Tag Archives: Global Warming

Switch over to the Itsy Bitsy network…

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Ffolkes,

No slave is ever freed, save he freeth himself.

~~ Smart Bee ~~

mars_gallery_habitat_5
Artist’s rendition of Mars One Colony outpost: picture from Space.com


It won’t do. It simply won’t do…. Unless, of course, it does, in which case, we have no opening…. SIGH. Well, ffolkes, I seem to have done it again…. Here I am, clueless as to how to begin, again, with a large amount of blank white covering the screen, and, my mind’s inner vision…. I wouldn’t want to put any blame for this anywhere it doesn’t belong, but, pretty soon, I’m going to have to assign a scapegoat of some kind, to get rid of all this angst; at least, then, I’d have something to feel guilty about….

I must say, though, I’m not much into guilt, having decided long ago it’s a pretty useless emotion, based generally on misconceptions of entitlement having nothing to do with the real world; only our own false ideas of how we DESERVE to be treated can cause us to ignore that which will not change at our command. Moreover, the whole deal becomes doubly useless when one considers one is experiencing guilt, anger, or other inappropriate frustration, over something we never had any right to demand in the first place….

Having thus far managed to avoid any such nonsense here on ECR, I think I’ll just use another facet of the human condition, one we ALL have practiced to some degree, to wit: total denial of reality in favor of one of our delusions…. It’s a common practice for us homo bozoidus’ to dump all the blame for what happens in our lives onto damn near anything, or anyone, other than ourselves; anyone who says they haven’t done this is, quite simply, a liar. We ALL have practiced such denial, at one point or another in our lives, if only to protect our own egos from the depredations piled upon it almost every day by our culture; denial of having done so is futile. It doesn’t make you a bad person, merely human….

And, goodness knows, we humans have our flaws…. But, the intro isn’t really the place to go any further into such matters. In fact, we’ve pretty much used up all the available space with my wandering around this concept, without ever really nailing it down. SIGH….. I suppose that’s what happens when I try to use the gestalt method of getting my thoughts down…. Sometimes it works; other times, not so well…. I will leave it to y’all to judge how it worked out, because I must now get us out of here, before we get stuck here for the rest of our allotted time…. In fact, look!…. It’s good ol’ #4, just sitting there, wagging its tail, waiting to take us out of here….

“Captain, I sense… a PLOT DEVICE!” — Smart Bee

Nah! Couldn’t be that!….. But, we’ll use it anyway, okay? Okay….

Shall we Pearl?

“Just as treasures are uncovered from the earth, so virtue appears from good deeds, and wisdom appears from a pure and peaceful mind. To walk safely through the maze of human life, one needs the light of wisdom and the guidance of virtue.” — Buddha (B.C. 568-488)

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Got a bit lucky yesterday…. I subscribe to Rolling Stone’s email newsletter, for just this reason…. Mark Knopfler, the virtuoso of Dire Straits fame, is about to mark the 30th anniversary of “Brothers In Arms” with the release of his latest album of new material. It’s called “Tracker”, as related in the Rolling Stone article interviewing him ahead of the new album’s release in a few days. They are allowing people to share it, so, here it is…..  It is GRAND, to say the least….


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Mark Knopfler: Tracker

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“God is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnibenevolent- it says so right here on the label. If you have a mind capable of believing all three of these divine attributes simultaneously, I have a wonderful bargain for you. No checks, please. Cash, and in small bills.” — Lazarus Long

From 8/15/2012:

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

Life is tough, but not as tough as it used to be. It’s been a long time since we humans had to actually go out and be responsible for our own survival, a pastime that, up until about 2500-3000 years ago, was pretty much a full time occupation for the majority of people. Very few folks back then could be spared to sit around doing nothing, using up resources that were acquired by the others of the group; everybody had to pull their own weight, or they starved…..

But once the species figured out farming, and how to produce food more efficiently than having to go out to find it, life got a lot easier, at least from a physical standpoint. Farming kept folks from needing to move around so much to look for food, so cities began to form, and civilization began to organize into its various strata….. beloved ruling class, priestly hierarchy class, warrior class, and, of course, the patsy class, also known as the worker bees, or peons, depending on one’s particular degree of sliminess….

To look at what Aristotle says above, one might think it speaks to the upper classes, suggesting that, perhaps, if they wanted less than they have, which is more than they need, then there might not be as many folks who want only enough to survive, but can’t find even that. It isn’t as if they don’t have enough…..However, thanks to the priestly hierarchies, who act as the protector of the ruling class, the less fortunate are lied to, and are told that THEY are being tested, and not to want more…. The priests have them all convinced that all they should want is just enough, in reward for which they will be compensated IN THE NEXT LIFE!  It’s one of the most egregious scams that has ever been perpetrated on the masses, and continues today….

“Most of the dogmatic religions have exhibited a perverse talent for taking the wrong side on the most important concepts in the material universe, from the structure of the solar system to the origin of man.” — George Gaylord Simpson

The problem now becomes this; almost all the available resources of the planet are used up… only by drastically reducing the total number of people  can the species continue to survive…. and, we all know who is going to get the short end of THAT stick, don’t we? Once people realize that the available resources needed for the species to survive are being hoarded and manipulated by the powers that be, all to favor themselves, the unwashed masses are going to be, shall we say, less than happy with the beloved ruling class, and even less happy with the priestly hierarchies who prop them up. It will be Mother Nature’s way of saying “you wouldn’t play nicely with others, and now you’ll have to pay the price for that failure….”  Of course, she would probably make it sound less pompous than I do….

Being able to control one’s desires is a very valuable skill, and one worth learning, for certain. But when the desire is the simple desire to survive, it is not one that either can, or should, be eliminated…. For many centuries, the beloved ruling class and the priestly hierarchies who are in league with them have been lying to the general populace for their own benefit; history, even when written by the winners, makes that very clear.

“History is the version of past events that people have decided to agree upon.” — Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821)

Soon, they will have to come to terms with that treachery, as the planet’s resources, and its ability to support our form of life, are reduced to where we can no longer grow enough food, or breathe the air due to the addition of carbon monoxide…. When the general public realizes that the PTB are the assholes who have put us in this position, I don’t think they are going to be very happy about it…. and my only hope is that they don’t take so long to come to that conclusion that it is too late to make the needed changes…. which is a distinct possibility…. Small hopes are better than none…..

“Jesus is coming, everyone look busy.” — Bumper Sticker

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It’s been a long while since I posted this poem; it’s always been one of my favorites, as has the poet himself….. Enjoy, ffolkes, this is humanity at its best…. Well, in the twentieth century, anyway….

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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Morning muse

        I didn’t mention it above, but, I AM rather late getting this done, so, you get another fine archive entry in lieu of a fresh pearl…. deal with it. And save the complaints; the judge isn’t listening….

From 10/1/2011:

Well, that took for-frigging-ever….I can’t remember the last time I had such a frustrating dive. But, then, since Murphy seems to live in my pocket, I should have known; I have lots to do today, & didn’t intend to spend so much time on the process of picking out today’s offerings.  I was forced to make three separate dives, each one more barren than the one before. If I was doing this for pay, I’d have to dock myself.  Ah well, s’okay, I’ll just pull out the old rescheduling software, as issued to me at retirement; all will be well.

Five minutes later, he came to his senses, after fixedly staring off into the distance, with that vacuous expression that tells you, for sure, something shiny has caught his meager attention. It was nothing, really, just another of those little trips to the edge of the universe and back to which I am prone, particularly when pressed for time. But, it has left me again without inspiration, and, it is too early to apply perspiration to the problem; I haven’t eaten yet. Poetry is out of the question, & it’s way too early for a conversation with James or John. I’ll have to resort to flaming bonhomie, then, hope for the best. Remember, ffolkes, it’s all in the timing, and the little twist of the wrist at the end…..

“Nobody ever complains that you are treating them like a child when you listen to their stories, encourage their dreams, and tell them how special they are.” — Callan Williams

“I bid him look into the lives of men as though into a mirror, and from others to take an example for himself.” — Terence (185-159 BC) — Adelphoe, Act iii, Sc. 3, 61, (415.)

His head,
Not yet by time completely silver’d o’er,
Bespoke him past the bounds of freakish youth,
But strong for service still, and unimpair’d.

 ~~ William Cowper (1731-1800) ~~

~~ The Task, Book ii, The Timepiece, Line 702 ~~


“AAAEEEYYYAAAAAEEEEEYAAAAAA” — Johnny Weissmuller (And he means that literally…..)

One spring morning Descartes was strolling in a suburb of Paris.  A local tavern owner recognized him and asked, “Would you honor me by tasting the new excellent wine I just received.” “I think not,” said Descartes, and disappeared.” — Smart Bee

The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao.
The name that can be named is not the eternal Name.

~~ Lao-Tzu ~~

~~ Opening lines, Tao Teh Ching


Sometimes, I amaze even myself. All in all, it came out splendidly, I think. Now I can get busy with a clear mind….y’all take care out there…..

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Rather than make any egregiously idiotic comments here, I’ll use this sterling opportunity to rest on my laurels, withered though they may be….. I will also stop any further harassment for today, leaving you, not in the lurch, but, rather, in the nick of time…. 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

dozer3

À bientôt, mon cherí….


					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Apricot puree, or pineal glands?…

			
						

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Ffolkes,




“What one fool can do, another can.”


~~ Ancient Simian Proverb ~~


800px-FarmHouseSunderban


 Farm in Indonesia, formerly on dry land.


Soon to be inundated due to rising waters from global warming.








You gotta love serendipity. Well, maybe YOU don’t, but, I do. Especially when it applies to these Pearls….. Once again, my brain is on early-morning strike, in a manner of speaking, making the creation of today’s mess problematic to an extreme degree. Fortunately for all of us, the Pearls at the bottom of the page have furnished me with enough archived material, appropriate to the day, to use today to complete my chosen duty. Hallelujah!…


You see, I’ve got way less than nothing today; I don’t even have any excuses. My pain is present, yes, and so is the usual angst; this provides the impetus to go into literary trance-mode, which keeps me from giving in to depression…. it’s quite an effective routine, when it works. But, getting into the trance state can be a problem when…. well, that’s just it. I don’t KNOW when it will happen; it just does…. Thus, having material to fall back on becomes a saving grace…. and just in time, too….


But, we won’t go any further into the process now, as we need to get on with this…. I hate to use it again, but, nothing works quite so well as our old standby, emergency method #4, so, we’ll go with that, just so we can say we tried. We’re going to try a new maneuver today, a special route down into the oyster beds, which we’ve not used before; it involves a bit of aerial acrobatics that may cause some spillage, so, please make sure your adult beverages are securely fastened to the clips provided, and the lid is on tightly…. You’ll like it better if you do…. Okay, hang on, ffolkes, here we go….


Shall we Pearl?


“What Chinese prophet did we annoy?  Interesting times, my ass.” — gigoid, paraphrased by SB


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steven-wright

Image from laughingsquid.com




Somehow, for today’s Pearl, this seems most appropriate; go figure…. Ladies and germs, I give you the world’s strangest mind…..







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Steven Wright Special (1985) 















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From 2/15/2013:


“How many psychiatrists does it take to change a light bulb? Only one, but it takes a really long time and the light bulb has to want to change.” — Smart Bee


Boy, if it wasn’t for the power of metaphor, I would be lost!….. This statement, though presented in a manner that makes it obviously a joke, is actually quite serious in its relevance to sanity, psychiatry, and how the mind works, in general. I worked for many years in the field of mental health care, as a therapist, and I can tell you quite honestly, that this is absolutely true, in many cases of what the rest of society terms insanity….. a word, and a concept, that most of society avoids at all costs, and completely misunderstands, for the most part…. You see, every person who lives in this society on Earth today is just a little insane, with some of them reaching higher levels through their own efforts to excel……     🙂   Society itself is insane, you see; one needs to be the same in order to effectively cope….


It may surprise some ffolkes to know that they are insane; I know it surprised me when I first became aware. We all go through our lives with a certain image of ourselves; very rarely does the image in our minds look insane. But, let me assure you, there really isn’t any visible way to be able to tell if a person is insane, as it is completely invisible, under most circumstances, as long as the person isn’t speaking, or acting in some way that provides a clue as to their inner state of mind. Even for those of us trained in recognizing its presence, through the use of observation of other defining characteristics, there is no guaranteed method for spotting someone with a mental condition, unless they give it to you up front by acting out in some overt fashion.


Sure, there are tells, as a gambler would say…. when one eye is happily spinning in the opposite direction as the other, it’s a pretty good sign of some inner turmoil…. Pacing and mumbling to oneself, back and forth in a small area, while ignoring all around them, can be another dead giveaway of someone who is experiencing a few extra perceptions in comparison to the rest of us. Sometimes, really bad grooming can be a sign that the person’s mind isn’t focused on how they affect others, and staring at a wall, holding what appears to be a conversation with oneself, can be another indication that not all is well in that person’s world….


