Tag Archives: Asininnies

A period of swiftly diminishing returns….

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Ffolkes,

“How much more grievous are the consequences of anger than the causes of it.”

~~ Marcus Aurelius ~~

Zack at Christmas 12-28-2012 003

    Gosh…. now that I really look at it, that’s a pretty nice picture, isn’t it? I put it there just because I had it, sort of; I took it a few days ago while on the way to visit with my grandson for Christmas…. a more memorable occasion than it sounds, as it is the first time I’d had the opportunity to see him at Christmas since he was born. I’m glad the picture turned out so nicely…. Now, when I get my printer up & running again, I can print a copy of this, as a reminder of the day….  The short video I shot will also be nice to have to look at when I think of him, or of my son, and our first holiday together as a family with three generations…. That’s a nice piece of serendipity….

Such a nice surprise helps; I’m still a bit unsteady, but, after a good talk with a friend, and a semi-successful battle yesterday, I feel somewhat more centered today…. There is more turbulence to come though, so, I’m not making any promises as to how much longer I’ll feel like doing this…. At the moment, I can see there is still too much inside me that will do better out than in (as almost everything is….), so, we’ll complete this Pearl before we make any binding decisions….

I can’t say for sure if that is good news, or bad news for y’all…. I suppose you’ll have to take Hobson’s choice, and be happy with it, won’t you? Besides, you’re stuck now…. We’ve already left the terminal, and are now 11,000 feet in the air…. Not a good time to head back to the ticket stand…

I won’t even bother to make any predictive statements as to whether or not I can pull this off…. I’m no politico, who will lie to you, straight-faced, without ever having any intention of doing what I say. Nor am I a bozo, (at the moment…. that may change at any time….), who will try to distract you with humor, or a mess, or a snack. I am, however, a realist, and a gentleman, so, that’s something, I suppose…. You can call me a fool, you can call me a radical, you can call me a cab, and that’s okay…. just don’t call me late for dinner….

“A little nonsense now and then, is cherished by the wisest men.” — Willie Wonka

It is an established fact that nonsense has saved my sanity on a number of occasions, too, so, we’re rather fond of it around here…. Not that we depend on it very often, but, it serves us well, and is always welcome…. In this particular case, it has saved us from the ignominious display of maudlin reminiscence, or otherwise mildly embarrassing emotionally-charged crap that might otherwise have ensued…. Whew! It may not be apparent, ffolkes, but, we just dodged a big bullet, I think…. So big, I think we’d best get on with this, if we have any hope of ever getting done…..

Shall we Pearl?

“He who knows does not speak, He who speaks does not know.” — Lao Tzu

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

In an attempt to maintain some balance, let’s go with a bit more nonsense, okay?…. Okay!…. This is just about as much nonsense as can be found; these fools need no introduction, I should think…


The Three Stooges — Three Little Pirates (1946)

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“The one duty we owe to history is to rewrite it.” — Oscar Wilde, _Intentions_, “The Critic as Artist.”

I would bet that 99% of Americans alive today are completely unaware that they are at war, not with any foreign powers that wish to destroy our way of life, but, with various branches of their own government, which has been treating them as adversaries since the end of WWII, when the NSA first began its ongoing campaign to monitor ALL communications between ALL people in the ENTIRE world….

At this point, they have been approximately, (from what I can surmise from what information is available…) 75% effective in learning methods to intercept and utilize the information that is exchanged between people, via telephone, snail mail, email, internet data transfers, even private conversations, face to face, in almost any place, anywhere in the world, if they so desire…. It takes extreme measures to communicate with anyone without them having access to the information that is sent and received; a very few encrypted systems, and a very few physical places on the planet which are safe from their eyes, ears, and electronic surveillance technology….

Be afraid…. be very afraid..

Still not convinced?…. Try reading this, and some of what has come before in this saga….

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2014/dec/26/aclu-nsa-documents-christmas-eve-lessens-impact

Well, duh! Of course they did…. After the article, there is a group of good articles summarizing timeline events in the ongoing saga of the NSA, and its ongoing war against the American public…. as well as the people of the entire world…. Nobody is safe from their prying, at all, and they continue to distract, hide, and fight any attempts to either rein them in, or shut them down…. But, then, what did we expect? Moral, ethical behavior? From the same people who have been doing this for over 65 years?…. I think it’s more than a bit naive to expect any such thing….

I wish I could come up with a solution that didn’t involve killing them all; that only plays into their strengths, and puts me at their level, karmically speaking…. Not going there, yet…. The day may come, but, for now, I’ll keep on shouting out whenever I see their chicanery, and encourage any and all trouble we can give them in return, without abrogating my own standards…. a tough row to hoe, but, been there, done that, so, oh well….

I had thought to let this go at this point, but, the following article caught my eye, as more proof of the lies, and the disregard for our rights that has been the hallmark of this “transparent” administration, under which we have lost more of our freedoms, than under any previous president…. and that, sadly, includes BOTH of the Shrubs…. This article describes how little they care anymore; they aren’t even bothering to pretend not to be hiding information….

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2014/12/the-nsas-ongoing-effort-to-hide-its-lawbreaking/384079/?single_page=true

Excerpted from the article:

“These actions do not represent mere violations of NSA policies… but willful violations of the law… If you, citizen, were caught illegally using an NSA database to check up on that girl you met on OkCupid, what do you think would happen?

Do you reckon that you’d get a cease-and-desist letter — or that you’d be scooped up by a team of thick-necked men with very short haircuts and dumped in the darkest oubliette Uncle Sam has available? …This is an inversion of the right order. In a sane society, people entrusted with state power — from NSA agents down to traffic cops — would be held to a higher standard rather than a lower one, and sanctioned more severely for wrongdoing rather than less.”

“The contest for ages has been to rescue liberty from the grasp of executive power.” — Daniel Webster

Unfortunately, ffolkes, it’s too late; this happened a few years ago, when the Supreme Court sided with Wall Street, and approved the formation of Super PAC’s as legitimate organizations, with full sanction to spend unlimited amounts of money to influence the election process…. The Supremes, you see, were one of the first branches to fall under the influence of corporate money, back in the 1800’s when they first approved the laws that made corporations “people”, ensuring that corporate rights would be preserved over those of humans….

Oh well…. Since there’s nothing to be done now, unless I want to buy a gun, I guess I’ll just go have a whiskey, or twelve, and try to forget it for a while…. Well, that, or I’ll find more articles, and be back again to rail against the assholes who are killing us all, and don’t care, as long as they can get theirs….

“How many Kennedys does it take to change a light bulb? None, at least until we get some corroborating witnesses.”– Smart Bee

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This is another of my own poems, recently rediscovered, so to speak…. I thought at first this was a different poem, but, the title is a metaphor, which I’d forgotten…. It refers to Asininnies, and their shenanigans on the public stage, not the weather….

From 9/18/2012:

November Dreams of Spring

Crass and cold, the beggar finds me swollen, so frail and fat
with painful stepping motions, running, like a Republicrat.
Building with straw and spittle, should artists come aground,
we all pay heavily, a billion for a bloody pound.

Too desperate, too ashamed to play such a part
We ask for belief, and sweet liberty, dressing up so smart.
It falls between the simple cracks, always in a hurry
To find a shrunken ego, ashen, swift, and full of worry.

Never there was a more penitent group, such a sterling way
To fast in luxury, making sure the guilty enter, but do not stay.
Forgotten gods can find their diffident suitors tonight
With dream-fitted convention, and a natural sense of delight.

For all the silken babies cried, to see the broken dreams of power
forgiven moments of certitude serve, filling up the maiden’s bower.
All the patient, loving veterans of ancient foreign time,
give up their first impressions, dying, dying for a rhyme.

~~ gigoid ~~


Odd, isn’t it, how we sometimes fall into a trance to write…. or, maybe that’s just me…. ah well, regardless, enjoy!….

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The pearl you see below is one of the special ones… I know because it picked itself, so to speak…. It’s a bit hard to describe, sometimes, exactly how that works, but, the point to this one is pretty much made clear, if nowhere else, at the ending…. Enjoy, ffolkes, it’s all pretty good food for thought…. Personally, I like number five, too….

“Fear is strange soil. Mainly it grows obedience like corn, which grows in rows and makes weeding easy. But sometimes it  grows the potatoes of defiance, which flourish underground.” — Terry Pratchett, _Small Gods_

“Freedom is found in no form of government; it is in the heart of the free man. He takes it with him everywhere. — Smart Bee

“Alienation without must be accompanied by alienation within; that is the law for every social level, even individuals. To harm one’s fellows, even one’s enemies, harms you, takes away some essential element from your self-respect and self-image.” — Greg Bear

“We do not have to visit a madhouse to find disordered minds; our planet is the mental institution of the universe.” — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

“And now here is my secret, a very simple secret; it is only with the heart that one can see rightly, what is essential is invisible to the eye.” — Antoine de Saint-Exupery

“How prone to doubt, how cautious are the wise!” — Alexander Pope (1688-1744) — The Odyssey of Homer, Book xiii, Line 375

“Life is too short for grief. Or regret. Or bullshit.” — Edward Abbey

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It’s done, and, while it remains a surprise, I’m going to take my leave, post haste, stage left, taking my sanity, such as it is, with me…. Not that it is of much use out here in the Big Blue Room, but, at least it’s safe in my pocket…. If things continue to look up, I’ll see y’all 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….


					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Sleeveless jumpers won’t be warm enough….

			
						

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Ffolkes,




“If we let things terrify us, life will not be worth living.”


~~ Seneca, Epistles ~~


potd-bear-fish_3132092k


     It’s raining again here in NorCal; this makes typing somewhat impractical, as it probably bothers the neighbors to hear me screaming in pain as I type…. It’s a bit bothersome for me, as well; I don’t particularly enjoy the noise, either, even though it is MY noise…. Ah well, it’ll all be cut & paste today, ffolkes, you can take that to the bank…. Of course, the bank would tell you to take it home again, but, hey, you get the picture…. (The picture above, of the lucky grizzly bear, by the way, came from the Animal Pictures of the Week in the London Daily Telegraph…)


In spite of the now-expected relative agony of the arthritic pain in my joints, I don’t feel too badly today…. Of course, that will pass, as do all things. If only there were some way to stop the clock, just at that point when I’m feeling relatively normal, (or, as close as I get to that these days….), so I could actually spend some little period of time without the sensation of having my own skeleton screaming at me to MAKE IT STOP!  If only I could…. but, I can’t, so, it must be endured…


I like the opening line today, from Seneca. It is my best answer to all the crap that gets thrown at us by our beloved leaders, when they want us to stop thinking, and just be afraid…. Myself, I refuse to be terrified, of anything…. Terror is merely another name for fear, and fear can always be overcome, if faced, and dealt with in a rational fashion…. If we let it rule our lives, as Seneca points out, it takes over, and life becomes a burden, rather than a joy…. Terrible indeed, especially when one considers it is all a manufactured issue in the first place….


Since, however, we are IN the first place (i.e., the intro section), we shan’t rant about that now… In fact, I won’t be ranting at all today, as this little bit of typing here at the front is already causing problems…. My hands keep falling asleep at the wheel, so to speak, and I have to stop, shake them out, and regain the feeling before carrying on…. Not the easiest technique I’ve come up with, to be sure… In fact, it isn’t working for me at all today, and I’m done with it…. Hold on, ffolkes, this will be a sharp turn….


Shall we Pearl?


“Ignorance can be cured.  Stupid is forever.” — Smart Bee


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Whenever I have an hour to spare, nothing provides me with more entertainment than one of these episodes from the old BBC series…. Jeremy Brett was born to play Sherlock, and, to my mind, appears to be having the time of his life whenever he is portraying the great detective…. He plays the part with such enthusiasm, it MUST have been great fun…. In turn, he makes it fun to watch…. Enjoy….




The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes – S07E02 – The Dying Detective





































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Yesterday, I ranted against the Dogma Dogs…. Today, it’s raining; this precludes a fresh rant, as my hands are currently revolting, in more than merely one sense…. Here then, is an older rant, with the other major category of Asininnies as the primary target…. It’s as true today as it was almost two years ago, when it was fresh and new….


From 2/18/2013:


PRESIDENCY, n.  The greased pig in the field game of American politics. — Ambrose Bierce, “The Devil’s Dictionary”


You can’t see me, but I have this big smile on my face…. It has been there since I first read this, this morning, and has flashed on each time I see it…. I had forgotten just how funny, and how eerily accurate, as well as wonderfully sarcastic, the Devil’s Dictionary could be….. In either case, this is some funny stuff, and is a perfect example of how Ambrose somehow obtained a direct line to the future of this country, in order to be able to so exactly describe how our modern system has evolved, and demonstrate how it has become, rather than high comedy, an example of low farce….


