Silly is just another word for sublime….

Posted on January 5, 2016 by gigoid

.Ffolkes,

“Hopelessly lost, but making good time…”

~~ David Letterman ~~

Leelu preying…. A deadly predator to shoes and paper.

Hajime…. Yesterday’s foul mood, while passed into memory, mostly, remains hovering around the edges of my persona; I suppose, given today’s world, a certain amount of angst will be humanity’s lot from now until the world has settled into whatever the future brings….. In other words, “What the fuck?” is the new paradigm for human reality, so, we’d best get used to a higher degree of chaos in our daily lives…. So be it; we have no one but ourselves to blame for any of it….

I’m tired, having spent a restless night, post foulness of mood. Also c’est la fucking vie, so, no sense worrying over it now. It isn’t as if I hadn’t been there before, right? Right. Since we’re being so damn logical and grounded this morning, perhaps it would be best to get the slow on the toad, right away, before we lose any of the competence we may possess by virtue of the new day. Yeah, that’s the ticket…. Hang on, we’ll teleport over to the oyster beds, so we can get started without any further delays, or, opportunities to fuck it up…. Sure, like that will work…. Oh well, let’s go, anyway….

Shall we Pearl?….

“In a room with four mirrored walls — physical, emotional, mental and spiritual — you can easily look in one mirror look in two if you try, and possibly look in three but you can never see yourself in all four. You have to spin around, change your focus or better, have a friend who can watch your back reflecting what they see, and help you grow.” — Callan Williams

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A few days ago, I used the MTV Unplugged video of Eric Clapton’s session on that show. On the page where it resides, I found another concert, from 1988, & decided to listen to it…. The show opens with two of the finest guitarists alive, absolutely killing old Cream songs, for the first 20 minutes or more….. I just sat there smiling, with my jaw dropping on a regular basis, as Eric, or Mark, went off on the guitar solo riffs in both White Room, and another couple of the old tunes…. Amazing…. When Elton joins in, it’s magic, ffolkes…. Enjoy….

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Clapton, Knopfler,Elton John
Live in Tokyo, 1988

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https://youtu.be/c7ZdSuuTMEI

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The Anti-trafficking Movement Needs Survivor Voices: Why Are We Ignored?

“Human beings were invented by water as a device for transporting itself from one place to another.” — Tom Robbins

As an opening for a rant on politics, I can’t think of a better writer than Tom Robbins, to illustrate for us the primary cause for all the problems we humans seem to make for ourselves in that silly, yet, deadly arena of human existence. With one masterful line, he shows exactly how we fail to understand the true nature of not only Reality, but, ourselves, as well. Of course, one must possess the wherewithal to understand the incredibly subtle metaphor he employs, but, hey, if there is anything we know around here, it is the power of the Metaphorse….

With that said, I’m feeling generous today, as well as smarmy, so, I’ll forgo ranting in favor of poking at the BRC, and all the other Asininnies we can include, with the sharpest sticks we can find in the oyster beds today…. Since we have, naturally, using the power of a Time Lord, as bestowed by virtue of a Tardis on loan from the Doctor, already collected all the pearls we shall need, why don’t we get right to it? Okay, that was easy…. Oh, and, fair warning, ffolkes; there are 13 of these puppies. Take it slow….

Almost Naked Pearls

How to irritate others, and lose friends…

(All implied criticism is intentional… gigoid)

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“A man can’t get rich if he takes proper care of his family.” — Navajo Proverb

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

“If the newspapers of a country are filled with good news, the jails will be filled with good people.” — Daniel P. Monynihan

“Of course the US Constitution isn’t perfect; but it’s a lot better than what we have now.” — Eric Sheppard

“Science has proof without any certainty. Creationists have certainty without any proof.” — Ashley Montagu

“Fewer possess virtue, than those who wish us to believe that they possess it.” — Cicero

“A prune is a plum that worried a lot.” — Witty Bee

“It is utterly implausible that a mathematical formula should make the future known to us, and those who think it can would once have believed in witchcraft.” — Betrand de Jouvenel, The Art of Conjecture, 1967

“It’s hard for the modern generation to understand Thoreau, who lived beside a pond but didn’t own water skis or a snorkel.” — Bill Vaughan

“The danger is not that a particular class is unfit to govern. Every class is unfit to govern.” — Lord Acton

“That which leads us to the performance of duty by offering pleasure as its reward, is not virtue, but a deceptive copy and imitation of virtue.” — Cicero

“He who asks is a fool for five minutes, but he who does not ask remains a fool forever.” — Chinese proverb

“A truly wise man never plays leapfrog with a Unicorn.” — Ancient Human Proverb

(Sources on Google ranged through countries & cultures all over the world; the implication of that is obvious…. and, if it isn’t, then, it becomes an exercise for the Gentle Reader to THINK about it….)

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For The Blind Poet, Embraced

I sit to open a vein, exposed in public places,
happy to be written, judging by the faces.

None can see the price so willingly paid,
at the feet of imagination is that cost weighed.

Still shadows of reality shine quite as well
to hide all the bleeding as if under a spell;

While visions and fantasies vie for attention,
hoping to win once-hoped-for final mention.

Technology may or may not rue its day
never knowing or caring its part to play.

All the precious moments of inspiration
Fall ever short of our own imagination.

~~ gigoid ~~

9/30/2012

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Naked Pearls

Thoughts on Life at Large

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“Eternity is a mere moment, just long enough for a joke.”

~~ Hermann Hesse ~~

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“Do not go where the path may lead,
go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”

~~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~~

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“Never underestimate the power of human stupidity.”

~~ Lazarus Long ~~

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“It takes a very long time to become young.”

~~ Pablo Picasso ~~

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“No man can be brave
who thinks pain the greatest evil;
nor temperate
who considers pleasure the highest good.”

~~ Cicero ~~

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“We are all born for love.
It is the principle of existence,
and its only end.”

~~ Benjamin Disraeli ~~

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“Don’t reinvent the wheel, just realign it.”

~~ Anthony J. D’Angelo, The College Blue Book ~~

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“Every time a man unburdens his heart to a stranger
he reaffirms the love that unites humanity.”

~~ Germaine Greer ~~

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Beauty is truth, truth beauty, –that is all
Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.

~~ John Keats ~~ Ode on a Grecian Urn ~~

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Well, it’s a Pearl. Further, deponent sayeth not. As to the future, well, one never knows, do one? You can be sure, given today’s post, I WILL be back tomorrow, to try again…. It may not be better, but, it will be different….. For now, I’ll merely say, adieu for now; I’ll be back, as long as I don’t run into anyone meaner, or trickier than myself…. If I do, read the news, for it will probably be there…. If not, I’ll be here….

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

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

A facility for gasping at flaws….

Posted on January 3, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Just by choosing where you stand,
You alter your destiny.”

~~ Deng Ming-Dao ~~

Home

Image from a Tweet by @LimaChely

Hajime…. Finding our natural rhythm, once lost under the sands of time and circumstance, can take time, even if one is treading the proper path. The damage done by neglect over time is just as deep as that incurred quickly, adding to the frustrations that come with any such effortful task. But, small steps get one to the same place as long strides, thus taking the time needed to make sure one remains on the correct path. Or, as is commonly stated by those wise ones on the streets, “Keep on truckin’!….

All that said, it merely means I’m late again; different reason, but, the rhythm remains the same. The result is, I’m again sitting here, with nothing really done for this Pearl, beyond picking a picture for the top, and a couple quotes to go with it. Such is the life of a blogger, I suppose, meaning I’d best get to it….

Some will be fresh, but, some will be either archived, or, someone else’s work that fits in with today’s theme, whatever it is…. I’m not the person to ask, because I couldn’t tell you until it’s nearly done; I never know until then, as the process demands a certain degree of unconsciously directed thought and choices…. Trust me; I’ve been doing this a while now; it’s best not to fuck with the process, lest it fall apart at the seam…. Only the one, so, we try to be careful….

Sure we do….. Regardless of any near-untruths we may use here in the intro, we/I do try to avoid it altogether; if seen here, one may regard it as a necessary nod to expediency, and forgive us our trespass…. Or, not; we/I care not…. Just trying to be like the universe….. Innovative, unpredictable Change, often more rapid than we can believe, or handle, is the Norm, so, we/I do try to keep up in that respect. To do so today, and, in the interests of maintaining the small degree of efficiency so far displayed this year, I’ll get us over to the oyster beds the most efficient way, with my mind, and the power of the Metaphorse…. Watch closely….

Shall we Pearl?….

“The most precious gift we can offer others is our presence.
When mindfulness embraces those we love
they will bloom like flowers.”

~~ Thich Nhat Hanh ~~

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Eric Clapton

Image from http://www.last.fm via Google Images

I feel like some of the Best this morning; for me, as a guitar playing singing fool, there’s only one guitarist who can claim that title today…. There may be someone better than Eric, but, I’ve never heard them, or seen them, so….. he’ll do for today…. Enjoy, ffolkes; this is as good as it gets…. Oh, turn it up….. All the way…..

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Eric Clapton Unplugged

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https://youtu.be/xGavzOvTMjY

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Lao Tzu, Laughing

I didn’t have time to rant, so, here is an old-school pearl of nine gems, beginning and ending with some appropriate comments from Shakespeare, on the subject of the Decline and Fall of the American Dream….

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The devil hath power
To assume a pleasing shape.

~~ William Shakespeare — Hamlet, Act ii, Sc. 2 ~~

“There are those who claim that magic is like the tide; that it swells and fades over the surface of the earth, collecting in concentrated pools here and there, almost disappearing from other spots, leaving them parched for wonder. There are also those who believe that if you stick your fingers up your nose and blow, it will increase your intelligence.” — “The Teachings of Ebenezum, Volume VII”

“Blood is a cleansing and sanctifying thing, and the nation that regards it as the final horror has lost its manhood … there are many things more horrible than bloodshed, and slavery is one of them.” — Padraic Pearse

“Courses of action which run only to be justified in terms of practicality ultimately prove destructive and impractical.” — Mark B. Cohen

“Democracy is a form of government that substitutes election by the incompetent many for appointment by the corrupt few. In democracy, what you get generally is bad government by a bully, tempered by the pen of several newspaper editors.” — George Bernard Shaw — Man and Superman (1903) Maxims for Revolutionists: Democracy

“If knowledge can create problems, it is not through ignorance that we can solve them.” — Isaac Asimov

“A jury consists of twelve persons chosen to decide who has the better lawyer.” — Robert Frost

“Bill Clinton’s tax-and-spend policies will create a recession in America.” — Vice President Dan Quayle in New Jersey, 10/19/92. — He did not go on to distinguish between the predicted Clinton recession and the current Bush recession. — (reported in the Philadelphia Inquirer, 10/20/92)

“He must needs go that the devil drives.”

