Seeking a confirmed state of random vacillation….

Posted on July 31, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Man has made his bedlam; let him lie in it.”

~~ Fred Allen ~~

Variations on a Theme: Blue Marble – Earth from 1 Million Miles

NASA Image from nasa.gov

Good morning…. Today’s effort turned out pretty strange, due in part to the manner of its construction. I shan’t bore y’all with the details, but, suffice it to say the process was a bit choppy. In fact, I had considered using my newest opening, which I dearly love…. It merely consists of a,

[dignified silence]

However, that seemed a bit egocentric, since much of today’s post is by others; my only contributions were an old school pearl of dubious condition, and an epic archived rant. The rest just sort of evolved…. Ah, well, such is Life in the Big City, whatever THAT means…. I think, today, I’ll get in some target practice, on live targets…. Yeah, that’s the ticket…. Meanwhile….

Shall we Pearl?….

“Nothing in the world is more flexible and yielding than water. Yet when it attacks the firm and the strong, none can withstand it, because they have no way to change it. So the flexible overcome the adamant, the yielding overcome the forceful. Everyone knows this, but no one can do it.” — Lao-Tzu

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

I am not sure why, but, my mind refuses to do this part…. I can’t seem to make a decision. My user name is gigoid, thus, the only possible solution is to resort to our default position…. It’s okay, I’ve got over 500 years of music to choose from, so, it’s easy to vary the content…. Today’s selection advertises itself as the Best Classical Music to be found; it was one of 38 such claims, so, you will have to decide for yourself…. Enjoy!

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Classical Music, Again

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https://youtu.be/gMbPVEsaH90

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Today’s contribution to the daily mess is a test…. However, it’s not your usual, sit down, think hard, sweat, & stress; no, no, not here. It’s merely a test. What it’s measuring is really none of your concern, but, since you have to take it, I’ll tell you…. This may be the longest single rant I ever did…. I didn’t actually check, but, after reading it through, it’s close enough to say so without more than a 3% measure of guilt if I’m wrong. It’s also still relevant; each of the articles I used as a springboard for discussion could easily have been pulled from the same stories I saw just today, earlier, when I perused the RSS news feeder I use…. seriously.

The only difference is, all, or most of these articles came from the same mainstream news source; any others were also mainstream. My feeder pulls headlines & links to articles across the internet, from hundreds of sources… So, I’m confident none of the issues spoken of below has come to any final resolution; in fact, they’re all pretty much worse now…. SIGH…. Ah well, so much for ranting to the choir, eh?…. Hey, listen up, ffolkes, it IS all true stuff, so, anyone who needs to hear or read it would be a good one to share it with….

I didn’t know it when posting it, but, the title of the Pearl on the date this was first shown was a perfect title for the rant, should it ever get published…. I’d call it:

From 8/13/2014:

Look,Honey! It’s the official White House Pornographer!

Ffolkes, you will probably need to gird your grid for a big one….. The pearl below has been evolving for a full day, growing beyond my ability to restrict its size, due to the relatively verdant field of subject matter with which I chose to work, the scope of the discussion, and the critical nature of the issue on which I am trying to focus, to wit: all of the available evidence at hand indicates that the human race has entered a stage of civilization that, in every historical case, has led directly to its demise, and disappearance. Moreover. because of the technological advances we have made, as a species, this time, that demise will be world-wide, and will preclude any possibility of ever rising again…

Now, I know that sounds rather pessimistic, as well as cynical; I can’t help that. The evidence is too ubiquitous, and too convincing to me, to ignore, or to minimize. Below, I am going to provide links to articles from only ONE source of news. The breadth of the problems described in those articles are connected to the worst characteristics of human nature, and are symptomatic of the culture’s deterioration we are facing. Each one shows humanity at its worst, and the worst part of it is, all of the protagonists in the stories, on both sides of whatever issue is being discussed, all demonstrate those qualities that continue to cause the problems to be insoluble by any known means…

I’ve got a lot to say about this, so, we’ll start with some art…. It’s just a picture of me, and one of the guys I’ve talked all this over with…. though in the case of this gentleman, our conversation was completely non-verbal…. Now that I stop to think about it, it made it all much less susceptible to misunderstanding…. Below the picture, we’ll begin our assault on the Asininnies latest shenanigans, and our discussion of how it all connects to create another link…. showing the path to extinction we are all following so blindly….

