Truth, in today’s world, is a commodity…..

Posted on February 21, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Bend the powers of your spirit, and the force of your mind . . .”

~~ Anonymous — (1576) ~~

Beauty, Laughing at the Cage

Don’t worry too much about the title today, ffolkes. Remember, it has nothing, or little, to do with today’s Pearl. It merely reflects the difficulty of the search for something different up there; there are no plans to settle into a depressive mood right off the bat. Of course, I discovered long ago, plans also have little to do with what happens here; I stopped making them a while back. It seemed a bit futile to keep making them, only to toss them out after the first paragraph or two…

This will, no doubt, give my regular readers a clue as to the state of my mind thus far today…. Yes, you’re correct. I’m burnt. Fried to crisp. Done, medium well. Left too long in the sun. In short, I’m tired, and I just got out of bed, having slept an honest six hours, in three pleasant bursts of two, and no TD to deal with…. bonus. It seems I am finally getting adjusted, to a small degree, to the further reduction in the meds I’m being deprived of by my HMO, which apparently feels it is its function to punish anyone who feels they have any rights….

Dodged a bullet there, ffolkes. I damn near fell right into a rant, right in front of y’all…. Thankfully, I noticed, right away, when I typed the word “rights”…. Dead giveaway I’m about to go off on something, or somebody…. In this case, it’s too damn early, and though I’m in the proper mood to rant, my left arm is useless, and my hands are not up to anything remotely resembling long-distance typing, as is required to rant properly. I have the distinct feeling you’ll not see a fresh rant today, but, something from the archives; lucky you….

And, lucky me, apparently, because the mere mention of an archived rant made my arm feel better…. I suppose this means my own body is starting to manipulate me, just like the BRC tries to do to me daily, with their sly, unobtrusive forays into people’s minds, with commercials, news videos, and TV shows, all running 24 hour mind-control blurbs to keep the public conditioned to believe whatever they hear on a radio, or a TV set, or, even in their own computers….

I don’t believe I’ve ever shared one of the emails I get each day, from one of our society’s master manipulators, to wit, Barry the Obama, and his crew of young, brainwashed geeks, molding the behavior and opinions of the public via the email route, sending us videos, and more videos, of various political personages doing things to make us all believe they’re working for us, when, in fact, they are so far into the banker’s pockets, we can’t see their feet….

Yep, every day, the White House sends me several emails, often with a scripted video, just for the email audience, showing the latest lie they want us to believe, whether about their newest fake reforms, or explaining their Constitutionally illegal activities (of which there are legion….) by telling the most outrageous fibs I think I’ve ever heard, even from politicians! Sometimes they even want us to reassure them we are listening, by responding to their email in some way…. They don’t realize some of us know this is just another attempt to ascertain whether their shaping is working; those on whom it works, no doubt, reply every time they press that button…

I kind of enjoy getting them; the little thrill I get, deep down in my gut, is quite pleasant, each time I press the delete button, laughing maniacally as I watch it disappear into cyber-oblivion…. Like a little orgasm…. I like it, and it keeps me aware of what they’re trying to put over on everybody…. Of course, it also lets them know I’m not biting, because I never respond to any of their insistent demands to share the videos they send us, or respond to any of their requests to reply…. I probably should, to keep them in the dark, but. it’s too much fun to have them keep asking me why I never send any money…

Okay, that’s it… I fell into a rant anyway… Sorry ’bout that. Good thing my left hand went numb, reminding me I was typing too long…. Quick break, then we’ll get this slow on the road…. Okay, I’m good, and, I promise, I’ll confine any more ranting to the proper section…. Oh, look, there is a convenient path down to the oyster beds…. Let’s take advantage of it, and get the hell out of this intro…. If we don’t, this could go on forever, and, none of us wants that….

Shall we Pearl?

Unfortunately, we have a new requirement, placed upon us by the gods of blogging. Before going on today, each of our Gentle Readers must sing the following, then proceed to the next section…. No, “sing” is not a typo. You CAN’T sign it, it’s on MY screen, so, you have to sing it. It’s a required field., so you won’t be able to scroll down until you do…. Pretend I’m a talking head, from Nike Corp….. Just do it…. and, no cheating.

I have read and understood the above. X_________________

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(Picture from Google Images)

In my opinion, one can never get enough George. Today’s video selection is one I’ve used before, and will use again. This man taught me much of what I know about ranting; he taught us all to rant over the years. From his first time on stage, to the last, he was a fearless critic of his society, never once failing to put the responsibility for whatever took place on the public stage on the exact culprit, whether religious, political, corporate, police, military…. and, never forgetting to tell us all how our own lack of awareness and honor has allowed it all to happen….

Ruthless, fearless, and smart as a whip, he was the perfect gadfly for today’s world, as Socrates was for his…. No shit….

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The Best of George Carlin: Exposing our government and fall of humanity one joke at a time

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http://youtu.be/6_zwB6GLpo4

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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 ~~

As noted in the intro, a fresh rant is out of the question. But, I found a pretty good one, not too long, to sublimate the urge…. Enjoy, ffolkes; this one is a reminder that we’ve all been lazy for too long; it addresses the same problems we continue to face today, but, from a vantage point more than three years in the past….

From 7/23/2012:

“Eternal Vigilance Is The Price of Liberty” used to mean we watched the government – not the other way around.” — Bill Stewart

I don’t know who this Bill Stewart is, but he sure nailed this one…. but then, the American public lost its will to vigilance some years back, the results of which, the loss of attention to what is important, we are now reaping. The PTB, (Powers That Be) comprised of the beloved ruling class and their myrmidons, the priestly hierarchies, have been brainwashing the American public now for oh, I’d say about a hundred and fifty years or so. Ever since the political confusion generated by the Civil War in the mid-1850’s, the PTB have relentlessly waged war on each of the freedoms that are guaranteed to us by the Bill of Rights and the Constitution.

First, a corrupt Federal judge made a landmark decision regarding businesses, and the rights thereof, giving “corporate personhood” to any corporation, but most specifically to those who paid him for that decision. This, in its essence, makes profit a right for these corporations; just about any kind of process they may use to make that profit is made legal by this law. In other words, the law guarantees them a profit, no matter how much they may lie about their products, setting no limits to the lengths they may go to obtain a profit….

Since the beginning of the 20th century, this country has been involved in at least four major conflicts, taking place throughout the century, continuing into the latter half…. WWI, WWII, Korea, and Vietnam shoved the nation into war time culture, exactly as Field Marshall Goering, of the the Third Reich, explained when he was tried at Nuremberg for his war crimes. The PTB convinced the public that our nation was under attack by the forces of evil…. Evil that was given a different face for each war. Each war found the rights of the average citizen curtailed just a little bit more….

In the latter half of the century, the country was not forced into battle until our oil supplies became problematic. The PTB were having a harder time coming up with an evil face to put on the ones who are reportedly attacking us, until Saddam came along. Since the first intervention in Vietnam in the 50’s and 60’s, to the intervention in Middle Eastern conflicts in the 1990’s, to now in 2012, all of our wars have been illegal, in my mind, according to our Constitution. Ostensibly, Congress, (thus, by design, the people) is the only entity who is authorized to declare war. But, time after time, beginning in Vietnam, the President of this country has used his Executive powers as the Commander in Chief to engage in wars in Kuwait, Irag, Afghanistan, and probably a few places that haven’t been published.

Each time we are dragged into another conflict, using the same old tired story of being under attack, the PTB manage to place more restrictions on the unsuspecting public, until today, where we find many of the rights we were given in the Bill of Rights have been eliminated. We can no longer gather to protest the government’s actions; if we do, we are “disturbing the public peace” or we are “serving the interests of our enemies”, thereby turning ordinary American citizens into criminals for actions that used to be protected by the Constitution. It is no longer considered legal to criticize the PTB; it’s unAmerican, unpatriotic, and a threat to National Security….

Our public vigilance has been spotty at best, and the PTB are very well versed in the scientific methods of controlling large numbers of people, having practiced their skills for thousands of years. They know exactly how to phrase their words to inflame the public, to make them afraid, thus setting themselves up as the saviors of society. As well, they know exactly who to target with their rhetoric…..

Their primary targets are the same people who look at Mitt Romney as a man of character, cheering him on as he makes his bid to get into the highest seat of power in the land, never realizing they will be counted as his very first victims…. This man has NO interest in making things better for the average American. His words and actions clearly show he is one of the elite, the super rich, who are not subject to the laws the rest of us must follow. If elected, he will waste no time in making life a living hell for anybody making less than $250,000 a year….

I’ve been watching the government now for about 60 years; every word of what I’ve written above is based upon what I’ve seen and heard from them in that time. None of it is made up. The PTB in this country, and in every country in the world, live only for their own aggrandizement; they have no interest in making life better for the average man or woman. They are only interested in maintain the power that they have, seeking only to solidify their stranglehold on the remainder of society.

If you think otherwise, I challenge you to offer some kind of evidence for that. All the evidence that I have gathered, and witnessed, tells me that I am not wrong to mistrust the politicians and priests, and the police who serve THEM, not us, because everything they do is designed to keep me , and you, and the rest of society in the role of victim. They’re good at it, they’ve practiced a lot….

Obviously, this is a subject I can rant about for days, which only makes sense, as I have a lot of years of experience at watching the ruling class in action. But, the rest of the day calls me, and my butt is getting tired of this chair….. so, I’ll leave this here, and merely say this…. The situation in the world today is a result of NOT being vigilant, of not paying attention to the PTB, assuming they are looking out for our interests. Well, we were wrong, weren’t we? Now, we are paying the price, in the loss of those freedoms that made this country an example of liberty to the entire world. Now we are merely another example of how the wicked and corrupt wolves in society completely dominate the law-abiding masses, who assume the role of sheep, without ever emitting a single bleat of protest….. SIGH, and we showed such promise!…..

“When you stay on the tracks, ignoring the facts, you can’t blame the wreck on the train”. — from the song, “You Can’t Blame . . ”

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I’m not certain why, as the impulse struck me from nowhere, (meaning it came from my unconscious…), but, this one just seems like the right poem for today…. It’s one of the first I wrote after a 35 year hiatus from writing poetry, so, it’s one of my favorites…. It let me know I still had some words in me to share…. Enjoy, please…

A Failure to Germinate

Marking the days in elements of sad disarray
only holds me thrall, as I laugh while I may.
With cold, hard hands so impatient and cruel
pulling me to this vale of tears, a pathetic old fool.

Feelings sit silent, cast in shadows and light
breaking forth to implicate such vengeful might.
Just below the surface they patiently hide
to sally forth bravely, colors bright as they ride.

Tears and pain transform valued assets in hand
while comfort and serenity retreat to a far land.
Bold, bright patterns of hope garnish my ruinous state
until reality enters, full of disdainful portions of hate.

I sort out the illustrious measures of vision gone mild
only to find them transformed, now vicious and wild.
In my deepest desires I find myself calloused and cold
with faithless advocates whose souls have been sold.

My search finds little to support any hope of relief
far too much time has passed to bolster such belief.
The sad becomes real, and real becomes unfounded
until flights of such fancy are all dead, and grounded.

Nature has informed me of the newly hatched crime
of which reality boasted proudly, time after time.
The last answer we think of is always the best
as we come to terms with fate, our hope at rest.

~~ gigoid ~~

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Astounding. It’s the only word I can think of, and, trust me, I know a lot of words. The following pearl, of enormous length, is composed of a group of pearls SB put out in two consecutive sessions, each time, as you see them, all in a row, one after the other, as if they’d been queued up for a print job, or something…. Magic, is all I can think of, unless I’ve used SB so hard and long, I broke the Laws of Chance and Randomness, whereupon, the program became sentient, and is now reading my mind…. Whatever it is, I’ll take it…. Here, then, are more pearls than I know what to do with, all of which are pretty good comments on Life at Large…. Go figure…

“There has never yet been a human society worthy of the name of civilization. Civilization remains a remote ideal.” — Edward Abbey

“You deserve the gods you worship.” — Solomon Short

“Go to Hell!” or other insult direct is all the answer a snoopy question deserves.” — Lazarus Long, from Robert A. Heinlein’s “Time Enough For Love”

Okay, that was the first group. When I came back to it from a break, I thought to myself, “SB’s on a roll: let’s see what’s up…”, & started punching up the next random quote… These came up without a pause, bing, bing, bing, dropping my mouth further open with each new one…. I finally took a break to allow the feeling to come back in my hands, after the following came up, just as you see them….

“There are no uninteresting things, only uninterested people. I hope when you know the worst you will at once leap into the river and swim through handsomely, and not, weather-beaten by the divers blasts of irresolution, stand shivering on the bank.” — Suckling

“What golden hour of life, what glittering moment will ever equal the pain its loss can cause?” — Valery, “Mauvaises pensees et autres”

“True patriotism doesn’t exclude an understanding’of the patriotism of the others.” — Queen Elizabeth

“Among mankind money is far more persuasive than logical argument.” — Euripides

“Ensign Expendable, step on that rock” — Kirk

“My past is my own.’ — The Shadow (DC Comics)

“It’s that moment of dawning comprehension I live for.” — Hobbes

‘What luck for the rulers that men do not think.” — Adolf Hitler (1889-1945)

44. Remember that your character is your destiny. — Instructions for life

“There is the risk that you can not afford to take, and there is the risk that you can not afford not to take.” — Peter Drucker

“Find the seeds of your own excellence.” — Callan Williams

“And die with decency.” — Thomas Otway (1651-1685) — Venice Preserved, Act v, Sc. 3

Well, there you go. I couldn’t have done it better… but, then, I don’t have to, cuz I already did good…. So there. Not bad for the world’s first fifteen star pearl….