~~William Shakespeare, All ‘s Well that Ends Well, Act i, Sc. 3 ~~

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INCOMPOSSIBLE, adj. Unable to exist if something else exists. Two things are incompossible when the world of being has scope enough for one of them, but not enough for both — as Walt Whitman’s poetry and God’s mercy to man. Incompossibility, it will be seen, is only incompatibility let loose. Instead of such low language as “Go heel yourself — I mean to kill you on sight,” the words, “Sir, we are incompossible,” would convey an equally significant intimation and in stately courtesy are altogether superior.” — Ambrose Bierce, “The Devil’s Dictionary”

So, after the quote, you expected someone else?…. Enjoy, ffolkes; definitely one of the treasures of humanity, right here on the page you see….

Election Day, November, 1884

If I should need to name, O Western World, your powerfulest scene and show,
‘Twould not be you, Niagara—nor you, ye limitless prairies—nor your huge rifts of canyons, Colorado,
Nor you, Yosemite—nor Yellowstone, with all its spasmic geyser-loops ascending to the skies, appearing
and disappearing,
Nor Oregon’s white cones—nor Huron’s belt of mighty lakes—nor Mississippi’s stream:
—This seething hemisphere’s humanity, as now, I’d name—the still small voice vibrating—America’s
choosing day,
(The heart of it not in the chosen—the act itself the main, the quadriennial choosing,)
The stretch of North and South arous’d—sea-board and inland—Texas to Maine—the Prairie States—Vermont,
Virginia, California,
The final ballot-shower from East to West—the paradox and conflict,
The countless snow-flakes falling—(a swordless conflict,
Yet more than all Rome’s wars of old, or modern Napoleon’s:) the peaceful choice of all,
Or good or ill humanity—welcoming the darker odds, the dross:
—Foams and ferments the wine? it serves to purify—while the heart pants, life glows:
These stormy gusts and winds waft precious ships,
Swell’d Washington’s, Jefferson’s, Lincoln’s sails.

~~Walt Whitman~~

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Naked Pearls

Short Shots on Life at Large

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“O, well,
you win some, you lose some,
but you gotta get dressed for ’em all.”

~~ Susan Kenney ~~

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“A Lie is still a Lie, even if you believe it.”

~~ Honest Bee ~~

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“Never let yesterday use up today.”

~~ Wise Bee ~~

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“What is defeat?
Nothing but education,
nothing but the first step toward something better.”

~~ Wendell Phillips ~~

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“When you are content to be simply yourself
and don’t compare or compete,
everybody will respect you.”
–
~~ Lao-Tzu ~~

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“But where shall I start?
The world is so fast, I shall start with the country I know best, my own.
But my country is so very large,
I had better start with my town.
But my town, too, is large.
I had best start with my street.
No, my home.
No, my family.
Never mind, I shall start with myself.”

~~ Elie Wiesel ~~

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“Give more than take.”

~~ Anthony J. D’Angelo, The College Blue Book ~~

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When all is done, human life is,
at the greatest and the best,
but like a froward child,
that must be played with and humoured a little
to keep it quiet till it falls asleep,
and then the care is over.

~~ Sir William Temple — Miscellanea, Part ii, Of Poetry ~~

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“Where does it go when you flush?”

~~ Zippy the Pinhead ~~

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Whew! I wasn’t sure I could do it, but, as usual, trusting the process, and, maintaining an unconscious direction, saved the day. So to speak.

What the hell? It’s done; in the final analysis, who gives a crap what else happened? We cannot afford such weakness; hence, this offering. I do hope you enjoy it, or, if nothing else, it pisses you off; any reaction will do…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, as long as the world keeps spinning along….

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

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

That paradigm is awfully pale, isn’t it?….

Posted on December 23, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Belief is not the beginning but the end of all knowledge.”

~~ Goethe ~~

Leelu watching for wormholes….

Hajime…. Today’s Pearl has an Easter Egg in it…. Sort of. I’ve used one quote today quite extensively…. Your task, should you accept the mission, is to guess which it is, and, naturally, noting how many times you see it…. That said, and, in the interests of total honesty, Leelu isn’t watching for wormholes, this time. She was watching an ant…. which, sadly, had brought friends…. Windex took care of them for now, but, it’s nice to know she’ll notify me if any more plan to come in to spend any time…. Hmph….

Mornin’…. Well, it’s morning here, anyway…. Where you are, it’s likely to be another time, but, we’ll do our best not to confuse anyone, with any tricky anachronisms, or, excessive use of the Tardis we have on loan. I know it can be a bit confusing around here, but, hey, that’s Life, right? Right.

Okay, then….. I decided last to give up watching movies; it’s too hard on my emotional state. I was watching a scene in a movie I enjoy watching occasionally, which I have on my comp. In the scene, a seriously injured young man’s condition is discovered by his father and twin brother suddenly; as I watched, I myself. suddenly, and surprisingly, as I’ve watched a number of times without such happening, assumed internally the emotions of the twin; shock, sadness, fear, anger, all coursed through me with such force I began to weep….

It stopped almost immediately, as I realized they weren’t my feelings; they are merely close to those I experience when thinking of my own brother, who is fighting cancer. It also helped to know the scene breaks the tension shortly, with a terrible pun…. Nonetheless, I will now have to watch old movies I’ve seen with greater mindfulness of my own state, so as to side-step this bloody nuisance caused by my own subconscious mind, which I sometimes believe has not yet forgiven me for certain failures to act in the past, even though my actions were ethical…. It, the subconscious, doesn’t give a rat’s hind end for ethical; it wants what it wants, when it wants it, and has a large assortment of ways to express its displeasure when we make a rational decision to forgo those desires….

Boy, this Ego stuff is hard shit…. I gotta get rid of the damn thing… Of course, if/when I do, I’ll need to find some word other than “I” to express my thoughts, without the Ego getting in the way…. I guess, if I can figure out the first part, finding the word won’t be much of a challenge as it might have been…. Ya think?

On that esoterica, I think we’ll head out for the oyster beds…. I’ve got a new trick; wanna see how it works?…..

Shall we Pearl?….

“An artist is a creature driven by demons. He don’t know why they choose him and he’s usually too busy to wonder why. He is completely amoral in that he will rob, borrow, beg, or steal from anybody and everybody to get the work done . …. If a writer has to rob his mother, he will not hesitate; the “Ode on a Grecian Urn” is worth any number of old ladies.” — Mark Twain

All I can say to that is, damn skippy! I’ll take the Urn, every time…. Dad might get upset, but, he’ll get over it….

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Image from http://www.bbc.co.uk via Google Images

Yesterday, one of the ffolkes who commented mentioned he’d been listening to the blues, Janis Joplin, to be precise. Ever since, I haven’t been able to think of anything else to post for today, unless it was some EXCELLENT blues. I had to drag through my whole memory bank, practically, then I remembered this one…. From 1966, when all these gentlemen still mostly didn’t shave every day yet, (‘cept for the one at the left center, of course. who merely trimmed…) (the one on the right center was still not sure if he should grow a beard, or not; I think that’s Eric. at a VERY young age.)… Ffolkes, I give you, the Bluesbreakers….

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John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers
with Eric Clapton

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https://youtu.be/1-fD9fD61kA

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The XIVth Dalai Lama of Tibet

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“My only religion is kindness.”

~~ The Dalai Lama ~~

Today, I had intended to rant about religion; since it’s a couple days from the celebration of the date of the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, (a date having no actual basis in reality; there are no conclusive records from that time…. Nobody, and I mean nobody, can say they know for sure….), I figured I’d explore some of the fallacies inherent in the whole system of beliefs….

Then, I was sent a Tweet from a friend, with another of the Dalai Lama’s wise quotes, to wit: “We can live without religion and meditation, but we cannot live without human affection.” To my way of thinking, that just about sums up all we need to know about the entire concept of religion….

Because of that, my need/desire (Aha!….) to rant disappeared, as seeing the quote on Twitter brought to mind the quote with which we opened this section…. So, I decided to forgo ranting, in favor of some pearls of virtual wisdom from various famous authors, thinkers, and/or, just ffolkes…. I figure it’s following my own injunction re: playing nice with others….

To all my readers, who may not believe as I do, I wish you a happy season of kindness, no matter what religion you may believe in…. My opinion of that, I hope, shall not spoil, or demean, or in any way garner my approbation; nor do I intend to give any offense to anyone’s sincere belief…. I wish the Christians a Merry Christmas, the Tribe members a Joyous Hanukkah, and the believers of any other faith, for whom I don’t know a proper phrase of seasonal appropriateness, a peaceful winter, filled with happiness, and all the things you desire, especially if it a desire to help others in some way….

I hope nobody takes any of the following personally; I am, admittedly, a cynic, who is dubious of ALL of the religious philosophies, regarding them as delusions/illusions, fostered on the unlearned, in order to fulfill the own personal ends of their proponents, or often, their founders; remember, if you will, how the ineffable Peter altered (read: perverted…) Christ’s words and ideas to create the Catholic Church, just a few months after the crucifixion….

But, that’s just me…. Everyone else is entitled to their own belief system, as long as they keep it out of my face, unless they have some concrete, verifiable evidence I haven’t seen before…. which is unlikely as I’ve been thinking, reading, and studying about this issue almost all my 65 years, since the very first time I heard the story of the crucifixion, and, could not believe my ears…. It just never made any sense, even at age 4….

I’ll leave you with this thought, from one our most well-known free-thinkers…

“It is one of the most beautiful compensations of this life that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

Now, let’s have a little fun, shall we?

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Dear friend, all theory is gray,

And green the golden tree of life.