Of late, you’ve seen me put out a lot of words on the Beloved Ruling Class (BRC), and the priestly hierarchies, those two entities I hold responsible for the miserable conditions that most of our society is forced to endure, and whom I also hold responsible for the danger of species extinction that we face… It is their narcissistic insistence on having it all for themselves that has put our entire species at risk, along with a large number of other species, who will also be affected by the mess we’ve created in the environment. I keep on shouting, even though it mostly feels as if I’m shouting into the wind, because, in all honesty, I don’t want to die…. I’d like my kids to have a chance to live their entire lives, too, and perhaps even have some hope of a future for their own children…. Currently, there isn’t much hope of that…..


Yes, ffolkes, there isn’t much time left to get this done…. Every second, more and more tons of particulate matter are being poured into the air, and the cumulative effects have actually, finally, reached the critical flash point that ecologists have predicted for years…. Soon, plants that provide oxygen to the air will begin to die, (actually, they are dying as I write this…. as I said, it is late in the game….) and the balance of oxygen and carbon monoxide in the air will start to rapidly change, until it is unbreathable for us, and for all the other mammals, sea creatures, and plant life-forms that are dependent on the levels of those substances as they are now…. This process isn’t unknown….. we have been warned about it, now, for going on 50 years, or more, since the effects were first noted….


But, nobody who cared to do anything about it was listening, and still today, there aren’t anywhere near enough of our BRC who are convinced of the risk, so virtually NOTHING has, or is being done to resolve the issue…. Instead, it is subjected to massive denial on the part of almost every government in the world. They, and most people, have no idea that the bill for our idiocy is about to be presented, and we left our wallet in our other pants….. I think it’s obvious the Universe doesn’t take checks, or give credit…..


I wish I knew the proper sequence of words to use, the words that would inflame the masses, that would inspire the world to rise up, and throw off the yoke of oppression that the 1% has fitted us with, to finally give them their just desserts, and save our own asses in the process…. Alas, I don’t seem to have them in me…. not yet, anyway…. There are probably a few ffolkes out there who agree with me, and would help, if they also knew what to do, or say, to get things started…. But, mostly, I think I’m either shouting into the wind, or preaching to the choir….


In either case, it doesn’t seem to be helping much, other than keeping me from losing my sense of perspective, and actively going out hunting, to try to at least thin the ranks of the ones who are causing the problems…. That would make me feel better, for sure, but, I’m not ready to live the rest of my life on the run, so, I’ll save that option for when things are even worse than they are now….


I’ll also keep shouting, even if it’s into the wind, because I’m also not ready to give in to despair, and loss of hope. Call me stubborn, call me irresponsible (you’d be wrong in that, but, hey, it’s a free country…. mostly….), but don’t call me late for dinner. Also, don’t call me to help you further any of the agenda items that I see on the part of those in power, because I can guarantee that would put me over the edge, and you would be right there, in the explosive field of destruction when I went off…. If you want help to work against anything they’ve started, I’m there….  In the meantime, keep your powder dry, and your field of fire clear…. This final pearl explains why….


“If we don’t survive, we don’t do anything else.” — John Sinclair


And one more, just because there must always be hope, or life isn’t worth living…


“In a just cause the weak o’ercome the strong.” — Sophocles (496-406 BC) — Oedipus Coloneus, 880


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The poem in my head isn’t being cooperative about coming out, so, here is one from a few months ago, that seems to fit in well with the theme from today’s rant…. I know that when I wrote this, I felt MUCH better afterward…..






A Few Words of Note


In place of ranting and raving about assholes every day

maybe I’ll try something more fun.

Rather than throwing words at all the assholes on public pay

I’ll switch to shooting at them, with a gun….


Should I actually hit one, purely by mistake,

maybe it would wake them up.

Maybe, if they had to think, or actually cut us a break,

we’d see a chance to win at life, to take a step up. 


Our nation, such as it is today, was founded by men who told the truth;

that morality disappeared long ago.

Simple ethical strength so bright, so prevalent in our country’s youth

was soon corrupted, corporate interests now run the show.


Nothing would please me more than to fire off some rounds,

if only to gain their attention.

But, I can no longer run, I’ve gained too many pounds;

so, my keyboard and intellect must serve to fulfill my intention.


I won’t stop, of that you may be sure

I love my freedoms, and the philosophy from which it springs.

Tom, and Ben, and John, and Pat, those patriots pure

gave me their example, and the inner peace it brings.


If bullets won’t persuade our elected liars to toe the ethical line,

I’ll throw my most powerful words…..

If nothing else, it will make them wriggle to escape, or voice their pitiful whine,

thus exposing themselves for what they are…. plain and simple turds.


~~ gigoid ~~




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Today’s final pearl is one that created itself, in a manner of speaking…. It is a truly old-fashioned pearl, comprised of five brilliant pearls of virtual wisdom which, together, lead one’s thoughts to a particular idea or concept worthy of contemplation…. Well, that’s the theory, anyway…. This one, brilliant as it is, is somewhat obscure, but, with the proper flexibility of mind, is well worth the effort to decode…. Enjoy, and, be aware… This one WILL be on the Quiz, which we all will be given, at the end of Time….


“As Caesar was at supper the discourse was of death,–which sort was the best. “That,” said he, “which is unexpected.” — Plutarch (46-120 AD) — Caesar


“The world has taken on a thickness of vulgarity that raises a spiritual man’s contempt to the violence of a passion.” — Charles Baudelaire


“It is important that man dreams, but it is perhaps equally important that he can laugh at his own dreams.” — Lin Yutang


“For himself doth a man work evil in working evils for another.” — Hesiod (c. 700 BC) — Works and Days, Line 265


“Anaxagoras said to a man who was grieving because he was dying in a foreign land, “The descent to Hades is the same from every place.” — Diogenes Laertius (c. 200 AD) — Anaxagoras, vi


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Well, there you have it…. “A drunkard’s dream, if I ever did see one!” Since we seem to be somewhere up near Cripple Creek, without the proverbial paddle in hand, we’d no doubt be wise to take our leave, while we may…. This rain has to stop some time, doesn’t it? We ARE supposedly in the midst of a drought here in California… but, you couldn’t tell by the last week or so of weather. Ah well, Life goes on, until it doesn’t. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, if’n we can find our way back 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….







		
	
					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Visions of twisted shorts….

			
						

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Ffolkes,




“A man who fears suffering is already suffering from what he fears.”


~~ Montaigne ~~


pluto-new-horizons-art


     In the past two weeks, or a bit more, I’ve been experiencing an entirely new kind of pain, to add to the already ample amount I have each day from my back, and hips…. The weather seems to aggravate the arthritis, so, during the times when the barometer is reflecting the conditions which bring us precipitation, my hands, shoulders, and skeleton at large have begun to ache, severely, for long periods of time, ultimately reaching what seems to be a crescendo of pain, where my entire skeleton sings to me of its agony, in no uncertain terms…..


This pain is quite rude, too, in that it pretty much ignores anything I take for it…. The only help seems to come from edible cannabinoids, which is problematic, in that the dose needed to deter some of the effects of the aching joints is sufficient to make me very drowsy, and ready to sleep…. That might be okay, but, it happens in the middle of the day just as often as at night, and I can only sleep so much before even THAT causes more pain, from lying down too long….


Getting these Pearls done has been a nightmare of some proportion, much of the time…. I work on them a day ahead, doing as much as I can before the morning, so I don’t have to do much but write a few lines of introduction, then cut & paste the rest into the right formats for email, and for WordPress…. It seems to me to be a choppy way to compose, but, it’s been working, mostly, so, and, since I don’t have any choice, I’m good with it, as long as my readers are…. Not that there are so many of them it would cause a huge reaction, should I cease to write altogether…. my reason for writing isn’t for them, anyway…. I still don’t know where I’d be if not for this blog; getting a lot of this stuff out of my head has kept me sane for some time now….


So, why am I relating all this, which is probably TMI, anyway? I’m not sure, unless it’s to warn y’all I may not post every day from now on…. If I don’t, it will be because I am unable to write, not unwilling; I just wanted to make that clear…. It isn’t anything anyone should worry about; my pain is here to stay, so, it’s just something I must learn to deal with, no matter how bad it gets….. There is no cure for what ails me, as it goes along with aging…. and there’s no turning back the clock…. I don’t intend to let it keep me from doing what I want to do, so, I’m the one who must learn to cope with its effects….


That said, anyone out there who feels I should do things differently is welcome to say how; I probably won’t listen, but, you’re welcome to chime in with any suggestions you may have…. I’m of an age, and curmudgeon enough, I’ll most likely ignore anything that doesn’t fit in with what I already am doing, but, I’m compassionate enough to know it is well-intended, and will try not to make fun, or be derogatory in my responses…. It’s hard to be nice right now, much of the time, so, I do try to mitigate my responses to reflect less of my mood….


This much typing has taken me almost an hour, in short spurts, and I see I could keep going for almost ever…. but, I won’t…. I’ll mention that the picture, from Space.com, is an artist’s rendition of the Pluto research satellite, which NASA launched years ago; the craft has just been awakened from its hibernation to begin its research, as it is approaching the fly-by range of its cameras, coming ever closer to Pluto, and its companion moon/satellite, Charon after a long voyage from Earth orbit, through the entire solar system…. We humans are on the verge of real space travel, with the only question remaining the question of whether or not we will be extinct before we can get there….


For now, though, I’ve got a Pearl to finish, though it be made much of older, archived material…. which is all my hands will allow today….


Shall we Pearl?


“Slight not what’s near through aiming at what’s far.” — Euripides


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Just a bit of easy listening to get me through the morning….







50 Golden Moments of Classical Music – The Best of Baroque – Klassische Musik 


































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Earth felt the wound; and Nature from her seat,

Sighing through all her works, gave signs of woe

That all was lost.


~~ John Milton (1608-1674) — Paradise Lost, Book ix, Line 782~~




http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/12/09/us-usa-cia-torture-idUSKBN0JM24I20141209?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews


http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/dec/09/truth-guantanamo-torture-abu-wael-dhiab


Due to my inability to write enough to rant today, here is a shortened rant/old-school pearl from the archives, to highlight the idiocy/insanity implied in the above two articles, just two of hundreds on the subject in the news yesterday…. SIGH…. Same shit, different day….


From 8/9/2012:


Since I have already ranted, I’ll save you from another right away by giving this old school pearl…. These quotations all point in the same direction, and will lead eventually to yet another fine reason to mistrust the beloved ruling class…..




Then came the churches,

 then came the schools,

 then came the lawyers,

 then came the rules.


~~ Mark Knopfler ~~




“A man cannot be too careful in the choice of his enemies.” — Oscar Wilde (1854-1900), “The Picture of Dorian Grey”, 1891


“People are always talking about tradition, but they forget we have a tradition of a few hundred years of nonsense and stupidity, that there is a tradition of idiocy, incompetence and crudity.” — Hugo Demartini, in “Contemporary Artists”, 1977


“People are very open-minded about new things  — as long as they’re exactly like the old ones.” — Charles F. Kettering


The Government is my shepherd, I shall not work. It maketh me to lie down on good jobs. It leadeth me beside the still factories. It destroyeth my initiative;  It leadeth me in the paths of the parasite for politics sake; Yea, though I walk in the valley of Deficit Spending, I will fear no evil, For the Government is with me; its doles and its vote-getters they comfort me.  It prepareth an Economic Utopia for me by appropriating the earnings of my grandchildren.  It filleth my head with baloney, my inefficiency runneth over;  Surely the Government shall care for me all the days of my life And I shall live in a Fool’s Paradise forever. — The Government’s 23rd Psalm


“By definition, a government has no conscience. Sometimes it has a policy, but nothing more.” — Albert Camus


No matter how you vote, a government still gets elected. — Smart Bee


That should about do it, I think….. if nothing else, one may get a clear picture of how I feel about government…..


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To go along with the above (not a) rant, and today’s apparent theme(s), here is another fine poem from Ogden Nash, telling it like it is….




À Bas Ben Adhem


My fellow man I do not care for.

I often ask me, What’s he there for?

The only answer I can find

Is, Reproduction of his kind.

If I’m supposed to swallow that,

Winnetka is my habitat.

Isn’t it time to carve Hic Jacet

Above that Reproduction racket?


To make the matter more succinct:

Suppose my fellow man extinct.

Why, who would not approve the plan

Save possibly my fellow man?

Yet with a politician’s voice

He names himself as Nature’s choice.


The finest of the human race

Are bad in figure, worse in face.

Yet just because they have two legs

And come from storks instead of eggs

They count the spacious firmament

As something to be charged and sent.


Though man created cross-town traffic,

The Daily Mirror, News and Graphic,

The pastoral fight and fighting pastor,

And Queen Marie and Lady Astor,

He hails himself with drum and fife

And bullies lower forms of life.


Not that I think much depends

On how we treat our feathered friends,

Or hold the wrinkled elephant

A nobler creature than my aunt.

