Poignant palindromes prevent perverted pixels….

Posted on October 13, 2014 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

Truths would you teach, or save a sinking land?
All fear, none aid you, and few understand.

~~ Alexander Pope ~~

— Essay on Man, Epistle iv, Line 261 —

A while back, you may recall a series of posts here with The Wise Old Pine Cone as the featured subject, with pictures describing his adventures living here with me, his girl friend, and The Young Paduan Cone….. Then, the stories stopped, simply because the Old Cone disappeared, along with his charges, not to be seen again until a couple days ago, when I happened to spot him, managing to speak to him a moment, to find out what happened… I took this picture to show where he’s been hanging out, literally….

It seems he got a call one night, after I’d retired, calling him to an emergency far away (no, he doesn’t use the phone; he’s telepathic, obviously…. he couldn’t hold the handset anyway….). Realizing he’d be gone a while, he took his student, and his girl friend, who, unknown to me, was pregnant…. By the time he’d taken care of the issue in Bulgaria (don’t ask…. I didn’t, so I don’t know why it was in Europe….or, what pine cones might be having trouble in the area…..), she was almost due, so, he rushed home, and found a nice tree, where she produced the batch of young cones you see above…. Nice story, eh?

All perfectly nonsense, naturally…. The truth is, I forgot about the cone, then, when I went to find it, it was all crumbled up, too dried out and old to hold together….. SIGH, oh well, at least I got a picture out of it, and a short story to go with it, which also served as a decent, if a bit awkward, beginning for today’s effort…. Hey, they can’t ALL be gems, can they? Well, if so, I haven’t found the technique thus far…. The hell with it, it’s good enough for government work, and since I no longer work for them, but, quite the opposite, it’s damn well good enough….

It’s also gotten us far enough I can be thrifty, bringing this to close with a reasonably moderate length, rather than wandering around, blathering, whining, or fantasizing until I find an exit point. In fact, this one worked so well, I see it has brought us to one of those points in jig time, instead of island time, reputed to be slow…. Having not set foot on the islands (Hawaii, etc….) since I was four, I’ll take their word for it, and just take advantage of the way out…

Shall we Pearl?….

It is our choices …. that show what we truly are far more than our abilities.” — J.K. Rowling, “Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets

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

Death in itself is nothing; but we fear
To be we know not what, we know not where.

— John Dryden (1631-1700) — Aurengzebe, Act iv, Sc. 1

“There is scarcely an occurrence in nature which, happening at a certain time, is not looked upon by some persons as a prognosticator either of good or evil. The latter are in the greatest number, so much more ingenious are we in tormenting ourselves than in discovering reasons for enjoyment in the things that surround us.” — Charles Mackay — Extraordinary Popular Delusions. . .

Humanity has been doing this ever since we moved out of the caves, having spent much of our time before that discussing the matter in full, as we huddled in those dark, oppressive shelters, shivering in the cold, suffering in the heat, and generally living without a clue as to how the universe works, beyond what we could see in front of our noses…. Cowering in our fears, our imagination peopled the forests, rivers, oceans, skies, and even animals, such as ourselves, with demons, fairies, goddesses, gods, and all manner of dangerous creatures of unknown, and therefore, presumably evil intent…

In doing so, it seems to me we, as a species, using our imagination, fueled by ignorance of reality beyond our perceptions, adopted this BAD habit, of assigning anthropomorphic identities/qualities to those natural objects and functions we did not comprehend, such as rain, thunder, fires, pain, fear, our own body’s functions, etc., in our attempt to establish some kind of order we could understand, thereby utilizing our allegedly advantageous, vaunted intelligence, with the immense power of imagination, seemingly limited in other species, to survive….. It has done that so well, we have become a danger to ourselves, and every other living creature on the planet…. and, we’re still doing it….

Just because we no longer live in caves does not mean we are any less of a fearful, small, uncertain entity, each of us, totally unclear on the true reality that goes on all around us…. In our haste, and daily rush to survive, by the only methods we have learned, we do not have, or take, or make the time to actually use our minds the way they were designed to be used; nor is the imagination, of most people, of much help to them in surviving, beyond gifting them with a talent for mimicry, which is mostly what people use to get by in life.

For most of humanity, by my observation, routine actions and behaviors are not motivated by conscious choice, made after examining all the available information, but, rather, are utilized because it is the ONLY way they know, the same way their mom, or dad, or big brother, or priest, or teacher taught them to act, without ever knowing WHY they do so….

http://nadiaharhash.wordpress.com/2014/10/12/what-is-it-that-makes-people-join-daesh/

Nadia Harash is a new blogger, a Palestinian Muslim woman, who is providing the world with her viewpoints, which, given her gender, religion, and location, marks her as a very brave, very strong, very intelligent woman, obviously fighting to find a way to stay sane, and alive, in a world gone mad…. She asks a question that can be answered, at least in part, by our subject here today, to wit: human stupidity is, over time, becoming universal, making it all that much easier to manipulate them, as they are driven by fear, unreasoning, irrational, unthinking fear, which they sublimate into anger, generally against women, but, often against infidels…. any sort of adjective will do as a focus for hatred, it doesn’t much care who or what it hates….

The people who are joining the jihadists are those who have no rigorous mental structure of their own, nothing to serve to remove, or even lessen, their fear of everything, and everyone; this fear, naturally, leads them to hate, for all anger (from which hate springs…) comes from obstructed desire, in this case, the desire to be free of fear, thus leading us to see that all those chanting, rifle-waving maniacal fanatics are nothing more than little boys, whistling in the dark, and using modern technology to allow them to assuage their fears by killing….

But, the Western governments don’t help, for they are doing the exact same thing…. But, they are using their own positions in power to justify their fears, saying all their acts are motivated by national security, or to protect the “homeland” (remember what the Nazi’s used to call their country?….Yep…. the homeland…). However, they are doing so in ways that mark them as craven cowards, ordering jets, and tanks, and drones, and ships with missiles to do their killing for them, without ever having to leave home at all…. They do this, without ever realizing, or even considering, how their actions are making the entire issue worse, by increasing the fear on the side of those being bombed….

It all has to do with what I’ve been pounding on for years now…. The governments of the world are not under the control of the people who elect them, or allow them to rule, nor have they EVER been so. The people in actual control of all the resources (money) are watching their OWN agendas being carried out, agendas that have NOTHING to do with helping the general populace live a better life; it’s all about making themselves more powerful, and safe from exposure, while the world goes up in flames, from all the distractions, such as wars, violence on the streets, slavery, drug running, religion, sports, television, and all the other ways the people are kept oppressed….

It’s been going on for millennia, and will continue until people, as a whole, wake the fuck up and throw the assholes into a deep pit…. I have a feeling I could rant on about this for a long time; hell, I already have, any number of times…. instead, since this is long enough already, we’ll just take a few closing shots, as selected by Smart Bee, to round out our attack on the powers that be for the day…. enjoy….

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

“I love this nation, but we have some of the stupidest people here.” — Smart Bee

“I learned the difference between a cactus and a caucus. A cactus has its pricks on the outside.” — Morris Udall, Former U.S. Rep. on his education in public life.

“The majority isn’t silent- the government is deaf!” — Smart Bee

“Boy, am I glad it’s only 1971…” — Zippy the Pinhead

Now, to some, that pearl might be a bit obscure, but, trust me, it’s not…. For now, just go on to the next section…. it will hit you later….

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

Another relatively unknown legend of music from the latter half of the twentieth century, Kate Wolf was well known in Northern California, where she lived, writing songs that celebrated the beautiful country, and her life… Her song, “Red Tail Hawk” is considered by many to be one of the best folk tunes written in that era, along with a number of her other works…. The link I chose was one that connects to a page with a great many links to her works…. but, if you choose the link to her full album, “Close To You”, you’ll find a number of links to other artists in the folk genre, including Emmy Lou Harris, along with numerous others…. Enjoy!…..

Kate Wolf: 27 Videos

http://youtu.be/PsXGzblg7Ws?list=PL548AB8C2799B312B

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

This poem needs no introduction, nor any comment….

Ozymandias

I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them on the sand,
Half sunk, a shatter’d visage lies, whose frown
And wrinkled lip and sneer of cold command
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamp’d on these lifeless things,
The hand that mock’d them and the heart that fed.
And on the pedestal these words appear:
“My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!”
Nothing beside remains: round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
The lone and level sands stretch far away.

~~ Percy Bysshe Shelley ~~

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

Today’s final pearl will be put together using pearls that struck my fancy…. now, if I could remember where I put it, we’ll be able to get this done in a timely fashion… if not, well, oh, well….

“It is sometimes expedient to forget who we are.” — Publius Syrus (42 BC) — Maxim 233

“Intelligence is the ultimate aphrodisiac” — Me & Smart Bee

“Cats are PROOF there is a higher purpose to the Universe.” — Smart Bee

“It [the Bible] is full of interest. It has noble poetry in it; and some clever fables; and some blood-drenched history; and some good morals; and a wealth of obscenity; and upwards of a thousand lies.” — Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) (1835-1910) — Letters from the Earth (1905-1909)

“In the sky, there is no distinction of east and west; people create distinctions out of their own minds and then believe them to be true.” — Buddha

God must love assholes — She made so many of them. — Smart Bee

“What is left when honour is lost?” — Publius Syrus (42 BC) — Maxim 265

I wasn’t sure about this one at first, but, any time we end up with Mark Twain, Publius Syrus (twice!), and Smart Bee three times, you can be sure the pearl works…. which, it does, quite well, I’d say…. But, then, we all know I’m prejudiced about this, so….

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

Okay, I’m a bit late, and, I’m already half-brain dead; at least the weather today promises to be a bit more livable…. I think I’ll go take a walk in it…. 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.

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Worshiping at the altar of self-mockery….

Posted on October 12, 2014 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“The man who fears no truths has nothing to fear from lies.” — Thomas Jefferson

I’m not altogether proud of this picture, obviously with good reason… It’s the best shot of the full moon I managed with my little Cool Pix camera, sitting on top of my walking stick to keep it steady as the moon rose over the trees…. It has kind of a hint of all that, the clouds, the trees, the moon… without ever quite bringing into enough clarity to make it compelling, other than as an exercise for the eye/brain imagery interface, to resolve the flaws when it gets into the brain, using our resident equivalent to Photoshop… sort of a Photoshop for the brain, so to speak… I suppose one could claim it is ‘mysterious’, but, that might imply one was TRYING to make it that way, which would be a lie….

According to Jefferson, then, I have naught to fear…. from truth, or lies…. Well, at least, in this instance, anyway….

Other than that, it serves only to anchor down the top of the page, after a very good quote, while, at the same time, yet, inadvertently, I assure you, providing material to fill the first paragraph…. SIGH…. I couldn’t have done it better if I’d actually tried, believe me or not. Oh, and, no worries if you don’t; believe me, that is….. I’m not very much offended by being misunderstood, even when that misunderstanding isn’t my fault, or doing; I just hit the miscreant with a brick, and go on about my business. So,as you see, as long as you put on the helmet we offered you at the door to the cabin, you’ll be fine. They (the helmets) are fully tested to be able to withstand much more than a mere brick wielded by an old man with arthritic hands & a grumpy disposition….