~~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Faust ~~

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“Why, when no honest man will deny in private that every ultimate problem is wrapped in the profoundest mystery, do honest men proclaim in pulpits that unhesitating certainty is the duty of the most foolish and ignorant? Is it not a spectacle to make the angels laugh?We are a company of ignorant beings, feeling our way through mists and darkness, learning only be incessantly repeated blunders, obtaining a glimmering of truth by falling into every conceivable error, dimly discerning light enough for our daily needs, but hopelessly differing whenever we attempt to describe the ultimate origin or end of our paths; and yet, when one of us ventures to declare that we don’t know the map of the universe as well as the map of our infinitesimal parish, he is hooted, reviled, and perhaps told that he will be damned to all eternity for his faithlessness…

~~ Leslie Stephen (1832-1904) ~~

~~ “An agnostic’s Apology”, Fortnightly Review, 1876 ~~

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“Belief is not the beginning but the end of all knowledge.”

~~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe ~~

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“Satanism is a Christian religion”

~~ Sardonic Bee ~~

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“I admire the serene assurance of those who have religious faith.
It is wonderful to observe the calm confidence of a Christian with four aces.”

~~ Mark Twain ~~

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“How many Christian fundamentalists does it take to change a light bulb?
None. The Bible doesn’t mention light bulbs.”

~~ Smart Bee ~~

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“In anything at all, perfection is finally attained,
not when there is no longer anything to add,
but when there is no longer anything to take away.”

~~ Antoine de Saint-Exupery , Wind, Sand & Stars ~~

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“It is not necessary to fall into a well to know its depth.”

~~ Smart Bee, channeling gigoid ~~

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The biologist thinks he is a chemist,
The chemist thinks he is a physicist,
The physicist thinks he is a God,
And God thinks She is a mathematician.

~~ Paula Thompson ~~

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Today’s selection is from another WP blogger, one I consider one of my closest friends online, as well as a wildly talented poetess and artist in general…. The poem is an expression of joy, which made me smile, and weep, all at once…. The picture that follows from the same post, is, in my opinion, sheer genius wisdom, and deserves to be included here….. Here then, from a soul trooper, fighting the ultimate fight, to be herself, whole and happy….

The Voice in my Box

For many years

debilitating thoughts

made a home in my mind

No room at the inn, door locked

…confined

I smiled in silence

To an oblivious room

All the while

My throat screaming

For all the bad memories

All the unfair nights

All the damn hurt!

the effects

…and the cause

Life played out and my lips

….Obediently paused

Until

The drink of belief

Made her way

From my mouth to my feet

Like a waking alien

I have found my home again

And all that was shrunken inside

Lost the urgency to cling and hide

Rising in hope

Yes this freedom speaks

Oh honey…

This freedom sings!

She flys on flames atop of wings

And the music is sweeter than ever

My voice, my speakers

Reign out

Bleeding a glorious color

Onto white corners

of my

…Newly born feathers.

~~ Souldiergirl ~~

12/21/2012

http://souldiergirl.com/2015/12/20/the-voice-in-my-box/

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Yin-Yang-symbol-sun-and-moon

Naked Pearls

Life, at Large….

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“If you cannot find happiness along the way, you will not find it at the end of the trail.”

~~ Zen Bee ~~

**********

“He would be the finer gentleman that should leave the world
without having tasted of lying or pretense of any sort,
or of wantonness or conceit.”

~~ Marcus Aurelius Antoninus — Meditations, ix, 2 ~~

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“The truth is our most valuable commodity.
It would probably be a way better world if people didn’t use it so economically.”

~~ Personal Journal of Doogie Howser, M.D.~~
~~ from the TV show, Doogie Howser ~~

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“But some emotions don’t make a lot of noise.
It’s hard to hear pride. Caring is real faint – like a heartbeat.
And pure love – why, some days it’s so quiet, you don’t even know it’s there.”

~~ Erma Bombeck ~~

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“Belief is not the beginning but the end of all knowledge.”

~~ Johann Wolfgang van Goethe ~~

**********

“We usually get what we order from life.”

~~ Limon ~~

**********

“All perception of truth is the detection of an analogy.”

~~ Henry David Thoreau ~~

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“To believe in something, and not to live it, is dishonest.”

~~ Mahatma Gandhi ~~

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“How many Great Souls does it take to change a light bulb?
None; the light from within illuminates all around them.”

~~ gigoid, following a theme ~~

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Well, I like it…. Now, I’ll go see how the WP editor likes my workaround for the new crap they added to their editing function, that I have yet to figure out. Time, as it always does, will tell; damn thing won’t keep its mouth shut. Regardless, I’ll be back tomorrow, to take another shot at some Asininnies, or, at least, kill a few of the myths people buy into. Try to be happy; give a bit of yourself to another of Earth’s creatures, human, or otherwise, & you’ll find it helps yourself, too…. Plus, the happiness will be there inside when you are done…. Truth…. See ya….

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

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

After the tremors pass….

Posted on October 6, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work.”

~~ Aristotle ~~

Supermoon/Total Eclipse in Oxford, UK, September 2015

Image from gizmodo.com

Good morning…. I am struck with awe at the accuracy of the following pearl in describing my own current status here in Reality, to wit:

“So this is what it feels like to be potato salad”

~~ Zippy the Pinhead ~~

It’s eerie sometimes, just how closely Zippy can come to the exact words for what I am experiencing; I don’t think I can count high enough to come to the number of times in this blog he’s provided the perfect ending, or the perfect beginning for pearls. This one, weird as it is, tells the story in the most elegant, accurate fashion I can think of, while still giving the flavor of how I feel about it. In this case, that would be a pretty negative set of emotions, none of which I enjoy….

Peeled, chopped, boiled, smothered, tossed, and consumed…. that’s how a potato gets mauled to produce that iconic salad so ubiquitous at an American BBQ (and, when one thinks about it logically, contributes seriously to many, many cases of adult onset Type II Diabetes, I’m sure….). The only word I can think of to describe the process would be “rude”. Tasty, but, rude….

Now we’ve covered the basics, I suppose an explanation for such an outburst is expected…. Too bad. Like all of us, y’all will just have to learn to live with disappointment. It is now 0146 AM, and I’ve been up for an hour, twitching, cursing, and struggling not to take it out on the cat, who thinks it’s grand craic to have me up at this hour; for her, it’s like having a 24/7 on-call toy. So, I ain’t explainin’ nothin’ to nobody, nohow. I’ll put this Pearl together, but, I make no promises, nor any claims to having any sort of control over the resulting mess. It’s just the way it is, and, we’ll all have to deal with it the best we can.

So be it. Luigi, fire that sucker up and take it away…. Y’all, hang on to something, or, if you prefer, someone (other than me, or Luigi… not good to grab the flight crew on takeoff….)…. See y’all on the other side….

Shall we Pearl?….

“Anyone who has had a bull by the tail knows five or six more things than someone who hasn’t.” — Mark Twain

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Tracy & Eric

Image from Tumblr.com via Google Images

Today’s video is a cut of one of Tracy’s best, played with Eric, who killed the blues riffs. On the page where the link will take you, there is lots more of Tracy’s work, all of which is worth a listen… Enjoy!….

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Tracy Chapman & Eric Clapton
Give Me One Reason

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https://youtu.be/6HspEMXPU7k

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The late rebellion in Massachusetts has given more alarm than I think it should have done.
Calculate that one rebellion in 13 states in the course of 11 years,
is but one for each state in a century and a half.
No country should be so long without one.

~~ Thomas Jefferson, in letter to James Madison, 20 December 1787 ~~

Get up, stand up,
Stand up for your rights.
Get up, stand up,
Never give up the fight.

~~ Bob Marley ~~

Ffolkes…. I’ve been watching the events out in the BBR, and I am moved to use the words of Bob Dylan, as well, when he sang, “A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall”. I would rant about it, but, it’s a quarter past midnight, on a night of sheer hell, and, quite frankly, I’m not capable of such organized thinking just now. But, I can recognize pearls like billy-o, so, that’s what I’ll do…. All the following are commonly heard in this country these days; Tom, and George, and the rest of the founding fathers would be, as I am, appalled at what has happened…. This is no longer the land of the free, or the home of the brave… Instead, we have this….

“Cunning and deceit will every time serve a man better than force.” — Niccolo Machiavelli

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

“Most people can’t think, most of the remainder won’t think, the small fraction who do think mostly can’t do it very well.” — Robert Heinlein, Time Enough for Love

“Glad to be of help/service. In lawyer talk, that will be $500.00.” — Savvy Bee

“I haven’t committed a crime. What I did was fail to comply with the law.” — David Dinkins (Mayor, New York City) — Answering accusations that he failed to pay his taxes.

“Always take a lawyer with you, and bring another lawyer to watch him.” — Bo Diddeley’s Observation on the Law

“The United States also has its native Fascists who say that they are 100 percent American…” — U. S. Army (1945)

“We Americans, we’re a simple people… but piss us off, and we’ll bomb your cities.” — Robin Williams, _Good Morning Vietnam_

“At my order, and for the good of the state, the bearer has done what has been done.” — Cardinal Richelieu

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I know I’m in the now, if only…..

Oh, there it is again, fiddle faddle;
Begone, I said, vamoose, skedaddle!
It looked at me as if I were insane:
Scoffed, it did, filled me with pain.

Where does it come from?
Where does it live?
I’d stick out my thumb,
if I had more to give.

If only, should, would, could it be?
It went away again, this time free.
It will be back again, this I know;
or I’m wrong, and it won’t show.

Who cares?
Who hears?
Such goings on wobble the sphere,
I wish it wouldn’t do that here.

I’ve been wrong before…..

~~ gigoid ~~

Written 4/19/2013.

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The presence of Kokopelli atop a pearl should give the regular Gentle Reader a clue as to the nature of what will follow. That’s a good thing, because, personally, I don’t have a clue as to what this one means. That it means something is a foregone conclusion; I’m pretty sure finding it will be fun and challenging…. Right….

“Danger, Will Robinson! Danger! Danger! Danger! Danger!” — Robot from Lost In Space

“Why Not” is in fact an excellent reason.” — Fatalist Bee

“He bids fair to grow wise who has discovered that he is not so.” — Publius Syrus — Maxim 598

“I expect nothing. I fear no one. I am free.” — Nikos Kazantzakis

“A truly wise man never plays leapfrog with a Unicorn.” — Smart Bee

“I do my best not to offend, without fucking with the purpose.” — Chris Pirillo

“If this material is offensive to you, and admittedly it will be offensive to someone, than you should take time out to contemplate this truth. Seriousness is the refuge of the truly shallow!” — Blasé Bee

“It is in the shelter of each other that people live.” — Irish proverb

“Don’t take anything seriously except happiness.” — Albert Camus

Okay, well, not so bad, after all. Still no clue as to meaning, but, hey, one can’t have everything, every day… So they tell me, anyway….

