Tag Archives: Classical music

No job for a gentleman….

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Ffolkes,

“I count religion but a childish toy … there is no sin but ignorance.”

~~ Machiavel, from The Jew of Malta ~~

~~ Christopher Marlowe ~~

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

    Mei stumbled under the load she carried, as she climbed the path to her parent’s cottage, set upon a small hill just outside the town where they lived…. The town sat on the road leading to the great city of Peking, where the Emperor held court with the great nobles and beautiful ladies Mei saw each day, passing by on the Great Road leading into the city from the south. Mei liked to watch them pass by, seated in their swaying palanquins, distant and aloof, as they stared indolently out at the gaping crowds along the roads, wishing she could see the court, where the bright clothes and sparking jewels of the courtesans were said to outshine the sun…. She just knew it would be the most beautiful sight she would ever see….

Bah, humbug…. I’m already bored with little Mei; I’m pretty sure she’ll end up as another fashion maven, or courtesan, doomed to a short life full of the misery so common to the lower classes in ancient China…. or, at least, if the Emperors back then were of the same ilk as today’s ruling classes, it would be so. I don’t think human nature has undergone any particularly startling changes over the last couple thousand years…. No, the depths of human stupidity are boundless, and I don’t think there are enough of us who can see what is happening to be able to change the direction we’ve taken, one sure to lead us to places we do NOT want to end up….

But, sadly, the Asininnies who run the planet are no smarter than the rest of us….. They refuse to see beyond the needs of their own avarice and lust for power, blithely assuming their invulnerability…. So, I rant, and make my peace with karma, so as to remain ready for the imminent extinction I see as the only remaining outcome to our current state of affairs…. I hate to be pessimistic, as humans do have the potential to make the necessary changes; I just haven’t seen any evidence that would show there are enough ffolkes willing to make those changes, compared to those who prefer to ignore any and all warnings from reality that their actions are not merely unproductive, but, frankly suicidal….

There I go again…. Damn, I sure wish that wouldn’t happen, but, I suppose if it didn’t, this blog wouldn’t have lasted as long as it has…. There is something to be said for stubbornness…. I’m not certain just what that may be, but, hey, I don’t know everything….. That has been made perfectly clear in the past three-plus years, hasn’t it? I do however, have a small degree of control over this vessel, so, I can utilize whatever exit strategies we may need to get us where we need to go…. Well, I’m authorized to do so, even if it isn’t always physically possible…. we do try, though, honest.

Not only do we make a concerted effort to maintain control, we don’t charge any extra fees for doing it, so, I guess that makes us a bunch of bloody altruists, now, doesn’t it? Not a bad reputation for one old, fat fart with flat feet, and a tendency for his nose to grow red and round…. In fact, I think I’ll take this opportunity to rest firmly upon my laurels, insofar as it applies to the task at hand, which, of course, may be seen to be of the category “not at all”….. In point of further fact, I’m now fully in the process of cheating, which hopefully will take us out of this mess, one rapidly losing all hope of ever being rescued…..

In fact, I’m so officially and completely lost, we’re leaving…. NOW….

Shall we Pearl?

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” ~~


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After such a strangely apt opening, I think a bit of music to soothe our now-troubled minds would be in order….

Music for reading – Chopin, Beethoven, Mozart, Bach, Debussy, Lizst, Schumann

 

 

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“Never underestimate the power of human stupidity.” — From The Notebooks of Lazarus Long, by Robert A. Heinlein

Cognitive Synthesis of Perception. Precognitive Forecasting. Looking At The Big Picture. Multi-tiered thought. There are many phrases/words used to try to describe the process of prognostication of future events in human culture, a pastime obviously fraught with the danger of being wrong more often than not. The future has a past history of surprising us with its unpredictability, almost without fail, as we are not as smart as we would like to believe, IN RELATION TO THE BIG PICTURE.

That last part, you see, is a fatal flaw in all of us; by using our intellect, by removing our minds and thoughts from the plane on which we exist with everything else, spending time in our imagination, we tend to lose the connection we have to what is REAL, thereby failing to account for that source of information/perceptions, and/or its influence on what may come to pass.

In short, we forget to calculate OUR OWN effect on events, which, as is patently obvious, is completely predictable, in its insistence on sticking to a pattern of deliberate stupidity in the face of reality. We humans, as a matter of course, will use all our will to deny reality if it doesn’t fit in with our preconceived notions of what we would LIKE reality to be….

Most of the time, our unwillingness to think puts us, according to those who would have us believe without examination, under the control of supernatural being, who will forever relieve us of any responsibility for our actions, and will never, ever make us try to think for ourselves again, once they have surrendered our will to this delusional entity…. This delusion is particularly powerful in its reliance on “ipse dixit” reasoning, which allows the proponents of the blindness the permission to completely ignore any and all contradictory evidence they may be presented with, whether real, or reasoned…. Nothing will penetrate, because they won’t allow it….

If you think I’m exaggerating, then I offer the following as a relatively strong set of proof, of an ilk even the most ignorant could conceivably find acceptable, in that it’s all direct reporting by other humans, all of whom suffer from the same core set of delusions…. even those who seem to be reporting contradictory evidence…. Very few of them actually express any awareness of THEIR OWN prejudices…. but, one must read SOMETHING in order to find ANY kind of thought stimulus….