Golly, Wally, now what? The usual lack of creative material is currently holding sway in my brain, in spite of adequate morning ablution. This means it will get rantish later on (oops, I think I just coined another word, applicable to blogging…. rantish…. I like it…. It’s going in the dictionary….), but, it can’t be helped. I’m betting though, just the mere act of coining has distracted all of us enough we didn’t even notice how well the new word will fit well into a poem…. Spell Checker showed me several similar words that rhyme quite nicely, when I told it to add it to the list of acceptable words, one of which was an all-time favorite of mine, as it is another word that describes ME…. that word, of course, is dilettantish….

Okay, I’m going to be a nice guy…. I’ll stop here, without subjecting you to further early morning teasing. I know this hasn’t quite achieved the usual level of aggravation, to which y’all have become accustomed, but, we’ve got a ways to go, and I’m a bit tired this morning…. I guess opening that second bottle of John Daniel’s finest wasn’t a good idea, though, I must confess, it seemed like it at the time…. Of course, that was probably just the first bottle talking, but, hey, we listened, so, we have no excuses….. nor, are any offered, as my relationship with John is a private matter, between the two of us alone… and, I’m lying anyway, to prepare you for section one, where we will talk about our beloved ruling class; it’s best to give some warning, I think….

Of course, warning you gives you the chance to slip out, and just go on to the video section, but, hey, I’m required to make the attempt, if only for my own records, to cover my butt, which is hanging out quite attractively, don’t you think? I do…. But, whether or not the sight of my butt drives anyone away, we are going to go on with this, just because my dad taught me to finish whatever I start…. even the silly stuff….

Shall we Pearl?…..

“Indecency, vulgarity, obscenity – these are strictly confined to man; he invented them. Among higher animals there is no trace of them. They hide nothing. They are not ashamed.” — Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) (1835-1910) — Letters from the Earth (1905-1909)

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

REVOLUTION, n. In politics, an abrupt change in the form of misgovernment. Specifically, in American history, the substitution of the rule of an Administration for that of a Ministry, whereby the welfare and happiness of the people were advanced a full half-inch. Revolutions are usually accompanied by a considerable effusion of blood, but are accounted worth it — this appraisement being made by beneficiaries whose blood had not the mischance to be shed. The French revolution is of incalculable value to the Socialist of to-day; when he pulls the string actuating its bones its gestures are inexpressibly terrifying to gory tyrants suspected of fomenting law and order. — Ambrose Bierce, “The Devil’s Dictionary”

http://www.theguardian.com/culture/2014/oct/11/russell-brand-revolution-alienation-despair

Perfect timing; Russell Brand, the British comedian/shock jock/social critic, just released a new book, entitled, “Revolution”. The above link leads, not to the book, but to a reporter’s review of it, including comments from the author as to his motivation for writing it, and for now espousing revolution in the world, for realio-trulio, no foolin’, no bullshit…. which, as you might imagine, is a concept I can get behind in a New York minute (which, as you may know, lasts about a nanosecond…)…. Can I call ’em, or what?

I’ve been saying for a couple years that the Asininnies were getting so egregious in their looting of society, they’re not bothering to hide as much, and that this would eventually lead to revolution… Of course, I was the one making the suggestion, but, I also knew, and stated, that society was going to mirror my own reactions, and the idea of revolution would become more real as time went by. It had to happen, as history provides us with many examples of following the same path in previous centuries…. This has all happened before, ffolkes; the names have been changed, not to protect the innocent, but, just because new assholes are born every minute…

“The United States has entered an anti-intellectual phase in its history, perhaps most clearly seen in our virtually thought-free political life.” — David Baltimore

And, WHY are the Asininnies so able to lie to the public so successfully? Well, because people, for the most part, and in the greatest number, are fools, easily led by the nose, and perfectly susceptible to manipulation, due to their gullibility…. They, the pundits and talking heads who get elected, KNOW this about people, and are shameless, and ruthless, in applying it as often as they can…. which is all the damn time, every damn day…

“If a lie is repeated often enough all the dumb jackasses in the world not only get to believe it, they even swear by it.” — B.B. Franklin

I was glad to see that the movie about Edward Snowden is coming out; it will certainly add to the situation described above, i.e., it will provide that much more evidence of how the governments of this world have worked to subjugate and repress the general population, increase the wealth gap, and, steal as much as they can, while they can…. Below, you’ll find a link to a review of the film, a link to the trailer on You Tube, and a player to watch that trailer here, if you wish…. I hope everyone alive with two working neurons in their head will see this, for then, revolution would be assured….

http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/oct/11/citizenfour-review-snowden-vindicated-poitras-nsa-journalism

“He means well” is useless unless he does well.” — Plautus

As far as I can see, Mr. Snowden has done well….

http://youtu.be/XiGwAvd5mvM

At this point, I will show mercy…. I could easily rant for a while longer, but, to spare you further torment like that, I’ll finish off this section with a relatively short pearl, to take the rest of my shots at the Asininnies, wherever they might be….

“There is a great deal of human nature in people.” — Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) (1835-1910)

“The right to revolt has sources deep in our history.” — Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas

“The only sure bulwark of continuing liberty is a government strong enough to protect the interests of the people, and a people strong enough and well enough informed to maintain its sovereign control over the government.” — Franklin Delano Roosevelt

“And He shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.” — Isaiah, Isaiah 2:4

(Gee, why does it NOT surprise me to see this, and to realize that, when it comes to government, they stopped paying attention to this sort of idea long ago?…. In fact, I’m fairly sure it has NEVER been tried….)

“Cops do it with nightsticks.” — Smart Bee

“The remedy in the United States is not less liberty but real liberty — an end to the brutal intolerance of churchly hooligans and flag-waving corporations and all the rest of the small but bloody despots who have made the word Americanism a synonym for coercion and legal crime.” — Archibald MacLeash (b. 1892)

“The price of liberty is, always has been, and always will be blood: the person who is not willing to die for his liberty has already lost it to the first scoundrel who is willing to risk dying to violate that person’s liberty. Are you free?” — Andrew Ford

That should do it….. So be it. gigoid has spoken….

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

A great many people will never have heard of this artist, which is a shame, but, pretty much was the way he wanted it. Fred Neil was a legendary performer, not to the public, who only knew of him through two of his songs, which EVERYONE heard on the radio at one time…. Other than those, he produced only three albums, which never hit the mainstream….

But, among other artists, he was, and, is still regarded as one of the very best blues players/singers to ever live, with an incredibly creative talent on the guitar for making new melodies and riffs, and a voice that could rip out your heart with feeling…. The video is the best version of his most famous song, but, you can see more of his work, including all his albums, by following the link to the You Tube page…. Enjoy, ffolkes; if you haven’t heard him before, you are in for a huge treat… You especially must listen to his song, “The Dolphins”…. it is INCREDIBLE!…..

Fred Neil: Everybody’s Talkin’ At Me

http://youtu.be/M-Ql1284QLw

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

While searching for another poet, I came across this gem, which is new to me…. Since it also fits in with an ever-present theme here on ECR, I though it would go well, even if it’s a bit long…. It makes up for it with relevance….

Television

The most important thing we’ve learned,
So far as children are concerned,
Is never, NEVER, NEVER let
Them near your television set —
Or better still, just don’t install
The idiotic thing at all.
In almost every house we’ve been,
We’ve watched them gaping at the screen.
They loll and slop and lounge about,
And stare until their eyes pop out.
(Last week in someone’s place we saw
A dozen eyeballs on the floor.)
They sit and stare and stare and sit
Until they’re hypnotised by it,
Until they’re absolutely drunk
With all that shocking ghastly junk.
Oh yes, we know it keeps them still,
They don’t climb out the window sill,
They never fight or kick or punch,
They leave you free to cook the lunch
And wash the dishes in the sink —
But did you ever stop to think,
To wonder just exactly what
This does to your beloved tot?
IT ROTS THE SENSE IN THE HEAD!
IT KILLS IMAGINATION DEAD!
IT CLOGS AND CLUTTERS UP THE MIND!
IT MAKES A CHILD SO DULL AND BLIND
HE CAN NO LONGER UNDERSTAND
A FANTASY, A FAIRYLAND!
HIS BRAIN BECOMES AS SOFT AS CHEESE!
HIS POWERS OF THINKING RUST AND FREEZE!
HE CANNOT THINK — HE ONLY SEES!
‘All right!’ you’ll cry. ‘All right!’ you’ll say,
‘But if we take the set away,
What shall we do to entertain
Our darling children? Please explain!’
We’ll answer this by asking you,
‘What used the darling ones to do?
‘How used they keep themselves contented
Before this monster was invented?’
Have you forgotten? Don’t you know?
We’ll say it very loud and slow:
THEY … USED … TO … READ! They’d READ and READ,
AND READ and READ, and then proceed
To READ some more. Great Scott! Gadzooks!
One half their lives was reading books!
The nursery shelves held books galore!
Books cluttered up the nursery floor!
And in the bedroom, by the bed,
More books were waiting to be read!
Such wondrous, fine, fantastic tales
Of dragons, gypsies, queens, and whales
And treasure isles, and distant shores
Where smugglers rowed with muffled oars,
And pirates wearing purple pants,
And sailing ships and elephants,
And cannibals crouching ’round the pot,
Stirring away at something hot.
(It smells so good, what can it be?
Good gracious, it’s Penelope.)
The younger ones had Beatrix Potter
With Mr. Tod, the dirty rotter,
And Squirrel Nutkin, Pigling Bland,
And Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle and-
Just How The Camel Got His Hump,
And How the Monkey Lost His Rump,
And Mr. Toad, and bless my soul,
There’s Mr. Rat and Mr. Mole-
Oh, books, what books they used to know,
Those children living long ago!
So please, oh please, we beg, we pray,
Go throw your TV set away,
And in its place you can install
A lovely bookshelf on the wall.
Then fill the shelves with lots of books,
Ignoring all the dirty looks,
The screams and yells, the bites and kicks,
And children hitting you with sticks-
Fear not, because we promise you
That, in about a week or two
Of having nothing else to do,
They’ll now begin to feel the need
Of having something to read.
And once they start — oh boy, oh boy!
You watch the slowly growing joy
That fills their hearts. They’ll grow so keen
They’ll wonder what they’d ever seen
In that ridiculous machine,
That nauseating, foul, unclean,
Repulsive television screen!
And later, each and every kid
Will love you more for what you did.

~~ Roald Dahl ~~

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

To finish of today, Smart Bee came up with a seven-star pearl made up of some comments/observations regarding the bane of our existence as humans…. ourselves….

