Tag Archives: Albert Einstein

No worries! ‘Tis only a phlippin’ phantasy….

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Ffolkes,

“Adapt or perish, now as ever, is nature’s inexorable imperative.”

~~ H. G. Wells ~~

grafitit3D Art by Odeith


Listen up, ffolkes. Here’s the deal. I write, you read. Got it? Good. Let’s get on with it….

I’m very late today, as my body recovers from the release of two months worth of built up stress and anguish, all in a one hour period two days ago. I realized last night, as I wandered the apartment in a daze, after my three hour nap, my body was exhausted, with the kind of bone deep tiredness one can only get by long-term suppression of strong emotions, followed by an almost instant release…. It’s a similar feeling to the evening of the third day of football practice, back in high school, when the severe conditioning required to throw off the lethargy of summer vacation begins to catch up to even the best-conditioned young athlete… I didn’t run or sweat, but, two months of inner raging has the same effect, over time.

All that is probably more detail than necessary, but, we don’t worry about such petty shit here in the intro. If it takes up space, it’s good enough for us. This policy has evolved over the past three plus years of searching for the right opening, a search thus far unsuccessful to any significant degree. I still spend half the morning, it seems, just trying to pull this section together, to the detriment of my advancing arthritis. For example, right now I’m typing with three of the fingers on my left hand actively becoming numb from the circulation obstruction caused by the swelling, arthritic tissue undergoing the stress of movement.

Having again had my overtired, over-stimulated brain keep me up late, then sleeping so hard I missed a pain pill dose, I’m up later than my recent past habit. This makes me nervous, as I bump up against the edge of my self-imposed deadline for posting the daily Pearl. In fact, I’m writing wicked fast, to try to make up some of my lost time. In fact, I’m starting to feel panicked, never a good thing this time of day, hours before the world can supply me with any targets…. they’re all asleep, or getting ready for work….. It’s rude to bite people who haven’t even had their coffee yet….

But, I’ll do my best to get this out in a timely fashion. In keeping with that intent, I’ll even cut this intro short, again, to scoot us down the page into the video section. I think a bit of applied ruthlessness, and our old, familiar emergency method #4, ever useful in these situations, will serve our needs quite nicely. Just in time, too…. my left hand is now fully numb, and typing will be suspended until I can feel it again…. Hang on, we’ll be right back to get us out of here……

There is an old saying among the blogging community, which helps us to realize how important the whole thing is. It’s a grand statement of purpose, in a way, and, if I had any clue what it was, I might feel better. Since I don’t, let’s just remove the packaging from this odd little box, marked with a big 4, & see what happens next…..

Shall we Pearl?

“What a poor appearance the tales of poets make when stripped of the colours which music puts upon them, and recited in simple prose.” — Plato, The Republic. Book X. 601B

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When I was a kid, cartoons were big, with me, and in mainstream entertainment at large. One of my favorites, as I remember, was Crusader Rabbit, a cartoon character from the early 1950’s, usually shown on the Sheriff John Show, a local program near Ft. Lewis, Washington, where my dad was stationed for four years leading up to when I was 10.  I was going to include a number of those cartoons, but, after watching a few minutes of them, I realized, they were really bad, not what I remembered, but, not entirely unexpected…. The networks had barely been formed, and the slick, polished programs you see now weren’t yet developed….

Instead, we’ll go with over an hour of cartoons from a pair, or more accurately, a duck and a pair, who always were my Disney faves…. Donald because of his ranting, of course (I must have known even then what I would be when I grew up….); Chip and Dale, just because they were cute, always using teamwork to beat the bad guys, whomever they were…. I didn’t realize they were the first gay couple, but, hey, I was only a kid…. Enjoy, ffolkes, there’s a lot of good cartoons in this one…. Well, ‘good’ is the best word to use, I should say, without going into a lot of detail over why…. Think, progress in social mores, in one direction, anyway….

Donald Duck & Chip and Dale

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  ********************

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We the People...

    Regular Gentle Readers will recognize the picture, and may simply skip to the poetry section now, but, the following politirant, from early in 2013, while I was still living in poverty, relatively speaking, is quite good. It’s succinct, though long, presenting good arguments with precision and honesty, along with a fair amount of biting wit, if I do say so myself. (I DID do some minor editing, merely fine tuning and proofing to eliminate stuff I missed before…)

It’s one of the best rants I’ve written, all in all, well worth a second read, even for those who’ve been around a while. For newbies, brace yourselves, you are about to learn some new ways to look at stuff you’ve really always known, if you can persuade yourself to admit your wish to learn…. What is, perhaps, the first new item of note, is the certainty of the simple following fact: the only way to fulfill that wish is to realize how much larger is our ignorance than our knowledge…. Listen well, young paduans, as I tell you a true tale….

From 3/2/2013:

“He who imitates evil always goes beyond the limits of the example, whereas he who imitates what is good, always falls short.” — Confucius

Perfect! If ever a quote could be applied to fit one group of people, this one would; it fits the folks who occupy elected office in this country like the proverbial glove. Ooh! Ooh! Here’s another one…

“Ignorance: When you don’t know something and somebody finds it out.” — Jethro Burns

Okay, that’s a good start…. Now, we all know that politicians lie to us…. Please, don’t tell me you haven’t noticed…. It’s what we’ve all taught them to do, by our calm acceptance, thus, our tacit approval, of all the other lies they’ve told, from the very beginning. We expect them to lie… then, when we catch them at it, there is this huge public outcry, as if it had never happened before.

Sometimes, the behavior of the American public toward the political beast reminds me of a shark…. to wit: no memory of the past to slow down their willingness to rush into dangerous situations….. For millions of years, sharks and dolphins have lived together in the oceans. For just about all that time, whenever a shark attacks a dolphin, it gets killed, unless the dolphin is injured in some way, or, it is a baby inadvertently left alone. Always, if things are even, the shark dies, because the dolphins are smarter, and faster swimmers.

Yet, after millions of years, you would think the sharks might learn to let them alone…. They don’t, which is clear evidence of their lack of ability to learn, to remember the past, and generalize future behavior according to its effect. The American voting public has the same problem…. they never learn to expect to be lied to, always seemingly flabbergasted to learn their elected officials are, shall we say, less than perfectly honest?

Quite frankly, the whole process drives me nuts, absolutely bonkers, having witnessed the self-same reaction by the public, thousands upon  thousands of times in my life…. What is it about people that does that to them? Why are they so unwilling to use the mind that sits between their ears, rather than just carrying it around from toilet to toilet, which is all most folks seem to do with it? (Almost forgot it was a question….) Perhaps, what some random cynic once observed about people really is true, to wit: “Human beings are merely nature’s finest example of portable plumbing”, or something of that sort….  I wish I knew….

“There is one way to find out if a man is honest–ask him. If he says yes, you know he is crooked.” — Groucho Marx

I’m starting to feel a bit of anger, actually, and I have a hard time not letting it out on the voting public, the idiots. But, it really isn’t all their fault, as the people who run for office are the ones who are actively imitating evil, obviously, exceeding the limits of their example. The voting public can’t help never being able to quite reach the good for which they reach, either. This is why I get angry about it…. The folks who run for office tell the public they are going to work for the people when they are elected; we all know they are lying, but we elect them anyway. Now, how stupid is that? Pretty stupid, in my book…..

On the one hand, the stupidity displayed by the politicians is deliberate, in its adherence to principles of theft and prevarication; on the other hand, the stupidity displayed by the voting public is, perhaps, not deliberate, but is still, at minimum, misguided, and, ultimately, just as evil, in placing its trust in evil people. In the dispassionate view held by the universe, stupid is as stupid does; the sentence of death is the same for both types of stupidity, deliberate, or unconscious. Reality doesn’t care about why; only results have relevance….

What can be done about this? Not a damn thing…. Not only do I find most people are unconsciously stupid, they are stubborn about it, to boot, even when it is clear how the act of being stupid is hurting them. Rather than use their minds to find a new way of dealing with these issues, they retreat into platitudes and dogma, running right back out to vote for yet another slick-talking idiot, who promises them manna from heaven, or, more accurately, from Washington D.C. Confronted with clear evidence of their idiocy, they become even more stubborn, as they are unwilling to accept they might be wrong, making it acceptable to refuse to examine any evidence of being wrong, or, more often, simply denying its existence altogether.

Politicians, who choose to live in stupidity, by lying and cheating and stealing from their own people, don’t even WANT to choose otherwise. Why should they? They’ve got it easy, with a ready supply of host bodies on which to practice their symbiotic parasitism, a body that not only accepts all their lies, but, by their silent, tacit approval, encourage even further depredations with their complete acquiescence whatever the politicos want, no matter how outrageous, or harmful to their own interests. All the politicians have to say is, the public is in danger, (Danger! Danger, Will Robinson!….), from this, that, or the other, whereupon the public allows them to do whatever the pundits choose, so long as the public can feel safe, from whatever fictional fantasy was constructed, using a lot of smoke and mirrors, convincing them to panic in fear…..

“The intuitive mind is a sacred gift; the rational mind is faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift.” — Albert Einstein

It’s an interesting spectacle to observe from the sidelines, but it arouses in me a strong feeling of sadness, with anger underlying, as I watch, day after day, as so many millions of foolish people get taken advantage of by a few assholes. It definitely makes me want to buy a gun, even though I would only use it if pressed; I have a feeling I may get pressed some day in the not-too-distant future, if I continue to make noise about all this.

I’m fairly well protected thus far by a lack of notoriety; the BRC and the PTB aren’t going to worry about me until I have an audience a lot larger than a few hundred folks, of which perhaps fifty regularly read my work. If what I am saying began to gain popularity, was being read by millions, I’d be in danger; until then, I’m as safe as I can make myself with the tools at hand… which, if I say so myself, are not entirely inconsequential…. If I said any more, I’d be giving away my precautions, which simply wouldn’t do. Rest assured… I’m perfectly capable of, and, ready to, deal with anything short of assault weapons, with what I have at hand….. After all, I do have one advantage that won’t go away, to wit:

“Many, if not all, of my presidential opponents are certifiable idiots.” — Miriam Defensor Santiago — The World Almanac and Book of Facts, 1993

See? I’m not completely alone! Actually, if you pay close attention, you will note this was uttered by a politician, about their peers, so it really doesn’t count as support of what I’m saying here. What, exactly am I saying here? Hmm, okay, since I’ve already written about 1200 words or so on this, it’s a good place to wind it up…. so, here goes…

Ffolkes, you are being lied to, daily, and hourly, by those who were elected, supposedly to look out for your interests. I hate to tell you, but, those folks never intended to do anything of the sort. So, it would be a good thing if everybody in this country would OPEN THEIR FUCKING EYES AND GET A DAMN CLUE!!!!!….. I don’t think I can say it any clearer than that….. That’s all, for now…..

“Ignorance kills daily. “– Smart Bee
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Well, maybe it’s not Hemingway-esque, but, it’s certainly gigoidal….

Note from 2015: See? Not bad, eh? Even the final comment, ripped from the closing section the same day as the rant, is perfectly fitting. I think I’ll keep this one….

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:Blue Screen of Death: n.  [common] This term is closely related to the older {Black Screen of Death} but much more common (many non-hackers have picked it up).  Due to the extreme fragility and bugginess of Microsoft Windows misbehaving applications can readily crash the OS (and the OS sometimes crashes itself spontaneously). The Blue Screen of Death, sometimes decorated with hex error codes, is what you get when this happens.  (Commonly abbreviated {BSOD}.)

The following entry from the Salon Haiku Contest (http://www.salonmagazine.com/21st/chal/1998/02/10chal2.html), seems to have predated popular use of the term:

      Windows NT crashed. 
I am the Blue Screen of Death
No one hears your screams.

~~ from The on-line Hacker Jargon File V423 ~~


No big message is implied by including the above; I just liked the haiku. I did find a pretty good poem of mine, from a couple of years ago, which I had almost completely forgotten…. Enjoy, please….

Playing by the Rules

All my days I looked for love,
And found it everywhere I looked.
The years were joyous and fully booked
Seemingly by command from Above.

In return for all of the beauty in Life I found
I played life by the Rules that we all know,
It was from my father I learned the how,
Honest love, given freely, hand-fasted, gladly bound.

It seemed a while as if it were all real,
that fulfillment and contentment could be
as real as the children given us to oversee,
to teach them of Life and Love, and how to feel.

Then, storm clouds of grievous change arrived, unbidden
Insidious, deceitful, three steps forward, one back.
Tearing holes in our beautiful cloth, hearts heard to crack,
Gleeful demons eating life’s bounty, fangs dirty, and hidden.

Pain and sorrow grew, in defiance of all I tried,
Sanctuary turned into a reluctant scene of ritual battle,
Love still lives, but is herded like doomed and pitiful cattle,
While the keening of my soul sounds as if I’d cried.

Betrayal in love is, allow me to assure, no small pain to take.
Time has no power to reduce its place in my heart or soul.
My truest love became a stranger, a powerfully sharp toll,
Solitude has become my lot, no killing time for necessity’s sake.

Love yet surrounds me, everywhere; I’m not one of those fools…
Children are forgiving, I’m glad to be able to say,
They show me life’s solid purpose, the old, right way,
I guess  don’t know any other way, than to Play it by the Rules.

~~ gigoid ~~


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The pearl below is an odd one, a statement anyone who knows me indicates a truly exceptional occurrence, since ‘odd’ could be used to describe everything happening here. First, all of them came up quickly, in the order you see; second, the message created by their congruent directional characteristics is one of great wisdom. Most telling, the quote supplied by Smart Bee, exactly in the center position, which seems like it is a tongue-in-cheek observation, is much more apt than it might appear at first glance. If you stop to think of it, the event described, i.e. changing over to a new concept of service, IS, or WAS, perhaps, a very telling sign. It was one of the first AUDIBLE shots fired by the 1%, in the ages old war being waged between them, and the rest of humanity.

It was almost as if those who run the world were now sure of their hold over society, no longer needing to hide themselves, or their intentions, from those they have oppressed for so long; I remember having a similar thought when I first saw a gas station advertising the policy, thinking to myself, “Well, so much for the concept of customer service. Somebody noticed they could make more money by making the customers supply their own.” Those elite assholes who necessarily hide from their brethren, for their own protection, notified the world they no longer cared about hiding their intentions, though they continue to hide their location in space…. with good reason…. Any who, it all makes this a very special pearl….

“Few men make themselves masters of the things they write or speak.– John Selden (1584-1654) — Learning

“Life is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced.” — Soren Kierkegaard

“Never let your sense of morals prevent you from doing what is right.” — Isaac Asimov — Salvor Hardin, “Foundation”

“The real erosion of civilization as we knew it started with the popularity of the self-service gas pump.” — Smart Bee

“It is error alone which needs the support of government.  Truth can stand by itself.” — Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), Notes on Virginia

When he was in great prosperity, and courted by many, seeing himself splendidly served at his table, he turned to his children and said: “Children, we had been undone, if we had not been undone.” — Plutarch (46-120 AD) — Life of Themistocles

“A good reputation is more valuable than money.” — Publius Syrus (42 BC) — Maxim 108

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Well, it’s done. Since I haven’t the slightest clue how I did it, I’m going to post it, and be done with it. My brain is officially done, as soon as I hit send on the email to the Pearl Drops, which goes out immediately after posting online (gotta have the IP address for the post to put in the email. See? Not completely disorganized…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, as long as I can remember how to type….

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

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

dozer3


À bientôt, mon cherí….


					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
First, we kill all the bankers….

			
						

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Ffolkes,




“Hello again, Peabody here…”


~~ Mister Peabody ~~


August 14 2014 002 (2)


     Yes, Will, all the lawyers, too… Now, normally, I would not claim any relationship with the title of these Pearls, but, this one was too perfect to pass up…. Given my opinion of the Asininnies, particularly those most guilty parties, the bankers, and the lawyers, both of whom describe a segment of humans who, to the average of about 90%, are complicit in the ongoing oppression and suffering so prevalent in our society. I’d wager, of the 1%, or less, of the world’s population who control 99% of the money and resources, well over half are lawyers and/or bankers, often both at once….


Any more, I am not using the word “maybe”, or “someday” to refer to the possibility of world-wide revolution against those snakeheads who hold power over the masses, wielded in secrecy from the hidden compounds, and anonymous corporate estates, surrounded by high walls and an army of mercenaries to protect them,  where they hide from the world, to protect themselves from those on whom they prey. These ‘people’, and I use the term loosely, are well aware, if the rest of the world ever finds out A) who they are, and/or B) where they live, connecting that with their implicit responsibility for the state of the world, well, they wouldn’t stand a chance in hell of surviving the next five minutes….


Hey, we all have our dreams, right? That’s one of mine, but, the intro probably isn’t the best place to start in on persuading the rest of humanity to rise up to throw the assholes into the pit they deserve. Not that such a probability ever stopped me before, but, I do try to show SOME discretion, when I remember…. Hmm, let’s see how else we can screw it up…


Maybe I should…. no. I tried that yesterday, and the day before. Not only didn’t it work, but, I was forced to go through all sorts of contortions, just to remove it, so y’all wouldn’t even know I had tried. I managed to do so, but, it was a pain, so, we’ll forgo that little side trip today. Perhaps we should…. no. That won’t do at all; it doesn’t even float, and we end up in the water on a daily basis, so, not a good idea…. Well, that shoots it, right in the brisket…


My left hand is now numb, demanding I finish this, to take a break, so we have at least a minimal chance of getting done today. In order to do so with some degree of aplomb, I’ll merely point out the upcoming entry portal, ask y’all to finish your cocktails, and, return rapidly to your seats. (Yes, it’s still okay to throw the glass into the fireplace…just be quick about it….) We’re going in, right now…. Duck, please…. Okay, here we are. Please exit the amphibious vehicle in an orderly fashion; you’ll find your flippers and masks on the dock….


Shall we Pearl?


“Impartiality is a pompous name for indifference, which is an elegant name for ignorance.” — G. K. Chesterton, The Speaker, 12/15/00


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I enjoyed yesterday’s journey into my past, specifically to those Saturday mornings when the real world held no sway, no power to charm, until AFTER the Saturday morning cartoons were done. Even baseball had to wait on cartoons….. Here is a favorite show; the page to which I’ve linked has a good compilation/collection of this pair’s shows, with links to other pages with even more…. Enjoy, ffolkes; the eternal chase is on…..




Road Runner & Wile E Coyote














































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The man that lays his hand upon a woman,

Save in the way of kindness, is a wretch

Whom ‘t were gross flattery to name a coward.


~~ John Tobin (1770-1804) — The Honeymoon, Act ii, Sc. 1 ~~




In my mind, the worst part of reading such a poem, related to the harsh reality it describes, is the mere existence of the issue it addresses, to wit: violence against women, not only in individual acts, but, in the overall treatment of women by men in society. Such acts generally indicate a deeper lack of human compassion than just how the man treats women; such cowards usually treat children, animals, or any creature weaker than they with abusive aggression and violence, if only verbal, as in emotional abuse, or the passive-aggressive violence of neglect. I cannot say I even care how such attitudes are first promulgated in any individual, but, I can say I abhor the degree of frequency with which it appears to manifest.


Our entire culture is infected with this sort of elitist, gender-oriented entitlement, based, almost always, on fear of their own inner feelings of inadequacy. In short, most men are cowardly dogs, not fit for wiping their own ass, and certainly without any understanding of what existing as a man of honor and integrity might mean. Since I do know what it means, in intent, if not perfectly so in practice, I can say without any pride, merely shame, one time in my life I lost control of my emotions, to the point of raising my hand to a woman; no justification is either claimed nor blamed on any provocation I may have had, so I take full responsibility, and am glad I stopped myself before actually harming her, slapping at her once without hitting her, then realizing my mistake…. I consider it one of three events in my life of which I am truly ashamed, and wish I had chosen other alternatives to what I actually did.


None of the vituperation poured on me, nor the accusations of non-existent grievances, none of the deliberate bumps, or pushes, or slaps, nor the shoe thrown in my face, taken singly, or all as one, none of it is an excuse for my loss of control, however temporary. In retrospect, I saw a number of times I could have walked away to disengage from the altercation; hindsight is always accurate. It still doesn’t make me feel any better to know I broke my own standards of behavior, or, worse, to know my father would be disappointed in me.


This event also had the salutary effect of strengthening my own set of standards for relationships with anyone, not merely women, for whom I’ve never had anything but deep respect and love. (Well, some frustration, too, at times, but, that will happen when two consciousnesses, of any kind, cross paths, due to the inherent differences in perception… Lack of understanding doesn’t have to create fear, or resentment; it can stimulate curiosity and affection as well…) I realized anew what I’d always known, thanks to my father, which can be most simply stated as the concept of personal responsibility, in relation to the related concept of Duty. One cannot exist without the other….


Most men in today’s world do not know this, about themselves, or in general, at all, for, they were not ever taught about honor, or duty, or respect by their own fathers. I know I am fortunate in that respect…. so, I hold myself responsible for the events I can control, and don’t, or didn’t, without shirking that responsibility. I may not always be capable of fixing whatever it was, as it happened in the past. I can, and certainly do, make sure it never happens again, as well as attempting to atone in the present, by making it a self-appointed task to make some noise about the treatment of women in the world of today, which is so completely corrupted by the insanity of a powerful, cowardly men…. and, as the original quote above maintains, ’tis being kind to name them cowards….


You see, it is only fear which makes these men the way they are; they fear their own weakness, they fear their own sexuality, they fear the control that women can have over them, assuming that unless they dominate them, oppressing them in every way, to keep them from ever threatening their cowardly little egos, they cannot truly be men. The truth is, they never will be real men, for real men are not afraid…. especially not of women, who are our complement in nature, not our enemy….


When viewed from a less unnaturally fearful perspective, one of common cause as members of the same species, it is simple to see those qualities in women which are the perfect complement to the qualities possessed by men, by virtue of the differences in each gender’s native physiological and biochemical makeup. Each and every person, male or female, is different from the other, mentally and physically; these differences, between male and female, do not make us adversaries, but, rather, two individuals on the same path, each with naturally complementary qualities that enhance the survival chances of each one, as well as the species.


The same pattern of two genders, each complementary to the other in their functional differences, exists in every species with the same type of reproductive makeup, possessing the same biological imperatives. Other species besides ours are not naturally monogamous, any more than are we, though there are exceptions in every species, but, every other earthly species’ genders show each other the respect of common cause, not a pattern of consistent abuse and/or oppression, simply because of cowardly fear….


For millennia, the male of our species has consistently chosen to ignore the reality of existence as it has evolved, perverting society and culture to reflect their own weaknesses, adding fuel to the fire of insanity which has been consuming mankind for thousands of years…. It is exactly as Jimmy Carter, former US President, and one of the rarest of people, one who actually lives by the precepts of Jesus Christ, that great reformer whose ideals have been corrupted since shortly after his death….





jimmy sez


    Their intransigent cowardice of men who refuse to acknowledge their own ignorance in this issue, or, who through that ignorance, merely accept and go along with what they’ve always been taught, is a large contributor factor to the issues which threaten our survival; moreover, the threat is not only to our species, but, very real for many others along with us….. By ignoring the signs of pervasive abuse, or by simply doing nothing, most men are tacitly giving their approval to the cowardice being displayed, manifesting in real life as persistent abuse and oppression of women, children, or anything weaker, simply because it is unnatural for the species to behave this way, contrary to the forces of nature which have dictated our own inner nature…. This sort of apathy of spirit, this attitude of indifference to the injustice done to women is, unfortunately, not confined to women…. As Albert Einstein observed, and this picture so clearly illustrates,






Albert E & true sin


    This all-too-commonly male attitude of indifference, of divisive elitism, bigotry, chauvinism, or other kind of deliberate ignorance based on cowardice and fear, should be repellent to every man…. just as it is repellent to its victims, i.e., every man, woman, child, and animal to whom it is displayed…. These ignoramae perpetuate their ignorance by belittling women, turning them into objects, which can then be despised without guilt, using such shop-worn divisiveness as implied in statements such as “Men and women are two different species, descended from different animals.”, pretending it is a joke. Or, they make women the object of vulgarity, thus ensuring they can feel superior, with disgusting, idiotic nonsense, such as the ever popular “What do you call useless flesh around a pussy? Woman….” I can think of no better term for such idiots than “fucking assholes”, or, in its more elegant faux-Latin form, “assholios supremos”…..


Sadly, most men never consider those who suffer because of their inaction…. They figure as long as they personally don’t make a habit of hitting women, or abusing animals, or children, or discriminating against the gender-different, or even other races of humans, in an active way, they’re not a part of the problem….


They are dead wrong…. and, I am as ashamed of them, as I am ashamed of myself, for those times in my life I have either acted in such a way, (once, as noted), or failed to act when I should, (twice, irrelevant to this discussion, but, the lesson I learned is intact). I will never forgive myself, for there is no such thing as forgiveness for such crimes in my world; there is only acceptance of responsibility, and enduring any consequences that may justly come to pass. I will also never forgive any man who acts in such a manner, actively, or passively, or, who fails to act when he should…. Nor should he ever consider forgiving himself…


If I did, I couldn’t look myself in the eye each morning in the mirror…. could you?….


True to my tendency toward loquaciousness, I will leave this discussion with the following three thoughts, which I feel are appropriate to the moment….




“Every person is an individual; we all have a set of designer genes.”


~~ Smart Bee ~~


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“He is the freeman whom the truth makes free.”


~ William Cowper — The Task, Book v, The Winter Morning Walk, Line 733 ~~


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Injustice, swift, erect, and unconfin’d,


Sweeps the wide earth, and tramples o’er mankind.


~~ Alexander Pope — The Iliad of Homer, Book ix, Line 628 ~~


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Let there be an end to this madness!


gigoid has spoken….


So be it.




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Here is another old one of mine, used for the reasons given yesterday, to wit: no blame for anyone else….. Enjoy, please






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 ~~




~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


“I’m worried that the universe will soon need replacing.  It’s not holding a charge.” — Edward Chilton


I know exactly how Mr. Chilton feels; I’ve felt the same at frequent moments in my life, quite frequently of late, it seems. Since I have observed reality for some time, I am convinced our time here on this planet is limited, so, I thought it would be helpful, perhaps, to pass along a few of the lessons I’ve learned in my life, about living life, about how to approach life, about, oh, everything we need to know, as far as I have been able to figure out, and,  can still remember…. Yes, I could have been more vague, but, I figured this would be confusing enough….


I hope you enjoy this little grouping, and please, no comments from the gallery re: smarm, or re: sap, or, most importantly, re: bozoid tendencies…. Each of these is something I’ve learned about living, and really is a group y’all should pay some close attention to, if for no other reason than to give you ammunition for the expected jeering…. I’d rather have cheers, but, we take what we can get, as long as a response is stimulated….


“Beware of that person who is slow to anger. For when it is long in coming, it stays longer and is warmer and dies not so easily. Abused patience is a very strong fuel for a fire not easily put out by any known means.” — Smart Bee


“How difficult it is to save the bark of reputation from the rocks of ignorance.” — Petrarch


Shame is an improper emotion invented by pietists to oppress the human race.” — Robert Preston [Toddy], “Victor/Victoria”


“Men rarely (if ever) manage to dream up a god superior to themselves. Most gods have the manners and morals of a spoiled child.” — Lazarus Long, from Robert A. Heinlein’s “Time Enough For Love”


If a person deceives you once, shame on that person. If a person deceives  you twice, shame on you! For of all hard things to bear and grin, the hardest is being taken in. — Smart Bee


“The most wasted of all days is one without laughter.” — E. E. Cummings


“Do not be intimidated by reality.” — Master Sergeant R.H. Moore


The last pearl, by the way, is one my Dad taught me, (to wit: Msgt. Moore). He never actually SAID this; it’s just the way he lived, thus, teaching me by example….


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Having completed much of this yesterday, between ranting to myself about the soulless indifference of corporate assholes, currently so ubiquitous in my life, and suffering silently, completing today’s Pearl really didn’t take long, for which I’m thankful, as the long weeks of battle are starting to wear on me…. But, we’re done for now, and, it’s good. I’ll see y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, if I wake up in time….




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


PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.


“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch


dozer3






À bientôt, mon cherí….







		
	
					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Running with the Rabbits….

			
						

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Ffolkes,




“It is sometimes expedient to forget who we are.”


~~ Publius Syrus (42 BC) — Maxim 233 ~~


de3acf3a-9b84-480f-92bb-1125956bd3b0Weather.com Amateur Photo Contest Entry






Now I know…. I’ve wondered, but, this proves it beyond all doubt…. When y’all hear, or see, me say that, in that way, you may rest assured the concept involved has been doubted, investigated, and proven by factual evidence one can hold in their hand, or see with their own eyes…. at the same time, preferably. So, with the final piece of evidence in hand, I can pronounce this to be fact….


What? Oh, right, sorry…. I’m referring, of course, to Pearling…. I’ve often wondered if I had chosen wisely, to make this process the lynch pin, so to speak, of my entire life, responsible in great part for any sanity I may be fortunate to possess. Now, I am up almost two hours later than has been my habit for months (thanks to ignorant doctors….), to perform an act which has no real purpose beyond what I’ve just mentioned. Yet, because I am late, feel like I’m in White Rabbit mode, all fussed and bothered because I’m late, guilty, Guilty GUILTY!…. Humph!


Nobody is paying me. Nobody will miss any deadlines. Nobody will die (that isn’t scheduled to do so by Fate). No animals will be harmed. But, I feel guilty, for not getting posted by this time, but, horror of horrors, got more than 3 hours sleep for the first time in almost seven weeks…. That means two things…. First, I got lucky last night…. NO, no, not THAT kind of lucky, though the young lady who helped me out IS quite pretty. No, one of the budtenders from the collective where I get my cannabis products came by to deliver an order, & was kind enough to apply some magic cream to my entier back for me, to reach where I cannot….


Glorious! The magic cream made me feel almost normal for nearly two hours, putting me in an almost giddy mood….. THAT is why I was lucky….sheesh. Y’ll should get your minds out of the gutter…. Any who, after that, I slept, not like a baby, which wakes up often, and wets the bed, but, like an adult with a clear conscience, i.e. peacefully…. Well, as much as ever happens, all to the good, in my book…. I woke up, saw the clock, and rejoiced, as I groaned, knowing the guilt would drive me like a Cadillac….


Now y’all have been treated to five or six paragraphs of chatty nonsense, none of which has anything to do with this Pearl, other than peripherally, I think I’ll get a move on, to see if I can’t finish this quickly, get it posted, and bring an end to the guilt…. Oh, I just realized, I never did say what the hell I was talking about up there, did I? Well, the presence of my guilt, which I ONLY feel when abrogating Duty, indicates to me that Pearling IS the proper job for me, at this point in my life…. So, the pressure I put on myself to get it done each day, having written as well as I can, is my chosen Duty, which makes it okay to feel the guilt, for a moment…


The rest of course, was just babbling, to get us to this point, where we will proceed to employ our now-habitual ruthlessness, and get us the hell out of here, before I can embarrass myself any further….


Shall we Pearl?


“Consistency is contrary to nature, contrary to life. The only completely consistent people are dead.” — Aldous Huxley


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~




“…. to boldly go where no man has gone before.” 


~~ Star Trek, opening lines…. ~~


mars-rover-opportunity-panorama-2


Panorama of Mars, as seen by NASA’s Rover, Opportunity, January 2014




Click to Enlarge






Eleven years ago, NASA’s Rover, Opportunity, landed on Mars. Its rugged performance in covering in its travels, literally, thousands of square miles of the Martian landscape, surpassed all expectations by far, as did its twin Rover, Spirit, which landed shortly before Opportunity. Both Rovers exceeded their mission parameters, exploring Mars as far as they could go, searching for signs of life, or the conditions which may have indicated the presence of those factors which would allow life to exist….


Flowing water, a sure sign of that possibility, was found to have once been common on parts of Mars, as was evidence that microbial life could have existed…. The video gives a good explanation of the extent to which the Rover mission has been an unqualified success…. Hopefully, the embedding code will work this time; if not, just click on the link to view the video on Space.com, where I found it…. I’ve also included, at the end of the section, an Infographic Poster NASA created to show the accomplishments of NASA’s probes, including an artist’s rendition of the newest Rover on Mars, Curiosity….




NASA’S Rover Opportunity Celebrates 11 Years on Mars…






















































Infographic Poster of NASA’s Mars Rover Missions




mars-rovers-spirit-opportunity-mer-140123b-02Click on Picture to Enlarge




~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~




We the People...


“”Again, our observations of the stars make it evident, not only that the earth is circular, but also that it is a circle of no great size. For quite a small change of position to south or north causes a manifest alteration of the horizon.  There is much change, I mean, in the stars which are overhead, and the stars seen are different, as one moves northward or southward.  …All of which goes to show not only that the earth is circular in shape, but that it is a  sphere of no great size:  for otherwise the effect of so slight a change of place would not be so quickly apparent.  Hence, one should not be too sure of the incredibility of the view of those who conceive that there is a continuity between the parts about the pillars of Hercules [the strait of Gibraltar] and the parts about India, and that in this way the ocean is one.”” — Aristotle, De Caelo, Fourth Century B.C.


Solid logic, brilliantly applied to simple, accurate observation…. it doesn’t get any better than this, for humans. Nobody has ever expressed so well, or so tactfully, exactly how absurdly STUPID one must be to believe the world is flat, or that the Earth has the remotest possibility of being the center of the Universe…. Yet, there are still, in this age of computers, with machines made by the hand of man exploring other worlds in our solar system, hitching rides on comets, who believe both of those concepts…. The most ironic part of that idea is the FACT that at least three or four such people, supposedly with college educations, and/or law degrees, are currently members of the US Senate…. with the distinct possibility there are a few more disguised as Members of the House of Representatives….


Can you believe that? Though I find it hard to do so, I must, as those fools have already made their positions clear, in public statements on record…. In spite of that, they continue to get elected to their positions, year after year, indicating there are a large number of people in our country whose degree of stupidity rivals that of a rock…. of the dirt or mineral variety, not the music genre…. I swear, it scares me to death sometimes, just thinking of how many IDIOTS voted for Mitt Romney in the last election…. At least Barack Obama is a skilled liar; it makes it easier to see why people get fooled by him. But, Mitt the Twitt, he is so obvious a liar, I’m continuously surprised he doesn’t break into laughter every other sentence, at the sheer unbelievability of the crap that comes out of his mouth….


There are rumors Mitt will run again in the next national election…. I can’t say I’m thrilled to hear it, even though he is such an attractive target for us bloggers…. I think, though, if it comes to pass again, I might consider my alternate future plans, reverting to the hunting trip I’ve been planning most of my life…. which is an oblique reference I don’t intend to discuss. ‘Nuff said on that….


The mere thought of having to look at, and listen to that idiot (Romney) again, even if he doesn’t garner the nomination, makes me ill. Ill enough to quell any further thought of ranting; it’s too hard to maintain any objectivity when I get that angry. Rage does make life harder, but, the mere idea of so much SHEER IDIOCY ever getting anywhere NEAR the White House will put me there in an instant, so, we’ll finish this otherwise excellently started rant with an old school pearl, taking our best shots at those Asininnies we call the Pundits…. Oh, what the hell, we’ll throw in any good shots we come across that will bring a good wince from any of those categories we love to hate…. dogma dogs, legal eagles, pimps, snakeheads, you know, all the assholes…


“How many things, both just and unjust, are sanctioned by custom!” — Terence (185-159 BC) — Heautontimoroumenos, Act iv, Sc. 7, 11, (839.)


“It is not possible to find morality in struggles for power. Your enemies view you as you do them and likely regard themselves as virtuous in their attempts at mayhem upon you. In struggles for power, your judgments should be based entirely on self-interest and finding as direct and economical a route to your goal as possible. If that route is bloody and barbaric, so much the worse for those who oppose you.” — V, anonymous author of The Mafia Manager, St. Martin’s Press


“To get rid of a pain in the neck, try yawning.” — Smart Bee


“Whether women are better than men I cannot say — but I can say they are certainly no worse.” — Golda Meir


“Truth is a statue, and you are all just a bunch of pigeons.” — Smart Bee


“It isn’t pollution that’s harming the environment.  It’s the impurities in our air and water that are doing it.” — Vice President Dan Quayle


“Half a mind is a terrible thing to waste!” — Zippy the Pinhead


Note: The last two pearls are connected; I happen to know the quote by Zippy first appeared the day after Dan the Man made his now famous observation…. Fuck ’em all, the assholes….


gigoid has spoken….


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Here is one of my older poems, included today simply to save time…. a futile pastime, at best, but, one we humans insist on pursuing, in spite of numerous years of experience with such frustration…. SIGH…. At least we can write poems when we feel bad about it….




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 ~~


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Pearl type: Old school; Category: Constructed previously via subconscious misdirection; Method: SB to pick, sans parameter;  DoD (Degree of Difficulty)**: 8/10;  Format: Minimalist style….   (** indicates degree of MY difficulty; the Gentle Reader may find their own DoD by multiplying the given figure by a factor of three… Thus: today’s GRDoD is: 24/13…. See how that works?….


Hey, it had to be done. The proctors were starting to complain about never being able to find any pearls using any sort of search criteria, or anything to enable them to fix out risk factor ratings, refusing to give me ANY until I’d made some categorical divisions, so a data table could be formulated to track statistical minutiae, thereby confusing the issue sufficiently for them to feel comfortable…. I could tell them it won’t help, but, they’ll have to learn on their own; everybody does…. Y’all can just enjoy the results, which you will find immediately below this line…. Don’t worry, I fixed it all so it won’t be a difficult point to find today…. didn’t want to confuse the proctors…. yet….


“Inasmuch as the mathematical theorems are related to reality, they are not sure; inasmuch as they are sure, they are not related to reality.” — Einstein’s Observation


“All men should strive to learn before they die what they are running from,  and to, and why.” — James Thurber


“Down in their hearts, wise men know this truth: the only way to help yourself is to help others.” — Elbert Hubbard


“It is not a man’s duty, as a matter of course, to devote himself to the eradication of any, even the most enormous wrong; he may still properly have other concerns to engage him; but it is his duty, at least, to wash his hands of it, and, if he gives it no thought longer, not to give it practically his support.  If I devote myself to other pursuits and contemplations, I must first see, at least, that I do not pursue them sitting upon another man’s shoulders.  I must get off him first, that he may pursue his contemplations too.” — Henry David Thoreau, Civil Disobedience


“If you cannot find it in yourself, where will you go for it?” — Confucius


“To give pleasure to a single heart by a single kind act is better than a thousand head-bowings in prayer.” — Saddi


“It is well for people who think to change their minds occasionally in order to keep them clean….For those who do not think, it is best at least to rearrange their prejudices once in a while.” — Luther Burbank


There you go…. I hope nobody strained anything….


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Well, I did it. Not only that, but, I’ve found a new piece to add to the ending statements of farewell, as a reminder to practice what we preach, as far as possible in this world of woe…. In the meantime, I’m outta here; see y’all tomorrow, ffolkes…. Remember to always….




“Practice random beauty and senseless acts of love”.


~~ Battle cry of a Warrior of Light ~~


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


PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.


“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch


dozer3






À bientôt, mon cherí….



					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Oh, no, not the exotics! What a mess!….

			
						

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Ffolkes,




“Between the vision and the act lies the shadow.”


 ~~ T. S. Eliot ~~


flying ferret

From the London Daily Telegraph Animal Pictures of the Year Feature,2014




Thanks to Reality’s insistence on being real, I’m up, but, have started late, having first dealt with one aspect of that Reality which has been a burr under my saddle blanket for weeks. It’s not fixed, but, I’ve fired a warning shot over the bow of my adversary’s ship, so, the real battle should begin sometime later today, when I expect a phone call stimulated by what I’ve written elsewhere. There…. is that obscure enough for you?


I hope so, cuz I’m done with that for now. I am duty-bound to complete this Pearl, so, I have no other choice, according to my own adopted beliefs, than to get on it. How I mean to rescue this intro from the doldrums of real-time BS is unclear just yet, but, no worries, something should occur to me momentarily, as the back burners have been cooking that stew all morning; it may not be delicious, but it will be thoroughly cooked….


Picking a small, yellow flower from a bush, Mirandella absently placed it in her hair, wandering slowly through the forest’s shadow-dappled path, thinking of the night’s dream, which had awakened her, breathless, only to send her flying out of the castle, into the forest, to escape the power of the dream, and how it had made her feel. Her heart, now beating its normal slow, strong rhythm, filled again at the memory of that vision in the night, while she pondered its meaning, so unclear, yet so compelling…. At a sound to her left, she turned…..


What should we add now, eh? Should the noise interrupting Mirandella’s disturbed thoughts be a friend, a lover, a monster? A frog? Or, the Doctor? Any of those might work…. Ah, hell, it’s probably too late, anyway…. I’m already off in another direction in my head, so, we’ll leave Mirandella to her own fate, while we go see what we can find over in this corner of my mind…. In looking again at that first sentence, I might just send this one off to the committee who decides on the yearly Bulwer-Lytton Literary Contest, to see who can write the WORST opening line for a book or story…. It might just have a chance….


Oooh! What’s this? Why, look! It’s a pearl! Pretty shiny, too…. Here, I’ll show it to you….




“It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.”


~~ New Testament — Acts ix, 5 ~~




Hmm…. Now, I wonder what SB means by leaving that one out to be found? It’s perfectly cute, of course, but, what the hell does it mean? I mean, it’s a great little summary of my ongoing battle with a soulless corporate entity, (easily recognized as the ‘pricks’ in this statement…), but, Smart Be KNOWS I don’t use the Bible much; it’s so damn ambiguous. I usually find it best to leave it out, as most, if not all of it, was written under the influence of, and ABOUT, the world’s most persistent delusion…. But, since it shines so nicely, even considering the source, we’ll let it stay….


Especially since it used up enough room to call this a legal document…. We’ll take the next available exit to the pearl beds, and consider ourselves lucky, on a day when I don’t have a lot of chutzpah…. Hang on for moment, ffolkes, it could get bumpy….


Shall we Pearl?


“The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars…” — Jack Kerouac, “On the Road”


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


It’s tough on a day like today, when vertigo, tardive dyskinesia, and pain are competing for attention all at once; it’s a tough battle, which nobody wins, least of all, me…. But, that’s neither here nor there; it just is. It has complicated this process, however, as I’m having a tough time figuring out what would be fun…. You see, right now, nothing much I can think of fits that description, at least, not for me…. But, I  know…. I’ll retreat into the past, with a bit of indulgence for my hebephrenic urges…. If the word is unfamiliar, well, look it up, and you’ll understand…. I hope. If not, well, look at it again, then it will hit you….