It’s simply that I’m sure I can

Get on without my fellow man. 


~~ Ogden Nash ~~




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


This is the only fresh pearl today; even this was picked out in that haphazard fashion necessitated by dealing with unrelenting pain…. It didn’t come out too badly for all that, I think…. but, you can make your own judgment on that, can’t you?….


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


“Our virtues and vices spring from one root.” — Goethe (1749-1832)


“The person who knows how to laugh at himself will never cease to be amused.” — Shirley Maclaine


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


“It is impossible for a man to be cheated by anyone but himself.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson


“A noble spirit disdaineth the malice of fortune; his greatness of Soul is not to be cast down.” — Akhenaton? (c. B.C. 1375)


“Most powerful is he who has himself in his own power.” — Seneca


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


I suppose I should finish this…. By the time I finished that last pearl, I had to take a long break, to feel my hands again…. Never mind…. I’m done, and I can’t, at this point, say whether or not I’ll be back tomorrow…. I hope so, but, I’m not going to get my hopes up…. if you know what I mean…. See ya, ffolkes, some time or another…. maybe….




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….





					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
We boil the spread sheets, but, all clip art gets baked….

			
						

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Ffolkes,




“Nothing can be done at once hastily and prudently.”


~~ Publius Syrus (42 BC) — Maxim 557 ~~


POTD_Crew_Space_Tr_3124538k


     I’ve  been using a lot of space photos lately; this one is an artist’s rendering of the newest NASA manned spaceflight capsule, the Orion, as it docks at the ISS. Having always been a space flight enthusiast, an amateur astronomer, and a reader of science fiction, it all fascinates me. I had originally intended to study astronomy or astrophysics in college, and always wanted to be an astronaut, every since the very first manned flights, back in the early 60’s….. I even made a personal vow, at age 11, that I would not die on Earth, but, would be buried on another planet, even if only the Moon…. A bit fanciful, but, I still mean to try to survive long enough to get off Earth at least once….


Chances are getting slim that will ever happen, but, hey, a man has to have a dream, right? My dreams these days involve survival of the species, mostly, as that seems to me to be our most pressing circumstance, as humans…. We don’t have much time left, if any, to make an effort to establish ourselves on another planet, or planetoid, by which, I refer to moons, asteroids, comets, etc…. There are lots of places in our solar system containing abundant natural resources, easy enough for us to find and utilize, though not all of them are other planets…. In fact, there are fewer obstacles to overcome in order to colonize the asteroids than we may encounter trying to live on Mars…. It is amazing how much EASIER it is to live without gravity getting in the way, technologically speaking…..


Whether we try to establish colonies on Mars, the asteroids, our own Moon, Luna, or the moons of Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, and Uranus, (of which there are more than a hundred….), it is becoming more imperative each day that we make some sort of decision, and get started on doing so, without any further delay….. We don’t have a lot of time before living on this planet will become an even greater technological challenge than living in space, with no gravity, and abundant solar and nuclear power, an existence made much easier to maintain than here on Earth. where we will see the necessity to find or manufacture our own air, food, and water…. None of these are impossible tasks, but, they won’t happen unless we first admit the danger, and the necessity to establish more bases for humanity to survive, in various points around the solar system…. If we continue to confine ourselves to one planet, we won’t survive at all….


Okay, I’ve now ranted, though it may not seem as if I have…. It sort of crept up on all of us I think…. After looking over what I’ve written above, I can’t say there is anything missing, or flawed, so, it will do, both as an intro, and as a mini-rant…. I didn’t mean to start out so strongly, but, the picture got me going; a view of the infinity of space will always stimulate my mind’s eye, pointing it toward the possible futures we may experience…. The planetary environmental crisis here on Earth is worsening each day, with new weather patterns being noted all over the world…. The coming year is predicted to be the warmest our planet has EVER experienced, according to all the historical and environmental evidence there is to be found, and we still don’t know how that will affect us, or the rest of our planet’s ecological balance…


Before I hare off in another direction, with a new rant on a new, related issue, I think I’ll take this opportunity to get us out of the intro, and down the line to the video section…. Today’s Pearl is going to be a fairly fresh one, even if the rant section may have to go with an archived piece; I don’t like to rant twice, and this is already enough to make ffolkes uneasy, I’m sure…. We’ll see how it goes when I get there…. for now, I see our turn coming up, so, put your liquid refreshments in their holders, tighten your belts, and hang on, because we’re going in…..


Shall we Pearl?….


“Man is a rational animal who always loses his temper when he is called upon to act in accordance with the dictates of reason.” — Oscar Wilde


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


Okay, so, what did you expect? More cats? No way; I don’t like to repeat myself…. Today, you get PUPPIES!….







The Cutest Puppies Compilation 


































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


I went through the news yesterday, where I found the BRC, and the Asininnies, to be in full control. The news is mostly concentrating on the race issues brought to the surface of the nation’s attention, stimulated by the recent court failures to prosecute police officers who kill citizens. While this is, of course, an issue that must be addressed, it does focus attention  elsewhere than on the actions of our leaders, thus giving them the time and space to hide their true agendas from public view, by acting clandestinely to secure their aims…. The lack of any other news of significance is a sure sign that things are worse than they seem….


So much so, I am unable to find a reason to rant…. Oh, it’s not as if there isn’t any subject to rant about; the problem is that there are too MANY subjects to choose from, each of which represents yet another way the predators who prey on society are displaying their lack of compassion for any of the other members of their species, using them simply as a means of consolidating their own powers. To anyone with more than two neurons working together, it is quite obvious; to those who base their lives on accepting what they are told, nothing is amiss, at all…. After all, it’s Christmas, right?


Rather than spend eight or ten paragraphs trying, once again, to bring their chicanery to the attention of anyone happening by to read, I’m putting together an old-school indictment, to indicate to those who come by, exactly where they can see for themselves just how badly we are all being screwed, by those who would have us believe in their altruism…. which, in fact, does not exist at all…. So, here are some observations about those assholes who would be king…. Pay close attention, ffolkes, and any of you folks who might see this; it’s all true as the day….. Let’s see how vicious we can be this early in the day, shall we?….




One murder made a villain,

Millions a hero. Princes were privileged

To kill, and numbers sanctified the crime.


~~ Beilby Porteus (1731-1808) — Death, Line 154 ~~




“The truth is often a terrible weapon of aggression.  It is possible to lie, and even to murder, with the truth.” — Alfred Adler (1870-1937)


“The question is, why are politicians so eager to be president?  What is it about the job that makes it worth revealing, on national television, that you have the ethical standards of a slime-coated piece of industrial waste?”  — Dave Barry, On Presidential Politics


“The American Republic and American business are Siamese twins; they came out of the same womb at the same time; they are born in the same principles, and when American business dies, the American republic will die, and when the American Republic dies, American business will die.” — Josiah W. Bailey


“In many if not most elections, the consequences come to about the same  result as two bald men fighting over a comb. Whichever one gets elected is  going to commission the design of a new comb, and it is going to be expensive. Of course, most government expenditures are not as significant as the purchase of a new comb, but the point is made.” — Smart Bee


JUSTICE, n.  A commodity which is a more or less adulterated condition the State sells to the citizen as a reward for his allegiance, taxes and personal service. — Ambrose Bierce, “The Devil’s Dictionary”


“Politics is a pendulum whose swings between anarchy and tyranny are fueled by perennially rejuvenated illusions.” — Albert Einstein


And remember, let’s do it to them before they do it to us. — Final line, US Senate Oath of Office


“Man is descended from a hairy, tailed quadruped, probably arboreal in its habits…  For my part I would as soon be descended from [a] baboon … as from a savage who delights to torture his enemies … treats his wives like slaves … and is haunted by the grossest suspicions.” — Charles Darwin (1809-1882)


“Giving power and money to the government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys.” — P.J. O’Rourke, former Gulf War correspondent, summing up what he learned during two years of research on how our government functions


“It is terrible to contemplate how few politicians are hanged.” — G. K. Chesterton, The Cleveland Press, 3/1/21


Well, it took eleven pearls, but, I think we finally achieved the proper degree of disdain and vituperation…. If not, we can always try again tomorrow….


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


Just to keep this all in my court, here is another old one of my own….




Random Visions/Coloring Between the Lines of Grief


Everywhere is dark, and shining,

    with points in dissonant pain.

Sharp, senses dull past divining,

   tears burn, a torrential rain.


Escape! Flee within to cower,

    find an unconscious cave.

Call on Morpheus’ power

    deny reality’s beckoning wave.


Light breaks, drawing the inner eye,

    leading to the slippery slope.

Risk is critical, we may only sigh,

   yet welcome, for bringing hope.


Sanity seems far out of reach

    Insanity’s a stronger friend.

Decisions made will merely teach

    our way toward Death to wend. 


Lost, while still on familiar ground,

    the future yet undesigned.

Making way on paths unfound,

    to Now, as yet undefined.


~~ gigoid ~~




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


Okay, not bad…. All that is left now is to put together an old school pearl…. I’m getting a bit dazed and confused; it happens sometimes when the news is making me nervous with its lack of stuff to write about; I’m always concerned the Asininnies are busy behind the scenes, preparing more nasty surprises for us, usually springing their crap on Monday mornings, when everyone is busy worrying about getting back to work…. I think I’ll let Smart Bee pick out the rest…. I’ve chosen the the first two pearls, and SB will choose the other five; for fun, you can try to pick out the two I put in, to see if it is as obvious to you as it is to me…. or, you may just enjoy them, taking the meaning as you may….


“If I do not do it now, when shall I do it?” — Dogen Zenji


“Anacharsis said a man’s felicity consists not in the outward and visible favours and blessings of Fortune, but in the inward and unseen perfections and riches of the mind.” — Plutarch (46-120 AD) — The Banquet of the Seven Wise Men, 11


“Here is the beginning of philosophy: a recognition of the conflicts between men, a search for their cause, a condemnation of mere opinion, and the discovery of a standard of judgment.” — Epictetus


“If a man take no thought about what is distant, he will find sorrow near at hand.” — Confucius


“Food for thought is no substitute for the real thing.” — Walt Kelly, Putluck Pogo


Well…. There you go. A nearly perfect five-star pearl, to balance the eleven-star version above…. of which I will say this; I could have made that one even longer. There seems to be no end of quotes vilifying the Asininnies; they’ve been a pain in society’s collective ass for a long time… But. these five sparkling gems almost balance out the dirt they tend to toss around….


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


Okay, so much for another morning…. Given the amount of pain in my hands and shoulder, I’m astounded I got this done at all…. I have yet to proof it, but, it felt as if it actually had something worthwhile to say, even if it didn’t say it as well as I might like… Nonetheless, it got said, so, that will have to do for another day…. Living up to that initial quote, from our old friend, Publius Syrus, was harder than it seemed; still, perseverance, as is its habit, managed to win the day…. I’ll see y’all tomorrow, ffolkes…. Well, that’s my intention, 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….





					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
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Ffolkes,




“What is food to one man may be fierce poison to others.” 


~~ Lucretius (95-55 BC) — De Rerum Natura, iv, 637 ~~


Day 5 015


     The choice of whether to write about the opening quote, or the picture that comes below it, can be a true conundrum, one I generally ignore in favor of my own silliness, or the random blather that so often marks these introductions. Today, I will choose the picture, one of my own, because of the thought that occurred to me as I viewed it this morning….


That thought centered on the church in the picture, surrounded, as it is, by the seemingly limitless row houses, each with its complement of flats and apartments, and each of those filled with a number of low-income Irish folks, who probably work in or around the water, attending the church on Sunday. I am struck, each time I look at these pictures of Cobh, the port town near the city of Cork, in Ireland, at the sheer opulence of the church, as opposed to the shabby houses that dot the hills all around it…


It makes a perfect example of what is wrong in our world, a place where the minds and efforts of the general run of men are focused more on the rewards they expect in the next life, and not on the problems we have in this one…. It makes a perfect visual metaphor for how we continue to have the same issues dog us, year after year, century after century, while we insist there is nothing wrong at all. The Asininnies and the Dogma Dogs have the population of the Earth so bamboozled, they will believe almost anything told to them, if it has the proper provenance, and is uttered by a talking head, either at the podium in church, or on a TV with a national flag behind them….


Ah me, I’ve stumbled again, haven’t I? Ranting before my coffee has settled in my tummy…. With nary a joke, nor a helpful cliche to smooth the way, I’ve no doubt already driven half my potential readers to another blog, without ever getting out of the intro section…. I must be an idiot, which would put me right into the same category with everyone else in the world wouldn’t it? Oh well, at least we didn’t sustain any serious injuries (unless y’all aren’t sharing with us….), or, for that matter, leave a trail of body parts behind us…. not yet, anyway. Nor do we plan to do so, unless, of course, we can’t avoid it…. Sometimes, the sight of the vehicle can cause a bit of panic among the denizens, and they’ll riot, but, as long as we maintain altitude, it won’t bother us….