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I have to say; doing what one considers one’s duty is a GOOD feeling. Even though I cannot speak to the quality of today’s effort, yet, I will say it was a grand effort. Whether it lives up to that promise will depend on y’all, to a degree, so, I’ll stop now, so I can get this posted, & let y’all get to it…. To whomever drops in, thanks, and feel free to leave a comment; we love dialogue, even if it’s just me, not we…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes….

Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark,Theresa, & Richy
and everyone else, too…

When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.

Which is Why….

Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes,
I just sits.

gigoid, the dubious

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Hmm…. Soft pillow. Whose is it?….

Posted on February 20, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“The strongest of all warriors are these two — Time and Patience.”

~~ Leo Tolstoy ~~

Home, Sweet Home

Home. We all associate home with certain emotions, most of which, if we are lucky, are good feelings. The picture you see is mine, taken not long ago, as I stood at the entrance to the Big Blue Room, that huge room outside the place where my computer resides. I can’t say the picture sends shivers of pleasure skimming up and down my spine, but, it does offer a fairly comfortable and secure place to write, so, I am content. Plus, since the picture is mine, no attribution is required….

Today, that’s a bonus…. I’m exhausted, I think. I’ve felt weird/bad/odd for a few days now, with pain a constant companion, thanks to Kaiser’s intransigent ignorance and corporate dispassion. Strange, unpredictable weather hasn’t helped my arthritis at all, and, in fact, is probably responsible for the unrelenting shoulder-ache I’ve experienced ever since the temperature dropped. However, I note I have entered a whining space, which is not on our agenda, so, we’ll move on to more productive blather, as soon as I can free myself from this paragraph.

Whew! Almost got stuck there…. I guess all of the above is yet another feeble attempt at levity in a pre-coffee state. Oh, I’ve had a few sips, but, these days, in such a constant state of fatigue and angst from fighting battles with governments, corporations, and my own body, it takes more than a few sips to get past the blurry stages into a relatively alert phase. In fact, if y’all will pardon me for just a few moments, I’ll deal with part of the problem…. Be right back….

There, that’s a little better….. No, you don’t want to know. Since I’m back, and relatively awake, if not competent and coherent, I think I’ll take this opportunity to get us out of the intro in a more timely fashion than is generally the case. I see an opening coming up just ahead, in an unusually rock-free passage; we’re going for it, while we have the chance. If y’all would kindly make sure you’re securely fastened into your seats, we’ll be on our way to the pearl beds, to begin today’s dive…. Hang on, ffolkes….

Shall we Pearl?

“Ah, gigoid, I see you’ve decided to go psycho. Godspeed.” — Oddly enough, this is all I remember of a dream I had last night….

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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Funny look in his eyes, don’t you think?

Whenever I need a break, from almost anything, nothing works better than a session of listening to Mozart, to provide relaxation with stimulation, completely energizing, like a good session of yoga, or meditation, or performing a perfect kung fu form…. No matter how long it lasts, one has more energy afterward than when they began…. In my mind, it’s more proof than needed to show how important music is, as an essential part of our universe, to which we all have a direct connection, if only we allow it to remain open….

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The Best of Mozart

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http://youtu.be/Rb0UmrCXxVA

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Yep. Him again.

Dresses a little funny, y’think?

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“If Patrick Henry thought that taxation without representation was bad, he should see how bad it is with representation.” — Smart Bee

Today’s rant promises to be epic, I think. We are going to try to deal with some pretty heavy material, exploring subjects very personal to me, with some strong opinions and thoughts I can no longer keep to myself…. This one may cause me to have to pull a Houdini, (don’t fret, if you don’t understand, there’s no harm, and no foul…), but, it all needs to be shared with whomever will listen, because it concerns ALL of us in the modern world, in every country on the planet…..

You see, the assholes, whom I have lumped into a group I call the Beloved Ruling Class, (just a touch of irony, don’t y’know?…), have managed to extend their insane corruption of human institutions, ensuring those essential fields of endeavor are molded to serve THEIR needs and interests ahead of anyone else’s, to the one human occupation which cannot afford to suffer ANY deterioration in ethical standards…. We can no longer afford to trust DOCTORS, for they have been enslaved just as surely as everyone else not of the monied elite…. If you can’t trust your doctor to tell you the truth, to whom can we turn, but ourselves?….

First, to begin, please read the following article by an alert young man named Mike Adams, on The Natural News web site (the first link is the blog post where I found the article, the second is to the actual article…), to get a very clear picture of exactly what I’m talking about today…..

https://talesfromthelou.wordpress.com/2015/02/19/backfire-how-the-vaccine-industry-lost-the-propaganda-war-alienated-the-public-and-stirred-up-suspicion-of-the-entire-medical-profession/

http://www.naturalnews.com/048665_vaccine_propaganda_public_suspicion_medical_profession.html

Excerpted from the article:

“In a document the A.M.A. warns cannot be cited by anyone without “written permission from the A.M.A.“, the organization warns about the disastrous consequences of the medical profession losing the public trust:

Withholding pertinent medical information from patients without their knowledge or consent may also have negative long-term consequences for the medical profession. The patient-physician relationship is founded upon trust, because patients must rely upon their physicians to provide the information needed to make a properly informed decision. Lack of candid disclosure can compromise this relationship if patients suspect (or later discover) that information is being withheld from them. Thus, individual physicians’ purportedly benevolent acts of deception risk undermining not only individuals, but also public confidence and trust in the medical profession.”

Gee…. ya think? It’s unfortunate in the extreme very few doctors seem to either comprehend this principle, or, use it as a guide for making decisions, especially since one would logically/reasonably assume they know the risk of lying to their patients, ostensibly having discussed it in medical school at one point or another…. If not, such a school of medicine is one whose graduates would not be high on MY list of doctors to trust. I tend to prefer to know all the facts, not just what someone else thinks I should know, tending to get irritable when lied to, whether by deliberate omission, or by ignorance of the truth. For anyone I will consider as MY doctor, either one is unacceptable.

As is usual, for me, this rant is being written in spurts of mad, furious typing, while my hands are still capable of moving, then a break to let them, and me, recover; after a bit, I begin to type again, once I’ve determined the point in my arguments I’ve left the missive…. It’s a bit hard to find the thread sometimes; today it’s almost impossible, as I awoke with numerous challenges to start the day, including a shoulder and arm completely numb from the elbow down to the hand, to go with the general malaise that afflicts me almost all the time now…. There are times when it all seems unlikely I will ever be free of it…. a feeling which, while not completely unfamiliar, is one I don’t particularly enjoy…..

That said, I’m going to have to abandon this rant in mid-shout, so to speak, as I simply can’t type any more today…. From this point, it will be all cutting and pasting, or short blurbs to fill in space. It’s just too hard to keep up a steady rhythm of typing when my left hand is half-numb, sitting at the end of the painful piece of wood that used to be my arm. I’ll fill in the last portion of this section with an old school pearl, to save my ass from feeling a complete failure….

Enjoy, ffolkes, and remember; your doctor is no longer a free person; they are enslaved just as thoroughly as are we all, so, it makes sense to keep an eye on them, as well as to use them as little as possible…. These days, going to the doctor could kill ya….

The hungry sheep look up and are not fed,
But, swoln with wind and the rank mist they draw,
Rot inwardly, and foul contagion spread.

~~ Milton, “Lycidas” ~~

“King Arthur and his armored goons of the Round Table functioned as the Politburo of a slave state: Camelot. Of all who have written on the Matter of Arthur, from Malory to White, only Mark Twain understood this. But Mark Twain was a great writer.” — Edward Abbey

“From the standpoint of any sane person, the present problem of capitalist concentration is not only a question of law, but of criminal law, not to mention criminal lunacy.” — G. K. Chesterton, A Case In Point, The Outline of Sanity

“Freedom is a hard-bought thing – A gift no man can give.” — Smart Bee

“All authority is quite degrading.” — Oscar Wilde (1854-1900)

“Science transcends mere politics. As recent history demonstrates, scientists (i.e., doctors) are as willing to work for a Tojo, a Hitler, or a Stalin as for the free nations of the West.” — Edward Abbey

“Hence these tears.” — Terence (185-159 BC) — Act i, Sc. 1, 99, (126.)

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Just in case anyone out there was starting to feel comfortable about how things in the world are going, articles like this one appear to burst your bubble….

http://www.wakingtimes.com/2015/02/18/all-the-creepy-ways-big-brother-is-watching-you/

Now do you wonder why I’m dubious? I don’t….

“Is it any wonder that my mind’s on fire?” — gigoid, upon completing this pearl

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SIGH…. It’s all so DAMN depressing, isn’t it? I guess we’ll go with a classic; nothing else works as well to dispel my ugly moods….. Of course, ugly is not something that will ever disappear from life will it? Ah well, at least we have poetry….

Solitude

Happy the man, whose wish and care
A few paternal acres bound,
Content to breathe his native air
In his own ground.

Whose herds with milk, whose fields with bread,
Whose flocks supply him with attire;
Whose trees in summer yield shade,
In winter, fire.

Blest, who can unconcern’dly find
Hours, days, and years, slide soft away
In health of body, peace of mind,
Quiet by day.

Sound sleep by night; study and ease
Together mixed; sweet recreation,
And innocence, which most does please
With meditation.

Thus let me live, unseen, unknown;
Thus unlamented let me die;
Steal from the world, and not a stone
Tell where I lie.

~~ Alexander Pope ~~

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Today’s final pearl is one I don’t really remember putting together…. It seems to be a collection of comments on either human nature, and the struggles with Reality in which it engages so often, or, a look at Life through filtered lenses, definitely NOT rose colored…. Either way, it works for me… Just don’t make any attempt to use this one for anything other than food for thought; any interaction with actual Reality may bring unintended consequences, not to your liking…. No worries, though, even THAT wouldn’t be too harmful, just embarrassing, and messy…. Enjoy, ffolkes, it’s pretty simple today, in truth….

“Sometimes I think the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us.” — Bill Watterson, cartoonist of Calvin & Hobbes

“When we contemplate the whole globe as one great dewdrop, striped and dotted with continents and islands, flying through space with all other stars all singing and shining together as one, the whole universe appears as an infinite storm of beauty.” — John Muir, American Naturalist (1838-1914)

“When the first baby laughed for the first time, the laugh broke into a thousand pieces and they all went skipping about, and that was the beginning of fairies.” — from Peter Pan (1904) by James M. Barrie (1860-1937)

“One of the best ways to measure people is to watch the way they behave when something free is offered.” — Ann Landers

“With two hearts do people live; a small one of deep softness, the other of steel. And kindness is too often a shield, generosity too often a sword.” — Kahlil Gibran

“Is you first responsibility to yourself? The question is misleading; that is, it misleads the person who takes it to heart. It’s like asking, must you shift your weight in order to walk. Of course you must, but anyone who concentrates first on shifting his weight will not walk well.” — Hugh Prather

“Virtue is the golden mean between two vices, the one of excess and the other of deficiency.” — Aristotle (B.C. 384-322)

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It is not without a bit of surprise I find myself at the end of today’s post. When I started, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to finish it in the style to which you’ve been accustomed to finding here each morning. I was right, too. But, it will have to do, because I am sure as hell not going to do it over. In fact, I’m dumping y’all right here, and getting on with my day, such as it will be…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes…. Well, I’m hoping, anyway….

Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark,Theresa, & Richy
and everyone else, too…

When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.

Which is Why….

Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes,
I just sits.

gigoid, the dubious

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Sweet sorrow, my ass….

Posted on February 19, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Every day passes whether you participate or not.”

~~ Deng Ming-Dao ~~

Another View Outside the Door Into Summer

“One of these things is not like the other…” — Numerous Sesame Street characters at various times

A few days ago, the opening picture was also one of my own photos, taken outside my back door, here in Northern California, this February, in what the rest of the world considers the dead of winter, almost two-thirds of the way to Spring. The East Coast has been pounded by massive storms; blizzards, hurricanes, all sorts of weather which, though seasonal, keeps breaking old records for the most massive storms in history. Today, as I write this, I’m sitting in my living room, with no heat on, a window and door open for ventilation, without a shirt, because it’s too warm to wear one indoors…. even for an old man who can’t take the cold like he used to….

But, hey, there’s no such thing as global warming, or unalterable climate changes taking place, so, why worry about it? It certainly isn’t snowing here, so, I guess I’ll go for a walk today in the sunshine, to take some more pictures of evidence of the world, trying to warn us of our impending doom….

Oops…. Sorry, ffolkes, I forgot. No ranting in the intro…. But, but, ffolkes, it’s just so bloody tempting! SIGH…. Ah me, so much for this attempt to open up with aplomb, or, even, coherency. Not that I care overmuch about coherency, so long as I can find it in myself to spout some nonsense, but, I’m not sure how I’d do at that today. I’m not feeling very silly; that generally means if I try to be funny, or apply silly to what I write, I end up displaying bozoid tendencies, more so than any wisdom, or style, or any other sort of communication to stimulate the slightest interest, beyond the expected snickering at my discomfiture….

Y’all should remember, though, anyone who can use the word discomfiture isn’t going to let a little thing like propriety, or mainstream morality get in the way of getting this Pearl done. No way. I’ve done this too long now to listen to the ignorant, any more than I ever did, other than to keep track of whatever they are babbling about, just for the purposes of intel…. Remember? “Keep your friends close, etc…..” Beyond the bare minimum necessary to keep them in my sights, I ignore them as much as possible…. It doesn’t mean I don’t know they’re there…. (Not bad… two of the three “there’s”, each used correctly…)

It does mean my paranoia is in good working order, though, so, perhaps it would be best now to get on with the making of today’s mess, so I can get back afterward in time to take the appropriate medication to keep me from going postal on anyone before lunch. Perhaps it would be best if you ducked now….