“And it shall some to pass that idiots shall roam the earth, and morons shall rule the masses.” — Smart Bee

“We learn from experience that men never learn anything from experience.” — George Bernard Shaw

“It’s not very pleasant in my corner of the world at three o’clock in the morning. But for people who like cold, wet, ugly bits it is something rather special.” — A.A. Milne’s Eyore

“When we talk of tomorrow, the gods laugh.” — Smart Bee

“The frightening thing is not dying, the frightening thing is not living.” — T-Bone Burnett

“Extinct is forever.” — A little reminder from Smart Bee

“A little learning is a dangerous thing but a lot of ignorance is just as bad.” — Bob Edwards

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

Here is your homework for tomorrow, ffolkes; as determined by SB, this will give you the best chance of surviving the night with your insanity intact…. Write an Essay: “Describe the universe in 500 words or less and name 2 examples.” I thought it would be a good addition to also have you explore one of your two examples (not this one), with proof of completion to be provided by a video recording of your trip…. If you need a camera, the equipment desk has a number of Go-Pro models for you to check out for use….

There…. I don’t believe I can do any more, or cause any more confusion, so, I may as well get on with the rest of today…. I hope y’all enjoyed today’s Pearl; it took some effort and thought, both of which I am currently in short supply….. and, no comments from the peanut gallery about always being in short supply of those products…. Do I insult you? Well, not directly, anyway…. I think it would be best if I just go now…. 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.

À bientôt, mon cherí….

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

Posted on October 11, 2014 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

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

~~ Cicero ~~

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

http://youtu.be/Qc7UzQB8gtI

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

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.

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Reverting to paleolithic mode….

Posted on October 10, 2014 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“It is a man’s own mind, not his enemy or foe, that lures him to evil ways.” — Buddha

The flower looks a bit worse for wear, doesn’t it? I took this picture in late July, when all the flowers had been blooming for some time, all through the summer, collecting comparative photos to show off the very little bit of seasonal change we see here in Northern California. Living here, we don’t see much of the dramatic changes seen back east, but, there are smaller, more subtle signs, if one is the type to notice them… but, then, I suppose one could say that subtlety isn’t all that common, either, in humans…. Most humans run to the type of mind that appreciates the Three Stooges kind of humor, with lots of violence and pratfalls…. Witness the long-term popularity of such shows as Benny Hill, or The Beverly Hillbillies,

Now we see an example of how these intro sections get away from me…. I have not the faintest clue as to how we started out with flowers and seasons, but, ended up with Jed Clampett & Granny. Just one of those mysteries we are destined never to solve, I guess. If I had continued down that path, there is no telling where we might have gone, or what might have happened to us on the way. It has been noted previously how often this section ends up as a rant, or, at the very least, a pre-cursor to ranting, but, in these cases, where we finally come to is generally uncharted territory, with completely new and different standards to observe, usually before we can figure out how to exit the area…

But, hell, I got almost seven straight good hours of sleep last night, and you’d be amazed at the difference it makes, even if waking up stiff and sore… Even the pain is less bothersome, when there is ample energy to fight back with; as long as I’ve remembered to set up the coffee, so it’s ready within moments, all will be well, and all will be well…. or, as close as we ever come to wellness…

The opening quote, by the way, is one I used recently in my life, to remind myself of where the center lay…. We all get lost in our own minds at times; there is no doubt whatsoever of that truth. Even I, who spends so much time thinking about the mind, and consciousness, and how that relates to the world and society, can lose track of my own center, losing track of it while focused on dealing with the pressures and oddities of living, with which we deal on a regular basis. Finding our way back isn’t always possible alone, which is why we have each other…. So, as long as we can remember that our center, and our inner peace, are already there, inside us, waiting for us to merely acknowledge its presence, in order to enjoy the benefits thereby….

One benefit is that my mind clears more quickly in the morning, with or without coffee…. though, the latter is a condition I have avoided for many years, and cannot actually say I’ve tried in a long time; I suppose that makes the previous statement a load of bilge water, but, hey, it’s already too late. This is the last paragraph required by law, and today, the rest of the Pearl’s sections kept growing, until this came out a bit long, though, it’s all fresh…. I suppose we’ll find out how that goes over, or, as my Mom used to say, “It’ll all come out in the wash….”

I never did know exactly what she meant by that….

Shall we Pearl?…..

“A bird can fly, but a fly can’t bird.” — The Tao of Pooh.

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

“A sane environment in one in which there is room to be crazy. A crazy environment is one in which there is no room to be sane.” — Solomon Short

This pearl started out as another rant on the environmental crisis, on the basis of what I read in the first article, from weather.com. But, as I looked for any other reports on the subject on other sites, other subjects indicating how the world is going insane kept presenting themselves, until the final one, which I read starting out because it was interesting, then because it filled in some holes I’d been seeing in another subject, which related, peripherally, to the original subject of our imminent doom, or at least, period of crisis…

In order to keep it reasonably short (hah!) I’ll confine myself to short comments at first, then finish my arguments after the fourth…

http://www.weather.com/news/science/environment/antarctic-sea-ice-reaches-all-time-record-high-nsidc-20141008

This could affect the rotational speed of the planet, as the weight of the ice redistributes, possibly causing changes in the magnetic, and other energy fields that envelop Earth….Terraforming in action…. without even realizing we are doing it…..

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/11144442/First-hint-of-life-after-death-in-biggest-ever-scientific-study.html

Long article, key phrase by investigating scientists: “We just don’t know what’s going on.” Duh!

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/oct/09/crypto-wars-redux-why-the-fbis-desire-to-unlock-your-private-life-must-be-resisted

Very good article; clear, concise, informative, incredibly scary in its implications….

http://www.theguardian.com/science/lost-worlds/2014/oct/09/supersized-dinosaurs-divided-up-their-dinner-sauropod-diplodocus

You never need to feel guilty about eating meat, or plants, or anything, ever again…. Regardless of the nonsense vegetarians will tell you about evolution, the stark reality of nature is this… We, and by we I mean ALL forms of life in the known, visible universe, eat each other, all the damn time… It has nothing to do with evolution, or how our jaws, teeth, etc. developed; that is what is so interesting in this article, for it shows this exactly (which we can discuss another time….) in its detail, particularly in how each type of dinosaur life adapted to eat a different type of plant, or vegetation of some kind… as other dinosaurs adapted to eating other types of dinosaurs, or dead things, mostly, of one sort or another… as we do….

But, even back then, after a time, they died… Some of them may have indeed been long-lived, but they died, then they decayed, and, in essence, became food for the plants, eventually, as their individual components decayed into their more basic ingredients, then into dirt, and/or dust, as all the useful materials were utilized to FEED the plant life that lives in the ground…. growing abundantly up so other forms can eat it…

Then, along came mammals, including Man, and a few other species, who eat damn near everything in front of them… making them that much more adaptable, sort of like cockroaches, who seem to be able to eat damn near everything, including many of the toxic substances created by our technology, which would KILL us instantly…. Kid you not, I’ve sprayed half a can of Raid directly on a palmetto bug in Florida, and watched it crawl away… it slowed down, and almost died, but, managed to get into the wall before I could try again to smash it… which had not worked the first time I hit it, with ONLY a frying pan, as hard as I could…

I have a feeling they will still be in those walls when we are all dead and gone, having choked on the toxic air, or died from starvation as the oceans rise, or, in the earthquakes from the shifting polar caps affecting our orbital rotation, or one of the other practically inevitable catastrophes that are coming, that we cannot even guess at yet, because we know so little about the forces we have set into play….

Terraforming is serious business, especially for a culture that has yet to figure out how to get into its own solar system, much less to the stars, with a reliable unlimited energy source available, before killing ourselves, by war, or famine, or species extinction by environmental decree…. It will become a bit hard to survive when the air is unbreathable, and food will not grow in the ground, nor in the water….. at least, not any food WE could eat….

We do have the technology available, if pressed, to be able to survive in space, but, the effort to do so, to plant colonies in the asteroids, or Mars, or on the moons of Saturn, Jupiter, Neptune, or Uranus, would take most of the resources of the planet left to us, in a very short amount of time…. It would also take ALL of mankind’s efforts, acting together, to make it happen to enough of a degree to ensure the species would survive in space, once the planet has become lethally toxic to us…..

The race is on, the clock is ticking…. but, nobody is running…..

Oops….

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

“It did not matter, after all. He was only one man. One man’s fate is not important. If it is not, what is? He could not endure those remembered words.” — Ursula K. Le Guin, spoken by Gaverel Rocannon, Rocannon’s World

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

This concert gives a good look at how hard Janis pushed herself to make a song her own…. Note in the first section of the film, her voice strains and cracks at one point, but, other than a clearing of the throat, she gave it no rest, but, pushed it past its boundaries…. the exact perfect metaphor for how she lived, and part of what made her unique…. This concert, while good, isn’t as good as others I’ve seen (including the two or three live performances I’ve seen, back in the day…. I went to UC Berkeley in the late 60’s, and I saw her several times back then…. Incredible energy, and she was so in love with the crowd, you could see her glow during the applause…. To her, the audience’s adoration was food, drink, and drug…. she craved it all….

To see some more of her work, some of it without the flaws in this recording, use the link to go to the You Tube page, where there are more examples of her, along with choices of similar artists, some from the same era…. Enjoy….

Janis Joplin, live in Frankfurt:

http://youtu.be/5NuZxUxHN0o

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

In the interests of brevity, and avoidance of blame, here is another of my own poems, such as they are….

Funny Bones

Dreaming the way home, lost, unseen,
from the dance, where
he felt so free, and clean.
Sorrow couldn’t find him there.

Waiting, filling up the hours, hoping,
some connection can be found
keeping busy as bees, coping.
Love creeps in, without a sound.

Fat days, skinny nights, passionate
visions of semi-conscious entities,
cannot seem to fully illuminate
or hide our innermost frailties.

Resolute, find the perfect sense, codify
simple rules with every breath
never waiting, anxious to modify.
fear nothing in life, not even Death.

~~ gigoid ~~

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

For a pearl that started out as a simple, old-school pearl, this grew beyond all measure… but, it’s pretty good, so, enjoy!….

Smart Bee, as I’ve mentioned, is the tiny little program holding the database of quotes I use most often for these Pearls; it’s like my own little bed of oysters, with a high percentage of them holding pearls…. It was compiled some years ago by a group of hackers, as, sort of, an adjunct toy to the tagline that shows up whenever a Unix box is fired up… the first lines to come on screen are always a text tagline from the dB in Unix.

This particular dB, Smart Bee, holds a lot of stuff that the hackers either didn’t have attribution for, or came straight out of their own head…. Those are the quotes that I label “Smart Bee”, because, to the best of my knowledge, they all came from one of the parties responsible for SB’s existence…. All of the pearls below concern the state of being an advanced computer user, programmer, code monkey, or other industry adepts, such as wizard, god, super-user, sys-op, network manager, or, resident geek…. so, they probably know whereof they speak….