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

It’s pretty well fractured, but, it’s done. Rather than push my luck, I will take my leave, forthwith. See y’all next time, ffolkes, if I can stay sane that long…. Right now, it’s a toss-up….

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

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

We’re having malt, like it or not….

Posted on July 13, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Das, was mich nicht tötet, macht mich fremde!”

“That, which does not kill me, makes me stranger.”

~~ SB’s variation of Friedrich Nietzsche’s classic affirmation ~~

A cold morning at the glacier’s mouth….

Good morning…. I say that only because it is protocol for morning blogs; I must confess to a significant degree of trepidation at such a pronouncement so early in the day, as it tends to tickle Murphy’s interest more often than not, giving him a reason to make it untrue, in his own inimitable style, so vilely familiar to us all. But, what the hell? It’s Monday, so, most everyone expects a higher degree of crap to be a part of the equation….

All that having been said, in common degree of uselessness, perhaps we should just get on with the show for today, before Murphy can figure out just how to throw a few obstacles in our path. Yeah, slip out the back, that’s the ticket!…. Let’s do it….

Shall we Pearl?….

“Never appeal to a man’s “better nature.” He may not have one. Invoking his self-interest gives you more leverage.” — Lazarus Long, from Robert A. Heinlein’s “Time Enough For Love”

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Image from wikipedia.com

I’m in the mood for some guitar music today; why not go for the very best?….

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Clapton Unplugged

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https://youtu.be/W4d7K92S7Eg

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

The urge to rant is a part of my everyday life; its a natural result of watching the BULLSHIT going on every day in the news. Unfortunately for me, and, fortunately for y’all, the urge, while strong as ever at 3 AM, just isn’t within the scope of possibility when the only brain available for use resembles a dirty dish rag more than a shiny tool of logic…. See, I couldn’t even come up with an appropriately accurate metaphor for it!…. SIGH…. I’m gonna explode soon, if I don’t get some of this out…. Ah well, maybe tomorrow…. For now, we’ll go back about a year and a half, to an appropriately similar rant….

From 2/10/2014:

“The books that the world calls immoral are the books that show the world its own shame.” — Oscar Wilde

It’s almost certain now…. I’m convinced the government is actively restraining themselves in this past week, deliberately trying to NOT do anything that makes the news…. The only articles in the past few days are all just follow-up stories on other older news, or what are called ‘fluff’ pieces, designed merely to take up space on the page, without actually serving up any real information about anything important…. Kind of like the “Dumb” Starbucks story today in the SFGATE headlines…. You know there is probably a conspiracy to control the news when the primary article on a Monday morning has to do with a corporate logo dispute in Southern California….

Now, one might surmise that this means that the psychopaths who inhabit the halls of government in this country are busy carrying on the business of the nation, out of plain sight in order to avoid distractions…. It would be more accurate, I’d think, to say they are definitely involved in the hatching of new schemes, er, making of plans, plans for making progress in their chosen task, that of total world domination…. Well, maybe that’s a bit harsh…. But, you can bet your bony ass that whatever they’re up to, will benefit themselves more than it does anyone else… They can’t help that, it’s a genetic imperative for them…. They are preconditioned to selfishness, and a complete lack of compassion for others….

Oh, these sickos we have in our elected offices are slick, though, aren’t they? To look at them, and to hear them talk, you’d think they did nothing but sit around all day and worry about how tough things are for you, and the rest of the common masses over whom they preside, with the implied purpose of spending all their time looking for ways to improve your lot…. It often astounds me just how many idiots in the mainstream of society will talk as if what I just described is the gospel truth, and goes to describe their own chosen heroes in the public eye…. They will go to any lengths to convince others of their candidate’s sterling qualities, often going so far as to claim a touch of nobility upon the brow of their champion….

I no longer bother even telling those folks how stupid they are, because they’re already addicted to the sugar that is poured into their ears, to take the place of real information, or actual intelligent ideation…. Hell, even when one speaks to them, they refuse to listen to anything that disagrees with their own misconceptions…. I used to try to convince them of how they were hurting themselves with their blind obedience to a shadow, but, I got tired of bandaging my forehead, after beating it against the wall of their stubborn ignorance….

Instead, I started making Pearls, and, in the solace of that task I found the peace my mind needs to continue to think clearly, as well as the means to say what needs to be said, even if I’m the only one who knows what the hell I mean…. Hence, it becomes clear that I have once more completely pulled wool over the eyes of those present, as all of this is merely a way of introducing the following group of pearls, forming a pearl, whose parameters, if I’m lucky, will match what I’ve written above…. and, if not, well, we can always shoot for funny…. Enjoy!…..

“Those who are clever, who have a Brain, never understand anything.” — Pooh’s Little Instruction Book, inspired by A. A. Milne

“Seeing death as the end of life is like seeing the horizon as the end of the ocean.” — David Searls

“It is the mark of our whole modern history that the masses are kept quiet with a fight. They are kept quiet by the fight because it is a sham-fight; thus most of us know by this time that the Party System has been popular only in the sense that a football match is popular.” — G. K. Chesterton, A Short History of England. 156

“Don’t confuse me with the facts – my mind is made up.” — Joe Average, NYC

(In a 1998 study, in which random people on a street in New York were asked to pick, out of four statements, the one that described their Congressman the best, this was the favorite, by a factor of 28…. Truth…. Yes, it is…. no I’m not lying, trust me….) (Okay, yes, I am…. but, it SOUNDS true….)

“The NY Times is read by the people who run the country. The Washington Post is read by the people who think they run the country. The National Enquirer is read by the people who think Elvis is alive and running the country…” — Robert J Woodhead (trebor@biar.UUCP)

“Idolatry is committed, not merely by setting up false gods, but also by setting up false devils; by making men afraid of war or alcohol, or economic law, when they should be afraid of spiritual corruption and cowardice.” — G. K. Chesterton, Illustrated London News, 9/11/09

“All cruelty springs from weakness.” — Seneca

Okay, so it came out a bit more comprehensive in scope than I first intended it to be, but, it works anyway…. The politicians are in there, for sure (See the first, third, fourth, and fifth pearls above for proof of that)…. But, the parameters widened up on me, mid-search, so, a few more ideas are included than we bargained for…. bonus!

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Blithely Untitled

A poem came to me today, willy, nilly,
along with a sharp blow to the head.
Since it left me feeling just a bit silly,
anything that rhymes should lessen the dread.

Manifesting destiny into a small, insidious group
we push on toward sanity, concentrating hard.
Full engaging moments spent navigating the loop
shall ever make a difference to victims found in the yard.

Still corpses of creatures, straight out of nightmare
fill up the corners of our tortured minds.
While ever saddened, the iconic male, most debonair,
gazes softly, ironically, at all the mutual interest he finds.

Moronic public statutes compel outbreaks of sanity,
responding to momentary impulses toward inducing peace.
Still, the motions get completed, in fertile stages of inanity
while the bulk of our inmates can find no surcease.

Reluctant motivation to continue is unbound,
striving to ascertain how far there yet remains to go.
No precognitive guesswork will make any less of a sound
to soften the final strains, or teach us to truly know.

~~ gigoid ~~

Written 2/7/2014.

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

It took some doing, but, I managed to persuade SB to contribute a genuine old-school pearl, consisting of five stars, gathered in four separate trips to the well, over two days…. It should be worth it, though, as it has been a long time since we saw a five-star pearl of such magnitude…. It’s all about living life as an actual human being…. with honor, and joy, balancing the trouble and pain….

“Everything flows and nothing abides; everything gives way and nothing stays fixed.” — Heraclitus

“Virtue is but heroic bravery, to do the thing thought to be true, in spite of all enemies of flesh or spirit, in despite of all temptations or menaces.” — Albert Pike (1809-1891)

“How can we contrive to be at once astonished at the world and yet at home in it?” — G. K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy

“Our character is what we do when we think no one is looking.” — H. Jackson Browne, P. S. I Love You

“I used to sit on the banks with a raft and watch the water roll lazily by. One day I pushed my raft into the shallows of the water and found the water moved swifter than I thought, but my raft was actually a little rowboat. Then, after some time, I rowed my little boat into deeper water. There were great storms, mighty winds, tremendous waves, and sometimes I felt so alone. But I have noticed my little rowboat is now a mighty ship manned by my friends and loved ones, and beautiful calm seas, warm sunny days, and nights filled with comfortable dreams always double after a storm. Now, I could never go back and sit on the bank, in fact, I search for deeper water. Such is life when lived.” — B D Gulledge

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Having thus secured my hold on Reality for another day, I shall take my leave, before anyone catches on. I hate to say this (no, I don’t), but, I’ll be back tomorrow, ffolkes, to give this another shot…. Sorry, gotta do it. It’s the only way to prevent the complete destruction of space and time as we know it….

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

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

And another one bites the dust….

Posted on December 31, 2014 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“So live that you can look any man in the eye and tell him to go to hell.”

~~ Smart Bee ~~

From the London Daily Telegraph Animal Pictures of the Week 12/28/2014

The quote adorning the first line, above the most excellent picture, is a familiar idea around here; that may be why, whenever I come across it, I am also reminded of another fine statement, to which I also strongly subscribe, to wit:

“There comes a time in every man’s life when it becomes necessary to just roll up his sleeves, spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and start slitting throats.” — H. L. Mencken

Just gets me, right here (*somber expression, with hand over heart*), every time…. The picture you see, by the way, was NOT posed, reportedly…. An average guy was taking pictures in the forest back of his home (in France? I think it was France…. must have been an escaped snail….) when he noticed the frog and snail toddling along, in whatever form of interaction they may have been pursuing….. Makes one wonder what that interaction might be, doesn’t it?… Well, it does this one…. I suppose that makes me a strange one, but, if so, so be it….

Beautiful frog, isn’t it? It doesn’t seem to be in any hurry, does it?….

I thought I’d end the year on a high note…. and, no, that doesn’t mean I’m any higher than usual. Boy, tell people a secret, and ya never hear the last of it…. No, actually, I meant I was going to actually write an intro section that made sense, well-thought out and constructed, and perfectly led the way into the day’s post…. Of course, that idea is now kaput; frogs & snails will do that…. I’m not sure just how I do it, but, somehow these never seem to quite come out the way I start them….