I’ve about gotten to the desired point; in fact, we’re here. Since we have become more ruthless in our approach to these intros, it has made it easier, mostly, to get us where we need to go…. Well, mostly it just keeps us from getting off the track so far, but, that helps, too. For now, it’s enough to know, and to say, here we are, so, please hang on, while we navigate this rather tricky turn, right around the herd of peacefully grazing metaphorical logic bombs…. A beautiful sight, eh, what?…. Oops, better duck, ffolkes, low bridge a’comin’!….


Shall we Pearl?


“But the only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible.” — Arthur C. Clarke (1917- 2008) — Profiles of the Future (1962; rev. 1973) — “Hazards of Prophecy: The Failure of Imagination”


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


Today’s video selection is another comic; this one is also a special kind of guy, like George Carlin. His approach is similar, but, entirely different, if you know what I mean…. If not, that’s okay. You’re gonna laugh anyway, because he’s funny as hell…. Enjoy, ffolkes….




Eddie Izzard – Dress to Kill







































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


“Time has only a relative existence.” — Carlyle (1795-1881)


I’m afraid a fresh rant is out of the question today…. I spent most of yesterday, right up until arising today, buried in intermittent, damn-near=intolerable pain, mostly in my hands, and shoulder joints, with some help from the hips and lower back, just to keep it interesting for me, I guess… It pretty well shot the whole day, after posting in the morning, an event made more difficult by the pain, for sure…. The act of typing has become a struggle, to get my thoughts down on the screen, while nursing the fingers through the aching to get it done…. Not as easy to do as to say/type, trust me….


So, nothing fresh today, but, I have time, so I’ll try to find something not too long…. Ah, perfect…. ‘Tis not a rant, for sure. ‘Tis just an old-school pearl, actually a Pearl, taken whole from the post for the listed day….. This was the original format of the Pearls of Virtual Wisdom (they have gone through at least three format transformations over the three-plus years on this site…); what you see here was the entire post for the date…. It isn’t a rant but it’s not bad, and it takes up the appropriate amount of space and time…. so be it…


From 8/22/2011, entitled, “A Different Sort of Hermaphrodite“:


Ffolkes,


This is definitely a different sort….it floats. Of course if it didn’t we’d just have to find one, of fix one, that would show the same characteristics. It’s a dirty, lonely job, but, somebody has to hate it, so why not us? It’s not as if they aren’t paying us well, right?…..And if it was so bad we couldn’t take it, it would just fall to someone who didn’t know the right way to hold one. So let’s have no more nonsense; just get in there and grab it by the toe and start twisting…..right? Alrighty then…..


The foregoing was brought to you with support from a grant by a local drug dealer with delusions of adequacy. He’s trying to buy his way into respectable society; we don’t think he’ll ever be accepted, but that is no reason we can’t take his money, since we’re doing something about all the lost souls he creates. We turn them into body slaves for sick old men and women who have never been treated for their bipolar disorder. It’s just another public service that we don’t much talk about, because it’s embarrassing to have everyone fawning over us. People sometimes have no dignity…….


Okay, enough fooling around, let’s get down to some serious literature……well, I guess we would, if I could think of something serious. Somehow this morning my brain is refusing to wrap itself around anything too heavy; hence the above two short paragraphs of…….hmm, well of whatever they are. Can’t seem to come up with a description, which isn’t surprising; it’s pretty far out in left field. I suppose we should come in out of the cold now, so with no further ado, I give you today’s Pearls of Virtual Wisdom. Remember to wash up afterward…..


“I once wanted to save the world. Now I just want to leave the room with dignity.” — Lotus Weinstock  (I can definitely relate…..)


“Cogito cogito ergo cogito sum — “I think that I think, therefore I think that I am.” — Ambrose Bierce, “The Devil’s Dictionary”


“He who has a WHY to live for can bear with almost any HOW.” — F. Nietzsche


“Just as a cautious businessman avoids investing all his capital in one concern, so wisdom would probably admonish us also not to anticipate all our happiness from one quarter alone.” — Sigmund Freud


“Genius is not a possession of the limited few, but exists in some degree in everyone. Where there is natural growth, a full and free play of faculties,  genius will manifest itself.” — Robert Henri


” — Bother!” said Pooh.  “Eyeore, ready two photon torpedoes and lock phasers on the Heffalump; Piglet, meet me in transporter room three.” — Smart Bee


So, I’m going to end on that note, so I can head down to the transporter room to see them off. Y’all take care out there……


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


Once again, to avoid splashing on anyone else, here is one of my older poems…. Since it’s raining again today, we’ll go with this one…. It’s a bit early, since winter won’t officially begin for three more weeks, but, it’s appropriate to the day, and the way I feel about it…. or, hope to, at some point during the day….






An Old Man, Snoring….


Winter arrives with gusts of wind and rain,

  clover spreads green amongst the hedges.

Urban gardens quiver, and dream of spring again,

  gargoyles stoically crouch on corniced ledges.


Umbrellas sprout over heads shrouded and hatted,

  dotting the sidewalks in colorful profusion.

Urban denizens pose sketches, framed and matted,

  adding casual beauty to fill the illusion.


Hissing tires, swishing along with the wipers

  join nature’s orchestra smoothly, as percussion.

Dripping gutters sound gong tones, true pipers,

  a sudden roar of wind hushes all discussion.


Dreams of summer heat form the crux of desire

  as winter chills our souls from without.

Sitting in warmth, gazing into an imaginary fire;

  content to know spring will come, no doubt.


~~ gigoid ~~




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


Sometimes, putting together a pearl of virtual wisdom becomes an exercise in patience, as well as a perfect real-time example of the old saw, that speaks of how the journey is often more illuminating, and/or satisfying, than the destination…. This took forfuckingever to get done; it’s fortunate that a) I’m retired, and b) I’m stubborn. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have come out as well as it did….


Of course, such a value judgments are perfectly useless, but, nonetheless remain inevitable; we’re all humans here, nothing of which we should be ashamed. In fact, that might just be a good summary of our destination today…. You tell me, if you feel you should; don’t let any subsequent guilt keep you from indulging yourself…. It’s all in good fun, right?…. Well, I’m having fun, so, y’all can do as you like… First, though, read this, and let yourself flow with it to its proper conclusion, whatever form that may take for you….


“To conduct great matters and never commit a fault is above the force of human nature.” — Plutarch (46-120 AD) — Life of Fabius


“Most people would rather give than get affection.” — Aristotle


“No man is rich enough to buy back his past.” — Oscar Wilde (1854-1900)


“What the meaning of human life may be I don’t know; I incline to suspect that it has none.” — H. L. Mencken


“Blessed are the forgetful:  for they get the better even of their blunders.” — Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900)


FRIENDLESS, adj.  Having no favors to bestow.  Destitute of fortune. Addicted to utterance of truth and common sense. — Ambrose Bierce, “The Devil’s Dictionary”


“If possible, try to find a way to come downstairs that doesn’t involve going bump, bump, bump, on the back of your head.” — Pooh in Winnie the Pooh A.A. Milne, English author (1882-1956)


Well, there you go…. I don’t think I could have said it better myself…. But, then, how can one not admire a man who wrote both Winnie the Pooh, and the world’s first, and perhaps ultimately, best, murder mystery? (The Red House Mystery)…. He also was a playwright, and poet….  Gotta love those polymaths, eh?….


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


I think I’ll stop now; I don’t think I’ve got any more in me today. I will apologize in advance if I seem to disappear; I have a feeling I’ll be down and out much of the day, under the influence of copious quantities of pain relieving medicines…. SIGH…. Another day down the tubes, so to speak, though what the tubes may be, I haven’t a clue…. Ah well, that’s nothing new….. 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….





					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Stereotyping promotes bigotry, it’s clear….

			
						

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Ffolkes,




“Neither genius, fame, nor love show the greatness of the soul. 


Only kindness can do that.”


~~ Jean Baptiste Henri Lacordaire ~~


test shotss 003


     Right on time, it seems, yet still clueless. It seems keeping to a strict schedule is no more consistent than being late, or early, for the purposes we attempt to address each morning. Of course, it would help, no doubt, had we any clue as to what KIND of consistency we need, or, for that matter, the purpose we are attempting to fulfill. There is that old saw, about “if you don’t don’t where you’re going, don’t worry, when you get there, you won’t know where you are, anyway”, or some such snarky, condescending bit of doggerel to tell us how much of an idiot we are.. Why is that? Ah well, I guess it makes people feel better to put someone else down for not knowing something basic….


Not that I care overmuch where we end up, as long as all the passengers arrive relatively safely; injury-free is good, too. The insurance guys love that. But, we aren’t always concerned with safety around here; it doesn’t go with the concept of thinking for oneself. Refusing to buy into the crap that most of the world is trying to feed us is a dangerous business; the BRC and the rest of the Asininnies really don’t like it when we do that. They spend a lot of time and money to make sure we’re all stupefied with the pressures of life, handicapped with so many issues to resolve daily we barely have the time to scratch an itch, much less spend a lot of time in wondering what might work better for us…. just the way they like it….


You will please note, at this point, I am stopping myself, deftly heading off what promises to be a rant of some proportion, in order to save the opening section from driving everyone off again…. I try to come out silly, or nonsensical, but, somehow, seem to fall right into ranting by the second paragraph in…. It’s frustrating, but, I think I’m starting to find the rhythm to keep it moving…. If I can just make this turn here, to send us closer to the path we’re supposed to be on by now, we should make it just fine…. Of course, it won’t be the same without Mickey, but, I’ll bet y’all hadn’t even missed him yet….


No, he didn’t get fired; who could fire a mouse of such a gentle nature…. No, Mickey sacrificed himself to a cause yesterday… It’s a long story, and actually, the details are gory enough, we’ll not be sharing them here this morning, lest we not only ruin breakfast, but, lunch, too…. Suffice it to say, Mickey, by allowing himself to be run through that threshing machine, saved the lives of millions of insects, not to mention the President of Disney World, and his entire entourage, who would otherwise have been wiped out completely…. Not bad for a rodent, eh?


Now, then, before anyone tumbles to the metaphor there, I’m going to make an executive decision, to take us out of here via the first available route…. which, as can be seen, is coming up just ahead…. It looks to be a fairly smooth exit this time, so, tightening your seat belts should be sufficient measure to comply with safety regs…. and, if not, well, just hang on to the arms of your seat, and you should be fine…. Hey, look at the bright side…. if anything DOES happen, you’ll be free to sue us down to our socks…. Bonus, right? Right….


Shall we Pearl?


“He who knows nothing, doubts nothing.” — Italian Proverb


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


When I was young, before the age of ten, my mother had a record of Andres Segovia playing classical music on the guitar…. I was impressed by the sounds he made, seemingly echoing an entire orchestra on one instrument…. Needless to say, it gave me an appreciation of the guitar which has been with me ever since, ever growing to include new musical venues which feature the guitar…. Brazilian music has emerged as one of the most well-known genres of modern music to do so, which makes it my pleasure to introduce any of y’all who aren’t familiar with it, to a good example of the finer aspects of human nature…. Enjoy!….






João Luiz e Douglas Lora – Brasil Guitar Duo 










































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


And in your dreams you can see yourself

As a prophet saving the world

The words from your lips

I just can’t believe you are such

A fool.


~~ Frank Zappa, “Oh No” ~~


Politicians. Dogma dogs. Snakeheads. Myrmidons, Pimps. Sleagles. (A newly coined word, to describe sleazy legal eagles, i.e., those lawyers who end up as politicians, or living up to the latest lawyer jokes, not a single one of which I’ve ever heard that wasn’t true as the day…. for most of them, anyway….) To my way of thinking, this list names the six categories of the human species responsible for the greatest part of the misery in this world… These are the real predators of our species, who prey almost exclusively upon their fellow man…. Whether they do so out of sociopathic egotism, misogynistic ignorance and fear, or deliberate choice of evil, these people have usurped human society for their own ends….


In the past 5000 years, these Asininnies, as I call them, have brought us all to the brink of extinction, a fate we cannot escape unless we figure out how to break the hold these assholes have on the resources of the planet, for their own benefit, at the expense of everyone else…. This is not a new viewpoint of the structure of our culture; our most ancient sages speak of the self-same issues, with the same degree of cluelessness as to how to stop them… For example, here is an observation from approximately 2600 years ago:


“Written laws are like spiders’ webs, and will like them only entangle and hold the poor and weak, while the rich and powerful easily break through them.” — Anacharsis (f1. c. 600 B.C.), Scythian philosopher — Quoted in Plutarch, the Lives of the Nobel Grecians and Romans, Solon


These villainous pretenders to the name ‘human’, relatively few in number, compared to the power they wield, are aided in this predatory behavior by willing allies from within the ranks of the less bold, but, no less evil individuals, who act as their sycophants, giving service to the same ideals of selfishness, and personal gain, while pretending to serve the public good…. They do this by encouraging the less intelligent among us to  buy into the delusion of their own special nature, to wit: religion, fostering the attitudes which also lead to nationalism, and the divisiveness that plagues mankind…. The weak, foolish, easily-seduced members of the public are promised they will be rewarded for their submission to authority, with the gift of eternal life, which, for some reason, they actually believe is within their grasp, despite all the obvious evidence to the contrary….