“Reality is in the mind of the beholder.” — Smart Bee

“Under the most rigorously controlled conditions of pressure, temperature, volume, humidity and other variables, the computer will do as it damn well pleases.” — Harward’s Law, as applied to Computers

backups: always in season, never out of style.” — Smart Bee

“A feature is a bug with seniority.” — Dave Bartley

File library corrupted: Life.exe Backup not found: (A)bort (R)etry (P)anic (S)uicide — Smart Bee

“In place of infinity we usually put some really big number, like 15.” — Anonymous Computer Science professor

A novice of the temple once approached the Chief Priest with a question. “Master, does Emacs have the Buddha nature?” the novice asked. The Chief Priest had been in the temple for many years and could be relied upon to know these things. He thought for several minutes before replying. “I don’t see why not. It’s got bloody well everything else.” With that, the Chief Priest went to lunch. The novice suddenly achieved enlightenment, several years later.

Commentary:

His Master is kind,
Answering his FAQ quickly,
With thought and sarcasm.

You know, it’s really too bad most people, even hackers, are so reluctant to acknowledge how much computers reflect our own nature as humans; if they would, we’d probably be able to figure out a rational way to avoid a lot of the problems we now are facing as a species…. We are so afraid to see our own design flaws, we fail to account for them, a behavioral tendency computers have been built to mimic… It’s built right into the codes used to give them instructions….

Sadly, people have always had a hard time admitting their faults; that is what keeps most of them from ever learning anything more complicated than driving a car, a feat that remains a challenge for most people, especially now they are expected to TALK at the same time…. Witness the car crash statistics, especially since the advent of Blue Tooth…. Too many folks on the road end up with the same sort of conundrum they face when asked to walk & chew gum at once…. (Long, drawn out West County Irish SIGH…..)

Just think! When computer technology advances to the point where keyboards are unnecessary, as one will merely speak to the computer to give commands, or assign tasks, THINK of all the new ways to screw up communication people will have to explore, in their relationship with the computers, to which we are relinquishing much of the drudgery of living….

As computers do more and more of what people formerly had to do, just to get by, the opportunities for missed communication will multiply geometrically, up to the point of exponentially, as a parabola that approaches infinity…. What fun we’ll all have!…. Dyslexia will take on new significance if not new meaning…. Imagine a dyslexic trying to give two commands at once to a house droid, but, getting the commands reversed: “R3D3, put the trash in the back yard, and the dog in the compacter….” Oops! Dad might have a hard time explaining that one to the kids….

“All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace”

I like to think (and
the sooner the better!)
of a cybernetic meadow
where mammals and computers
live together in mutually
programming harmony
like pure water
touching clear sky.

I like to think
(right now please!)
of a cybernetic forest
filled with pines and electronics
where deer stroll peacefully
past computers
as if they were flowers
with spinning blossoms.

I like to think
(it has to be!)
of a cybernetic ecology
where we are free of our labors
and joined back to nature,
returned to our mammal
brothers and sisters,
and all watched over
by machines of loving grace.

~~ Richard Brautigan, 1967 ~~

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

Well, it came out a bit long, but, hey, I can’t do EVERYTHING…. I wrote it; someone else is supposed to keep track of how much of it there is…. Of course, that person didn’t get paid for a few months, so they quit, which probably explains why it gets away from me so often. I haven’t had time to interview for a new one, and couldn’t actually pay them anyway, so, what’s the point? As it is, I find myself unmoved by the complaints about how long it is…. I mean, just read faster, for goodness sake, and it won’t take any longer…. It’s not as if you’re going to find any of this on the Quiz, is it? No, of course not….

Now that we have completed the required dose of complete, utter nonsense, as required by curmudgeon rules, I can finally lay this to rest, and go about getting it posted…. Whew! I’m beat; this one took it out of me…. If I didn’t have business to take care of, I’d be back in bed in five minutes… Ah well, I guess I’ll go eat some worms, then go catch the bus…. 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.

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Monotheism typically requires optimistic pessimism, and pink underwear….

Posted on October 9, 2014 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem.”

(Entities must not be multiplied beyond necessity.)

~~ William of Occam, Occam’s Razor ~~

———————————-

“Some people still think you need shaving cream to use Occam’s Razor.”

~~ Sardonic Bee ~~

Miranda, Moon of Uranus, photo taken by Voyager, from an article on Space.com

It seems the battle waging inside my head is leaking over into my process; not only do I have nothing in my mind, but, the vast power of that nothing terrifies me. For over three years now, I’ve used the process of creating this blog to keep me relatively sane, but, sanity seems to be receding in my rear-view mirror, as I type…. For some days now, my mind has taken me for a retrospective ride through my memories, not always to the most comforting destinations therein…. All of us, even those of us who consider ourselves to be Warriors of the Light, know we have failed in life at certain moments; we all have places in our memory which we don’t care to remember often, as they are proof of our weakness….

My problem isn’t that there are too many of them, though, some might say so…. they, however, usually are people who don’t have a clue as to what I’ve lived through, so I figure what they may say doesn’t count, and, in fact, shows their own ignorance & lack of morality more than it does any such failures on my part…. No, I’m talking about memories which we wish we could change, where our actions, and the decisions made, were just wrong, and weak, and, worst of all, may have harmed another creature, whether human or otherwise…. Things we can only admit to ourselves, in the privacy of our own minds…. things so egregiously immoral that we condemn ourselves for having done them….

But, nobody can change the past, and, after a while, weeping over past mistakes gets old, as well as futile…. I KNOW that there are many things in Life we cannot change; the most obvious of those is the past. Feeling bad over past errors in judgment is about as futile as it gets in this dimension, under these laws of universal nature…. and, as long as I continue to whip myself over stuff I can’t change, I’ll continue to suffer these paroxysms of emotionalism and angst…..

I am feeling somewhat stronger, and better, because I’m closer to being able to live with my mistakes again; thanks to the time I spent in therapy, I know how to get through it better, to regain my center, and my balance there…. But, this time, it has leaked over into this process more than in the past, so, that, I think, is something to work on….

All I know at this point is, I’m tired of trying to type while tears are making it tough to see the keyboard, so, it’s got to stop. Putting these Pearls together has been my salvation; I refuse to give it up, even if it does become more work than play…. I guess the fact that it can serve as both is what makes it so valuable to me…. but, that’s another of those things I don’t want to look at too closely, lest it disappear altogether for being exposed….

Now, maybe the picture I chose today will make more sense to you…. Just look at Miranda, the poor wee thing…. a moon of a huge, eccentric planet, with a tilted axis, and a massively elliptical orbit, that over the millennia has pulled, and twisted, and turned her insides out with gravitational stresses. Consequently, the face she shows to the universe has turned into a horrible caricature of a moon, with lines, cracks, and twisted features running in all directions. For such a beautiful name, her face is scarred and terribly disfigured…. as I feel inside…. But, it’s okay, because, I know I don’t need to sweat making any changes in the world…. I only need to make changes within me, as necessary and appropriate….

Shall we Pearl?….

“How are things? Just as they are.” ~~ Smart Alec Bee

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

What we have below is a pearl composed of elementary ideas re: the American experiment…. If I were to rant, these would all be part of it, in the sense of being all of one theme, of how it is supposed to work… The first thing to remember, is to acknowledge the veracity of the first pearl, just below, by A. F. Tyler, a truism of historical perspective with which we must view all the rest, including the actual historical events we have observed since the inception of our nation…. We must never forget to place the form of government we have in its proper perspective, to keep track of the bigger picture in which it exists, in space, and time…. To wit:

“A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves money from the public treasure. From that moment on the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most money from the public treasury, with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy followed by a dictatorship. The average age of the world’s great civilizations has been two hundred years. These nations have progressed through the following sequence: from bondage to spiritual faith, from spiritual faith to liberty, from liberty to abundance, from abundance to selfishness, from selfishness to complacency, from complacency to apathy, from apathy to dependency, from dependency back to bondage.” — Alexander Frazer Tyler (1748-1813), — The Decline and Fall of the Athenian Republic

With this in mind, we see the following pearls/ideas become even more important, as we realize our own duty, if we wish to have ANY of the freedoms enjoyed by our ancestors. In my lifetime, I’ve witnessed our society progress from abundance into selfishness; we are well on our way to complacency now, as indicated by society’s general refusal to acknowledge the danger of climate change, which is only a PART of the environmental issues with which we are threatened… Given the state of the environment, we may, or may not, have enough time to ever get to the point of apathy, much less dependency…. Nonetheless, if we pay heed to these pearls, it certainly can’t hurt, and it could very well help….

“The voice of protest, of warning, of appeal is never more needed than when the clamor of fife and drum, echoed by the press and too often by the pulpit, is bidding all men fall in step and obey in silence the tyrannous word of command. Then, more than ever, it is the duty of the good citizen not to be silent.” — Charles Eliot Norton, True Patriotism, 1898

“Millions of sensible people are too high-minded to concede that politics is almost always the choice of the lesser evil. “Tweedledum and Tweedledee,” they say, “I will not vote.” Having abstained, they are presented with a President who appoints the people who are going to rummage around in their lives for the next four years. Consider all the people who sat home in a stew in 1968 rather than vote for Hubert Humphrey. They showed Humphrey. Those people who taught Hubert Humphrey a lesson will still be enjoying the Nixon Supreme Court when Tricia and Julie begin to find silver threads among the gold and the black.” — Russell Baker, “Ford without Flummery”

“That truth cannot be material in any respect, is contrary to the nature of things. No tribunal, no codes, no systems can repeal or impair this law of God, for by his eternal laws it is inherent in the nature of things … It is evident that if you cannot apply this mitigated doctrine for which I speak … you must for ever remain ignorant of what your rulers do. I can never think this ought to be; I never did think the truth was a crime; I am glad the day is come in which it is to be decided; for my soul has ever abhorred the thought, that a free man dared not speak the truth.” — Alexander Hamilton

“…I am opposed to all attempts to license or restrict the arming of individuals…I consider such laws a violation of civil liberty, subversive of democratic political institutions, and self-defeating in their purpose.” — Robert A. Heinlein, in a 1949 letter concerning “Red Planet”

“What country can preserve its liberties if its rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms!” — Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), Letter to Colonel W. S. Smith, 1787

“We have a presidential election coming up. And I think the big problem, of course, is someone will win.” — Barry Crimmins

“He serves the state best, who opposes it the most.” — Smart Bee

Well, there you go…. so be it. gigoid has spoken….

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

We all grew up with the Beach Boys, so, no introduction is necessary, I think…. just enjoy…..

The Beach Boys, 50th Anniversary

http://youtu.be/1ldm-_jKKes

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

Again today, especially today, we’ll keep this in-house, to keep from affecting anyone else’s reputation….

Dreaming of Calliope

La belle dame sans merci speaks aloud through endless night,
torturing dreams, with powerful words and stentorian phrases.
Manifest visions bathed in unbearable grace and light,
destroying all direction, standing lost, in unfathomable mazes.