Below are a large number of links to articles I read on the Net yesterday…. Most express outrage at the bozoid activities they describe, so, at least those authors have some clue as to what is going on, so, what they report assumes a slightly more acceptable level of what might be held as truth…. My point can be found not by reading and studying each and every article, end to end, (as I MOSTLY did…. sigh, I’m tired, too…), but, rather, by looking at the total picture, the gestalt, as it were, that is suggested by considering them ALL as single pieces of evidence of the problem that exists in humanity’s nature…. Some seem to be good news, some are obviously NOT so encouraging, but, all point to the same conclusion, my friends, using any sort of reasoning method you may choose to apply…

In short, looking at the Big Picture will convince you that THE ENTIRE WORLD HAS GONE INSANE, AND THERE IS NO CURE!

Sorry, ffolkes, but, as far as I can see, all the evidence available points to that conclusion, and I do try to be realistic, if somewhat optimistic at times…. Okay, hell, busted; I’m a cynical old curmudgeon…. Nevertheless, I still don’t see much that convinces me people are going to change, not enough to make enough difference against the inertia created by the mass of STUPIDITY and DELIBERATE IGNORANCE I see surrounding me on this planet…. Meanwhile, well, here I am, stuck on this sorry old ball of mud without my space ship, and no other way to get away before it all goes south….. No hills to head out for, so to speak….

Here, read as many as you like…. There are lots more where these came from, and each one is rant-worthy by itself….. Afterwards, I’ll include a few pearls to  help illustrate the point….

http://observer.com/2014/11/breaking-doj-moves-to-disqualify-all-defense-attorneys-who-know-of-govt-misconduct/

http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2014/11/19/3593628/how-did-this-unarmed-schizophrenic-woman-get-killed-by-cleveland-police/

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/11/18/3593645/house-epa-science-advisory-board-bill/

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/11/18/1345795/-Gov-Mike-Pence-says-not-giving-food-to-the-unemployed-will-ennoble-them?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+dailykos%2Findex+%28Daily+Kos%29

http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2014/11/18/3593389/congress-postal-service/

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/11/18/1345753/-About-these-pundits-and-their-fetish-for-bipartisanship-Can-t-they-just-find-a-toe-to-suck-instead?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+dailykos%2Findex+%28Daily+Kos%29

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/11/18/1345751/-McConnell-Boehner-struggle-to-find-a-way-around-another-government-shutdown?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+dailykos%2Findex+%28Daily+Kos%29

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/nov/19/hillsborough-inquest-police-story-forced-gate-liverpool-supporters

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/nov/19/nsa-reform-surveillance-usa-freedom-act-section-215

http://www.theguardian.com/law/2014/nov/19/man-allegedly-tortured-us-ulk-troops-wins-right-sue-damages

http://time.com/3594482/holiday-shopping-black-friday-thanksgiving-christmas-gifts/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+time%2Ftopstories+%28TIME%3A+Top+Stories%29

I would like to point out the sheer avarice our culture encourages as implied by the last article, as well as to have you note that this is an article about buying ‘stuff’ for Christmas, in November, while we are still over a week away from Thanksgiving…. SIGH….

“I never could see why people were so happy about Dickens’ `A Christmas Carol’ because I never had any confidence that Scrooge was going to be any different the next day.” — Dr. Karl Menninger, American psychiatrist (1893-1990), — on the transience of the Christmas spirit.

“There live not three good men unhanged in England; and one of them is fat and grows old.” — William Shakespeare (1564-1616), King Henry IV — Act ii, Sc. 4

“We are going to have peace even if we have to fight for it.” — Dwight D Eisenhower

“The distinction between Freedom and Liberty is not accurately known; naturalists have been unable to find a living specimen of either.” — Ambrose Bierce “The Devil’s Dictionary”

“Politics is perhaps the only profession for which no preparation is thought necessary.” — Robert Louis Stevenson

“I have often wondered how it is that every man loves himself more than all the rest of men, but yet sets less value on his own opinions of himself than on the opinions of others.” — Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

“I think as long as you suffer for your sins, they don’t count.” — Calvin

“I don’t think we should punish the criminal [a rapist] by killing his child.” — Dr. John Wilke, President, National Right to Life Committee, — Search for Common Ground, taped for television 4/89, as quoted in — The Far Right, Speaking For Themselves, a Planned Parenthood pamphlet

To summarize, once more, with feeling, loud enough for those in the rear of the hall to hear…. say it with me now!…..

“Stupidity is much the same all the world over.” — John Stuart Mill

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Today’s ending quote in the intro section was a bit of a tease, so, here is another bit of doggerel from our old friend, Willie B…..

When You Are Old

When you are old and grey and full of sleep,
And nodding by the fire, take down this book,
And slowly read, and dream of the soft look
Your eyes had once, and of their shadows deep;
How many loved your moments of glad grace,
And loved your beauty with love false or true,
But one man loved the pilgrim Soul in you,
And loved the sorrows of your changing face;
And bending down beside the glowing bars,
Murmur, a little sadly, how Love fled
And paced upon the mountains overhead
And hid his face amid a crowd of stars.

~~ William Butler Yeats ~~


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In an attempt to counter-balance the large load of deliberate mendacity described in section two above, here is an old school pearl with advice, comments, and observations about some of humanity’s more sterling qualities, few as they may be….

Know then this truth (enough for man to know),–

“Virtue alone is happiness below.”