But, without some overt signs such as these, you just can’t spot mental illness; in addition, it’s extra hard to see it in one’s own image, since we tend to clean that up before we look at it, or try to share it. And, since EVERYONE ELSE is also insane, at least a little, it can be hard to spot, for the same reason one cow in a herd is hard to pick out. You may have heard the old saw about “one in four people are insane, so if you have three sane friends, it’s you”….. What would be more accurate to say is, “all of you are insane, but three of you are coping well with it in an effective manner, and one isn’t…. ”


It’s helpful to know that the overt signs one may see are indicative of the severity of the condition, i.e., the more acting out one observes, the more severe the break in the mental state. But, that isn’t always accurate, as normally sane folks, acting in the grip of strong emotion, can show the same kind of acting out, with the difference of not having it occur all the time, but only when provoked. Thus, it can be seen, it can be very difficult to judge whether a person is insane, or merely temporarily out of control…..


This is where I bring it all together, by referring back to the original pearl…. Coping with life can drive anyone crazy; it does so, every day….. Some cope with it better than others; those are the people who are considered to be sane, as they can deal with reality without resorting to outlandish ways of dealing with their fears. Those who cannot find ways of coping with their fears, arising from what reality gives us to deal with, often end up acting in ways that are strange and uncomfortable for the rest of us. Often, as well, their behaviors become dangerous, in a physical sense, for them, and, for those around them…..


In all my experience, with every kind of mental illness I observed, in almost 30 years working in mental hospitals, the primary characteristic of those who got better was clearly due to the simple process of making up their own minds to do so…. That’s it…. Simple as it may seem, deciding to give up the methods they used, and make a change, was always based on a personal decision on their part; it was, clearly, THE key ingredient in the regime of ideas, medicines, therapies, and treatments used to combat their illness. In other words, it took a long time, and they first had to want to change….. Without that, nothing worked…. It is a well known aphorism among mental health therapists that, “they get better IN SPITE of what we do, not because of it….”


So, if you’re getting worried about your own coping skills, just keep in mind that to remain sane, it means you have to want to do so…. But, that’s all it takes, if your are sincere, for you will do whatever else is needed, once your will power has been engaged…. That’s what people do….


“Great minds think alike, apparently so do we.” — D. Bennett


“Falsely luxurious, will not man awake?” — James Thomson (1700-1748) — The Seasons, Summer, Line 67


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Here is a poem from one of my absolute favorite poets; I’ve never seen a poem from her that didn’t have a strong effect on the reader. I am not sure exactly why, but, her words are, somehow, even more powerful than they seem to be…. Whatever it is, it makes for some incredible poetry, such as this….






Mad Girl’s Love Song


“I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead;

I lift my lids and all is born again.

(I think I made you up inside my head.)


The stars go waltzing out in blue and red,

And arbitrary blackness gallops in:

I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead.


I dreamed that you bewitched me into bed

And sung me moon-struck, kissed me quite insane.

(I think I made you up inside my head.)


God topples from the sky, hell’s fires fade:

Exit seraphim and Satan’s men:

I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead.


I fancied you’d return the way you said,

But I grow old and I forget your name.

(I think I made you up inside my head.)


I should have loved a thunderbird instead;

At least when spring comes they roar back again.

I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead.

(I think I made you up inside my head.)” 


~~ Sylvia Plath ~~




Brilliant! Absolutely, insanely brilliant!


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Not too shabby for random parameters, I think… Today’s final old-school pearl is comprised of some good stuff; observations on living which, if not already present in your goody bag, should be amongst the stuff you’ve learned this far into the game…. If it’s all stuff you know, well, it’s always good to remember…. and, remember also; practice helps, because the mind is much like all your other muscles and organs. It works best if used a lot, and well….


“If you don’t care where you are, you ain’t lost.” — Rune’s Rule.


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


“Loyalty to petrified opinion never yet broke a chain or freed a human soul.” — Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) (1835-1910) — Inscription beneath his bust in the Hall of Fame


“No man steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river, and he’s  not the same man.” — Heraclitus (540?-480? B.C.)


“After all, to the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure.” — J.K. Rowling, The Man with Two Faces, — Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, 1997, — spoken by the character Albus Dumbledore


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


“A wise man never loses anything, if he has himself.” — Michael de Montaigne (1533-1592) — Essays, Book i, Chap. xxxviii, Of Solitude


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I love it when I beat the odds; they weren’t very good at the start of today’s effort. Since it came out so well, as such things go, I’ll apply the “gift horse” theory of acquisition, & take my leave post haste. If things go anything like I’ve planned, I’ll see y’all tomorrow; if not, well, I’ll see y’all tomorrow, bloody and bowed though I may be…. Ta, then, luvs….




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


dozer3






À bientôt, mon cherí….





		
	
					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Stealing candy from babies is trickier than it seems…. Ask any Senator…

			
						

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Ffolkes,




“Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional.”


~~Buddha, paraphrased ~~


buddhacat


     I would comment upon the most excellent picture and opening quote from the Buddha, but, it seems Murphy has picked today to reassert his bully persona; he KNOWS how much I hate it when he fucks with my coffee…. He must be pissed because I’m making changes which will make things harder for him to fuck with me at all; he might be getting his shots in while he can…. Whatever the reason, it pisses me off no end when I have to clean up a mess, complete with coffee grounds, before I even get a chance to drink any of it….. SIGH….. Assholes are everywhere these days….


They’re everywhere I look, anyway. Can’t seem to turn around these days without bumping into some sort of reminder of how such asininity becoming the norm in today’s world, obnoxiously pushing its way into every part of our lives. The restrictive measures society is taking to ensure the profit margins and safety of those who hoard all the resources for themselves are becoming Orwellian in nature, with the government trying to take over almost every facet of our lives…. for our own good, naturally.


Maybe this is why Murphy is so happy these days. The evil attitudes, and shockingly violent, repressive nature of what is taking place all over the world, as incident after incident of insanity is portrayed, to keep the public in a state of panic, so the elite may go about securing ever more power, and money, and control over the rest of the world, regardless of the suffering, and pain, and misery they cause, seem to be coming to crescendo, almost as if the species is beginning to realize just what kind of irretrievable mess we’ve created for ourselves, and the danger of extinction every one of us, including the assholes, will be facing in the coming SHORT time until it is too late….


Well, that was fun, wasn’t it? I’m not sure what prompted such a vitriolic rant so early, but, there it sits; we’ll all have to deal with it as best we may. What that means for the rest of the Pearl isn’t clear, nor may it ever be. Clarity may be well beyond our capabilities at the present time, so, I wouldn’t count on any improvement. Our only saving grace is in the very fortunate happenstance of having completed virtually all of this one yesterday, and the day before…. Lucky for me, I’ve been so worked up I can’t seem to stop writing…. At least it allows me to maintain a reasonable semblance of sanity….


Well, I think so; how about y’all? Have I been any less crazy? Or more? Who knows? Moreover, who cares? Not me, and certainly not the Asininnies; they’d just as soon people like me spend as much time in that state as possible; keeps me out of their hair…. Ah well, it’s all pretty futile, both in imagination, and in Reality, so, since there is little point in belaboring such an issue, let’s see if we can’t find a path out of this dark, boring place we’ve come to, and get the hell out of this intro…. I don’t like it anymore….


Shall we Pearl?


“Every day should be passed as if it were to be our last.” — Publius Syrus (42 BC) — Maxim 633


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I’ve heard about this experiment before, but, hadn’t thought about it in a while. It’s a pretty clear explanation of one of the most effective tools used by those in power to keep the “monkeys” distracted, and busy in their cages, doing exactly what they are supposed to do, produce, while being manipulated into passive submission to custom, never knowing at all why they are doing what they do….. Pay attention, ffolkes, you see this every day on TV…. You didn’t even know you were being molded while watching, did you?….. Well, guess what? You are…. One of the basic reasons I don’t watch it at all anymore; I got tired of watching bullshit fly….




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Dont keep calm


“History, although sometimes made up of the few acts of the great, is more often shaped by the many acts of the small.” — Mark Yost


This statement, while true in one sense, is not completely accurate in the modern world. Unfortunately, in today’s world, the few of great power have manipulated the many, many acts of the small to serve their own interests, with no regard for the welfare of those they manipulate. They do this with the aid of the ostensible leaders of society, who are also under the spell of lies they believe to be true.


These leaders, puppets themselves, act as the educational, administrative, and enforcement cadre for the real Beloved Ruling Class, those privileged elite who teach, organize society, and impose order upon each generation of new human drones, following the example of generation after generation of their ancestors. In truth, each generation offers up their freedom and dignity, for the promise of a chance at their dreams, which they can never fulfill in this life, but, are promised as reward, given to them after they die, in exchange for submitting themselves to the beliefs they are told….


In addition to the pundits, and the preachers, who control the parents, even more control is added by the tacit, unwitting complicity of the communications media. In today’s world of radio, TV, and computers, with the unlimited possibilities of the Internet, they become the front line for the monied elite, spreading the outright untruths, and reams of misinformation necessary to deliver their messages of manipulated truth, across the entire globe, within moments, pulling ever more people into their web of lies…. all with the unwitting help of people who believe they are doing the right thing, by telling what they believe to be true….




To be persuasive, we must be believable.


To be believable, we must be credible.


To be credible, we must be truthful.


~~ Edward R. Murrow ~~




Ah, Ed, such a fine sentiment, and very good for a reporter to believe, since any reporter who buys into this will always be popular, both with the public, and with the leaders of the political and religious worlds, all of whom dance to the tune played by those who control the money and resources of the world, the bankers, as they were called by Thomas Jefferson. Now, we call them “corporate persons”, the relatively small group of completely amoral, avaricious, sociopathic families who have, throughout the history of mankind, corrupted every level of society, convincing them to adopt the lies they have passed off as the truth, for millennia.


The first group, the public, with their gullible, misplaced trust in those in authority, (based on their desire to not think, or take responsibility for their lives… to take the EASY way….), will like such a reporter very much, often listening solely to him as their favorite source, (which they did for Mr. Murrow), for they will feel they can trust what he tells them; they firmly believe he tells them the truth because he believes it to be true, or he wouldn’t say it. If he tells them Commies are not to be trusted, they will refuse to wear red; if he tells them they are in danger, they submit to further loss of their freedom, in the name of security….


The leaders, will love such influential mouthpieces, because he will be one of their most effective tools of manipulation, for they do not abide by this credo at all, except to recognize how powerfully people will believe it, in their desire to remove the fear of the unknown fostered by those in charge. The manipulators simply follow the precept as far as the last word, then, instead of truth, they say exactly what they know will produce the effect they desire, whether it is remotely true, or not. For their purposes, if it is not true, so much the better, for it confirms their control of the media, the so-called political and political leaders, AND the public, to do their bidding, without ever realizing they are being controlled.


( If you want to know part of the reason those in power are able to achieve their ends so easily, read this graphic infogram:  https://i.stack.imgur.com/MyQki.jpg) (Or, watch the video, above….)


I’m done. I’m burnt. To finish this off properly, (well, properly for this blog…), here are some pearls which speak to one part or another of the above discussion/rant/indictment/whatever it was…. sort of. I think. If not, well, forget the whole thing. Nobody’s really listening, not so’s it will make any real difference in what happens out there in the Big Blue Room, anyway….


“You were born into a society which spelled out with brutal clarity, and in as many ways as possible, that you were a worthless human being. You were not expected to aspire to excellence; you were expected to make peace with mediocrity. Wherever you have turned, you have been told where you could go and what you could do ( and _how_  you could do it) and where you could live and whom you could marry. I know your countrymen do not agree with me a about this, and I hear them saying, “You exaggerate.” — James Baldwin,_The Fire Next Time_, 1964


“Are we at last brought to such a humiliating and debasing degradation, that we cannot be trusted with arms for our own defense? Where is the difference between having our arms in our own possession and under our own direction, and having them under the management of Congress? If our defense be the _real_ object of having those arms, in whose hands can they be trusted with more propriety, or equal safety to us, as in our own hands?” — Patrick Henry


“Gun Control – the belief that government, with its great wisdom and moral superiority, can be trusted with a monopoly on deadly force.” — Smart Bee


“A right delayed is a right denied.” — Smart Bee


“We’re not doing it for money, we’re doing it for a SHITLOAD of money!” — The American Dream, rephrased to more closely resemble Reality….


“There is no crueler tyranny than that which is perpetrated under the shield of law and in the name of justice.” — Montesquieu, 1742


Bigot? Fundamentalist? Love guns?  The Republicans want YOU!” — Smart Bee, being downright vicious, but, pretty accurate, all things considered.


“When once infidelity can persuade men that they shall die like beasts, they will soon be brought to live like beasts also.” — South


“We are here and it is now.  Further than that all human knowledge is moonshine.” — H. L. Mencken




 


We the People...


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


As I’ve previously mentioned, I think Charles is one of the finest poets to come out of the Twentieth Century…. His poetry is so real, it hurts….




Alone With Everybody


the flesh covers the bone 

and they put a mind 

in there and 

sometimes a soul, 

and the women break 

vases against the walls 

and the men drink too 

much 

and nobody finds the 

one 

but keep 

looking 

crawling in and out 

of beds. 

flesh covers 

the bone and the 

flesh searches 

for more than 

flesh. 


there’s no chance 

at all: 

we are all trapped 

by a singular 

fate. 


nobody ever finds 

the one. 


the city dumps fill 

the junkyards fill 

the madhouses fill 

the hospitals fill 

the graveyards fill 


nothing else 

fills. 


~~ Charles Bukowski ~~




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


Hmm… As I constructed several of the pearls you have seen in the last few days, I collected a few extra pearls, & saved them in one file location for later use. When I came to work on this section, I found the following seven stars, each a pearl in good standing; together, they speak to us of Life, at Large…. Go figure…


“It is not worth an intelligent man’s time to be in the majority.  By  definition, there are already enough people to do that.” — G. H. Hardy


“I like long walks, especially when they are taken by people who annoy me.” — Fred Allen


“Each second we live is a new and unique moment of the universe. And what do we teach our children in school? We teach them that two and two make four and that Paris is the capital of France. When will we also teach them what they are?” — Pablo Casals


HUMAN: The human being either evolved from the biologically very similar ape, or was created along with the rest of the world in a six-day creative spurt by an anonymous god. The human body is a wonderful thing. Well, most of them are. Humans have one mouth and a limited number of genitals, which is probably just as well. — Daniel Bowen’s TOXIC CUSTARPEDIA


“Humans hardly ever learn from the experience of others. They learn – when they do, which isn’t often – on their own, the hard way.” — Robert Heinlein, Time Enough for Love


“Change cannot be avoided….Change provides the opportunity for innovation.  It gives you the chance to demonstrate your creativity.” — Keshavan Nair


“As long as you live, keep learning how to live.” — Seneca


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


I don’t know. I’m not sure any more. But, since it’s the only thing currently working to save my sanity, I guess I’ll keep on doing this, at least, until I can figure out whether I can get the same sort of relief from hunting. I’ve never been one to enjoy it, but, it’s almost time, I think, to take it up, as has always been my plan…. We’ll see; big changes comin’, one way, or t’other…. Count on it, ffolkes…. Meantime, y’all stay alert out there, not just because the world can use all the lerts we can find; it could save your OWN butt….. See y’all tomorrow….




Y’all take care out there, 

and May the Metaphorse be with you;

Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark,Theresa, & Richy

and everyone else, too…


When I works, I works hard.

When I sits, I sits loose.

When I thinks, I falls asleep.


Which is Why….


Sometimes I sits and thinks,

   and sometimes,

I just sits.


gigoid, the dubious


PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.


“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch


dozer3




 À bientôt, mon cherí….





					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Seven good reasons….

			
						

				Posted on   by  			

			
						

				4			

					


				

			
Ffolkes,




“In the sky, there is no distinction of east and west;


people create distinctions out of their own minds


and then believe them to be true.”


~~ Buddha ~~


2-15-2015 008 (2)

 The View Outside the Door Into Summer


(Thanks to Clifford D. Simak)




Alright. Admit it! You have no idea who I am!


But, then, the reverse is also true. Since we’re on even ground, perhaps we can just drop the whole matter, by agreeing to move on to some sort of mutually agreeable task, rather than such a controversial, ultimately unproductive interaction, which can only end badly. It’s way too early in the Pearl to even consider such a possibility; we’ve got a long way to go.


We also have seven good reasons to find….. Today’s title keeps niggling at my brain; I HATE that. As most of y’all are aware by now, the titles of these posts have no meaning, at least, not to me, and not in relation to whatever I write here. I merely string together words which make a compelling, funny, or somehow eye-catching title, with no intent to ever connect it to the blog post. Some days, such as today, the words I came up with, while exactly what I needed, seems to stick in my head, until I figure out why…. Very distracting, when one is trying to cudgel one’s brain into coming up with something more coherent than ‘ugh’, or Red’s favorite all-purpose word sound, ‘meh’….


It’s also a big waste of my time, efficiency-wise, as I’m usually trying to figure out just what to put in this section, my biggest challenge of all of those I’ve come to use as part of this blog. The ironic part of all this is, no matter how hard I try, or what I do, I still need an intro section, just to get to the rest. It is both logical, and real, ffolkes. You can’t start without a beginning…


One might think I’d finally gone off the deep end, wouldn’t one? One might be right about that. But, then, one can never tell, can one? Or, even two…. On that silly note….


Shall we Pearl?


“Rivers know this: there is no hurry. We shall get there some day.” — Pooh’s Little Instruction Book, inspired by A. A. Milne


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


Leonard Cohen is a truly iconic artist. When young, he made his initial impression on the public with what the public took for comedy, but, was actually philosophy in disguise. Later, he began to sing, and write songs and music to be sung; in this he also achieved a rather unique distinction, as a singer/songwriter distinctly unlike anyone else. Here is a compilation, made by You Tube, of his early comedy works, with some music mixed in. 


As usual, following the link gives the Gentle Reader the option to choose their own videos to watch of his, as there are literally hundreds of related videos listed with each one playing on screen. Enjoy, ffolkes, he’s a REAL human artist, who made it his own way…. A true Singer, in the Samuel R. Delaney tradition… (See the S. R. Delaney story, “Time, Considered as a Helix of Semi-Precious Stones”)




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















Leonard Cohen Standup Comedy
















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


























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




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





Dont keep calm


Okay, everyone out of the gene pool!




Y’all know, since I harp on it nearly every day, I’m pretty sure we humans don’t have a lot of time left, to find some way to avoid falling prey to the same issue to which so many other forms of life, (including, possibly, our own…), have succumbed to in the past, to wit: we just don’t have what it takes to survive in this universe. Since I’m not presently inclined to, yet again, preach to the choir in a fresh rant, here is one from the archives, which clearly demonstrates I’ve held this opinion for some time now, along with a great deal of evidence to support my theory/opinion…. Enjoy, ffolkes… If nothing else, it’s a good way to stretch those mind-muscles for a few minutes…. maybe more than just a few….


From 2/8/2014:


This pearl will be displayed in the new format I’ve been working on as a change of scene around here…. These are headlines from SFGATE, a news web site I use as an average news collector, as it tends to display a fairly even grouping of the world’s and nation’s news, without TOO much bias, though certainly not without any…. The headlines I’ve included below, viewed as a big picture, are, as we can see, downright fucking crazy in how they portray the insanity so prevalent in today’s society…. Here then are more indications we are currently living through Heinlein’s “Crazy Years” here in America…. My comments, as always, are parenthesized for clarity….



http://blog.sfgate.com/energy/2014/02/07/tesla-driver-blames-fatal-crash-on-new-car-smell/



(I’m pretty sure I don’t need to make too many comments about this guy, or about how typically asinine he is, in as he cluelessly exhibits not only his selfishness, but, also his stupidity in public, without any idea of how ridiculous he sounds or appears to others….. “New car smell?” As the justification for running over a pedestrian? I suppose, in one way, it’s a perfect example of both the corruption so prevalent, and of the lack of any sort of system of ethics at play, in the lawyers who took the case to bring suit, as well as in the sense of entitlement that the average American asshole feels, to think that they can escape any consequences for their actions by finding a loophole in a law, or some weird psychiatric justification for acts that were at best, stupid, and at worst, deliberately, carelessly, and, feloniously, ignorant….)


http://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/Elderly-woman-slain-in-Oakland-home-invasion-5215511.php


(Again, no comment is necessary to make any clearer how sick our society has become, when there are people in the world who can actually perform these kinds of acts, without any compassion, or any connection to how another person feels…. I didn’t read the article, as I’ve seen its like too often to need to put myself through that again… I already know, having dealt with them for many years, the depths to which the human psyche can sink in its pain and reaction to a lifetime of abuse by the world…. It still doesn’t excuse any of it, or justify it, to understand why it happens…. But, it sure does make me want to go out, buy a gun, and start picking off some of the names, on my own personal list of those the world would be better off without….)


http://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/Russian-TV-shows-doctored-video-of-Olympic-rings-5214936.php


(More comedy from Russia and their current dictator, Vlad “Glad Impaler” Putin, trying to convince the world that hey, nothing wrong here, move along, nothing to see…. when, in fact, almost everything the world is seeing in Sochi points up another issue that the Soviet government has screwed up in its repressive attempts to maintain the status quo….. which, after all, is the ultimate purpose of any dictatorship, or essentially fascist government…. or ANY government, for that matter…. Democratic, Republic, Monarchic, no matter what form government takes, its bottom line priority is to maintain the status quo, to ensure the people stay out of the government’s way as they plunder, steal, and cheat…. The video to which the article refers is merely the latest symptom that shows exactly how the world’s society at large, and, Russian society in particular, is falling apart at the seams…..)


http://www.sfgate.com/news/crime/article/SAC-Capital-ex-trader-convicted-of-insider-trading-5211174.php


“A monied aristocracy in our country … has already set the government at defiance.” — Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826)


(Whoops, gosh, look here! A stock trader cheated! A bank(er) was involved, a large, shadowy, amorphous corporation was involved, a government agency screwed up their job, a rich businessman profited, and the poor scapegoat is the only one to go to jail…. Have we seen this story before? Isn’t this a rather familiar scenario over the last, oh, 120 years or so? Why, yes, yes, I believe that’s so…. I can remember seeing stories exactly like this one 50 years ago, back in the 50’s and 60’s, as well as many from history that would be classed as clones of this one…. But, the media has to present each one as if it is some sort of big surprise…. SIGH…. It’s almost too easy for me, when they act this stupid….)



http://blog.sfgate.com/nov05election/2014/02/07/senate-judiciary-republicans-blame-a-lawyer-adegbile-for-a-client-abu-jamal/


(Oh, right, this one…. This is SO STUPID!!!! So stupid, it caused me to go momentarily insane, with my fingers flashing out four exclamation points without conscious control, just to vent my frustration…. You know, it’s completely possible that commenting on this story could turn into a rant….


The Republican Party has become a conglomeration of some of the stupidest, most hidebound fools I’ve ever witnessed, even in American politics, and remember…. I was there when we had both Spiro Agnew and Richard Nixon to push around, so, I KNOW about corrupt, greedy, amoral politicians….. This current group in the House, and the Senate, as well as spread throughout all the state’s houses of political machinery (chicanery?), are among the stupidest and most viciously ignorant that I’ve ever seen….


This particular set of idiots involved in this article are perhaps some of the most egregiously ignorant of the lot, and show the extent of how much the conservative mind has turned to mush over time, especially when dealing with issues that are, essentially, non-partisan in nature…. It seems to me that finding the most balanced people to be judges, or attorney general types, would benefit BOTH sides, more so than choosing biased people, who only make things worse for everyone…. Of course, I’m not stupid, I have no investment in pursuing my own agenda in this issue, nor do I desire to use the issue for any political gain, so, perhaps that would color my perceptions…. I certainly hope so….


Please note, I am certain, and have seen proof of the fact, that the Democrats are no brighter, in toto, or even, on average, but, somehow, they don’t seem to publicly stick their foot in it quite so frequently as the GOP pundits. I can’t blame the media for that, entirely, as they obviously have no more claim to intelligent design in their actions than do the politicians. Each of the political parties that dominate this country’s bureaucracy (it long ago ceased to function as anything else….) feels the media favors the other; that’s a typical reaction for a creature that suffers from paranoia, and the political scenario attracts schizophrenics like flowers draw bees…. (Actually, it would be more accurate to say that politics attracts the psychopathically insane like shit draws flies….. but, I won’t say that….) (Oh…. whoops….)


Nonetheless, it seems to me that BOTH of the parties that are currently ensconced in the halls of Congress in Washington have been taken over by a bunch of really, really selfish, more than stupid in their deliberate ignorance, rich, white, old men, with the random woman, African-Americans, Asian-Americans, and Latin-American tokens thrown in here and there to provide proof of our “diversity”….


The funny thing about those politicians of color or gender…. when they talk, they SOUND EXACTLY like a rich, white, stupid old man, no matter whether they are young, female, black, yellow, or brown…. Next time Ted Cruz puts out a sound bite on TV, close your eyes and listen…. He will not be distinguishable from any of his peers…. Note also, the terms to describe the token members of Congress deliberately set them apart as being ‘different’ Americans than the others, don’t they? They sure do, and that’s just fine with the old white dudes, as it provides camouflage for their inherent racism and bigotry, making them appear as if they welcome input, from those parts of society THE SILLY ASSES DON’T REALIZE ARE NOW IN THE MAJORITY IN THIS COUNTRY!…..


It’s too bad, really, and frustrating for those of us who can understand what is going on…. Intelligence is the only factor in our makeup that enhances our chances to survive, especially in the oncoming crisis in the environment of our planet, even though such intelligence has never proven its worth as a survival tool… These idiots are continually, and continuously, displaying behavior that is counter-productive to that survival…. and they don’t even have the wit to know it. In fact, most of them are so insanely wrapped up in pursuing their own agenda they refuse to even listen to anything that doesn’t fit in with their own preconceived misconceptions….. Idiots, every one of them….


Okay, that’s enough…. I could conceivably spend a very long time at this…. I’ve got a long litany of complaints about government, and those who indulge in that particular vice…. But, I’m getting worked up, and that’s making me tense, and that makes my back hurt…. So, for my health, I’m calling a halt to this rant…. (For my health…. right…. Can you see my skeptical expression?….) Since the entire rant, short as it may be, is in parentheses, I can do that without any permits, or even any hand signals….


gigoid has spoken…. So be it…..)


“When I think over what I have said, I envy dumb people.” — Seneca


Well, you know what they say…. Ignorance is bliss…..


Final note from 2015: Here is a fine, quite fitting closing pearl for the above rant…. (which is an interesting rant, in and of itself; the section below the last link used is completely parenthesized! What a brilliant concept! Once encased in parentheses, one may say anything at all, while enjoying perfect exemption from all standard rules…. of grammar, punctuation, syntax, logic, rationality, AND, common decency! Bonus!….)




Don’t open your eyes, you won’t like what you see; 


the devils of truth steal the souls of the free… 


don’t open your eyes, take it from me.


I have found you can find happiness in slavery…


~~ Nine Inch Nails, “Happiness In Slavery” ~~


We the People...


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


This poem is one I first wrote as random piece of prose, which came to me, unbidden, one day as I sat in front of the computer, trying once again to find something in my mind with which to begin a Pearl; that’s why it doesn’t rhyme. I think, even without the rhyme, it speaks of a vision that arose out of my inner eye, directly from my spirit….




Stray Cats


The veils that billow and fold 

between dreams and reality

 may sometimes part, 

showing the visions of one to the other, 

blending, bleeding as one, 

only to bring us up short, 

closely jammed against immovable fate. 


Still, we keep our watch, 

seeking to find the vision

 that brings with it the mark of reality’s regard, 

a humble mind, and a compassionate heart. 


Events of broad impact draw us away again, 

distracting with shiny glitter and tinny music, 

leaving our feelings raw and bruised, 

the victim of universal disregard. 


Now, in the twilight of years, the music is fading, 

and the glitter has all gone, yet, 

the memory of visions remains sharp and clear, 

melancholy reminders of reality’s promises, 

unkept…..


~~gigoid~~




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


Today’s old-school pearl is one of my favorite types, because Smart Bee gave me quotes suitable for expressing my own thoughts and feelings on the subject at hand. Today, it will show you the path my mind followed to arrive at the set of beliefs I hold today, regarding what I consider the oldest scam in human history, otherwise known as creationism, or, the One God Fallacy….


“A man devoid of religion, is like a horse without a bridle.” — Smart Bee


“The history of the rise of Christianity has everything to do with politics, culture, and human frailties and nothing to do with supernatural manipulation of events.  Had divine intervention been the guiding force, surely two millennia after the birth of Jesus he would not have a world where there are more Muslims than Catholics, more Hindus than Protestants, and more nontheists than Catholics and Protestants combined.” — John K. Naland, “The First Easter”, Free Inquiry magazine, Vol. 8, No. 2


“The major contribution of Protestant thought to the knowledge of mankind is its massive proof that God is a bore.” — H.L. Mencken


A religion is a cult with an adequate army” — Smart Bee


“Anybody who wants religion is welcome to it, as far as I’m concerned — I support your right to enjoy it.  However, I would appreciate it if you exhibited more respect for the rights of those people who do not wish to share your dogma, rapture, or necrodestination.” — Frank Zappa, “The Real Frank Zappa Book”


“Authority has every reason to fear the skeptic, for authority can rarely survive in the face of doubt.” — Robert Lindner




Wearers of rings and chains!

Pray do not take the pains

  To set me right.


In vain my faults ye quote;

I write as others wrote

  On Sunium’s hight.


~~ Walter Savage Landor (1775-1864) ~~


~~ The last Fruit of an old Tree, Epigram cvi ~~




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


All I can say at this point is, it’s a damn good thing this got done yesterday, mostly, or, it wouldn’t have gotten done at all. On that cryptic note, I’m outta here for another day. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, given a fair wind and a favoring tide….




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


dozer3






À bientôt, mon cherí….





					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
How DOES it feel Tehachipi?….

			
						

				Posted on   by  			

			
						

				1			

					


				

			
Ffolkes,




Our subjectivity 


Is a mirrored,


Spiked casket.


~~ Deng Ming-Dao ~~


2-13-2015 011

Redwood in the City




Boy! Deng Ming sure can be harsh sometimes, eh? I usually enjoy his take on Taoist philosophy in the modern world, but, some of his quotes seem to have suffered in the translation, whether he performed it, or someone else. This one just seems to be a bit more of a “written in stone” sort of approach to a concept which seems to me to call for more flexibility, more fluidity, as does any idea used to express some part of the Tao in a way that helps others understand.


Oh, well. I suppose they can’t ALL be great aphorisms. Much like the picture today, one of my own, taken while waiting for a bus. I’m not sure whether the light patches are normal, due to light reflecting off morning mist, or, just another indication my camera is going to die soon. It’s given me other clues to warn me I’ll soon need a new one, if I wish to continue to take pictures to share. These days, that isn’t such a budget breaker as it formerly was; a good digital camera today will go on sale for under $200, with all the features an amateur such as myself can use…. I already have a tripod, and a USB cable which is industry standard, so, all I need is the camera….


Now, the trick is to find one on sale for the best price… Oh, right. Duh. Like a friend keeps pounding into my recalcitrant memory, AMAZON. Or, some other online store selling at discount prices, like E-Bay, and the ilk. Okay. I guess now I’ll have to actually do it, or suffer the embarrassment of having somebody bring it up a week from now, asking me where all the new pictures are? Oh, joy.


Now I get to go shop. Even shopping online, the whole process exhausts me; there are just too many choices, and not enough time to see them all. Since I always have a good idea of what I want, and what I want to pay, I tend to go for the first example I run across around that price, snapping it up like somebody else was going to steal it from me…. which, these days, means I probably missed a deal somewhere else for half price, of which I’ll be notified by a rapid inundation of email notices, all with free shipping, a week after getting the one I bought, at double the price, and full shipping…..


SIGH…. Now do you see why I am in the habit of saying, in full agreement with Arthur C. Clarke, there is no concrete evidence available to prove intelligence has any value as a survival tool? Even though I possess all the tools and knowledge to obtain a new camera in short order, at a good price, my own bozoid nature prevents me from utilizing those tools, or knowledge, to their best effect. At the point in time when I have the right amount of money available, I forget to go to one of the sites where I can get what I need; as soon as the money is used elsewhere, an email arrives with a good deal, or I see a picture I like, reminding me of the shortcomings of the deal I made in haste…


Ah well, at least it got me through another intro section, without having to actually strain so hard, my forehead bleeds. I hate when that happens; it runs all over my mustache. Blood is hard to clean from hair without yanking on it. Not that I’m a wimp, or anything like that, but, hey, yank on YOUR upper lip a few times, & see how YOU like it, eh?


So, do I sound Canadian? I’m thinking of visiting…. It’s getting to be the right time of year, for us warm-weather birds; I hear the spring, summer, and fall is nice up there, as long as one stays within a few hundred miles of the US border. Beyond there, it’s anybody’s ballgame when it comes to weather and cold. I’m a California boy, born and bred, (well, actually, I never asked, but, I think I’d have heard if the family was out of state a certain number of months before I was born…. but, to be honest, that part I can’t swear to…. I WAS born here, for sure, if my birth certificate is telling the truth….), in my world, cold, for long periods, or with accompanying semi-frozen water, is NOT my friend, nor anyone I enjoy spending time with…. at all.


Okay. I think eight full paragraphs of not a damn thing worth writing home about is enough for one day…. I’m outta here, before I find something else to babble about….


Shall we Pearl?


“. . is to attempt seeing Truth without knowing Falsehood. It is the attempt to see the Light without knowing Darkness. It cannot be.” — Frank Herbert, Dune


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


This lady has been one of my favorite comediennes since I first saw her, probably on Ed Sullivan, sometime in the 60’s. (Yes, some of us were there, and still remember it!) She’s fearless…. If you can’t find a smile watching her perform, I’m sorry, but, you are one of the seriously humor-impaired…. Enjoy, ffolkes, there’s nobody like Lily Tomlin….




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Lily Tomlin as Ernestine the Telephone Operator 
















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




“Love withers under constraint: its very essence is liberty: 


it is compatible neither with obedience, jealousy, nor fear.”


~~ Percy Bysshe Shelley ~~


Dont keep calm


     Day before yesterday’s Pearl had the customary three suggested Pearls at the bottom of the page; I sometimes read them to look for appropriate pieces for those times I’m not up to ranting, as much of what I rant about are ongoing issues, still relevant in today’s world. This is one of them, from about a year ago… Since I am not particularly up for ranting today, I offer this in lieu of anything fresh, as a worthy substitute… I mean, after all, I AM the one making the judgment, right? S’okay, it’s allowed, it’s my blog…. I hope you enjoy it, depressing as it may be for those who continue to hold out hope the world will make any necessary changes, in time to save our sorry butts…


From 2/25/2014; Introduction section:


Terrible things could happen now…. they could, you know. And, we’ll deserve every second we experience of mind-numbing, soul-chilling, petrifying terror, because, hey, we’re the ones who left the door wide open, inviting it to enter our domain, bringing with it our ultimate doom…. Yes, it’s our own damn fault, and we will know the truth of the matter, because we have been warned, having previously been given wisdom such as this….




Albert E & true sin


    This is not new wisdom, that we’ve never before seen or suspected; history has provided us with innumerable instances proving the truth of this aphorism….. Time after time throughout our short span of existence on this world, we find examples of men or women who had prior knowledge of an issue, and, by their silence, allowed it to take place, to the detriment of all…. It doesn’t make it right, but, it is certainly not an uncommon issue for mankind…. Such issues are not, perhaps, of all those we are given by Reality, our favorite gifts, …. In fact, many don’t look on this, or any knowledge, as gifts, at all; THAT is a big part of the entire problem….


Our problem is a failure of spirit, one which has to do with a basic virtue, one that has been claimed as the basis for all other virtues; without this characteristic, none of our finer qualities are ever seen in the light of day…. That pillar upon which all other virtue rests, then, is Courage…. Yes, plain and simple, courage….


I have found, in my fairly long life, most of mankind, I’m afraid, are cowards…. I’m not an exception, though it IS something I’ve tried hard to mitigate…. Fear is a hard thing for most of us to admit, even though it isn’t considered abnormal; it’s strength, and the way it causes us to lose control frightens us… However, that power is also its saving grace; the guilt one feels, for having given in to fear, stimulates us to greater effort, whereupon we find that courage within ourselves, the next time we are in danger of giving in…. This is how almost everything we do, of an ethical nature, ever gets done…. because someone discovers they DO have the courage to act when there is danger to themselves, or to those for whom they care…..


That is what it takes, you see…. No virtuous act can ever take place, unless good people have the courage to act in the face of the Evil that exists, in spite of the fear they feel in the presence of that Evil. If they don’t summon, or find somewhere with themselves, the courage to act ethically, or morally, then, Evil has free rein to let itself out to play in human affairs, to the detriment of us all….


Each of us has to find our own courage, often deep within ourselves; the courage to put aside our fear, to carry on with what we know to be right, even though expediency and comfort are left behind in…. Living with honor and integrity is never the easiest path we can take; it is always fraught with danger, simply because it doesn’t avoid evil, claiming it’s too hard, but, rather, confronts it, endeavoring to deal with it in a straightforward, upright fashion…. thus, preserving one’s own honor, when one is forced to have truck with what always leaves us feeling a bit dirty….


All I have written above is true and complete, to the best of my knowledge. It constitutes a fairly accurate assessment of today’s situation here on planet Earth, as I perceive it…. Evil is out there, ffolkes; if we… that’s you, and I…. fail to stand up to it, look it in the eye, and tell it to “fuck off, you bloody sod!”, it will continue to manifest its existence, at will, causing untold pain and suffering for us all…. So, be brave, ffolkes….  Don’t let Evil have its way, without at least a token resistance, ‘kay?…. “Kay!…..


“Asked what he gained from philosophy, he answered, “To do without being commanded what others do from fear of the laws.”” — Diogenes Laertius (c. 200 AD) — Aristotle, xi


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Ah well, what’s a Bozo to do, but, pull up his pants, pull down his shades, and smile, smile, smile? Why, he should use an old sort-of-love poem, only a day late for Valentine’s Day…. Well, that or bend over & kiss his own butt, which, at his age, is anatomically impossible…. thank goodness. Just read the poem, ffolkes, & don’t make me talk any more, okay? I’m losing it, fast…. But, I do hope you like the poem….






Time, and again….


Life, and/or love, will seldom fit

into any box we keep for them to sit.

Loose and limber, without any reason,

always somewhat out of season.


Surprise, surprise, they seem to say,

we can’t help it, it’s just our way.

If only you would learn, instead of know,

maybe you’d find yourself with one to show.


Deal, just the way it is, now and here,

follow the path, on the other side of fear.

Finding the future isn’t all blood, sweat, and pain,

far, far more than mere joy we stand to gain.


The sages all say not to try, just do,

sounds as simple as putting on a shoe.

I’d say we could really go places,

if we could but learn, to tie up the laces….


~~ gigoid ~~




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Below you will find a quite nice pearl, of the standard variety, stretched into a nine-star configuration…. Smart Bee has continued to perform its duty with excellent dedication, so, there is no lack of good stuff to include…. You might wish to take notes on this pearl; ALL of these little gems could conceivably be on the Final Quiz we all must take one day…. If not, they’ll be of good use getting you by, in Life, until it’s time to sharpen your pencils….


“Well begun is half done.” — Aristotle


“Many things do not happen as they ought. Most things do not happen at all.” — Smart Bee


“The universe is not indifferent to intelligence, it is actively hostile to it. Death is a commingling of eternity with time; in the death of a good man, eternity is seen looking through time.” — Goethe


“All stressed out, and no one to choke.” — gigoid, the dubious, via Smart Bee


“The world is not to be put in order, the world is order incarnate. It is for us to put ourselves in unison with this order.” — Henry Miller


“I am only a rat in a maze, like you — only the dead go free.” — Smart Bee


“In a word, neither death, nor exile, nor pain, nor anything of this kind is the real cause of our doing or not doing any action, but our inward opinions and principles.” — Epictetus (c. 60 AD) — Discourses, Book i, Chap xi


“Death the last sleep? No, it is the final awakening.” — Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832)


“What I like is when you’re looking and thinking and looking and thinking…  and suddenly you wake up.” — Hobbes


See? Pretty good, eh? I keep telling you; it’s all in the wrist….


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I’m not entirely sure what may have taken place here today. I’ve been up for over two hours, having somehow regressed into a strong episode of tardive dyskinesia, which I had hoped to be done with until the next med cut…. An hour in a chair, trembling oneself awake every few minutes, jumpy as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs is NOT fun, let me assure you…. Fortunately, I’d done a lot of this yesterday, so, it went smoothly enough; I’m merely unsure of how my brain is functioning. I can’t seem to feel it….


Oh, well. More proof we don’t really need our brains to get by, I guess. For now, I think I’ll just toss in the towel, and try to go back to bed, once the sun comes up…. Hmm… that’s completely ass backwards, isn’t it?…. Fuck it…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, if I can’t talk myself out of it….




Y’all take care out there, 

and May the Metaphorse be with you;

Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark,Theresa, & Richy

and everyone else, too…


When I works, I works hard.

When I sits, I sits loose.

When I thinks, I falls asleep.


Which is Why….


Sometimes I sits and thinks,

   and sometimes,

I just sits.


gigoid, the dubious


PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.


“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch


dozer3




 À bientôt, mon cherí….



					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Faceted jewels, hidden in darkness…

			
						

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Ffolkes,




Too long a sacrifice


Can make a stone of the heart.


~~ William Butler Yeats ~~


Day 5 023

Public House in Cork, Ireland, with freshly pulled Guinness waiting for your Valentine.


Who is NOT the blond bartender you see in the rear of the pub, more’s the pity.






Somehow or another, the idea of Valentine’s Day got planted in my consciousness this year. Most years, all it takes for me to forget all about it, is to think of how it began, back in the middle of the twentieth century, when that day, along with Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, President’s Day, and probably a number of others I don’t remember, were instituted as official national holidays. The entire reason, well known at the time, was to supply a holiday during those months of the year when there was not a religious, or other well-known date, like Halloween, Christmas, and Easter, to stimulate the sagging economy in those months, giving people a reason to buy gifts…. Not exactly romantic, eh?


This year, I don’t know why, the date keeps popping up in front of me, which is ironic, as I don’t have anyone in my life other than my kids with whom I’d share such sentiments… Plus, I HATE buying useless stuff just because some poor business person isn’t going to be able to keep their cash flow in the black for a day or two. They steal enough of my money, without my helping them out by falling for such egregiously avaricious tricks…. I wouldn’t want to lose my own good self-opinion, now, would I? No, I don’t believe I would…


Ah well, I have now given in to the extent of writing almost three paragraphs about the day, though I wouldn’t say they were particularly filled with joy and happiness at the day’s arrival on the calendar. In addition, in the next section, you’ll find a very indulgent piece, nicely done by some guy with a pair of breeding hamsters (probably wants to start a farm & sell the thousands of offspring to come in the few months they live…), and way too much spare time on his hands…. It’s pretty funny….


But, as far as I can make it so, that’s all the corporations get from me today…. Well, I might reconsider, break down, & buy a Hallmark card,  should I happen to walk out of the house and be accosted by a gorgeous, sensual woman, who demand I  give her the card, take her out to dinner, then take her home to teach her all I know of the Kama Sutra…. Yeah, sure, like THAT’s going to happen…. So, I’m figuring I’m done with it for the day…


“Now what”, he said, bemusedly. If only he had started out differently; if only some fantastic fictional passage had stormed through his consciousness, ripping control of his fingers from him, to pound the keyboard faster than he could read, filling the screen with gripping, violently graphic, yet, oddly romantic images of intense emotional drama, pitting human nature against itself in an eternal battle of good vs. evil, all the while laughing madly, gleefully drooling all over his own lap, until, finally, he slowed, considered what he had done, and, stopped typing…..


Slowly, he rose, walking calmly to the desk across the room. Opening a concealed drawer, he pulled out a leather case. Unsnapping the fasteners, the case opens to reveal a dark, shiny, evil-looking 9mm Glock automatic pistol. Picking it up, he chambered a round, placed the gun at his temple, and fired one shot right through to the opposite wall, taking quite a bit of brain and bone matter with it, forming a rather striking pattern across the rug and wall….


He then walked over to the computer, sat down, and, naturally enough, typed in the following words….


Shall we Pearl?


“..  I’m IMAGINING a sensuous GIRAFFE, CAVORTING in the BACK ROOM of a KOSHER DELI –” — Zippy the Pinhead


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


Well, what did you expect? It IS Valentine’s Day, even if I don’t pay any particular attention to it. The following video, at least, puts it all into the proper perspective…. Thanks to Lou for posting it two days ago, thus, furnishing me with yet another fine pearl…..




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Tiny Hamster’s Tiny Date
















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Dont keep calm


“Things true and evident must of necessity be recognized by those who would contradict them.” — Epictetus (c. 60 AD) — Concerning the Epicureans, — Discourses, Book ii, Chap. xx


Ahhh! Bliss…. I’ve always enjoyed the way Epictetus expressed his thoughts. Somehow, his style speaks to me in a way I feel as well as see, and hear, telling me in the simplest, most direct way, how to understand life, and our fellow humans; his sense, apparently, shares commonality with my own. To me, this is an excellent way to show exactly how we can be sure we are being, well, screwed, by those in power…. It is proven true every day, any number of times….


Each day, those in power release some sort of blast of information, designed in some fashion to influence the public in some way. Even when the public KNOWS of this, they still tend to listen to those in power, as they have been trained to do so since entering this world. Still, there is so much of what we are told that isn’t even remotely true, those among the unwashed masses who have not been fully beaten down into slavish acceptance will take note of some obvious discrepancy between reality, and what they are told is reality by those in charge. On the internet, there are literally hundreds of places to find these discrepancies, which clearly show that what we are told is not always true….


Here is where Epictetus’ words come into play…. In order for the officials making the statement to contradict reality in this way shows how it is not possible for them to do so in ignorance of what they do…. By the very act of lying, they prove they know the truth, but, choose to withhold it, to serve some purpose of their own…. Often that purpose is apparent; more often it is not. Either way, I think you could easily say they weren’t doing it for OUR benefit, without feeling as if you were telling a lie yourself….


“Though all the winds of doctrine were let loose to play upon the earth, so Truth be in the field, we do ingloriously, by licensing and prohibiting, to misdoubt her strength. Let her and Falsehood grapple: who ever knew Truth put to the worse in a free and open encounter?” — John Milton (1608-1674) — Areopagitica


This is MY solution to this question, and, my intention as one who rants. Given the simple fact of the degree of control already established over our society/world by those who would be king, the Truth is the only weapon remaining to us…. Those who rule have already perverted much of Truth to their own purposes, by the simple expedient of convincing almost everyone they have always told the truth, when they actually merely convinced people what is true was not…. If there is one thing I’ve always believed, with some trepidation, admittedly, it is the Truth will out; ultimately, it will make itself clear, usually in a painful way… I don’t think it LIKES to be hidden, or used to promote evil…. But, in time, it always wins out over a lie… I’m hoping, anyway….


Sounds complicated, but, it’s quite simple actually; the problem is this: once the lies are accepted as truth, the actual truth has no more power to be heard; those convinced they are right, possessing the only right answers, will not listen to any evidence otherwise, even if it slaps them right in the face….. It is one of human nature’s most destructive traits, in spite of also being one of its most endearing faults…. I only wish I knew another way to get through to them, but, they made the decision long ago, to never discover the truth of reality for themselves, but, to allow others to tell them what to believe, to mold the shape of reality for them…. To turn back now, for almost all of them, is impossible….


“It’s called EVIL, kid.” — Smart Bee


SIGH….. We had such promise, too….





We the People...


What is wanted is not the will to believe, 


but the will to find out,


 which is the exact opposite.


~~ Bertrand Russell (1872-1967), “Sceptical Essays”, 1928 ~~




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


A poem of mine is going to have to do for today. I hope you like it…..




Sharing the Wealth


Lucky are we who live with some adversity,

Such strife to bear leaves us strong and free.

Time is no better spent at a fine university

Teaching us the kind of person we wish to be.


We humans are such contrary creatures

Life lived in ease is our fondest intent.

New perceptions are our strongest features

Learning to cope with troubles we cannot prevent.


Lessons we learn at Trouble’s bent knee

Stay on top in the bag of tools we carry.

Knowledge so earned can keep us free

On our long, strange trip to Charon’s ferry.


Pain is the least favorite of our teachers

Yet such powerful lessons stay forever and a day.

No matter how life presents its features

Strength of will equals what life sends our way.


T’is well to consider such time-tested tools,

To carry them with us as we travel through Life.

Events are less likely to show us as fools,

as we deal with Reality, where peril is rife.


~~ gigoid ~~




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


Back and forth, back and forth, like a damn tennis ball; Smart Bee must have been watching tennis on TV or something, during whatever moments this batch of pearls were chosen. All I did was ask for a simple old school pearl already made up, so I didn’t need to think too hard about parameters… This is what came back to me…. I can’t figure it out, other than maybe as a metaphor for Life as a Ping Pong Ball…. Oh, well, at least they’re all one-liners…


“A wise man never refuses anything to necessity.” — Publius Syrus (42 BC) — Maxim 540


“If truth is beauty, how come no one has their hair done in the library?” — Lily Tomlin


“Democritus says, “But we know nothing really; for truth lies deep down.” — Diogenes Laertius (c. 200 AD) — Pyrrho, viii


“Those who do things in a noble spirit of self-sacrifice are to be avoided at all costs.” — N. Alexander


“Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun.” — Mao Zedong, “Quotations from Chairman Mao”, 1966


“Each of us bears his own Hell.” — Publius Maro


“Reality is a sandwich I did not order.” — Zippy the Pinhead


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


Ffolkes, the world has gone mad; not just mad, but, stark, raving mad. I’m not certain, at this point, exactly what I will do about it, but, it’s not going to fix itself; it has made that perfectly clear. Thus, it leaves it to us to try to figure out what the hell we are going to do; given the options, I’m pretty sure what I’ll do; how ’bout y’all? Well, it’s late, or early, or something; you can think about it, and hopefully, there will be a tomorrow, when you might think about sharing that with us…. Meantime, keep your head down, and your powder dry, ffolkes; it’s a hard rain that’s gonna fall…. Hopefully, I’ll see you tomorrow; if not, fare thee well, until we meet again….




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


dozer3




 À bientôt, mon cherí….





					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Contrary to all the research, it squeaks….

			
						

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Ffolkes,




“Doing it the hard way is always easier.”


~~ Murphy’s Paradox ~~


11 001

“Oh, you said Tokyo! My bad…”




If the picture I took, above, is any indication, in the field of aerotechnology, the human race has made some startling advances since I last checked. The airplane, or jet, or whatever it was, to make a trail like that, had to be moving at least 2-300 mph. I was not aware we possessed the technology to make 90º turn at that speed. Oh, perhaps we have drones that will do it, but, the forces involved would make it hard for a flesh and blood entity to remain conscious, or alive, at the end of the turn. Kinda makes me wonder what we aren’t being told…. again.


Ah well, the intro isn’t the place for such conjecture, I suppose. I just keep stumbling across little pieces of evidence like this, which indicate there are a LOT of things those in charge are keeping from the public. A small item like this, when added to the visit from officialdom I received a couple of days ago, tells me a lot. Sometimes, to hear the music, one must pay close attention to the silences between the notes…. This is not something the mundanes of the world will ever realize, or, even consider, so, it becomes the DUTY of those of us who CAN make out the melody to make sure the orchestra is playing the tune on the program, and not one of their own choosing….


With that said, I will go on to bigger and, well, different things, with the full realization that very few people will ever see this, or even know they are clueless. SIGH…. It makes me want to cry, in sorrow, for all the folks out there who are being ushered down a path to their own destruction, never even knowing they are drawing closer to the edge of a bottomless pit with each step…. Hell, most of them aren’t even aware they are up and moving! They sit and watch their 60 inch TV, thinking what they see is Reality, when all it is would best be described as the mental equivalent of cotton candy, which they continue to stuff into their obese mouths, only to feel what they’ve eaten disappear into thin air, much like their dreams of a life worth living….


It’s a sad, sad world these days, ffolkes, and there are only a few people who are even aware that we are all in trouble, because, nobody in charge WANTS to know (there’s no profit in letting the public know….), and nobody who is going to die thinks it is real…. Some days, such as today, I’m convinced our species is not worthy of surviving…. not if we allow a few idiots to send the rest of us to hell right along with them, as they pursue their insane dreams of power and madness…


I think I’m depressing myself. I’m going to stop now, and go write something else, hopefully not as much of a downer. It will be hard, though, as almost everything I perceive these days, out there in the Big Blue Room, is enough to depress a clown on Prozac….


Shall we Pearl?


“A talent is formed in stillness, a character in the world’s torrent.” — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe


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


It might be a futile attempt, but, if this doesn’t improve your mood, or mine, well, it’s too damn late for us…. Enjoy, ffolkes. This is what life COULD be like, if not for all the assholes in the world….




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Cute Dogs And Adorable Babies: Compilation 
















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Dont keep calm


    It is entirely possible I will rant no more…. Ffolkes, it’s all gone. Whatever it was that held this world together is broken; we have gone completely and irrevocably insane, as a species, a culture, and, mostly, as individual human beings, a term that, from what I can tell, really has no meaning in a very real sense. Not for long, anyway. I am now convinced, even if a way IS found, to save our sorry asses from killing ourselves, and everything else here, or, at minimum, turning the world into a real life version of Dante’s Inferno’s vision of Hell, nobody would even turn off the TV to listen….


I tried to read the news today, oh, boy…. Ten thousand holes in Blackburn, Lancashire, it said….  along with a slew of other headlines, each displaying as much sense as these classic lines from the Beatle’s epic song, A Day in the Life. I sometimes use a news reader program that collects news articles from hundreds of sources, so I can pick and choose what to read by perusing the headlines in each category. I’ve been avoiding it, using just the articles and news I pick up in the little time I can spend each day on the blogs of my friends, and the email notifications I subscribe to from my most favored sources.


Well, there are also the emails I subscribe to from the people I feel need watching, like the White House, etc. “Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.” is an aphorism all warriors are taught in the cradle. (Well, this warrior was, anyway. If not, they probably would have been better off if they had…) Not that the folks in the White House are necessarily my enemy, but, I certainly don’t trust them to look after MY interests very well. They’ve already proved, on too many occasions, no such intention exists in their world view; not if the emails I’ve received from them in the past seven years are any indication. As a matter of long-standing policy, I accept a lot of what I consider spam, just so I can see what they’re saying to all those who support them blindly…. Good intel, in my book…


As for ranting, daily doses don’t seem to get me much of anywhere that can actually help, other than to a place where I am not so pissed off all the time, simply as a result of the catharsis of writing. Plus, I have had some recent clues come to my attention which have made me reconsider my openness to a small degree. I expect you’ll note a few minor changes in what you see here, beyond the usual lack of regular structure to be expected in a place where we play with reality as if it were playdough, or even better, magic slime. Yeah, that’s the ticket, reality as magic slime…. Hey, anything would be better than the reality in which we all are currently trapped, right? Right….


Oops. I guess that could be considered ranting; I’d best be careful, as I’m not yet used to my new paradigm. Hell, I haven’t even named it yet; can’t change your paradigm unless you have a name for the new one. It just doesn’t work, they are like a vector in mathematics; the direction is required for it to have any real meaning…. Same with a paradigm; you gotta know its true name, or the magic won’t work….


So much for logic, eh? But, logic won’t hold up under the inundation of insanity, greed for power, and general loss of all sense of proportion, or dignity I saw in just a little part of today’s mainstream news…. You see, I only got half-way through ONE news site before I was overcome by a sense of utter futility. Every other article I stopped to read stimulated either amazed disbelief, or tears, from feeling both sorrow, and laughter, when confounded by reports of the antics of the latest form of cosmic vermin, we naked apes, as we caper about the planet, pretending we have a clue….


There are only two things left to say on this subject; consider them well. They MAY be the last of their kind….




“America!!  I saw it all!!  Vomiting!  Waving!  


JERRY FALWELLING into  your void tube of UHF oblivion!!  


SAFEWAY of the mind –” 


~~ Zippy the Pinhead ~~


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“Inside, I’m already SOBBING!”


~~ Zippy the Pinhead ~~




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


I have a new poem, but, it isn’t quite ready for me to cut a vein open, and let it leak out. We’ll have to go with another of mine from the archives, to keep from spreading the blame for this…. Here is one I wrote back in 2013, that seems to go right along with the ranting section for today…. Enjoy, please, and remember, ffolkes… Metaphor is my thing….




A Dubiously Soft Morning


Idiosyncratic images, clamoring for regard,

fill up the white, white screen on which I view

my life, never seeing, nor invited to sup

ambrosial remnants of anything new.


Still, yet almost in motion, allegory sails away

bobbing gently, quick and easy to find,

signs of one happy child, seriously at play,

blissfully immersed, focused joy in mind.


Formidable cries of outraged simple justice

echo plaintive relevance, in half the time.

Maladaptive infants, destined for hospice

salvage an only child, daring to sing in rhyme.


Creativity equals unquestioning farce, 

often reaching for absurdity, brazenly afire.

Instead, a blow is felt that no joy will soften,

accepting the price, added to the cost of desire.


~~ gigoid ~~




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I’ve never gone for titling Pearls, or pearls, either. But, for this one, if I were asked to give it a title, it would have to be, “The Rise and Fall of Homo Erectus”




We shall never cease from exploration

And the end of all our exploring

Will be to arrive where we started

And know the place for the first time.


~~ T. S. Eliot ~~




“Life is pleasant.  Death is peaceful.  It’s the transition that’s troublesome.” — Isaac Asimov


“Everything is simpler than you think and at the same time more complex than you imagine.” — Goethe


“Nothing is easier than self-deceit. For what each man wishes, that he also believes to be true.” — Demosthenes


“Expedients are for the hour; principles for the ages.” — Henry Ward Beecher


“If a man could pass through Paradise in a dream, and have a flower presented to him as a pledge that his soul had been there, and if he found that flower in his hand when he awoke – Aye, and what then?” — Coleridge, “Anima Poetae”




Like leaves on trees the race of man is found,–

Now green in youth, now withering on the ground;

Another race the following spring supplies:

They fall successive, and successive rise.


~~ Alexander Pope ~~


~~ The Iliad of Homer, Book vi, Line 181 ~~




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


If I didn’t know, for sure and for certain, I’d say this was getting easier. But, since I do know, I’ll use the gift horse technique, and merely say I am glad it’s done, & be done with it. Not for nothing have I achieved such an advanced age, one none of us ever really considers, until it smacks us dead in the face…. On that uplifting thought, I think it would be best if I leave now. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, provided the powers of evil have not yet discovered my hiding place…. Be alert. The world needs all the lerts we can find….




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


dozer3






À bientôt, mon cherí….



					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Funk-o-matic accessories are on aisle seven….

			
						

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Ffolkes,




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


~~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe ~~


buddah-out-to-lunch_s

Picture Stolen from Linda Vernon


https://lindavernon.wordpress.com/2015/02/02/confessions-of-a-new-age-failure/#comment-24530




Yesterday, I was treated to a perfectly graphic demonstration of how today’s world works, in this modern world of digital communications, through the influence of our old friends, the National Security Agency. Oh, no worries; they aren’t quite convinced yet of the degree of danger I represent, so, they didn’t personally tip their hand. But, the casual disregard for privacy, in communication across then internet especially which the political pundits in this country display all too often was brought to my door in quite graphic fashion…. Allow me to elucidate….


As I was dealing with some stress and a great deal of arthritic pain, with a side dish of Tardive Dyskinesia, (all hail the mighty Kaiser, thank you very much!), by pacing the house and ranting to myself, I heard a knock at the back door…. Not in the best of moods, I went to see who knew where I live, whereupon I found two Vallejo police officers, who wished to know if I was Ned Moore…. Well! Since I hadn’t robbed any banks lately, or otherwise done anything illegal, not even a misdemeanor, I wasn’t real thrilled, to say the least….


I made two mistakes in the initial exchange, but, fortunately, didn’t do something that got me shot at…. I made the mistake of merely responding to their query with, “I’ll be right back”, then turning away to go get my phone, which I’d left in the other room. I also got a pen and paper, in case I needed to make notes. When I got back to the door, they were out of sight. I said, as I approached the door, “What can I do for you gentlemen?” When one of them said, “Mr. Moore, can you please let us see your hands? You made us a little nervous when you walked away. We can’t see you through the screen door, so….” Realizing my mistake, I quickly assured them I had no weapons, and we then proceeded to discuss why they came….


My other mistake was not asking to see their ID; I suppose I had already convinced myself of their official status, by my subconscious perceptions; I’d noted their uniforms, the cop shoes, and the cop eyes…. which, I had to admit, did contain more intelligence than is my usual perception. It turned out, once we’d gotten over the introductions, they were a captain, and a lieutenant in the Vallejo force, who came to ascertain my intentions regarding the City Council…. Here is where the demonstration of the extreme paranoia, and adversarial attitude adopted by those in public office comes into play….


The two officers (officers, indeed, not enlisted ranks…), told me they had read my emails to the city council, and were concerned about my statement of intention to come to the meeting, as I didn’t say exactly what my intentions were by coming…. I suppose what I wrote to the Mayor, and copied to the Council members, was too forceful in the opinions expressed, so one of the recipients forwarded the email to the police, for them to investigate whether I was so upset I was going to come to the meeting & go postal on the council!….


Talk about paranoia! From what I’ve seen in the video tape of the last council meeting, which I downloaded to watch, so I could find out the details of the issue I wrote to them about, it had to be the Mayor, who seems to be the only professional politician on the council, though there IS another lawyer sitting on the council, as well….


Thankfully, the two officers who came to see me, (both were actual gentlemen, to go along with their officer’s bars), only knew their boss had showed it to them. Being more intelligent and honorable than the usual run of police I’ve encountered, they approached it as a fact finding visit, not establishing an immediate adversarial attitude toward me, allowing real communication to occur, without turning it into an incident all of us would have regretted….


Ah well… All’s well that ends well, and now I have another question for the Council, to ask them who sent my email to the police, and why they did so, when I made no threats, nor used any vulgarity…. Having strong opinions is still allowed according to the Constitution; the Homeland Security Act made no mention of it, though it does eliminate just about all the ten basic rights as listed in the Amendments to that document. Fortunately, for me, and for the officers, the two gentlemen who came to see me still believed in the original version, so, we were able to have a meeting of the minds, rather than a conflict….


Happy days! But, of course, today is another day, and I haven’t heard of any great societal changes overnight, so, I don’t think I’ll hold my breath until things get better…. Instead, I’ll end this incredibly long intro section, and get on with today’s post….


Shall we Pearl?


“He declared that he knew nothing, except the fact of his ignorance.” — Diogenes Laertius (c. 200 AD) — Socrates, xvi


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“Everything has two handles,–one by which it may be borne; another by which it cannot.” — Epictetus (c. 60 AD) — Enchiridion, xliii


Okay, ffolkes. In the words of the Firesign Theater, “Gird your grids for a big one.” The following video is, quite simply, brilliant. It is also chock full of real information, well verified, that will do one of three things… 1) It will piss you off no end. 2) It will scare you worse than the thought of Rush Limbaugh throwing kisses at you, wearing a tiger stripe peignoir, or 3) It will piss you off no end. Did I say that already? Oh…. Watch it anyway, it’s not long…. Then, take out the trash, which should be overflowing with all of your previously held misconceptions of reality….




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Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Marketing to Doctors (HBO)















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Dont keep calm


“Can’t sleep clowns will eat me… Can’t sleep clowns will eat me… Can’t sleep clowns will eat me… Can’t sleep clowns will eat me… Can’t sleep clowns will eat me…” — Bart Simpson


“Anxiety is a thin stream of fear trickling through the mind. If encouraged, it cuts a channel into which all other thoughts are drained.” — Arthur Somers Roche


Together, these two taglines, one considered a joke, the other a sober observation of reality, give a strong impression of how living in today’s world feels for a great many people. The first demonstrates, in graphic clarity, exactly HOW the second line works,  creating unreasonable fear in the human mind. This tendency, for worry to eat away at people’s inner serenity and feeling of security, is well-known to those who have usurped the course of human progress to serve their own ends, to meet the demands of their own ego’s wants and desires, to the exclusion of anyone else’s well-being. This unfortunate facet of human nature provides such sociopathic personalities with the perfect tool to assert mind control over anyone who believes them….


One of the clearest statements of how this principle works in reality was offered at the Nuremberg Trials at the close of WWII, when the German Reich Marshal, Hermann Goering, replied, with unusual candor, as well as apparent disdain, to a question put to him during his trial for war crimes against humanity…. He said, quite calmly, what you see in the picture of him below this line, to wit:





Goering sez


    This particular human trait is well known not only to the ruling classes; many modern social critics and philosophers have noted how people can be manipulated by those in power, often pointing out these insane acts of aggression against their own species with humorous observations regarding those who engage in such evil…. Perhaps the most fearless, as well as most brilliantly perceptive of these social critics, the modern day equivalent to Jesters, a once-highly-respected class of Artists, George Carlin, once noted, for example:





more george carlin


    In fact, George had quite a few things to say regarding these folks, not always with the restraint shown above… Here are more of his thoughts on modern society, culture, and the people who have so perverted this world….





george again




more George sez


    To my mind, George Carlin was the quintessential patriot, a firm believer in personal responsibility, in himself, and in others, and, most especially in those who are supposed to be the MOST honest and responsible, by virtue of the public trust placed in them. He resisted all of society’s demands to fit into the narrow little jacket these would-be slavers wish us all to wear, always saying what he thought with no fear…. Such as this one:





george sez


    George noted, and lamented with all of us who bother to think, the pitifully insane, shameful existence of the same evil people I do, those I’ve named Asininnies, a word I coined, to promote the proper mindset with which to view those who would make the world their plaything, at the expense of the entire rest of humanity, without a single dram of concern for the welfare of anyone but themselves. Sometimes, I consider changing the nickname I use, to reflect a bit more closely the true nature of these vermin wearing human skin; “Assholes” would be a very good choice, I think, for they are always passing shit around, which mostly stinks to high heaven…. It’s good to keep things simple….


Fuck ’em. They can’t have MY mind, or my freedom. They MIGHT be able to kill me, but, they’ll never make me submit to their demands to turn myself into a slave, or to believe a single word they have to say…. They have already proven themselves unworthy of respect, or consideration for anything beyond the fact of their pitiful existence, which I shall hope is a short one…. even if I must ensure that to be the case personally….


Enough said….


gigoid has spoken.


So be it….


“Well, here I am in AMERICA..  I LIKE it.  I HATE it. I LIKE it.  I HATE it.  I LIKE it.  I HATE it.  I LIKE it. I HATE it.  I LIKE..  EMOTIONS are  SWEEPING over me!!” — Zippy the Pinhead


Oh, going back to Hermann’s little share….


“In the USA, more people die from lightning than terrorism.” — Brenda, the Civil Disobedience Penguin


I hate to harp on this kind of thing, contrary to how it must seem, but, this is, if not absolutely true, much more nearly so than the situation in any other country in the world, especially in those in which the USA has business, or political (one and the same entity, in reality) interests. One good definition of terrorism is the explosion of large bombs unexpectedly on innocent non-combatants. I don’t think it would matter at all to anyone, even if it is for the alleged purpose of “saving American lives overseas, fighting terrorism at its roots, by sharing the benefits of freedom” with the people of that country.


Do you seriously think the people of ANY country, not involved in any of the nonsense being perpetrated by the insane leaders of EITHER country, are NOT terrorized when they see, out of nowhere, dropped from planes so far above they are nearly invisible, thousands of explosions as the natural results of dropping $750 million worth of explosive devices in ONE day? I don’t know about y’all, but, I think I’d be pretty terrorized, myself, freedom or no freedom.


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Oops! Almost forgot a poem. I’m not sure why, but, this one seems appropriate for today… It seems long, but, it really isn’t….




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.


IF


He isn’t?

Oh,

Well….


Ante up.

Deal.


IF


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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Okay, this is one of the world’s quickest pearls…. I’m up late, thanks to a completely useless routine, which has been shredded to remove any consistency over the last ten weeks of fighting with my body, a direct result of the drastic, radical med reduction forced on me by a large, soulless HMO which shall, for this moment, remain unnamed, lest the sound of its sobriquet stimulate more rage…. These pearls were all chosen because they were the first, best ones I saw…. that’s it…. I hope this works….


“You can’t fight City Hall, but you can punch out the mayor …” — Smart Bee


“Remember, Big Brother is watching you – and Big Brother is paranoid.” — Smart Bee


“A society of sheep must in time beget a government of wolves.” — Bertrand de Jouvenel


“Illegitimacy is something we should talk about in terms of not having it.” — Vice President Dan Quayle, 5/20/92 (reported in Esquire, 8/92)


“Anyone can be great with money. With money, greatness is not a talent but an obligation. The trick is to be great without money.” — Italo Bombolini


“I keep hearing that Jesus Christ is coming, but nobody knows his tour dates.” — Michael Lucas




You may see me tonight with an illegal smile. 

It don’t cost very much, but it lasts a long while.    

Won’t you please tell the man 

I didn’t hurt anyone.  

No, I’m just trying to have me some fun.


~~ John Prine ~~




Hmm… not bad at all for the literary equivalent to instant coffee…. I’ll take it….


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All things considered, this came out fairly well, I think. Well enough, I’m going to use some restraint, by not dumping any more tricks on y’all. I’ll just say, see y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, provided the Mayor doesn’t have me arrested for public shaming of elected officials, which is probably in the city ordinances by now…. he’s been in office a while…. (That’s a joke, for you dudes at the NSA….)  Have fun out there, and remember to, always, Question Authority….. It’s a good idea, as mostly, Authority has no clue…. I was lucky enough to have met two who do…. have a clue, that is. Ta, then….




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


dozer3




 À bientôt, mon cherí….



					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Dodge those taxes with dignity and aplomb….

			
						

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Ffolkes,




“Nature abhors a vacuum, but not as much as cats do.”


~~ Lee Entrekin ~~


russian-blue91

Turn it off. Now. 


 Photo stolen from Wolfie, at:



 https://europasicewolf.wordpress.com/2015/02/04/mewling-the-blues-to-the-ancient-mythological-cat-goddesses/


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Anyone who has lived with a cat knows the opening quote to be an exact statement of truth. I have never met, or observed any cat, in my entire life, who did not absolutely resent the mere presence of a vacuum, even if not operating, with every fiber of their being. If even one of them ever acquired a set of tools to suit their paws, I suspect, one morning, we would all find our loud, offensive-to-the-nature-of-CAT cleaning appliances in a small neat pile of metal pieces, covered over lightly with dirt, somewhere outside the house…. That one cat would destroy all he found in his neighborhood, then pass the tools and skills on to the first cat he met, until every vacuum in the world was useless…. If they could use computers, it would happen all that much faster…. probably in a matter of hours after booting up….


Yet, still, in the quiet moments between heartbeats, the soft, lyrical sound of simple peace may steal through the rear window of each person’s mind, to fill the air with the almost-painfully somber melody of broken dreams. Nighttime brings panic and fear, not slumber; terror rules the hours until light. Light brings its own baggage, weighting down each one it touches, bearing them down, down, to the pitted earth, never again to rise with any degree of hope….


Boy, that turned a little dark corner there, didn’t it. I have no idea how what I started as a lyrical fantasy, grounded in peace and beauty, to the nightmare of the fight with inner demons…. I suppose I need to watch the road signs more closely; the turn I took was NOT into the street I thought I was headed for, by a long shot….. Of course, by logical concatenation, since the street signs are put up by the government, they could conceivably be a lie….


Okay, sorry…. I know it’s too early for such a drastically rude shot to the head of a pundit, but, I’ve never been one to pass up a good opportunity like that one. I promise, no more ranting in this section, for today, at least. Naturally, this leaves us once more in the clutches of the dreaded “What the fuck do we do now?” beast, with its slavering jaws of death, smellier than the filthiest asshole in creation. Whew! Powerful stuff! I think I’m going to make an executive decision; this intro has gone completely off the wire, and out of the dimension. There’s no hope now of ever getting back on any reasonable track down the page without some sort of drastic intervention…. Hang on, ffolkes, I’m pulling the switch on #4…..


Shall we Pearl?




“It’s a bit hard to bullshit the ocean.  


It’s not listening, you know what I mean?”


~~ David Crosby ~~




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One can never watch too many cartoons, I say. We all need regular doses of fantasy to balance out the extreme levels of bullshit that permeates almost every level of our lives in this sad old world…. Besides, it’s always good to spend time with old friends….




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Heckle and Jeckle










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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~~


Dont keep calm


     Pearls of Virtual Wisdom, as a blog, continues to evolve, along with me, as I become more competent at formatting the text and pictures, learning to take advantage of how they can work together to strengthen whatever points I’m trying to get through to people. Today, rather than a rant, I’m going to use the principle of “a picture is worth a thousand words”, to deliver my usual indictment of the Asininnies, those who have perverted human culture for their own aggrandizement. You’ve seen all of these before on this site; I seem to have collected enough of them to form a pictorial old-school pearl, filled with my entire pantheon of issues about which to rant….. I don’t think I’ll need to say anything more; from this point on, it’s pretty self-explanatory…


Enjoy, ffolkes; it will be a nice break from the 2-3000 words I could have used to speak to all these pictures, each of which highlights part of the problems we face today, threatened with extinction as a species by the ignorant, cruel, selfishly self-centered actions of a precious few extreme assholes, disguised as human beings….. I might add, all of these pictures are taken from REALITY; there’s no speculation involved in any of these issues…. Remember that, next time you hear one of the Asininnies speak about “conspiracy theories”, or, try to deny culpability for all of their chicanery…. It isn’t a fantasy if it comes straight from reality, to slap you in your very real face….. or, shoot you in your very real heart…..




Albert E & true sin600801_388558564581781_493680709_nFlulaval-vaccine-insert-no-controlled-trials-640Isaac AsimovFlulaval-Influenza-Vaccine-Insert-600Ginsburg on CU 8-20-2014Pope Leo X220px-Pogo_-_Earth_Day_1971_posterjimmy sez

Orwell on footballtrickle down theory

nsadogWe the People...


     There you go, ffolkes. The first ever fully-pictorial pearl. Not too shabby, and, it certainly saved y’all a shit load of reading, didn’t it? I kind of like it, but, it’s going to take a while now to collect enough pointed bamboo sticks to create another punji pit, placing some nice atropine on the points of the sticks, to provide that extra touch of agony to their deaths… Then, we’ll need to find a good spot to put it, where it can catch any stray Asininnies passing by, concealed well enough to ensure they take their final fall, about 12 feet down, to meet their chosen fate.


I  find it to be only justice to consider such a cruel method of eliminating these human vermin, justice provided by most efficient bamboo stakes, tipped with a poison to paralyze the diaphragm, adding a touch of terror to their agony, hopefully for a good long while, until the numerous holes in their body bleed sufficiently to allow them to die the death they so richly deserve…. This has the added advantage of reducing the number of targets left to destroy in future revolutionary outbreaks, which I consider a pretty sure thing, given today’s state of world affairs…. It’s always a good policy to get a running start on unpleasant tasks, such as vermin control….


Gee! Do ya think I’m a little pissed off? Well…. you may be right…


gigoid, not speaking much, but, enough….


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After such a compelling graphic rant, only one poem of mine will do….




Geezer to Congress, with Love


Politicos don’t care much ’bout seniors and their ilk,

except for their money, I thinks;

Though they talk as if they’d cozen them in silk,

what they actually do, it stinks.


“The banks are failing, we can’t allow that!”,

steal from the aged, that’s their plan.

“Their life’s ending, that’s plainly where they’re at,”

lie shamelessly, because they can.


Maybe just once, if we all act together,

it couldn’t miss.

Right on their shoes, no matter the weather,

take careful aim, and piss.


Why the hell not?

It’s worth a shot!


~~ gigoid ~~




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I suppose the only proper way to describe what follows would be to call it a tongue-in-cheek pearl. Each one, which SB gave up in its inimitable style, isn’t actually as shallow as it may seem at first, once one gets past the flippancy, or in some cases, the simplicity…. No matter, they’re fun, and there are plenty of them, so, enjoy…. or not. I like to give everyone a choice, as you know….


“Sinners can repent, but stupid is forever.” — Smart Bee


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


“What is becoming is honest, and whatever is honest must always be becoming.” — Marcus Tullius Cicero (106-43 B.C.)


“Anything may be divided into as many parts as you please.” Commentary: In this case, ‘everything’ may be viewed as a subset of ‘anything.'” — Law of Arbitrary Distinction


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


“Ah say, son, you’re about as sharp as a bowlin’ ball.” — Foghorn Leghorn


“Out of the crooked timber of humanity no straight thing can ever be made.” — Immanuel Kant


“Immanuel doesn’t pun, he Kant.” — Smart Bee


Doh! Sorry, ffolkes, I couldn’t help myself. SB threw them out there, & I fell right into the trap…. Okay, here is the correct final pearl for this particular group…


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


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Thankfully, most of this got done yesterday; getting it all done this morning would have been impossible, given the state of affairs in my body. Though my refusal to submit to any further med reduction has finally reached a point where I am able to get some sleep, I still awake in more pain than I’ve had to deal with for over seven years. Any thanks I may feel for this gift can be delivered directly to the door of a large soulless corporation, care of two doctors/slaves who are carrying out their draconian policy of punishing anyone who may not wish to submit to wearing a collar.


However, rather than continue to rant here in the closing section, I’ll make a 90 degree turn, and merely say, “See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, when we’ll fire off another round of shots, at those insane fools who would kill us all in their cowardly, insane quest for power….”




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


dozer3




 À bientôt, mon cherí….





					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
First, we kill all the bankers….

			
						

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Ffolkes,




“Hello again, Peabody here…”


~~ Mister Peabody ~~


August 14 2014 002 (2)


     Yes, Will, all the lawyers, too… Now, normally, I would not claim any relationship with the title of these Pearls, but, this one was too perfect to pass up…. Given my opinion of the Asininnies, particularly those most guilty parties, the bankers, and the lawyers, both of whom describe a segment of humans who, to the average of about 90%, are complicit in the ongoing oppression and suffering so prevalent in our society. I’d wager, of the 1%, or less, of the world’s population who control 99% of the money and resources, well over half are lawyers and/or bankers, often both at once….


Any more, I am not using the word “maybe”, or “someday” to refer to the possibility of world-wide revolution against those snakeheads who hold power over the masses, wielded in secrecy from the hidden compounds, and anonymous corporate estates, surrounded by high walls and an army of mercenaries to protect them,  where they hide from the world, to protect themselves from those on whom they prey. These ‘people’, and I use the term loosely, are well aware, if the rest of the world ever finds out A) who they are, and/or B) where they live, connecting that with their implicit responsibility for the state of the world, well, they wouldn’t stand a chance in hell of surviving the next five minutes….


Hey, we all have our dreams, right? That’s one of mine, but, the intro probably isn’t the best place to start in on persuading the rest of humanity to rise up to throw the assholes into the pit they deserve. Not that such a probability ever stopped me before, but, I do try to show SOME discretion, when I remember…. Hmm, let’s see how else we can screw it up…


Maybe I should…. no. I tried that yesterday, and the day before. Not only didn’t it work, but, I was forced to go through all sorts of contortions, just to remove it, so y’all wouldn’t even know I had tried. I managed to do so, but, it was a pain, so, we’ll forgo that little side trip today. Perhaps we should…. no. That won’t do at all; it doesn’t even float, and we end up in the water on a daily basis, so, not a good idea…. Well, that shoots it, right in the brisket…


My left hand is now numb, demanding I finish this, to take a break, so we have at least a minimal chance of getting done today. In order to do so with some degree of aplomb, I’ll merely point out the upcoming entry portal, ask y’all to finish your cocktails, and, return rapidly to your seats. (Yes, it’s still okay to throw the glass into the fireplace…just be quick about it….) We’re going in, right now…. Duck, please…. Okay, here we are. Please exit the amphibious vehicle in an orderly fashion; you’ll find your flippers and masks on the dock….


Shall we Pearl?


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


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I enjoyed yesterday’s journey into my past, specifically to those Saturday mornings when the real world held no sway, no power to charm, until AFTER the Saturday morning cartoons were done. Even baseball had to wait on cartoons….. Here is a favorite show; the page to which I’ve linked has a good compilation/collection of this pair’s shows, with links to other pages with even more…. Enjoy, ffolkes; the eternal chase is on…..




Road Runner & Wile E Coyote














































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The man that lays his hand upon a woman,

Save in the way of kindness, is a wretch

Whom ‘t were gross flattery to name a coward.


~~ John Tobin (1770-1804) — The Honeymoon, Act ii, Sc. 1 ~~




In my mind, the worst part of reading such a poem, related to the harsh reality it describes, is the mere existence of the issue it addresses, to wit: violence against women, not only in individual acts, but, in the overall treatment of women by men in society. Such acts generally indicate a deeper lack of human compassion than just how the man treats women; such cowards usually treat children, animals, or any creature weaker than they with abusive aggression and violence, if only verbal, as in emotional abuse, or the passive-aggressive violence of neglect. I cannot say I even care how such attitudes are first promulgated in any individual, but, I can say I abhor the degree of frequency with which it appears to manifest.


Our entire culture is infected with this sort of elitist, gender-oriented entitlement, based, almost always, on fear of their own inner feelings of inadequacy. In short, most men are cowardly dogs, not fit for wiping their own ass, and certainly without any understanding of what existing as a man of honor and integrity might mean. Since I do know what it means, in intent, if not perfectly so in practice, I can say without any pride, merely shame, one time in my life I lost control of my emotions, to the point of raising my hand to a woman; no justification is either claimed nor blamed on any provocation I may have had, so I take full responsibility, and am glad I stopped myself before actually harming her, slapping at her once without hitting her, then realizing my mistake…. I consider it one of three events in my life of which I am truly ashamed, and wish I had chosen other alternatives to what I actually did.


None of the vituperation poured on me, nor the accusations of non-existent grievances, none of the deliberate bumps, or pushes, or slaps, nor the shoe thrown in my face, taken singly, or all as one, none of it is an excuse for my loss of control, however temporary. In retrospect, I saw a number of times I could have walked away to disengage from the altercation; hindsight is always accurate. It still doesn’t make me feel any better to know I broke my own standards of behavior, or, worse, to know my father would be disappointed in me.


This event also had the salutary effect of strengthening my own set of standards for relationships with anyone, not merely women, for whom I’ve never had anything but deep respect and love. (Well, some frustration, too, at times, but, that will happen when two consciousnesses, of any kind, cross paths, due to the inherent differences in perception… Lack of understanding doesn’t have to create fear, or resentment; it can stimulate curiosity and affection as well…) I realized anew what I’d always known, thanks to my father, which can be most simply stated as the concept of personal responsibility, in relation to the related concept of Duty. One cannot exist without the other….


Most men in today’s world do not know this, about themselves, or in general, at all, for, they were not ever taught about honor, or duty, or respect by their own fathers. I know I am fortunate in that respect…. so, I hold myself responsible for the events I can control, and don’t, or didn’t, without shirking that responsibility. I may not always be capable of fixing whatever it was, as it happened in the past. I can, and certainly do, make sure it never happens again, as well as attempting to atone in the present, by making it a self-appointed task to make some noise about the treatment of women in the world of today, which is so completely corrupted by the insanity of a powerful, cowardly men…. and, as the original quote above maintains, ’tis being kind to name them cowards….


You see, it is only fear which makes these men the way they are; they fear their own weakness, they fear their own sexuality, they fear the control that women can have over them, assuming that unless they dominate them, oppressing them in every way, to keep them from ever threatening their cowardly little egos, they cannot truly be men. The truth is, they never will be real men, for real men are not afraid…. especially not of women, who are our complement in nature, not our enemy….


When viewed from a less unnaturally fearful perspective, one of common cause as members of the same species, it is simple to see those qualities in women which are the perfect complement to the qualities possessed by men, by virtue of the differences in each gender’s native physiological and biochemical makeup. Each and every person, male or female, is different from the other, mentally and physically; these differences, between male and female, do not make us adversaries, but, rather, two individuals on the same path, each with naturally complementary qualities that enhance the survival chances of each one, as well as the species.


The same pattern of two genders, each complementary to the other in their functional differences, exists in every species with the same type of reproductive makeup, possessing the same biological imperatives. Other species besides ours are not naturally monogamous, any more than are we, though there are exceptions in every species, but, every other earthly species’ genders show each other the respect of common cause, not a pattern of consistent abuse and/or oppression, simply because of cowardly fear….


For millennia, the male of our species has consistently chosen to ignore the reality of existence as it has evolved, perverting society and culture to reflect their own weaknesses, adding fuel to the fire of insanity which has been consuming mankind for thousands of years…. It is exactly as Jimmy Carter, former US President, and one of the rarest of people, one who actually lives by the precepts of Jesus Christ, that great reformer whose ideals have been corrupted since shortly after his death….





jimmy sez


    Their intransigent cowardice of men who refuse to acknowledge their own ignorance in this issue, or, who through that ignorance, merely accept and go along with what they’ve always been taught, is a large contributor factor to the issues which threaten our survival; moreover, the threat is not only to our species, but, very real for many others along with us….. By ignoring the signs of pervasive abuse, or by simply doing nothing, most men are tacitly giving their approval to the cowardice being displayed, manifesting in real life as persistent abuse and oppression of women, children, or anything weaker, simply because it is unnatural for the species to behave this way, contrary to the forces of nature which have dictated our own inner nature…. This sort of apathy of spirit, this attitude of indifference to the injustice done to women is, unfortunately, not confined to women…. As Albert Einstein observed, and this picture so clearly illustrates,






Albert E & true sin


    This all-too-commonly male attitude of indifference, of divisive elitism, bigotry, chauvinism, or other kind of deliberate ignorance based on cowardice and fear, should be repellent to every man…. just as it is repellent to its victims, i.e., every man, woman, child, and animal to whom it is displayed…. These ignoramae perpetuate their ignorance by belittling women, turning them into objects, which can then be despised without guilt, using such shop-worn divisiveness as implied in statements such as “Men and women are two different species, descended from different animals.”, pretending it is a joke. Or, they make women the object of vulgarity, thus ensuring they can feel superior, with disgusting, idiotic nonsense, such as the ever popular “What do you call useless flesh around a pussy? Woman….” I can think of no better term for such idiots than “fucking assholes”, or, in its more elegant faux-Latin form, “assholios supremos”…..


Sadly, most men never consider those who suffer because of their inaction…. They figure as long as they personally don’t make a habit of hitting women, or abusing animals, or children, or discriminating against the gender-different, or even other races of humans, in an active way, they’re not a part of the problem….


They are dead wrong…. and, I am as ashamed of them, as I am ashamed of myself, for those times in my life I have either acted in such a way, (once, as noted), or failed to act when I should, (twice, irrelevant to this discussion, but, the lesson I learned is intact). I will never forgive myself, for there is no such thing as forgiveness for such crimes in my world; there is only acceptance of responsibility, and enduring any consequences that may justly come to pass. I will also never forgive any man who acts in such a manner, actively, or passively, or, who fails to act when he should…. Nor should he ever consider forgiving himself…


If I did, I couldn’t look myself in the eye each morning in the mirror…. could you?….


True to my tendency toward loquaciousness, I will leave this discussion with the following three thoughts, which I feel are appropriate to the moment….




“Every person is an individual; we all have a set of designer genes.”


~~ Smart Bee ~~


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


“He is the freeman whom the truth makes free.”


~ William Cowper — The Task, Book v, The Winter Morning Walk, Line 733 ~~


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


Injustice, swift, erect, and unconfin’d,


Sweeps the wide earth, and tramples o’er mankind.


~~ Alexander Pope — The Iliad of Homer, Book ix, Line 628 ~~


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


Let there be an end to this madness!


gigoid has spoken….


So be it.




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


Here is another old one of mine, used for the reasons given yesterday, to wit: no blame for anyone else….. Enjoy, please






Unheralded Sagacity…


To many, who will not see beyond their nose

the world becomes a dangerous place,

a bullet in every gun, a thorn with every rose,

no magic comes to save us, reality leaves no trace.


Minds closed, wrapped tight in manufactured fears,

men become clay, easily molded into complacent form.

No chains needed, held in thrall for years,

lies become gospel, when dishonesty is the norm.


Shed the chains you wear in durance, in kind;

Oh, ye of little faith, and much doubt

Strength is found in an unfettered mind, 

Cry “freedom” with a great shout.


No help from any gods can hinder so much

as our own lack of confidence;

finding the light within, knowing it as such

confirms us, becoming consequence.


Illumination…..


~~ gigoid ~~




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


“I’m worried that the universe will soon need replacing.  It’s not holding a charge.” — Edward Chilton


I know exactly how Mr. Chilton feels; I’ve felt the same at frequent moments in my life, quite frequently of late, it seems. Since I have observed reality for some time, I am convinced our time here on this planet is limited, so, I thought it would be helpful, perhaps, to pass along a few of the lessons I’ve learned in my life, about living life, about how to approach life, about, oh, everything we need to know, as far as I have been able to figure out, and,  can still remember…. Yes, I could have been more vague, but, I figured this would be confusing enough….


I hope you enjoy this little grouping, and please, no comments from the gallery re: smarm, or re: sap, or, most importantly, re: bozoid tendencies…. Each of these is something I’ve learned about living, and really is a group y’all should pay some close attention to, if for no other reason than to give you ammunition for the expected jeering…. I’d rather have cheers, but, we take what we can get, as long as a response is stimulated….


“Beware of that person who is slow to anger. For when it is long in coming, it stays longer and is warmer and dies not so easily. Abused patience is a very strong fuel for a fire not easily put out by any known means.” — Smart Bee


“How difficult it is to save the bark of reputation from the rocks of ignorance.” — Petrarch


Shame is an improper emotion invented by pietists to oppress the human race.” — Robert Preston [Toddy], “Victor/Victoria”


“Men rarely (if ever) manage to dream up a god superior to themselves. Most gods have the manners and morals of a spoiled child.” — Lazarus Long, from Robert A. Heinlein’s “Time Enough For Love”


If a person deceives you once, shame on that person. If a person deceives  you twice, shame on you! For of all hard things to bear and grin, the hardest is being taken in. — Smart Bee


“The most wasted of all days is one without laughter.” — E. E. Cummings


“Do not be intimidated by reality.” — Master Sergeant R.H. Moore


The last pearl, by the way, is one my Dad taught me, (to wit: Msgt. Moore). He never actually SAID this; it’s just the way he lived, thus, teaching me by example….


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


Having completed much of this yesterday, between ranting to myself about the soulless indifference of corporate assholes, currently so ubiquitous in my life, and suffering silently, completing today’s Pearl really didn’t take long, for which I’m thankful, as the long weeks of battle are starting to wear on me…. But, we’re done for now, and, it’s good. I’ll see y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, if I wake up in time….




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


dozer3






À bientôt, mon cherí….