Fate plays a part, one that will never face denial,
as fear and courage eternally vie for ascendancy.
Conflict becomes valid, gifting strength in open trial,
but honest emotion wears no costume so fancy.

Blood, sweat, and tears stroll on avenues of gold,
unlikely heroines heralding as in ancient lore;
Sharp, competent knives cut through tales untold,
eternally shifting reality past the naked shore.

Drifting toward origin, bereft of mandate or cause,
finished, nay, abandoned, tied with a figurative bow.
No simple gift from muses to give comfort or pause,
save that all we need to know, we already know…..

~~ gigoid ~~

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

All in all, the pearls below are not bad advice…. but, like all advice, it’s worth what one pays for it, exactly; for it to be of any value at all, one must pay heed….

“We shall not grow wiser before we learn that much that we have done was very foolish.” — F. A. Hayek

“Never try to reason the prejudice out of a man. It wasn’t reasoned into him, and cannot be reasoned out.” — Sydney Smith

Consistency is contrary to nature, contrary to life. The only completely consistent people are dead.” — Aldous Huxley (1904-1963)

“In the midst of this chopping sea of civilized life, such are the clouds and storms and quicksands and thousand-and-one items to be allowed for, that a man has to live, if he would not founder and go to the bottom and not make his port at all, by dead reckoning, and he must be a great calculator indeed who succeeds. Simplify, simplify.” — Henry David Thoreau, Walden

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

“Most recently, I’ve read so much about the dangers of smoke and drink that I have finally decided to give up reading altogether.” — variation on a theme by Henny Youngman

“Devote each day to the object then in time and every evening will find something done.” — Goethe (1749-1832)

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

Well, ’tisn’t evening, but, ’tis done, and I am content with that….. It gives me the rest of the day to try to find more ways to keep myself out of the pit…. I’m sure most of y’all are familiar with the pit…. you know, the deep one we fall into when we give in to the pain in our minds…. Fortunately for us all, there are a myriad of methods to keep from tumbling into its depths; the trick is to have one or more of them handy when the pit materializes right in front of our running feet…. See y’all tomorrow ffolkes, and, that is the best, most hopeful thing I can say…..

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.

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Aiming at center mass…..

Posted on October 6, 2014 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“To love someone deeply gives you strength.

Being loved by someone deeply gives you courage.”

~~ Lao Tzu ~~

If one accepts the premise set forth above by Lao Tzu, then I am immensely strong, but, have yet to be able to define courage in myself…. a thought that occurred to me as I read it this morning…. Oh, that isn’t to say I am not loved; I do have children, both of whom still talk to me, so, I’m good to go there…. Also, I have friends, who have been so named for over 50 years; I know well the love that abides between us…. But, of the love he speaks about here, I am apparently unfamiliar…. and, to be honest, that hurts…. a lot.

Enough that it sent me into a deep hole of depression, for a time, until I managed to put a bit of distance between myself and the pain…. a process with which I am quite familiar, both physically and mentally…. Unfortunately, that distance isn’t enough to prevent the onset of the symptoms of PTSD, including the depression; my feelings, torn and bloodied as they are, tend to stay quite near the surface, so that the relief of weeping is always just a nanosecond away from release, whether I wish it or not…. Bit of a pisser, that, as it can, and does, strike at the LEAST convenient moments….

Add in arthritis, heat enough to melt cheese on the sidewalk, and a touch of dizziness left over from vertigo, and you’ve got the makings of a very miserable day…. or three…. At least I have this to help me get it out, which a great many people do not possess; for three years now, being able to vent has kept me reasonably sane, or, enough so to avoid prosecution for any outlandish public behaviors…. But, it still doesn’t help me get an intro section done, which, really, is all I’d hoped for today…. Well, maybe it’s working… we ARE three paragraphs in, and, no blood yet, even though we’ve already had our whine, and some cheese…. or, a mention of cheese, anyway….

Ah well, such is life, I suppose…. The picture above is amazing, to me, not because of the rarity and beauty of the shot, but, for giving us a reminder of how much we don’t know about our own planet, and its denizens…. We see here the largest creature on the planet, jumping completely out of the water, for its own reasons, possibly connected to the large growth of barnacles on its underside, visible in the above photo… Some scientists believe the whales breech like this to try to remove those barnacles; if so, I can see how it might work,as several TONS of animal crush down on the growth, with a LOT of force…..

Regardless of why the animal jumped out of the water, (an incredible physical feat, to say the least, to lift that weight completely out of the depths, into the air….), the photo, (again taken from the London Daily Telegraph, in one of their photo features…) is a beautiful shot, and well worth the placement I gave it, as a small piece of “amazing” to start the day…. It also got us far enough into the day to declare this a legal intro, and allow us to take advantage of this little ending point…. Which one? This one….

Shall we Pearl?….

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

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

REPORTER: “Senator, are you for or against the MX missile system?”

SENATOR: “Bob, the MX missile system reminds me of an old saying that the country folk in my state like to say. It goes like this: “You can carry a pig for six miles, but if you set it down it might run away.” I have no idea why the country folk say this. Maybe there’s some kind of chemical pollutant in their drinking water. That is why I pledge to do all that I can to protect the environment of this great nation of ours, and put prayer back in the schools, where it belongs. What we need is jobs, not empty promises. I realize I’m risking my political career be being so outspoken on a sensitive issue such as the MX, but that’s just the kind of straight-talking honest person I am, and I can’t help it.” — Dave Barry, “On Presidential Politics”

It may seem as if I’m cheating, but, that’s okay; I’m in enough of a bad mood I don’t give much of a shit. The above, to me, is PERFECT. It is absolutely an accurate portrayal of the typical Bull Shit spewed out daily by our pundits and talking heads, on every conceivable subject. I’m not in the mood to rant, not effectively (when depressed, I tend to get vicious, & not always perfectly reasonable….), so, instead, I’ll furnish y’all with some links to more evidence of the kind of crap being pulled on us by our so-called leaders… then, a couple of questions, followed by some pearls to take a few satisfying shots at those assholes…. I will probably sublimate the need to rant by making short comments between pearls…. fair warning….

Why does our government feel it to be so important to develop all these new robotic weapons, and maintain such close surveillance on their own people? Do they, perhaps, expect some sort of revolution?

It’s worth thinking about…..

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/oct/04/nsa-surveillance-reform-politicians-2015

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2014/oct/05/us-navy-unmanned-drone-boats

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/oct/05/us-drone-strike-kills-five-pakistan-militants-north-west

“A man does not serve his country by canting, snuffling and marching in parades, he serves her by striving to make her clean, brave, just, intelligent and worthy of respect.” — H. L. Mencken, Baltimore _Evening Sun_, June 13, 1916

(1916, eh? This is a very uplifting thought, and, given the truth of the sixth pearl in this group, 1916 was apparently the LAST time anyone in this country voiced such an idea…. In today’s world, nobody at all buys into this….)

“An honest politician is one who, when he is bought, will stay bought.” — Simon Cameron (1799-1889)

(Again, in today’s political world, this remains an inarguable truth….)

“This is not politics… it’s to protect the innocence of children.” — Sen. Bob Dole on the introduction of his new Protection of Children From Computer Pornography Act of 1995

(Sure, Bob…. we believe you….)

“There is no absurdity so palpable but that it may be firmly planted in the human head if only you begin to inoculate it before the age of five, by constantly repeating it with an air of great solemnity.” — Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860)

(Another truth from the past adopted as gospel by today’s pundits and preachers…. and, a very accurate description of just how the powers that be indoctrinate the public….)

“I’m all in favor of the democratic principle that one idiot is as good as one genius, but I draw the line when someone takes the next step and concludes that two idiots are better than one genius.” — Leo Szilard

(Too late, Leo…. our society adopted that belief back in the early twentieth century, and has strengthened the position with every law enacted since 1963….)

“You can’t crush ideas by suppressing them. You can only crush them by ignoring them.” — Ursula K. LeGuin

(Truth absolute…. see pearl # 1, above, for its typical application in Reality….. Also applicable to pearl #4 in this group….)

“I don’t vote. It just encourages them.” — A Maine woman

(For sure…. and, I think I may just adopt this woman’s position, if only for the aggravation it will save ME…..)

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

Today’s video shows off the talents of one of the finest voices of the previous century, in his final performance…. Brilliant!…. Okay, so I like simple, clean, pure voices…. sue me…. But, first, enjoy the video….

Roy Orbison – Black & White Night Live (Full Album)

http://youtu.be/HWCBwaNvHbE

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

Yesterday’s poem was also from this author; as mentioned then, he is often underrated….. Hence, the relatively dubious honor of being twice-featured here….

The world is too much with us; late and soon

The world is too much with us; late and soon,
Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers:
Little we see in Nature that is ours;
We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!
This Sea that bares her bosom to the moon;
The winds that will be howling at all hours,
And are up-gathered now like sleeping flowers;
For this, for everything, we are out of tune,
It moves us not.–Great God! I’d rather be
A Pagan suckled in a creed outworn;
So might I, standing on this pleasant lea,
Have glimpses that would make me less forlorn;
Have sight of Proteus rising from the sea;
Or hear old Triton blow his wreathed horn.

~~ William Wordsworth ~~

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

I’ve said this before, but, it remains true: sometimes, this business of creating pearls works better than others…. and, again, this is one of those times… Just follow the bouncing ball, as it shows your mind what direction to follow, then, at the end, just let the point wash over you, like manna from heaven (well, hey, if the preachers can promise that sort of spiritual ecstasy, I can do the same, and have an equal chance at having it be true, right? Odds are…)…. Whatever…. this is a good one, ffolkes, so, you might want to have a pen and paper handy…. for notes…

“Belief in a cruel God makes a cruel man.” — Thomas Paine

“Ambition is in fact the avarice of power.” — Smart Bee

“The judge is condemned when the criminal is acquitted.’ — Publius Syrus (42 BC) — Maxim 407

“To find a fault is easy; to do better may be difficult.’ — Plutarch (46 AD-120 AD)

“If any man can convince me and bring home to me that I do not think or act aright, gladly will I change; for I search after truth, by which man never yet was harmed. But he is harmed who abideth on still in his deception and ignorance.” — Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (121-180 AD) — Meditations, vi, 21

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

“…just when I had you wriggling in the crushing grip of reason, too…” — Calvin & Hobbes

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

I am unsure of exactly how I got this done; if it weren’t so much of a routine, I wouldn’t have been able to do it, I think…. I suppose I’ve done this long enough, autopilot features have evolved; I certainly didn’t install them… Regardless, it’s done, and I’m thankful, because now I can go do whatever I need to do to work my way out of this hole I’ve dug… Like the old Cowboy said, “When you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is… stop diggin’…..” Makes sense to me…. Until tomorrow, ffolkes, if I’m lucky…. I won’t comment on your luck….

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.

À bientôt, mon cherí….