~~ Alexander Pope (1688-1744) ~~

~~ Essay on Man, Epistle iv, Line 309 ~~


“My own life has been spent chronicling the rise and fall of human systems, and I am convinced that we are terribly vulnerable…. We should be reluctant to turn back upon the frontier of this epoch. Space is indifferent to what we do; it has no feeling, no design, no interest in whether or not we grapple with it. But we cannot be indifferent to space, because the grand, slow march of intelligence has brought us, in our generation, to a point from which we can explore and understand and utilize it. To turn back now would be to deny our history, our capabilities.” — James A Michener

“Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate to prefer the latter.” — Thomas Jefferson

And it’s just a box of rain
I don’t know who put it there
Believe it if you need it
Or leave it if you dare
And it’s just a box of rain
Or a ribbon for your hair
Such a long, long time to be gone
And a short time to be there

~~ Box of Rain by Lesh, Hunter ~~


“Have no respect whatsoever for authority; forget who said it and instead look at what he starts with, where he ends up, and ask yourself, “Is it reasonable?” — Richard Feyman’s father

“Everywhere the human soul stands between a hemisphere of light and another of darkness; on the confines of two everlasting hostile empires, Necessity and Freewill.” — Carlyle (1795-1881)

The thought manifests as the word;
The word manifests as the deed;
The deed develops into habit;
And habit hardens into character.
So watch the thought and its ways with care,
And let it spring from love
Born out of concern for all beings.

~~ The Buddha ~~

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Today’s Pearl came together rather quickly, given the fact the ranting section was completed yesterday as I perused the news…. There were so many egregious examples of just how crazy the world has gone, it put itself together…. So, here I am, at 0545, mostly done, and no idea what to do next…. The rest of the world won’t be up for a couple hours, mostly, so, I may as well just go back to bed…. I could, I suppose, try to find something constructive to do, but, what fun would THAT be, eh? I think I’ll go find a bureaucrat to torment, if I can find one out of bed this early…. 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….


					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Excessive salivation won’t help, or hinder….

			
						

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Ffolkes,




“All the troubles of man come from his not knowing how to sit still.”


~~ Pascal ~~


whales jumping


     Filafa zobrino…. Cantano prodilli, comedaren porsovolo. Sellente fortuita pregente forse. Sile voncuba sekrateike, grabeesee soltranito…. Pesce sagua?


Coolness…. It seems I have another language in my head, ready to deploy for releasing all of that really vulgar, insulting, and probably illegal stuff that comes out of my emotional holding area into the atmosphere, where it won’t harm anyone, and so far, is not affecting the already scary situation with climate change…. it’s too toxic for even us to use in any meaningful way…. But, then, what would we know of meaningful around here, eh? Not much, I can assure you…. It’s okay, though, the meaning of the above is such that, if I told you, not only would I have to kill you, but, you’d probably want to kill yourself…


No, I have no idea what language it is; it was probably beamed down to me from the mother-ship, sometime during the night while my software was rebooting… It DOES seem to have some sort of resemblance to Italian, but, with some spillover out of, or into, Greek…. Hell, maybe it came from Saturn’s moon, Titan…. Lately, there have been some indications of stuff going on down on the surface of that moon that indicates possible intelligent actions…. or, they could be just anomalies in the telescope. It’s a bit hard to determine from Earth; the camera on the telescope that took the pictures we’re receiving are several hundred million miles away now, on one of our probe satellites, launched years ago, and just now completing its mission around Saturn…


But, it DOES trip off the tongue rather elegantly, don’t you think? No? Well, I do, and it’s my blog, so there….


As you can see, some days around here are more organized than others….. This particular day is such that I’m not sure how to proceed; it all could change on me in a heartbeat, and there I’d be, still trying to translate a language nobody’s ever heard or seen before into some kind of meaningful, or, at least, a partially honest, yet condescending episode of parenthetical ideation. Works for me, but, not everyone has my degree of tolerance, or my panache at making shit up….


On that rather silly note, I think I’ll wrap this up, and go see what other kind of crap I can come up with today…. I’m feeling good, (well, as good as it gets these days…), and hopeful for a reasonably pain-free hour, if not day…. Meantime, I see an opportunity to take us out of here without any serious bloodshed coming up, so, we’ll take this slow on the road, and see if it will float…. And, yes, I paid good money for those cliches; I’m damned if I’ll let them go to waste…. Hang on, ffolkes…


Shall we Pearl?


“The makers of fortunes have a second love of money as a creation of their own, resembling the affection of authors for their poems, or of parents for their children … and hence they are very bad company, for they talk of nothing but the praises of wealth.” — Plato (428-348? B.C.)


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


I’m in the mood for something cerebral today, (that’s cerebral, not cereal….), so, here is a mix of classical pieces put together by a You Tube downloader, designed to stimulate and relax the mind at once, to enhance study habits and retention…. I like the little text that pops up at the start…. “Keep Calm And Study Hard” with a royal crown above it…. the icon of the Queen’s wisdom, as it is portrayed, with affectionate cheekiness, on souvenir cups, key chains, and clothing all over London, starting during her Golden Jubilee Celebration a few years ago….







 


3 HOURS of Classical Music




































 


 




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“You are not a fool just because you have done something foolish; 


only if the folly of it escapes you.”


~~ Jim Fiebig ~~




Headlines from the UK Guardian, 11/4/2014:



Fresh Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone raises fears of new infection chain 


I’ll bet the Guardian wouldn’t cop to the idea they are contributing to the problems faced by trumpeting the latest inducements for panic released by official information sources…. Every little dangerous new piece of speculation about what the disease MIGHT do, or how bad the situation COULD POSSIBLY become is reports like this, with the explicit use of the phrase, “… X raises fears of new….”….


