various places around the world, who force children, women, and men, to work for pennies a day, to provide shoes, clothing, and/or luxury items, none of which any of them earn enough to afford… Hell, they don’t make enough to pay for much of anything on what they are paid for working 12 to 20 hours a day…. This, believe it or not, is the sole purpose of “Free Trade Law”….. That, however, is a rant for another day…

To my mind, the abuse of women and children in the sex trade is, perhaps, the most significant, as well as the least apparent, (certainly the least ‘admitted issue) of all the forms of slavery practiced by that portion of humankind. In my mind, these people are subhuman, without any trace of any of the higher ideals, or evidence of ethical/moral beliefs of any kind, which are embraced by most of humanity…. In essence, these human predators, who have a completely false sense of their own importance in the universe, are without any morals, or ethics, and have given up their souls for the sake of an illusion of adequacy, unfounded, yet, enforced with violence which is never admitted, or, held up for approbation by society…. Pond scum is the nicest thing to call them, in my estimation.

These men (though there are women who subscribe to these sick, illusory beliefs as well…), believe women, or any other human they can intimidate and place under control, are property, less-than-human, and not worth any guilt or any sort of disapproval from a conscience; they have none. In my mind, this places them in MY category of those humans whose death, at the hands of another human, is NOT an unethical event, in any fashion…. If they die, screaming in pain and terror, so much the better, for they are completely without any redeeming value, as a human, or as a member of human society…. In fact, death is, in truth, too good for them; to give them a taste of how they treat others would be as satisfying for me, as long as that taste ended up poisoning them, slowly, so I could watch them go through the agony they deserve, in this life, or any other….

I’ve been writing about this subject for some time, after coming across a couple of blogs, written by women who had miraculously freed themselves from a life of such slavery…. Both had been abducted, or forced into prostitution at a young age, not being able to break free before the age of at least 30, spending more than half their lives as slaves to a series of evil men and women, forced to debase themselves on a daily basis for years, and years, and years….

For some time after coming across their stories, I felt so much rage, at the misogyny coating every level of or society, I began to plot ways to start removing the ‘snakeheads’ (the commonest term for those at the top of the chain in that trade….) from this plane of existence, one by one, personally…. In short, I began to dream of killing men who spend their lives abusing the rest of humanity, especially women and children, both of whom are their prey…. Using all the weapons at my disposal, I would stalk the streets of the cities, removing them from life, until it became an underground certainty that pursuing such a course of business was a sure path to death….

Of course, to fulfill such a vengeful dream, I’d have to become like them, and give up certain of my ethical standards, in order to complete my chosen duty…. Y’know what? It took me a very long time, and is still not a settled question in my mind/heart; the urge to kill pimps and snakeheads is just as strong today as it was four years ago, when the depth and breadth of the problem, (which covers the entire world; every city, every country is guilty of NOT doing ANYTHING significant to address this issue….) first came to my knowledge, and understanding. I still argue with myself often; I must, as there are times I feel so strongly, it’s all I can do, to NOT tuck away my five knives, three ropes, my bow, and staff, then, toddle off to Oakland, or San Francisco, to go hunting men…

Believe me, I really, really want to… I have two sisters, and if either of them had been taken in such a way, I’d still be out there, killing. As it is, all I can do is write about it, to help vent enough of the rage so I can keep from losing control…. But, I have to say, I often wonder why I DO stop myself; nobody else even THINKS about it, as far as I can see……

At this point, even writing isn’t reducing the anger; I’m THIS close (holds up thumb and index finger, touching…) to just saying, ‘fuck it’… I’m 65 and NOTHING IS BEING DONE to either stop the trade, or, rescue its victims…. which is a part of how our misogynist society works, and has, for 10,000 years, and more, back to when the first asshole with a dick bigger than his brain, raped a woman, and nobody cared, or looked away, or watched in approval…. Even the stupidest idiot in the world cannot deny the evidence of this issue, yet, no one ever does anything but talk…. as I am limited by age to doing….

Moreover, not only does government, composed primarily of, and for, men, NOT act on this, or even acknowledge it unless confronted, but, even the churches, the so-called proctors of morals in society do less than the government. In fact, they are worse, for they pretend to care for their constituents equally, especially for the weaker and more vulnerable, such as children, women, and the elderly…. Here is what a former US President, who was, without doubt, the most devoutly Christian of all our elected leaders, ever, had to say on the subject…. I figure he ought to know, having studied Scripture, deeply, through his entire life….