What are you doing with that ferret?….

Posted on October 5, 2014 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

Freedom = Responsibility

Attribution is not required for an Unarguable Truth

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

~~ gigoid ~~

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

http://youtu.be/zXzpY4uI48U

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

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.

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Buttery smooth and savory…..

Posted on October 4, 2014 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Poets have been mysteriously silent on the subject of cheese.”

~~ G. K. Chesterton ~~

This is a picture of the work space where Pearls of Virtual Wisdom are composed; my virtual oyster bed, so to speak…. I hope the picture was taken from enough distance, to keep from giving away too much personal information, of the sort that I have not already related at one point or another…. I do try to be discreet, to some extent, as to where I am, physically, though, for anyone with any real geek in them, it wouldn’t be difficult to run down more exact info than is apparent in this, I’m sure….

Hell, information on anybody is so ubiquitous on the internet, I no longer use Google to find information about friends, just because it tends to show TOO MUCH info… If I do, then I’d have to tell them what’s there, so they can cork their leaks, and deal with all that, so, it’s just better to leave sleeping dogs lie, in that respect…. So, I know it wouldn’t be too hard to find me, but, from the picture, I don’t think anyone can find anything to either pinpoint, or to litigate…. especially our friends over at the NSA, FBI, and/or anyone else who might be mining the data the NSA gets from Facebook, Google, Twitter, etc…. so, it makes for a good opener, yes? I think so…. If nothing else, it needs no attribution, so, bonus….

As for the poets and cheese, I don’t believe Mr. Chesterton actually cared about that; cheese has very few of the qualities upon which a good poem might expostulate. No feelings, no special place in human affairs, no compelling features to extol… boring…. But, he’s right, also, in that one would think that everything had been given at least one poetic glance, if only as a peripheral mention in a poem about something else entirely….. But, I can’t think of a single poem where cheese plays a significant part, can you?…..

Well, maybe it’s not such a big deal, anyway…. It did, however, provide us with just about enough blather to get us down the page far enough to call this legal… It will be close, but, I think, since it’s Saturday, all the monitoring agencies are closed, with nobody on duty to tell us otherwise, so, I’m pretty sure we can slide by on a technicality…. If not, we’ll just run for it, okay? So, don’t change out of your sneakers, just in case we need to book on short notice….

I know, I know, cheap…. but, also, done, so, deal with it…

Shall we Pearl?….

“You will know unexpected happiness. You will know the sorrow of seeing what is dearest to you cut down before your eyes. Accept that. That is the nature of human existence, and you have no time to buffer this fact with fairy tales and illogical explanations.” — Deng Ming-Dao

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

“Whatever power you give to the good cops, goes to the bad ones, too. Never forget that.” — Phillip J. Birmingham

I feel like ranting, but, there is so much material to choose from, I can’t seem to pick one…. I could talk about the NSA, and the latest developments on the illegal spying front…. I could talk about police militarization… I could talk about the prisoners of war our leaders are holding captive without charges, force feeding, and torturing for information…. I could talk about the latest police shooting of an innocent citizen…. All of those have a headline and/or articles in the news over the last couple of days….

But, I’m tired of ranting about all that, and never seeing any changes take place; sometimes, it seems as if nobody listens…. But, then I see other blogs with the same issues being addressed, with the same results…. The fact is, ffolkes, the government of this country no longer cares at all what the public may think, or want; they are going to carry out their agenda regardless of anything the American public thinks about it…

They will continue to wage wars without public or Congressional sanction; they will continue to torture and abuse prisoners captured during our illegal wars. They will continue to arm the police forces of this country, preparing for an armed revolt, which they seem to be deliberately provoking by their actions….

Below you’ll find some links, to articles discussing these, and other issues, none of which are related to the ONE issue we NEED to address, to wit, the imminent, catastrophic environmental crisis that is rapidly coming to a head on our planet, caused by the deliberate ignorance, and stubborn denial of those who control all the physical resources…. This issue is the only one that is going to make any difference to us, very soon…. There won’t be any time at all to worry about all the other BS going on, because we will HAVE to focus on just staying alive….

I may be a grump, and a curmudgeon, but, I am not blind, and I can see clearly how things are going, and how they’ll continue to progress…. and, it ain’t pretty…. Ah well, here are some links to highlight some of the problems we are facing, followed by a short pearl to drive home the thoughts presented today…. I hope….

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/11139023/US-government-seeks-to-stop-Apple-and-Google-encryption.html

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2014/oct/03/guantanamo-force-feeding-videos-released

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/energy/oilandgas/11140156/World-on-the-brink-of-oil-war-as-Opec-bickers-over-price.html

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/oct/03/ferguson-control-protests-st-louis-county-michael-brown

[A photo is displayed of Senator Dan Quayle holding a pumpkin to the left of his head.] “Here’s an Update Quiz: what’s the difference between these two spherical objects? The answer is: eventually, the one on the left will have a light in it.”– Dennis Miller, SNL Weekend Update

“Faith: not wanting to know what is true.” — Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche

Senate, n.: A body of elderly gentlemen charged with high duties and misdemeanors. — Ambrose Bierce, The Devil’s Dictionary

“People who have what they want are very fond of telling people who haven’t what they want that they really don’t want it.” — Ogden Nash (1902-1971)

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 ~~

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

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

Today’s video selection is a blast from the past; some of these are even before MY time…. though, it’s true, my older sister and brother listened to all of these on the radio, back in the 50’s…. Easy listening, to be sure…. Enjoy!….

20 Hits from The Everly Brothers: Platinum Collection

http://youtu.be/U5o7DP8jQiM

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

When I am this grumped, only one poet will do….

Another Day

having the low down blues and going
into a restaurant to eat.
you sit at a table.
the waitress smiles at you.
she’s dumpy. her ass is too big.
she radiates kindness and sympathy.
live with her 3 months and a man would know real agony.
o.k., you’ll tip her 15 percent.
you order a turkey sandwich and a
beer.
the man at the table across from you
has watery blue eyes and
a head like an elephant.
at a table further down are 3 men
with very tiny heads
and long necks
like ostriches.
they talk loudly of land development.
why, you think, did I ever come
in here when I have the low-down
blues?
then the the waitress comes back with the sandwich
and she asks you if there will be anything
else?
and you tell her, no no, this will be
fine.
then somebody behind you laughs.
it’s a cork laugh filled with sand and
broken glass.

you begin eating the sandwich.

it’s something.
it’s a minor, difficult,
sensible action
like composing a popular song
to make a 14-year old
weep.
you order another beer.
jesus, look at that guy
his hands hang down almost to his knees and he’s
whistling.
well, time to get out.
pick up the bill.
tip.
go to the register.
pay.
pick up a toothpick.
go out the door.
your car is still there.
and there are 3 men with heads
and necks
like ostriches all getting into one
car.
they each have a toothpick and now
they are talking about women.
they drive away first
they drive away fast.
they’re best i guess.
it’s an unbearably hot day.
there’s a first-stage smog alert.
all the birds and plants are dead
or dying.

you start the engine.

~~ Charles Bukowski ~~

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

This pearl was pre-packaged for your, and, more specifically, my convenience today…. Not that there is any real need to use the provided convenience; but, what the hell? It’s here, and it’s done, so, hey, why not? It isn’t bad, for a throw-together-in-a-few-minutes kind of deal; It takes some pretty hefty shots at the beloved ruling class, if no one else… It’s also a bit depressing, beginning and end, but, hey, life is tough…. Buck up…. Do you see, or hear, Wolverine complaining? Nope, so, whatever YOU are worried about, get real…. and toughen up…. You can’t win if you don’t fight…

“Cogito, ergo doleo. I think, therefore I am depressed.” — Smart Bee

“Waste no more time arguing what a good man should be. Be one.” — Marcus Aurelius

“Let honor be as strong to us an obligation as necessity is to others.” — Pliny the Elder

“It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong.” — Voltaire

“Taxation is theft; Conscription is slavery; War is murder.” — Smart Bee

“One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors.” — Plato

“Life must go on; I forget just why.” — Edna St. Vincent Millay, ‘Lament’, Second April (1921)

See? Get a grip, ffolkes, ’cause it’s probably not going to get much better, without some sort of diaspora to the outer solar system…. Soon, too, or it won’t matter any longer….

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

I am completely baffled as to how this came out as well as it did; the entire time I felt as if I were pushing my way through a field of brambles… and, now I’m done, it feels just as if I were bloodied and scarred from traversing the gauntlet of thorns…. Ah well, in all the words you see in that sentence, only one matters…. “done.” 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.

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Stick with the potted meats, Bosley….

Posted on October 3, 2014 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

A little learning is a dangerous thing;
Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring:
There shallow draughts intoxicate the brain,
And drinking largely sobers us again.

~~ Alexander Pope ~~

(1688-1744)

— Essay on Criticism, Part ii, Line 15 —

Pretty little house & garden, eh? I thought so, which is why I took the picture; the colors, shapes, and overall effect have a balance that gives it a homey, lived in, comfortable appearance that appeals to me…. I guess, at heart, I’m just a traditional, romantic bozo, with a belief in home, and family. In my life, perhaps the only regret I have is not finding someone who felt strongly enough the same way to join me in making that happen….. I was able to give my children a home for the greater portion of their formative years, but, was not able to make it last, not having any control over my former partner’s wish to be elsewhere….

Such subjects are a bit too maudlin, though, to pursue very far in the intro, or, for that matter, at all; there is far more depressing material to pick from, on a less personal level, that will serve to provide plenty of reason to bemoan our fates, so, I’ll leave this one right here, and just say, “nice house”, & let is go at that…. It’s not as if we don’t have other stuff to talk about, right? Right….

Of course, we aren’t supposed to start on that here in the intro; I always have a hard time with that one, as my need/wish to rant can take control of the keyboard at any moment…. I’m working quite assiduously, in truth, to see that doesn’t happen today, but, most of those efforts are behind the scenes, in my head, where I am frantically blocking certain ideas from coming up into the forefront of my consciousness, or distracting myself from noticing other ideas that could turn on us, thus delaying even further the process of getting this event rolling down the road it needs to travel…

Of course, all of this is mere bullshit anyway, all designed to work our way just a little further down the page, until it looks like enough to fool the monitors, should they look our way. And, if I am not mistaken (I rarely am….trust me on this….), I see a point coming up in just a couple of lines where we can jump off this bandwagon, and get back on the track we need to take, by jumping on that other wagon, fast approaching from the south…. If y’all would just hold on to the edge of your seats for a moment, while I pull this lever….. There…..

Okay, that went well…. So, here we are, at the end of another fine, if a bit idiotic, introductory section, just chock full of nonsense, bullshit, and sheer blather, all for my gentle readers…. Of course, you may want to wash up, before we try to go on…. feel free to use the extra-strength Borax on the lower shelf, if you have any particularly grimy spots…. The rest of us will wait right over there until y’all are done….

Okay, I think we’re good to go, so….