I go off into tangents, maybe? I suppose if I knew, it wouldn’t happen, would it? Probably not, but, then, that assumes I have some sort of clue, which is patently uncertain, if not outright untrue…. Maybe it’s like my friend suggested, and I’m addicted to parenthetical remarks…. I do love my commas, semi-colons, three-and-four dot pauses, and parentheses….

Who knows? Maybe there is a purpose in all this meandering around…. Nah…. If I thought that, I’d shoot myself. No, I’d rather it be just what it is… a bad habit of spending too much time in my head, then giving myself the chance to put that stuff out for everyone to see, all without any clear idea of what it will do, or mean, or anything…. I’m just throwing it out there, and seeing what sticks, so to speak…. Plus, it gets all this crap out of my head, which helps me no end, so, y’all will just have to put up with it, no matter how silly it gets….

Well, no, actually you don’t, but, I hope you will… Some of it, at least, is worth reading, or listening to, or watching…. Plus, I guarantee, a LOT of it is worth thinking about…. and, I don’t even care, or assume, or put any pressure on anyone to do anything with what they think…. only that they do…. Or, if not think, at least laugh…. even if they don’t get it….

Of course, if I can help anyone see the light, or even point the way to the road they need to be on, I’ll feel okay with it…. If nothing else, it keeps me off the streets, which, given the way I feel these days, about people in general, and the world at large, is probably a good thing….

Enough blather….

Shall we Pearl?

“I’m a belligerent omnivore – I eat vegetarians.” — Smart Bee

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

“Music is, perhaps, the most powerful form of social influence in society, when it lives up to its promise, and is used to promote change.” — gigoid

Okay, so, this will pull some covers, but, I no longer care…. Whenever I hear this song, I weep…. I can’t seem to help it….. The song was such a big part of my musical education, as well as one of the most powerful songs of the “revolution” that my generation underwent during the 60’s, that period of American history when the emerging importance of the income gap was first highlighted by the studentsn and young people of the nation, with protests taking place against almost every facet of our sick society, molding the political future of the nation in ways that are still being felt…..

This song, for me, brings back all of it…. the hope, the anguish, the sense of purpose, and the sheer hedonistic pleasure of being able to listen to such brilliant geniuses take rock music to new heights, while at the same time, bringing the message of love, and peace, to a world that sadly needed it…

I’m not sure, but, in the cut I chose, there are a number of other famous rock musicians playing along with George & Eric…. One of them, I believe, was Elton John, on the piano…. Another great cut of the same song can be found when this one ends…. when Eric played it at the Concert for George, giving his ALL to the song…. amazing guitar work….

Any who, here is George, before his passing, at the height of his musical talent, in one of our songs of revolution, the one that makes me weep….. just as I am now…. Enjoy, ffolkes…. rock music never got any better than this….

George Harrison and Eric Clapton – While my guitar gently weeps (HQ)

http://youtu.be/oDs2Bkq6UU4

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“The truth has never been of any real value to any human being- it is a symbol for mathematicians and philosophers to pursue. In human relations kindness and lies are worth a thousand truths.” — Graham Greene

I hate that this is true…. We humans are a perverse species, are we not? This next pearl strikes me the same way, with regret for its validity…

“You may either win your peace or buy it; win it by resistance to evil; buy it by compromise with evil.” — John Ruskin (1819-1900)

Damn, Sam, this is also true! Why? How have we come to this? Yes, I know asking why isn’t always productive, but, it really does bother me…. In this country, sadly, it is easy to see the how and why of it; for example….

“You need only reflect that one of the best ways to get yourself a reputation as a dangerous citizen these days is to go about repeating the very phrases which our founding fathers used in their struggle for independence.” — Charles Austin Beard, American Historian, 1874-1948

Sterling truth, as is patently obvious, merely by looking at some of the documents released by the NSA, more than one of which make it clear they use those patriotic phrases as key search elements in their paranoid quest to find ‘domestic terrorists’…. Just read them, I’m not making it up… well, read what little they’ve released; there is still a great deal more information on us they have NOT told us about, nor will they ever do so, if we allow it….

Okay, here, read this…. It has both good news, and bad news….

http://techcrunch.com/2014/12/29/latest-snowden-revelations-expose-scope-of-nsa-interceptions/

“Do not be afraid of enemies; the worst they can do is to kill you. Do not be afraid of friends; the worst they can do is betray you. Be afraid of the indifferent; they do not kill or betray. Yet only because of their silent agreement, betrayal and murder exist on earth.” — Bruno Yasienski, contemporary Soviet novelist

I only speak the truth when I say it is indifference at play here, as well…. The NSA, and the people who support their work, are completely indifferent to any of the principles upon which our country was founded, and is supposed to be run. Add to that the incredibly MASSIVE indifference of the average citizen, who cares little about anything beyond their next meal, composed of the processed, fatty almost-foods that are killing them…. but, not before they use a great deal of their time and resources to pay for the medical care to keep them alive longer, living in ignorance and fear…..

Whew! I didn’t know that was in there…. I typed so long it hurts…. If you couldn’t tell, I am just a little bit annoyed with our government, and the assholes who partake in its thievery from the citizens who trust them, and, most especially, with those parts of it which actively wage war against the very people they are sworn to defend…. The problem lies in their belief that “defending” us entitles them to invade our privacy, and make every part of our lives their business…. which, is , of course, illegal, immoral, unethical, and just plain wrong, from any virtuous viewpoint one may assume…..

I’ll say this once, and mean it…. No matter what anyone tells you, or wants you to believe, ffolkes,

THE END DOES NOT JUSTIFY THE MEANS!

Let me say that again, just in case anyone didn’t hear me when I shouted….

THE END DOES NOT JUSTIFY THE MEANS.

It really is that simple, ffolkes, and I wish more people would realize it…. But, they won’t, because there’s no money in it, and that’s all most of them care about…. It may appear as if they’re talking about your rights, and, they are, in terms of how they are going to take them away…. but, the bottom line, for almost every person of a political persuasion, is how much power, money, and control over others they can seize for their own…. That is the whole sum and extent of their concern, and anything they say otherwise is a bald-faced lie…. count on it….

I’ve ranted enough for one day…. and, I’ve made my point, I believe…. Now, it’s up to the rest of y’all, to decide how long we will allow this to be done to us, and whether or not we are going to take our rights back from those who would abrogate them… Plus, I’ve got more to do today, and this won’t get it done…. Let’s go read a poem, shall we?…. Well, naturally, AFTER an appropriate pearl….

“Never refuse to do a kindness unless the act would work great injury to yourself, and never refuse to take a drink- under any circumstances.” — Mark Twain

Oops, wait, that wasn’t the one I wanted…. Right, here it is…. I will say, there isn’t anything wrong about Mark’s observation… it just doesn’t fit the rant very well…. though there IS a slight connection, if one looks closely…. Never mind, here, this is a much better ending to this particular section, I think…. Accurate, anyway, if anyone cares to buy into the God idea….

“God is a comedian playing to an audience too afraid to laugh.” — Voltaire

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

Today’s poem is one I wrote as a way of showing, not the solution to the above, but, a way to deal with its effect on us….. Enjoy!…

Accentuated Lessons

Bold statements of calculated intent
Become common rule of the malcontent.
Avarice assumes such attractive wear
Beguiling deception, illusory and fair.

Grasping and pulling with ghostly hands
Legally proper in all the signatory lands.
Seeking and finding each vulnerable soul
Anguish as payment for exacting the toll.

Wraiths of commerce’s invisible dead guards
Still haunt the dreams left in sad empty yards.
While absentee nobles sit in stiffly elegant splendor
Served by sad-faced detainees in abject surrender.

Escape from reality is illusory at best
Often we falter and fail its daily test.
Only when focused on inner strength
Does peace stay with us for any length.

Peace lies within, always…..

~~ gigoid ~~

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

This is one fucking amaaaazing pearl…. It was put together during a bout last night with some rather severe arthritis pain, served up with a side dish of dyskinesia, providing me with several hours of riveting entertainment….. I think, in retrospect, I’d much rather skip the show next time…. The amazing part is that I kept sitting for a moment as I paced around the house, limping and moaning, to hit the keys to go through SB for quotes, just to distract myself….. The following seven-star pearl came up, piece by piece, and damn if it didn’t end up making a point, or more accurately, a statement of belief, that is a big, big part of what I am all about…. Totally cool…

“He who endeavors to serve, to benefit, and improve the world, is like a swimmer, who struggles against a rapid current, in a river lashed into angry waves by the winds. Often they roar over his head, often they beat him back and baffle him. Most men yield to the stress of the current… Only here and there the stout, strong heart and vigorous arms struggle on toward ultimate success.” — Albert Pike (1809-1891)

“If an expert does not have some problem to vex him, he is unhappy! If a philosopher’s teaching is never attacked, he pines away! If critics have no one on whom to exercise their spite, they are unhappy. All such men are prisoners in the world of objects.” — Chuang Tzu, “The Way of Chuang Tzu” Thomas Merton, transl.

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

“A good word is an easy obligation, but not to speak ill, requires only our silence, which costs us nothing.” — Tillotson

“The great question of life is not the question of death but the question of life. Fear of death shames us all.” — Edward Abbey

“For my part, I had rather be the first man among these fellows than the second man in Rome.” — Plutarch (46-120 AD) — Life of Caesar

“This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness.” — H.H. the Dalai Lama

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

This Pearl is a testament to my own degree of dedication…. or, some would say, obsession, to get this stuff out of my head, despite everything I, and the universe, can do to stop me…. The greatest portion of YESTERDAY (it appears that way in my memory now…. that’s how bad it was….) was spent in SHEER MISERY. I was attacked, all at once, by severe arthritic pain, a side dish of dyskinesia, thanks to my ongoing battle with my HMO, and, the concomitant aggravation of reacting to all of that stress with emotional outbursts, disconnected to anything going on physically…. What a mess I was!….

But, it’s done, though I could not say exactly HOW that happened…. So be it….. I’m going to press my luck now, and post it, so, I guess I’ll see y’all tomorrow, given half a chance…. See ya, ffolkes…. and watch out for Big Brother….

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….

Just as well; this one is too blue….

Posted on October 20, 2014 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“It is not the possessions but the desires of mankind which require to be equalized.”