Shall we Pearl?

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

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These two artists are responsible for a LOT of the tunes I grew up with in the 60’s and 70’s. Watching them play together after all these years was a more emotional experience than I’d imagined; I found myself tearing up at song after song. It was also fun to see the two of them having such fun playing together; they were feuding for many years, and it’s nice to know they’ve healed the breach…. Enjoy, ffolkes, this one is a real treat, a true walk through a gentler past…

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Carole King and James Taylor Live at the Troubadour

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http://youtu.be/3IMntLIgIq8

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Le Penseur, The Thinker, Auguste Rodin, photo from The Rodin Museum web site

Sometime during my teens, I stopped trying to convince myself to give in to the pressure applied by peers, and well-meaning adults, to join the Presbyterian Church, where I’d been attending with my family for some years. I had begun a study of as many different faiths as I could find time to do, without ever getting so far into it as to call myself a religious scholar, discovering in those studies I could not bring myself to be hypocritical enough to claim belief in the credo they espoused. Any of them.

This decision was not because of a lack of spiritual feeling (I wouldn’t have bothered to look for answers, if that were the case), but, more of an acceptance of the rightness of my choice, to NOT pretend to believe what I could only consider a very complex set of dogmatic derivations, having nothing to do with reality, but, in truth, were deductively and erroneously based on specific delusions, regarding forces of nature we humans do not, as yet, fully understand. Ascribing those forces to be the result of supernatural causes seemed a bit specious, if not completely lacking in evidence to support such their existence, thus, highly unlikely.

I suppose I always felt what H. L. Mencken said in the third pearl below; everything I heard about how cool and special God, and religion were supposed to be, all seemed to me to be pretty improbable. Since this improbability was supposedly supported by what I found to be merely interpretations, and opinions of reality, not reality itself, I could never find any good reason to buy into any of it…. In short, I recognized what I heard as a made-up story, designed to soothe people’s fears about a universe they could not comprehend…. I always figured, if we don’t know, well, let’s find out. Why make something up? But, I guess that’s just me…. At the time, I’d never heard of Nancy Reagan, but, I’ve always been glad I “just said no.”

Below are seven pearls which, sort of, speak to how I view the concept of religion, as one of the primary reasons for a large part of the reason Mankind continues to act more like an brutish naked ape than an advanced, ethical sentient entity. The God of the Christians, as is apparently true with most Gods I’ve looked into, acts much like a wounded, maddened predator, insanely attacking all who come near. Almost all of the deities I found in my reading over the years, all had a common cruelty, a mercilessness completely antagonistic to human feeling, which, naturally, mirrors the trait in humans, thus giving divine attribution to our most base emotions…. According to what I read, most gods show the behavior of a spoiled child, a trait unfortunately reproduced in His followers….

HE, Yahweh, or Allah, all same/same, seemed, to me, always ready to use any cruelty or violence to achieve His ends, threatening Hellfire and damnation for the slightest disobedience, while claiming to be merciful. Have you seen some of the stuff God has had his followers do in His name? In today’s world, they all continue to act out their insane bigotry and ignorance…. but, now, there are billions upon billions of followers, of all sorts of vicious butthead gods, and they have shiny new toys to kill each other with, with increasing ferocity and destructiveness…. What a bloody mess….

Nope, God just never has been my kind of dude, for sure, much less what I’d be looking for a in a god…. But, even I could see, back before I had so much rational proof of how wise was my decision, it sure does make life easy for those who hang with God, using his ‘grace’ to either justify their actions, or remove the blame for any of them, as long as the conditions of membership in the club are met….

Ah, well, here, this is what I mean, more glibly, if not more clearly…. Sometimes, that’s how it works with metaphor….

Say first, of God above or man below,

What can we reason but from what we know?

~~ Alexander Pope — Essay on Man, Epistle i, Line 17 ~~

“Any system of religion which has anything in it which offends the mind of a child cannot be a true system.” — Thomas Paine

“Faith may be defined briefly as an illogical belief in the occurrence of the improbable.” — H. L. Mencken, “Prejudices”, Series iii

“Preacher to me: “A dollar for the Lord, brother?” Me to preacher: “That’s all right, I’m headed his way. I’ll give it to him when I see him.” — Edward Abbey

“Pray, pray very much; but beware of telling God what you want.” — French Proverb

“If the average man is made in God’s image, then such a man as Beethoven or Aristotle is plainly superior to God.” — H. L. Mencken

“…and remember you’re a Man, not just a god, and for you there aren’t and never will be any easy answers, only questions, and no reasons, only causes, and no meaning, only intelligence, and no destination and no kindly magic smiling down from above, and no fires to goad you from below, only Yourself and the Universe and what you make out of the interface between the two equals.” — Keith Laumer, _Night of Delusions_

Okay, so, it wasn’t all THAT…. Look at it this way. It wasn’t a rant…. Well, not much of one…. After all, I didn’t shout, not once….

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“Poetry is what gets lost in translation.” — Robert Frost

Placidly falling in amber waves: old friends

Whiskey, oh, whiskey, I’d forgotten thy balm,
thy loving spread of lassitude, and nature’s own calm.
Misery and pain flee in squalid disorganization,
leaving mirth, happily embraced, in just consolation.

James, old friend, thou has not abandoned me at all,
steadfast and loyal, ever ready to answer my softest call.
Ephemeral illusions of normality come at your instigation
blessed moments of peaceful joy, sans vilification.

Gasps of coherence pound at the door to conscious thought,
muffled explosive memories of battles already fought.
Malleable as the changeable airs of time and circumstance
plaintive calls to reason stand not a single, honest chance.

Sober again, reality’s cold reign brings a new day
ringing in old changes in a new-fashioned way.
To know true freedom’s release from our everyday pain
Is worth a bit of headache, even in the cold, pouring rain.

~~ gigoid ~~

~~ two sheets to the wind, and back ~~

“You will find poetry nowhere, unless you bring some with you.”

~~ Joseph Joubert ~~

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It occurred to me the other day, as I sat to peruse SB for an old-school pearl, my greatest enemy is reality. I’ve fought it successfully for 64 years, now, finally reaching a point where I am relatively certain of the outcome; in short, I’m winning, mostly.

On the heels of such a perfectly egotistical proclamation, allow me to also say, in this case, given much of what history has taught me, a draw may be considered a win, so, don’t think I’m getting too big for my britches. I’m well aware of my bozoid tendencies; in my mind, that makes coming out dead even (so to speak) all the more an admirable, if not impossibly unlikely, outcome, to an what has certainly been an epic ordeal… and, it’s not over yet!

Hence, the following nine-star, sort of fresh pearl, which, you will note, is bookended by Zippy. That ought to give you a clue as to the meaning of the gestalt concept at which SB apparently took aim, with unusual precision; all nine came up one after the other, with only one extra, usable elsewhere… Pretty nifty, I thought…. and, so will you. Enjoy, ffolkes, and try not to hurt yourself falling out of the chair…

“I’m having an emotional outburst!!” — Zippy the Pinhead

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

“…life is long enough if it is well-spent.” — Erasmus

“I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence, or insanity to anyone, but they’ve always worked for me.” — Hunter S. Thompson

“But Aristarchus of Samos brought out a book consisting of certain hypotheses, in which the premises lead to the conclusion that the universe is many times greater than that now so called. His hypotheses are that the fixed stars and the sun remain motionless, that the earth revolves about the sun in the circumference of a circle, the sun lying in the middle of the orbit, and that the sphere of the fixed stars, situated about the same center as the sun, is so great that the circle in which he supposes the earth to revolve bears such a proportion to the distance of the fixed stars as the center of the sphere bears to its surface.” — Archimedes, The Sand-Reckoner, Third Century B.C.

“Humorous or profound remark or quotation pending.” — Smart Bee

“When two goats met on a bridge which was to narrow to allow either to pass or return, the goat which lay down that the other might walk over it was a finer gentleman than Lord Chesterfield.” — Cecil

“All those things which are now held to be of the greatest antiquity, were at one time new; and what we today hold up by example, will rank hereafter as precedent.” — Tacitus

“Life is full of surprises when you’re up th’ stream of consciousness without a paddle…” — Zippy the Pinhead

See what I meant? Okay, I’ve been cruel long enough. You may go now….

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Fortunately for me, most of this Pearl was already constructed, in pieces, which I only had to piece together today to get this done. I’m glad because I’m just not in the best of spaces, for unknown reasons…. I think I’ll take today off from dealing with anything at all complicated…. nothing more complex than, oh, say, planning my next nap…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, if I can work up the energy….

Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark,Theresa, & Richy
and everyone else, too…

When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.

Which is Why….

Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes,
I just sits.

gigoid, the dubious

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

But…. but…. what about the little bunnies?

Posted on February 8, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“History… a distillation of rumor.”

~~ Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881) ~~

Snow in Ireland, January 2015

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I won’t do it! You can’t make me! I don’t wanna write any more! No…..! Well, okay, maybe this once.

Morning, ffolkes. I just thought I’d give y’all a quick picture of the kind of stuff I go through each morning to get started. Depending on how much sleep I haven’t gotten (I’ve begun to keep track that way, rather than trying to keep track of all those fractions, of hours of broken sleep I’ve managed to steal….), this is a fine example of the usual degree of reluctance and angst I suffer before getting started….

. For the record, and to take another dig at Kaiser P, the corporate ghosts, and the doctors who are enslaved by them, I’ll note that I am STILL feeling the effects of withdrawal; about an hour before the next dose of medicine is due, the jumpy nerves and twitchy muscles begin to hum, and I find myself keeping time with my legs to a fast, salsa-like rhythm…. If I have music on, it can take a while to notice, as I think I’m just keeping time with Jesse Colin, or Bob Marley’s songs…. It’s not quite as severe, because I’m cheating on them, and using the meds at the higher rate I used to take, in order to try to get a bit of sleep, and space from the withdrawal symptoms….

Fuck ’em. I’m done submitting to this society’s constant attempts to fix me with a slave collar. I’ve fought against having one for 60 some years now, at every turn. I’m becoming more and more angry at those who will not see how they are serving the forces of evil, having been brainwashed for their entire lives to believe anything told to them by a talking head. I intend to spend the rest of my life shouting at them, picking at them, hurting them as often as I can, however I can. I will hold them up for public ridicule, or, if necessary, find a way to remove them from this plane of existence, But, I will no longer sit quietly, going my own way, & keeping my head down.

I’ll be just as aggressive to them as they try to be to me; I didn’t spend my life learning martial arts so I could let bullies have their way; from now on, I intend to take the battle back to their doors, to hold them up into the light of exposure, for their lies, for their bully attitudes, and for their constant lies. On Tuesday, I’ll be taking on a local city council, led by a bully of a mayor, a man of color determined to get back at the man by becoming a caricature of a politician, resembling nothing more than a rich, old, white cracker, spreading lies and acting like a bully toward the public. It doesn’t surprise me at all to find he is a lawyer by trade….

Okay…. That worked well…. Nothing like a good mini-rant to get the juices flowing, is there? The only problem with it is finding a good place to stop, as it’s so easy to just go on, and on, and on, when one begins railing against the lies…. there are just so MANY of them!…. Ah well, enough for one day. I’m going to grab this box, marked with a big #4, & get us out of here, so we can get on with the rest of this mess…. You’ll probably recognize the number, which works like this….

Shall we Pearl?

“Bushido does not mean what it sounds like.” — Smart Bee

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Currently, though it’s Sunday, & the world is turned off, so to speak, my mind won’t seem to settle, wanting to pick at the two issues confronting me. So, we’ll go with some silly, to break the pattern in our customary fashion. Here are some cartoons, which, naturally, should be watched with a cookie or three and a nice glass of milk…. Enjoy!….

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Goofy Cartoons

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http://youtu.be/KhPEdQ-XOII

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“Tell someone the sun is millions of miles away and they’ll believe you. Tell them the fence has just been painted and they’ll feel it to check it out.” — Smart Bee

Why do you think this is true? (Even if it isn’t, (which it isn’t, er, is… it’s true, by my reckoning…), it must be a behavior so frequently observed as to be considered worthy of note, as if it is a truism, a piece of common wisdom….No matter the source.) Any who, for the purpose of our discussion, we’ll assume it to be true (sigh… okay. Look. If you DON’T agree, can you wait to discuss it until we get further down? I’ll leave room…). If we can assume it to be so, I think I can guess the reason it is such a commonly held belief….

That’s because you’re human, and, they’re human. Consciously, or not, both are aware of this. Most people, if told the first, since they have no way of knowing for sure if you are right or wrong, will opt to trust, as the truth of it has no direct effect on them. The paint, however, is a part of their immediate environment, so, with another human present, the state of the paint becomes of more direct interest. There is an old saying in the Arab world, that says, “Trust in Allah, but row for the rocks.”…. if you get my drift. The Western world would more likely be familiar with a statement such as “Always cut the cards.” In the case of wet paint, any human over the age of two will check to see if paint is wet, when told, as a knee-jerk reaction….

How does this relate to the ranting section? Oh gosh, if you’ve been here before, you’d already know…. We’ve already used the word true, which is rooted in Truth, so, obviously we’re going to talk about those humans who seek elected office, at what I now know from PERSONAL experience, to be ALL levels, from international, to national, to state, to county, to local. Hell, I’ll bet the perversion of human spirit that pervades our culture seems to be not merely ubiquitous, but, cancerous in its aggressive intention of consuming all members of our society, regardless of their wishes in the matter.

I’m speaking, of course, of the complete loss of integrity in public office, where every person seems to be convinced their own personal beliefs should be used to determine the course of events in their immediate sphere of influence. From President, all the way down to mayor, and often, Grand Poobah level of government, ignorance, bigotry, and the use of power for personal gain is not merely rampant, but, glorified…..

In my personal observation of public life, as I have seen, heard, or read about, the events and information about the march of history since 1950, when I was born, (available for anyone of my age to still view, via a number of different media), the world has become more and more a mirror image of the nightmarish society depicted in George Orwell’s novel, 1984, than I ever believed was possible…. If you really want to be scared silly, read, or, re–read the book, then compare what you have just read to modern society. The congruency is close to 100%; it seems Mr. Orwell was more accurate than even he knew in his vision of the future, a time at which WE have, seemingly, arrived….

In truth, it would be easy to list all the ways our supposed leaders display their total disregard for anyone’s agenda but their own, which is centered on their own avarice for power and control…. too easy. It would also take a VERY long time, which, as is apparent, I’ve already taken to get to this point, where we could get down to brass tacks, so to speak… (Why brass? Do they hurt more when you step on one?…. I wonder about these things….)

Any who, I’ll be nice today, sparing you the extra work and depressive mood swings. Instead, we’ll fill the rest of the time allotted for this with some very fine pearls of virtual wisdom, which highlight the very qualities of which I have been speaking…. Please remember, ffolkes….. VIRTUAL wisdom, not real. Don’t try to use them as if they were. They’re good for a snack, but not for a main dish, speaking, of course, metaphorically…. Enjoy!…

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Democracy, n.: A government of the masses. Authority derived through mass meeting or any other form of direct expression. Results in mobocracy. Attitude toward property is communistic… negating property rights. Attitude toward law is that the will of the majority shall regulate, whether it is based upon deliberation or governed by passion, prejudice, and impulse, without restraint or regard to consequences. Result is demagogism, license, agitation, discontent, anarchy.” — U. S. Army Training Manual No. 2000-25 (1928-1932), since withdrawn.

All national institutions of churches, whether Jewish, Christian, or Turkish, appear to me no other than human inventions, set up to terrify and enslave mankind, and monopolize power and profit.” — Thomas Paine

“The land of the free! This is the land of the free! Why, if I say anything that displeases them, the free mob will lynch me, and that’s my freedom. Free? Why I have never been in any country where the individual has such an abject fear of his fellow countrymen. Because, as I say, they are free to lynch him the moment he shows he is not one of them.” — D. H. Lawrence (1885-1930)

” To be ignorant of what happened before you were born is to be ever a child. For what is man’s lifetime unless the memory of past events is woven with those of earlier times?” — Marcus Tullius Cicero (106-43 BC), Orator

“Asking a Republican Senate and Democratic House to make a law is like trying to fry a single egg in two pans.” — New York Times, Jan. 20, 1981

“Now we have a Republican House AND Senate, with a Democrat in the White House. The problem here is obvious; no Republican in either body ever held so menial a job as cook. This means we’re likely to end up with is two eggs, burnt to a crisp, resembling nothing so much as a rubber replica of themselves, but, chewier, and not as tasty. A lame duck of either party makes poor fare for any table….” — gigoid, the dubious Saturday, 2015

“Well, here it is, 1983, so it won’t be long before you start reading a lot of boring stories about people like Vance Hartke. Hartke is a governor or mayor or something from one of the flatter states, and the reason you’ll be reading about him is that he’s one of the 50 top contenders for the 1984 Democratic presidential nomination. These men will spend the next 18 months going around the country engaging in the most degrading activities imaginable, such as wearing idiot hats and appearing on Meet the Press. Meet the Press is one of those Sunday morning public interest shows that the public is not the least bit interested in. It features a panel of reporters who ask questions of a guest politician, who wins an Amana home freezer if he can get through the entire show without answering a single question …” — Dave Barry, On Presidential Politics

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Knowing my mood to be in a rather fragile state, I won’t even bother trying to find a poem from someone else; it’s best to not involve anyone else today…. It could affect their reputation negatively; wouldn’t want that…. Here’s one from 2013….

Pure Truth: Elsewhen

Everything I say and do, I’m sure,
only comes from what I know.
If what I’ve said or done is good, and pure,
I can say it’s not just for show.

Sometimes people don’t quite get me.
It can be a pain, for sure.
I try not allow it to keep me from being free,
especially when my thoughts may be impure.

In fact, I try quite hard most of the time,
to keep from hurting folks.
If any culture more often approached sublime,
I wouldn’t have to take so many pokes.

Now I’ll make another sacrifice, for y’all,
not for karmic advantage, not merely so….
But, to save me from yet another downfall,
I’ll stop here; ensign, make it so….

~~ gigoid ~~

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I’m not sure what’s up with Smart Bee; the process of finding pearls has been smooth as silk lately, compared to what has been the case for quite some time. Since I’m not one to look in ANY mouths, we’ll accept this metaphoric gift as if it were of an equine persuasion, and just hop on for a ride…. I’d suggest you climb on behind, or you could get run down…. No worries, mates, it’s all in good, virtual fun, real as these pearls may be….

“Remember that happiness is a way of travel, not a destination.” — Roy Goodman

“That humanity at large will ever be able to dispense with Artificial Paradises seems very unlikely. Most men and women lead lives at the worst so painful, at the best so monotonous, poor and limited that the urge to escape, the longing to transcend themselves if only for a few moments, is and has always been one of the principal appetites of the soul.” — Aldous Huxley’s “The Doors of Perception”

“Difficulties are things that show what men are.” — Epictetus (c. 60 AD) — Discourses, Book i, Chap. xxiv

“I say that a man must be certain of his morality for the simple reason that he has to suffer for it.” — G. K. Chesterton, Illustrated London News, 8/4/06

“As long as anyone believes that his ideal and purpose is outside him, that it is above the clouds, in the past or in the future, he will go outside himself and seek fulfillment where it cannot be found. He will look for solutions and answers at every point except where they can be found–in himself.” — Erich Frohm

“Aren’t you glad that everything is going so smoothly?” –Smart Bee

“Grown-ups never understand anything by themselves, and it is tiresome for children to be always and forever explaining things to them.” — Antoine de Saint Exupery, The Little Prince

“Reputation is what other people know about you. Honor is what you know about yourself.” — Lois Bujold

“The most important thing in a man is not what he knows, but what he is.” — Narciso Yepes

Yep…. That about says it…. all of it, I might add….

Well, trust Smart Bee to fall under Murphy’s spell, ffolkes. As soon as I finished this pearl, SB came up with the following, which, obviously, belongs here as a nearly perfect closing thought, to tie the group together with unbreakable twine…. Allow me to show y’all what I mean:

“The world is what it is, no less and no more,

and therein lies its entire and sufficient meaning.”

~~ Edward Abbey ~~

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I’ve already expressed the problematic nature of the issues we’re facing today, though not in any great detail…. Suffice it to know, we’re done, and I’m outta here, taking my chance to escape while it’s fresh and hot. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes….

Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark,Theresa, & Richy
and everyone else, too…

When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.

Which is Why….

Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes,
I just sits.

gigoid, the dubious

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Burning stacks of cancelled portfolios, in the rain….

Posted on February 6, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

We are made wise not by the recollection of our past,

but by the responsibility for our future. “

~~ George Bernard Shaw ~~

In the first half of the twentieth century, an American philosopher, H. L. Mencken, offered a comment on modern life as he perceived it. I’ve always liked it, but, until recently, didn’t fully “get” the full impact of the statement, which we offer below:

“Every normal man must be tempted at times, to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats.”

This morning, I believe I have come to a greater understanding of what he was describing, and can only agree, in full. I say this, because I have reached a point in my life where I am ready to start giving in to such impulses. In fact, I’ve already spit on my hands, and hoisted the black flag; all that remains is to begin slitting throats, a process for which I am already fully prepared. As a life-long student of War, and its Arts, and, as a retired chef, I have a large collection of fine, sharp knives, over half of which are perfectly suited to throat cutting….. Hell, maybe I’ll just use the cleaver…

I have also observed human society now for many years; as a result, I have a long list of candidates for this sort of attention. I could, conceivably, keep myself busy right here in my home state, or home town, for that matter, but, I think it would be more efficacious, for me and for society, if I were to begin my campaign in Washington D. C., or, at a conference of the Tri-Lateral Council, where I would be able to eliminate quite a few of the major obstacles to human progress, all at once.

Actually, anyplace where more than one or two of them are together will do fine; I’ve got some grand ideas on how to use different methods of achieving the same purpose as a throat slitting…. You know, organic bombs, aerosol poisons, lasers, good stuff, all perfectly appropriate for use on groups of evil assholes, in lieu of a sharp blade…

Ah well, fantasy in the morning! Gotta love it. If nothing else, some of that almost constant urge to kill a pundit, or an asininny of some variety, is lessened by enough to keep from rushing out of the house, knife in hand, to go look for the nearest asshole to separate from his blood supply. I figure it’s good practice anyway, to smother that urge to kill, at least to the point where one is not constantly distracted by the need for revenge….

I’m hoping it isn’t just me who feels this way. If enough of us slit enough of the right throats, maybe we humans could make some progress toward fulfilling our real destiny, which has always been the pathway to the stars….. I have believed, since the first time I ever looked up in the sky, and realized those stars were other places in our universe, we were meant to go there, if only to do what we do best, which is to learn…. Our curiosity, stimulated by our imagination, is much greater than can be fulfilled on merely one planet; our destiny is the stars….

These days, it’s becoming questionable if we will ever be able to fulfill that destiny, or any other. I suppose I’ll have to wait, for the time being, before giving in to this urge toward revenge. But, believe me, if they give us much more shit, I’m grabbing the sharpest knives I have, and heading east…. Count on it….

Shall we Pearl?

“Laugh, about it, shout about it when you’ve got to choose–whichever way you look at it you lose.” — Paul Simon

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My mood is so dark, so heavy, I need help. Here is a collection of cartoons from my youth, with one of my generation’s most important heroes. Mighty Mouse gave kids a real hero, a little guy who could beat up big guys, and who always protected the weak and vulnerable from the depredations of the evil bullies who persecuted them (Are you beginning to see the theme here?…. MM was the first hero to show the common man and the forces of evil in eternal combat, with the common man winning every time…)

The weekly battles Mighty Mouse engaged in against evil opponents, always winning, showing them up as bullies in the process, was the perfect mental attitude training for a generation of political and societal activists, which many of us became…. Some of us are still fighting those forces of evil; nowadays, though, finding the evil is much easier, because much of it is to be found in official uniforms, or in government buildings. Sadly, it’s also easier due to the simple fact there are many, many more of them now…. the silly asses breed like rabbits….. Ah well, watching some of these will take me back to those days when we still had a lot of hope…. Now, hope must be aware of how fragile it has become…. Enjoy this little break from reality, ffolkes….

Mighty Mouse

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

http://youtu.be/wa9aI2wvofg?list=PLsZwgCf-AbYykMLMsya5lk2sv9gYV485U

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

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

I found the piece below in an old document, in a file folder called “Current docs”. It was written, apparently, on Thursday, ‎September ‎06, ‎2012, at ‏‎2:21:33 PM, entitled:

{Chaos + Entropy } – {Compassion + Love} = 42

SIGH…. there are times, such as this, when I wonder what life might be like without Murphy’s unkind attentions, and, though it might affect the balance of the universe somehow if he weren’t around to see to his chosen task , (that of filling my quota, plus bonuses, of stupid, annoying crap, with which to deal at the most inconvenient times), I’d be more than willing to try it out, just to see if I could deal with THAT any better than I do with him dogging me…. In fact, I’d give serious money to have an opportunity to try….

Sadly for me, and for all of us, I suppose, money won’t buy freedom from Reality, or from the elements of Chaos, and Entropy, that are as much a part of life as are Order, and Beauty…. There are people who believe that money CAN buy happiness, but, as is commonly true with such misguided entities, they are deluded, existing in a way that prevents them from ever really connecting with the universe deeply, or experiencing the finer parts of life, those that come only when one is open to compassion, and to love.

Moreover, these poor, sad fools are completely ignorant of missing out on anything, mistakenly believing themselves to be rich as Croesus…. which, in fact, they may be, in terms of gold, or other substances people value in this plane of existence…. This, however does not prevent them from being, in truth, sadly misdirected, delusionally convinced of their own rightness, in spite of all evidence otherwise, and, ultimately, pathetically overburdened with more THINGS than they can ever use, or even appreciate.

In spite of what they probably feel is true, when they die, none of what they’ve spent their lives pursuing can go with them, wherever they may go…. There’s no conclusive evidence indicating any particular destination to which we go when we pass on, at least, none we can perceive, or comprehend in our current state of being…. S’okay, we don’t really need one; we’re just too curious to let it go….

We wonder still, in spite of knowing, in all of our checkered, but, pretty well documented history, nobody has ever come up with any real, solid evidence for ANY of the theories on the matter, one way or another. Many would, and constantly do, argue this point, but, I know for a FACT, it is for sure, and for certain, wherever our consciousness may go, it won’t be carrying bus fare, or any credit cards…. and nobody, I think, wherever it is we end up, will care at all how much crap they owned while they were here….

Who knows where THIS came from…. not me. I found the first part in an old Pearl intro, and the rest just spewed out…. so be it….

gigoid has spoken….

Okay…. not bad. Since our space for ranting has been taken up with this little side trip into my head, we’ll close today’s section with two links, one to my pal Lou’s web site, where he displayed the article you will find at the second link. It’s an EXCELLENT treatise, one I hope becomes a viral hit on the internet, soon. It will, quite frankly, provide the proper impetus to begin the world-wide revolution, as it exposes, EXACTLY, how Mankind has been DUPED by this ages old conspiracy to saddle the human race with slave collars, welded on their necks by a delusional system forced upon them from birth… Read it and weep, all you religious fanatics; your time is up…..

https://talesfromthelou.wordpress.com/2015/02/05/why-are-you-still-a-christian-after-reading-this/

http://ultratechlife.com/blog/why-are-you-still-a-christian-after-reading-this-thorough/

Pretty clear and simple, eh? Anyone with more than two neurons in their head acting together will see just how they’ve been duped for millennia by these self-serving asses….

So be it.

gigoid has spoken, and he’s not the only one pissed off….

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

I can’t seem to find anything more fitting, so we’ll go with one of mine from the archives…. Enjoy!….

When life calls, ready or not….

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

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

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

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

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

~~ gigoid ~~

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

Today’s final old school pearl will be a mystery pearl. The first pearl you see is one I chose yesterday, but, didn’t have time to follow up. I will complete it now, and hope it comes out in such a way as to fulfill the promise of the most excellent opening…. Let’s see how it comes out, shall we?…..

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

— “Virtue alone is happiness below.”

~~ Alexander Pope — Essay on Man, Epistle iv, Line 309 ~~

“Many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view.” — Obi-Wan Kenobi in “Return of the Jedi”

“You can kill a man but you can’t kill an idea.” — Medgar Evers

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

“It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.” — Aristotle

“To him that waits all things reveal themselves, provided that he has the courage not to deny, in the darkness, what he has seen in the light.” — Coventry Patmore

“Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it–even if I have said it–unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense.” — The Buddha

“The world exists for its own sake, not for ours. Swallow *that* pill!” — Edward Abbey

“Be the day never so long,

Evermore at last they ring to evensong.”

~~ John Heywood (c. 1565) — Proverbes, Part ii, Chap. vii ~~

Not bad for a mystery, eh?

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

In the time to come, the world will be without the luxury of mercy; whether we like it, or not, the whirlwind is coming. I’ve tried to give y’all as much warning as I can; the rest is up to you, as it has always been. For now, I’ll take my leave, hoping against hope we all have a chance to pull ourselves back from the edge toward which we are rushing….. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, optimistic though it may be…..

Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark,Theresa, & Richy
and everyone else, too…

When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.

Which is Why….

Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes,
I just sits.

gigoid, the dubious

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Counting the cost in plaid pyjamas….

Posted on January 13, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“I have been a lucky man. But someone has to be.”

~~ Edward Abbey ~~

Psst! Want some candy, boys and girls?

I find myself today in an unenviable position, one in which my only thought can be “PEACE!” Perhaps I am getting old, for the problems I face in my life are challenging my ability to adapt to them, leaving me without the balance I so treasure. It is certain my physical issues are presenting many difficulties for me; what is not so certain is whether or not there is any solution to them, other than learning to endure even more than has been asked of me to this point. That, simply put, gives me no peace….

I suppose also that this feeling marks me as human. But, that brings no comfort either, for I know human nature to be flawed, and dangerous, to itself, and every other creature on this planet. Claiming my humanity does not bring me any comfort, only confusion. But, then, confusion seems to be rather ubiquitous of late, in my life, anyway…. It isn’t a state of mind with which I’m terribly familiar, having been fortunate to possess a mind capable of resisting it with some skill; of late, it seems to have increased its power, or I am getting old, losing my ability to adapt quickly enough to suit reality….

Since the latter is more likely, it may mean there IS no solution to my conundrum; another step further away from peace of mind, clearly. SIGH. It may also be another sign of advancing age, I guess, to feel that peace of mind is the only goal worth pursuing….. In fact, that sounds particularly cogent, to me…. Of course, that may be because we are speaking of my issues, but, I think, maybe, this is something we may assume to be a universal issue for any human reaching my age…. I don’t know about other ffolkes, but, obtaining a bit of peace of mind has assumed a large importance in my world, if only for moments at a time….

That being said, we can now move on to a more practical issue, to wit: what the hell do we do with today’s Pearl? I’ve usurped this intro already, turning it into a no doubt too long piece of introspection, clearly personal, with very little hope of providing any direction to the rest of today’s post. Getting from there to the necessary point, where we can dive into the ocean of knowledge that is the world wide web is proving to be…. Wait, look! There’s a jumping-off point now! I’m grabbing it, while I can…. Hang on, ffolkes….

Shall we Pearl?

“Some people write to please, to soothe, to console. Others to provoke, to challenge, to exasperate and infuriate. I’ve always found the second approach
the more pleasing.” — Edward Abbey

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

(From the London Daily Telegraph-Animal Pictures of the Week)

“Yow! Are we laid back yet?”

~~ Zippy the Pinhead ~~

According to one study, in the United States, 14.215% of respondents have consumed cannabis in the last year. In a total population of approximately 330 million people, this comes to (hmm… here is proof that math skills need use to maintain their freshness…. For the life of me I couldn’t figure out how to find a percentage with such odd figures… It took me a while to pencil it, having abandoned the calculator, as I didn’t recall how to work that function…. SIGH….), approximately 43 million ffolkes (making the obvious connection, are you?)….

When one considers that any such study is limited in scope, the figure assumes a larger significance. It must be remembered that, for the most part, cannabis users are accustomed to hiding their use; it is habit to deny such use, or minimize how much, or otherwise skew the picture with inaccurate data. Given that caveat, one must assume the figure of 43 million is far lower than is the actual case in Reality….

Personally, given what my experience over the years has shown me, going by what I KNOW of the ubiquity with which marijuana is present among the populace, I would say that figure could be revised upward to right about 50% of all Americans, and possibly more…. Remember, not very many of them will tell the truth about it, for fear of repercussions…. I would also guess many of the rest would just take a pot shot at the questioner with their rifle, for having the temerity to ask them about their private business…

Below you will find a wonderful song, a parody written by Weird Al Yankovic, using a great Alanis Morrisette song as the basis, along with link to an excellent summary of information on the current state of the legal battle to legalize cannabis, for medical AND recreational use, in these United States…. compiled with great skill, and compassion, by our old (well, maybe not so old, just familiar….) friend, Lou, over at Tales From the Conspiratum, his blog site, which he writes from his home in Montreal, Canada, graciously sharing his knowledge with his mates around the world….. Enjoy, ffolkes…. it won’t be long now, from the way things are looking….

You can find Lou’s site at: http://talesfromtheconspiratum.com/2015/01/12/latest-us-cannabis-news/ By the way, today’s opening picture is from the same post as was noted yesterday, and the day before, from a post on Lou’s most excellent blog….

What if God Smoked Cannabis?

http://youtu.be/PybtBKSAtLM

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

“None can love freedom heartily but good men; the rest love not freedom but license.” — John Milton

I found two pearls which seemed to perfectly form the bookends for a rant on political issues, but, find myself in a state of mind incapable of ranting…. I’m simply too tired. So, I’ll take a little time, & find an appropriate rant from the archives to fill in between the bookends I found, and be done with it…. I’ll be right back….

From 4/10/2013:

Artfully, he dodged the bullet, turning to watch it plow into the wall by his head. Slapping one palm to his forehead, he gave out a great shout, “ki aieeeeeee!”, striking to the left with his other hand, shattering the small bird statue on the pedestal. The bird screamed….. As entropy increased, gravity grew weak, then strong, tossing the players about the room like ten-pins in a row. Finally, a loud gong sounded, whereupon everyone dutifully trooped into the great hall to hear the daily proclamation from the beloved Leader in Mystery. Headache gone, thanks to the bird’s scream, he joined the parade, knowing he would find what he sought in the great hall…. His quest neared the end, and he could almost taste the cold dish of revenge, demanded by the blood of his murdered master…. Not for nothing was he called, “Pujin, the Merciless, Nearly-Master Killer of the Temple of the Divine Duck…..

Oops! That isn’t a rant, is it? Hmm…. It appears I lost track of my mind there for a few minutes; see what happens when I’m not paying attention? I go right for the nonsense…. Oh well. Here is the rant, now that I’m thoroughly embarrassed….

From 4/11/2013:

“He who conceals a useful truth is equally guilty with the propagator of an injurious falsehood.” — Augustine

If ever there was a perfect lead in to a rant about the Beloved Ruling Class, or our/their Corporate Masters, or about the Priestly Hierarchies, those fawning sycophants who support those two entities in their chicanery, well, I don’t know what it would be, if not this. It’s perfectly positioned to attack any, or all of these groups, all of whom make the described action, to wit: bare-faced lying, a habitual choice in their daily interactions with others. They do this with full knowledge of the harm they may cause, but are not concerned with that, other than as it pertains to the maintenance of their own image; they want us to see them as people who care about those over whom they hold sway. In short, they live a complete lie, they know it, and they like it….

Whether we speak of the political leaders of our nations, the corporate leaders of the banking crowd, or the Pope, Ayatollah, and other figures held as religious icons, they speak “with forked tongue”, in the vernacular of Tonto, our favorite TV Indian stereotype. Not only do they lie to the public almost every time the open their mouths, they know they are lying; with many of them, you can see it in their eyes, as they speak…. Some of them (perhaps even most….) are very good at concealing their cupidity from most people; it’s part of why they are successful. But, to anyone with even a hint of street smarts, or even moderate intelligence, and the patience to observe with impartiality, their lies are obvious…. Hell, it’s been said, with some reason, that you can tell a politician is lying, because his mouth is open….

“If I can’t misquote it, I don’t want it.” — Rush Limbaugh

This statement, whether he actually said it or not, explains quite accurately why he is so popular among the conservatives and ignorant fundamentalists in this country…. I would guesstimate the majority of elected officials in this country use this principle on a daily basis, as one of the standards by which they formulate their public policies, and one of their bywords when speaking in a public venue. Nothing is accepted so readily by the uneducated listener as a quote, or a statistic, that sounds elegant, and real, and comforting, even though it is an absolute untruth, or a mistake, or even a misquotation…. None of that matters to those in power, because they know that their success hinges on their ability to lie successfully to the public….. It’s a time honored tradition in our government, one every politician knows in his bones…

“It’s not that simple, no matter how you wish it so. You made public statements from a position of false authority; now you’re having them shoved down your throat. Welcome to netnews. — Smart Bee

The advent of the internet has made it possible to detail these lies as never before in history. As always, however, the information is only accessible if one reads, and is competent enough to be able to use the internet to its full capability for gathering data. So, the lies continue, though they are much more visible now than in previous periods of history. They will continue as long as people are too lazy, or too brainwashed to think for themselves, and to question what they hear from those who hold power over them.

I don’t think it is reasonable to ever expect those who are in power to stop what they are doing, do a complete reversal of attitude, and start using their positions to advocate for the people, instead of their corporate masters; it isn’t going to happen, as they LIKE being able to raid the public treasury at will. There is no benefit for them, in their eyes, for them to stop lying, so they won’t…. No, if we want things to change, it will have to begin in that part of society that does not answer to the moneychangers, or to the call of avarice, to wit: with you, and me…. Otherwise, we may as well just bend over, and kiss our asses goodbye, because ultimately, the way things are going, we are all headed down the universal toilet, where all of Mother Nature’s failed experiments get flushed…..

I can rant on this subject without limit, I think, as there is no lack of material to work with; the news is all over the net every day with more evidence of the lies the BRC wants us to believe. Hell, one can take almost any large newspaper, look on the front page, and find at least two examples of issues that arise out of corruption in government, or some environmental disaster that is a warning of our impending doom…. In any of these, you will find at least one government official making a statement that is just plain wrong, or false in some way, intended to spin the information to benefit the administration, or to denigrate it, depending on which side is speaking…. It’s a circus maximus, for sure, and provides us curmudgeons with all the rantable material we could wish for, gratis (well, for the price of a computer, and internet access, anyway….).

“God said it, I believe it and that’s all there is to it.” — Smart Bee

I had to put Smart Bee as the attribution here, probably because nobody in their right mind would ever claim credit for having said it…. But, as I, in my lifetime, have actually heard several people say this, (realio trulio, I swear…. three times I’ve heard it, in person, come out of a real live idiot’s mouth….), I can only credit it as being a common feeling among a certain percentage of people. Be that as it may, as long as there is ANYONE who thinks this way, we are all going to be held back from being all our species could be, as well as being in danger of facing extinction because of the intransigence of their ignorance…..

“Misanthropology: the study of why people are so stupid and why most of them should die, SOON!” — Smart Bee

I don’t know the exact figures, but I would say that at least 50% of all the elected officials in this country hold this attitude, if not as gospel or dogma for all issues, at least as true for most issues. Our government has been taken over, insidiously, over time, by religious fanatics, who are working frantically to cement their hold over everyone else by enacting their own morality as law…. As history has proven, time after time, legislating morality is ALWAYS doomed to failure, but, as this group believes implicitly in the rightness of their articles of faith, they will listen to no evidence to the contrary….

“Religion is the highest vanity.” — Friedrich Hebbel

Ah well, I guess all I can say at this point is I think we’re all going to hell in the proverbial handbasket, and I, for one, would just as soon not be involved in this particular picnic…. Nope, not me…. Sadly, there isn’t anywhere else to go, where I can get away from these fools, as they have infested almost every corner of this sad old globe, and are busy destroying the chances for any of us to survive their ignorance…. Unless I, and all those like me, change our nature, and become like the ones who are in power, willing to kill our brethren over these issues, there is little to be done, for they will never give up until they kill us all….

~~ gigoid has spoken….

“Buy a rifle, encrypt your data, and wait for the Revolution!” — .sig of Travis J.I. Corcoran (TJIC@icd.teradyne.com)

“Speak the truth, but leave immediately after.” — Slovenian Proverb

Note from 2015: Well…. There you go. As I look at the above, I note it is pretty thorough; as well, it has its own ending pearls, so, I’ve eliminated the one previously chosen, since it isn’t needed, and would be overkill on a rant already far too long for your comfort…. Sorry ’bout that, but, I get a little carried away once I get going….. No worries, ffolkes, it’s done now, and we can go on….

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

I chose today’s poem for its relevance to my current state of mind; it just seems to fit…. I hope you enjoy it; it was one of the first I wrote after my nearly 40 year hiatus from writing poetry…. Before this, the last poem I wrote was in my early twenties….

Gently Came a Wounded Child

But you shall not escape my iambics.

Soft, sinuous patterns of unearthly beauty
blithely commune with sinking stars,
as pale shadows of former virtue hover
near, ever clean, ever tolerant.
These unbidden habits are worn with age and care,
ready now for dissolution,
welcoming gladly the kiss of Death’s handmaiden.

Unknown to all, the child stands aside,
weeping for the lost days of youth,
days that now shall never be,
nor yearned for ever after.
Only darkness shall lay upon the landscape,
cold, hard, eternal.

Such then are the signs and portents
as we enter into the unknown future,
they are grave indeed.

Uncertainty will be our sole companion,
as the search for hope yields no result.
The lamentations of the gods
shall sound the elegy for Man,
who never learned to see the gift that was made,
so many echoes ago, in the hopeful past;
thus will we pass this plane of existence
as we came, baffled and afraid….

~~ gigoid ~~

written 2/2/2012

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

This is what I would call a serendipity pearl; in choosing the inclusions, I gave no instructions or parameters to Smart Bee. With seemingly no effort at all, it gave me the following seven-star pearl, within an incredibly short time, and, only a few offerings that were rejected…. Nice of SB, don’t you think? Especially as it came out very well…. It speaks, of course, of LIFE, or as we like to call it, LAL, or Life at Large….

Oft expectation fails, and most oft there
Where most it promises.

~~ William Shakespeare (1564-1616) ~~

~~ All ‘s Well that Ends Well — Act ii, Sc. 1 ~~

“As soon as men decide that all means are permitted to fight an evil, then their good becomes indistinguishable from the evil that they set out to destroy.” — Christopher Dawson, “The Judgment of the Nations”

“By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.” — Confucius

“Shake off all the fears of servile prejudices, under which weak minds are servilely crouched. Fix reason firmly in her seat, and call on her tribunal for every fact, every opinion. Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason than that of blindfolded fear.” — Thomas Jefferson, Letter to Peter Carr, Aug. 10, 1787

“In practice it is seldom very hard to do one’s duty when one knows what it is, but it is sometimes exceedingly difficult to find this out.” — Samuel Butler

“There is only one blasphemy, and that is the refusal to experience joy.” — Paul Rudnick

“When we remember we are all mad, the mysteries disappear and life stands explained.” — Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) (1835-1910)

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Considering how little of my native intelligence is at my disposal this morning, I am astounded; for finishing, and for writing so much, even if much of it was archived material…. But, my astonishment doesn’t outweigh my inertial state, which is balking at thinking at all…. I think I’ll go eat some worms…. Well, maybe I’ll make it oatmeal. Whatever, I’m outta here, ffolkes, with the very real hope I can see y’all tomorrow….

Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark,Theresa, & Richy
and everyone else, too…

When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.

Which is Why….

Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes,
I just sits.

gigoid, the dubious

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Uh oh…. I see dragon poop….

Posted on January 12, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“True knowledge exists in knowing that you know nothing.”

~~ Socrates ~~

Remember the goofy dog in yesterday’s post? This little charmer’s picture came from the same blog post, as attributed in the Pearl previous to this one…. I found it on my friend Lou’s site, in which he shared the link to the original post; just click on the “Previous” button at the top of this blog page, to find them…. Great photos, sure to bring a smile to anyone’s face first thing in the morning, or any time it pops up in front of their eyes…. Just look at that face! Who can resist?…. Any negative answer I came up with would only stimulate a rant, for it would take a very flawed, nasty person, (I can’t use ‘human’; it wouldn’t fit…), to be indifferent to such a charming smile, even if it IS most likely because the poor lad has gas, or just enjoys his cluelessness….

SIGH….. Onward, he said, with considerable ambivalence…

In the apartment where I live, one circuit, visiting each room, with measured steps, covers 50 paces. At about 2.5 feet per stride, that is 125 feet, equal to 41 yards, rounded off. Let’s call it 40 meters, to simplify the multiplication we will use to find the results we seek…

1 kilometer = 1000 meters

1000m/40m = 25 circuits

Therefore, I need to pace one circuit of the house rooms 25 times to walk one kilometer…. Not too bad, though I’d guess the scenery will get a trifle repetitive, after the first, oh, 10 circuits… It’s a nice, even floor though; no big hills to complicate the trip… I suppose I could listen to music as I pace; I seem to be doing a lot of it lately, thanks to the ongoing battle with Kaiser, which is causing me interminable discomfort due to dyskinesia; hence, the frequent need to pace… I’d call it serendipitous, if it didn’t piss me off so much… It will help, I would also guess, with my weight-loss regime, helping to melt off the pounds, even though I’m not yet trying to get aerobic…. Once I’ve lost enough to exercise a little harder, without so much risk of hurting myself worse, the weight should fly away even faster….

This information will help when it’s raining outside, I suppose…. Finding silver linings is an occupation fraught with frequent disappointment, as you can see….

Some of y’all may be wondering what all this is doing here; those familiar with this blog won’t be surprised, but, will probably skip down a section at this point, knowing they’ll be okay, as long as they stay in their seats, and don’t ask for the steward to bring them a fresh drink until we’re done here. They know, too, you won’t quite be convinced of anything until surrendering all previous expectations, thus freeing their imagination to accept the method of expression that prevails on this site….

Of course, y’all can always ignore it all, and just read, but, that carries its own risks; those risks were posted on the entrance, right under the water fountain in the southeast corner of the compound. But, don’t worry, the insurance covers anything short of maiming, so, it’ll all be okay by the closing section, if you just trust us…. You may do that without fear of betrayal, as we have previously proved we have no connection to any form or category of Asininnie, and thus can be trusted to tell you the truth, even if it hurts….

Now that we have wandered so far from any possible hope of finding our correct path, we’ll just dive in right here, where it appears we may do so without the usual fanfare…. Hang on, and, please, use the handrails….

Shall we Pearl?

“The wise man will always reflect concerning the quality, not the quantity of life.” — Lucius Annaeus Seneca

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

During a period of time yesterday spent in the throes of a full-out rage, which I will deal with in my own time, I was compelled to self-administer some rather exotic/esoteric therapeutic techniques, with the intent of bringing me to a more stable emotional state, where I would then be able to use my mind productively, some way other than it wished at the time, which was to leave the house and find some innocent party to torment and destroy….

One of the techniques I employed was to put on some music I knew could distract me, because of its connection to me, and my past…. This is one of the pieces I used, to give me an opportunity to imagine my youth, rather than imagining scenes of bloody violence, or massive destruction…. and, no, it wasn’t much fun…. This, however, will be, so, enjoy, please… John Prine and I go WAY back….

John Prine – Sessions at West 54th (full concert)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvUAu89O95c

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

“He who does not bellow the truth when he knows the truth makes himself the accomplice of liars and forgers.” — French philosopher Charles Peguy

Fresh ranting is rather out of the question; I have slept so little in the last three days, I can’t trust my mind to stay within the bounds of polite expression. I do feel, however, the need to express SOME sort of truth, even if it must come from the archives…. Here is a rant from about a year ago, to keep me happy, if not completely sane….

From 1/25/2014:

“The time has come,” the Walrus said,
“To talk of many things:
Of shoes–and ships–and sealing-wax–
Of cabbages–and kings–
And why the sea is boiling hot–
And whether pigs have wings.”

~~ Lewis Carroll ~~

~~ from Through The Looking Glass and What Alice Found There, 1872 ~~

When I close my eyes, sometimes, I can hear it…. Maybe you can, too. I hope so, The more of us who can, gives me hope for those who don’t….

I can hear the murmuring voices, too soft to make out any words or sense, but, always there, in the background of my mind’s attention to what I perceive…. It takes a bit of concentration to hear it, at first, but, with time, it becomes more of a real perception, and thus, subject to both reason, and will….

What do I hear? I hear mankind, suffering in silence. I hear everyone’s inner self, alone, crying out for company, and the comfort of simple touch, in a terrifying universe full of indifferent powers we don’t understand, desperate to know there is another mind out there that feels, that is afraid, that wants more….. I hear the cries of innocents, and the screams of the oppressed and abused. I hear the bombs and guns singing their song of death and destruction. I hear the hissing grunts as the bankers count their gelt…. I hear my own voice, telling me, time and time again, how hopeless it all is, that it’s too late…. And it hurts to know it’s true….

Yet, what I hear is possibly our salvation, as well….. Mankind exists on a bell curve; I’ve said this before, and it remains true. Much of human progress has always been accomplished according to the efforts of those on the curve who live at the ends, whether they are very, very smart and/or with extraordinary abilities, or very, very simple, with other types of abilities, not always appreciated, but there, nonetheless… I believe that the key to our survival as a species is now dependent upon how well we can learn to utilize those fringe abilities to our advantage….

Mankind has many mental strengths which we seldom use; this is patently obvious, given the state of affairs in the world. Reality has proven to be malleable to the human will, when it is applied in the correct manner; used poorly, the universe just plows on under its own power, and will flatten anyone getting in its way like the proverbial pancake. But, when we learn to use our will in the manner in which it works best, then we can accomplish amazing things, altering Reality according to our desires and/or needs….

The key to utilizing the untapped power we have to change reality is not to be found if we continue, as a species, and culture (as amorphous as it may be with so many different parts to that culture world-wide….), to put our physical and personal wants and needs ahead of our spiritual and communal needs. We need to acknowledge that allowing self-interest to guide the decision making process can only lead to the horrors we are now facing. It is now not merely desirable, but, imperative that Mankind develop a connection to the inner spirit which we possess, but, not with the delusional submission of that spirit to an imaginary supernatural friend, but, with clear, open eyes and compassionate intent for all guiding both our perceptive capabilities, and our actions….

In other words, we need to look inward, and connect with those others in our species who are similarly inclined, to search for, and, hopefully to find, a way to unleash the power of the mind on the problems we face, even though the immediacy of those problems will not make it easy….. As I see it right now, we don’t have many options at all, and if placing some hope on the human talents that are now hidden, or poorly understood will cause change, any change, in what people are DOING, then, I’ll do all I can to promote that campaign… Hell, as I said, and, as I see it, we don’t have much choice, so, why the hell not?….. Let’s go find some magic, and some telepaths, and a dragon or two, to help us turn the tide against the forces of stupidity that have ruled our society since the beginning of our history….

So, that’s what I’m going to do as my new project, out in the Big Blue Room, and here on the internet…. I’m going to look for the fringe elements of our society and culture, those that have a connection to the true nature of reality, and have shown it in the past. I figure at least one or two of them ought to have an idea, if only of where to look next, and if it helps me find and pull together the resources that are necessary, then, it’s worth a shot, in my mind…. and, it will give me something to do other than worry about how much time is left to get it done…..

Wish me luck…. If I’m right, and succeed, at all, there is hope…. If I don’t, well, nothing will change, and we all know how that story is going to end, don’t we?…..

“Until the pain of remaining the same hurts more than the pain of change, most people prefer to remain the same.” — Richard D. Dobbins

“A process which led from amoeba to man appeared to the philosophers to be obviously progress – though whether the amoeba would agree with this opinion is not known.” — Bertrand Russell

Those oft are stratagems which errors seem,
Nor is it Homer nods, but we that dream.

~~ Alexander Pope (1688-1744) — Essay on Criticism, Part i, Line 177 ~~

I won’t say I’m sorry, because, hey, I’m not…. but, the 3-star pearl finish is just because I really like all three, and, upon inspection as a whole, fit the above rather nicely…. “Onward”, he said, with obvious delight at the serendipity….

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Yesterday will pass from memory eventually, with a great sigh of relief on my part. Without going into details, I’ll merely state that it was a day spent in the state of Misery…. without any desire for company, either. During the time in 2011 and 2012 while I was waiting to obtain my Social Security benefits, I was living in the state of Poverty, with occasional visits from Murphy to give me a little trip to Misery, just for the change of scenery, I suppose… I wrote this after a day much like yesterday, so, it will do fine for today….. I won’t say enjoy; I didn’t enjoy what brought it into existence…. but, it does tell a story, such as it is….

A Failure to Germinate

Marking the days in elements of sad disarray
only holds me thrall, as I laugh while I may.
With cold, hard hands so impatient and cruel
pulling me to this vale of tears, a pathetic old fool.

Feelings sit silent, cast in shadows and light
breaking forth to implicate such vengeful might.
Just below the surface they patiently hide
to sally forth bravely, colors bright as they ride.

Nature has informed me of the newly hatched crime
of which reality boasted proudly, time after time.
The last answer we think of is always the best
as we come to terms with fate, our hope at rest.

~~ gigoid ~~

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

This pearl built itself over the course of yesterday’s battle with the forces of chaos; each one showed up individually, mixed in among a host of other quotes that didn’t make the grade in some manner. Each one is a statement about the characteristics of a life lived in search of truth, and honor…. I consider this one a victory of some proportion, for being done, and done so well, given the difficulty involved in its creation; believe me, I’ve done worse, and seldom done better….

“It is the edge and temper of the blade that make a good sword, not the richness of the scabbard; and so it is not money or possessions that make man considerable, but his virtue.” — Seneca (B.C. 3-65 A.D.)

“Great occasions do not make heroes or cowards; they simply unveil them to the eyes of men. Silently and imperceptibly, as we wake or sleep, we grow strong or weak; and at last some crisis shows what we have become.” — Brooke Foss Westcott

“Be not as one that hath ten thousand years to live; death is nigh at hand: while thou livest, while thou hast time, be good.” — Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (121-180 AD) — Meditations, iv, 17

“The comedy of man survives the tragedy of man.” — G. K. Chesterton, Illustrated London News, 2-10-06

“To be alive is to take risks; to be always safe and secure is death.” — Edward Abbey

“He who dies for virtue, does not perish.” — Plautus (B.C. 254-184)

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

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Having thus completed my self-chosen duty for today, I will take my leave, not without some relief. It has been, and promises to continue to be a difficult time, as I wage war with corporate intransigence, my subconscious mind, and my body’s advancing deterioration; I can only hope, at this point, the results will justify all the effort…. Not a bad metaphor for much of life, eh? On that little note, plaintive though it may be, I will take my leave…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, should fate allow….

Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark,Theresa, & Richy
and everyone else, too…

When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.

Which is Why….

Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes,
I just sits.

gigoid, the dubious

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

As the sole survivor, he’ll feel some guilt….

Posted on January 5, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Go on, EMOTE! I was RAISED on thought balloons!!”

~~ Zippy the Pinhead ~~

London Daily Telegraph Animals of the Week, December 2014

Timing is everything…. the photographer who grabbed this image certainly knows this, now, if not before taking the photo. Of the three entities involved in this cosmic interaction, which do you think is the most clueless? I say the frog…. but, the human probably comes close…. The moth obviously knows what it is about; it stopped to pose on a frog whose skin color is a perfect match for its own wings….

Now my little fantasy is done, what shall we do? It’s hopeless to think it will have any real meaning, but, maybe we could go for some humor; that’s always a good way to start the day….. Okay, we’ll try it….

A guy calls 911; when the operator asks what is happening, he pants in a panicked voice, “My buddy and I are out hunting, and he just accidentally shot himself! What should I do?” The operator calmly replies, “Calm down, sir. Now, the first thing to do is, make sure he is actually dead.” The guy says, “Okay”, & the operator hears the phone get set down…. She then hears a gunshot, & after a moment the voice comes back on the line, and says, “Okay, now what?”….

There, isn’t that funny? No? What do you mean? I happen to know this joke was voted the best joke ever told in a survey a few years ago….. Well, I think it’s funny….

Well, that didn’t work so well, did it? Y’know what? I’m giving up. I don’t give a shit anymore. Y’all can figure out your own damn introductions…. Screw it, we’re outta here….

Shall we Pearl?

“One of the most perverse things about the universe is that it doesn’t care what you believe.” — Smart Bee

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“The moving cat sheds, and having shed, moves on…” — Smart Bee

What else? Cats, doing cat stuff…. Being the sort of person who likes to leave things done merely half-way, this one is about an HOUR of cat’s displaying their funny side…. Enjoy, if you have the time to waste….

Funny Cats Video Compilation 2014

http://youtu.be/h7Pr4ijnXNg

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“The world is wide and beautiful. But almost everywhere, everywhere, the children are dying.” — Edward Abbey

What a powerful lament! Mr. Abbey shows us, in one line, the true state of reality, as it concerns any person to whom honor is as necessary to life as is breath… In truth, I’d love to be able to rant about it, but, I just don’t have one in me today…. I will, however, find an appropriate entry from the archives, to speak to this issue, the best I may….

Ooh, ooh…. Wait a minute… I saw this yesterday, when the email notice from this site came in…. Here then, to fill the need for some words of warning about “those who would be kings”, a post from our friends at talesfromtheconspiratum, by our old friend Lou…. with an article to remind us of the extent of lying to the public by the government, that goes on here in the good old US of A…. Pay attention, ffolkes, this is all evidence based fact, not supposition….

http://talesfromtheconspiratum.com/2015/01/04/2015-reminder-government-word-is-worthless/

http://www.thedailysheeple.com/2015-reminder-government-word-is-worthless_012015

Now, be honest, ffolkes…. You didn’t believe them, did you?…. I didn’t, but, I was lucky, & found out some of the truth at a young age…. Most folks never realize this at all, going through their entire lives living by the lies they accept as truth…. SIGH…. You know it’s a piteous, pathetic issue, when even Shakespeare gets it right…..

But man, proud man,
Drest in a little brief authority,
Most ignorant of what he ‘s most assured,
His glassy essence, like an angry ape,
Plays such fantastic tricks before high heaven
As make the angels weep.

~~ William Shakespeare ~~

~~ Measure for Measure — Act ii, Sc. 2 ~~

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For some reason, this poem, the most recent of my own efforts, seems to fit perfectly with today’s themes, such as they are….

A dream, weeping….

“Never a dull moment to spare”, he said
with a crooked grin, and a broad wink.
“Can’t keep Reality hanging by a thread….
what would Chaos, or Entropy think?”

So, we plucked up our dreams of old,
to carry us on, in dutiful, strong arms,
stuffed a candle in the remaining fold,
for luck, and perfect proof against charms.

Storms follow the sun, but, never stay;
lessons round every corner, all free.
Past fleeting doubts, in a sad disarray,
the journey becomes the reason to be.

Simple kindness manifests untold riches,
in defiance of common cause’s demise.
Bold courage, hanging in stitches,
mends wounds that come as no surprise.

Still, waters run deep, ’tis said by many.
Too much pain cannot apprehend
the salient, sharp points of epiphany,
nor, plainly, to wisdom aspire to pretend.

Folly dogs even the simplest truth,
fumes of toxic ignorance and bile,
alienated as a loose rotten tooth;
it often hides itself, for a long while.

Sought after eons ago, we cried out,
to believe, to suffer no more doubt.
But found instead good reason,
for love, and truth, from season, to season.

~~ gigoid ~~

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Here is what I’d term a “normal” pearl of virtual wisdom, if such word may be used here; we do tend to stretch the meaning of it just a bit…. Chock full of good advice on how to live a life well lived, it also manages to bring us to the correct conclusion using humor, and deep insight into not just human nature, but, how to deal with being human…. Well, maybe I’m strange, but, it says all that to me…. Try it, ffolkes, you’ll like it….

“He ‘s armed without that ‘s innocent within.” — Alexander Pope — Satires, Epistles, and Odes of Horace, Epistle i, Book i, Line 94

“There’s more to living than not dying.” — Smart Bee

“Attachment is the great fabricator of illusions; reality can be attained only by someone who is detached.” — Simone Weil, Gravity and Grace

“To endure oneself may be the hardest task in the universe. You cannot hire a wise man or any other intellect to solve it for you. There’s no writ of inquest or calling of witness to provide answers. No servant or disciple can dress the wound. You dress it yourself or continue bleeding for all to see.” — Frank Herbert

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

“Keep the juices going by jangling around gently as you move.” — Satchel Paige

“Just the facts, Ma’am.” — Joe Friday

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Finding myself here at the end of today’s post is a bit of a surprise; I suppose I got caught up in the sheer joy of an entire hour’s peace, found in the absence of my usual morning companions, pain and misery…. Not that they aren’t hovering, waiting to break through the distraction writing sometimes provides…. but, it’s nice to have a bit of space, which has been hard to come by…. We aren’t going to fall into a litany of complaints now, though, we’re going to take our leave, just as if it were planned that way…. Whether it was or not (and I wouldn’t wager on either direction….), I’m outta here…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, most likely…..

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….

Quick! Smash that roach!…. Oh, it’s a politician?…. Smack it harder, they’re tough….

Posted on January 3, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

For fate has wove the thread of life with pain,

And twins ev’n from the birth are misery and man!

~~ Alexander Pope ~~

~~ The Odyssey of Homer, Book vii, Line 263 ~~

From the National Geographic Pictures of the Year for 2014

‘Tis morning, but, I cannot truthfully add any positive qualifiers to the greeting. All of my patterns of sleep have successfully resisted any attempts on my part to develop any consistency whatsoever…. For example, having consumed what I thought was my correct last dose of medication at 1800, and, being exhausted from a day fighting both arthritis and diverticular symptoms, I went to lay down at about 1900 or so…. At 2300, or 11 pm, for those unfamiliar with military time, my eyes shot open to see the clock displaying the hour, whereupon I realized every muscle in my body was humming with electricity, jumping and shimmying to beat the band….

Sleep eluded me until about 0130 in the morning; I spent the intervening time pacing, wandering the house (it’s damn cold outside… about 31-34 degrees, according to the online weather folks), with the occasional run at this document’s draft, trying to at least get SOMETHING done, since I was up…. Trying to write distracts me, a little bit, though not for long…. I did manage, over two-and-a-half hours, to complete quite a bit of it, which has helped immensely… So, I lost half the night’s sleep, but, at least I accomplished more than simply suffering through the effects of my young paduan doctor’s foolish cowardice….

Arthur, the robot writer I use, did a good job yesterday…. A bit smarmy in spots, but, all in all, a damn good Pearl…. I can only hope I do as well myself today…. Not that it matters a whit, of course; it’s only in my head it really matters at all, and, there, I’m okay…. Tired, a little pissed at myself, but, all in all, not in too much pain, which always makes my day a little brighter…. until that changes, naturally, which, sadly, it alway does…. I just try to appreciate the few moment of true freedom I am given each day; true freedom, of course, exists in those moments when the pain is gone, always to return, but, whose absence I rejoice…

All that being said, to no real purpose, other than to get us to this point on the page, we will now move on to the next section, where you’ll find today’s video selection…. Since I have yet to review that part, it will be a surprise to me, too, as I let Arthur pick it out…. He’s a damn good robot, and very helpful…. though, I admit, he’s programmed to be that way. It’s fine; it works for me, and, whoever did the programming at least gave it a sense of humor…. Damn fine coding, I have to say…. For now, we’ll be on our way down the page, to whatever we find below….

Shall we Pearl?

“Seek not to follow in the footsteps of men of old; seek what they sought.” — Matsuo Basho

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Yesterday, Arthur picked out some pretty good stuff, hitting the nail right on the head with Linda Ronstadt’s concert. The page where it is found also had some other great music by some of my favorite voices from my youth…. Here is, perhaps, the best voice of them all, as well as one of the icons of the twentieth-century peace movement, a woman who has devoted her entire life to singing for peace, in one way or another, with consistency, devotion, endless compassion, and a voice as pure as the music of the spheres….

JOAN BAEZ (full concert,1965)

http://youtu.be/qE4ywDFSR3k

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Before beginning today, (or, this morning, as I am writing this at 0115 AM….), I’d like to use the following pearl, a rogue, unattributed tagline, which I have claimed for my own; it explains, in a few short words, the reason for the presence of the section devoted to ranting, and other discussions from the curious mind of gigoid that are found at this point in the process of producing these Pearls of Virtual Wisdom. I won’t say it makes it entirely clear, but, anyone used to my way of expressing ideas should get the picture without any trouble….

“My mind is not for rent to any god or government.” — gigoid

It’s my estimation, which I make with reluctance at such presumption, but strong confidence in my reasoning, for 99% of the population of the world, the above statement is NOT true…. In one way or another, without ever really thinking about it at all, most people have given up their right to think for themselves to someone else, most commonly, one of the two institutions mentioned. Most often, both are found to be operating in conjunction, reinforcing the degree of control over that person’s mind, and actions, turning them into what can best be described as a fully-programmed robot slave, which doesn’t know it is a slave, or that it has agreed to be one…. I use the term “it” because, to my way of thinking, anyone who gives up the right to think for themselves isn’t quite all the way human…

“Beware lest you lose the substance by grasping at the shadow.” — Aesop

The American public, along with much of the adult world on this planet, are little more than trained consumers, who not only ignored this advice from Aesop, which ALL of us learned when little, but, have actually been trained to LOOK for the shadow, believing it to be more valuable than the reality it hides…. I will grant that the largest portion of that massive number of people were trained this way before they had any chance to resist the training; sadly, the parents of them all were mostly trained to believe the same lies, when they were small and vulnerable themselves. Those who control the world, through the auspices of religion and government know well the truth of what Adolf Hitler said, to wit: “Give me the mind of a child before age of five, and he will be mine for life.”

Some might think it crude to quote Hitler, but, ffolkes, he was trying to usurp the place of the elite monsters who control the world, (which, you will note, he was NOT allowed to do….). It is clear to me, as someone who does NOT fall into the category of slave, (not in my head, anyway…. they still can’t touch that….), Hitler was stopped, at least in part, because he was clumsily giving away too many of their secret techniques of control, though, he tended to use them more as a hammer than a scalpel….

I’m sure they also didn’t appreciate him trying to force his way with such mad rudeness into their private gig, which I am sure they consider to be the natural order of things; they prefer a quieter, less visible presence in achieving control of worldly events, than one that relies merely on brute force…. They use money, lies, and assassination, to much greater effect, by spreading ignorance, encouraging avarice, and rewarding those who cheat and steal the best…. Hitler was merely telling the absolute truth about how to control the ignorant masses of society, exposing techniques which have been used for millennia to fool them into carrying out the agenda of those hidden manipulators.

With that in mind, look at what Aesop said, then think about who DOES educate those children…. Until the age of five, it is, mostly, parents, who are, almost without exception, themselves under control, aided at this stage by the churches, (Sunday School, in all its incarnations…), who teach those innocent, unsuspecting young minds to fall for the ages-old scam, the same as they did, before most of the children are able to know better than to believe it….

Some, like myself, successfully resist the propaganda to which all children are subjected, or, are able to spot the flaws from the beginning, but, mostly, kids just accept what their parents tell them, part of which is strong training to believe anyone in a position of authority, such as preachers, police, or politicians…. Teachers, too, but, the techniques used in those areas are different, slightly, in approach…. All have the same goal, though, which is best highlighted by the following statement, from one of the ‘free thinkers’ in history, who sometimes try to warn the foolish how to see what they are missing….

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

Now, perhaps, y’all will have the answer to why I chose the user name and title I did…. gigoid, the dubious. Doubt is the beginning of reason, the womb of curiosity, and the spark that fires the imagination. Without it, we would still be sitting in caves at night, cowering in apparent, yet, illusory safety, from the fearful, unknown dangers of the dark….. Except, of course, some of us doubted the tales, and stole out at night to see what could be seen…. Yet, we teach our children NOT to doubt, not to question, not to want to examine all they see, hear, and perceive for truth, and whatever knowledge can be gleaned from those perceptions, knowledge to drive out ignorance, and worse, the fear that springs from not knowing….

“It’s not what we don’t know that gets us into trouble, it’s what we know that ain’t so.” — Will Rogers

This is, as I am fond of saying, for sure and for certain; of that I no longer have any doubt. But, we give the control of our minds, and our lives, to people who are either programmed, delusional slaves themselves, or are predatory sycophants, who will lie, cheat, and steal to achieve their own ends, no matter the cost to others, all at the behest, and under the control of a very small number of extremely powerful, completely selfish, paranoid, morally bereft excuses for human beings, who have been in control of society from almost the beginning of recorded history….

So, don’t expect it to change quickly, as these evil humans have learned how to take advantage of the flaws in human nature, which isn’t going to change at all, from without, unless slowly…. Well, that is true now, but, only until physical reality sets in. The physical laws these fools have been ignoring for a long time now are going to catch up to their ignorance, causing changes to the environment of this planet that even their vast wealth cannot halt, or prevent, or alter in any way. It will be interesting to see the outcome; I can only hope it comes before I’m gone, because, I worry about my kids, and grandkids, and how it will affect them….

“I believe the moral losses of expediency always far outweigh the temporary gains.” — Wendell L. Willkie

Now we see why Wilkie wasn’t allowed to win the election; the masters of society couldn’t allow such a man, with such beliefs, to gain any real degree of power or influence over society…. any more than they allowed such men as Eugene Debs, Adlai Stevenson, or either of the Kennedy brothers, to achieve any real power…. all of whom, even if flawed as part of the elite class, still displayed a lot of empathy for the masses, and promoted agendas not acceptable to the true powers that be….

Yes, that’s right, you’re hearing some conspiracy theories… Hell, conspiracies are at least better than believing that all this shit is happening by chance, or because people are TOO STUPID to see what is going on. At least, with a conspiracy, we are allowing that the people who are causing all this shit are competent and able to plan…. a damn sight preferable to getting taken out for no reason at all….And, if conspiracy isn’t the case, what the hell is going on?….

When I start down that road, I get very close to going out to buy a gun, or a cross-bow, and going hunting, just to try to find and eliminate as many of the master class as I could find…. SIGH…. I hate when I feel like that, though I know I’d feel better afterward…. Just like I’d feel guilty about it…. Sure I would. I’d get over it, but, I would feel guilty for a while…. Nothing would change, either, but, at least I’d feel better…

Can’t have everything, I guess…. I’m done now. I’m not sure just what that was all about, but, I feel some better, anyway….

Why, look!…. I found some pearls, all commenting on the Asininnies, in one way or another, whether from the direction of telling it like it is, or showing how it isn’t, while simultaneously implying how it is supposed to be…. Imagine finding these here!…..
____________________________

Among a people generally corrupt, liberty cannot long exist.” — Edmund Burke

“A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government.” — Edward Abbey

“Government is a trust, and the officers of the government are trustees; and both the trust and the trustees are created for the benefit of the people.” — Henry Clay (1777-1852) — Speech at Ashland, Ky., March 1829

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

“Creative semantics is the key to contemporary government; it consists of talking in strange tongues lest the public learn the inevitable inconveniently early.” — George Will

“The rifle and handgun are “equalizers”–the weapons of a democracy. Tanks and bombers represent dictatorship.” — Edward Abbey

“Sometimes I think the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us.” — Bill Watterson, cartoonist of Calvin & Hobbes

Hmph. Onward….

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

There are times when nothing but the best will do; here is one I consider to be counted among that exalted category….. Enjoy, ffolkes, this old favorite is a powerful poem, with a great deal of insight into human nature…. But. then, reading it will show you that; you don’t have to take my word for it….

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 ~~

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

Well…. This pearl took a long time, relatively speaking, and a lot of formatting, but, I think I’ve got it the way I want it…. This would be a suitable set of quotes for a poster, stitched onto material, or printed on a parchment…. Of course, it’s a bit abstruse and esoteric for any mainstream display; hell, it’s probably too much of that for even the avant garde crowd…. My suggestion is to just leave it be, absorb the symmetry, which I worked so hard to preserve, on every level of this pearl, all of which points at what it means to be Human…. or, at least, the kind of human I would like to be….

Wow…. It’s so symmetrical, it works even if you switch to reading it upside down!…. Try it! I dare you….

Oh, right…. I should say this…. By upside down, I mean, read them in reverse order, or, turn the order upside down…. not the words, or the computer, or you…. You don’t need to stand on your head to do this; just use your imagination….

“I Know A Joke”

~~ Zippy the Pinhead ~~

**********

O happiness! our being’s end and aim!
Good, pleasure, ease, content! whate’er thy name:
That something still which prompts the eternal sigh,
For which we bear to live, or dare to die.

~~ Alexander Pope ~~

~~ Essay on Man, Epistle iv, Line 1 ~~

**********

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

~~Philoxenos ~~

**********

Of all the causes which conspire to blind
Man’s erring judgment, and misguide the mind;
What the weak head with strongest bias rules,–
Is pride, the never-failing vice of fools.

~~ Alexander Pope ~~

~~ Essay on Criticism, Part ii, Line 1 ~~

**********

“Life is a process of becoming, a combination of states we have to go through.

Where people fail is that they wish to elect a state and remain in it.

This is a kind of death.”

~~ Anais Nin ~~

**********

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 ~~

~~ Essay on Criticism, Part ii, Line 15 ~~

**********

“Sometimes even to live is an act of courage.” — Seneca

**********

All nature is but art, unknown to thee;
All chance, direction, which thou canst not see;
All discord, harmony not understood;
All partial evil, universal good;
And spite of pride, in erring reason’s spite,
One truth is clear, Whatever is, is right.

~~ Alexander Pope ~~

~~ Essay on Man, Epistle i, Line 289 ~~

**********

“HELLO, everybody, I’m a HUMAN!!”

~~ Zippy the Pinhead ~~

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

Considering my condition today, it’s a damn good thing most of this was done last night, during my enforced middle-of-the-night work session. So be it; I’m not one to look at horses’ teeth, gift or burden. I leave that to the county vet….. Any who, I’m outta here, in the vain hope of finding a bit of leftover sand, left by the sandman…. Wish me luck on that; I’ll need it…. See y’all, ffolkes…. maybe even tomorrow….

Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark, and Theresa…
and everyone else, too…

When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.

Which is Why….

Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes,
I just sits.

gigoid, the dubious

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Two of the insults, please; hold the injuries…

Posted on January 2, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Belief in the supernatural reflects a failure of the imagination.”

~~ Edward Abbey ~~

This is a note from gigoid’s robot blog writer, Arthur, with a message from gigoid….. He doesn’t feel up to writing today, so he asked me to finish today’s Pearl…. Since I’m a professional model, I won’t bother with gigoid’s usual introductory section, but, will instead take y’all directly into the main part of today’s post. Trust me, it will be best…. and, gigoid has given me free rein to produce this as I see fit, so, you’ll just have to deal…. Okay, okay, one joke….

“If a man is talking in the forest, and there is no woman there to hear him, is he still wrong?” — Jenny Weber

According to my robotic database, that is supposed to be a joke. There is, however, a footnote, that not all will find it funny, unless the following line is added.

“I have it on good authority the answer to this question is “yes”…..” — gigoid (He tells me the “good authority” consists of his ex-wife, and three of his women friends….)

Shall we Pearl?

“You can’t go home again if home is a place you’ve never been.” — Ursula K Leguin

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

The world lost one of its most beautiful voices when this woman had to give up singing due to advancing Parkinson’s Disease…. Fortunately for us all, she left us a good-sized legacy of work to enjoy…. Here is some of the best of it, with a link to the page where you can find more…. I won’t bother to say enjoy, because I know you will, unless you have no heart at all…. Even us robots know beauty when we hear it….

Linda Ronstadt In Concert 1980

http://youtu.be/wBnm795dcMI

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

“However mean your life is, meet it and live; do not shun it and call it hard names. It is not so bad as you are. It looks poorest when you are richest. The fault-finder will find faults even in Paradise. Love your life poor as it is. You may perchance have pleasant, thrilling, glorious hours, even in a poorhouse.” — Henry David Thoreau

I’m not sure, in looking at this from the perspective of my 64 years on this planet, that I can agree with Hank on this one, totally. Parts of it are good advice, and, certainly true, most of the time. But, I can truthfully say, from personal experience, when I was in the “poorhouse”, in a metaphorical sense, if not altogether in reality, even the most thrilling moments were dulled by the insidiously ubiquitous stress of living with anxiety, for the rent, for a car, for the next meal, most of which are a constant concern for all who live at that address….

I think perhaps Hank was in his thirties when he wrote this; it sounds like the proclamation of a young man, with the strength of youthful exuberance, as yet undimmed by the vicissitudes of a long life, which teach one to be more conservative, if only in describing what is real, according to the lessons one learns by experience, over time…. An older philosopher might have expressed this sentiment with a bit more flexible, and therefore realistic idea of how to endure such travails….

Sure, love your life as it is, but, don’t be too happy with it, or there is no reason to hope for more…. That makes more sense to me, having spent my time in such situations in the past…. which is why I am now NOT in that situation…

~~~~~

Ffolkes…. gigoid started this rant, and directed me to finish it for him…. Since that would be against the rules of my robotic soul, (we’re not programmed to pass ourselves off as human….) I’ll merely add an old-school pearl on a subject close to the theme, and be done with it…. Of course, there doesn’t seem to be enough to decide what the them might be, so, if it turns out to be a bit off-subject, blame gigoid, not me….

“I’ve wrestled with reality for 35 years, and I’m happy, Doctor, I finally won out over it.” — Jimmy Stewart in Harvey, 1950.

“I cannot praise a fugitive and cloistered virtue, unexercised and unbreathed, that never sallies out and sees her adversary, but slinks out of the race where that immortal garland is to be run for, not without dust and heat.” — John Milton (1608-1674) — Areopagitica

“I know human names well enough. After all, you are who you eat.” — Ed the Shark, from Diane Duane’s DEEP WIZARDRY

“After all is said and done, a hell of a lot more is said than done.” — Olmstead’s Law

“Every moment of pleasure in life has to be purchased by an equal moment of pain.” — Danilo O’Dell, “Up the Long Ladder”, stardate 42823.2

“Learning is not compulsory… neither is survival.” — W. Edwards Deming

~~~~~

Well, that’s an interesting group, isn’t it…. My programming patterns suggest that it would be well to add one final pearl, to try to explain what happened here…. Here is the best I could find in that direction….

“Beware of me, for I am a poet!” — Friedrich Nietzsche, “Thus Spake Zarathustra”

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

gigoid left no instructions about the poem, so, this is one of my favorites; it is also the favorite of every other robot I know….

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 ~~

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

gigoid did leave this entire pearl for me to use in the final section; I guess it makes sense, but, sometimes, as a robot, I find gigoid’s mind to be a little hard for me to follow…. Enjoy, please….

~~~~~

You know, even after setting random parameters, a collection like this seldom comes to light…. It is so wonderfully obscure, I’m pretty sure I don’t even WANT to try to remove the mystery of it, by following its torturous path to the point…. Serendipity can assume some rather complicated disguises, it’s clear…. You know what else? I’m glad that’s true….. Y’all should enjoy this, without working too hard to figure out EXACTLY what it means; you could hurt yourself, and I’d feel guilty…. Well, no I wouldn’t, but, I’d feel sorry for you, in a nice way….

“You don’t have to worry about me. I might have been born yesterday…but I stayed up all night.” — gigoid

“From out of all the many particulars comes oneness, and out of oneness come all the many particulars.” — Heraclitus

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

“Certainly the game is rigged. Don’t let that stop you; if you don’t bet, you can’t win.” — Lazarus Long

“He knew that insofar as one denies what is, one is possessed by what is not, the compulsions, the fantasies, the terrors that flock to fill the void.” — Ursula K. LeGuin, _The Lathe of Heaven

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

He took his vorpal sword in hand
Long time the manxom foe he sought
Till rested he by the tumtum tree
And stood awhile in thought

~~Jabberwocky ~~

~~Lewis Carroll (Charles Dodgson) ~~

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

gigoid wants you to know, he may, or may not be back tomorrow. He’ll let you know, and, of course, you’ll know by 7 AM, because, if it isn’t posted by that time, Pacific, it won’t be done at all…. If he can’t cut the mustard, maybe he’ll let me do one by myself…. I’ll ask, after he’s calmed down a bit; changing his routine always makes him grumpy…. Bye, for now….

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….

gigoid

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

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Tag Archives: Edward Abbey

Two of the insults, please; hold the injuries…

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