Shall we Pearl?…..

“Reason is not measured by size or height, but by principle.” — Epictetus (c. 60 AD) — Discourses, Book i, Chap. xii

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

“Become what you are.” — Buddha

Yesterday, while perusing the news, (for almost an entire three-quarters-of-an-hour, as it turned out; so much distracting stuff happening in the world, I completely ignored my increasing misery to do this…), I came to the UK Guardian site, to read the US version of their daily publication… My horror, my fear, and my depression mounted, story by story, as I read what has taken place out there in the world at large, just in the last few days….

I can’t honestly say any of it surprised me, nor did it catch me unaware, or bring any amazement; only a deep sadness, to see just how far the degradation of our society, and the world, including the environment we live in, has progressed. The evidence is all right there…. or, here, as I’ve collected a number of links to that evidence, to show y’all exactly whereof I speak, when I say, quite simply, ffolkes, we are all in deep shit….

With no further comment, until after you’ve seen the collected links, I give you, proof positive of imminent Armageddon, or a facsimile thereof that will accomplish the identical result… If you are hesitant to try to read so much, just look at the headlines, containing the key words, at the end of each link; those will give you at least an idea of what we are dealing with…. And, I promise, no more than one comment, under each one, just so I don’t explode….

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/oct/02/nobel-peace-summit-south-africa-dalai-lama-visa

Not much seems to have changed in South Africa, does it?

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/oct/01/argentina-president-claims-us-plot

Whether this poor president has gone bonkers, or not, what would you bet me, (I’m willing to wager SERIOUS money….), if I suggested there IS a document, somewhere at Langley, Virginia’s CIA HQ, in a drawer, a folder, holding a file that has just such a scenario, as described in this story?

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/20/argentina-debt-default-lawyers-court-pay-clause

No comment required; yesterday’s rant, here, on lawyers? Q.E.D.

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2014/oct/02/nypd-inadvertently-killed-unarmed-man-brooklyn-shooting

Oops!

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/oct/01/drones-police-force-crime-uavs-north-dakota

Does anyone need any further proof of police militarization in this, or any other, country?

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/30/police-officer-shot-john-crawford-walmart-lied-victims-mother-says

Gee, there’s a video, showing the officer lied, but, the grand jury doesn’t indict. I wonder if anyone bothered to show it to them, and if so, whether or not it was edited at all….

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/oct/02/pope-francis-angels-believe-guardian-help

Francis makes a nice change from the previous several popes; at least he’s harmlessly balmy, nor avaricious, or ambitious beyond his need to share his misconceptions (I like him, so, I’m trying to be nice…), or walking around with a stick up his ass… I just wish he wouldn’t encourage the more involved elements of his delusional thinking to so many gullible idiots, who unquestioningly take him at is word….

http://www.theguardian.com/money/us-money-blog/2014/oct/01/coca-cola-rivals-promise-changes-health

Gee….. what do YOU think motivates the folks at Coca Cola? Profit, ya think?…. That’d be my guess, and, I’d be willing to lay all I won above on it….

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/oct/01/walrus-alaska-beach-trampled-death

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/oct/01/satellite-images-show-aral-sea-basin-completely-dried

I can only comment on both of these two at once, because they both show how late it is, and how little anyone cares, really…. fucking assholes. Not you, but, you know to whom I refer; the corporate snakes who refuse to give up a penny of profit, even to save their own lives….

On October 2, 2014, despite the relative importance to us all of the subject matter contained in the articles above, the following five stories were the most widely read articles for the day, at least, at the time I copied the list…. None of them, you will note, appear above…. Obviously, the general reading public doesn’t care to think about such depressing matters as the end of the world, or even rogue police forces…. SIGH….

1. Your baby looks like your ex? This research is scarier than Alien

2. Confessions to murder of two British backpackers in Thailand reported

3. Banksy wanted Clacton-on-Sea to confront racism – instead it confronted him

4. Council removes Banksy artwork after complaints of racism

5. Wonga writes off debts for 330,000 customers

You will also please note that I have not ranted, to speak of, (thank you…. no, no, I don’t mind….), and, we are ending today’s discussion with the same thought with which we opened….. In this case, ranting would be superfluous; if you’re not angry, or disturbed, at the very least, by what you read above, then, well, sorry, but, I can’t help you any further, so to speak…. and, I don’t mean that in a condescending fashion, at all…. As for the quote from the Buddha, it fits, & I’ll tell y’all why….

I’ve done my best to make ffolkes, and folks, aware of what is to come, but, like most people, myself included, everyone is so busy trying to just live their lives, with all the handicaps, traps, and obstacles to happiness, peace, or even quiet that the world places in our paths, they cannot spare the energy to even think about most of it, much less have the time, or wherewithal, to do anything more than merely hold their ground, maintaining a slim, tentative hold on sanity, and/or reality, whichever works for them….

All of which is perfectly okay….. I mean, nothing that HAS been done has helped anyway; at this point, I see no possible way to stop the shit-storm to come…. So, we may as well try to make ourselves as comfortable as we can, and fulfill as much of our own destiny as we can, in the time we are allowed…. All you can do is all you can do…

I’ve done about all I can, so, for now, at least, I’ll let it be, with just this reminder, of who is responsible for everything that happens in our lives….. because, as the Buddha implies, but does not say, people ALWAYS do exactly this…. ALL of them/us, the good, the bad, the ugly, they all are what they are, by deliberate choice….

“Become what you are.” — Buddha

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

It may often seem as if I don’t like people much; that would be a false impression, mostly my own fault, due to the way my love for them is expressed…. But, I do love them, (in small numbers, mostly…. more than two or three at once tends to cause me to wish for my solitude again, if it goes on very long…. except with those whom I love the most, i.e. family, and extended family/friends/water brothers….), mostly because of the potential within all of us for creating beauty, arising out of our reaction to the world we perceive around us, which, in turn, is filled with beauty enough to fill all of our senses…

Here, then, is one of those expressions, from a musical genius, Antonio Vivaldi, with his interpretation, in music, of the passage of time on our world….. THIS, and other such expressions, musical, literary, visual, or otherwise, are why I get so damn angry when I think of how it may all disappear from existence, and for what?…. Only those who are causing it may know; the rest of us can only guess, and watch…. with only music such as this to help us balance the scales, and, at least for a time, feel better for having lived….

Vivaldi: The Four Seasons

http://youtu.be/GRxofEmo3HA

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

I’m lazy today, so you end up with one of mine…. deal with it, you’ll feel better once you do….

Random Exposure

If I only knew what I was doing here,
I could give others a clue.
Reality gets stranger every year,
and I’m not sure what I should do.

Singing happy old tunes, in an old, gravely voice,
gives me a lot of pleasure.
I’m only glad I can still make a choice,
to look at life, to take its measure.

Memorable moments keep passing by
gilded, framed in precious emotion.
I never have to ask anyone why,
no need for a stronger potion.

Everything in life is clear, to me
there is no doubt, no misunderstanding.
We’re all good, as you can see,
members of Life, in good standing.

Life can be hard, or it can be great fun;
the right path is there for each of us to take.
That choice is often a difficult one;
pay close attention to the choice you make.

~~ gigoid ~~

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

As often happens with pearls, this one changed, not in the middle, but, at the first ending. That happened to be the quote about Hitler, and, somehow, it just made all of it seem unfinished; consequently, I realized it was supposed to be a nine-star pearl, so, I went back to SB, & found the final two entries to properly finish it off, the way SB apparently thinks it should be…. I thought I had it under control, but, it goes to show this process to be as much a sub-conscious process as it is a conscious one…. Works for me….

“If once a man indulges himself in murder, very soon he comes to think little of robbing; and from robbing he next comes to drinking and Sabbath-breaking, and from that to incivility and procrastination.” — Thomas De Quincey (1785 – 1859)

“It is illegal to take more than three sips of beer at a time while standing.” — real standing law in Texas, United States of America

“Men freely believe that what they wish to desire.” — Gaius Julius Caesar (100-44 B.C.)

“The public weal requires that men should betray and lie and massacre.” — Michael de Montaigne (1533-1592) — Essays, Book iii, Chap. i, Of Profit and Honesty

“If you view your problem closely enough you will recognize yourself as part of the problem.” — Ducharm’s Axiom

“…common human laws and interests and emotions have no validity or significance in the vast cosmos-at-large…” — H. P. Lovecraft

“The fact that Hitler was a political genius unmasks the nature of politics in general as no other can.” — Wilhelm Reich

“If you had to identify, in one word, the reason why the human race has not achieved, and never will achieve, its full potential, that word would be “meetings.” — Smart Bee

“The most virtuous of all men is he that contents himself with being virtuous without seeking to appear so.” — Plato (B.C. 427?-347?)

Hear, hear!…. On that final, positive note, we shall leave this exposition of human nature, and folly, to go finish this Pearl…. Ta, then….

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

Regardless of how it got done, it’s done. I’m still sleepy, somehow, so, I think maybe I’ll go back to bed…. Or, not, as I have some important stuff to get done today…. SIGH…. Life goes on, and on, and on, until it doesn’t, I suppose…. and, then, as the Scots say…”ye might as well live, for ye’ll be a long time dead.”…. or, something like that…. See y’all tomorrow, if I’m lucky….

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.

À bientôt, mon cherí….

We’d prefer a Mallard, but, the Muscovy will do…

Posted on October 2, 2014 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

Here pigs will fly,

lightning will strike twice,

hell will freeze over,

and eventually,

things will get really interesting…

~~ gigoid’s promise to his readers ~~

Great picture, ain’t it? Amazing what can happen with patience, and timing. The pic itself is from the London Daily Yell (the Telegraph), from one of their Day in Pictures features a few days ago…. It also lives up to the promise just above it, or, makes a determined effort, at the very least…. Me, I’m up late again, thanks to lorazepam’s sedative effects, but, have fortunately prepared much of today’s Pearl before getting up this morning…. It’s weird, feeling this rested; I haven’t had such regular, deep sleep since before I was married & had kids…. It’s almost scary, to think of what I’ve been missing, and how my life may have been made better for having slept more….

But, that’s whining, and wishing for things that cannot be changed, a foolish effort, at best…. So, we’ll forget about the past, and get on with finding out what the future may bring. Of course, given the state of the environment, thinking about our future may not be the best way to find ourselves in a good mood. All the evidence points to the opposite, in fact, and little can be said of a positive nature about that particular subject…. If’n we want to feel good, we’ll have to come up with something completely new and different….

It seems to me I’ve again written myself into a corner…. Can’t go on without an idea or two, yet, none are forthcoming…. Damn! I suppose I’m going to have to use the new technique again; it’s sure getting a workout since arriving here; I don’t think we’ve missed a day since that auspicious day…. which goes to show, I suppose, it is needed, and is being put to use per its nature. Oh, look, there ’tis now…. Doesn’t it look all grand & pretty in its new holiday outfit? Careful, though, don’t let that naive, innocent look fool you; it’s quite ruthless… In fact, it’s here, and as of now, there’s no way to keep it from performing its function, which means….