~~ Aristotle ~~

I apologize to anyone who got fooled into watching yesterday’s video choice…. I had not watched “Plan 9 From Outer Space” for many years, having apparently blocked out of my mind anything about the plot or quality; I watched it yesterday for a while, but, lasted only up to 15:45, (when the third of Vampira’s victims is found by the police), before having to stop the video to prevent damaging the computer…. I was frighteningly close to tossing it through the window when I caught myself…

I promise, from now on, I’ll pre-screen any movies like that one… Aye, it’s a cult classic of the genre (Ed Wood, Jr. films, and their ilk…), noted for its campy nature, and lower than B- or, even C-movie rating. I guess in this case, campy translates into crappy…. Oh well, I saw some others on the page where I found it that looked like they would at least have a slightly larger FX budget, with a flying saucer that doesn’t wobble as it moves forward, due to being suspended by only one string, as it gets dragged across the camera’s eye, rushing uncertainly in front of the (obviously) poorly drawn background, by some guy who apparently has a limp, walking out of sight behind the screen…. SIGH…. I won’t even mention the acting, because nobody in the movie could be accused of that….

Sometimes, my paragraphs get a bit long, and I can’t cut them down, because, as with the one just above this one, it has a typical, (for me), run-on sentence of massive proportion… The one you see here is almost worthy of the Bulwer-Lytton contest held each year, to find the worst opening line for a story…. The four lines above are pretty bad, all in all, but, I’ve seen some amazingly putrid paragraphs take the prize, so it isn’t what I would call a prize-winning effort…. I think at least eight or ten lines are required to catch the judges eyes, all much like that one above, just plain boring and repetitive, until one considers how wonderfully awful it is….

Oh well, it’s fun, but, my purpose here is to teach myself to write better, not worse. I can cough up a run-on sentence any old time; making a compellingly charming one is much more of a challenge, you may be sure. Today, I’m not sure if I’ll be able to come up with either type, that is, not until I can figure out how to get us out of the intro…. I seem to have written myself into a corner again, with no apparent exit…. Oh well, that’s alright. I’ll just break out a bit of the ruthlessness I have left over from a few days ago, and rip us out…. right here, and right now….

Shall we Pearl?…..

“Although war is cruel and brutal, it is also dangerous and stupid.” — Yakko Warner

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

I believe I’ve already stated my preference for Eric Clapton’s music, so, I won’t bother to gush any more today. I’ll just say this: this band is considered by more than a few rock historians to be the best group that ever got together & put out an album…. We are fortunate in that Derek and the Dominos put out a couple, or three (I forget), so we have a good legacy of their talented time together…. This album is the best of what they did, with what many consider the best R&R song ever made, in Layla…. Abondanza, ffolkes…..

Layla — Derek and The Dominos (Full Album)

http://youtu.be/Lqr-Sr4g8vc

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

“It is always best to start at the beginning.” — Smart Bee

Sometimes, Smart Bee comes up with stuff that’s hard to argue with…. Since, in this case, I’m aware of this, I’ll just let it go, and get on with what I have planned for here…. In putting together the pearl, and pearls, for section five, I got a bit carried away with comments, which, while not unusual, did cause that section to grow beyond all reason, into what could be considered a rant…. So, since the news seems to be quiet right now, waiting for the other shoe to drop, I suppose, I will NOT rant here….

Instead, here is a nice, fresh, old-school, seven-star pearl, a bit eclectic, but, not bad…. It will do for today’s effort, which is a bit fractured, anyway, as I try to work new protocols into my day, to deal with my newest annoying physical issue…. This one turned out a little twisted, so, be careful on the turns, okay?….

“Quickly, bring me a beaker of wine, so that I may wet my mind and say something clever.” — Aristophanes

“Anatidaephobia: The fear that somewhere, somehow, a duck is watching you.” — Smart Bee

“The tragedy and the magnificence of Homo sapiens together rise from the same smoky truth that we alone among the animal species refuse to acknowledge natural law.” — Robert Ardrey, _The Social Contract_

“Approximately 80% of our air pollution stems from hydrocarbons released by vegetation, so let’s not go overboard in setting and enforcing tough emissions standards from man-made sources.” — Ronald W. Reagan, quoted in “Sierra”, 10 September 1980

“Everybody is ignorant, only on different subjects.” — Will Rogers

“Democritus said, words are but the shadows of actions.” — Plutarch (46-120 AD) — Of the Training of Children

“Ever stop to think and then forget to start again?” — Steven Wright

Hmm…. At this point, I think it would be best if I didn’t comment any further…. Why don’t we go read a poem?…. Good idea…..

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

I have found the site named Poemhunter.com to be an excellent web site; it has everything a poet, or one who merely appreciates poetry, could ask for. One of those features is a listing of the top 500 poems of all time, as voted by their readers…. When I want to include a good one from a classic author, I go straight to the list, where I find poems such as this one from Wordsworth, which, for some reason, has always been one of my favorites…. It might be because he describes a process familiar to us all…. well, familiar to all of us who possess an imagination, anyway…. Enjoy!….

Daffodils

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o’er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed–and gazed–but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

~~ William Wordsworth ~~

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

So, if SB cooperates, the following old-school pearl will be the relative equivalent of a rant; the given parameters I set were to pick pearls which demonstrated the modern American politician’s way of looking at the world, and life, or, in some way, indicates how the average American has been corrupted, to believe in standards and issues which are completely false, or in some way are designed only to keep them distracted, unaware of exactly what their leaders are doing….(I seem to be practicing for the next Bulwer-Lytton test….)

By the end of it, you’ll get the picture…. which is why the pearl would be rantable, or, at minimum, usable IN a rant, if utilized in that respect…. You’ll see, no worries, mates… Oh, just as a helpful reminder…. any insulting statements, if unclear, you may assume the insulter is referring to a politician…. because they most likely were my target….

“Bend the facts to fit the conclusion. It’s easier that way.” — Smart Bee

“He was as great as a man can be without morality.” — Alexis de Tocqueville

(See? Both of these are perfectly ascribable to ANY US president of the last 30 years, since Carter’s administration…. Hell, over the last 60 years, I know of only two presidents who displayed ANY sort of integrity while in office, one of whom was Jimmy Carter…. Of the rest, only Kennedy showed any concern for the common man, and Jack only did so because that was his gig; it’s how he fooled the public, by seeming to be on their side, and, acting as if he were, in many ways…. But, then one must also consider his misogyny (just couldn’t keep his hands off women other than Jackie….), and his overall lifetime membership in the BRC, as one of the richest men in America…. and, he’s the one who sealed the deal in Vietnam, selling it to the public with all his charm….)

(Okay, it has to be said…. the current prez, Barry the Obama, has, as far as I can see, hit about 30/70 on the moral/evil scale while in office; prior to his election as prez, I had NEVER HEARD OF HIM AT ALL, a fact which tends to make me think the Dems were sort of hiding him in plain sight, waiting for the right moment to throw him up into the spotlight, a tactic which worked beyond all their dreams of success… Any who, he’s done okay on healthcare, and economic issues, which is why I generously gave him the 30….)

(I think, though, his actions there were simply designed to get the common man to trust him, as well as to distract him, by highlighting this issue, along with gun control issues, which come up every time someone gets shot, it seems…. But, in terms of supporting the bankers, nobody has ever given them so much money as Obama, with his “bailouts” which, as a reward, the bankers used to allow the economy to settle down, so he would look good….)

)Thus, he has been able to reward the bankers in turn, by keeping us in a constant state of war, spending millions upon billions of dollars on armaments and military actions, none of which is ever debated in public, or declared as a war by Congress…. and, that doesn’t even mention the whole illegal spying issue, and the complete lie of “transparency” he promised during the run-up to the election…. )

(I’m ranting, aren’t I?….. Oops…. Oh well, back to the pearls….)

“… if the democratic nations fail, their failure must be partly attributed to the faulty strategy of idealists who have too many illusions when they face realists who have too little conscience.” — Reinhold Niebuhr

“I’m not happy until I’ve violated somebody’s civil rights and then put them in jail. … That ruins their day … but it makes mine.” — Christopher Commission report of LAPD car-to-car computer message, 7/91

“As a candidate for national elective office the most dangerous thing you can do is say something during the campaign that the people might remember.” — Eugene McCarthy

“I’ve heard enough of your twaddle, Ringleader. We’ll settle this the American way — with our fists!” — Mighty Mouse, “The New Adventures of Mighty Mouse”

(I’m surprised he didn’t say “bombs”….)

“We need excellence in public education and if the teachers can’t do it, we’ll send in a couple of policemen.” — Frank Rizzo, Philadelphia Bulletin, Oct 19, 1973

“Our “neoconservatives” are neither new nor conservative, but old as Babylon and evil as Hell.” — Edward Abbey

“Power corrupts. Absolute power is kind of neat.” — John Lehman, Secretary of the Navy 1981-1987

I like the quotes from the living and dead talking heads, such as the last one…. They tend to show how the speakers really feel and believe, thus giving us the clearest view of their intransigently evil natures….

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

Okay, so, it almost got out of hand, but, I managed to wrestle it back into the restraining device, though not without some pissing and moaning…. Regardless, it’s done, as far as I can get it done, so, it will, by definition, be good enough…. In point of fact, though, it’s a bit of an odd duck, so, perhaps it would be best if I slip out this side door here, before the authorities arrive…. You can tell them I said hello, okay? Thanks….. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, if they don’t catch me….

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….

The replacement toads are working fine….

Posted on October 17, 2014 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Be slow in choosing a friend, but slower in changing him.”

~~ Scottish Proverb ~~

Yesterday gone, now, brain tired. Sleep good, not long enough. Pronouns lost. Can’t find, don’t care. Bogus, again….

Well, I’m not sure just what that means, or where it came from…. To look at it from here, it almost seems as if the poor, wee penguin lad or lassie we see here is saying all that; its expression certainly seems to fit. I happen to know, however, that I wrote the above, in perfect sincerity, at the time, so, it wouldn’t be fair, or even legal to blame the bird, even if it isn’t a member of my church (which I don’t have, anyway…. a church, that is….). There are strict laws about pinnipeds, you know…. Besides, it’s too cute to abuse….

Of course, the fact I won’t allow myself to abuse even a bird kind of sets me apart from the general run of humanity, but, that’s okay. I’ve always felt a bit out of it, in the sense that I’m different than the average bear…. much like Yogi, if you think about it…. or, maybe Boo Boo, who had several IQ points more than Yogi displayed. I suppose, if you stop to consider, even that makes me different, for most of the folks who make up humanity don’t analyze cartoons, or compare bears to people…. more’s the pity….