By analyzing the sub textual meaning of this, it becomes crystal clear they are engaging in speculation, making an unwarranted assumption of the ubiquitous veracity of Murphy’s laws, which, though powerful, are not omnipotent…. It is entirely possible the newest information means something entirely different than their predictions of imminent doom; the reality of it will most likely settle somewhere in between the best and worst potential scenarios…. But, bland reports of technical information doesn’t sell any papers or ads….


Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles prompt RSPCA warning


The charity group RSPCA has raised their best Monty Python silly voice in protest over the possible effects this more than just a little silly movie has had on the baby terrapins of the world… They’ve seen an upsurge in “abandoned turtles” since it came out, a number which has grown beyond the point of reason, as the owners tire of the turtles, when they are no longer “cute”….


SIGH….. No… It isn’t a joke I put here; it’s a real headline, and story, and actual events acted out in the real world, by, who else, people who haven’t a clue as to what life is all about, or, their own place in reality…. I think this headline, along with the others below, and above, will give a very clear portrait of just how STUPID people are, in general, as well as providing more evidence in support of yesterday’s rant, concerning the same issue, to wit: rampant ignorance and stupidity, at work in the real world….


Let’s see what else we can find, to give y’all an idea of how dim is our candle of hope….


From the 11/4/2014 UK Guardian Book Review:



Benjamin Zephaniah: people all over the world are living in fear and to me all those people are being terrorised


“In the second part of an interview by group members DG Readers, the Terror Kid author talks about terrorism, governments, why it’s really important to be an activist and how the revolution starts with chocolate cake”


Oh, yeah, that’ll do it…. We’ll either bribe, or threaten the corporate masters of the world to stop preying on mankind, by offering them chocolate cake…. or, by eating it ourselves (maybe in front of them, without sharing?…. It would piss ME off, for sure….) Sure, that’ll do it….


Ffolkes, do I really need to tell you why this is so stupid? If so, I think the effort most likely would fall into the category of “sheer unadulterated futility”…. for what, to me, is a patently obvious reason… I’ll give you a five-word-clue…. Pollyanna is a FICTIONAL character….


From Think Progress, 11/4/2014:



IPCC Scientists Emphasize Immorality Of Inaction By Focusing On ‘Irreversible Impacts’


Excerpted from the article:


What do the world’s leading scientists mean by “irreversible impacts”?


“Warming will continue beyond 2100 under all RCP scenarios except RCP2.6. Surface temperatures will remain approximately constant at elevated levels for many centuries after a complete cessation of net anthropogenic CO2 emissions. A large fraction of anthropogenic climate change resulting from CO2 emissions is irreversible on a multi-century to millennial time scale, except in the case of a large net removal of CO2 from the atmosphere over a sustained period….


It is virtually certain that global mean sea-level rise will continue for many centuries beyond 2100, with the amount of rise dependent on future emissions. ”


The report by the International Panel on Climate Change was released a week or so ago…. Since it came out, there has been an almost deafening silence on what is reported by the agency from ALL public sources, such as the government, a silence that extends into ALL its branches…. Very few public figures, pundits, talking heads, or even news anchors. are saying much about this at all….


This article is one of only a couple I saw in my morning cruise through the news reader…. which tells me, the most important report about our future that exists is being treated just like any other unwelcome piece of news, with complete and utter denial, by well OVER 99% of the people who will be most affected by it….


Now, I don’t know about y’all, but, to me. that is really, really, REALLY STUPID…. (sorry for the redundant descriptive adjectives…)


From the Associated Press:


Shy bladder group protests DirecTV ad


I decided, after perusing the first couple sentences of this article, to not read any further…. Quite frankly, I do NOT want to know anything about this issue, or the ad, or the group that is complaining….


In fact, I think, since we are talking about the power of human stupidity, we’ve pretty well provided all the evidence required, and have proved the point to a degree of massive certainty… So, I’ll let it go, and go on to something else…. I will leave you with the following thought….


“Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.” — Martin Luther King, Jr., Strength of Love, 1963


Snicker…. As if a preacher hadn’t known that since the first class in seminary school…. One might think it shows a bit of hypocrisy, but, to mention anything so critical of MLK Jr. is to take one’s life in their hands, for the criticism and vituperation pours out from those who have already canonized him…. As if he weren’t a human being, with the flaws and misconceptions each and every member of the species possesses, as part of their genetic legacy…. Oh, well… since he’s right, we’ll let all that go, to get us out of here….


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Today’s effort, thus far, seems to fall into that category where nobody else should be required to take any of the blame for it…. hence a poem of mine from the archives…. Hmm… Let’s just take a little trip overseas, and let it go at that….




Days and Nights of Eire


Comforting, a dream creeps oft into my mind

On the elven hills of Eire lives the vision I find.

Elegant, gracious, everlastingly draped in beauty 

Just payment of simple homage lives as joyous duty.


Fairies and druids walk abroad in ghostly parade

Gracing each hearth with its own welcoming shade.

Castles and heroes yet live in tale and song

Proving love for the land in each heart strong.


From cold of winter into glorious young spring

Brown, and gray, to emerald green songs to sing

Soft rains always follow winter’s great tempest

Eire dons its emerald coat from east to west.