Nor is the hypocrisy of these Dogma Dogs (as I like to call them) limited to women; what group in society, by clear evidence, as reported in the news for all my life, as well as by my own observations, and conversations with many of those who teach the delusions held by most of humanity, has made a consistent, centuries-long practice of abusing children, as well as women, to a degree no other organization, or entity of any kind, has ever approached… not even within shouting distance?

I am willing wager anyone at all, any amount, or deed, or, third-born child, if they wish, (Just kidding, ffolkes… only had 2; no more coming, ever….)(maybe I’m calming a bit; that was almost funny), they care to bet, if they can prove, or even suggest any evidence that can be confirmed, that the clergy, especially that of the perverted “celibates”, (What a ridiculous idea! How can anyone, with more than 3 neurons to use, even THINK such an act/habit/intentional lie, is either natural, or, healthy for any creature, much less one claiming humanity?), who claim the title of Priest, is NOT guilty of crimes against their own flocks, more than any other entity you can name…. It’s not only children who are abused by the church in such fashion, either….

It disgusts me; all of them. Pimps, snakeheads, priests who molest or break their vows (which they usually treat as ‘suggestions’….), politicians who lie so often it has to be a congenital issue, and is certainly a mental issue, known as sociopathy…. They’re all assholes, they’re all shitheads, or, any other vulgar name you care to suggest; scum of the earth is nearly right, but, doesn’t give an adequate feel for just how evil these wastes of DNA actually are, in reality…..

I’m not done, but, I’m through for now….. In closing, I will merely say, if you start seeing headlines, of a mysterious number of deaths associated with people, primarily male, who are known to be active in the sex trade, or, a strange number of men who had been convicted or accused of rape, or other abuse of women, but, walked free…. Well, it’s entirely possible that, shortly before the reports began, I stopped writing, and disappeared from sight…. & you’ll know I lost control….

It will be either that, or, the NSA, or some other fascist, paranoid group of assholes, caught me off-guard, & disappeared me…. Or, more likely, came looking for me, and found me already gone….

It makes for a good dream, anyway…. and, if it happens, I may lose my ethical standards in one area, but, in another, I will be completely content with my karmic account…. Duty is as we choose it to be; I choose honor, which is rooted in compassion, and, when carried out with the proper attitude, as confirmed by reason, and experience, in kindness.

So be it…..

********************************

Today’s poem is one written not long after ending my 35 year hiatus from trying to write ANY poetry…. It’s not bad; I was in a rather tough state at that point in time, with lots of pain & anguish due to living on the edge of poverty, for the first time in MANY years…. so, it get a bit fusty & hopeless…. No worries, it all passed, & ends on a good note…..

A Seasonal Approach

Absolute stillness grips a frozen field,
anticipating dawn with such patient yield
morning burgeoning in dark winter’s hold
brings promise of tales yet to be told.

Lengthening days of pale sun unto night
slowly tell of time’s subversive flight
bringing such original songs of natural fire
with melodies complex in casual attire.

The months are certain they will always win
it is just the way it has always been.
None may argue, nor yet slow life down
Nor dim the eternal beauty of nature’s gown.

Winter evolves from fall into spring,
sending flocks and hearts ever awing.
Summer follows suit, t’other way ’round
Spring into fall, often without a sound.

Life is meant to be lived, beginning to end
choices abound, and change can be a friend.
Yielding with grace to reality’s compelling ploy
fills our plain existence with clean, honest joy.

~~ gigoid ~~

10/2/2012

********************************

Naked Pearls

Observations on Life at Large

***********

“To try may be to die, but not to care is never to be born.”

~~ William Redfield ~~

***********

“I haven’t a clue as to how my story will end.
But that’s all right.
When you set out on a journey and night covers the road,
you don’t conclude that the road has vanished.
And how else could we discover the stars?”

~~ Unknown Bee ~~

***********

“YES… LOVE IS A CONTACT SPORT…”

~~ il NOEGO ~~

***********

“Euripides was wont to say, “Silence is an answer to a wise man.””

~~ Plutarch — Of Bashfulness ~~

***********

“It isn’t so astonishing the number of things I can remember,
as the number of things I can remember that aren’t so.”

~~ Mark Twain ~~

***********

“In the fight between you and the world, back the world.”