Don’t worry, I’m not going to use that as an excuse to rant in the intro again. I’ve given myself a stern talking-to about that, and we’re hoping for some good results from that…. It sees to be helping today’s post, at least, as I haven’t gone sober on you yet, but, hey, the day is young…. but, since we’re in the query mode, how do y’all think it’s working? Is this any better than usual? Or, is it just as bozoid, unorganized, and silly as most of my beginnings? Hmm….. I may have just answered myself….

Oh well, it worked well enough to get us this far; I see an exit opening up not far away…. Good thing, too, as my hands and shoulders aren’t holding up too well today…. even with magic cream, it’s getting hard to type for long…. I’m going to have to consider getting myself some voice recognition software for the computer, so I can speak my Pearls…. Soon enough, I won’t be able to type well enough to keep it up. For the moment, though, I’ve managed to get far enough to be in reach of that exit I mentioned…. so, I’ll use my new-found ruthlessness to get us on into the day….

Shall we Pearl?…..

“The people I distrust most are those who want to improve our lives but have only one course of action.” — Frank Herbert

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

“I don’t know that atheists should be considered citizens, nor should they be considered patriots. This is one nation under God.” — George Bush in Free Inquiry magazine, Fall 1988

Let’s talk about….. stupidity. It’s a subject all humans need to be aware of, not just because it can be troublesome for them in their own private lives, but, due to having reached epidemic proportions in society at large, it has begun to affect public life, as well…. a fact which only makes sense, as human nature will, of course, always affect human society…., No matter how much we like to think of ourselves as intelligent, or competent, the power of stupidity, to make itself felt in human affairs, is enormous; we tend to forget that we have a duality of nature that allows that sort of conundrum, in almost every human endeavor….

The above statement, from one of the Shrubs (which one really doesn’t matter; the apple didn’t fall far from the tree in that family….), is, patently, false, and is obviously a result of the ubiquitous human tendency to assign meaning to symbols, and, in the process, to assume truth, when it is actually false…. The word is NOT the thing; nothing we say or do will actually change that; it is only our own human (stupid) mental habit of assuming it can, that allows such egregiously false statements to occur at all…. People WANT it to be true, so, they assume it is, just because they say it is…. typical “ipse dixit” reasoning….

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

Ipse dixit, “He himself said it”, is the same sort of reasoning as this little gem of immorality from Calvin, speaking, in this case, without Hobbes’ input, obviously. It arises from the set of delusional beliefs taught by almost every religion, for each one is convinced they are the ONLY right set of beliefs, because their own particular prophet, or reformer, said it was so…. This leads, every time, to a sense of false entitlement, based solely on beliefs held without any evidence of support, or, for that matter, any evidence at all, beyond the fact that it was claimed by someone to be true….

The problem we have, here in the good old US of A, is that the people who are holding those delusions as true are the sworn leaders of the country, so, when they come out with bullshit like this, a lot of foolish, gullible people believe him, and will thence act as if it is true, when, if one is at all familiar with those documents upon which this country was founded, one can see the above statement, by a former president, no less, is completely false, and gives a very clear indication of how things are going wrong for all of us….

I could rant on this one all day; there are any number of quotes and aphorisms on the subject, each of which could conceivably lead us into another aspect of the issue, thus increasing our understanding, as well as boring us to tears…. Hah! Caught y’all, didn’t I? I can feel y’all glazing over, and leaning toward skipping down to the music video, so, instead of taking this further, we’ll just drive the point home with an old-school thrashing of our beloved ruling class, with some comments/observations on politicians, preachers, pimps, myrmidons, and those of their ilk (you know, the ones we call Asininnies…. when we’re not calling them assholes….) It will be a severe thrashing, too, with nine pearls to smite them….

“Perhaps the most widespread illusion is that if we were in power we would behave very differently from those who now hold it — when, in truth, in order to get power we would have to become very much like them.” — (Lenin’s fatal mistake, both in theory and in practice.)

“Governments which suppress freedom of speech… act like children who shut their eyes in order not to be seen.” — Ludwig Boerne, _Die Freiheit der Presse in Baiern_, 1818

“Being against torture ought to be sort of a multi-partisan thing.” — Karl Lehenbauer, as amended by Jeff Daiell, a Libertarian

“I’ll put an end to the idea that a woman’s body belongs to her . . . the practice of abortion shall be exterminated with a strong hand.” — Adolf Hitler (1889-1945), “Mein Kampf”

(This one may seem a bit harsh, and/or out of place. to some…. But, I say, NOPE…. This is EXACTLY the same sort of attitude all too many of our elected officials possess, today…. so, nope….not too harsh as an indictment of the modern politician….) (See: Tea Party….)

“I think there are only three things America will be known for 2,000 years from now when they study this civilization: the Constitution, jazz music, and baseball.” — Gerald Early, writer, baseball documentary, 1994

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

“Democracy, which is a charming form of government, full of variety and disorder, and dispensing a sort of equality to equals and unequals alike.” — Plato, The Republic. Book VIII. 558

“Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do.” — Bertrand Russell (1872-1967)

“Never appeal to a man’s “better nature.” He may not have one. Invoking his self-interest gives you more leverage.” — Lazarus Long, from Robert A. Heinlein’s “Time Enough For Love”

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

I didn’t get to see this group when they were touring, back in the day, but, I heard this album within days of its release; it has remained a favorite of mine ever since. At 14:12 on this video, the band jumps into a song, entitled “Only You Know and I Know”, in which Eric Clapton goes into a completely insane lead guitar riff, covering almost a full minute, that I consider to one of the very finest pieces of improvisational genius I have ever heard, from him, or any other guitarist, in the entire history of Rock and Roll, which I have personally witnessed from Day One…. No shit, ffolkes…. If you play, or just love guitar, you will be amazed; it’s almost orgasmic…. The rest of the album rocks out, too…. Turn it all the way up for this one, ffolkes, it’s the only way to hear it….

Delaney & Bonnie and Friends: On Tour with Eric Clapton (1970) Full Album

http://youtu.be/BscKvUJVmLA

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

This poem was written on a day like yesterday…. It’s one I don’t think I can do any better, or say any of this more accurately…. I suppose, if I were a bit more evolved, I’d be able to be thankful that my pain and misery can at least stimulate me into bleeding this kind of insight onto the page…. Can’t honestly say I am, though…. but, at least this one affords me some small degree of post-misery relief, pointing out the path to serenity….

Raging at Aging

As old as you feel, we are told, is old as you are,
custom assures such vision will carry us far.
Reality begs to differ, may it be so bold
it is really quite painful, and very, very cold.

The power and strength felt in our halcyon youth
desert us with age, yet another unwelcome truth.
Irony rules our time here on this bountiful earth
as we reflect the changes over time since our birth.

As physical powers fade from this fragile shell,
we learn our mind can serve us quite as well.
The strength that once filled our bones and hearts
is now applied by our will, to more arcane arts.

Life’s greatest gift is our freedom of choice
no matter how often we forget, we still get a voice.
Energy, or apathy, by our will we may choose,
failing to do so, our only way to lose.

Each of us lives in the grip of time and space,
always seeking our balance, our own chosen place.
One must accept reality, for it is true at the core,
all we can do, is all we can do, and nothing more.

~~ gigoid ~~

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

Smart Bee seems to be trying to have some fun today; the first five quotes came up within moments of each other, in order, so, the rest must be just waiting for us…. Let’s see what there is for us to find, shall we? Careful, though, I’m letting SB have total control, so, be alert…. The only parameter I asked for was to choose from the subject of humanity, warts and all….

“It is easier to love humanity as a whole than to love one’s neighbor.”– Eric Hoffer

“Christianity might be a good thing if anyone ever tried it.” — George Bernard Shaw

“Where can you find a good lawyer? In the cemetery.” — Smart Bee

“Dying is a very dull, dreary affair. And my advice to you is to have nothing whatever to do with it.” — W. Somerset Maugham

“It has yet to be proven that intelligence has any survival value.” — Arthur C. Clarke

“A reverence for life does not require one to respect nature’s obvious mistakes.” — Robert A. Heinlein

“If what the philosophers say be true,–that all men’s actions proceed from one source; that as they assent from a persuasion that a thing is so, and dissent from a persuasion that it is not, and suspend their judgment from a persuasion that it is uncertain,–so likewise they seek a thing from a persuasion that it is for their advantage.” — Epictetus (c. 60 AD) — Discourses, Book i, Chap. xviii

Oops…. Smart Bee tried to lose us there, didn’t it?…. Talk about quick changes; that was like a 180º turn in mid-air at 300 mph; at the apex of the turn, one would be hitting about, oh, 6-8 g’s, I think. If we hadn’t been paying attention, it would have smeared us right up against the cabin wall in the rear of the vehicle…. and, all that for a long winded way to say people will, whenever they can, look out for Number One before anything else…. I suppose this means we need a couple more pearls, just to finish it out with a bit of smooth, to counteract the rapid mind fuck SB attempted….

SIGH…. It’s too bad…. Things were Going So Well, too….

BTW, FWIW, IMHO, yes. OTOH, AAMOF, maybe not. — Smart Bee

“A closed mouth gathers no feet.” — Finster’s Law

I guess we should have looked at the last one first; it may have saved us a bit of aggravation, if not time…. Oh, well, at least it’s the last section for today…. Gee, how did he do that?….

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

Well…. In spite of myself, I got it done. Some of the above was produced yesterday, during the less miserable moments of the day, and, after I had already gone through the morning’s extreme annoyances…. I was nice today, and didn’t share all that with you; you may thank me later…. Today, I must, again, sally forth into the Big Blue Room, to do battle with the huge bureaucratic forces of evil, otherwise known as Kaiser Permanente, to try to figure out how to decrease the number of days I lose to physical issues…. Wish me luck; I’m going to need a lot of it….. At least I can feel some sense of accomplishment, for having gotten this done in a timely fashion…. even if I did have to get up early to do it….

Enough, I’m out of cheese, so I don’t need any whine…. Reality doesn’t care, anyway, so, I may as well keep the rest to myself…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Passages from the Book of Righteousness….

Posted on September 24, 2014 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“After I’m dead I’d rather have people ask why I have no monument than why I have one.”

— Cato the Elder ~~

(234-149 B.C.)