Old and strong, connections call out in dreams

Nothing that was known remains as it seems.

Immersion in ancient runes and battle hymns

Offering sanity in place of grievous whims.


Time and place can tell a much different tale

Judgment should never be a final sale.

Yet something solid and real calls me to go see

Where dreams of loving beauty may actually be….


~~ gigoid ~~


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This turned out to be an odd little pearl, which should serve well to highlight the overall oddity of the entire Pearl…. When I started to collect the entries in SB, I hadn’t quite decided on the parameters to use, so, it came out a bit random (See the third entry below, by Seneca the Younger, to understand how that happens…)…. 


But, all in all, and to carry that metaphor a bit further, the current seems to have made any skill at sailing, or knowing where to go, a moot point, as it brought us to a pretty cool destination, where some pretty cogent observations, and, some decent advice, were to be found, all around the subject of being human, always a challenge, while trying to deal with Life at Large….


” For others do I wait…for higher ones, stronger ones, more triumphant ones, merrier ones, for such as are built squarely in body and soul: laughing lions must come.” — Friedrich Nietzsche


“The very powerful and the very stupid have one thing in common. Instead of altering their views to fit the facts, they alter the facts  to fit their views…which can be very uncomfortable if you happen to  be one of the facts that needs altering.” — Doctor Who, “Face of Evil”


“If one does not know to which port one is sailing, no wind is favorable.” — Seneca (the Younger)


— Bother! said Pooh, for no apparent reason.


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


It is never too early or too late to care for the well-being of the soul.” — Epicurus




To each his suff’rings; all are men,

  Condemn’d alike to groan,–

The tender for another’s pain,

  Th’ unfeeling for his own.

Yet ah! why should they know their fate,

Since sorrow never comes too late,

  And happiness too swiftly flies?

  Thought would destroy their paradise.

No more; where ignorance is bliss,

  ‘T is folly to be wise.


~~ Thomas Gray (1716-1771) ~~


~~ On a Distant Prospect of Eton College, Stanza 10 ~~




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Okay, so, this went pretty well, (Well, okay, you’re correct; I didn’t count the first few sentences as part of the stats for today….), which is a good thing, as I’m pretty sure anything I might have tried to do wouldn’t have worked so well…


In any case, it’s DONE, our only REAL requirement…. Having completed my chosen Duty, I shall bid thee adieu…. 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….





		
	
					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Officer, that rhinoceros is winking at me!….

			
						

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Ffolkes,




“Earth has it’s boundaries, but human stupidity is limitless.”


~~ Flaubert ~~


10-19-2014 014


     I’m thinking Mssr. Flaubert was in a bit of a stinky mood when he wrote the above aphorism…. It does have the advantage of being fairly well true, if a bit lacking in scientific approach…. Yes, human stupidity is unlimited in scope; however the Earth is a finite object; as such it has actual limits. But, given the incredible beauty our world can display, there is no limit to how much it can stimulate our imagination, which IS infinite in scope as well… We are creatures of duality; our nature, our perception, and our emotional makeup all reflect that duality, which, by the fact of it’s nature, provides the universe with balance, and permanence….


It’s amazing, isn’t it? To look at a picture such as this one, of a plant thriving in the midst of urban blight, providing a source of beauty even the depressive nature of its surroundings cannot dim, and know how beautiful the world is, if it only gets a chance…. In the midst of sorrow, and pain, and the depression of poverty, one may always find beauty, which, by its mere existence, gives people hope, and the strength to live on, to keep struggling toward the light, using what is at hand…. just as this plant has done….


Enough early morning philosophy for one day; when I started I didn’t plan on going into that; it evolved as I began to type, pretty much writing itself…. Given the history of introductory sections on this blog, I find that to be a good thing. It’s given us a decent set of opening lines, and thoughts, with the bonus of not falling into a rant, right out of the box. I’m sure y’all can appreciate such restraint; I know this blog can get to be a heavy read, but, I really do try to think ahead in that respect…..


My tendency toward bozoid behavior, though, often causes me to forget my good intentions, and ranting becomes the order of the day. Today, however, you’ll note we are almost far enough down the page to make our escape…. In fact, we’re going to bail out by the end of this particular paragraph, as I see the opening coming up ahead, there at the side of the worm hole…. Again, I have to ask y’all to fasten your seat belts securely, as the cabin may experience some turbulence while the pilot is unconscious; no worries, it’s only a temporal effect, passing in seconds, and we’ll come out the other side without a problem…. Trust me….


Shall we Pearl?….


“We are more sensible of what is done against custom than against Nature.” — Plutarch (46-120 AD) — Of Eating of Flesh, Tract 1


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


I’m in the mood for some soothing, cerebral music today…. In this particular group of musical pieces, I suggest you skip past the first one that plays; it’s a bit slow for a morning piece…. but, it gets better, believe me…. Enjoy, ffolkes!







The Best in Classical Music: Part 1:














































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


“When you are sure you’re right, you have a moral duty to impose your will upon anyone who disagrees with you.” — Robert W. Mayer


Think about that for a moment….


When I think about this, beyond my initial gut reaction, which involves severe disdain, not to mention disgust, for such unwarranted arrogance, I am struck with two thoughts, each more depressing the the other….. First, I want to say that it is my firm belief that any time someone, anyone, uses the words, “it is your moral duty”, you can be sure they are speaking about THEIR morals, not anyone else’s…. 