~~ Frank Zappa ~~

***********

“Moving parts in rubbing contact require lubrication to avoid excessive wear.
Honorifics and formal politeness provide lubrication where people rub together.
Often the very young, the untraveled, the naive, the unsophisticated
deplore these formalities as “empty,” “meaningless,” or “dishonest,” and scorn to use them.
No matter how “pure” their motives,
they thereby throw sand into machinery that does not work too well at best.”

~~ Robert A. Heinlein, “The Notebooks of Lazarus Long” ~~

***********

“Here is the test to find whether your mission on Earth is finished:
if you’re alive, it isn’t.”

~~ Richard Bach ~~

***********

“When learned men begin to use their reason,
then I generally discover that they haven’t got any.”

~~ G. K. Chesterton, Illustrated London News, 11-7-1908 ~~

***********

“A likely impossibility is always preferable to an unconvincing possibility”

~~ Aristotle ~~

***********

“There will come a time when you will discover a thing called loneliness.
But remember life’s cruelest irony:
The time you feel most lonely is the time you most need to be by yourself.”

~~ Douglas Coupland ~~

********************************

It’s done. Today, that’s the best I can say about it, as I haven’t gone back over it to look at how it hangs together…. As they say, in some places across the big pond to the East, c’est la fucking vie…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, most likely with a bit more pizazz…. whatever that is….

Y’all take care 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….

Conflicting images of iridescent penumbra….

Posted on November 29, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“It’s possible to love a human being if you don’t know them too well.”

~~ Charles Bukowski ~~

This curious galaxy — only known by the seemingly random jumble of letters and numbers 2MASX J16270254+4328340 — has been captured by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope dancing the crazed dance of a galactic merger. The galaxy has merged with another galaxy leaving a fine mist, made of millions of stars, spewing from it in long trails. Despite the apparent chaos, this snapshot of the gravitational tango was captured towards the event’s conclusion. This transforming galaxy is heading into old age with its star-forming days coming to an end. The true drama occurred earlier in the process, when the various clouds of gas within the two galaxies were so disturbed by the event that they collapsed, triggering an eruption of star formation. This flurry of activity exhausted the vast majority of the galactic gas, leaving the galaxy sterile and unable to produce new stars. As the violence continues to subside, the newly formed galaxy’s population of stars will redden with age and eventually begin drop off one by one. With no future generations of stars to take their place, the galaxy thus begins a steady descent towards death.

Dancing Galaxies

Image credit: ESA/NASA Hubble Deep Space Telescope
Acknowledgement: Judy Schmidt
From an article on Space.com

Hajime….

There are many times my subconscious mind works in ways that are not apparent to me, until a point at which I suddenly realize I have been sent a message from myself. Today’s opening pearls, at the top, and the bottom of this section, are such an event, which I did not realize until I sat down to write this introduction. I looked at each, one after the other, and the light bloomed…. Between the concepts of each assertion lies the answer to much of what has passed through my mind in the past thirteen or fourteen days, most of which, as you know, I’ve been up, awake, and pacing, though I managed to sleep enough the past two days to regain enough energy to carry on….

In the vast area between Charles’ sardonic, rather cynical observation, and Sam’s tongue-in-cheek, yet completely accurate philosophical assertion, lies another quote, which instantly came to mind as the logical third eye for this epiphany, from our old friend, Robert Heinlein, couched as usual in the words of his most powerful character, Lazarus Long, The Elder of the Human Race. After 2300+ years of life, Lazarus offered up his (Heinlein’s) definition of what he believed was true love, to wit:

“‘Love’ is that condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own.”

In my less than humble opinion, it is the clearest, most complete and accurate summation I’ve seen, ever.

It is also very comforting, as much of my recent time thinking was spent in the past, where I’ve lived most of my life (don’t worry; that’s true for all of us. Think about it….) In that time, more than two full weeks of 24/7 necessary mental activity, (not all of which was coherent, I admit), I came to the realization that my life has been less organized and, perhaps, less volitional than I had realized, or believed it could be.

Yet, there the evidence sits, right there in plain sight, right in my own head. When I look back over the years to my youth, I see as many things I’ve done for the wrong reasons as I have done them for what I now know to be the right reasons. The end result, of course, is the same, no matter how I look at it; here I am, today. The only thing that has changed is how I am now able to look at it, and, more importantly, how I feel about some of it.