Some days, one feels a sense of imminent changes; it’s as if the winds of Time are blowing softly, whispering soft promises of new and different, leaving us shivering in anticipatory delight, with unreasoning hope…. Then, of course, there are days like today, when one is unsure if time is even in force, a not unfamiliar sensation for such as us, resigned to Fate, filled with sorrow and painful realization of the impending catastrophic events faced by a world unaware of its own danger…..

SIGH…. ‘Twould be easy indeed to give in, to just crawl back under the covers, & pretend it will all go away if we can only ignore it long enough…. But, this time, things ARE different, more so than we know, more than most may guess…. It is times such as these when I lament my perceptions, and my ability to see the larger picture; it would be nice, indeed, to be able to ignore what I see, to be able to say with some degree of confidence that I believe there is a bright future for our species…. It would be nice, and, it would be totally false…

So, I won’t say any such thing…. nor, at this point will I belabor this point any further…. I’ve stated my views on the coming environmental crisis, (or crises, I should say; I doubt it will be as simple as having only ONE crisis to deal with….); as well, I’ve shown where the all-too-obvious evidence is located, should you wish to read it…. and, as I can attest, it’s ugly news…. None of it is calculated to make for a nice, peaceful breakfast, whether one is going continental, with coffee & pastries, or going for the full Irish…. the coffee will grow cold as you contemplate the future, with fear and loathing, and, the croissants, or the eggs, very likely won’t be quite so appealing….

One of the changes you’ll see will be on this blog…. On the first of October, I’ll be making an announcement regarding my plans, which will have an effect on this blog, a significant effect, to be sure. I’ll save the rest for then; it’s but a few days now, and once the plans are complete, I’ll let y’all know what they are…. For now, suffice it to say, on a personal level, changes are not merely desired, but, required, if I am to be able to live my life the way I intend to live it…. On that note, we will bring this to an almost unprecedentedly smooth opening, with actual introduction-like features, to a dignified, and timely close…. imagine that!

I believe the following two-fer, (SIGH… if you insist upon accurate use of the traditional metaphor, imagine a pair of earrings, set with perfectly matched pearls….), will give you the clearest idea, as far as the desired mood/attitude I wish to encourage/demand today…. I will also point out, it would be helpful if you are up to date on your insurance….. Shall we Pearl?…..

“I brought my BOWLING BALL – and some DRUGS!!” — Zippy the Pinhead

“And furthermore, my bowling average is unimpeachable!!!” — Zippy the Pinhead

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

“There are no other colours without the blues.” — Doctor Who

For close to three years now, I’ve been venting all the feelings of anger and betrayal I feel at what I’ve seen transpire in this country, and in the world at large…. I suppose you could say I have been a historian, in the sense I’ve observed the events of human interaction in my own time, along with learning of other times, through the simple expedient of reading a book, every day, for almost 60 years now, having learned to read at age four. I’ve also watched the smaller interactions, between people, including myself, for all that time, comparing every thing I learned to what came before, to help me to be able to have some idea of what COULD happen next…. a very valuable skill, insight….

My insight tells me there are hard times coming, ffolkes. I don’t know how much more clearly I can deliver the message to the world…. Of course, it would help if more than just a tiny, tiny, insignificant portion of that world is HEARING my message, but, I doubt I am the only one spouting off on this, so, that can’t be the entire problem…. I do read others who say the same as I do, with much more viewing power than I possess…. but, nobody really wants to hear it, because it’s too hard, and too scary to think about…. So, most folks do what people generally do when receiving bad news; they ignore it, or deny it….

This time, though, there will be no denial, and ignoring the rise of the oceans will NOT be possible, not when the water is lapping at your shoes…. which, as can be seen already in Florida, it is…. I would imaging it won’t be much more than a few short years before Miami is completely under water, along with about half of the entire state…. The oceans are rising ffolkes, as the ice melts at the poles…. We just had the warmest year on record, and from what scientists can tell from the record of history in nature’s library, last year was the warmest year, average, EVER…. We can no longer ignore the warming trend ffolkes; it is now established as very real….

Of course, the general population, which is starting to get concerned (witness the Walk for Climate Change last Sunday….), it is already too late for that to work; that march might have helped, had it taken place in 1925…. Now, it is far too late to stop the processes we have begun…. In fact, now that the permafrost, which exists all over the world, underground, and undersea, is also melting, releasing chlorine, and other toxic, CATALYTIC substances into the atmosphere at an unprecedented rate…. These chemicals are biological and chemical catalysts, which once reaching a certain level in the air, will produce other changes, that will act incredibly rapidly, to make changes we cannot even predict, thus making them impossible to prepare for….

Ah well, as I said, there is plenty of evidence to show us how we have screwed up, and how badly…. but, nobody seems to want to look at it…. Everyone would rather moan and complain, and march in the streets, instead of doing the ONLY thing that would help…. to wit: Take every elected official, every despot, and every other leading political, religious, and financial leader in the world, and shoot them, right in the head, one bullet for each…. Then the rest of us can start to either get to work moving us all to the asteroids, or the moons of Saturn, or finding SOME way to stop the processes in the environment that are going to kill us, and repair the damage to our world…..

Sadly, ffolkes, the odds are not good for any of that to happen…. Nobody is going to wake up enough people to make a difference…. so, for today at least, I’m done talking about it…. It’s depressing, and it’s at the point where there is no more I can do about it, until I go buy that gun, and some ammo, and set out to make myself feel a bit better…..

So be it….. gigoid has spoken…. quite enough for one day…. However, because he can never shut himself up, here is a five-star pearl to give the proper finish such a somber discussion….

GRAVE, n. A place in which the dead are laid to await the coming of the medical student.

    Beside a lonely grave I stood —
        With brambles ’twas encumbered;
    The winds were moaning in the wood,
        Unheard by him who slumbered,

    A rustic standing near, I said:
        “He cannot hear it blowing!”
    “‘Course not,” said he: “the feller’s dead —
        He can’t hear nowt [sic] that’s going.”

    “Too true,” I said; “alas, too true —
        No sound his sense can quicken!”
    “Well, mister, wot is that to you? —
        The deadster ain’t a-kickin’.”

    I knelt and prayed: “O Father, smile
        On him, and mercy show him!”
    That countryman looked on the while,
        And said: “Ye didn’t know him.”

Pobeter Dunko

— Ambrose Bierce, “The Devil’s Dictionary”

“Our existence is but a brief crack of light between two eternities of darkness.” — Vladimir Nabokov

“Panic now – avoid the rush!” — Smart Bee

“I am serious. And don’t call me Shirley.” — Smart Bee

I live not in myself, but I become
Portion of that around me;
High mountains are a feeling, but the hum
Of human cities torture.

— Lord Byron (1788-1824) — Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage, Canto iii, Stanza 72

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

Steve Winwood, Rick Grech, Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker. One album, one mega-talented band. The first time they played together in public was at the concert you will see… For a lot of us old fogies, this brings back some pretty great memories…. As well, it gives those who came after a good visual picture, of the musical concert scene of the late 60’s….

Blind Faith, Live at Hyde Park, London, 1969

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

Somehow, when I’m in a mood, Charles fits better than most anyone else….. I hope you enjoy this one as much as I do….

Bluebird

there’s a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I’m too tough for him,
I say, stay in there, I’m not going
to let anybody see
you.
there’s a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I pour whiskey on him and inhale
cigarette smoke
and the whores and the bartenders
and the grocery clerks
never know that
he’s
in there.

there’s a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I’m too tough for him,
I say,
stay down, do you want to mess
me up?
you want to screw up the
works?
you want to blow my book sales in
Europe?
there’s a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I’m too clever, I only let him out
at night sometimes
when everybody’s asleep.
I say, I know that you’re there,
so don’t be
sad.
then I put him back,
but he’s singing a little
in there, I haven’t quite let him
die
and we sleep together like
that
with our
secret pact
and it’s nice enough to
make a man
weep, but I don’t
weep, do
you?

~~ Charles Bukowski ~~

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

I think you will find this pearl to fit perfectly within the parameters set for us by the two-fer in the intro section…. It even ends with another fine sentiment from our old friend, the Z-man…. Y’ll need to enjoy this one ffolkes; it was fun to put together, so I know it will be fun to read, if you let it…..

“I take an instant dislike to lawyers. It saves time.” — To avoid litigation, the author wishes to remain anonymous

“Why don’t cannibals eat clowns? Because they taste funny.” — Smart Bee

“Man possesses limited intelligence, but alas, unlimited stupidity.” —

“It has yet to be proven that intelligence has any survival value.” — Arthur C. Clarke

“I find your faith in reality rather amusing.” — gigoid, to himself, frequently

“At first I was uncertain, but now I’m not so sure.” — Heisenberg

“If I felt any more SOPHISTICATED I would DIE of EMBARRASSMENT!” — Zippy the Pinhead

Exactly….. See? I told you, it’s all in the wrist….

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

So I don’t forget again…. the picture at the top of today’s post is an artist’s rendition of one design for a space elevator, a tethered line to Earth, extending all the way up to geosynchronous orbit, hauling cargo and people, slowly and majestically, up the connecting line, and back down, all with a minimal expenditure of energy…. It is one of the more ingenious ideas Man has devised to get into nearby space, one which may serve us well, if we can manage to survive long enough to build one, or more of them….

Once built, working elevators into orbital space would provide the means to build whole cities, as satellites around the Earth, in space, using solar power as energy, and the advantages to be found by living at the top of a very long, powerful well of gravity…. The engineering possibilities are practically endless, due to the availability of unlimited power from the sun, and nearly unlimited power from using the gravitational difference between the two points, one in space, one anchored to the Earth…. If we live long enough to build it, it also provides a means of launching ships to other planets, from orbit, with much less effort than lifting them up from the surface of the planet….

The closing section, though, isn’t the place for such a discussion, unfortunately; it’s a fascinating concept, though, and should be explored thoroughly, once our species’ priorities have been put into proper order…. I think saving our sorry asses needs to come first…. but, we’ll talk about that tomorrow, or, soon, I’m sure…. In the meantime, I’m outta here, or there, or somewhere… I will, however be back tomorrow, all things being equal….

“DON’T go!! I’m not HOWARD COSELL!! I know POLISH JOKES… WAIT!! Don’t go!! I AM Howard Cosell!… And I DON’T know Polish jokes!!” — Zippy the Pinhead

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

“The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.”

À bientôt, mon cherí.

gigoid

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

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Passages from the Book of Righteousness….

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