Shall we Pearl?…..

“For every human problem, there is a neat, simple solution; and it is always wrong.” — Mencken’s Metalaw — H. L. Mencken, A Mencken Chrestomathy

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

“How many lawyer jokes are there? 3, the rest are true stories.” — Smart Bee

I had intended to find some more true stories to share with y’all about lawyers, but, instead, let’s examine the creature as it exists in reality…. Now, I, personally, know a lawyer, and, since he no longer works as one, having recovered, in my mind, both his sanity, and his honor in the process (don’t tell him though, I get the impression he’s still a bit ambivalent/unsettled at how it came about, so, we don’t discuss it…), I feel absolutely no qualms whatsoever claiming him as a friend…. He’s gotten to the point he laughs at some of the jokes now….

He is an intelligent person, of course; no other kind would be my friend for so long (Over 30 years now…), or be able to put up with my own level of insanity…. In my case, of course, that was used to AVOID ever studying law, beyond what I felt necessary to know for my own protection…. I’ve always maintained there are only two kinds of lawyers who come out of law school, no matter which it may be.

The first kind intends to help people find their way through the maze of laws, allegedly designed to to allow them to live safely and with dignity; these lawyers, those with actual morals and ethics, serve justice, and the intent of the law…. Like my friend, they often end up leaving the field, or, sadly, at times, doing the Darth Vader, by turning to the dark side….

The other type is different sort of creature; their purpose for studying law is to find an angle to work, in order to further their own personal goals, which center around money, and power….. These lawyers may end up helping some people, but, at a cost those people can rarely afford comfortably. Mostly, this sort pad their bills with absurd charges, that puff up legal fees until the courts step in, to set regulations as to how much they can charge… whereupon, they merely find another method to get around the definition of “services rendered”….

Of this second type, a certain percentage actually, over time, become so enamored of the process of acquiring money and power, they figure out the only logical course to take, if they wish to continue their upward progress (in their eyes….). So, they mutate, and become politicians (an old Greek word, from “poly”, meaning “many”, and “tics”, meaning “small, dirty, bloodsucking parasites”….), because as legislators, they are allowed to vote themselves the keys to the treasury, calling their motivation “public spirit” and/or “the call to leadership”…. Often the mutation actually begins during school, as all the nutrient factors are present there, and a certain type of sociopathic personality takes to such things naturally, as it serves their purpose so well….

Excuse me a moment, I need to curse….

Okay, I’m back…. see, I can be nice, & not subject y’all to my forays into French colloquialisms…. However, in point of fact, they’re all (all the elected officials at the national level, to be specific….), fucking crazy, loony as a mass of mixed leopards, wolves, vipers, cobras, hyenas, rhinos, hippos, and, oh, a tiger or two, all slithering, strutting, blundering, screaming, locked in a confined space, each displaying the worst characteristics of their perverted, all-too-predatory natures…. And, all of whom are convinced of their own right to tell everyone else how things should be…. I mean, they should know, cuz Jesus told them so….

Yep…. Think about it, ffolkes, and, you, too, folks…. Of the 455 people at the top of the American political heap… (That’s 1 President, 1 VP, 12 Supremes, 100 Senators, 340 Reps at the House, & 1 Armed Forces COS….I think…. He isn’t elected, but, otherwise, I’m missing somebody….), (unless I lost track of how many Reps there are…. that changes at times…)…. Regardless… it’s a small number of persons, considering they make the decisions for so many…

So, ask yourself these questions…. How many of those are lawyers? How many are male? How many are white (Caucasian, or close)? How many are of a faith OTHER than Christian?…. I think you can see the point here…. no matter what the actual numbers may be, when counting the token women and persons of color they’ve allowed to join them, for the show of apparent diversity, it isn’t enough to make any difference in the real agenda that will be forged by those people…. It WILL be according to the white, male, Christian, legally trained (i.e., avariciously self-serving) point of view….

As another point of difference between them and the rest of the population: All of them, every single one, is a millionaire, or more (except perhaps for a few Reps, newbies not yet adept at playing the lobbyist’s for their treats and financial breaks….) Yet each and every one of the named politicians, less-than-500-people, with an average income over a million dollars a year, has better health care, better retirement arrangements, and better wages than anyone else in the country, all voted in by, who else, but, themselves….

Plus, just for good measure, for the great and glorious service they have done for the country, and all the sacrifices they must make to come to Washington, live like movie stars, and decide which lobbyist they should let take them to dinner tonight, why shouldn’t they get those benefits, not just while in office, but, for the rest of their lives?! Whether they are ever elected again or not…. Pretty good deal, eh?…. Wish I’d a thought of it….

And people wonder why I often talk about buying a gun….. I only have four things left to say about lawyers, and their mutated state, politicians….As usual, other people have said it better, so, as is my wont, I turn to them, with these final words upon which to meditate….

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

(technically, it’s not a joke; it’s merely an observation….)

“It’s possible to fight intolerance, stupidity, and fanaticism when they come separately. When you get all three together it’s probably wiser to get out, if only to preserve one’s sanity.” — Adam Dalgliesh, in Devices and Desires, by P.D. James.

“The dread of evil is a much more forcible principle of human actions than the prospect of good.” — John Locke (1632-1704)

“The measure of a man’s life is the well spending of it, and not the length.” — Plutarch (46-120 AD) — Consolation to Apollonius

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

After that, I need some soothing music, and this will do quite nicely…. Enjoy! It’s only the best….

Best of Mozart : Overtures , Sonatas , Eine Kleine Nachtmusik , Concertos

http://youtu.be/eCB7c7RDmyU

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

Today’s poem, appropriately enough, is from John Keats… The title of it is “Essay on Man”, an epic poem, containi perhaps the largest repository of excellent insight into Man’s true nature ever created, especially one that rhymes…. It’s a very long piece, with ten very long sections, or stanzas, each as brilliant as the one before, ending with what is called the “Argument of the Second Epistle. I have included that ending below, to give a taste of the entire piece…. but, I’d really recommend following the link, and taking the time to read the entire poem; it’s brilliance is so bright it will infuse your entire spirit, as well as, perhaps, giving you a deeper understanding of people, and why they are the way they are…. that’s the power of poetry….

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/essay-on-man/

Argument of the Second Epistle:

Of the Nature and State of Man, with respect to Himself, as an Individual. The business of Man not to pry into God, but to study himself.

Know then thyself, presume not God to scan;
The proper study of Mankind is Man.
Plac’d on this isthmus of a middle state,(28)
A being darkly wise, and rudely great:
With too much knowledge for the Sceptic side,
With too much weakness for the Stoic’s pride,
He hangs between; in doubt to act, or rest,
In doubt to deem himself a God, or Beast;
In doubt his Mind or Body to prefer,
Born but to die, and reas’ning but to err;
Alike in ignorance, his reason such,
Whether he thinks too little, or too much:
Chaos of Thought and Passion, all confus’d;
Still by himself abus’d, or disabus’d;
Created half to rise, and half to fall;
Great lord of all things, yet a prey to all;
Sole judge of Truth, in endless Error hurl’d:
The glory, jest, and riddle of the world!

~~ Alexander Pope ~~

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

Pearls, pearls, who’s got pearls?….. Hmph! Such impertinence!…. But, who really cares, ultimately? SB is gonna give me what it will, no matter how I piss, moan, threaten, or complain… So, here, take this…. it’s what I’ve got….

“Here comes a pair of very strange beasts, which in all tongues are called fools.” — William Shakespeare (1564-1616), As You Like It — Act v, Sc. 4

“It is proof of a base and low mind for one to wish to think with the masses or majority, merely because the majority is the majority. Truth does not change because it is, or is not, believed by a majority of the people.” — Giordano Bruno (1548- burned at the stake, 1600)

“We achieve “active” mastery over illness and death by delegating all responsibility for their management to physicians, and by exiling the sick and the dying to hospitals. But hospitals serve the convenience of staff not patients: we cannot be properly ill in a hospital, nor die in one decently; we can do so only among those who love and value us. The result is the institutionalized dehumanization of the ill, characteristic of our age.” — Thomas Szasz, The Second Sin, “Personal Conduct” (1973).

“Liberty is the possibility of doubting, the possibility of making a mistake, the possibility of searching and experimenting, the possibility of saying No to any authority–literary, artistic, philosophic, religious, social and even political.” — Ignazio Silone, The God That Failed (1950)

“And it does matter. An honest man or woman is an honest man or woman more because he or she is honest in the small, everyday things that “don’t matter” individually, but which make up a well-lived life, than because of some single great temptation that was passed. A person who is concerned about individual rights or about individual dignity makes his or her difference not because of any sweeping great statement or action, but because of the accretion of small, individually seemingly insignificant acts that spread that dignity and confirm those rights through every action they take. It matters because every action you take, and every action I take is an expression of the human spirit.” — William Oliver (oliver@uncmed.med.unc.edu)

“Everyone knows that dragons don’t exist. But while this simplistic formulation may satisfy the layman, it does not suffice for the scientific mind. The School of Higher Neantical Nillity is in fact wholly unconcerned with what does exist. Indeed, the banality of existence has been so amply demonstrated, there is no need for us to discuss it any further here. The brilliant Cerebron, attacking the problem analytically, discovered three distinct kinds of dragon: the mythical, the chimerical, and the purely hypothetical. They were all, one might say, nonexistent, but each nonexisted in an entirely different way …” — Stanislaw Lem, Cyberiad

“How often we recall, with regret, that Napoleon once shot at a magazine editor and missed him and killed a publisher. But we remember with charity, that his intentions were good.” — Mark Twain

Don’t even ask…. SB did this one all by itself…. It’s cute, but, is it good? Only you can be the judge in this case; I must recuse myself….

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

Like it or not, it’s done, so, I’m going to have to take it, as it is almost 8 AM, & I’m still just finishing the initial draft…. But, that’s done, so, all that remains is the process of posting… to free myself to go do so, I bid the a fond farewell, with the usual ending wishes…. see y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, maybe even on time….

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.”

À bientôt, mon cherí.

gigoid

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

View Full Profile →

	katiemiafrederick on Are those Foster Grants to blo…
	katiemiafrederick on Funk-o-matic accessories are o…
	katiemiafrederick on Dodge those taxes with dignity…
	katiemiafrederick on Dodge those taxes with dignity…
	katiemiafrederick on But…. but…. what a…

gigoid

Exploring Consensual Reality

Tag Archives: Democrats

Poignant palindromes prevent perverted pixels….

Worshiping at the altar of self-mockery….

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

Reverting to paleolithic mode….

Monotheism typically requires optimistic pessimism, and pink underwear….

Aiming at center mass…..

What are you doing with that ferret?….

Buttery smooth and savory…..

Stick with the potted meats, Bosley….

We’d prefer a Mallard, but, the Muscovy will do…

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: