Trapped again in durance vile….

Posted on August 10, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Imagination is the one weapon in the war against reality.”

~~ Jules de Gaultier ~~

Blue Moon July 2015

Image from Space.com

Good morning…. For those ffolkes new to ECR, I should explain the titles of these Pearls of Virtual Wisdom. You see, the title is random, whereas the posts are not, hopefully. They mean nothing, and certainly have nothing to do with what is in the post. Each morning, before beginning to write anything in here, I make up the title out of my head, with no intent to connect it to the material I’m using. In fact, I try hard to make each one new, and completely odd, or as much so as my feeble brain can come up with upon first attempting to function… So, don’t worry if today’s title sounds a bit dark, or depressive; it has nothing to do with us; in fact, it has nothing to do with anything at all…. Sort of like this whole process, eh?….

All that being said, I’m making an executive decision to get on with the rest of today’s mess with no further nonsense, or sense, for that matter. In point of fact, we’re going to use the old #4 we found yesterday, which worked so well for us then, we’re employing it again today…. It works like this….

Shall we Pearl?….

“How ridiculous and unrealistic is the man who is astonished at anything that happens in life.” — Marcus Aurelius

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OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Don’t mess with my kids….

Today’s video selection will push unmercifully upon your “Aww” buttons…. There is an old saw about how cats are suspicious of babies, but, I don’t think that old tale is true; it was made up by a jealous dog lover, I think, because all the cats I’ve known in my life were VERY good with babies and small children. They can be a bit grumpy, when older, but, will always be careful not to hurt a child, even when striking out in anger at tail- or ear-pulling. Here as proof is a video that will have you saying “Aww” every few seconds….. Enjoy!…. Oh, and, if it isn’t quite enough, there are LOTS more like it on the page where the link below will take you….

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Cats protecting babies

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https://youtu.be/5MuQweOv9q8

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“TAPPING? You POLITICIANS! Don’t you realize that the END of the “Wash Cycle” is a TREASURED MOMENT for most people?!” — Zippy the Pinhead

It took me a few days, but, I finally found the perfect quote from Zippy to cover any comments I might make regarding the recent fiasco on Fox, wherein the gazillion wannabe candidates for the Republican presidential nomination were gathered together into two groups to answer a bunch of soft-ball questions from the most corrupt, biased news source in the entire world. Sometimes I don’t know why they don’t just include their news broadcasts in their lineup of Reality TV shows; the so-called debate had about as much to do with actual Consensual Reality as does the life-cycle of aquatic diatoms…. Come to think of it, that might be more entertaining….

“Politicians are interested in people. Not that this is always a virtue. Fleas are interested in dogs.” — P. J. O’Rourke

Here’s another accurate observation that serves to point up my point. What’s my point? Ah, okay…. forgot that part, didn’t I? Well, most simply put, it’s this; what a load of horse shit!….. None of these men, or, rather I should be accurate, and say, all of these rich, ignorant, misogynist, racist white males, none of whom fit MY definition of a Man, have any real idea of, or any real connection to, the lives of the common citizens of this country.

Each and every one of them is, and has always been, completely insulated from any of the actual stresses and pressures felt by those average citizens; they’ve never been hungry a day in their lives. They’ve never NOT had a job, or a roof over their heads, or wondered where they were going to find the rent money for next month…. They simply have no idea, other than, possibly, as a remote concept someone once told them about at a party, of what the reality of life is for the majority of the people they are clamoring to ‘represent’ in Washington….

When I began this rant, I intended to spend more time taking some personal shots at the Asininnies who piss me off on such a regular basis….. However, I’m getting a bit tired of always preaching to the choir, so, I’ll finish this indictment with some old-school pearls from some of history’s most coherent philosophers and books…. well, and some not so coherent, but, nonetheless pertinent…. Some of the entries may prompt a comment from yours truly….

“Wheresoever the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered together.” — New Testament — Matthew xxiv, 28

(Many people are not aware, or are in denial of the fact that eagles, even the iconic Bald American Eagle so commonly associated with America, are scavenger birds, who prefer their meat well-aged. They are NOT efficient predators, though some are good fishers….. Any who, the quote does show how our political class resembles the species of, well, vultures. whose nature they display so readily….)

“Who is worse: Lawyer, Politician, Reporter?” — Smart Bee

“The tendencies of democracies are, in all things, to mediocrity, since the tastes, knowledge and principles of the majority form the tribunal of appeal.”
— James Fenimore Cooper

“Any priest or shaman must be presumed guilty until proved innocent.” — Lazarus Long, from Robert A. Heinlein’s “Time Enough For Love”

“Why are we surprised when politicians play politics? It’s not like they are supposed to be real adults… they are, after all, politicians and don’t have real jobs and aren’t playing around with their money.” — Max

“Politics has reached the level where we’re goin’ some if we can even get good, efficient people to vote, to say nothin’ of runnin’ for office.” — Kin Hubbard

“I know one committee I don’t want — Judiciary. They are going to be dealing with all those issues like abortion, bussing, voting rights, prayers. I’m not interested in those issues and I want to stay as far away from them as I can.” — Senator Dan Quayle (from “What a Waste it Is to Lose One’s Mind” — the Unauthorized Autobiography)

“It really doesn’t matter who is President. They all end up sitting in the Oval Office, sticking pins in a Dan Rather doll.” — Smart Bee

“Capitalism did not arise because capitalists stole the land, but because it was more efficient than feudalism. It will perish because it is not merely less efficient than socialism, but actually self-destructive.” — J. B. S. Haldane

“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”

“Ignorance plays the chief part among men, and the multitude of words;” — Diogenes Laertius — Cleobulus, iv

There you go…. I can’t make it much clearer than that….

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I said earlier the titles have nothing to do with any of this material, and that remains true…. This poem, though, may test that contention a bit, as it is as dark as the title…. Not intentional I assure you; the title is fresh today, while the poem was first written on 8/18/2013….

Future Shocked:

Weeping, I wake;
waking, I weep, I weep.
I weep for the ages to be lost,
for the children never to be born.

Time comes calling, strident and spare,
nudging us toward the future with bony hands.
No pausing, no waiting, always away,
Frantic hearts unseen, unheard.

Spirits are dark, afraid.
And the Beast hunts, hungry and cruel,
seeking out the weak, and the foolish.

We all weep now…..

~~ gigoid ~~

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I have nothing to add to this pearl; it’s damn near perfect…. This one will most certainly be on the Quiz, ffolkes; I’d suggest taking notes today….

“Love is shown in your deeds, not in your words.” — Fr. Jerome Cummings

“A good friend who points out mistakes and imperfections and rebukes evil is to be respected as if he reveals a secret of hidden treasure.” — Buddha

“Morality is truth in full bloom.’ — Victor Hugo

“There is a road from the eye to the heart that does not go through the intellect.” — G.K. Chesterton

“None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free.” — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

“To extend your limits, you must push them… and it often hurts.” — Smart Bee

“Appearances often are deceiving.” — Aesop

“Time will explain it all. He is a talker, and needs no questioning before he speaks.” — Euripides

“If birth is a miracle, is not death also a miracle?” — Philosopher Bee

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All things considered, not too shabby. I’ll take it, warts and all. Gosh, it must be ‘lerve’…. Now I’ve cleared most of the dross and drivel out of my head, I think I’ll go back to bed. Better yet, maybe I’ll go find some bureaucrats, myrmidons, or some other category of mundane to torment for a while…. I’m feeling particularly curmudgeonly today…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes; I figure that’s fair warning….

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….

Rambling for rubles….

Posted on July 5, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

Euripides says,–

Who knows but that this life is really death,

And whether death is not what men call life?

~~ Diogenes Laertius — Pyrrho, viii ~~

Scenes from a train V….

Good morning…. But, then, you knew that, or you wouldn’t be here, reading this nonsense, would you? Of course not…. If nothing else, we here at ECR have respect for our Gentle Readers, such as they are. On that you may depend, if naught else…. It won’t pay the rent, or feed very many people, but, it’s got to feel better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick, I would say…. Having said that, to no good purpose other than to fill in a bit more space between the front and rear of this paragraph, I believe I will take this opportunity to get the hell out of this seemingly never-ending initial blurb, so we can actually get started…. Here’s how we’ll do that….

Shall we Pearl?….

“If only there were evil people somewhere, insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?” — Alexander Solzhenitsyn

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royalty-free-clip-art-vector-logos-of-black-and-orange-floral-acoustic-guitars-by-seamartini-graphics-6573

Rather than spend a long time agonizing over our selection today, I decided to just go with our default choice for this section, to wit: classical music. Here is another mix of artists and composers to chill out your morning reading….

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Classical Pearls

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https://youtu.be/pdUOtJLHGQQ

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“My nose feels like a bad Ronald Reagan movie…” — Zippy the Pinhead

Yesterday was July 4th, our holiday to celebrate the birth of the nation. For much of my life, I was one who could be called patriotic; having observed history now for over 60 years, my patriotism has turned mostly to sorrow, for promises unkept, and a dream that died…. The warnings given by our founding fathers, to watch out for professional politicians and corporate influence in government, were mostly ignored during the last century, and we are now paying the price for our lack of attention…..

I intended to comment copiously about all the events and issues that have soured my patriotism, but, find myself unwilling to even go there today. I’ve been in pretty severe pain for days now, and feel I would become too worked up to do it justice…. It’s such a great opening line, I hate to let it go, so, I’ve found an older politirant from the days before my second retirement kicked in, and my sense of outrage was pretty much left in the “ON” position for a couple of years…. It’s all still completely valid, so it will do…. Think about the events of yesterday, in light of Zippy’s comment, and you’ll see what I’m talking about…. We’ve all been stuck in a bad B movie, since the days of Reaganomics, and the final assault on the Bill of Rights….

From 3/7/2013:

“It is useless for sheep to pass resolutions in favor of vegetarianism while wolves remain of a different opinion.” — William Ralph Inge, D. D. 1860 – 1954

I’ve seen this little statement before, and like it a lot, for its honesty in describing our Beloved Ruling Class in relation to the flock of sheep that comprises most of mankind. And, yes, this is the beginning of another politirant….. This one is prompted by the most recent activities that our leaders, if such word applies, have been shown to be engaged in by the news outlets I watch…. to wit: the legislation under review and up for vote in the House of Reps that is concerned with the economy, to wit: the “sequester”, and the recent comments by the POTUS re: global warming and climate change…. Let’s see what we can note about these issues, shall we?….

I have noticed that the Congress, and the POTUS, are currently at odds, as usual, over the economy, and arguing over how to address an issue over which they have absolutely no control…. I just don’t get it, actually…. There is no evidence whatsoever that anything the government does, or has ever done, about the economy has any effect at all on it…. none. Zero. Zilch. Nada damn thing…. The economy of the world, or even just this nation, is not subject to any manipulation by us; it’s too big, too amorphous…. It’s like trying to herd cats…. a lot of effort for small results, and you end up with a bunch of pissed off felines… If you know anything about cats, you will realize that this is never a good thing….

Yet, because the public demands that something be done, the politicians start their idiotic posturing, pontificating, and, otherwise polluting the airwaves with nonsensical suggestions as to what should be done to fix the problems. NONE of those ever work, nor will they ever work; the economy does not move according to any rules that we can control, or even know, and any action we take is just as liable to have a bad effect as a good one….. But, the public wants the government to fix it, so they try to make noises as if they actually could do something helpful, when in fact, anything they do is as liable to hurt as to help….. Sad, but, true as the day is long….

It’s actually kind of fun watching the contortions they go through for issues such as this; since I know for a fact that none of it will have any real effect on the issue, I can enjoy the parade without worrying about whether it will actually do anything useful…. It is a bit depressing to watch, since I am aware of just how little can be done, but, the show can be entertaining, and it does pass the time… The depressing part is knowing that the public is actually buying all of what they are saying, and really do expect something to change for the better… But, then, I am always amazed at the depth of human stupidity. I don’t know why, as I KNOW how dumb people can be… I am one, you know…. but, it always is a surprise to see just how deeply that stupidity is ingrained in the human condition…

Of course, this stupidity is part and parcel of why we are experiencing the second issue I mentioned above… global warming and overpopulation. I will be very interested to see exactly how the POTUS intends to address the issue, as he has promised to do, several times now since his inauguration. Since the issue is well advanced beyond the point that most people think it is, it will be a telling factor in deciding how seriously the issue is being taken, and whether or not it will have any chance at all of being either enough, or soon enough… Both of these are critical factors, as the point of no-return for the ecological balance of this planet is so near, it may have already been passed some months ago…..

I’m not sure how scientifically minded many of y’all are, but, I am… scientifically minded, that is, and I can tell you without fear of contradiction (from anyone with any reliable scientific knowledge, anyway….) that the atmosphere of this planet is, without doubt, and without evidence to the contrary, on the very edge of becoming unbreathable for humans…. The millions of tons of carbon monoxide and other toxic substances that are being pumped into the air EVERY SECOND, and that has been pumped in now for over a hundred years, has reached the point where it will begin a process of leaching oxygen from the air, and the balance of gases we need to survive will change, hell, IS changing, and fairly rapidly, until it is no longer of a balance that we can safely breathe… This is scientific FACT, not speculation, not a guess.. the process has already begun, the only question remaining is, how quickly will it happen?

“In the game of life you get to choose where you keep your brain – heads you win, tails you lose.” — Smart Bee

So, we’ll see where the POTUS keeps his brain, as he speaks in the next few days about this issue… Whatever he decides to do, you can bet that it won’t be enough, and it won’t make a damn bit of difference, other than in a few Presidential approval polls, perhaps. After all, even though he is a fairly reform oriented politician, he is still a politician, and you can lay good money, without fear of losing, on the fact that whatever he does is designed to benefit him and his Presidency, and any benefit for the public is a secondary concern….

He IS a politician, after all, and his primary concern is for his own success; it’s NOT the welfare of the people… He has merely discovered that being the “People’s Champion” is currently a good political stance to take…. if it ever becomes too itchy a coat to wear, he will take it off in a heartbeat…. Count on it…. You don’t get to that level of the game without being a complete asshole in some respects, and I don’t think anyone who WANTS to be President can be accused of not being ambitious, and, in the process, sociopathic….

“No people in the world ever did achieve their freedom by goody-goody talk and moral suasion: it being immutable law that all revolutions that will succeed, must begin in blood, whatever the answer afterward. If history teaches anything, it teaches that.” — Mark Twain, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (1889)

In this case, we aren’t talking about freedom, unless by that one means, freedom to stay alive…. and the BRC isn’t going to do anything about it, I don’t believe…. Or, rather, I’ll believe it when I see it, and, so far, no dice in that respect. I’m enough of a cynic to believe, sadly, that it isn’t GOING to happen, either… because I don’t believe that the POTUS, or the rest of the BRC, gives a damn about the rest of us, as long as they have their own….. This much is obvious from history, but, when did mankind at large ever pay any attention to history?….

If you have some evidence that contradicts that belief, I would dearly love to see it…. Truly, I would, because, quite frankly, my own intelligence, and the evidence I have now, forces me to conclude that we humans are shortly about to come to a bad end…. not with a bang, not with a whimper, but, choking to death in our own planet’s toxic air, victims of our own stupidity, and cupidity….

Daniel: “We’re damned if we do, we’re damned if we don’t; we need other options…” — from Stargate

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Blackberrying

Nobody in the lane, and nothing, nothing but blackberries,
Blackberries on either side, though on the right mainly,
A blackberry alley, going down in hooks, and a sea
Somewhere at the end of it, heaving. Blackberries
Big as the ball of my thumb, and dumb as eyes
Ebon in the hedges, fat
With blue-red juices. These they squander on my fingers.
I had not asked for such a blood sisterhood; they must love me.
They accommodate themselves to my milkbottle, flattening their sides.

Overhead go the choughs in black, cacophonous flocks —
Bits of burnt paper wheeling in a blown sky.
Theirs is the only voice, protesting, protesting.
I do not think the sea will appear at all.
The high, green meadows are glowing, as if lit from within.
I come to one bush of berries so ripe it is a bush of flies,
Hanging their bluegreen bellies and their wing panes in a Chinese screen.
The honey-feast of the berries has stunned them; they believe in heaven.
One more hook, and the berries and bushes end.

The only thing to come now is the sea.
From between two hills a sudden wind funnels at me,
Slapping its phantom laundry in my face.
These hills are too green and sweet to have tasted salt.
I follow the sheep path between them. A last hook brings me
To the hills’ northern face, and the face is orange rock
That looks out on nothing, nothing but a great space
Of white and pewter lights, and a din like silversmiths
Beating and beating at an intractable metal.

~~ Sylvia Plath ~~

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SB decided to take the day off, so, I had to go to the archives for this section’s pearl; it’s not bad, all things considered…. Of course, I probably forgot something, but, hey, it’s the last section, so, who cares?….

From 9/5/2012:

“The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents. We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far. The sciences, each straining in its own direction, have hitherto harmed us little; but some day the piecing together of dissociated knowledge will open up such terrifying vistas of reality, and of our frightful position therein, that we shall either go mad from the revelation or flee from the deadly light into the peace and safety of a new dark age.” — H.P. Lovecraft, The Call of Cthulhu

Sometimes, I think we have already arrived at this point in time….. but, if not, then we are not far away…… with this firmly in mind, please find the following, all of which lead one gently to an idea that may, or may not, make you feel better. Which, of course, is NOT the purpose…. nonetheless, the conclusion framed by these quotes is one you NEED to know……

“It has been said that man is a rational animal. All my life I have been searching for evidence which could support this.” — Bertrand Russell

“Where ignorance is our master, there is no possibility of real peace.” — Dalai Lama

As a man can drink water from any side of a full tank, so the skilled theologian (politician’s too!) can wrest from any scripture that which will serve his purpose. — Bhagavad Gita

“Discourse on virtue and they pass by in droves. Whistle and dance the shimmy, and you’ve got an audience.” — Diogenes

“Anyone who isn’t confused doesn’t really know what’s going on.” — Edward R. Murrow

“The only real failure in life is the failure to try.” — Smart Bee

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Sometimes, by the end of the day’s effort, I’m destroyed; today is one of those days…. The process of deciding, and writing, and formatting all of the above, due, no doubt to the underlying angst involved in the subject matter to which we tend to gravitate, has left me grumpy, and damn glad to be done…. Perhaps tomorrow will be better…. It’s our only hope, Obi-wan!…. See ya, ffolkes, like it or not….

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….

Offenders will be coated in Teflon….

Posted on May 11, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Time cancels young pain.”

~~ Euripides (431 BC) ~~

Rock Spire on Mars ~~ Rover Curiosity’s next target for research

NASA photo from Space.com

Good morning….. Let’s keep this on the up and up, okay? Step lively, ffolkes, Luigi’s in a hurry today….

Shall we Pearl?

“We are as different from one another on the inside of our heads as we appear to be different from one another on the outside of our heads. The world “out there” is as much a projection from inside our heads as it is a perception. It is almost unbelievable that we are all dealing with the same reality. We operate on a kind of loose consensus about existence.” — Robert Fulghum “It Was on Fire When I Lay Down on It”

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Image from freepiks.com via Google Images

No matter how anyone feels, or thinks of the music these four lads made together, it cannot be gainsaid to point out it was the major influence over the lives of millions of young people for a long time, acting as one of the primary cultural influences of the time…. Enjoy, ffolkes; this is part of the cultural legacy we all share, at least, in the Western world….

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The Beatles

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https://youtu.be/xp5Rb7-F-hY

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“In any group of five people, one will be confused, one will be conniving, one will be honest, and two will be trying like hell to figure out where they fit in this group.” — Smart Bee

While I find this statement from SB to be fairly accurate, it fails, I believe, to completely cover the situation when five people get in one place to interact…. In addition, by the statement’s content itself, it fails to be clear; if one is confused, and two are still trying to figure out their place in the group, I’d say it comes down to one good guy, one bad guy, and three people stuck in bozoid mode; in short, all five of them are most likely confused, as anyone trying to make this fit into reality would be….

I suppose that goes to show how not everything said is worth adopting into one’s system of beliefs, even though it may sound relevant on the surface…. It also goes to show how looking further into any statement (to wit: being dubious….) is an important skill, and one everyone would do well to use when examining any idea… In fact, yesterday, the final section contained a word on that idea from Gautama Buddha, which I’ve always felt expressed the concept as well as it’s ever been done, to wit:

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

Below you’ll find a video, complete with link to the You Tube page where it resides, on a subject that concerns all of us here in this country, not merely the five of us now under discussion…. Why don’t y’all take a moment to practice the lesson just learned from the Buddha, practicing your new perceptive skills on the material you’ll see in the report…. Then, we’ll talk….

I found the article at my friend’s site, here: https://talesfromthelou.wordpress.com/2015/05/10/corruption-is-legal-in-america-550/

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Corruption is Legal in America

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https://youtu.be/5tu32CCA_Ig

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It’s easy to see, after watching the video, how things have gotten as bad as they are; not only have the bankers Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Ben Franklin, George Mason, and Thomas Paine all warned us about done exactly as predicted by those founding fathers, they’ve done it right in front of our eyes, with our tacit, complicit approval. They’ve successfully pulled off history’s largest long-con, and now have the entire American public believing…. what? What do they believe?….

Nothing. That’s the trouble. 98% of the people I see don’t even realize there is a problem. They look around, and wonder why they can’t seem to make the American Dream come true, without ever looking behind any of the claims with which they were brought up to believe, to see how they’be been manipulated, and lied to, from the time they were first born, by the government, by the churches, by their own parents, because they too are brainwashed slaves, who know no better than to fall for the same old crap they’ve been falling for their entire lives…

Me, I’m tired of it, so I’m doing what I can to quit the grid, to remove myself from the constraints so successfully welded around the necks of most of society…. I won’t detail my efforts, lest someone try to block them. But, I don’t intend to allow anyone to tell me how to live, ever. so, it must be done…. I don’t know what others may do, but, my own plans are to mitigate the effects of the overall status of society on my life, as best I can…..

In the meantime, I’m done for today; I don’t think I have any real angst left. The American people long ago lost their own freedom, giving it up willingly, trading it for a false sense of security, a state which has no corresponding match in Reality. NOTHING is ever completely secure; entropy and the power of chaos are part of Nature, and there is nothing one can do about it. All we can do is control ourselves, and not be a part of the slavery in which the powers that be would have me engage….

So be it.

gigoid has spoken….

“What I tell you three times is true.” — Lewis Carroll, “The Hunting of the Snark”

Believe me, ffolkes, I’ve told y’all this far more than three times…. You are being lied to, and manipulated; you are a slave. The only hope you have is to realize it, and make the necessary changes within yourself…. Otherwise, well, have a nice life, slaving away so someone else gets rich..,

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I’m in a strange mood today…. Here’s one of mine, just so you can’t blame anyone else for any of this…. This one was written on 10/13/2012:

Honorable Request

Days, filled to a brim with fluff and time, pass
dimly into memory, bit by combative bit,
ever mournful, yet loud with life and sass,
only in dream do we meet, and dance, and flit.

Souls, spinning ’round in gleeful wonder, comply
as they must, never given a reason,
somberly proper, yet limber and quite spry,
dancing on to greet each bright new season.

Storms, angered by apathetic care, rage
proceeding into ministerial glare, unknown,
clothed in colors, purified solely with sage,
past an infinite future, already flown.

Life, plumbed to its depths and secrets, keeps
flowing with currents, strong and fairly found,
love stands, asking release, as it slowly weeps,
seeking refuge unasked, to stay honor bound.

~~ gigoid ~~

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I was going to try to explain this pearl, but, I can’t. Oh, I could, but, I can’t. It would be best if we just leave it at that, I think, as it will become apparent before you’re finished it is a pearl of great beauty and scope…. All you gotta do is leave your mind to me…. Let’s see what it says, shall we?….

“As the wild duck is more swift and beautiful than the tame, so is the wild – the mallard – thought, which ‘mid falling dews wings it way among the fens.” — Thoreau

“I’d rather learn from one bird how to sing than to teach ten thousand stars how not to dance.” — ee cummings

“A moment’s insight is sometimes worth a life’s experience.” — Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.

“All I really need to know about how to live and what to do and how to be I learned in kindergarten. Remember the Dick-and-Jane books and the first word you learned–the biggest word of all–look.” — Robert Fulghum

“As one gets older, one discovers everything is going to be exactly the same with different hats on.” — Noel Coward

“Everything may happen. [Omnia fieri possunt.]” — Seneca, Epistulae ad Lucilium, Epis. LXX, 9

“Remember there’s an “if” in the middle of life.” — Smart Bee

“Do not be angry with me if I tell you the truth.” — Socrates (470?-399 B.C.)

“I have no idea what that meant.” – Dot (Warner; Yakko & Wacko are her brothers)

Well, I like it….

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There are some mornings when it surprises me no end to reach this point. I haven’t a clue, really, as to how it got done, but, it’s done. Hopefully, one or two of the five or six things which have been engaging too much of my attention of late will resolve themselves shortly, and I can look for a bit of peace, all-too-absent of late…. That said, I’m outta here, with great reluctance, but, a feeling of accomplishment. That’s something, I guess. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes…. I have hope, anyway…. Call me Ishmael…. I won’t answer, but, go ahead….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Slick Willie’s sick sailboat…

Posted on April 26, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“And it’s just a box of rain
I don’t know who put it there

Believe it if you need it
Or leave it if you dare

And it’s just a box of rain
Or a ribbon for your hair

Such a long, long time to be gone
And a short time to be there”

~~ Box of Rain by Lesh, Hunter ~~

Curiosity Rover trundling across Mars

Photo by NASA orbiter via Space.com

Aw, fuck.

Oh, I’m sorry. Did I say that out loud? My bad…. I guess I should either explain, or start over. Hmm…

Good morning, ffolkes! Yes, yes I did bail on the first beginning…. No explanations for you. “Too bad, so sad, try again next time,” he said, with a nasty smirk. That’s because he woke up in the weirdest fucking mood he’s ever experienced; in fact, ‘weird’ just doesn’t make the grade at all… He has no clue what person to write in, first, second, third, or weird; the latter seems the most achievable, at this point. In fact, we’re going to admit defeat, so we can get on with the rest of today’s mess, a process y’all realize just became even more volatile than usual…..

Why is that? Well, last time I had this issue, the stock market crashed. No, not really, but, I did feel a great disturbance in the Force, as if a million voices had all… wait, no, that’s Obi-wan’s line. Sorry, wrong page.

Okay, I’m busted, I guess. Since I didn’t, and won’t, have a clue as to how to find, or create, yet another exciting, passionate, obviously brilliant opening section, I figured this would serve to fill in. How’d I do? I know, it’s kinda sappy, but, hey, it’s better than most of them, I’d say. Of course, I’m pretty biased, as we all know, especially in THIS instance; I certainly have a vested interest in finding some way to make it work every day. It’s really too bad Reality is never going to cooperate in that goal, since it has absolutely no investment, or interest, in helping me out…. Asshole.

Oops. No swearing at Reality. It’s easily offended, and the payback is, quite simply, a…. you thought I was going to be vulgar, didn’t you? Hah!

Iconoclasm as a way of life… yeah, that’s the ticket!….

Okay, that’s plenty, I’d say. If we, or I, or y’all, or somebody doesn’t assume control here, we’ll be stuck here forever, listening to me try to achieve enough coherence to bring this to a conclusion (at this rate, that would be sometime in the next millennium….). I think it’s time for the application of another colorful metaphor, so to speak….

Fuck it. I’m through being nice…. Luigi, take us in!…..

Shall we Pearl?

“Insanity in individuals is something rare – but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule.” — Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900), Beyond Good and Evil

I’m not sure how I should take that…. I AM an individual!…. I guess that makes me rare… or, perhaps, merely sane in an insane world….

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Google Free Images

This young lady needs no introduction; her fame is intact. The cartoons I’ve included below are a collection of those banned from TV and theaters for their adult/controversial content…. Certainly a cultural icon, she was the first fantasy girl for many a young American lad….

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Betty Boop

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https://youtu.be/VkG9c1yy2lg

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“The more laws, the less justice.”

~~ Marcus Tullius Cicero (106-43 B.C.) — De Officiis (44 B.C.) ~~

Here is an epic rant from the archives. It first appeared in 2012, and shows up about once a year, it seems, so, it must be okay…. Enjoy, such as you may….

Last posted 4/26/2014:

One of the hardest parts of blogging on a daily basis, I’ve found, is keeping the chosen material fresh, especially when I tend to rely on a small set of subjects upon which to rant on a regular schedule…. As you know, if you’ve been here previously, I do like to take my shots at the BRC, which consists primarily of the men who prey upon the rest of humanity for their own benefit; most especially, I like to take my best shots at those assholes who prey on women and children, enslaving them as sexual objects for their own profit and sick indulgence….

However, as I tried to explain in the last post in which I spoke of this, it is extremely hard for me to write about, as it tends to kick in my PTSD symptoms…. I get a large jolt of adrenalin when I start to think about this, and my mind turns immediately to buying weapons, ammunition, and starting the planning process to go hunting, for pimps, snakeheads, and any other assholes involved in the sex trafficking trade….

Bleeding hearts may proclaim all the sad stories they know, or speculate, stories that might explain why these assholes are the way they are, but, I don’t really give a shit how they got the way they are; to do what they do, a conscious choice must be made, and, to my mind, that is enough to warrant removing them from the society of decent people, permanently…. If that means I’m playing God, well, so be it…. I am liable to be as good at it as any of the delusional versions; I have the advantage of actually having a physical form that can be touched, so there’s no question of my involvement, or my reality….

Just writing those last two paragraphs has me so worked up, my breath is speeding, my heart rate has jumped over a hundred, & my musculature is loosening up, relaxing and stretching…. I’m starting to breathe more deeply, too, as the adrenalin widens all of my blood and air passages in preparation for fight, or flight…. Having spent eleven years living with random adrenalin attacks, while working at Atascadero and Napa State Hospitals, frequently wrestling with the violently insane to save their life, or my own, I am all-too-familiar with those symptoms…. which include the necessity for waiting for up to three or four HOURS for them to wear off completely…. It’s a pain, to be honest, and I don’t like it at all…

Which is why I am going to cheat…. I’m going to reprint a rant from the archives, one of several I wrote during the year it was first posted, when I first began to write about this issue regularly…. This is one of my better rants, so I hope you enjoy it…. I have added, here at the beginning, a perfect pearl that I found as an appetizer to what follows…. Here then, our rant for today…..

“Egotism is the anesthetic that dulls the pain of stupidity.” — Frank Leahy

From 12/4/12:

“Free enterprise ended in the United States a good many years ago. Big oil, big steel, big agriculture avoid the open marketplace. Big corporations fix prices among themselves and drive out the small entrepreneur. In their conglomerate forms, the huge corporations have begun to challenge the legitimacy of the state.” — Gore Vidal

In his book, “Friday”, Robert Heinlein details a society of humanity’s possible future, one in which corporations have continued to grow beyond the boundaries of mere countries, until their interests become paramount even over that of the state, as observed by Mr. Vidal. We, of the society here on Earth in the early 21st century are witnessing that growth, as I write, and as you read…..

The small enterprise markets still exist, but only on the fringes of the economy, the major portion of which is busy manipulating the population into serving the economic trends that the corporations control, in the essential markets that cover everyone… In other words, the corporations monopolize most of the economy, allowing the fringe markets to exist to provide exotic, alternative toys and entertainments for the working classes.

Mr. Heinlein’s character, a young woman with designer genes, genius IQ, and Heinlein’s innate sardonicism, as part of an assignment, is required to perform a research and analysis of how the large multinational corporations affected the political and economic scenes of their society, obliquely referring, of course, to the one we have now. It is a very interesting part of a very good book, and well worth a read, not only for its perspicacity in explaining the piracy we are seeing today, but because Heinlein was a master storyteller, who created fascinating characters in fantastic situations, making it all seem perfectly normal and real.

“The phenomenality of organic, conscious existence should, could have made impossible the sadism, the unending hurt of our ways. The impotent fury, the guilt that master and surpass my identity carry with them the working hypothesis, the ‘working metaphor’, if you will, of ‘original sin’. To this expression, I am unable to attach any reasoned, let alone historical substance. On the pragmatic-narratological plane, stories of some initial crime and inherited culpability are universal fables — uncannily profound and lasting. Nothing more. Yet in the presence of the beaten, raped child, of the horse or mule flogged across its eyes, I am possessed, as by a midnight clarity, by the intuition of the Fall.” — Rudolf Steiner, Errata: An examined life, Phoenix — (a division of Orion Books), London, 1998), p. 169

At first, this quote may not seem to be related to the first. However, it is this “original sin” of which he speaks that is the root cause of the problems with corporations in society. Those humans who reject commonality with the rest of humanity are the villains, in this play that passes for modern culture, for they do not accept their debt to the rest of the species, and have determined that they will use whatever means they need to become ascendant over the rest of us. Greed is only the most obvious of the ills that this group has subjected our culture to, with cruelty, dishonesty, and lack of compassion as side attractions. Through the actions of their corporate entities, they work to maintain their power and control of others, all for the sake of their own aggrandizement….

These are the men who run the trade in human trafficking, abducting and abusing children and women, for sex and slavery. These are the men who run the brothels, and the underground casinos, and the money-lending, and the protection rackets, and the drug dealing rings. What many folks don’t realize is that they are also the men who run for political office, or become preachers/priests, and the bankers, and the CEO’s, and other corporate officers, who make their decisions based on self-interest, never on altruism. They seem, and act like, they are the leaders of society, when, in fact, they are the very reason our society is headed for extinction….

Unfortunately, these men (and they are almost ALL men….) will not give up their power and control without a fight. They will not respond to reason, giving up all their wealth and perceived power, to benefit the rest of mankind. They will not suddenly see the light, and give it all back. They will have to be rooted out like weeds, tough, hardy weeds, and destroyed, if we are to have any chance of survival…. It is unfortunate, but no other method will work, and it brings with it the danger of falling into the same kind of behavior by which they operate. But, I can see no other way to solve the issue, since they will not cooperate with the rest of us for the benefit of all….

1. If you keep doing what you are doing, you will keep getting what you are getting.

2. What you settle for is what you end up with.

3. If you think that worrying about a problem is the same thing as solving it, then you must live in some other universe where different laws pertain.

–Smart Bee

Note from 2014: To finish this, here is one last pearl, with a perfect description of the assholes who prey on their fellow men, or worse, women and children…. Pearls like this are good channel markers, for helping to identify the dickheads….

“Nothing is enough for the man to whom enough is too little.” — Epicurus

Note from 2015: Thank goodness for the Tardis! I’ll leave you with another appropriate closing for THIS year….

“Sometimes I think the world has gone completely mad. And then I think, “Aw, who cares?” And then I think, “Hey, what’s for supper?” — Deep Thoughts by Jack Handey

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Written December, 2012, last posted October, 2014:

A Failure to Germinate

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

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

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

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

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

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

~~ gigoid ~~

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Today’s old-school is bifunctional. It’s no surprise Spell Checker doesn’t like that word; I did just make it up, as far as I know. But, that’s true of the pearl, as well, so, hey, symmetry, right? Works for me…. Ask me sometime, & maybe I’ll remember what I meant by that….

“Grasp the whole world of reason, life and sense
In one close system of benevolence.”

~~ Alexander Pope ~~

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

“In the midst of winder I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer.” — Albert Camus

“We are like butterflies who flutter for a day and think it is forever.” — Carl Sagan

“I have found power in the mysteries of thought.” Euripides

“Depend on no man, on no friend, but him who can depend on himself. He only who acts conscientiously towards himself will act so towards others, and vice versa.” — Lavater

Euripides says,– Who knows but that this life is really death, and whether death is not what men call life?” — Diogenes Laertius (c. 200 AD) — Pyrrho, viii

Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I’ve tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
But if it had to perish twice
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction, ice
Is also great
And would suffice

~~ Robert Frost ~~

~~ Fire and Ice ~~

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“Blessed is he who has learned to laugh at himself, for he shall never cease to be entertained.” — John Powell

Bwahahahahahaha!….

However, let me assure you, I mean that only in the best of ways….. And, yes. I am endlessly entertained by my own antics, in making my way through this beautiful, ugly, puzzling, simple, wonderful journey called life…. But, that’s probably just me; what do I know?…. With a bit of luck, I’ll see y’all tomorrow, ffolkes….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Oh, look, honey, the aurochs are nictating!….

Posted on February 28, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“He should not vow to walk in the dark,

who has not seen the nightfall.”

~~ Elrond ~~

Niagra Falls, February, 2015 ~~ Photo from Weather.com

Today’s intro section will be just that, and nothing more. I’m tired of trying to figure it out, so I’m taking a hiatus from doing so…. Our only purpose here today is to get this done, so we can get on with it. Too much going on to even explain, so, in the interests of maintaining honesty, we’ll go immediately into emergency exit #4, which, as y’all know, works like this….

Shall we Pearl?

“Pardon him, Theodotus, he is a barbarian, and thinks that the customs of his tribe and island are the laws of nature.” — George Bernard Shaw

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Spock passed from this world yesterday…. Leonard Nimoy, who became Spock in the eyes and minds of the world, died at the age of 83, having lived long, and prospered. We’ll all miss him, that’s for sure…. Here is my own small tribute, in a slightly different vein than most you’ll see today…. This one celebrates the fun he gave us, along with the wisdom… Enjoy!….

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Star Trek – Blooper collection

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http://youtu.be/eDT5ZRF5mqU?list=PLO4pIougCfYbHe42rwjbvuQibfMHA7jC7

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Up late; can’t think. This will do…. It ain’t up to Sartre, or Kierkegaard, but, it’ll do….

From 8/29/2013:

“But my dear man, reality is only a Rorschach ink-blot, you know.” — Alan Watts

I enjoy the words of Alan Watts, and have done so since first reading one of his books in college, many years ago. His command of English is so deep and wide that he is somewhat hard to read, due to the weight and depth of both the material under discussion, and of the words he chooses to use. But, working one’s way through to the end of what he writes is well worth all the effort, for he explains the complex, and yet simple, wisdom of the Eastern religions and philosophies, in Western terms, so they are comprehensible to those same Western thinkers, with a clarity heretofore unseen. This particular line is one of his most simply written, yet is still deep and insightful…..

With one swift phrase, Reality is laid bare for all to understand, showing its flexibility, it’s malleable nature able to become whatever we perceive it to be. Each of us has our own interpretation of what we perceive as reality, and it is often very different than what others may believe it to be. Sometimes, I am absolutely amazed at the variety of perceptions that people describe, and feel a lot of satisfaction, on one level at least. That is the level of interaction…. I think it is just wonderful, that people from so many different backgrounds, and so many different ways of looking at the same thing, can still live together on one planet in relative harmony.

It would seem apparent that so many differing viewpoints would cause a lot of trouble, and to some extent that’s true…. There is a lot of trouble on this world, and Reality is not a place for the weak or timid to hang out safely. But, mostly, all the various attitudes and outlooks on life seem to shuffle along without much conflict, at the personal level, compared to what might be expected. One of those little unexplained miracles in life that we often don’t see, or appreciate….. The phenomenon is even more pronounced in institutions such as mental hospitals, where the visions of reality are of such a nature as to seem limitless in their variety. I was always impressed at how people from so many different parts of the galaxy were able to live together in peace…. 🙂

For me, the best part about the nature of Reality is this chameleon-like quality: it can be anything we want it to be. We can accept the perceptions it sends us, and even see, and understand, what those are describing to others, thus making it convenient for us to communicate about it. Or, we can choose to alter those perceptions, either in the way we receive them, or in the way we interpret them; either method gives us control over exactly how we view what is now a somewhat questionable form of Reality.

(It occurs to me that maybe I should use the capitalization technique, as with the words ‘pearl’, and ‘Pearl’…. Yeah, that’s the ticket… Okay, so ‘Reality’, capitalized, is what we all agree to see, and ‘reality’ is what each of us sees personally, with the word ‘see’ used to indicate ‘perceive’ because it’s a shorter word, took less time to type, and allowed me to further obfuscate matters in order to create the need to clear them up….. That should help clarify where we are in a sentence, even if it doesn’t actually simplify things at all…..)

Speaking of knowing where we are, this discussion seems to have reached a point where the next destination may be out of reach. Oh, not that the reality of it is too abstruse, or complicated, or even merely disgusting. No, it’s just too esoteric for me at 0815 in the morning, after already composing a couple thousand words on human nature and and the nature of Reality. It is almost a depressing come-down to have to consider ending this, since it was flowing so well, but, the perfect closing pearl showed itself, and I’m not one to argue with Smart Bee, or Zippy….. Stay alert, ffolkes, Reality can suck, and it can bite, when it’s not being nice…..

“I guess it was all a DREAM.. or an episode of HAWAII FIVE-O…” — Zippy the Pinhead

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Gasp! Need something to uplift me! Quick, some Emily….

A thought went up my mind to-day
That I have had before,
But did not finish,–some way back,
I could not fix the year,

Nor where it went, nor why it came
The second time to me,
Nor definitely what it was,
Have I the art to say.

But somewhere in my soul, I know
I’ve met the thing before;
It just reminded me–‘t was all–
And came my way no more.

~~ Emily Dickinson ~~

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Y’all should get a clue as to the ultimate nature of what you will find below, from the picture adorning the top of the section; for the moment, I’ll pretend it’s just another elephant in the parlor….

Since today’s old-school pearl came together so easily, forming a nice, rounded description of most of the important points we all need to learn in our lives, yet, managing to maintain a not entirely straight face, I’m going to let it go without even worrying about whether it leads anywhere useful…. It was too much fun putting it together to throw out…. All of the following is good stuff, even if it lost all sense of sobriety at the end…. It fits…

“The beginning is the most important part of the work.” — Plato, The Republic. Book II. 377B

“Heaven embraces the horizon. No matter how jagged the profile, the sky faithfully conforms.” — Deng Ming-Dao

“Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.” — Albert Einstein

“Among mortals second thoughts are wisest.” — Euripides

“I prefer to be true to myself, even at the hazard of incurring the ridicule of others, rather than to be false, and to incur my own abhorrence.” — Frederick Douglass

“EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED!” — Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy (Page 7,023)

“The virtue of all achievement is the victory over oneself. Those who know this can never know defeat.” — A.J. Cronin

“Go into yourself and see how deep the place is from which your life flows.” — Rainer Maria Rilke in Letters to a Young Poet

“This life is a test. It is only a test. Had it been an actual life, you would have received further instructions as to what to do and where to go. You may or may not be issued an actual life later.” — Smart Ass Bee

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Having thus completed my Duty in tolerable fashion, I shall take my leave, to go forth into the day, clueless…. See y’all tomorrow, if I can find my way back home today….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

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

Posted on February 21, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

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

~~ Anonymous — (1576) ~~

Beauty, Laughing at the Cage

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Shall we Pearl?

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

I have read and understood the above. X_________________

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(Picture from Google Images)

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

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

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

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http://youtu.be/6_zwB6GLpo4

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Truths would you teach, or save a sinking land?

All fear, none aid you, and few understand.

~~ Alexander Pope ~~

~~ Essay on Man, Epistle iv, Line 261 ~~

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

From 7/23/2012:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A Failure to Germinate

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

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

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

~~ gigoid ~~

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Ensign Expendable, step on that rock” — Kirk

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

What happens AFTER it melts?….

Posted on January 24, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“He who dies with the most toys, is, nonetheless, still dead.”

~~ Smart Bee ~~

NASA Travel Posters

Okay, ffolkes. We’re in serious trouble now. It’s relatively late, I’m clueless, and I have nothing. Literally, and, figuratively, nothing. SIGH….

Not only do I have nothing floating around in my head, nothing is done from yesterday, another tough one, wherein I spent much of the day slathering magic cream on those parts of me I can still reach, interspersed with the occasional self-induced pity party, and a number of episodes of TD…. Since we refuse to countenance the former, and would just as soon forget the latter, as far as we are able, neither is a suitable subject for our needs just now…. In point of fact, nothing seems to be suitable for that, as A) we don’t have any idea as to what we need, and, B) there’s that word “nothing” again…

See? In my world, and on this occasion, nothing isn’t merely a small amount, it’s NOTHING….. Hell, I’ve got that down, so far as it goes. It’s only natural, since I end up in its embrace so frequently; even an old dog finds a new bone now and again. (I THINK that’s how that aphorism goes; I could be wrong…. Even if I’m right, though, I still don’t know what the hell it means…. or, how it applies to this…. But, it LOOKS good up there, doesn’t it?….) I don’t believe I’ve ever, in all my vast experience with nothing, seen this much nothing all in one place and time…. Usually, even Murphy is a nice enough guy to spread it around a bit…. This, though, is a pile of nothing such as the world has never seen….

I’m not sure just how to use it, even with all my experience with it. Usually I’m trying to ignore it, or shove it in a closet, or dump it somewhere. With this much of it, I should be able to figure out how to use at least the fringes of it for something, or, at the minimum, find a buyer who hasn’t seen such a big one before, and sell it before they wake up…. Of course, that assumes I can find anyone that stupid; even stupidity may not be that stupid, I’m guessing….

I think, upon looking back over the last paragraph, we’d better use one of the old emergency endings for these opening sections; if we continue trying to milk water out of this stone statue, I think I’ll hurt myself…. and, that’s if nobody catches on. If anyone should notice just what I’ve been doing here this morning, I could be open to all sorts of litigation, not to mention what it would do to the sales of my non-existent books….

Okay, I’ve got it…. here’s what we’ll do….

Nothing….

Shall we Pearl?

“Y’know, every once in a while, when you look off into the distance, you can see a shimmering in the atmosphere’s coefficient of refraction, as someone, someone small and slow on the horizon, gets a clue.” — Blair Houghton, who’s yet to get one

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Since the theme for today’s Pearl is such an amorphous entity, we’ll simply provide some traveling music, and be done with this section for today…. Here is an artist, a singer/songwriter, whose work never reached the level of popularity I think it deserves…. Enjoy, ffolkes….

Phoebe Snow live

http://youtu.be/QVX_rPpxtIU

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“All great truths begin as blasphemies.”

~~ George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950), “Annajanska” ~~

What a wonderful opening for a rant of gargantuan proportion! Fortunately for y’all, and, in this case, for me, we have already established the level of resources I have at my disposal today, to wit: nothing; this means, naturally, you won’t be subjected to a fresh rant, even though this quote could be applied to almost any of our usual categories for discussion. Instead, we’ll go with one from the archives, chosen mostly for its expedience… What this means in real-time is, it will be the first one I find that I think will do…. Here it is, whatever it is; I haven’t chosen it yet. No worries, I’m in a pretty easy mood, so, it won’t be too heavy….

Ah, here is a good one. It’s a bit long, but, it won’t tax anyone’s already over-burdened head to any large degree…. It does, however, fulfill my need to proselytize in favor of reason, versus living life by rules that make no sense to me…. Whatever…. Enjoy, ffolkes, it’s not bad…. and, remember what it cost you to get in….

From 2/2/2013:

“I can handle reality in small doses, but as a lifestyle it’s much too confining.” — Lily Tomlin

This is one of many statements of its type, some from Miss Lily, some from other comedians and social philosophers, all of whom are special to me…. They are special because they poke fun at society in the mildest way, but with clarity that is belied by their apparent simplicity and obvious humor. It is easy for a lot of folks to dismiss little gems like this, as being unimportant, or less than serious, just because it speaks with tongue in cheek… Nothing could be further from the truth, as this statement is absolute gospel to a large percentage of the adult population of this country….

“Reality is for those people who can’t handle drugs.” — George Carlin

(My attribution here might be incorrect, but, George inspired the line, if he didn’t write it himself….)

Here is another line from the revolution that happened back in the 60’s and 70’s, and it points up a very definitive difference between those folks who spend their time in the mainstream of society, and those who exist at the extremes, in this case, in what is generally conceived to be on the Left end of the scale…. Those who inhabit the other end of the political spectrum tend to rely on alcohol to blunt the effects of Reality on the brain, rather than what are dismissed by them as recreational drugs, such as marijuana, psilocybin, mescaline, etc. In some ways, you can get a good idea of the philosophies themselves by looking at how they approach the subject of drugs and alcohol, and by the differing methods of enhancing life with them….

Those who rely on alcohol are those who prefer to NOT know the truth, about anything. It seems to me that the physical effects of alcohol parallel exactly the way these folks look at life…. When under the influence of alcohol, one’s senses are depressed, and it is much harder to see the truth than at other times…. and that is the way they like it…. With consumption of alcohol, the hearing decreases, judgment is impaired, vision blurs, sense of touch is lessened, and fine muscle control is compromised, pretty much in that order of occurrence. It is the same each time, but with continued regular consumption, a certain tolerance is developed, a tolerance that slightly mitigates the effects, but certainly does not keep them from happening.

Those who use drugs to enhance or adjust their view don’t deny the truth, but they want it to be all prettied up for them in some way, so it isn’t so harsh and ugly…. Most of the effects of the drugs are in the mind, with some notable exceptions; the perceptions of all the senses are not depressed, but altered in some way, usually personal to the user, in physical response to the chemical in the drug that causes the cognitive alterations. Either way, whether with drugs, or with alcohol, perception of the truth is what ultimately suffers, which is what the proponents of both ends of the spectrum tend to forget, or deny….

“Have you ever wondered if taxation without representation was cheaper?” — Smart Bee

I have…. It is and it isn’t, and we are witnessing that phenomenon right now….. This may be why many people have such a hard time with reality; when one becomes aware of just how screwed up things are, and how much lying, cheating, and stealing is going on right before our eyes, it is rather daunting to take in all at once, so people do as they’ve always done, and slip into massive denial of the truth, preferring to just ignore the evidence that is slapping them upside the head…. One time, I actually sat down to do the math on the above question, and what I found was surprising…. Neither way works…. There just isn’t any logical way to govern people, and make it either profitable, or even reasonably cheap…. Well, not as long as the lying, cheating, and stealing is part of the equation, anyway….

“The word “dog” does not bite,” — William James

Boy, if that isn’t the truth…. but, try to convince the general public of that….. It is one of the basic issues to be considered when speaking to the public, one that the BRC and PTB members all know very well, as it is their chief weapon in controlling the populace…. Most folks don’t think…. when they do, it causes them pain, so they tend to let someone else do it for them, and just go along in blissful ignorance, accepting whatever they’re told without a clue. They never consider that the word itself is not the thing it describes; even worse, they don’t care to know….. It is the simplest thing in the world for the Beloved Ruling Class to fool the public, because they actively participate, with apparent glee, in their own debasement….

“As a matter of cold fact, a lot of people have no use for you because they can’t use you.” — Smart Bee

Sometimes, I’m not sure which disgusts me more…. the callous disregard for others that is the defining characteristic of all politicians and preachers, or the deliberately blind, fawning ignorance of those who refuse to become fully human, use their minds, and take responsibility for their own life…. To my way of thinking, both are deserving of every bit of trouble that reality can give them, just for their intransigence…. otherwise known as rampant stubbornness, or more simply, massive stupidity….

I’m being deliberately offensive this morning, as I’m sick and tired of how the general public refuses to wake up and smell the gunpowder, and I don’t really care if it hurts someone’s feelings. Anyone who disagrees with my assessment is free to offer up their own take on the matter, and I’ll give it equal time for discussion…. but, if what I’ve said hurts feelings, then apparently what I’ve said strikes just a little too close to the truth for comfort, and I would suggest that the person take a look at that before setting themselves up for embarrassment, by trying to argue without a leg upon which to stand….

In the past year and a half, I’ve written thousands and thousands of words trying to wake people up to how much they are giving away by refusing to think. It is my greatest hope that what I have to say may have some small effect on the world, an effect that might in some way contribute to our chances of surviving our own foolishness. I’m afraid my hope is, sadly, rather slim, but, I am not ready to quit my campaign, nor to change tactics. I’ll keep on poking at the BRC, and the priestly hierarchies, and every other enemy of mankind (for that is how I see them….) for as long as I can, and hope for the best….

“One of the greatest advantages in the world is enjoyed by the person who says and insists that they are telling the truth, when in fact, they are telling the truth.” — Smart Bee

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A new poem is almost ready to leak, but, not today…. To sublimate, I’ll use one from the archives, so nobody else gets any of the blame for this post…. I’m afraid, the way it is progressing at this point, I could conceivably find it necessary to call a lawyer before the end of the day…. Ah, well, I won’t worry about that now…. which is, I know, a typically human, mundane sort of reaction to anything we don’t want to face….

Elemental, dear Watson….

Don’t worry,
it’s not
me
you hear
screaming.

It is
only
my bones,
giving in,
to
cowardly,
pathologically,
repetitive,
fucking,’
complaints
of
past abuse,
and
all the fun
we had.
playing,
hard.

I don’t mind
too much;
I can spend my
TIME
in another space
in my head,
pretending
my bones
don’t
exist….

It
is,
indeed,
a shame
they
always
come
back….

Fuck.

It
hurts.

More proof,
I guess,
either
God isn’t,
or,
He is.

He isn’t?
Oh,
Well….

Ante up.
Deal.

He is?
Then,
I don’t fucking care
who
doesn’t like it,

I say,

He
is
a bully,
a coward,
a hypocrite,
and,
truly,
an enormous asshole.

I suppose,
God
is
what comes,
to,
and
from,
People,

because

they
feel
a need,
for
someone
to
blame,
for
a
Universe
they
cannot
understand
or
accept.

I
will
take the complaints.

After all,
they
are
my bones.

~~ gigoid ~~

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Finally he released the young man, and waded back to dry land. Then Socrates questioned the man. `What did you most want just now?’ The young man replied, `Air.’ `When you want knowledge as much as you just wanted air, you shall have it.’

I don’t remember how old I was when I first heard this short piece of history. It is a scene so often related in human experience, I’m sure nobody even knows when it first appeared, though obviously it came shortly AFTER the death of Socrates. I do know I was younger than 10; I remember, too, the effect the story had on me when I heard it, which was a feeling of dejá vu, in a way, a feeling I had just heard something I’d always known….

I took the aphorism to heart, letting it guide my thoughts in everything I did, at least in terms of the training of my mind…. Throughout the remainder of my life, I have collected many such short statements, each of which gives us a condensed lesson, in how to life a life one may be proud to have lived…. Each of these pearls you’ll see is a lesson I’ve learned, at one point or another, with varying degrees of reluctance, like all humans….

Here, then, for your kind consideration, is a pearl composed of as many of them as I could find this morning in the allotted space of time; the natural number one would expect, of course, is exactly what I found, to wit, as grokked by the Old Ones of Mars, 3 filled, or, as you see…. a nine-star pearl…. As is appropriate, we start with some wisdom as old as humanity, as interpreted by our old friend, Smart Bee…..Enjoy!….

“Whenever doubt can be called into question, do so.” — Smart Bee

“A man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest.” — Paul Simon

“Cease to be ruled by dogmas and authorities; look at the world!” — H.G. Wells paraphrase of Roger Bacon’s works

“You don’t learn anything the second time you’re kicked by a mule.” — Smart Bee

“The reward of one duty is the power to fulfill another.” — George Eliot

“The wisest men follow their own directions.” — Euripides

“To see what is right and not to do it is cowardice.” — Cervantes

“Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest.” — Mark Twain (1835-1910)

“In walking, just walk. In sitting, just sit. Above all, don’t wobble.” — Yun-Men

That just about says it all, doesn’t it? Don’t wobble, ffolkes….

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Well, damn! I did it! It was touch and go there for a while, but, I managed, somehow, to do this, almost as if I had something, rather than the nothing I know is the case. Well, whatever it is, it’s got long legs, a glossy coat, a mane, and a fondness for alfalfa, so, it must be a gift horse…. we’ll leave its mouth alone, and be on our way to bigger and better things, which I’m sure I’ll find somewhere out there in the Big Blue Room, where I hope to be up to spending some time today…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Twisted versions of a flawed Reality….

Posted on January 21, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“History doesn’t repeat itself — historians merely repeat each other.”

~~ First Rule of History ~~

Last night, as Orion chased his prey across the winter sky, slowly, majestically pacing toward the Western mists, sword shining at his belt, bow drawn, I thought of my children, and my grandchildren, so young, so innocent of the world, and the life they will have to face in the coming years. My thoughts, because of what I know to be true, were dark, and fearful, not for myself, for I have had my share of years, filled with equal parts joy and pain, but, for them, knowing how much of the pain they will have to know, before they have much chance at a great deal of the joy that can be found…

Still, I have hope, that I can persuade them, in my remaining time here, to look to the sky, to find a way to the stars, where they may have a better chance of feeling some of the joy I’ve felt, but, on another world, or moon, or asteroid, or…. If they can find a way to leave the Earth, they will see, and experience, what I’ve dreamed of all my life, hopefully finding their joy in the satisfaction of surviving against all odds, by their wit, and courage…. as well as in the pride of fulfilling the destiny for which our species, I believe, was ever destined…. Not by design, but by serendipity….

Or, perhaps, by accident…. Who knows, for there is no evidence we humans have ever found, or deduced, or surmised, to suggest we, and all the vast universe, are a creation, of an entity so powerful, we could, by the mere definition of such a creature, never have the slightest chance of ever understanding exactly WHAT it was…. Whatever it, or they, or she, or that word we don’t or can’t ever know, IS, in truth, I’m pretty sure it doesn’t concern itself with, or much care what we might think of all this…. I would guess, without ever knowing one way or another, such a creature most likely figures we’ll just enjoy it, try to figure out how it all works, playing with it as best we can without breaking it…. but, as I said, who knows, and, who cares?

There…. I think THAT should do for an opening section…. We’ve covered some rather maudlin hopeful wishes for a future for humanity, we’ve encouraged the conquest of space, we’ve explored a bit of philosophy and religious theory, while simultaneously mocking intellectualism AND spiritualism, in the same breath…. Not bad for off the cuff, eh? Not just that, but, it’s all PRE-COFFEE! That, in itself, is a miracle, beyond all belief….

And well you shouldn’t believe it…. because all of that last part was a deliberate LIE!… I had coffee before I started….

I’m practicing…. I decided to run for a local office, just to pass the time until Armageddon, which, according to my calendar, should be just around the corner, say, May, or April of next year…. maybe sooner. Hard to tell yet, as there is still a LOT of societal inertia to overcome before the revolution can really get rolling….

Hmm, I see we’ve retreated a bit from reality again. It happens whenever I write this much without the benefit of either rhyme, or reason…. SIGH…. I suppose I’ll have to either move the schedule up, or apply one of those old emergency closings, which cause so much havoc to our budget… No, we’ll be patient, because I see an opening right over there…. Wait for it…. wait…. hold on, almost….. THERE!…. Hah! Fooled you again! We’ve been parked for five minutes….

Nyah, nyah, nyah….. See, Paul? I AM still crazy, after all these years….

Shall we Pearl?

“He should not vow to walk in the dark, who has not seen the nightfall.” — Elrond

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I’m up very early today, and not in the best of moods, due mostly to my reaction to the blackmail I’m being subjected to by my HMO. To say the very least, I am NOT a happy camper today…. So, we’ll go with funny, to take a bit of the edge off…. When one wants funny, who better than a comedic genius, such as these two men….

Jonathan Winters & Robin Williams

http://youtu.be/_NqEKvk9F4I

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

“The ignorance of the working-class and the superior intelligence of the privileged class are superstitions — are superstitions fostered by intellectual mercenaries, by universities and churches, and by all the centers of privilege.” — George D. Herron (1862-1925)

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Today, I will be ranting vicariously. Below you will find a number of links. Each will take you to yet another example of the Insanity in which the world is currently engulfed. Each one is another piece of evidence showing how the pressure of environmental stresses, under which all the life forms on this planet exist, have increased beyond our ability to either stop, or even comprehend, bringing us ever closer to becoming a Real Life example of the old experiment we all remember….

You know, the one where the rats are left in a cage they cannot escape, without the means to stop reproducing beyond their natural limits, outstripping their food supply, whereupon they begin to turn on each other, exhibiting self-destructive, irrational behaviors, complete with vicious, deadly, INSANE violence, ultimately leading to death for them all…. Not the most appetizing image for breakfast, but hey, none of it is anything we can avoid…..

I don’t know about y’all, but, I would prefer to at least see where the fatal blow is going to come; it does give me at least a chance to duck, and cover…. If it’s all too much to deal with, just consider each link as a pearl, and skip down to the poem…. which, naturally, exposes one to the risk of being considered a wimp, if only in one’s own mind….

Special thanks go out to Lou and the gang over at Tales from the Conspiratum, my favorite source for examples from around the world, of just how crazy things have gotten….

http://talesfromtheconspiratum.com/2015/01/20/isis-plans-on-killing-hundreds-of-millions-in-religious-cleansing-german-embed-reporter/

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2015/01/19/police-radar-see-through-walls/22007615/

http://talesfromtheconspiratum.com/2015/01/20/inequality-isnt-inevitable-its-engineered-thats-how-the-1-have-taken-over/

http://www.naturalnews.com/048322_financial_collapse_Federal_Reserve_global_economy.html

http://talesfromtheconspiratum.com/2015/01/20/proof-elites-control-democracy/

Oh, hell, that’s enough. I don’t want to depress y’all any more than necessary. I’ll just say this…. Of the five stories I chose today to highlight some of the crazy shit happening all around us, none have any good endings, either real, or implied. Some of it may seem like hyperbole, or jumping at shadows, but, frankly, anyone who can’t see what is happening isn’t paying attention, or is deliberately denying reality. It is that simple, ffolkes. We MUST start to act now, if we are to have ANY chance of surviving into the next century. That is not a statement I make lightly; I’ve made a study of the issues, and it ALL has gone farther toward BAD than almost anyone will admit, in public, or, in private….

Which, I should say, describes WHY we are having these problems at all, now doesn’t it?

To change the mood a touch, so we can go on with a clearer mind, if not a happier heart, here is something a little lighter….. Lou is also good at finding this kind of stuff, too….. At the other end of the spectrum of human existence, we have the following example of a few of humanity’s OTHER qualities….

http://talesfromtheconspiratum.com/2015/01/20/the-meaning-of-life-explained-by-3rd-graders-443/

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Today’s poem comes from my usual source, but, with a bonus. After the text version, of this all time classic, copied from Poem Hunter dot com, (which just happens to fit in with today’s theme perfectly), I’ve included a link to, and a video version of the poem, as displayed on the YT clone site, Daily Motion, with a link to the page provided as well….

Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on that sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

~~ Dylan Thomas ~~

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http://dai.ly/x29dayy

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Nine excellent pearls, all for y’all…. Take them as you will…. That is what they are for, after all….

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

“Whom the gods would destroy, they first make mad.” — Euripides

“The eye sees only what the mind is prepared to comprehend.” — Henri Bergson (1859-1941)

“As a matter of cold fact, a lot of people have no use for you because they can’t use you.” — Smart Bee

“In an insane society, the sane man must appear insane.’ — Spock

“He who has the courage to laugh is almost as much a master of the world as he who is ready to die.” — Giacomo Leopardi

Gutta cavat lapidem non vi, sed saepe cadendo. [Drops of water hollow out a stone – not by strength, but just falling often.] — Smart Bee

“As for life, it is a battle and a sojourning in a strange land; but the fame that comes after is oblivion.” — Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (121-180 AD) — Meditations, ii, 17

“”Bury me on my face,” said Diogenes; and when he was asked why, he replied, “Because in a little while everything will be turned upside down.” — Diogenes Laertius (c. 200 AD) — Diogenes, vi

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Having completed most of this Pearl yesterday during appropriate breaks from misery, and arisen very early, thanks to the gift of tardive dyskinesia (one of those “gifts that keep on giving”….), I’m done, and it’s still shy of 0430…. SIGH…. Now I get to wait for the rest of the world to wake up to get anything marginally useful done…. So be it…. Provided I’m not ensconced in hospital from the stress and fatigue building up over time, I’ll see y’all tomorrow…. Watch out for them “corporate persons” y’all; they’re getting pretty fierce….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Visions of twisted shorts….

Posted on December 10, 2014 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

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

~~ Montaigne ~~

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Shall we Pearl?

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

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

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

http://youtu.be/hyHl0Ysteg8

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Earth felt the wound; and Nature from her seat,
Sighing through all her works, gave signs of woe
That all was lost.

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

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

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

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

From 8/9/2012:

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

Then came the churches,
then came the schools,
then came the lawyers,
then came the rules.

~~ Mark Knopfler ~~

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

À Bas Ben Adhem

My fellow man I do not care for.
I often ask me, What’s he there for?
The only answer I can find
Is, Reproduction of his kind.
If I’m supposed to swallow that,
Winnetka is my habitat.
Isn’t it time to carve Hic Jacet
Above that Reproduction racket?

To make the matter more succinct:
Suppose my fellow man extinct.
Why, who would not approve the plan
Save possibly my fellow man?
Yet with a politician’s voice
He names himself as Nature’s choice.

The finest of the human race
Are bad in figure, worse in face.
Yet just because they have two legs
And come from storks instead of eggs
They count the spacious firmament
As something to be charged and sent.

Though man created cross-town traffic,
The Daily Mirror, News and Graphic,
The pastoral fight and fighting pastor,
And Queen Marie and Lady Astor,
He hails himself with drum and fife
And bullies lower forms of life.

Not that I think much depends
On how we treat our feathered friends,
Or hold the wrinkled elephant
A nobler creature than my aunt.
It’s simply that I’m sure I can
Get on without my fellow man.

~~ Ogden Nash ~~

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Absolutely more fun than clotted cream….

Posted on November 25, 2014 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“How you do anything is how you do everything.”

~~ Zen proverb ~~

I don’t know about y’all, but, I am certain I’ve never seen an airplane make the maneuver you see in the above picture, ever, unless in a movie, or perhaps a military air show…. The g-force involved in a high-speed 90º turn, without slowing at all, is tremendous; without a calculator handy, I’d guess it to be in excess of 10 gravities, which makes it unlikely to be a passenger jet…. Yet, an hour after seeing it, there is no word on the internet about a mid-air chase by one of our jets…. nor, if jets were scrambled to chase, there would have been more than one….

I’ve watched the skies above this bay for over a year from this spot, and have never seen two jets so closely aligned in path, both on a path I’ve almost never seen any planes travelling…. Nor have I EVER seen any plane, of any kind, make such a hard turn at such speed, a speed, and a turn of which only a few planes are capable…. all military fighter jets.

It will be interesting to see if anyone else noticed it, and what explanations may surface to explain the anomalous flights…. More later on this….

Interesting, if a bit disturbing…. No word at all, not that I could find via Google. I’ll take a look through the news later, but, I don’t know what to think…. I guess, for now, I’ll treat it this just like an American faced with news from the Congressional front…. In short, I’ll close my eyes, sigh, and prepare to deny, deny, deny…. Oops, that’s ranting, isn’t it? Okay, so, I’ll just roll my eyes in frustration, and get on with life, another American habitual response to anything unpleasantly similar to thinking, or taking responsibility….

Oh, gosh, I did it again, didn’t I…. Hmm… well, it seems as if I’m not going to be able to finish this intro section without a short rant…. But, rather than give in so easily, I’m going to use an old technique, still present, but little used…. It’s called ownership…. Yep. I own this blog, lock, stock, and domain name, so, that means I’m in charge, right? Right. So, if I say we’re outta here, that means, we’re outta here…. And, that’s just what I’m saying….. So, we’re outta here, ffolkes…. Remember to hang on tight, and don’t offer your hand to any of the denizens you meet while on this boat, okay? You may not get it back….

Shall we Pearl?

“It is in the character of very few men to honor without envy a friend who has prospered.” — Aeschylus

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I shall now pull one of my covers…. I’m a Deadhead. Have been for many years. Oh, don’t worry, it doesn’t even show any more, and, it’s been years since I’ve felt the urge to wear tie-dye shirts. But, I still am a member at Dead Net, a registered user there, and still give the occasional Steal Your Face logo cup or t-shirt for gifts…. In addition, I have a large collection of live Dead cuts, taken by their fans at concerts throughout the years, all downloaded from Dead.Net, often during November, which is the month they give away a free download song, or cut (often long jams over 25 minutes….), every day during the month…. I’ve collected them now for three years, and have a wonderful collection of some of their finest shows….

Here then, instead of a video link, which I’ve provided before…. is the link to the page where you’ll find the 30 days of the Dead, with all of the free downloads available via their own link….

It may not be your type of music, but, there are songs that everyone will enjoy, Deadhead or not, so, it’s worth a look, and a listen….. Enjoy!….

http://www.dead.net/30daysofdead?eml=dead/110414/yexy

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“Things which you do not hope happen more frequently than things which you do hope.” — Plautus (254-184 BC) — Mostellaria, Act i, Sc. 3, 40, (197.)

Yesterday, it was a Monday…. I made the mistake of updating my RSS feed reader, then compounded my error by spending some time reading the news around the Net…. I should have known better, but, I didn’t think;, before I could stop, I’d read article after article, each one more horrifyingly insane than the last, describing real events from different reporter’s viewpoints, all of which served to turn my stomach even more than the vertigo that accompanied my getting up to write…

So, I decided to collect a bunch of them, to put together a new-style pearl, complete with my own comments on the contents of the articles…. I’ll try to keep it short, but, as often happens with this kind of pearl, the size will depend on a) how much insanity is reported, and b) how much I can stomach before reaching my limit of self-abuse…. Let’s see what’s going on out there in the Big Blue Room….

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/24/nyregion/police-tactic-scrutinized-after-accidental-shooting.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

This tragic death can be charged directly to society’s refusal to acknowledge the basic flaws in how police are viewed, and trained, as well as to the failure by society to equalize opportunity for the disadvantaged, preferring, as it always has, to counter poverty with lip-service and charity to keep them quiet, and disenfranchisement of the marginalized, to keep them poor, rather than actually trying to equalize opportunities for all…. There can be no winners in such a society, unless one calls moral and ethical bankruptcy winning….

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/11/24/us-usa-missouri-shooting-idUSKCN0J80PR20141124?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews

More of the same, with the additional insanity of the Asininnies dragging it all out, making the situation more problematic for those in Ferguson; meanwhile, they are preparing the troops to handle the expected outcome when the usual denial of reality produces its inevitable dissatisfaction…. Even if charges are filed, they won’t be adequate, or just, and the public outcry, no matter what happens, will be activated, thus furthering the divisive reactions sure to envelop both sides of the issue…. In short, again, there can be no winners here….

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2014/nov/24/cleveland-fatal-shooting-fake-guns-brightly-coloured

So, what is society’s response to issues like this one, where another child is killed by a cop without the expertise to tell a real gun in the hands of a dangerous person from a child with a toy…. Why, we’ll blame the guns…. which has previously been likened to blaming wet streets for the rain…. Anything but fixing the problem, which can only be accomplished with by an application of knowledge, not ignorance…. SIGH… I despair often for the human species….

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/nov/23/suicide-bomber-kills-at-least-40-volleyball-match-afghanistan

Do I even need to comment on the degree of ignorance, particularly deliberate ignorance, plainly evident in every aspect of this story…. It is ALL a fucking demonstration of how dangerous such insanity can become if untreated, or left to its own devices by the tacit approval implied by denial of its existence…. Another huge SIGH escapes me, as I contemplate the depths of human perversity, and simple stupidity….

“In the part of this universe that we know there is great injustice, and often the good suffer, and often the wicked prosper, and one hardly knows which of those is the more annoying.” — Bertrand Russell

In a separate issue, here is a discussion of a problem I addressed in a rant some few days ago, to wit: Bill Cosby and the societal-wide denial of misogynist behavior in society, including the failure of the media to report accusations against celebrities….

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/25/business/media/calling-out-bill-cosbys-media-enablers-including-myself.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&_r=0

“A wise fellow who is also worthless always charms the rabble.” — Euripides, Hippolytus 428 BC

Gee, I hate to say it, but, I did mention the media bias against reporting bad news against celebrities, long ago…. But, then, not many folks read this blog, do they? S’okay, I’ll keep mentioning it, until it changes (not likely to happen soon, in other words….)….

There is a SOME good news, regarding some parts of society who are paying attention to how women get treated as a matter of course in this world…. to wit: abusively, especially for naming their abusers…. as this situation demonstrates clearly….

http://thinkprogress.org/health/2014/11/24/3596159/oklahoma-high-schoolers-protest/

According to the author of the following article, there remains some hope of overcoming the flaws in human nature that have led us, and continue to lead us today, into ever deeper levels of depravity and insanity as a society…. He talks a good talk, but, I am not sure his conclusions are completely valid, given the stranglehold on reality held by those in the seats of power and wealth…. They will not give up their supremacy without a struggle…. nor do I see them changing their nature at this late date…. But, he (the author….) is young, and not yet worn down as much as I from having observed this circus for so much longer….

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/nov/24/grotesque-inequality-greed-human-nature-capitalism

“Most people in this society who aren’t actively mad are, at best, reformed or potential lunatics.” — Susan Sontag

Now, to finish this mess (what else can we call it by now?….), here is an article that, quite simply, proves positively the world we live in has gone stark, raving nutters…. I kid you not, there is nothing you could possibly tell me to convince me otherwise, when our society blithely accepts the validity of a public discussion of vaginal odors….

If you can stop laughing long enough, feel free to comment…. I’m not sure I’m able to say anything profound at all in the face of such….. hell, I can’t even think of a word for how fucking stupid this is…. See for yourself…. I’ll confess, I gave up reading in paragraph four, as I had to pause for a rush to the commode, just in case I lost my breakfast….

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/nov/24/sweet-peach-vagina-smell-like-fruit-taste-diet-coke-probiotic

In light of such proof of insanity, I leave you with the following, an old observation from one of history’s acknowledged sages, a thought it would do us all well to remember in these trying times….

“No human thing is of serious importance.” — Plato

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Since everything so far included today is fresh, we are compelled to go with one of my poems, again, to avoid any backsplash onto anyone else’s reputation…. Here is the latest poem I wrote, just a couple of months ago, that seems to fit in with today’s efforts….

A dream, weeping….

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

~~ gigoid ~~

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Below you’ll find a pearl that can only be described as “strange, but, wonderful”…. I am completely clueless as to its provenance; SB picked them out. Nor do I have any idea what it may mean, but, hey, it all SOUNDS good, so, we’re letting it fly solo…. Enjoy, or not, as you wish…

” … for these truths hold good for everything that is, and not for some special genus apart from others. And all men use them, because they are true of being qua being … For a principle which everyone must have to understand anything that is, is not a hypothesis … Evidently then, such a principle is the most certain of all; which principle this is, let us proceed to say. It is, that the same attribute cannot at the same time belong and not belong to the subject in the same respect.” — Aristotle

“I know! I’ll transcribe the conversations between the voices in my head and send them to you!!!” — David Borenstein

“Sorry, but my karma just ran over your dogma.” — Smart Bee

“I hear the madness comes slower in the light…” — Killian

“By letting go, it all gets done.” — Tao Te Ching

“As men, we are all equal in the presence of death.” — Publius Syrus (42 BC) — Maxim 1

How admirable, he who thinks not,
Life is fleeting,
When he sees the lightning!

~~ Basho ~~

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So be it…. gigoid has spoken.

Moreover, he’s done so quite enough for one day…. To continue in that vein, we’ll see y’all tomorrow, ffolkes….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

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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gigoid

Exploring Consensual Reality

Tag Archives: Euripedes

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