This kind of discriminatory bigotry is damn near invisible to anyone who suffers from it, as it arises out of what can only be faith-based assumptions, thus ensuring that NO argument will be entertained…. In other words, no matter HOW ignorant, or bigoted, or INSANE their beliefs, if they think they are right (and, they will never entertain any other thought), it guarantees their fanaticism, and rejection of ANY evidence to the contrary….


That being said, it depresses me that, most of the people in this country, ESPECIALLY those who end up in politics, would, if asked, express their belief in this sentiment, right down to the bone, no matter how insane it truly is…. It is also a de rigeur position for anyone who buys into ANY of the religions out there, for they all operate with this sort of illogic as their primary method of exposition and thought…. You see, it doesn’t actually require any thought to believe this stuff; it’s all laid out for them, so all that is needed is to say, “ditto”, position the blinders comfortably,  and resume their clueless existence….


“As one reads history… one is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the  wicked have committed, but by the punishments that the good have inflicted.” — Oscar Wilde


This attitude is the reason the government, and all the assholes who do their clandestine bidding, are able to continue to do whatever they wish to do, no matter how the public feels about it…..


Secondly, when I see that statement, (above, by R. Mayer) claiming moral infallibility by right of belief, I get depressed because, not only do most people believe it in the case of this issue, they also tend to carry the self-same attitude over into every area of their life, until every original thought is quashed before it ever formulates in their minds…. They become the nightmare of any honestly ethical man, as an entitled hedonist, believing they have the right to anything they desire, whether filling that desire affects, or even harms, anyone else, or not. With the mandate of faith, they are invulnerable to reason, and to criticism of any sort…


This attitude, of entitlement, becomes the societal norm after a while, until our culture resembles nothing so much as a jungle, where everyone believes in the theory of ‘dog eat dog’, with the eventual result we see now, where no one is able to trust anyone else…. All because lying, cheating, and stealing have become the norm, the primary way everyone turns to in order to get what they want…. and, nobody cares, because that kind of behavior is mirrored at all levels of society, right up to the very top….. This all-too human trait has been recognized for a long time, but, has resisted all attempts to root it out of human interaction; hence, we see war, after war, after war, since the beginning of historical memory….


Below, you will find the evidence I found, straight from the horse’s mouth, that shows exactly how we humans REALLY view life…. Real life, that is, not the ideal life everyone talks about…. These nine statements/aphorisms/quotes tell it like it is…. and how humans, especially our Beloved Ruling Class, looks at reality…. Please note, this is all RECORDED evidence, with attribution, so, it’s not like I made any of this part up on my own…. It’s all down in black and white, on paper, somewhere…. so, this is all stuff people really do, and believe….. or, want us all to believe….


“Society attacks early, when the individual is helpless.” — B.F. Skinner


“Necessity has no law.” — Francis Rabelais (1495-1553) — Works, Book v, Chap. xv


“The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name.” — Exodus 15:3


“The only very marked difference between the average civilized man and the average savage is that the one is gilded and the other is painted.” — Mark Twain


“A great deal of intelligence can be invested in ignorance when the need for illusion is deep.” — Saul Bellow


“Democracy is the name we give the people whenever we need them.” — Arman de Caillavet


“Even though Federal health officials are promoting less tobacco use, the tobacco industry should continue to expand in foreign markets.” — Vice President Dan Quayle


“People never lie so much as after a hunt, during a war or before an election.” — Otto von Bismarck


“If you can’t drink a lobbyist’s whiskey, take his money, sleep with his women  and still vote against him in the morning, you don’t belong in politics.” — Speaker of the California Assembly Jesse Unruh


In a manner of speaking, I rest my case; they are hoist on their own petard, condemned by their own words…. I’ll leave you with one final thought on the matter, to wit:


“A little government and a little luck are necessary in life, but only a fool trusts either of them.” — P.J. O’Rourke


So be it…..


gigoid has spoken.


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


I’m in the mood for Yeats….




When You Are Old


When you are old and grey and full of sleep,

And nodding by the fire, take down this book,

And slowly read, and dream of the soft look

Your eyes had once, and of their shadows deep;

How many loved your moments of glad grace,

And loved your beauty with love false or true,

But one man loved the pilgrim Soul in you,

And loved the sorrows of your changing face;

And bending down beside the glowing bars,

Murmur, a little sadly, how Love fled

And paced upon the mountains overhead

And hid his face amid a crowd of stars. 


~~ William Butler Yeats ~~




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


Today’s old school pearl is relatively fresh; it does, however, seem to lack a certain degree of intensity…. Oh, it’s all true, and good stuff, but, there just isn’t a lot of OOMPH to it…. Oh well, I guess they can ALL be compelling…. It’s a good pearl, anyway, so, just allow it to lead your mind to where it’s headed, and you’ll be fine…. maybe a small bit wiser, too…. maybe…


“An intelligent mind is a mind which is not satisfied with explanations, with  conclusions; nor is it a mind that believes, because belief is again another  form of conclusion. An intelligent mind is an inquiring mind, a mind that is  watching, learning, studying.” — J. Krishnamuti


“If there be any truer measure of a man than by what he does, it must be by what he gives.” — Robert South


“Cultivation to the mind is as necessary as food to the body.” — Cicero


“Wonder is the feeling of a philosopher, and philosophy begins in wonder.” — Socrates (470?-399 B.C.), [quoting Plato]


“Of all the strange “crimes” that human beings have legislated out of nothing, “blasphemy” is the most amazing–with “obscenity” and “indecent exposure” fighting it out for second and third place.” — Lazarus Long, from Robert A. Heinlein’s “Time Enough For Love”


“Kindness gives birth to kindness.” — Sophocles


“Gentleman: A man who knows how to play bagpipes — and refrains.” — Fred Tart


A bit general, but, tidy enough…. I’ll take it….


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


I have done my duty, and that’s all I can say…. Since, however, duty remains my core belief, that’s good enough…. Today is a day with a lot of possibilities…. as Gilda Radner once said of life, “delicious ambiguity!”….. I’ll 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….




 

					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
“She’s making her famous Cream of Kitten Soup!”, he cried….

			
						

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Ffolkes,




“Anyone who has got a book collection/library and a garden wants for nothing.”


~~ Cicero ~~


August 1 2014 046


     This would probably be quicker, and quite possibly better, if I’d worked at In N Out® Burger at some point; since I didn’t, it won’t be anything of the sort. But, that’s okay, too, because, by now, I’m sure y’all are quite used to finding unusual statements here in the beginning…. It’s almost as if I were trying to manipulate your minds, to work them into the frame I wish it to inhabit for our time together… and, in truth, that is pretty much the way it actually is…. not to the degree used by your parents, or by the Asininnies, in their quest for ultimate mind-control of the populace, mind you….. No, more the way we all try to do with each other, in our weak, misguided attempts to interface with each other….


There, now, was that so bad? No, of course not. But, then, most blogs won’t tell you you’re part of an experiment in thought control, even though each and every blog out there is doing that very thing, one way or another, and to some degree…. We can’t help it, any more than we can help needing to use the toilet at regular intervals throughout the day…. it’s the way we’re built. We can, if we try, and learn certain forms of mental discipline, resist the impulse to control, but, we can’t change our inner nature, so it’s best to learn those disciplines, when one may, to afford one’s self the choice in doing so, at the very least…


So, where does all this get us? Nowhere particularly gratifying, I have to say…. We aren’t far enough down the page yet to call it a day, yet, I’ve only blathered & meandered this far because I started off talking process rather than principle, though, what any of THAT has to do with actual literary output, I haven’t a clue…. Maybe I can call this new style the “clueless” method; it seems appropriate, given how much it is leaving to chance, by performing an examination of fluff and stuff, rather than some specific sort of categorical assignation, or even a quizzical exploration of some more esoteric subject matter….


Hell, this stuff, so far, couldn’t even be called a faux–rant, because the only argument we’re having is to decide just how fucking long I can keep this up, when my hands are aching, & getting number by the moment….Oh, wait…. Okay, look, I know this isn’t even marginally legal, but, if we do it quickly, nobody will ever know…. I’m going to use the old emergency method #4 to get us out of here, okay…. Hold on….


Shall we Pearl?….


“Anybody can become angry — that is easy; but to be angry with the right person, and to the right degree, and at the right time, and for the right purpose, and in the right way — that is not within everybody’s power and is not easy.” — Aristotle


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


“Badness, look you, you may choose easily in a heap: level is the path, and right near it dwells. But before Virtue the immortal gods have put the sweat of man’s brow; and long and steep is the way to it, and rugged at the first.” — Hesiod (c. 700 BC) — Works and Days, Line 287


This little aphorism may be another of the key pieces to the puzzle that is human nature, and to solving all that is wrong in today’s world, before it is too late…. It seems to me that this nation has lost touch with the truth of the statement by Hesiod… Not in the populace, but, in those who would be called leaders, the rugged nature of the path to virtue in life calls for too much effort; they choose to abjure all virtue, simply because it is easier to be bad… In every animal alive, there exists a tendency to choose the path of least resistance; this reflects the nature of matter, which always seeks the lowest, most common level for all interactions between the parts of reality….


In the case of one interaction for us humans, to wit: humor, the lowest common denominator is pain, of the emotional sort, mostly, but, physical pain plays a large part as well… for it is our pain that makes us laugh, ultimately, when we are able to choose to see the irony of our situation, rather than merely the stark details, thus freeing us from the pressure, by laughing, rather than crying, which, while cathartic to an extent, solves no problems, nor answers any riddles…. The more balanced one becomes, the funnier life seems…. to observe how much of the world flails about, desperately seeking peace, without realizing it is right in their pocket…. or, some corner of their mind, long abandoned and dark….


“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”


“The things you can’t laugh at control you.” — Smart Bee


I had forgotten this for a time; my center is a place where I laugh, and laugh, and laugh still more, most often at the folly of humans, especially my own, and at the lives we live, as someone said, “of quiet desperation”, yearning for, often, what we do not even know…. until we laugh, and it all comes clear…. The Irish have a saying, that goes, “A long sleep and a good laugh are the two best cures for anything.” So, today, rather than ranting, let’s see if Smart Bee can make us laugh, or, if we cannot yet consistently chortle in glee, then, at least, find a chuckle or two hanging about….


“George Washington said to his father, “If I never tell a lie, how can I get to be President?” — Red Buttons


Death, as the Psalmist saith, is certain to all; all shall die. How a good yoke of bullocks at Stamford fair? — William Shakespeare (1564-1616), King Henry IV — Act iii, Sc. 2


(Hey, don’t blame me if it isn’t funny… Shakespeare wrote it….)