These hypocritical dogma dogs teach unwitting fools to give up their right to think for themselves, usually convincing them of this deliberate lie before they are able to think at all, in childhood, with scary tales of what will happen if they do not submit to the will of God… with more lies to describe the perils of eternal Hell, should they ever think for themselves…. If you need any proof of this assertion, well, it’s right out there where anyone can see it… to wit:


“In much wisdom is much grief; and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.” — Old Testament — Ecclesiastes i, 18


Yet people continue to fall for the same old bullshit stories, because it plays into their laziness, and their need to see themselves as ‘special’, in a universe they do not comprehend, surrounded by fearful sounds and sights, all of which is too hard, and too scary, to try to figure out on their own…. So, they buy into the elitism of being “God’s children”, whether they call God Yahweh, or Allah, or Krishna, or Guan Yin, or any of a hundred other names humans have come up with to try to explain those things they don’t understand…. They do this because it saves them from having to use their minds for anything other than thinking up ways to cheat or steal from their fellows…. which is far easier than working….


I know this sounds somewhat like sour grapes, but, believe me, I don’t miss what I see others have in their faith, at all. Nor do I wish to give up what I know to be true. I have found this truth by gathering my own evidence, upon which I have based all my conclusions; I won’t give it up in order to buy into something that, as far as all the evidence shows, has no existence in the real world; not the one in which I live, anyway…. None of it makes any sense, and never has; it just doesn’t hang together, logically, and is NOT supported by the physical evidence that exists…. But, they never let up the pressure, with sentiments such as this:


“Be not faithless, but believing.” — John 20:27


Such obvious little gems of manipulation typically remind me of how one is treated when trying to buy a car…. You know, when the salesman says something to the effect of “Trust me! Would I lie to you?” I’m often tempted to answer them (both the car salesmen, and the dogma dogs, who try to sell me nonsense…), perfectly truthfully, with a simple “No, thank you. Yes, I’m certain you would.” But, then I think of how much I need the car…. So, I tend to work the salesmen with my own manipulations, to lower the price…. Hey, turnabout’s fair play, right? Right….


Well, perhaps it isn’t exactly honorable to engage in a battle of wits with unarmed persons, but, one has to live in the world, if not of it, so, I figure it’s a wash, as they would do unto me first, unless I did unto them first…. It’s a moral dilemma, I admit, but, I’m on my side, just like everyone else…. Unlike the dogma dogs, whose every word is designed to extend their control over the minds of their constituents, I try not to make others do my will without good cause, an attitude, and a courtesy which, I assure you, is not reciprocated by most of the world’s inhabitants…. Especially if any of them have had legal training, or are heavily dependent upon catechism for their moral state….


“If it weren’t for lawyers, I think we could have invented a universal symbolic representation of reality.” — Smart Bee


I’ve delivered my indictment, and have run out of steam…. Many will say it isn’t soon enough, but, we never listen to them, anyway, so. I’ll just bring this to a close here, and hope for the best…. If nothing else, I got all the anger and angst out far enough to provide me with a bit of peace for a time…. which is the entire purpose of this exercise….


Any of y’all, or any other folks who may drop in to read, who may find this to be new information, are encouraged to follow this line of thought to its logical conclusion, whereupon, you, or they, will be ready to take up arms, and try to help the rest of us kick the assholes to the curb, so we have at least an outside chance of surviving our own idiocy…


If not, well, I suggest you take the following piece of observation to heart, and, at the very least, begin to laugh at the assholes, thus showing them the respect they deserve…. Hell, it can’t hurt, and just may help….


“You have a mongrel perception of humor, nothing more; a multitude of you possess that.  This multitude see the comic side of a thousand low-grade and trivial things — broad incongruities, mainly; grotesqueries, absurdities, evokers of the horse-laugh.  The ten thousand high-grade comicalities which exist in the world are sealed from their dull vision.  Will a day come when the race will detect the funniness of these juvenilities and laugh at them — and by laughing at them destroy them?  For your race, in its poverty, has unquestionably one really effective weapon — laughter.  Power, money, persuasion, supplication, persecution — these can lift at a colossal humbug — push it a little — weaken it a little, century by century; but only laughter can blow it to rags and atoms at a blast.  Against the assault of laughter nothing can stand.  You are always fussing and fighting with your other weapons.  Do you ever use that one?  No; you leave it lying rusting.  As a race, do you ever use it at all?  No; you lack sense and the courage.” — Mark Twain (1835-1910), “The Mysterious Stranger”


So be it….


gigoid has spoken….


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


This poet needs no introduction… All you have to do is read, and enjoy….




Ode


Bards of Passion and of Mirth,

Ye have left your souls on earth!

Have ye souls in heaven too,

Double lived in regions new?

Yes, and those of heaven commune

With the spheres of sun and moon;

With the noise of fountains wound’rous,

And the parle of voices thund’rous;

With the whisper of heaven’s trees

And one another, in soft ease.


Seated on Elysian lawns

Brows’d by none but Dian’s fawns;

Underneath large blue-bells tented,

Where the daisies are rose-scented,

And the rose herself has got

Perfume which on earth is not;

Where the nightingale doth sing

Not a senseless, tranced thing,

But divine melodious truth;

Philosophic numbers smooth;

Tales and golden histories

Of heaven and its mysteries.


Thus ye live on high, and then

On the earth ye live again;

And the souls ye left behind you

Teach us, here, the way to find you,

Where your other souls are joying,

Never slumber’d, never cloying.

Here, your earth-born souls still speak

To mortals, of their little week;

Of their sorrows and delights;

Of their passions and their spites;

Of their glory and their shame;

What doth strengthen and what maim.

Thus ye teach us, every day,

Wisdom, though fled far away.


Bards of Passion and of Mirth,

Ye have left your souls on earth!

Ye have souls in heaven too,

Double-lived in regions new!


~~ John Keats ~~




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


Here is an old-fashioned nine-star pearl, freshly picked, in the style in which they were first created. Each one will stand alone, as good advice, or a clear observation; together, they give us a blueprint for a Life, well-lived….


“I love to doubt as well as know.” — Dante


“Every day should be passed as if it were to be our last.” — Publius Syrus (42 BC) — Maxim 633


“He who is able to conquer others is powerful; he who is able to conquer himself is more powerful” — Lao Tzu


“A bone to the dog is not charity.  Charity is the bone shared with the dog, when you are just as hungry as the dog.” — Jack London


“It is better not to live at all than to live disgraced.” — Sophocles (496-406 BC) — Peleus, Frag. 445


“Think for yourselves and let others enjoy the privilege to do so, too.” — Voltaire


“Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it.  Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books.  Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders.  Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations.  But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it.” — The Buddha


“The meaning of life is that it stops.” — Franz Kafka




Only when you drink from the river of silence shall you indeed sing.

And when you have reached the mountain top, then you shall begin to climb.

And when the earth shall claim your limbs, then shall you truly dance.


~~ Kahlil Gibran in Essay on Death in The Prophet ~~




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


Today’s Pearl came together quite nicely…. Now, let’s see if it’s worth posting….. Well, that’s really not too shabby, I think. Of course, that is ME speaking, and I tend to be a bit loose in judging myself…. I figure that’s best, since the rest of the world tends to judge me by harsher standards, none of which make any particular sense to me…. SIGH…. Ah well, life does go on, until it doesn’t…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, as long as nobody talks me out of it….




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….





					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Born at sea, he gets nauseous on land….

			
						

				Posted on   by  			

			
						

				1			

					


				

			
Ffolkes,




“I sometimes think that God in creating Man somewhat overestimated his ability.”


~~ Oscar Wilde ~~


10-8-2014 016


     While I cannot fully agree with Oscar’s premise, as it is in opposition to a certain set of my strongest beliefs, I can certainly say he is accurate in his assessment of the nature of Man…. Whoever is responsible for human nature has a lot of explaining to do…. We are a sorry lot, to be sure, rife with neuroses, idiosyncrasies unique to each one of us, irrational fears, and superstitious delusions that continually give us fits we haven’t the wit to comprehend, or avoid… SIGH…. Sometimes, I feel as if it was a mistake for us to come down out of the trees….


Ah well, such is life, as they say…. I never was able to find out WHO says, or said it, but, supposedly, the DO say that, and I believe it, if for no other reason than to get that person to stop subjecting us to their mundane cliches… a feeling you are probably sharing at this very moment…. I can’t help it sometimes; the nonsense just starts flowing, as soon as I sit down & start typing…. I can’t seem to figure out if it is a gift, a curse, or both, but, I know this, it does help pad these intro sections, and with a bit of class, don’t you think? Well, okay, so it’s more like confusion, but, they both start with a “c”, right?


Well, I think so, anyway, so there…. As you might be able to tell, my mind is in a better place today, even if that place is not one we will ever understand, or hope to visit regularly…. As long as it gets me far enough down the page to call it a legal intro, what do I care about that, anyway? It empties no larder, nor picks any pocket, to paraphrase Tom Jefferson, so I have no quarrel with such…. I do have my opinion, but, no quarrel…. I find quarreling to be unproductive, for the most part, and refuse categorically to engage in it without some sort of guarantee of non-prosecution…. and, my lawyer says that is good….. We all know what THAT means….


I don’t, but, you do, so, hush now, and we will hunker down in these bushes right here, to await our chance to observe the local wildlife in its natural state, thus fulfilling, or attempting to fill, the promise made on the back of your tickets…. That promise, by the way, isn’t my fault…. The damn printer got my order mixed up with that of another business; their product line and certain promises by them were printed on the back of MY tickets, in spite of the most excellent disclaimer I wrote, which DIDN’T get put there…. Now I have to live up to those, while the other guy gets to use MY disclaimer…. it ain’t fair! Even if he did cut the price in half, making it impossible to refuse to use them… Not fair at all…


Nor is any of it true…. It was kind of fun, though, and got us to this point…. a perfect jumping-off point, as is patently obvious…. Hold on to your hats, gentlemen…. Ladies, if you would kindly hold on to your gentlemen/partner, firmly grasping hold of the most non-detachable, and handiest of his/her body parts… We’re going all in, and it’s a VERY sharp turn….


Shall we Pearl?


“As for courage and will – we cannot measure how much of each lies within us, we can only trust there will be sufficient to carry through trials which may lie ahead.” — Andre Norton


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


A bit of history…. This artist, whom many of you will not know, is, in my mind, the father of rap, hip-hop, dub reggae, and much of the current musical trends followed by some parts of our culture, most significantly Generation X, and the denizens of inner cities, with its origins in the poverty and societal disenchantment that is a characteristic of the genre….


I remember seeing him occasionally when living in Berkeley during the late 60’s, when he was what could be called a improvisational poet, voicing his angry, brilliantly insightful verse, with blues, jazz, or R&B sometimes playing as background, to amazed young audiences of students, jazz, blues, & R&B fans, and street people…. What he performed, and the tone, style, and attitude of his art, have played a huge part in the development of today’s music scene, as part of its historical roots…. He can be hard to listen to, because his words strike deep into the inner conflicts we all experience in our interactions with modern culture…. His words remain, however, no less true, or less compelling for that….




Gil Scott-Heron – ‘Me And The Devil’ (Official HD Video)



















































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


Although I found this posted under the date you see below, I think it was actually written prior to that…. but, what date that might be, I haven’t a clue…. not that we need one. It’s a rather classic religirant…. enjoy…. Oh, why aren’t I ranting afresh?…. TMB syndrome, ffolkes, it’s that simple…. Any ranting today would cause my skull to explode all over the screen…. Messy business, to be sure; brain matter dries quickly, and is especially hard to clean up when dead….


From 1/29/2013:


Delusional material, very dangerous…. Believe at your peril…..




I asked God for strength, that I might achieve;

I was made weak, that I may learn humbly to obey.


I asked God for health, that I may do greater things;

I was given infirmity, that I might do better things.


I asked for riches, that I may be happy;

I was given poverty, that I might be wise.


I asked for power, that I might have the praise of men;

I was given weakness, that I might feel the need of God.


I asked for all things, that I might enjoy life,

I was given life, that I might enjoy all things.


I got nothing I asked for but everything I hoped for.

I am, among all men, most richly blessed.


— unattributed, even by Smart Bee

(I don’t blame them for not wanting to take credit for this….)