There are, naturally, I believe, always going to be some events I wish could have gone differently…. But, with what I’ve just come to know, I can at least know one thing; when I have loved, it has been real, according to our accepted definition, above. I know this because I STILL feel the same way, about the first girl, the first woman, and every woman I have loved since my teens, when I fell for the first time. Their happiness is as essential to mine as it ever was, and I can see no way to ever change that, not being who I am. For me, love just doesn’t die; if it does, it wasn’t love in the first place. This quality has, I see now, made my life somewhat more difficult than it had to be, but, I would not trade one instant of my feelings for any of them for an entire lifetime of avoiding the pain I felt when, in the end, each of them chose to leave.

Since I loved them, I let them go, never trying to make them stay; I never wished to make them into something they didn’t wish to be. It hurt, a lot, of course, and will always hurt in some small corner I keep tucked away, but, I know now it was, and is, the right thing, for, at least in one case, I know she has had a good life, filled with people who love her, even though I know none of them can have loved her half as much as I still do….. If she ever reads this, I sincerely hope she doesn’t feel any guilt or regrets; I am very, very glad she is happy, as I am glad for the happiness all five of the women I’ve loved have achieved, whatever it may be. It only validates the strength and rightness of my own feelings, and that is a comfort, especially in my solitude.

Whew! Who knew that was in there? Boy, howdy, it isn’t often I cut loose in the intro, not so seriously, but, when I do, it certainly gets intense, doesn’t it? I’m somewhat surprised at not finding more typos as I read it over; it was hard to see the keyboard through my tears for most of it. But, the tears have washed clean my inner turmoil, leaving behind a serene pool of empty thoughts/feelings, in which to find a pearl or two to get us through the day…. Serendipity is where you find it, wouldn’t you agree?

Since there is an epic-sized rant today, an important one, and a wonderful new poem from one of my favorite poets, we should probably head out to the oyster beds….. Let’s just do that today without any fuss or bother, okay? I’m already washed out….. ‘S okay; the music is right below, and these guys will get any party going, without any delay….

Shall we Pearl?….

Life does not consist mainly, or even largely, of facts and happenings. It consists mainly of the storm of thought that is forever flowing through one’s head.” — Mark Twain

********************************

The Allman Brothers Band

Image from knoxmusictoday.com via Google images

Today’s selection is a band I’ve seen many times, not to mention having listened to their music in practically every venue imaginable; at home, at parties, in the car, at the beach, in clubs; they’ve been one of the best, and most popular southern-rock bands since their inception back in the 60’s (I think; some of that period of time tends to blur a bit in my memory…. but, they are still there, almost everywhere….) (Addendum; The band formed in 1969…. always good to do the due diligence research, eh?) Enjoy, ffolkes, they were always better live than in the studio….

Addendum: Oh, yeah, this is a good one…. I checked out the opening number; it’s a medley; it jumps out rocking hard, slows to blues, goes jazz, and back to rock for almost exactly twenty minutes…. All I could say was, “Wow; nice opener!”…. I’m looking forward to the rest with some rather keen anticipation, and, so should you…. Turn it up, for goodness sake!

********************************

The Allman Brothers Band – 40: 40th Anniversary Show

********************************

https://youtu.be/jhXj6VIgJtE

********************************

Spoiler/disclaimer: The following material is both disturbing, and, vital, to you, to me, to all of us. Most importantly, understanding, acknowledging, and making a commitment to changing the issue is just as vital, for all of us. If you don’t have the courage to face the following TRUTHS, you may as well just skip down to the poetry section, for this will certainly challenge your reluctance to become involved. If there is any phrase which might describe the concept intended today, it is, as noted in the fourth paragraph from the closing poem, to wit:

“Free our sisters, free ourselves.”

Oh, and for goodness’ sake, pay attention, please…..

From 8/20/2014:

This is a long rant, ffolkes…. When I start on this particular subject, I have a hard time stopping…. this time, to the tune of over 2500 words…. I figured I should give fair warning; this is not an easy rant to read, nor will it give any quarter, to those it targets as the evil protagonists, or, and this is important, none to the reader… If you don’t feel up to it, then you can skip it…. However, this is an extremely important subject, to me, so, I’m asking you to take the time to read it, think about it, and maybe pass it on…. This needs to change, for sure, and for certain…. I’ve even given it a title, in case I decide to publish it alone, elsewhere….

A True Plague upon Our Houses….