“Luther Burbank crossed a potato with a sponge. He got something that tastes awful but it holds a lot of gravy.” — Doodles Weaver


“A democracy is a government in the hands of men of low birth, no property, and vulgar employments.” — Aristotle


(Only a true patriot of this country could say this with a straight face…. for more than three seconds, anyway…. But, then, Aristotle probably wasn’t trying to be funny; it’s just funny to me….)


(Okay, Smart Bee, you’ve got to do better… as Hazim the Moor said to Robin Hood, “Move faster!….)


PATRIOT, n.  One to whom the interests of a part seem superior to those of the whole.  The dupe of statesmen and the tool of conquerors. — Ambrose Bierce, “The Devil’s Dictionary”


(Well, it IS funnier, but, it’s still too close to ranting….C’mon now, SB, let’s finish strong….)




——————— cut here ————————–




“Stress:   The confusion created when one’s mind overrides the body’s basic desire to choke the living daylights out of some jerk who desperately deserves it.” — Smart Bee


“I just forgot my whole philosophy of life!!!” — Zippy the Pinhead


Okay, I’m done now. Zippy always manages to have the last word, doesn’t he? Now, to come to the point of all this, all you have to do is remember…..


“The young man who has not wept is a savage, and the old man who will not laugh is a fool.” — George Santayana (1863-1952)


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


Not much needs to be said about this music; it pretty well speaks for itself, most of it having survived as popularly accepted masterworks for several hundred years…. By following the link to the You Tube site, you will find numerous other choices in the same genre…. Enjoy, please… I can attest to the value of listening to this while working, playing, or just relaxing…. It seems to work for all of it….




Music for reading – Chopin, Beethoven, Mozart, Bach, Debussy, Lizst, Schumann























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


This will be fairly easy, since I’m using my own poetry; all I have to do is pick one…. easy for ME to say…. Ah, here’s a good one, just right for today’s apparent theme…. well, same ballpark, maybe…




Early Observations


Until I knew there was more,

I wanted to know God.

They said he was a nice guy,

and would let me live forever.


All I had to do, they said,

was live my life for Him,

always living by scripture

cleaving only to his Way.


But, everyone I saw in church,

acted different at home.

Living wild, cussin’ and fussin’,

nobody lived like they said.


Still, I tried to be like Jesus,

he was sort of cool.

He never hurt nobody

and walked on the right path.


‘Course they killed him for that,

they couldn’t stand his example.

Turned him into a martyr,

 hid his real words among their own.


Then I found the Buddha,

and met Lao Tzu at the gate.

They saw things real different,

showed me how to see straight.


Right thought, and right action

replace blind obedience and faith.

Reality becomes manageable,

fear retreats, the universe expands.


Brother John said it pretty well,

“Imagine there’s no heaven,

it’s easy if you try.”

Sounds like he knew why.


Day to day, life is grand,

we walk in eternal beauty.

Open your eyes and hearts,

find yourself already immortal.


~~ gigoid ~~


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


Smart Bee decided to gift me with a pearl; it seems it has something to say, apparently about the eccentricities of the human spirit, and the vagaries of human behavior…. All of them, to my way of looking at it, seem pretty well on target, well worth remembering when dealing with other members of our most perplexing species….


AMNESIA: Condition that enables a woman who has gone through labor to make love again. — Parents Dictionary


“One of these days in your travels, a guy is going to come up to you and show you a nice, brand- new deck of cards on which the seal is not yet broken, and this guy is going to offer to bet you that he can make the jack of spades jump out of the deck and squirt cider in your ear. But, son, do not bet this man, for as sure as you stand there, you are going to wind up with an earful of cider.” — Damon Runyon


“It’s a dirty job, but someone’s gotta pawn it off on someone else.” — Smart Bee


“If today you can take a thing like evolution and make it a crime to teach in the public schools, tomorrow you can make it a crime to teach it in the private schools and next year you can make it a crime to teach it to the hustings or in the church.  At the next session you may ban books and the newspapers… Ignorance and fanaticism are ever busy and need feeding. Always feeding and gloating for more. Today it is the public school teachers; tomorrow the private. The next day the preachers and the lecturers, the magazines, the books, the newspapers. After a while, Your Honor, it is the setting of man against man and creed against creed until with flying banners and beating drums we are marching backward to the glorious ages of the sixteenth century when bigots lighted fagots to burn the men who dared to bring any intelligence and enlightenment and culture to the human mind.” — Clarence S. Darrow (1857-1938), at the Scopes Monkey Trial


“The net effect of Clarence Darrow’s great speech yesterday seemed to be precisely the same as if he had bawled it up a rain spout in the interior of Afghanistan.”

— H. L. Mencken (1880-1956)


“Things don’t bug you if you don’t think about them.” — Calvin


In 1883 Cambridge University played a  correspondence chess match with the Bedlam insane asylum.  Bedlam won. — Smart Bee


Calvin: People think it must be fun to be a super genius, but they don’t realize how hard it is to put up with all the idiots in the world.

Hobbes: Isn’t your pants’ zipper supposed to be in the front?


— Calvin (Bill Watterson, “Calvin and Hobbes”)


“The human mind is a dangerous plaything, Boys.  When it’s used for Evil, watch out!  But when it’s used for Good, things are much… nicer.” — the Tick


‘Nuff said…


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


Having done my duty, there is little point, at this point, in continuing my pattern of abuse upon the unsuspecting reading public…. Since that is as true as anything I’ve ever said in this blog, I’ll leave it at that….. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, if my luck holds….




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….