From the time we are small, our minds are programmed with the ideas and beliefs our parents and families held as truth, regardless of whether or not there is any actual truth to be found in them. We have little, or no, defense against these ideas, as we are naturally inclined to believe what our care givers tell us. While I can understand the way it works, it seems to me to be a shame, that we don’t come with a built in truth detector, to protect us before we are able to reason for ourselves. Until our minds have been trained, we tend to accept whatever someone in a position of authority tells us, which may keep us safe in a physical sense when we are small and vulnerable, but is a dangerous habit to develop when grown.


The above is an example of how churches and the priestly hierarchies attempt to befuddle people into obedience and acceptance of their credos, aimed at those adults who have carried over their trust in authority into their adult views. On the surface, the statements seem to imply a certain morality, one of patience, compassion, and beneficence; but, underneath, they are merely designed to reinforce the ideas they wish to espouse, of obedience, humility, and subservience to authority.


If one is to believe the priestly hierarchies, we humans don’t really stand a chance against the universe…. In their minds, God has it all worked out, and it isn’t our place to question any of His prerogatives; we are here only to do His (translates as: their….) will, and to sing His praises (keeps us busy NOT thinking….). We are weak, bumbling, foolish creatures whose only claim to fame is that God loves us… according to dogma. It occurs to me to ask, “So, which one of y’all is the one to whom God spoke, when he laid down all this specious crap? When y’all talked with God, how long had it been since you last took your medication?”


I know, I know, not very friendly approach, but, sheesh, give me a break…. I mean, these people are responsible for a great deal of the suffering and trouble mankind has endured over the last 2000 years or so, and don’t even have the courtesy to take credit, or apologize. In their minds, all that stuff they do to maintain their status quo is justified by their holiness, or whatever it is they claim makes them special. And, all the time, in reality, everything they do is designed, ultimately, to bring coins to their purses, and food to their tables, at the expense of the ignorant mass of believers…..


I feel a nasty rant coming on…. Sometimes, when I write one of these rips at religion, I just get SO ANGRY…. I’m mad at the preachers and priests, and those who support them, for their willingness to prey on the public using the pretension of religious fervor and worship to justify their narcissism, and for the thousands of years of suffering that mankind has endured by their hand. I am also angry at those people who buy into their bullshit, for not having the courage to use their minds, to blithely accept anything told to them by an authority figure, and never even considering that there might be more to life than they are seeing….. It is all such a waste, and my anger knows no bounds….


“Civilization is fun!  Anyway, it keeps me busy!!” — Zippy the Pinhead


Well, it would keep me busy if I could find any….. I had to include this little side-trip from Zippy in order to bring my anger level down. I was feeling the urge to let out ALL of the vulgar curses I could think of, to express how I feel about all the assholes who perpetrate this entire fallacy on the rest of humanity, knowing how gullible they are, and how little effort it takes to fool them into believing the most incredible bullshit.


I mean, how hard can it be to fool someone who would believe that the recent spate of cold weather means that global warming is a myth? How hard is it to fool someone who will gladly trade their freedom in this life for the promised reward in the next life? It’s so damn easy that the fools actually come asking for it, to be made into puppets, just so they can believe they are beloved of God, and guaranteed a spot in Heaven…. I often wonder just how fit to survive our species really is, when we can’t even come to terms with our own sense of self, or learn to accept the responsibility for our own actions….


Most folks are so scared to think for themselves that they gladly surrender that chore to the priests and politicians, apparently not even caring how often they lie to them. Even when the lies are exposed, and even proved, people will hang on to their prejudices and belief in supernatural beings that control our every move; they are quite unwilling to let go of what they’ve bought into all their lives, even when it’s clear that none of it is true. Most of the time, they are unwilling to even look at any arguments against what they hold to be true, preferring the solid comfort of their ignorance. Makes me want to puke, it does….


Ah well, I’ve spilled enough bile and venom for one morning. It would probably be best to move on to another section, and let this one die a natural death. If nothing else, I got some angst and pressure relieved, for the time being. It is almost a comfort to know that the politicians and preachers will be providing more ammunition in the coming days, as they continue their campaign of oppression against the people of the Earth; that means I’ll always have plenty about which to rant…. Happy Days!….


“Those who won’t think will have it done for them.” —  Smart Bee


Note from 2014: Just in case it’s driving anyone crazy trying to figure it out with no overt clues, TMB, the acronym above, stands for Too Much Birthday….


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


Today, you get one of mine, simply because they are handy…. Well, it’s usually best to not let anyone else share the blame for any of this mess, too… I do try to think of that sort of thing, when I remember to do so…. which is, obviously, a hit and miss proposition…. nonetheless… Here is one I wrote a few years back, on a rainy day in winter….




An Old Man, Snoring….


Winter arrives with gusts of wind and rain,

  clover spreads green amongst the hedges.

Urban gardens quiver, and dream of spring again,

  gargoyles stoically crouch on corniced ledges.


Umbrellas sprout over heads shrouded and hatted,

  dotting the sidewalks in colorful profusion.

Urban denizens pose sketches, framed and matted,

  adding casual beauty to fill the illusion.


Hissing tires, swishing along with the wipers

  join nature’s orchestra smoothly, as percussion.

Dripping gutters sound gong tones, true pipers,

  a sudden roar of wind hushes all discussion.


Dreams of summer heat form the crux of desire

  as winter chills our souls from without.

Sitting in warmth, gazing into an imaginary fire;

  content to know spring will come, no doubt.


~~ gigoid ~~




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


TMB leaves me a bit foggy, so, I gave Smart Bee its head today, to see what came washing up on shore…. This is the result, which I shall make no attempt to classify, quantify, or explain…. You’re on your own today, ffolkes…. Don’t worry, they’re only words; they can hurt, but, not in this configuration…. Just handle them with your usual care, and you should be able to avoid any bloodshed……


“There is nothing so asinine that governments will not proclaim it as official doctrine.” — Nolan’s Observation


“In Response to the Heavy Mail Department: I did not say that Dan Quayle was so dumb he flunked his blood test. I know for a fact that his grade was D+, so I did not say that. Please do not accuse me of saying things I did not say.” — Smart Bee


HONESTY:  Honesty cannot be undervalued. And while I’m on the subject of honesty, have I told you about an exciting business opportunity that could make you thousands of dollars without hard work or expensive capital investment? Yes, bank robbery is an exciting new idea, and you could be one of the first to buy an exclusive franchise in your area. For just $30,000, we’ll provide a fully detailed instruction manual on how to do a bank robbery. Ring today and we’ll include two luxury pure wool dry-cleanable balaclavas, perfect for those anonymous jobs when you just don’t want to be identified on the News. — Daniel Bowen’s TOXIC CUSTARPEDIA


“And if I said a year ago that these [social] programs weren’t working, perhaps I have been vindicated.” — President George Bush, on how Lyndon Johnson was to blame for the LA riots


“1935 will go down in History! For the first time, a civilized nation has full gun registration! Our streets will be safer, our police more efficient and the world will follow our lead to the future!” — Adolf Hitler (1889-1945), prior to confiscating all civilian firearms


“Anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account be allowed to do the job.” — Douglas Adams, “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”


“Isn’t this my STOP?”! — Zippy the Pinhead


Why, yes, Zippy, I believe it is! It seems SB had a few leftover hard feelings about the events of the last few decades, watching the ugly, ugly show that has been running on the public stage, for longer than anyone is willing to admit…. SIGH, I hate it when he’s right….


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


It’s a Sunday, and I’m taking the rest of the day OFF…. In fact, I’m going to get an early start…. 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….





					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Meatloaf, with no ketchup….

			
						

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Ffolkes,




“How much pain have cost us the evils which have never happened.” 


~~ Thomas Jefferson, “Writings” Vol. XVI ~~


odd group 017


     One wouldn’t think so, but, the quote from Jefferson, above, is perfectly appropriate for the picture…. which is shot of the flower I picked, and brought to leave at the grave side of my friend Carol, when two other classmates of mine went with me to visit her, at her final resting place, at the Templeton town cemetery (Templeton is the small farming town in Central CA where we all grew up….)…. and, I should have know better than to try to start the day with a reminiscence….. Now, I am leaking copious amounts of salty fluids out of my eyes, making it difficult to see what I’ve typed; damn this frigging PTSD!….


I suppose there is nothing actually wrong about crying; under the proper circumstances, it can be quite cathartic, and may even release tension and/or built up feelings of guilt, or loss, or whatever emotion assails us, when we get to the point where we must cry, or burst…. But, this is different…. Any time I feel ANY damn strong emotion, whether happy, or sad, or in any way poignant, my tears begin to flow, almost as if I were a child of two or three, with no emotional control over my feelings at all. For a man of my age, and capabilities, it is not merely embarrassing to have it strike as it does, willy-nilly, with no warning or pattern I can find, it is demeaning, as well…..


How we got into this emotional morass is simple, and my mistake…. I should know better than to start of talking of Carol; it brings out my strong emotion every time, as she is sorely missed. Carol was the kind of person we all know some time in our lives; she’s the one who always had a smile for you, no matter how she felt herself; one of those people whose presence makes others feel happy. She baked, and, I am positive, though I was not there, that her house was the one all her children’s friends hung out at, because there were always cookies, or a cupcake, and a warm smile from Mom… I envy her husband, for all the years he was allowed to have with her; we grew close in the last couple of years before she died, and I am glad, for she was one of the BEST people I have ever known…. and I say that, even though I never even ate one of her cookies…


It is fortunate, for me especially, that writing a blog is not a form of performance art, at least not in the sense of having a camera on us, recording us as we pound away at the keyboard…. though, in my case, it would be, if nothing else, NOT boring, as I never sit still for very long; I am up and down from the chair every few minutes to ease some painful bone or another, with these movements interspersed with periods of absolute stillness, as I compose in my head, then mad, desperate typing, as I try to get it down before it fades away, into that limbo we authors fear the most, where our best ideas get lost, never to be seen again….


Okay, well, that was something…. I’m not really certain just how to view the above…. it’s done, so, it stays, naturally. But, I am pretty sure I’ve never done anything quite like it…. In addition, I must say, I’m glad for that, and I hope never to go through this particular opening process again, as it hurt, in a lot of different ways, not all physical…. I’m STILL trying to clear out my sinuses from the crying jag I’ve already gone through, THRICE…. I’s okay, though; it got us this far down the page, so, silver lining, I guess…. Whatever the method, we’re here, so….


Shall we Pearl?…..


“I leapt headlong into the sea,and thereby have become better acquainted with the soundings, the quicksands, and the rocks, than if I had stayed upon the green shore, and piped a silly song, and took tea and comfortable advice.” — John Keats


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


Having fulfilled my promise to pre-screen any more video movies, I can honestly say, this show, a long running BBC series, is NOT one of the reasons I stopped watching TV…. This, in spite of being on TV, and, no doubt, chopped to pieces by commercial interruptions, is excellent…. Fortunately, in this format, on You Tube, one need no longer put up with those ads, so, the story unfolds seamlessly, without the jolting stops and starts…. Moreover, it is one of the best of the Holmes stories, well adapted to the screen, with a wonderful cast of very strong actors…. Enjoy!….




Sherlock Holmes: The Copper Beeches

















































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




“The last vestiges of the old Republic have been swept away.” 


~~ Governor Tarkin ~~




Governor Tarkin’s words from Star Wars, Episode 5, The Empire Strikes Back, assume an eerie precognitive accuracy in today’s world. Our country, which began, perhaps, as the world’s first truly democratic republic, has been so completely taken over by corporate interests, who hold private, dangerously delusional ambitions, which, over time, has prompted them to establish and maintain a world order according to their own avaricious agenda, one which has effectively altered the way the government operates, to the point we can no longer call it anything other than what it is in reality, an oligarchy…. government by, and for, the rich….


Absolute control of virtually all the monetary and physical resources of the nation (and, really, the whole planet…) is, and has been for some time, firmly under the control of a very small number of very rich assholes. (Well, the last word isn’t part of the actual definition, but, is most certainly my own opinion…). That control now extends to define every domestic and foreign policy carried out…. by ANY administration…. Even the makeup of those government administrations is controlled by those with money; they’ve paid the courts enough to ensure the laws will favor anything they wish to do to maintain that control, by putting their own stooges in a position to make the laws they need, and to judge those laws the way they wish….


For example….



http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/oct/22/torture-obama-cover-up-cia


“At this point, it’s becoming hard to believe anything Obama says about torture. The New York Times’ Charlie Savage reported Sunday that this administration is considering reinstating the Bush administration’s absurd interpretation of the United Nations treaty against torture, signed by the US decades ago, so that the US can claim the UN actually meant that any torture happening outside one’s own country essentially, you know, doesn’t count. Military and intelligence lawyers “say they need more time to study whether it would have operational impacts.” Really? I thought we stopped torturing people five years ago.”


“If Obama were to adopt this radical interpretation, sure, it would contradict all of his promises as he came into office, but as legal professor David Lubon describes, it would also directly violate US law.”