In which we take issue with those who would call themselves Men,
while possessing none of the qualities of a Man…..

“Resolved, that the women of this nation in 1876, have greater cause for discontent, rebellion and revolution than the men of 1776.” — Susan B. Anthony

As we know now, 1976 has come, and gone, along with 1776, and 1876; yet, the oppression and ongoing abuse of women continues, unabated and unchecked, in spite of any progress shown by society, all of which would be thanks to Ms. Anthony, and others of her ilk, for having instigated, and overcome a number of the legal challenges involved in securing full rights for women, efforts resulting in SOME legislation that SEEMED to make some needed changes, not the least of which was voting rights…

In too many ways, unfortunately, things are worse, due to the ubiquitous attitudes, of misogyny and unreasoning fear of sexuality, which is so ingrained in both the male, and female members of society; there are few who even acknowledge the issue, unless pressed…. at which time, they generally become either defensive, feign indignation, or go into active denial…. This fear, based on ignorance, of course, is complicated by religious attitudes heaped upon men and women from birth, which only encourage such ignorance, in favor of dogma….. Now, 40 years into the next hundred years since the beginning of the women’s movement in America, the same can be said to be absolutely true….. Nothing below the surface has changed at all….

Jimmy Carter sez:

He would know, wouldn’t he?….. I should think so….

http://rmott62.wordpress.com/2012/04/27/are-we-not-human

Lack of honor is the only answer that occurs to me; there are not enough men, it seems, with sufficient honor to stem the tide of idiocy, gross perversion, and lack of moral fiber that infuses the greatest portion of humanity’s male members…. I would guesstimate that 98% of all males never even THINK about the issue of how women have been oppressed throughout history; most are perfectly happy to enjoy the lack of responsibility that such moral and ethical blindness allows; we are, as a species, after all, lazy by nature…. (Nothing wrong with lazy, as long as it’s not a way of life, but, rather seen as a tool, to stimulate one look for smarter ways to do things….) But, to allow that laziness to act as an excuse for not acting in this respect, can only indicate a complete lack of what I call HONOR…..

This may sound like a harsh accusation; to that charge I say: Yes, it is and so fucking what? It’s a harsh world, and what men have been doing to women for millennia is, quite simply, atrociously ignorant, and indicative of extreme COWARDICE….. This has been true, not for years, not for centuries, but, for MILFUCKINGLENNIA, PEOPLE! From the beginning of recorded history, men have deliberately kept women in a position of subjugation, period. No exaggeration or hyperbole is necessary or, in my case, desired….

Listen up, all of you men out there, because I am talking to YOU!…. It IS harsh, and I make the accusation without apology, because, I must in all honesty include myself in the group of those who have not done all they could to see the issue addressed…… for, if it is never addressed, it can never be resolved…. I’ve done more than many, perhaps, and I do acknowledge the seriousness and urgency of the issue…. but, I, too, am guilty of not DOING enough…. S’okay, it just makes me madder, & more determined to keep writing about this….

The abuse of women, children, animals, or any form of life; war; sales of drugs and/or arms; and the relative insanity of the divisive elitism as acted out by all organized religions….. All of these blights and plagues upon the spirit and growth of Man, carried out for thousands of years by those in our species who refuse to embrace any sort of beliefs that do not serve their own ends alone, all spring from one source in human nature; the expression of that negativity in our spirit has held sway since the beginnings of recorded history……

This took a long time to write, because it’s important to me…. Hence, I took a long time to pick a closing pearl, one that had the right feel to it, to express the depth of emotion involved, while still giving a nod to importance of addressing the issue’s less palatable aspects, such as the way women who must live in today’s world, or any world we have thus far seen, are consistently, often brutally, abused, made to feel secondary, and at the very least, completely misunderstood, by their own alleged mates.

We need each other, men and women; nature’s other creatures have shown us how it is supposed to work, using the blueprint of nature’s design…. Each gender of a species is made to contribute certain characteristics to the solving of the puzzle of living, in concert with their opposite half, with the caveat being the simple FACT, neither can survive, one without the other. Both are needed for the species to prosper, and grow…… It’s a damn shame there are so many men in the world who are so afraid, of themselves, and of women, they can’t learn to act as men….