The summer of 1967, for me, was one of budding independence. I left my parents home to go stay at my sister’s house, in the Los Angeles suburbs, where I got a summer job, driving an ice cream truck. I grew my first whiskers, in the only place I could, my chin, a nice little fuzzy rug I called a goatee, and, with my surfer-boy’s haircut, I looked much like a current TV character, Maynard G. Krebs, from the show you will see today…. Maynard was a beatnik, the precursor and role model for all future hippies, and I loved that summer, if for no other reason than acquiring the nickname of “Maynard” to all the young ladies on my ice cream route…. SIGH…. good memories… Enjoy, ffolkes, these two characters, Dobie, and Maynard, formed a large part of the cultural influence which molded my own persona….. Deep stuff for a fluff TV show, eh?….




Dobie Gillis: Maynard Joins the Army


















































~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~




“Either CONFESS now or we go to “PEOPLE’S COURT”!!”


~~ Zippy the Pinhead ~~


Goerring sez


     Ukraine. France. Saudi Arabia. Syria. India. Iraq. Afghanistan. Pakistan. China. Turkey. United Kingdom. USA. Several African nations, including Egypt, Uganda, Zaire, the Congo, South Africa, and others.


In the past month or so, certainly in the past year, we have heard of some sort of terrorist event, whether a suicide bomb, mass shooting, abduction, plot of genocidal poisoning, threats of harm to both innocents and those in the public eye, or computer hacking, taking place in all of the listed countries. I am sure, there are, no doubt, others we either did not hear of, or I missed in my recollection, as these are all the ones I remember from the mainstream news…. Head over to one of the alternative news sites, and there are even more examples of the insanity of hatred and violence taking place in the world today….


In the last three years, I’ve ranted about various aspects of this issue, identifying the part played by government pundits, as identified above so arrogantly by Herr Goerring…..


I’ve ranted about religion, as epitomized by the violence displayed by the fundamentalists of every organized religion of the world, not merely those of Islam. The slavish encouragement of the Christians, and all other organized scams of their ilk, to obey temporal authority, in return for the illusory promise of immortality in another life, as well as the brainwashing of the public to accept clerical authority, while encouraging elitism, divisiveness, ignorance and bigotry among the various sects of the followers of the various gods, are primary factors in our species’ inability to ever achieve any real stability…. For example, here is another graphic aid to highlight one of the ways churches, and religion in general, have oppressed half of mankind for millennia….





jimmy sez


    In addition, and in truth, religions also are responsible for molding the mindset of the young, to believe completely false information, encouraging them to use it as the basis for their entire philosophy of social behavior, thus ensuring the different ideologies will forever remain separate, believing the lie that they are all ‘different’ from each other in some fundamental way, rather than merely differing in the size, shape, and spelling of the name of their own particular supernatural best friend…. Perhaps, this will make clear how such organizations work, by using the very structure of our family to create bigotry; it exposes the dark metaphoric meaning behind a great many childhood rhymes, which teach people to hate before they can think for themselves….




“Father, Mother, and Me,

Sister and Auntie say

All the people like us are We,

And every one else is They.”


~~ Rudyard Kipling, “We and They” ~~




Most tellingly, I believe, I have ranted in recognition of the basic flaw in human nature shared by all of us, acknowledging the part we all have played in allowing things to get this point…. What do I mean by that? Well, this should make it plain, just as it has every time I’ve posted it….





Albert E & true sin


    The world, it seems to me, has reached this point simply because virtue is gone; few people today can even tell you what a virtue might be, for the common man is not encouraged to think in those ways. Children are not taught how to live, or to learn; they are taught how to survive, in a world that cares nothing for them, by the simple expedient of allowing them to grow up without ever learning how to use the native intelligence they possess, learning rather to allow others to tell them what they should believe, and how they should act, without ever examining what they are told for truth, or for any benefit to their own life; learning to help others isn’t even considered…. They are taught to lie, to cheat, to take care of number one, thus disconnecting them from their own humanity, which can only achieve its potential in relation to the rest of the species…. In short, they never even understand they live their entire lives as slaves….


I have witnessed this for all of my life. I grew up in hope, of a world where what I believed to be the American Dream not only had a chance of becoming reality, but, could be achieved by virtuous intent, and right action. Little did I know the “Dream” was merely a public relations term, used as a sop to those who want to believe it is possible, when, in reality, it has had no real chance of existence since soon after the ink dried on the US Constitution…. The powerful people behind the political scenes, the bankers, and oligarchs who have always influenced the rest of society to their own ends, began immediately to usurp the democratic process, right from the start, culminating in the Federal Court decision in the mid-nineteenth century which laid the legal basis for defining corporations as “people” according to the law, giving them rights even flesh and blood people do not possess…


Funny thing about people, though. When they do figure out what is going on, they have a tendency to act, and quickly, without apparent thought, though it may have been present during the stimulation toward action…. What’s more, the people who oppress others never seem to realize that all creatures have a limit to what they will endure without resistance; those who endure the most will act the quickest, and the most violently, to remove the source of that which has given them reason to remember their own honor…. I’m not the first to say this, by the way; other patriots before me saw what is happening, and were in a position to voice their opinions for posterity, to wit:


“If there is no struggle, there is no progress. Those of us who profess to favor freedom yet depreciate agitation are men who want the crops without plowing up the ground. They want rain without thunder. They want the ocean without the awful roar of its many waters…This struggle may be a moral one or a physical one, but it must be a struggle. Power concedes nothing without demand. It never has and never will. Show me the exact amount of wrong and injustices that are visited upon a person and I will show you the exact amount of words endured by these people. These wrongs and injustices may be fought with words or with blows or both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppose.” — Frederick Douglass (1817-1895), Letter to Gerrit Smith [March 30, 1849]


I’ve been, essentially, a historian for most of my life, patiently observing the antics of my fellow humans, as we all make our way through this confusing universe, while also reading, a lot, of how previous versions of our culture, and those of the entire world, have had their records passed to us, to aid us in our journey, by giving us the details of what has gone before, in all of its glorious, yet venal reality….


I’ve seen how mankind has evolved, both physically, mentally, and culturally, throughout the millennia for which we have written records, as well as the records of those who have investigated the universe, and our world, regarding the nature of things in the time before our species reached the point of self-awareness, sufficiently to have created a means of passing information from one generation to the next.


The most generous comment I can think to make regarding today’s culture, and the danger of extinction to which we have allowed ourselves to be led, is a line from a song of my youth, by a musical group who were the very incarnation of the cultural mood of that time, the Grateful Dead… In one of the iconic statements of the period of history in this country which, to those with the wit to see, heralded the state of the world today, they sang, aptly enough, in slightly off-key four-part harmony:




“What a long, strange trip it’s been!” 


~~ Hunter, Garcia, Lesh, and Weir ~~




All of my years of study of the human condition can find no more cogent statement to try to make any difference in what I see taking place today. Since it’s just depressing to think about, let’s go on, shall we? Better than moping here, where we can do no good, though we do no more harm than is ever done by inaction…. Considering how inaction, due to either deliberate ignorance, or worse, indifference, seems to be the underlying factor which has brought us to this point, that will be quite sufficient….


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


I’ve felt so much….. everything, I must let some of it out…. I am still unsure how this turned out; having just allowed it to leak from the vein I opened, it’s still pretty raw…. In the future, you may see a different, improved version; for now, this will do, as it let off a bunch of pressure, at least for the moment…. I hope you enjoy it…




gigoid’s lament


Not a bit of all the pain I feel

is worse than all I see;

all worldly truth, solid and real,

has faded away, never to be free.


Honor stripped of all regard, 

while compassion simply fails;

 Ignorance , powerful, hard,

crows as reason wails.


Crushing resistance, mandating the vote,

selling illusion, smiling all the while.

Pundits, speaking purely by rote,

arrange all the lies in a tidy pile.


Stupidity ’tis said, is a risky choice;

the price is always the same.

Reality has no pity, no warning ever voiced,

only a gravestone, carved with, our name.

, 

~~ gigoid ~~




~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


I cannot say for certain what parameters were used to pick out this pearl; I forgot to check beforehand, and, Smart Bee jumped out with them so quickly, I didn’t have time to write it down…. I don’t believe, after looking it over, there will be any problem, anyway; this one pretty much speaks for itself, though one must, I think, be able to be fairly subtle to find the way to the correct conclusion…. That’s not a problem, either, because, we all know these pearls are designed, and constructed with that very ambivalence in mind, such that any conclusion you come to can be the right one…. This one definitely makes that grade…. They’re all so short, this won’t take long, unless you go off on a side trip, into each one’s implications ….


“Time is breath – try to understand this.” — Gurdjieff


“Few people have the imagination for reality.” — Goethe


“The brooks sing carols and glees to the spring.” — Thoreau


“Things are going to get a lot worse before they get worse.” — Lily Tomlin


“Hope is very dangerous….” — Servalan


“Never hold a grudge.” — Noah Moore, (1994-2011)


“A mind content both crown and kingdom is.” — Greene


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


It may just be me, but, from what I can tell, this process seems to be working fairly well…. Of course, that is probably wishful thinking on my part, but, hey, nothing new there, right? Right. On that note, and in appreciation for your kind attention once more, I will take my leave. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, if the men in the white coats, with the leather restraints, have been successfully beaten back…. Ta, 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


PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.


“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch


Kowabunga!






À bientôt, mon cherí….

					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Authentic plastic flamingos on parade….

			
						

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				9			

					


				

			
Ffolkes,




“Freedom begins when you tell Mrs. Grundy to go fly a kite.” 


~~ Lazarus Long ~~


test shotss 006


     Having issued walking papers to Mrs. Grundy years ago, I am perfectly aware of how lucky I am to have done so. Being free of the worries most folks carry around, about what others think, is a truly valuable freedom, and is largely responsible for most of the fresh rants that are produced here…. One must, after all, take advantage of those areas in life where such freedoms may be applied; there are many, many ways the world employs, to try to keep us quiet, whether it be a busybody preacher, telling us to obey temporal authority, or a government lackey, trying to apply some bureaucratic legislative belch, which is supposed to make society moral…. Nothing else has done that, but, for some reason, a lot of folks believe laws will do so…..


At which point, I laugh heartily, and go smoke a joint, while I peruse the latest news of the world’s impending demise…. But, it’s a bit early to get into such a depressing issue. I guess what we are seeing here is another example of of trying to write before coffee has been consumed in sufficient quantity to keep it all rational. Of course, I’m not certain at all what sort of rationality I can claim at 0305 in the morning, so, that’s probably a wash, too….


Oh well, I suppose I’ll need to get ruthless again, if we’re to make any headway today. I have another appointment out in the BBR, a very critical appointment, which can be viewed as a turning point, one which will determine whether the battle is to continue, or if Kaiser will finally raise the white flag, and provide me with the medical treatment I believe is best for me, rather than accepting their asinine policies which have no basis in either reality, or in medical science…. The decision to be made today will, hopefully, mean I can take a well-deserved rest from having to fight for my rights as a person against a soulless corporation…. until their next assault on my sensibilities, of course….


Okay, so, here is where the ruthless part comes in…. If I were you, I’d hold on to the nearest stanchion, or make sure my seat belt is fastened securely, because, at the moment I finish this sentence, we are going in, and the pilot has instructions to make it a HOT landing…. Y’all hang on, now, y’hear?….. Wheeee!….


Shall we Pearl?


“Perhaps I know why it is man alone who laughs: He alone suffers so deeply that he had to invent laughter.” — Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Today’s video selection is one about which I feel some ambivalence. When this show was on TV, I would never miss an episode, if possible; it was one of the most popular shows of its time. From the vantage point of age, however, I can see exactly how much societal manipulation, aka, brainwashing of the American viewing public, was going on in every episode….


Every American TV stereotype was displayed by the characters, as well as in the plots and dialogue; the crafty American hero, with his motley crew of culturally diverse mates (of each color and nationality), each of whom is a studied caricature of his or her type, a true stereotype, with the Americans, naturally, easily making fools of their stereotypical Nazi “captors”, not to mention everyone else involved…. actors, writers, AND audience… All of them were clueless, not just the actors, producers,  & the networks; none of those who made it, nor any of those who watched it, had any clue as to any political, or thought manipulation that was going on…. but, trust me, you’ll see all of it, exposed glaringly in every episode…


It’s amusing stuff, though, as long as you don’t take it seriously…. and, a nice break from the more modern bullshit we see on TV…. Have you ever seen that ridiculous show called “24”? Pathetic…. any who, here’s Hogan and the boys from Stalag 13…. or, was it 17?…. Ah, who cares?…. Enjoy….







Hogan’s Heroes Season 4 Episode 1 






































~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


“A mind forever voyaging through strange seas of thought, alone.” — William Wordsworth


I know it makes me eccentric, to believe some of the things I profess to believe; that’s okay, I’ve been called that particular name all my life. The things I state as beliefs are based on evidence and facts, not supposition, or fantasy, so, I’m not overly concerned regarding the “wall of noise” thrown up by those who choose to allow the Dogma Dogs, or the Pundits, to tell them what they should believe…. I’ll start to worry if they ever choose to throw in a fact or two on the side of their argument; until then, it’s just a powerless sound and fury, none of my concern….


Even though it’s early, I don’t feel like ranting…. Oh, there is plenty about which to rant; I’m just not in the proper frame of mind, being determined to focus on my appointment later in the day. Today, I’m going to, again, rely on my friend Lou to furnish today’s subject for this section…. I haven’t listened to this yet, but, knowing Alan Watts, I’m certain he has a valid group of points from which he argues his position, and whatever he says will be a version of the truth, as seen by one of our Age’s masters of philosophy…. The subject matter is such that I won’t bother to tell you to enjoy it, but, it WILL all be valid, and true, and relevant to reality….



http://talesfromtheconspiratum.com/2015/01/07/alan-watts-what-is-wrong-with-our-culture-506/


“The great experimental principle, then, is doubt, that philosophic doubt which leaves to the mind its freedom and initiative, and from which the virtues most valuable to investigators in physiology and medicine are derived.” — Claude Bernard, ‘An Introduction to Experimental Medicine’ 1865


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Whenever I feel like some REAL poetry, in the sense of how much reality it conveys to the reader, this poet is one who will always satisfy…. Nobody writes closer to the edge of what is real than Charles….




Another Day


having the low down blues and going

into a restaurant to eat.

you sit at a table.

the waitress smiles at you.

she’s dumpy. her ass is too big.

she radiates kindness and sympathy.

live with her 3 months and a man would no real agony.

o.k., you’ll tip her 15 percent.

you order a turkey sandwich and a

beer.

the man at the table across from you

has watery blue eyes and

a head like an elephant.

at a table further down are 3 men

with very tiny heads

and long necks

like ostriches.

they talk loudly of land development.

why, you think, did I ever come

in here when I have the low-down

blues?

then the the waitress comes back with the sandwich

and she asks you if there will be anything 

else?

and you tell her, no no, this will be

fine.

then somebody behind you laughs.

it’s a cork laugh filled with sand and

broken glass.


you begin eating the sandwich.


it’s something.

it’s a minor, difficult,

sensible action

like composing a popular song

to make a 14-year old

weep.

you order another beer.

jesus, look at that guy

his hands hang down almost to his knees and he’s

whistling.

well, time to get out.

pick up the bill.

tip.

go to the register.

pay.

pick up a toothpick.

go out the door.

your car is still there.

and there are 3 men with heads

and necks

like ostriches all getting into one

car.

they each have a toothpick and now

they are talking about women.

they drive away first

they drive away fast.

they’re best i guess.

it’s an unbearably hot day.

there’s a first-stage smog alert.

all the birds and plants are dead

or dying.


you start the engine.


~~ Charles Bukowski ~~




~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Today’s final pearls was created ahead of time, by some elves who came through the other day…. I’m not sure just what they were trying to say, but, it didn’t come out too badly, so, we’ll let it go out, as it is…. It seems to be a comment on living, right up until you die….




Just like the falling rainbow

Just like the stars in the sky

Life should never feel small.


~~ Vearncombe ~~


~~ Black, Paradise ~~




“Not every soil can bear all things.” — Virgil (19 BC)


“In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.” — Albert Einstein


“Virtue refuses facility for her companion … the easy, gentle, and sloping path that guides the footsteps of a good natural disposition is not the path of true virtue. It demands a rough and thorny road.” — Michael de Montaigne (1533-1592) — Essays, Book ii, Chap. xi, Of Cruelty


“For “ignorance is the mother of devotion,” as all the world knows.” — Robert Burton (1577-1640) — The Anatomy of Melancholy, Part iii, Sect. 4, Memb. 1, Subsect. 2


“I bid him look into the lives of men as though into a mirror, and from others to take an example for himself.” — Terence (185-159 BC) — Adelphoe, Act iii, Sc. 3, 61, (415.)


Go into yourself and see how deep the place is from which your life flows.” — Rainer Maria Rilke in Letters to a Young Poet




Green be the turf above thee,

  Friend of my better days!

None knew thee but to love thee,

  Nor named thee but to praise.


~~ Fitz-Greene Halleck (1790-1867) ~~


~~ On the Death of Joseph Rodman Drake ~~




Aha! Now it makes more sense…. It’s a pearl for Richey, Red’s friend, who passed away suddenly a few days past…. Blessed Be, Richey…. The very last pearl is for you….


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Well, that went well, for all it was truncated throughout the process by intransigent discomfort, the flux-state of existence currently holding sway in every one of the 210 bones in my skeleton… SIGH…. So much for break time, eh? Ah well, at least I’m done with this for the day…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes….




Y’all take care out there, 

and May the Metaphorse be with you;

Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark, Theresa, and Richey…

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


PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.


Kowabunga!






À bientôt, mon cherí….





					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
“Frabjous day, O Caluca lay!”, expostulated Lord Peter….

			
						

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Ffolkes,




“Learning without thought is labor lost; thought without learning is perilous.”


~~ Confucius, “Analects” ~~


10-8-2014 013


     Threatened by the imminent arrival of a houseful of relatives, Mickey Stone found himself retreating to his basement “hubby-cubby”, where, in spite of all notions to the contrary, he does NOT perform evil rituals in the dark…. He does, occasionally, watch horror flicks on the 52-inch flat-screen TV late at night, but, that’s about as evil as the Big Mick is capable of contemplating. Shuddering at the thought of four days trapped with cousin Franklin, not to mention the dreaded presence of his mother-in-law, Mickey pulled a beer out of the mini-fridge, dropped into the leather recliner, and prepared to thoroughly insulate his consciousness with alcohol….


Me, I’m going to finish this Pearl, then go for a drive…. once my hands have recovered, that is. Not only do I have a bunch of stuff to accomplish out in the BBR (again), the day and a half break I’ve had from the worst of the pain seems to have been officially ended, as I woke up with aching joints, and a piss-poor attitude…. Thankfully, thinking about poor Mickey’s upcoming torture got me into a better head-space; the pain, however, continues unabated, laughing, as is its habit, at all the powerful medication I consume, as well as complicating this process by necessitating frequent breaks to rest my hands and wrists….


Ah well, such is life, as they say, so, I’m going to once again usurp the usual opening program, which I tried to begin the old-fashioned way, by abruptly ending this section, & moving on to the next. I call it ruthlessness, you can call it whatever you like…. just don’t call it Percy. It HATES that name!….


Hmm… We are approaching severe nonsense way too early for me. I’m getting us out of here, ffolkes, before I lose control completely…. Hang on, & do NOT get up from your seats for the next few moments…. You may never get back into it…. Well, not without a visit to the ER first…. Hold on, ffolkes, we’re going in, ready or not….


Shall we Pearl?


“He was a man, which, as Plato saith, is a very inconstant creature.” — Plutarch (46-120 AD) — On the Tranquility of the Mind


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


I used to like this show; Bob’s one-sided conversations on the phone were the funniest stuff on TV at the time…. which probably goes to show just how bad TV has always been…. It’s funny, but, with the network censors working overtime back then, it was pretty mild, in terms of social commentary…. But, that was America in the 60’s & 70’s…. Oblivious….




THE BOB NEWHART SHOW – SEASON: 1 EPISODE: 1 – FLY THE UNFRIENDLY SKIES











































~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


As mentioned, busy, busy, busy…. plus, hey, why not?, I’m lazy. Hence, another replacement pearl from the archives…. I’m also going with my “nice guy” costume today, making it a rantish old-school pearl, rather than the usual straight-out rant…. Better for all of us under the circumstances, I think…. Enjoy, ffolkes, it’s a “good” pearl….


From 9/29/2012:


I’ve been very lucky with my latest incarnation of Smart Bee…. it seems to be giving me a higher percentage of usable quotes than it did before I had trouble with it. In fact, so many quotes are worth saving that I’m starting to group them into subject lots…. Here are a significant number of intriguing and/or interestingly accurate observations on modern life in America, land of the marginally civilized….




I swear to the Lord

I still can’t see

Why Democracy means

Everybody but me.


~~ Langston Hughes ~~


~~ The Black Man Speaks ~~




Homosexuality is *not* a sickness.  Bigotry is. — Smart Bee


“Whether you have an abortion, what you put in your own body, with whom you have sex – these are not the affairs of the state.  A government does not exist to control the citizens.  When it does, it is a tyranny, and must be fought.  The tree of liberty, Jefferson warned us, must be refreshed with the blood of tyrants and patriots.” — Gore Vidal


“Government is about coercion. Limiting government is the single most important instrument for guaranteeing liberty. We’re working on a third generation which has little in the way of education about what our Constitution means and why it was written. Thus, we’ve fallen easy prey to charlatans, quacks, and hustlers.” — Dr. Walter Williams


“The discovery of America was the occasion of the greatest outburst of cruelty and reckless greed known in history.” — Joseph Conrad


“Democracy is government by the people with open discussion and free speech. This allows those with no ideas to unload their thinking in the most tedious and lengthy manner. After this, a vote is taken, and the least informed will oppose the most confused. The result, inevitably, will be known as model legislation. In time, it will proliferate, and eventually a commission will be formed to review what has been done and why it isn’t working and it will recommend reforms of the previous efforts. All of this will be published in various government journals and cause great debate. There will be a veritable waterfall of newspaper editorials and Johnny Carson will use the whole thing as a part of his monologue. In the end, the reforms will be defeated. –Smart Bee


“Christianity:  Please help find the cure.” — Smart Bee


(Sorry, I couldn’t resist…. A few days ago, as I sat in a shady spot outside, on a beautiful California day, I began to think, for some misbegotten reason, about Christianity in this country. I wondered, no idea why, exactly how many different definitions of the word “Christian” there would be. There are so many different interpretations of the Bible, and so many different definitions of what is “Christ-like”, that I can see no hope of any consensus answer to this question.


A conservative guess would be about 5,000 different churches, each with a different interpretation of scripture; it’s likely that Los Angeles and New York City, alone, contain that many; nation-wide, the number is probably closer to a hundred thousand….. None, I repeat, NONE, of the people who embrace the dogma associated with each of these various cults {yes, cults, by definition…look it up….} are at all willing to even consider any truth in any of the others, and they ostensibly are all worshiping the same dude…. It’s a bit pathetic, when one stops to look at the broader picture…. SIGH… ah well, back to general culture, and our caricaturization thereof…..)


You may be redneck… if you refer to Mason jars as “the good glasses.” — Smart Bee


“Democracy is the art and science of running the circus from the monkey cage.” — H. L. Mencken (1880-1956)


On that note, we will go ever onward, seeking approbation, or at least hoping for poor aim….


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


When I don’t know what I want, or what I need, I turn to this poet…. every time….




A narrow fellow in the grass

Occasionally rides;

You may have met him,–did you not,

His notice sudden is.


The grass divides as with a comb,

A spotted shaft is seen;

And then it closes at your feet

And opens further on.


He likes a boggy acre,

A floor too cool for corn.

Yet when a child, and barefoot,

I more than once, at morn,


Have passed, I thought, a whip-lash

Unbraiding in the sun,–

When, stooping to secure it,

It wrinkled, and was gone.


Several of nature’s people

I know, and they know me;

I feel for them a transport

Of cordiality;


But never met this fellow,

Attended or alone,

Without a tighter breathing,

And zero at the bone. 


~~ Emily Dickinson ~~




~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


With so much to do today, I don’t much feel up to arguing with Smart Bee over pearls… so, here is a pretty good one from the archives…. Enjoy, ffolkes, it’s a classic….


From 10/9/2012:


In keeping with today’s theme, as it evolved, I offer these pearls…. Each is, of course, a stand-alone thought, but, I let my whimsy dictate which would go well together, to further demonstrate my devotion to illogic, and it’s concomitant companion, crooked reasoning…. Crooked though it may be, there still exists a direct link to Reality, especially in today’s society, which goes much further than I have ever gone down the path to Strange….


“No matter how much cynicism you have, it is never enough to keep up.” — Lily Tomlin


“But a short time elapsed after the death of the great reformer of the Jewish religion, before his principles were departed from by those who professed to be his special servants, and perverted into an engine for enslaving mankind, and aggrandizing their oppressors in Church and State.” — Thomas Jefferson, [letter?] To S. Kercheval, 1810


“The fact that an opinion has been widely held is no evidence whatever that it is not utterly absurd; indeed in view of the silliness of the majority of mankind, a widespread belief is more likely to be foolish than sensible.” — Bertrand Russell, Marriage and Morals


“Great spirits have often encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.” — Albert Einstein (1879-1955)


“The late rebellion in Massachusetts has given more alarm than I think it should have done.  Calculate that one rebellion in 13 states in the course of 11 years, is but one for each state in a century and a half. No country should be so long without one.” — Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), in letter to James Madison, 20 December 1787


‘But he hasn’t got any clothes on,’ a little boy said. — from The Emperor’s New Clothes by Hans Christian Andersen


“Remember that man’s life lies all within this present, as ‘t were but a hair’s-breadth of time; as for the rest, the past is gone, the future yet unseen. Short, therefore, is man’s life, and narrow is the corner of the earth wherein he dwells.” — Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (121-180 AD) — Meditations, iii, 10


Well, there you go…. If you can’t make heads or tails of it, don’t sweat it. None of it will be on the Quiz….. But, if you let your mind drift as you consider the parts of the pearl as a whole concept, you just might find that you’ve hit upon a very deep, very ancient, immensely valuable insight into not only the nature of Man, but your own nature as well….  If not, well, have some chocolate; then, you can, at least, feel the same way…..


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Not too shabby for an old fart with flat feet and flatulence…. plus, it’s done. Since that state offers no opportunity for improvement, we shall take our leave, post haste…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes….




Y’all take care out there, 

and May the Metaphorse be with you;

Blessed Be, dearest  Carole, Mark, and Theresa…

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


PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.


Kowabunga!






À bientôt, mon cherí…. 

					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Is that even legal?…

			
						

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Ffolkes,




“How many lawyer jokes are there? 


3, the rest are true stories.”


~~ Smart Bee ~~




Sandra

From the London Daily Telegraph, 12/27/2014




“Sandra, a 29-year-old orangutan, looks out from her enclosure at Buenos Aires’ zoo. Sandra has been cleared to leave the zoo she has called home for 20 years after a court ruled she was entitled to more desirable living conditions. Argentina’s Association of Professional Lawyers for Animal Rights (AFADA) filed a ‘habeas corpus’ writ (a form of legal redress against unlawful imprisonment) arguing she was “suffering an unwarranted confinement.” The AFADA is in the process of securing Sandra’s release to transfer her to a sanctuary where she is expected to live a more comfortable and happy life, lawyers said.”


~~~~~


One of the most ironic parts of this story, to me, is that the lawyers who obtained the judgment for Sandra, by their actions in doing this, are obviously NOT the sort who become the object/subject of bad lawyer jokes, even though many ignorant people will laugh at them for even considering Sandra as an intelligent creature, worthy of the law’s protection. But, then, the people who laugh at monkeys, especially orangutans, are usually less intelligent than those at whom they laugh, in a relative, but very real sense….


I hate to go to zoos, even though many of the animals are now well taken care of, in the sense that the zoos try to make their prisons (well, they are….) as much like their natural habitat as possible. But, it always occurs to me, at every cage (be real… it’s not an ‘exhibit’; its a cage…) I come to, how sad most of the creatures look. In too many grim places, I’ve seen the animals performing neurotic behaviors they would never feel the need to display in the wild….


Why? Because people want to see the animals, but, don’t want to pay to give them the space to live in without becoming insane…. I once saw a fully grown crescent bear that paced in front of the door to its cage for hours on end, in an exact twelve foot space, which obviously was the same size as his ‘den’…. It moaned piteously the entire time it paced to and fro, in small, eerily grieving moans, all the while looking at all the people with madly terrified eyes…. Even at 13, I cried, right there in public, just as I am at this moment, to think of the pain he felt, and at the cruelty of humans….


I cannot help but feel this strange need in humans is the same sort of elitism we show each other, that sense of special entitlement which gives us leave to believe we have the right to imprison these animals…. It’s especially egregious, and cruel, to do this to the more sentient of them, such as the apes, the elephants, the big cats, dolphins, orcas, seals, polar bears, etc. Taking them out of their natural environment, confining them to a life as a curiosity, on display before the only creature on the planet that would think to so act, as an elitist bully, thinking that their vaunted intelligence puts them at the top of the food chain, acting like spoiled children, with no manners or restraint….


Sorry, but, I calls ’em like I sees ’em, ffolkes, even when I do rant in the intro, like I said I wouldn’t…. But, think about it, and look at that face…. I’d take that face as a friend any time, unlike the vast majority of human faces I ever see…. Wouldn’t you?….. I can think of one celebrity/actor who would, at least, so, Hollywood’s on my side in this…. Who would have thought it?…. Oh well, that’s what I get for trying to be compassionate, and light-hearted at the same time, I suppose…. Accidental liaisons are unavoidable in such instances, I would imagine…. Well, I guess it would be more honest to say, I would hope…. Oh heck, let’s get out of here, okay? Okay….


Shall we Pearl?


“They seem to have learned the habit of cowering before authority even when not actually threatened.  How very nice for authority.  I decided not to learn this particular lesson.” — Richard Stallman


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~




Dalai lama sez (2)


    During a recent exchange with my blogger friend of longest-standing, Ms. Willow, whose site you can find by following the link below, I came across this post, on her site, with a guest blogger, named Paul, authoring the community flash writing exercise, If We Were Having Coffee, discussing the events of the pre-Christmas happenings around his place of residence, Ottawa, Canada…. As part of the post, Paul included the video you will see below, which is not merely inspiring, but, the kind of reminder of the kind of behavior ALL of us should be occasionally displaying toward our fellow man… As we hippies used to call it, committing random acts of kindness and beauty…. It should be the law, and is, in the Utopia I keep in my head to go to when all is dark…


You can find the post at:



http://willowdot21.wordpress.com/2014/12/14/if-we-were-having-coffee-dec-142014-guest-post/


The post is well worth a read, but, I like the video so much, I’ve included it here for my readers to enjoy….. It affected me so powerfully, I know this is something I’ll probably do next year, and as long as I’m able to keep it up…. It’s the kind of thing almost anyone who is reasonably situated in our society could do once a year or so, or even more, on a random basis…. It can’t hurt, and the kind of spiritual energy such acts create could bring more people to do the same; then more, and more, until, hey, all of a sudden, the homeless have homes, and a lot of the anger in the world is bled off into space, where it can do us no further harm….


I know it’s a fantasy, but, it’s a nice one, isn’t it?…. And, it’s got more of a chance than a lot of plans out there…..







CHRISTMAS GIFTS FOR THE HOMELESS 

































~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


“All of us who are concerned for peace and triumph of reason and justice must be keenly aware how small an influence reason and honest good will exert upon events in the political field.” — Albert Einstein


I found the video below on the site of a blogger friend, talesfromtheconspiratum.com, where ‘tales’ continues to post a wide range of information on a very wide range of subjects, all concerned primarily with stuff most people try not to think about…. It is merciless, and I always find some new piece that astounds, or surprises even me, who has seen most every evil mankind has ever been involved in… This one fits right in with a lot of what I’ve ranted about recently, so, I thought I’d put it here, rather than ranting myself…. Believe me, listen to this, and you won’t need to hear me rant for a week…


Ken O’keefe, an ex-US Marine living in London, has shown me I only THOUGHT I knew how to rant…. He rants, verbally and on TV, doing so without a pause, or a misspoken truth, well enough my only possible reaction is to drop my jaw, genuflect and mutter reverently,  “awesome, man”…. Just watch the guy listening to his points on the other screen…. He has nothing with which to possibly refute any of it, obviously…. and knows it…. Brilliant indictment of the very people I’ve been trying to throw the light on for years….


Enjoy this little dose of TRUTH, ffolkes…. I did, immensely…. It’s actually a pretty big dose… I thought I could rant, but, I bow to this man’s angst, with shock and awe….


http://talesfromtheconspiratum.com/2014/12/31/ken-okeefe-exposes-obama-bush-isis-bankers-syria-fake-news-856/




 


 


 


 


Ken O’keefe on PressTv exposes Obama, Bush, ISIS, Bankers, Syria – Demoralizes bald shill – EPIC 



































The expert judgment of an institution, when the matters involve continuation of the institution’s operations, is totally predictable, and hence the finding is totally worthless.” — Robert N. Kharasch


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


The state of the world today is not particularly surprising; if we didn’t all expect today’s events, it can’t be from not being warned, for we have all heard this admonition: “Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” — George Santayana


As well, poets throughout history have consistently written poems which tell us what in life is worth paying heed…. for example, here is such a sentiment from perhaps the very first of Mankind’s poet laureates….




On What Is Best


Some celebrate the beauty

of knights, or infantry, 

or billowing flotillas

at battle on the sea.

Warfare has its glory, 

but I place far above

these military splendors

the one thing that you love.


For proof of this contention

examine history: 

we all remember Helen, 

who left her family, 

her child, and royal husband, 

to take a stranger’s hand: 

her beauty had no equal, 

but bowed to love’s command.


As love then is the power

that none can disobey, 

so too my thoughts must follow

my darling far away: 

the sparkle of her laughter

would give me greater joy

than all the bronze-clad heroes


~~ Sappho ~~




~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Today’s final section is an odd little pearl, visually symmetrical, with an apparent whimsical little comment on being human….




A little rule, a little sway,

A sunbeam in a winter’s day,

Is all the proud and mighty have

Between the cradle and the grave.


~~ John Dyer (1700-1758) — Grongar Hill, Line 88 ~~




“I pity men who occupy themselves exclusively with the transitory in things and lose themselves in the study of what is perishable, since we are here for this very end- that we may make the perishable imperishable, which we can do only after we have learned how to approach both.” — Goethe




Under the shade of melancholy boughs,

Lose and neglect the creeping hours of time;

If ever you have look’d on better days,

If ever been where bells have knoll’d to church,

If ever sat at any good man’s feast.


~~ William Shakespeare (1564-1616), As You Like It — Act ii, Sc. 7~~




“All is mystery; but he is a slave who will not struggle to penetrate the dark veil.” — Benjamin Disraeli




I burn to set the imprison’d wranglers free,

And give them voice and utterance once again.

Now stir the fire, and close the shutters fast,

Let fall the curtains, wheel the sofa round,

And while the bubbling and loud-hissing urn

Throws up a steamy column, and the cups

That cheer but not inebriate

So let us welcome peaceful evening in.


~~ William Cowper (1731-1800) ~~


~~ The Task, Book iv, The Winter Evening, Line 34 ~~




~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


I feel fortunate I was able to finish this at all; ’twas interrupted a myriad of times by breaks and confusion, as much of it was completed during a bout with nerve static, for about two hours just prior to the midnight madness here on the Left Coast of the Northern Hemisphere’s continent with the Pacific Ocean to the East, aka, Amurrica…. ‘Twasn’t much fun, but I still managed to fall out in time to be awakened by all the fireworks at midnight… of which there were a LOT, much more than on the Fourth of July, or any previous years I’ve been here…. I think the world let off a lot of steam last night…. I hope so, maybe it will put off the apocalypse for a day or two….


Hope springs eternal, even when there is little or no reason for it to exist at all…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, for as long as I can keep this up, and civilization continues at a level capable of supporting the use of electric power, and the internet….. a level which is at great risk, I’m afraid…. Well, Happy New Year, anyway….




Y’all take care out there, 

and May the Metaphorse be with you;

Blessed Be, dearest  Carole, Mark, and Theresa…

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


PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.


Kowabunga!






À bientôt, mon cherí….





					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Pushing back on all fronts….

			
						

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Ffolkes,




“To conquer the enemy without resorting to war is the most desirable.


The highest form of generalship is to conquer the enemy by strategy.”


~~ Sun Tzu, The Art of War ~~


12-23-2013 003


 “My greatest fear in life is that no-one will remember me after I’m dead.” — Anonymous


Too often, this blog begins with the word “I”…. Well, in sooth, I say, “too often”, when what I actually mean is, “too often for my comfort.” This, of course, is the natural result of a person who wishes to write, but, really doesn’t wish to indulge in much of the ego-driven parts of writing that are necessary to achieve any sort of prominence…. 


Ambition is required, if one wishes to become popular, whether in the blogosphere, or in the mainstream media venues, such as newspapers, radio, & TV; ambition; this is unfortunate, at least, for those of us who’d rather remain on a path with oh, let’s just say, a higher degree of spiritualism, or perhaps just less ego-driven….


But, then one must consider two things…. One, it’s MY blog, and we are often dealing with MY issues, so, using “I” becomes nearly impossible to avoid…. Second, being a pretty smart guy, with a fairly accurate sense of how smart I am compared to the average joe, I try to avoid either shoving that in people’s faces, or dwelling upon it, as I don’t view it as necessarily anything to be proud about…. 


All it does, actually, is saddle me with more perceptions than most, to my way of seeing it, and, that particular ability, for certain, is both a blessing, AND a curse. Factor in the simple FACT that smartness, or intelligence, has NO PROVEN SURVIVAL VALUE, and you can begin to see why I try to avoid overt egotism…. It really isn’t very nice, not to mention self-defeating….


In the past five or six days, since right before Christmas, I’ve been climbing out of a deep hole, which my mind seems to have fallen into without me even noticing I was off balance; that’s what comes from depending on vertigo to do that…. it’s unreliable, as is now patently clear…. SIGH…. 


Whatever the failure in my early warning system happens to be, I found myself in a position where I was bursting into tears rather frequently, due to some stressful issues I’m dealing with, which seem to have triggered some unknown, and certainly unwanted, unresolved feelings of sadness and emotional pain, left over from one of the many instances in my life where I experienced far more of them than I ever thought possible, and, apparently, stored up for later use…. Go figure…


I’m finally starting to see some light, and, I’m hoping this morning’s events will help, as I get to go do something that SHOULD shore up some of my feelings of inner conflict…. Of course, I have another appointment tomorrow morning, wherein I expect to have to fire the opening salvo of what promises to be a quite bloody battle with my HMO, and the modern medical society they manipulate and corrupt at every turn…. That, however will be, I’m sure, food for a future rant, not for now…. 


Ha! Thought I’d fall into that one, didn’t you?…. Nope. In fact, it would be a good idea for y’all to hold on, because, I’ve blathered and bitched enough for one morning…. We’re goin’ in, and goin’ in hard!…. Not only that, but, we’re doin’ it NOW!….


Shall we Pearl?


“Avoid making irrevocable decisions while tired or hungry (NB: Circumstances can force your hand. So think ahead!)” — Lazarus Long, from Robert A. Heinlein’s “Time Enough For Love”


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


I am all about quickness today, so what you get is another day of chill-out music, from the classical music genre…. This kind is nice to play while reading, and can provide a bit of armor against splashing, after a fashion…. The page to which I am linking is one with 112 selections of various pieces by various artists, and looks like a beautiful group to pass the time with…. enjoy…..




Classical Music Playlist







































~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


To fill in the space quickly, here is a short rant with an attached old-school pearl as augmentation…. It is from a period when I was apparently writing better than other times; I’ve found some excellent stuff in the period’s archives…. including this one, one of several from this month… If nothing else, you can enjoy its brevity….


From 9/18/2012:


Religion has never attracted me as a pastime that led to any particularly desirable activities. From the very first, even as a small child, I always thought the people at church were trying to get me to believe something that was not only hard to believe, but they wanted me to believe it, just on their word that it was true….. What they were saying wasn’t anything like what I perceived to be true about the world at large; none of it sounded like common sense, if you get my drift…. Plus, the more I resisted what they said, and asked questions that they couldn’t answer, the more insistent they became….. Most kids have a pretty good crap detector, and the whole church thing seemed based on fluff and wishes to me…..


Any who, it seems a lot of my saved up oysters have been on that very subject, i.e., religious dogma, and alternative ways of looking at the universe, and how it works, and what it means…. (you know, all the good stuff….), so I thought an old-school grouping would perhaps help ffolkes get a clue about what I do believe….. which can, I have to admit, change from one day to the next….. gotta keep room for new data, y’know…… shall we Pearl a bit?…..


“Whenever we read the obscene stories, the voluptuous debaucheries, the cruel and torturous executions, the unrelenting vindictiveness, with which more than half the bible is filled, it would seem more consistent that we called it the word of a demon than the Word of God. It is a history of wickedness that has served to corrupt and brutalize mankind.” — Thomas Paine — The Age of Reason


“History does not record anywhere at any time a religion that has any rational basis. Religion is a crutch for people not strong enough to stand up to the unknown without help. But, like dandruff, most people do have a religion and spend time and money on it and seem to derive considerable pleasure from fiddling with it.” — Robert Heinlein, Time Enough for Love (1972)


“I believe in Spinoza’s God who reveals himself in the orderly harmony of what exists, not in a God who concerns himself with the fates and actions of human beings.” — Albert Einstein


God:  What one human uses to persecute another. — Anonymous


The supreme irony of life is that hardly anyone gets out of it alive.– Robert Heinlein, “Job”, 1984


“No law can be sacred to me but that of my nature.  Good and bad are but names very readily transferable to that or this; the only right is what is after my own constitution; the only wrong what is against it.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)


“If the lord had meant us to have faith, he’d have given us lobotomies.” — Zlatko


“A long and wicked life followed by five minutes of perfect grace gets you into Heaven. An equally long life of decent living and good works followed by one outburst of taking the name of the Lord in vain, then have a heart attack at that moment and be damned for eternity. Is that the system?” — Robert A. Heinlein


“I have repeatedly said that in my opinion the idea of a personal God is a childlike one, but I do not share the crusading spirit of the professional atheist whose fervor is mostly due to a painful act of liberation from the fetters of religious indoctrination received in     youth.  I prefer an attitude of humility corresponding to the weakness of our intellectual understanding of nature and of our own being.”–Albert Einstein


“Everything that has a beginning has an ending. Make your peace with that and all will be well.” — Buddha


Well, there you go…. a complete mish-mash of different philosophies and outlooks, each with its own little piece to contribute to the whole, all ended perfectly with a piece of profoundly simple wisdom… not the virtual kind that is common around here, but real wisdom, that you can put in your pocket, take away with you, and use as needed…..


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


I’m using mine, only because it’s quicker, and I’m lazier than the average joe…. goes along with the smarter part…. Yep, I am aware that intelligence is merely a FACTOR of laziness in humans; one of the primary motivating factors for using our imagination is to find an easier, or quicker route to achieving our ends, whatever they are…. Think about it, ffolkes, you’ll see what I mean…. Meanwhile…. Here is one of my personal favorite poems…






Ah Ain’t Sho, but Mebbe So….


Fried eggs got nuthin’ on me

Ah’m not even sure of mah name,

or how Ah come to be;

no idea from where Ah came.


Ah does like a mystery tho’,

puzzlin’ things out so’s Ah knows,

good from bad fo sho,

Ah sho don’t want no rock pillows.


If’n Ah cain’t figure out what’s best,

Ah just falls back on mah Daddy’s words,

seems he knowed just whut’d stand the test,

‘n how to gentle the scaredest birds.


‘Course, he’d lived a good long time,

‘n had lots of stuff go on by;

Went to a war, n’ lost a piece or two,

never once used it fer an alibi.


He tol’ me once Ah’d best learn to learn,

school’s only cool if ya ain’t already a fool.

Yer own good measure you can earn,

by startin’ yer learnin’ with the Golden Rule.


Always seemed to me as Ah growed up,

he mostly only spoke if it wuz true,

‘n by doin’ that clued me to what’s up,

kept me from stuff that’d a made me blue.


Without ever sayin’ the word itself,

Ah learned ’bout honor, ‘n helpin’ others

not some fake stuff from some shelf,

but, knowin’ whut’s right, ‘n that we’re all brothers.


Ah’ve been around long enough now, Ah think

to get around the block at least two times.

I s’pose long as my head don’t shrink

Ah’ll keep on doin’ right, ‘n makin’ these rhymes…..


~~ gigoid ~~




~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Smart Bee seems to have gotten over its snit, this pearl came together in jig time, with a nice little group of pears all pointing in one direction…. Well, close enough for pearls, anyway; my Gentle Readers have seen enough of them to see what point we’re trying to make without undue difficulty. Any newbies will find it reasonably clear, as well, I think, for it’s a simple idea being promoted today…. See if you don’t agree….


“Each man is the smith of his own fortune.” — Appius Claudius Caecus


“It is difficult to live in the present, ridiculous to live in the future, and impossible to live in the past.  Nothing is as far away as one minute ago.” — Jim Bishop


“All my life, I always wanted to be somebody. Now I see that I should have been more specific.” — Jane Wagner, _The Search For Intelligent Life In The Universe_  — [Performed by Lily Tomlin]


“Good people are good because they’ve come to wisdom through failure. We get very little wisdom from success, you know.” — William Saroyan


“All time in all time. It does not change. It does not lend itself to warnings or explanations. It simply is. Take it moment by moment, and you will find that we are all bugs in amber.” — Kurt Vonnegut Jr., Slaughter-House 5


“Whatever we learn to do, we learn by actually doing it: men come to be builders, for instance, by building, and harp players by playing the harp. In the same way, by doing just acts, we come to be just; by doing self-controlled acts, we come to be self-controlled; and by doing brave acts, we come to be brave.” — Aristotle


“Life loves to be taken by the lapel and told: “I’m with you kid. Let’s go.”” — Maya Angelou


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


“This tagline is dedicated to my bird friend- Fred” — gigoid


Well…. considering that I’m currently in a state of mind I wouldn’t wish on an enemy, this didn’t come out too badly…. It’s also nice to have a little space from pain, which, thanks to the rain stopping for a few days, has been relatively manageable for two days now…. But, then, all is relative, is it not? I’m outta here, ffolkes… I’m gonna go see my grandson, and, for the first time in his life, be allowed to give him a Christmas present…. Now, THAT should make me feel better…. In fact, I’m counting on it…. See y’all later, ffolkes…. maybe even tomorrow….




Y’all take care out there, 

and May the Metaphorse be with you;

Blessed Be, dearest  Carole, Mark, and Theresa…

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


PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.


Kowabunga!






À bientôt, mon cherí….





					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Twistin’ the night away….

			
						

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Ffolkes,




“Do not meddle in the affairs of wizards, for they are subtle and quick to anger.” 


~~ J.R.R. Tolkien ~~


andromeda-meteor-james


     Today’s picture is from Space.com, one of their Astronomy Picture of the Day features, a gorgeous shot of the Milky Way, meteors, and the Andromeda Galaxy (small but clear in the upper right quadrant…), all in one huge photo, taken as a panorama, I believe. All I know is it was so big, it took about eight adjustments to get it small enough to fit onto the screen…. At the larger size, it’s pretty incredible in detail, almost like being outside, looking at it directly…. The photographer was, no doubt, a photographic wizard, along the lines of the quote from Tolkien….


Or, maybe he/she just got lucky, timing it so perfectly by chance…. Unlikely, with a panoramic photo, but, one never knows, nor would one ever speculate, not so early in the morning, before the second sip of coffee has been taken…. On sip only ensures no one will die; the second sip provides a certain degree of coherency, which doesn’t extend to the keyboard, sadly…. Nor does it preclude the hands from screaming at me for typing, which, unfortunately, they seem to want to do today…. Bogus, really, and it sure makes this part difficult…. Break time, ffolkes…


Now that the tenor of today’s post has been set, and, just as quickly destroyed, by the not-totally-unexpected display of bozoid candor, perhaps we can get on with this with no more detours. That would be a nice change, wouldn’t it? Sure it would…. but, as you may have guessed, it ain’t gonna happen here. I believe we may have reached a point that would otherwise be called a nexus, or, just as accurately, a bloody mess; some sort of decision must be made as to where we are going today, if anywhere at all…. Wait!….


That’s the best idea I’ve had yet…. I’m going to end this right here, right now, and get on with it, just as if it were made that way…. Perhaps, if we pretend it’s supposed to work like that, we can slip past the censors, and get this done in some sort of timely fashion…. Or, alternately, some sort of approximation of timely would be acceptable, whatever that may mean in such a situation…. Your guess is as good as mine, in this case… So….


Shall we Pearl?


“The difference between a moral man and a man of honor is that the latter regrets a discreditable act, even when it has worked and he has not been caught.” — Henry L. Mencken


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


An old Grateful Dead tune has been running around my mind all morning, ever since I first booted up…. It’s from their song, “Sugar Magnolia”, and goes, “Head’s all empty, and I don’t care….” However, rather than the Dead, let’s go with a live concert by Jerry, and his old friend, David Grisman, his mandolin-playin’ genius buddy, from 12/8/1991….  Enjoy!…. No video on this one, but, great music….




Jerry Garcia & David Grisman – San Francisco 12 8 91



































~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


I’m still saving my hands for other stuff, so, here is an archived rant, of fairly typical size and content….


From 2/25/2013:


“I used to think it was awful that life was so unfair.  Then I thought, wouldn’t it be much worse if life were fair, and all the terrible things that happen to us come because we actually deserve them?  So, now I take great comfort in the general hostility and unfairness of the universe.”– Marcus, Babylon 5


Marcus brings up an interesting point here, when he talks of the general hostility of the universe. I don’t think he quite has a handle on the actual shape of Reality, though, and in his desire to avoid responsibility for his own cupidity, he assigns the universe as villain in his play. Our universe isn’t hostile to us, as he would like to think. Unfair? Yes. Hostile? No…. The universe really doesn’t give a crap about us, one way or another. Things seem unfair, not because they are stacked against us, but rather because they are not stacked in our favor, a slight but distinct difference…..


Reality plays no favorites, beyond a tendency to allow itself to be adjusted by those who have an understanding of how it works, without granting them any dispensation, but rather rewarding their cleverness and wit. Those who believe the universe is out to get them are defenseless against the trials and tribulations that are a natural part of living, because they begin from an attitude of helplessness. Those who at least have the confidence to act in their own behalf are much more able to achieve their goals, than anyone who allows Reality to push them wherever they end up, without any direction made by choice…..


Thus, we can see that courage, as well as knowledge, is necessary to being able to confront Reality on its own terms. Not only is it necessary to pay attention to the way the universe works, and how it interacts among all its parts, but necessary to have the courage to act on what is known, and what the person believes to be right, in a moral sense. Of course, the universe doesn’t care one way or another if we are moral; it rewards those who act out of immorality as well, if they are bold enough to act. We just feel better about ourselves if we act from right thought, and we make it easier for others to do the same. Acting immorally only benefits the one who is doing the acting…..


But, cowardice is also rewarded by the universe; it just isn’t a very palatable reward, to have our every wish denied, and our every act dismissed, as incompetent, illegal, or just plain dumb….. Lack of courage, and lack of knowledge thus become their own rewards, and the person’s misguided views about reality lead them into issue after issue of conflict with the rest of reality. In this way, they continually reinforce their own misapprehensions, and will only more firmly believe that the universe is out to get them, and everyone else…. This, in spite of the fact that they are looking at, and dealing with, the same Reality as everyone else, who don’t all seem to have the same problem…. Instead of giving them a clue that maybe they should do things differently, they merely assume that the other people have cheated them somehow…. because that is what they would do….


It’s really too bad in some ways, that so large a percentage of humanity is so lacking in courage and wit as to find the view stated above to be congruent with their own view of the way the universe operates; it’s part of what makes it so easy for those in the BRC and the 1% to control them, and to pull the wool over their eyes. These folks are so convinced of their own helplessness in the face of all they don’t understand, they will latch onto almost anything someone tells them, if it soothes their fears, and gives them someone or something other than themselves to blame for their misfortunes…. Sad, but true, and a perfect description of what has transpired in society for several thousand years now, as the BRC keeps the majority of humanity in the proverbial dark about what is true, and what is real….. They’ve had a lot of practice, and they’re very good at it….


But, then, it isn’t hard to control someone who is brainwashed to believe that it is the way reality is, so I can’t say it is due to any particularly large degree of wit or talent that allows them to do so…. It is more that the folks who they control are so stupid, they ask to be controlled, because they can’t, and more importantly, won’t, trust themselves to do it….. Sad, but true….


At his point in this narrative, I am becoming a bit enraged, a not uncommon reaction to a rant about the BRC and the 1%…. Heck, this time, I didn’t even have to mention the papists or preachers who are their shock troops, on the front lines of the brainwashing process, in order to get upset and angry over their machinations…. until now. My rage is growing, as it always tends to do when I start to rant on this subject, and I’m not ready to deal with the consequences of letting it get any bigger right now…. too much other stuff to get to today. But, just let me say this…..


Those in our society who deliberately control others for their own benefit are my enemies. I believe them to be responsible for virtually ALL of the social ills we have, as well as the global and environmental issues that are threatening our very survival as a species. They are, for their own personal benefit, hoarding the resources of the planet, and refusing to share them with the remainder of humanity, all because they can, and they want to. The welfare of others is of no concern to them, so they automatically become my foes, in my battle to try to make a world my children, and grandchild, can have the opportunity to live a full and complete life of their own, without being oppressed and controlled by assholes who don’t give a shit about anyone but themselves….. As my old martial arts instructor used to say…. “Fuck ’em….. hard.”…..


— “Bother!”, said Pooh, as he dropped his bombs.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Today’s poem is another I found in the archives, which hadn’t been brought into the Poetry folder…. bonus! Enjoy!


From 8/21/2012:




Unwrapped Morning


A jewel of deepest green, sparkles by firelight

Held fast by time, and space

Leaves only passive passion, pale and bright

Naught but grief, yet but a trace.


In morning’s bright parlor, burning for hate

Unspent moments fall, seeking pain

Spilling blood forlornly, cowed by fate

Left with nothing, life in vain.


Pallid purpose calls, to that fallow ground

In bold fashions, aflame

Conscience falls aside, value unbound

Death calls, forever lost, the game……


~~ gigoid ~~




~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Today’s final pearl was constructed in spite of some rather stiff resistance from SB…. I swear, it’s been a complete butthead of late, making me go through several hundred useless phrases and quotes, just to find a couple of mediocre pearls…. Ah well, at least we squeezed one last batch out for today…. It was looking a bit grim there for a while, but it came out just fine… a real old-school pearl, with a nice little twist to make it palatable for even the neuronically challenged reader…. Just don’t grit your teeth, or your dentist won’t like it….


“For water continually dropping will wear hard rocks hollow.” — Plutarch (46-120 AD) — Of the Training of Children


“The purpose of a fish trap is to catch fish, and when the fish are caught, the trap is forgotten. The purpose of a rabbit snare is to catch rabbits. When the rabbits are caught, the snare is forgotten. The purpose of words is to convey ideas. When the ideas are grasped, the words are forgotten. Where can I find a man who has forgotten words? He is the one I would like to talk to.” — Chuang Tzu


“The young know the rules, the old know the exceptions.” — Smart Bee


“The important thing is not to stop questioning.  Curiosity has its own reason for existing.  One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality.  It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery every day. Never lose a holy curiosity.” — Albert Einstein


“A man must consider what a rich realm he abdicates when he becomes a conformist.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)


“Don’t take life too seriously; you won’t get out of it alive.” — Hubbard’s Law


“Imagine the Creator as a low comedian, and at once the world becomes explicable.” — H. L. Mencken (1880-1956)


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


If all things in the world were equal, this would be considered as not eligible for judgment. I’m not entirely certain just how it got done, but, there it sits, with all the correct categories covered, and each section filled with (relatively) appropriate material…. As we are fond of saying, in the back rooms, where nobody can hear us, “It’s done”…. We say that with a reverent air, closing our eyes in respect, while genuflecting vaguely in the direction of Patagonia….


The appearance at this point of such nonsense is a clear indication it’s time to stop for the day, lest we splash…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, should the Universe still be here….




Y’all take care out there, 

and May the Metaphorse be with you;

Blessed Be, dearest  Carole, Mark, and Theresa…

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


PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.