— excerpted from the above article


“Extreme avarice is always mistaken; there is no passion which is oftener further away from its mark, nor upon which the present has so much power to the prejudice of the future.” — La Rochefoucauld


It has become obvious, at least, to me, the unseen, shadowy masters of society no longer particularly care so much about keeping their agenda hidden…. The future La Rochefoucauld predicted is NOW…. The current collection of Obamadrones, who inhabit the White House, originally promised, as part of the pre-election set of lies the public wished to hear, ( Specifically designed, very effectively, as it turns out, to convince voters to put them in office….), to be the “most transparent administration ever”, along with murmurs about closing Guantanamo, and getting us out of Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Middle East wars….


But, what has actually happened? Guantanamo is still operative, and, as the article shows, isn’t going anywhere soon, in spite of all the controversy; the torture continues, too, despite the insistence it does not…. just another lie, as it turns out. This administration is responsible for continuing the illegal spying done by the NSA, as well, having never even bothered to deny anything…. They just keep taking journalists and potential whistle blowers to court, for having given away their secrets, with charges based solely on provisions of that most evil document, the Homeland Security Act, a poorly disguised euphemism for Big Brother’s Mandate, a document that abrogates virtually every one of the Bill of Rights of the US Constitution…..


Yet, we still have troops on the ground all over the world, and, we are STILL bombing a number of foreign countries in our search to kill “terrorists”, with planes, AND with robot drones…. It’s said we spend $75 million/day for that bombing; I wonder who’s getting that money? Arms dealers, ya think?….


In order to distract critics, a fair amount of reform has been accomplished in the healthcare field; but, a close look at the resulting structural changes shows that, in essence, once again, the major winners are not the people, but, rather, the insurance companies, the HMO’s, the pharmaceutical companies, and all those other nice folks who charge the little people up the ass for their medical care, which, when one thinks about it, should be the right of every citizen, regardless of their position, or financial status….


What is society for, if not to share common knowledge (i.e., medical expertise and accumulated knowledge which is the legacy of the species, not the doctors, or the government…), to provide a clearing house for such skills so that all members of that society have access to them, to obtain the benefits of living in the group? If not for this, what is it for? 


Perhaps I am not the most qualified judge, but, I know for certain, the legacy of the species does NOT belong exclusively to those who possess them, or to those who control them… They belong to us all, and it is only human avarice, and the predatory nature of man, with its unfortunate tendency to fall into evil, that precludes such a boon… As long as the corporate masters have their way, somebody will have to pay them to get what is actually theirs by right….


On that subject, here is a good article, with some excellent points of reason, which, by contrast, sound out cleanly and clearly amongst all the crap one generally finds in the mainstream media….


http://www.theguardian.com/news/2014/oct/21/-sp-the-truth-about-evil-john-gray


Given what is in this article, I am not certain of how to continue; to my mind, there is little hope of changing human nature, especially at this late hour…. In spite of all the technological advances and civilization we have built up over the last millennia, we are STILL just a weak, frightened hairless ape, with the same set of emotional and reasoning patterns and responses we carried with us when we still were huddling in caves, cold, naked, and afraid of the dark…. Seriously, I am often amazed at how our species STILL acts according to the same primitive emotions, and even more primitive attitudes, of aggression, theft, and violence that characterized those creatures, living in the wild, struggling to make sense of the mass of perceptions their too-massive brains took in…


We are still just hairless apes, no more civilized than those poor, ignorant savages; we just dress better, and have learned a few tricks since our cave days…. Our emotions, and the cult of ignorance adopted by society, haven’t changed a whit….


This is long enough, and I don’t have any viable solutions to offer…. so, we’ll call this a rant, and be on our way to the poetry section, where we MAY find a small piece of what DOES make us different from the other creatures with whom we share this globe, and, one of the FEW characteristics about mankind that I find to be of any redeeming value….. poetry…..


“Give them an opposable thumb, and they think they’re special.” — Smart Bee


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


In my opinion, Charles is cool…. I say that, knowing full well the use of that word will date me…. I still think he’s cool….




Be Kind


are always asked

to understand the other person’s

viewpoint

no matter how

out-dated

foolish or

obnoxious.


one is asked

to view

their total error

their life-waste

with

kindliness,

especially if they are

aged.


but age is the total of

our doing.

they have aged

badly

because they have

lived

out of focus,

they have refused to

see.


not their fault?


whose fault?

mine?


I am asked to hide

my viewpoint

from them

for fear of their

fear.


age is no crime


but the shame

of a deliberately

wasted

life


among so many

deliberately

wasted

lives


is.


~~ Charles Bukowski ~~




Powerful stuff, eh?….


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


Here is an old school pearl of vintage variety; moreover, I let Smart Bee pick out most of it, only intervening to format each quote’s position in the pearl at large…. Let’s see how it came out….




F = MA;

Things fall down;

You can’t push a rope.


~~ The three laws of physics ~~




“Never promise more than you can perform.” — Publius Syrus (42 BC) — Maxim 528


“Remember:  Silly is a state of Mind, Stupid is a way of Life.” — Dave Butler


“Each second we live is a new and unique moment of the universe. And what do we teach our children in school? We teach them that two and two make four and that Paris is the capital of France. When will we also teach them what they are?” — Smart Bee**


“Life is the sum of all your choices.’ — Albert Camus


“Kindness is a language which the deaf can hear and the blind can read.” — Mark Twain




I ‘m weary of conjectures,–this must end ’em.

Thus am I doubly armed: my death and life,

My bane and antidote, are both before me:

This in a moment brings me to an end;

But this informs me I shall never die.

The soul, secured in her existence, smiles

At the drawn dagger, and defies its point.

The stars shall fade away, the sun himself

Grow dim with age, and Nature sink in years;

But thou shalt flourish in immortal youth,

Unhurt amidst the war of elements,

The wrecks of matter, and the crush of worlds.


~~ Joseph Addison (1672-1719) — Cato, Act v, Sc. 1 ~~




** (According to Dean Hannotte, a collector of quotes, with a web site here: http://www.hannotte.com/Quotes.htm, this was as quoted on page 8 of Richard Kehl’s 1990 quotation anthology entitled Further Departures ….. but, he didn’t say with whom it originated…. Hence, SB gets the credit for today…..)


There you go, ffolkes; not too shabby for one with so little direction provided at the outset…. sort of a series of comments on Reality, and our place in it, so to speak…. It’ll do to finish, quite nicely….


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


Due to circumstances completely within my control, I’m very late getting up to finish and post this mess… but, it’s done, so I’m not going to either belabor the circumstances, of bemoan my choice to not assume the necessary control of events…. In short, I don’t care, it’s done…. Moreover, I’m outta here, having done all the damage I can do…. so to speak…. 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….




 

					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
What are you doing with that ferret?….

			
						

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Ffolkes,




Freedom = Responsibility


Attribution is not required for an Unarguable Truth


If you feel you MUST argue it, well, bring it on…..

 

~~ gigoid ~~






potd-mantis_3059577k


    The most excellent picture, which highlights the absolutely perfect form displayed by these two small warriors, is from The Daily Yell (London Daily Telegraph) Animal Pictures of the Week, 10/3/2014. Notice the strength of the stance, with four legs firmly gripping the limb, perfectly balanced, and the formidable knife-like spikes on the forearm and hand sections, held in perfect position to strike…. Their sifu would be proud….   *modest smile*   Perfect tong long tong long bu…. preying mantis style kung fu, straight from the source….


One might think, given the week I’ve had, I’d be more, or less, insane…. In either case, more, or less, it would seem I’ve made a case for the newest format here on ECR, even if it is less than rigidly structured, or perfectly designed. Both of those qualities wouldn’t work well around here, anyway, so, it’s just as well… I suppose, since y’all have already had your tickets punched, you feel we’ve some sort of obligation to provide some of that sort of service…. but, you’d be wrong, both in reality, and in theory….


You see, service, and obligations, only happen when there is some sort of transaction, with real money exchanged; since we only charge the going rate for a blog (to wit: nada damn thing….), that never enters the picture, and such expectations from y’all is kind of disappointing…. One would think, after the exposure y’all have had to the process of actually USING the mind, rather than just providing a means for your ass to get from toilet to toilet, you’d have more sense, or, at least, more street cred…. TANSTAAFL, ffolkes, remember? But, then, Americans DO tend to believe that doesn’t apply to them, as a matter of course….


Not all their fault, of course, as the Asininnies are continually pounding the message into the thick skulls out there that they ARE entitled to all they can steal, so, it’s only natural there would be some sense of entitlement, even if it IS completely unwarranted, and unearned…. But, all the preachers, and all the political pundits, are forever trumpeting how special we are, and how we have the rights to do whatever we want to other nations, and/or people, without ever having to answer for our actions….. How else to explain our willingness to bomb almost anything that moves, if it will make us seem more important in our own eyes….


Bah, humbug! I’m ranting again, in the intro, aren’t I? Ah well, it’s just so easy to do, and such a natural thing to do, when confronted with all the BS and nonsense that goes on each day out on the world stage…. But, doing it here makes it hard to keep the process smooth when we actually get to the section where the ranting is appropriate…. It DOES, however, get us far enough down the page to call the intro complete, such as we see today…. Funny how that works, isn’t it? I suppose y’all think I plan it that way…. HAH! Fooled ya!….


But, since we did make it this far, and without shedding any blood, to speak of, we may as well use the escape clause that is presenting itself… In fact, I think, if we jump right here, it should all work out fine….


Shall we Pearl?…..


“As for courage and will – we cannot measure how much of each lies within us, we can only trust there will be sufficient to carry through trials which may lie ahead.” — Andre Norton


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


I’m late today, having actually gotten some decent sleep; I have no idea why it happened, it just did….. Since I haven’t had time to even look at the news, I’ll use an appropriate piece from the past…. Besides, it’s been a while since we discussed the process of Pearling, so, it’s time…. Here is a bit of explanation of this whole deal, just in case it seems important to y’all…. or not…. Don’t fret, it’s not a rant, and it’s not too long, so, it makes a nice change of pace, I think…..


From 3/28/2012:


“All art is autobiographical. The pearl is the oyster’s autobiography.” — Federico Fellini


It has been a while since I talked about Pearls, so when I stumbled upon the above quote, I knew it was time….. Pearls of Virtual Wisdom come with a caveat and disclaimer, to wit: These Pearls consist of ideas and concepts, and even procedures, that are Virtual Wisdom. They should never be confused with, or used as, Real Wisdom; the results can be somewhat unpredictable, have been known to cause injury, and in one case, (my own), have resulted in months of severe depression. 


(Of course, that depression may not be due strictly to the intrinsic differences in the Pearls themselves, but rather a direct result of inattention to which variety I was using at the moment)  Regardless of how real Pearls of Virtual Wisdom may appear, or how shiny they look to the untrained eye, the author assumes no liability for failure to heed this caveat.


That being said, let us for a moment consider pearls as incarnations of jewels, as the precious gems of rare beauty and great value they become when freed from the oyster, the shelter which created each layer of the pearl’s beauty out of its own pain…. The soft sheen of a fine pearl, luminescent in the dimness, glowing in the light, has captivated the eyes and imaginations of men and women since the first oyster was plucked from the sea bed to become someone’s supper, and has inspired those who fall under its spell to acts of great sacrifice, and acts of great cruelty, in the quest to possess these timeless treasures from the sea.


Thus the metaphorical nature of the Pearls of Virtual Wisdom becomes apparent, as we see that although virtual wisdom looks just like real wisdom, the difference may be likened to the difference between naturally produced pearls, and those that are cultivated in laboratories.  One is shiny, and of great value for its rarity and beauty, naturally endowed; the other is shiny, but of lesser value, due to lesser rarity, and a somehow lesser beauty, as made by the hand of man. 


The subtle differences are of little note, except to Reality, which always knows which wisdom is which, as it knows which pearl is which; hence the caveat and  disclaimer, to avoid any conflicts with Reality due to negligence on my part…..so, please use these Pearls with appropriate caution, and they will bring you joy for years to come…..


“Did an Italian CRANE OPERATOR just experience uninhibited sensations in a MALIBU HOT TUB?” — Zippy the Pinhead


Note from 2014: There…. that should help make things clearer… and if not, well, so what, eh? It’s not as if you spent a lot to get in, is it?….. Right…..


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


Very little needs to be said about these two gentlemen, or the music they created together…. Serendipity, indeed…. Enjoy, ffolkes…. this is one of the greatest concerts ever…. with music that will never again be created just this way….




IN CONCERT ” SIMON AND GARFUNKEL ” LIVE IN CENTRAL PARK NEW YORK 1981 



















 


 




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


As I heard quoted in a movie recently, “I think Wordsworth is sometimes underrated.”….. So do I….




The Solitary Reaper


Behold her, single in the field,

Yon solitary Highland Lass!

Reaping and singing by herself;

Stop here, or gently pass!

Alone she cuts and binds the grain,

And sings a melancholy strain;

O listen! for the Vale profound

Is overflowing with the sound.


No Nightingale did ever chaunt

More welcome notes to weary bands

Of travellers in some shady haunt,

Among Arabian sands:

A voice so thrilling ne’er was heard

In spring-time from the Cuckoo-bird,

Breaking the silence of the seas

Among the farthest Hebrides.


Will no one tell me what she sings?–

Perhaps the plaintive numbers flow

For old, unhappy, far-off things,

And battles long ago:

Or is it some more humble lay,

Familiar matter of to-day?

Some natural sorrow, loss, or pain,

That has been, and may be again? 


Whate’er the theme, the Maiden sang

As if her song could have no ending;

I saw her singing at her work,

And o’er the sickle bending;–

I listened, motionless and still;

And, as I mounted up the hill,

The music in my heart I bore,

Long after it was heard no more. 


~~ William Wordsworth ~~




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


It’s been some time, but, here is an old-school pearl, of the type that has lasted the longest…. It is merely a grouping of comments on Reality, Life, and how to approach both with some dignity, and a bit of style….and, in the process, perhaps, teach us a bit about ourselves, and our inner nature…. It helps if you pay attention….


“A candour affected is a dagger concealed.” — Marcus Aurelius (121-180 AD) — Meditations, book 9.


“I have known a vast quantity of nonsense talked about bad men not looking you in the face.  Don’t trust that conventional idea. Dishonesty will stare honesty out of countenance, any day in the week, if there is anything to be got by it.” — Charles Dickens


“Make your enemies by choice, not by accident. The same applies to friends.” — Xavier R. Quinton


“Hell hath no fury like a vested interest masquerading as a moral principle.” — Smart Bee


“Nothing can come out of nothing, any more than a thing can go back to nothing.” — Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (121-180 AD) — Meditations, iv, 4


“A man begins cutting his wisdom teeth the first time he bites off more than he can chew.” — Herb Caen


“Imagination was given to man to compensate him for what he is not; a sense of humor to console him for what he is.” — Francis Bacon


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


Not too shabby, for a Pearl thrown together on the fly, and in a massive hurry…. In fact, it came out rather well, all things considered, and we know better than to look at the teeth of any horse in the stable, no matter where it came from, or what wagons it may have dragged in behind it…. whatever that means, metaphorically, euphemistically, or, practically…. Of course, in this case, only the latter counts…. Since that is true, I’m outta here, and y’all can’t legally stop me…. though, why you’d wish to try, I haven’t a clue…. That last statement may just cover the whole business, and before we find out…. 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….




 

					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
‘Tis easier to blame the indigenous population….

			
						

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Ffolkes,




“He who dies for virtue, does not perish.”


~~  Plautus ~~ 


(B.C. 254-184)


A fire approaches the shore of Bass Lake in California


    There is a fascinating sort of beauty to fires such as this; I’ve been to Bass Lake, where this was taken, perhaps even stood where the photographer stood to take this shot. It does look like a very familiar outline, one my mind remembers well, if only for its similarity to so many other places I’ve been in the mountains of California. The picture itself is one I saw all over the Net, released during the recent spate of wildfires in California this past summer, and, though beautiful, is also very saddening…..


But, we aren’t going to let that sadness keep us from our appointed rounds today; I’ve missed too many days already (one is too many in my book….), so, I don’t intend to miss any more…. Even if I must cheat to get them done…. I am still a bit stupefied by the meds I’m still using to combat vertigo (it’s passing, much better, but, still a bit of edginess running along that eye nerve, when I move the eyes too quickly…. but, much better), as it makes me sleep heavily, and long…. hence my late start today….


In fact, I’m so late, this intro is going to be truncated rather severely, immediately following this paragraph, else we’ll not get to the rest of this mess anywhere near soon enough…. In fact, I’ve hear a rumor we’ll be using an entirely new technique, one both effective, and ruthless…. I wonder what it looks like? It couldn’t be any worse than….. Wait. Who are you? What are you doing ther…….


Shall we Pearl?….


“As a net is made up of a series of ties, so everything in this world is connected by a series of ties. If anyone thinks that this mesh of a net is an independent, isolated thing, he is mistaken. It is called a net because it is made up of a series of interconnected meshes, and each mesh has its place and responsibility in relation to other meshes.” — Buddha


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


The new intro-shortening technique seems to work rather well, wouldn’t you say? A bit of upset in the initial stage there, but, nothing too obvious; no tears, or blood, so, it must be okay. So much so, it’s put me in too good a mood to rant…. plus, I didn’t have time for any research…. so, easy money, we’ll just go old school for a change in this section, thus proving the old adage, that says…. well, I forget, but, I’m sure there is one to fit…. For the nonce, I have a perfect set of pearls for this space, one I’ve been saving for just such an occasion…. I give you then, the following pearl of pearls….




Hodge Podge, aka Oyster Stew




Ladies and gentlemen…. for some time now, I’ve collected pearls for use here on ECR, as part of the format, upon which we depend, to give us the structure that otherwise might never have shown its face. We’ll never really know, but, accept that there are certain things in life destined to remain mysterious…. and, we can’t chase all of them down to see which is which, now, can we? Of course not…. It’s much the same with pearls…. they work, for what they are needed for, or they don’t…. but, often, when they don’t, I find it hard to get rid of them, as they have something of their own, which I have found it can be worthwhile to consider, even without the direction provided by a set of parameters….. many of which are randomly chosen, themselves….


Any who, I end up with a lot of stuff that is pretty cool, but, doesn’t fit in anywhere with what I’m working on…. below you’ll find a rather extensive array of some of these random, extraneous, yet valuable pearls, collected, but not used as yet…. I don’t like to let them build up too far, as I then lose track of what is there…. even my memory has limits…. So, here are a bunch of them, just for fun, and maybe, who knows, a bit is virtual wisdom, to boot….. Abondanza!


“If you attack Stupidity you attack an entrenched interest with friends in government and every walk of public life.” — Robertson Davies


“For this invention [writing] will produce forgetfulness in the minds of those who learn to use it, because they will not practise their memory. Their trust in writing, produced by external characters which are no part of themselves, will discourage the use of their own memory within them. You have invented an elixir not of memory, but of reminding; and you offer your pupils the appearance of wisdom, not true wisdom, for they will read many things without instruction and will therefore seem to know many things, when they are for the most part ignorant and hard to get along with, since they are not wise, but only appear wise.” — Plato (274-275 BC) in Phaedrus


“If you tell the truth you don’t have to remember anything.” — Mark Twain


“Our government has kept us in a perpetual state of fear — kept us in a continuous stampede of patriotic fervor — with the cry of grave national emergency… Always there has been some terrible evil to gobble us up if we did not blindly rally behind it   by furnishing the exorbitant sums demanded.  Yet, in retrospect, these disasters seem never to have happened, seem never to have been quite real.” — General Douglas MacArthur, 1957


“Lysander said that the law spoke too softly to be heard in such a noise of war.” — Plutarch (46-120 AD) — Life of Caius Marius


“The belief that words have a meaning of their own account is a relic of primitive word magic, and it is still a part of the air we breathe in nearly every discussion.” — Charles K. Ogden, The Meaning of Meaning


“Possibly the greatest threat to those who want to believe that everything in the Bible is true was advanced by an individual standing in wading boots in cool water up to his hind end, in fact, who revealed that most of the early witnesses to all that Jesus said and did were fishermen!” — Smart Bee


EXCERPTS FROM LIFE’S LITTLE INSTRUCTION BOOK, VOLUMES I AND II


35. Plant a tree on your birthday.

47. Don’t waste time learning the “tricks of the trade.” Instead, learn the trade.

53. Vote.

68. Be brave. Even if you’re not, pretend to be. No one can tell the difference.

100. Read the Bill of Rights.

198. Feed a stranger’s expired parking meter.

209. Observe the speed limit.

267. Lie on your back and look at the stars.

271. When facing a difficult task, act as though it is impossible to fail. If you’re going after Moby Dick, take along the tartar sauce.

322. Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michaelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein.

393. Learn how to operate a Macintosh computer.

513. Never laugh at anyone’s dreams.

558. Never betray a confidence.

595. Be the first to fight for a just cause.

817. Share your knowledge. It’s a way to achieve immortality.

939. Never be ashamed of your patriotism.


— H. Jackson Brown, Jr.


Just so’s you know…. I think #271 of Life’s Instructions is a really good one….. #558 is a solid truth, as well.


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


Here is some rather esoteric rock, by one of the SF Bay Area most beloved local performers, Boz Scaggs, at a live concert benefiting the Bridge School, an alternative school in Marin…. Enjoy, please… it’s different than the usual fare you hear, for certain…..




Boz Scaggs, Live 2004:











 




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


Any introduction for this poet is superfluous; you know who he is…. Now, enjoy one of his best….




Adventures Of Isabel


Isabel met an enormous bear,

Isabel, Isabel, didn’t care;

The bear was hungry, the bear was ravenous,

The bear’s big mouth was cruel and cavernous.

The bear said, Isabel, glad to meet you,

How do, Isabel, now I’ll eat you!

Isabel, Isabel, didn’t worry.

Isabel didn’t scream or scurry.

She washed her hands and she straightened her hair up,

Then Isabel quietly ate the bear up.

Once in a night as black as pitch

Isabel met a wicked old witch.

the witch’s face was cross and wrinkled,

The witch’s gums with teeth were sprinkled.

Ho, ho, Isabel! the old witch crowed,

I’ll turn you into an ugly toad!

Isabel, Isabel, didn’t worry,

Isabel didn’t scream or scurry,

She showed no rage and she showed no rancor,

But she turned the witch into milk and drank her.

Isabel met a hideous giant,

Isabel continued self reliant.

The giant was hairy, the giant was horrid,

He had one eye in the middle of his forehead.

Good morning, Isabel, the giant said,

I’ll grind your bones to make my bread.

Isabel, Isabel, didn’t worry,

Isabel didn’t scream or scurry.

She nibbled the zwieback that she always fed off,

And when it was gone, she cut the giant’s head off.

Isabel met a troublesome doctor,

He punched and he poked till he really shocked her.

The doctor’s talk was of coughs and chills

And the doctor’s satchel bulged with pills.

The doctor said unto Isabel,

Swallow this, it will make you well.

Isabel, Isabel, didn’t worry,

Isabel didn’t scream or scurry.

She took those pills from the pill concocter,

And Isabel calmly cured the doctor. 


~~ Ogden Nash ~~




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


Here’s a pearl of indeterminate style, yet, somehow, seems to work… It may be the closing pearl that does it, bringing it all into focus, but, that may must be the drugs talking…. Y’all can take from this whatever you wish to take; it has more than enough to suit any taste…. Watch the ending, though, it’s kind of a rapid turn, & I’m not sure of the road’s ability to handle it at speed….


“Nothing endures but change.” — Heraclitus (540?-480? B.C.)


“A hundred times every day I remind myself that my inner and outer life depends on the labors of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give in the measure as I have received and am still receiving.” — Albert Einstein


“Whatever happens at all happens as it should; thou wilt find this true, if thou shouldst watch narrowly.” — Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (121-180 AD)

— Meditations, iv, 10


“Character may be manifested in the great moments, but it is made in the small ones.” — Phillip Brooks


“Few are willing to brave the disapproval of their fellows, the censure of the colleagues, the wrath of their society. Moral courage is a rarer commodity than bravery in battle or great intelligence. Yet it is the one essential, vital quality for those who seek to change a world that yields most painfully to change. Each time a person stands up for an idea, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.” — Robert F. Kennedy  Speech, South Africa, 1966


“Beware when the great God lets loose a thinker on this planet.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882), “Circles”




Come away, O human child!

To the waters and the wild

With a faery, hand in hand,

For the world’s more full of weeping than you can understand.


~~ William Butler Yeats ~~


“The Stolen Child”




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


Like the pagan said about the gospels; “Well, it was a long time ago, and we can hope it all wasn’t true.”….from Clouds of Witness…


On that note, I believe I can safely, and with some dignity intact, take my leave for yet another day….. Regardless of the legality, or any implied lack thereof, should it be heretofore challenged in a court of law, why, y’all can give ’em my statement, yes? That would be, uh, how you say in English?….Oh, yes…. Fuck you, asshole….


Oh, for goodness sake! Not y’all…… I’m talking to, and about, those myrmidons over there, across the street, watching the house, hoping I won’t see them, standing there with their little orders from the asininnies to take me in for questioning…. I’m afraid they’re doomed to disappointment; I’ve far too much to do on my own agenda to even consider allowing them to alter any of it for THEIR purposes….. But, then, they still believe that they have the right, and/or the means, to force me to comply….. silly wabbits…


See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, and don’t worry, they won’t be here again, nor will they ever find this batch….. Ta, then…..




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


“The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.”


Kowabunga!






À bientôt, mon cherí.