— William Shakespeare ~~

Julius Caesar — Act ii, Sc. 1

********************************

Image by Mari Sanchez Cayuso

I found the website of this poetess almost immediately after joining WordPress, more than four years ago; since then, with every poem she writes, every photo she connects to it, I have only grown more in awe of her depth of talent and artistry, and her connection to that in herself. Her poetry is wildly metaphoric and wildly powerful; sometimes her use of words leaves me breathless…..This poem is a good example of her work, and you can not spend your time any better than to go browse her archive of poetry, prose. and photography…. You will gain a complete new appreciation for the entire concept of what an artist really is….

Mari is an artist; art is in her every cell, in every breath she takes, in every ounce of joy and hurt she feels, and every one becomes ART, for that is how she exists; her art is what saves her…. I feel her poetry will someday be spoken of with the same respect as that of Yeats, Keats, Pope, Tagore, and, Emily…. I am serious in this, too; her work is incredible…. Enjoy, please… Really, I don’t think anyone truly human could do otherwise…..

(i) hope

That every silver lizard

Would color itself red

Surrendering to the texture

Of my curves; a mother

Yet, you call me child

Altogether makes sense

The arrogance in me rises

Prickling in every direction

just as a portable veiny stem

Inseparably loves me

Tangling itself, in my hair

Wonder if the coast that surrounds you

Moves quite fugitively, nebulously

Just as you taught me – kneel like

A dog, digging my pride, where depth

No longer frightens me, less foolishly

Than we last spoke, mom . .

~~ Mari Sanchez Cayuso ~~

http://starsrainsunmoon.com/2015/11/27/i-hope/

********************************

This is an odd pearl; it speaks of life from a standpoint I’m familiar with, but, not in the way it is presented here. As usual, it really doesn’t matter if I understand all of it; the message it offers is its own reward…. All you have to do is figure out what the message is…. No worries, right? Besides, think of how much it costs you, and, how you do love a bargain….

“Now, that the sovereign power and deity, whatsoever it is, should have regard of mankind, is a toy and vanity worthy to be laughed at.” — Pliny The Elder

“Decay, inherent in all component things.” — Buddha-last words

“We all know that art is not truth. Art is the lie that makes us realize truth — at least the truth that is given us to understand.” — Pablo Picasso

“Probably no invention came more easily to man than when he thought up heaven.” — G. C. Lichtenberg

“Not by years but by disposition is wisdom acquired.” — Plautus — Trinummus, Act ii, Sc. 2, 88, (367.)

“Virtue is its own revenge.” — E. Y. Harburg

“A man can do something for peace without having to jump into politics. Each man has inside him a basic decency and goodness. If he listens to it and acts on it, he is giving a great deal of what it is the world needs most.” — Pablo Casals

“Neither man nor woman can be worth anything until they have discovered that they are fools. The sooner the discovery is made the better, as there is more time and power for taking advantage of it.” — William Lamb Melbourne

“And unextinguish’d laughter shakes the skies.”

~~ Alexander Pope ~~

~~ The Iliad of Homer, Book i, Line 771 ~~

As I have said before, and, will, no doubt say again…. it’s all in the wrist…..

********************************

I can’t be certain, but, I may be getting fairly good at this. But, then, I’m looking at it from the inside, which changes the perspective entirely. So, rather than claim it’s good, I’ll merely note it’s long, and, in spots, pretty decently written. (No snickering; I mean the quotes, naturally…. my writing is…. well, it is what it is….) Since I AM certain it isn’t perfect yet, you know where I’ll be tomorrow…. Yep…. I’ll be back, to coin a phra…. oh, right. Well, I will be back, even if Arnie said it first…..

Y’all take care 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

Ned Moore, aka gigoid, is a 70 year-old, (!!!… When did that happen?….), retired dilettante, who would rather read than eat, most days. His first blog, "gigoid’s folly", has been emailed out to folks he knows for about 18 years now. He still considers it his best defense against angst, and the ever-present specter of sheer insanity..... Due to rigorous curmudgeon training requirements, he has discontinued his Facebook presence, but still indulges in the occasional Twitter session... In essence, he's socialized, but, not overly sociable; all labels and stereotypes are forbidden in his presence... and he doesn't care what anyone thinks about that..... In fact, he doesn't want to talk anymore.... If you feel you MUST contact gigoid, his email address is: alphagigoid@gmail.com You can go read now.... Go on, beat it.... gigoid, the dubious

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gigoid

Exploring Consensual Reality

Category Archives: A Plague of Evil

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