Kowabunga!






À bientôt, mon cherí….





					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Perfectly executed pirouettes, en point….

			
						

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Ffolkes,




“A note of music gains significance from the silence on either side.” 


~~ Anne Morrow Lindberg ~~


12-8-2014 007 (2)


     As the full moon rose between the palms, the clouds covering much of the sky parted, showing Luna’s pale, aged face, brightness its only remaining claim to beauty…. Dark feelings of premonition stole into the soul of the man standing in the shadows, watching the moon’s slow progress above the horizon, promising Death before the night was over. With no choices left to him, he pulled his robe closer, adjusting the hood to conceal his dark features, rigid with strain. As he turned to leave his place of hiding, he mouthed one last prayer to the gods for success, with little hope it would be heard….


It was a tough choice today, to go with the quote, or with the picture…. Apparently, the picture (one of mine, obviously…) got picked, though, in retrospect, the quote might have been simpler to use…. It IS a ready made invitation to discuss a number of subjects, such as human nature, speech, writing, music, and, of course, Bozoid tendencies…. the last, of course, a subject one can apply to almost ANY statement, since it is a Universal quality, common to every human alive…. We can’t get away from it, making it a perfectly suitable for rants of all kinds, as our bozoid natures lead us into ever more complex situations involving our tendency to make BIG mistakes….


I suppose that’s why my sub-conscious mind nudged me into using the picture; it recognized that using the quote would more easily lead to ranting, a habit we’re trying to stop from happening too early in the Pearl…. I haven’t had a whole lot of luck at it, as yet; it’s almost impossible to make any reference to modern society without bumping up against something rantable. I know, I’ve tried…. Ah well, we all know what Yoda said about trying, don’t we?….


Today is the first day I’ve awakened with no more pain than is usual for the period after lying down for so long…. My physique is at a point where being in ANY position, sitting, standing, or lying down, will, after a time, begin to hurt more than it helps, and sleeping at night is no exception….


In fact, I’ve pretty much given up on any normal schedule of sleep/awake time, as I’ve begun to awaken at about 0200, with increasing messages from various body parts that it’s time to get up…. I manage to stay abed until 0300, but, that’s as far as I can push it; I must get up, or continue to get worse pain in my legs and hips, not to mention the lower back, which always needs a large dose of magic cream upon arising in the morning, in order to be able to sit up straight…. SIGH…. it’s getting a bit expensive, too; magic isn’t cheap….


Ah well, so much for whining…. and, definitely enough of it for one day…. I’ve decided to keep trying to post daily, as much as possible, even though it hurts more all the time…. But, I remembered…. It’s going to hurt anyway, so, I may as well just keep on keepin’ on, as best I can…. So be it…. gigoid has spoken….


Shall we Pearl?


“Every investigation which is guided by principles of Nature fixes its ultimate aim entirely on gratifying the stomach.” — Athenaeus (c. 200 AD) — The Deipnosophists, vii, 11


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Here is some old rock and roll, but, with a jazz flavor, by one of the finest fusion artists of our generation…. No one does rock with a jazz flavor like this man…. Enjoy!




Van Morrison – Moondance Full Album (Vinyl)





































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“Everything tastes more or less like chicken.”


~~ Jeffery F. Chamberlain ~~




The following desperately long rant, which takes aim at the BRC at large, (and politicians in particular), was found while perusing the archives, to find material for this section that would save my hands the effort of typing for at least one section…. It’s quite long, but, remains as valid today as the day it was written, over a year ago…. Funny how that works, eh?….


From 9/18/2013:


Yesterday, a new reader was gracious enough to leave a nice comment, and to offer a couple of articles for my perusal, as possible subjects for a future rant…. Both articles are definitely rant-worthy material, so, I’ll oblige his suggestion by starting here….


I talk a lot about the BRC, (Beloved Ruling Class….), and the thievery they commit daily against the public, but, I don’t always provide a lot of examples, preferring to allow ffolkes, and/or folks, to seek out their own evidence…. This is because there is just so damn much of it, and it is so easy to find, I find it a better way to drive the point home, for people will believe it more when they come across the proof themselves, rather than having me provide it for them…. That way I can’t be accused of making it up, or coloring it…..


This article, supplied to me by a reader, is a perfect example of what I’ve often said about the news, to wit: it’s chock full of evidence of the chicanery and nonsense being perpetrated by our beloved rulers, and I don’t even need to point it out, for it’s right there for all to see…. Please, take a moment to read this one, about the governor of Louisiana, that fine old den of corruption in the southern US…. Try not to let the lack of hard evidence presented by the author to support the assertions made influence you, at this point…. just accept it as true for the sake of the argument they make, and worry about the actual paper proofs later…. It’s all there, believe me….



http://grist.org/news/bobby-jindal-to-axe-officials-who-took-on-big-oil/?utm_campaign=daily&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&sub_email=dlw38%40sbcglobal.net


What amazes me most in this article is the sheer effrontery shown by Governor Jindal…. He has no compunctions whatsoever in showing his corruption for all to see, blithely firing people who are trying to make his special interest supporters toe the legal line for their actions, and, in the process, help the people of his state. No, he just ignores any and all cries of outrage, and continues to stuff his pockets with the money they’ve poured into his campaign coffers, while the people of the state, and the state’s environment, get shredded by the corporate assholes who caused the entire problem….


This article shows exactly how far the issue of corruption has progressed in society, as the leaders we have elected are no longer bothering to cover up most of their machinations… This assbite is blithely showing his colors, bright and clear, in the public eye, deliberately firing people who might have made a difference, with no thought or regard for what his own constituency may want. His loyalty is all with the companies who have raped and pillaged the coastal marshes in their search for sources of oil, because they are the ones who are paying him; the people can just go to hell, as far as he is concerned….


But, as I have pointed out previously, the people of Louisiana have only been given exactly what they deserve, for they are the ones who believed his lies during the election process, and elected him to office, knowing full well he was going to screw them over…. I sometimes wonder how these people manage to dress themselves, or feed themselves without help….  I am not particularly surprised by the situation there, though it saddens me to see it. Those marshes and coastal waterways are an important ecological formation, with a lot of animal life that depends on it to live, and I hate to see that get screwed up….


The other article sent by my friend, Dave, is, though also not particularly surprising, even more disturbing, as it shows just how pervasive is the extent of corruption in government…. Canada has the reputation of having one of the most responsive governments in the world, one that seems, for the most part, to care about the people for whom it functions, and tries mostly to do things in a way that promotes societal well-being…. That is their reputation, anyway, even if not fully deserved….


It seems, however, that the madness that infects all the other states in the world seems to have found a place to germinate in the Canadian bureaucracy as well, causing its members to begin to follow the path to madness all the others have been flying down for many years….. This article describes a new policy being promulgated among the Canadian bureaucracies that will easily qualify them to join the ranks of those governments that have given up hiding their paranoia, and are busily pursuing insanity as a way of life….


Scientists, whether employed by universities, or private industry, or the government, are notoriously touchy about being told what to publish; this is an issue that is well-established in history, with the outcome always coming down on the side of the scientists…. In other words, history has shown us, many times, that it is counter-productive for society to muzzle researchers, for they always find a way to get the knowledge out, and all attempts at squashing it are a waste of time…. They (the BRC) keep trying, but, they don’t seem to learn from the past, a sure way to find oneself extinct, as Reality has a way of enforcing its will that is quite unstoppable by any human intervention…..


But, stupidity will have its way, so, they keep trying…. Read the article ffolkes, and realize just how far the world has gone toward piling itself against the wall of reality….. I mean, really….. snowflakes? They’re afraid of snowflakes?…. No, they’re afraid of knowledge, and it makes the BRC nervous to think about the public having all the facts…. Hence, their commitment to blocking the spread of knowledge at every turn, and trying to confuse and distract the public from seeing what they are up to behind the scenes…..


http://grist.org/climate-energy/canada-bans-researchers-from-discussing-snowflakes-findings-scientists-protest/?utm_campaign=daily&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&sub_email=dlw38sbcglobal.net


The proof is there, ffolkes, for anyone to find…. The supposed leaders of our society, at all levels, are corrupt, not to mention clinically insane. They lie to the public in order to get elected, then continue to lie, cheat, and steal for as long as they are allowed to do so. They reward their constituents with more lies, and now have the nerve to show their true allegiance right out in public, as soon as they are sworn into their offices, laughing in the face of the very people who elected them….


Isn’t it about time we all looked at our own complicity in this situation? How long are the people of this country going to allow their public officials to act, not only in ways that don’t benefit the public, but in ways that are actually dangerous to them? How long will the public ignore the unprincipled acts of liars and cheats, whom they have chosen to be their leadership? I’m afraid the answer is all too obvious, to anyone who is able to see, and think about what there is to see…. My own answer to those questions is, it’s already been too long….. I haven’t seen any indication, in history, or in the present, that would show the public was able to throw off the yoke of the unseen masters of society, those super-rich, selfish assholes who determine just how events will transpire….


There is no point in history where mankind has been free of the influence and control of those in society who control all the resources. None…. If anyone can look back, and point out to me any time when that isn’t true, please, do so, and I will discuss the ramifications of that with great pleasure…. But, I’m a fair student of history, and I don’t find any place, anywhere in history, when our species has been free of the control of these silent rulers…. nor do I think we’ll ever be able to do so, not until a much greater percentage of the public is allowed to see the evidence of their handiwork, and realize just how badly, and how long, they have screwed the rest of us….


But, hey, it DOES give me something to rant about, whenever a new piece of evidence is allowed to be published…. Even if the stuff that we see isn’t any real threat to them, it’s encouraging to see that there is SOME degree of resistance to them, even if it is doomed to failure in the long run…. The people who run the world, for real, have had a long time to practice staying out of the public eye, and running things from the shadows….. They’re very good at it, so, don’t expect any large revelations, or any huge lights being thrown on the shadowy limits of their existence…. They won’t allow anything that has any real chance of doing them harm to occur, you can be sure of that…..


Including shutting up people like me, should they ever feel the tiniest bit threatened by my words, or my attempts to make known just how deeply their control extends into our lives….. If I was doing them any real harm, you can bet they would have shut me down by now, so, it’s clear that, for now at least, I’m just another voice, shouting in the wilderness, without any real hope of harming them, or even giving them a moments discomfort….. But, I’ll keep trying, because, hey, that’s who I am….


gigoid has spoken…. so be it….


“A form of open-mindedness is the pathway to wisdom. Close your mind and you open the way for ignorance to flourish, but you will never even know it.” — Smart Bee


Whoops…. Sorry, thought I was done. But, then, this pearl dropped into my lap, and it just MADE me add it in here, to make the point, finally, and completely…. The following paragraph is unattributed in Smart Bee, my quote database, so I don’t know who said it first… Nor, I think, do I WANT to know, for they are evil, evil, I say…. This is a perfect statement of the attitude of almost every human being alive today, at least, every one of them who is involved in the governing of countries….. Read it, think about it…. this is EXACTLY the way they view the world, and it is sick, sick, sick, ffolkes…. no other word fits so well…..


“It is not possible to find morality in struggles for power. Your enemies view you as you do them and likely regard themselves as virtuous in their attempts at mayhem upon you. In struggles for power, your judgments should be based entirely on self-interest and finding as direct and economical a route to your goal as possible. If that route is bloody and barbaric, so much the worse for those who oppose you.”– Smart Bee, channeling any politician, dogma dog, or other card-carrying member of the BRC….


Note from 2014:


Whew! I believe I got a bit carried away there, didn’t I? Ah well, it’s all true, so, what the hell; such truths always bear repeating, though no one may listen at all…. At least I’ve gotten it all out of MY head…. but, I’m left with the following all-too-true observation as my only remaining available, and appropriate, comment….


“Taxation WITH representation ain’t so hot either.’ — Gerald Barzan


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A new poem is still in there, percolating behind the veil of consciousness… Since there is no way I will force it out before it’s ready, we’ll once again have to resort to the archives…. So be it….






Pure Truth: Elsewhen


Everything I say and do, I’m sure,

only comes from what I know.

If what I’ve said or done is good, and pure,

I can say it’s not just for show.


Sometimes people don’t quite get me.

It can be a pain, for sure.

I try not allow it to keep me from being free,

especially when my thoughts may be impure.


In fact, I try quite hard most of the time,

to keep from hurting folks.

If any culture more often approached sublime,

I wouldn’t have to take so many pokes.


Now I’ll make another sacrifice, for y’all,

not for karmic advantage, not merely so….

But, to save me from yet another downfall,

I’ll stop here; ensign, make it so….


~~ gigoid ~~




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Sometimes, a pearl comes together without much conscious help from me; it’s certain that SB is often of little help, though today doesn’t seem to be a case in point…. This one, though a trifle complex & obscure, nonetheless hits me in just the right spot, so, it’s in, with no argument…. Not that it will be of any help to you in deciphering whatever it is trying to say, but, remember, better out than in, I say, and it’s true, at least in spirit, no matter what part of life we’re discussing….


“Your paradigm is so intrinsic to your mental process that you are hardly aware of its existence, until you try to communicate with someone with a different paradigm.” — Donella Meadows, The Global Citizen


“Dionysius the Elder, being asked whether he was at leisure, he replied, “God forbid that it should ever befall me!” — Plutarch (46-120 AD) — Dionysius


“He who knows best knows how little he knows.” — Thomas Jefferson


“He said that there was one only good, namely, knowledge; and one only evil, namely, ignorance.” — Diogenes Laertius (c. 200 AD) — Socrates, xiv


“Weary is the path that does not challenge.  Doubt is an incentive to truth and patient inquiry leadeth the way.” — Smart Bee


“Old places and old persons in their turn, when spirit dwells in them, have an intrinsic vitality of which youth is incapable, precisely, the balance and wisdom that come from long perspectives and broad foundations.” — George Santayana


“My life is a simple thing that would interest no one. It is a known fact that I was born and that is all that is necessary.” — Albert Einstein


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The effort expended yesterday, during another day of agony, to complete as much of this as possible ahead of time, has worked out quite well… Here ’tis, only 0430, and today’s post is done…. Well, the hard part is done, anyway…. Posting it is fairly simple, so, we’ll get to that, and maybe get a good start on tomorrow… What the hell, my schedule/routine is in deep modification mode, so why not? See y’all later, ffolkes…. tomorrow, if I’m lucky….  Y’all, of course, will need to decide, whether luck has anything to do with it, for yourselves….




Y’all take care out there, 

and May the Metaphorse be with you;

Blessed Be, dearest  Carole, Mark, and Theresa…

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


PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.


Kowabunga!






À bientôt, mon cherí….