“At once it struck me what quality went to form a man of achievement, especially in literature, and which Shakespeare possessed so enormously — I mean negative capability, that is, when a man is capable of being in uncertainties, mysteries, doubts, without any irritable reaching after fact and reason.” — John Keats (1795-1821)

Trust a poet to come up with exquisitely crafted, delicately balanced, subtly nuanced, completely negative statement (otherwise known as an insult….), about someone mostly everyone in the world admires, and make it almost sound as if he is administering praise, when, in fact, he just poked Willie S. with a very sharp stick in the reputation…. Of course, it is also obscure enough that you may question exactly how it applies to blogging here in section one, which is generally reserved for rants, or rant-like facsimiles…. and, it would be a good question, as the connection IS rather tenuous, at best…. However, I’ll try to make it clear….

I speak often about how the world is screwed up, an assessment of existence for which I lay much of the blame on several aspects of human nature, and the way those characteristics affect our society and culture…. I think it can all be boiled down to one particular area of examination, which is the way we, as human beings, deal with the matter of Truth…. There is, of course, more than just this issue involved, but, how we handle clear, correct expressions of Reality, in our dealings with the world, and each other, is one that has far reaching side effects on every area of human discourse, which is a long winded way of saying, on our history….

“Honor isn’t about making the right choices. It’s about dealing with the consequences.” — Midori Koto

In today’s complex world of the Future, it can easily be shown how Truth is considered to be something that is susceptible to human alteration, according to whatever whim or reason they may have for doing so, whether honorable, or otherwise, whether selfish, or otherwise…. I’ve shown many, many instances of how the government of this country, and many of its other official entities, such as the courts, the police, the churches, and ALL of the bankers, continuously, and purposefully lie to the public…. Not only that, but, they spy on us, and keep their own secrets about doing so….

Then, when confronted, they create a huge hullabaloo, all starting with denial, fading into reluctant admission, then justification, then distraction, then…. time passes, and the public is given some other catastrophic event to put fear into them, such as a mass shooting, or an alleged terrorist threat….. It always follows the same basic pattern, with the intent, and result, of nothing changing at all….

Below you’ll find a number of links, to articles that show how the White House, the Congress, the Federal Courts, the police, and, even the public attitudes toward Truth, are shown in the light in which they use them, to wit: they all regard Truth as more of a myth than a reality…. The article on how resumes for work contain falsifications is particularly disturbing, for it shows just how far the corruption has spread to the general public…. Well over HALF the public saw fit to include lies on their resumes… The companies doing the hiring reinforced the corruption by, to some extent, rewarding almost half of the resumes with lies, by considering other factors other than the lies in the hiring process…. In other words, about half of the lies were accepted as OKAY….

SIGH…. The last article is different from the rest, though it touches on the general issue quite nicely…. Mr. Carroll offers another viewpoint than mine, with some similarities, and some differences…. As always, his thoughts on the matter are quite insightful, making an excellent addendum, and ending note, for what would otherwise be completely depressing material….

I’ll let you get to the articles now, with this bit of housekeeping… I tried to help a bit, to indicate the point being made by the inclusion of each article, by including the excerpts I pulled out below each link…. They show the most disturbing points in each article, to my way of seeing them…. Good luck, I know it’s a lot, but, this is turning out to be something of a manifesto of my world-view, & I think it will be worth the effort to cover all of it…..

http://www.sfgate.com/nation/article/Judge-won-t-force-U-S-to-release-spying-program-5681970.php?cmpid=hp-hc-bayarea

“Michael Rumold, a lawyer with the Electronic Frontier Foundation, said the lawsuit has been successful but the ruling was disappointing….”It’s troubling to see courts sign off on government secrecy arguments when the general public knows the truth,” he said.” — excerpted closing lines from the article, summing it up nicely….

http://www.sfgate.com/news/crime/article/Vandalism-looting-after-vigil-for-Missouri-man-5680580.php

“Witnesses have said that Brown had his hands raised when the unnamed officer approached with his weapon drawn and fired repeatedly. ” — excerpted from the article

http://www.sfgate.com/news/crime/article/Chief-Police-killed-California-robbery-hostage-5681892.php

“….. results of a preliminary ballistics report show that police in the city of Stockton fired the 10 bullets that struck Misty Holt-Singh, 41, and all her wounds likely came during a final burst of gunfire,….”

“33 officers fired at the vehicle, most of them during the final shootout. Officers were under constant fire and were concerned the suspects would kidnap other hostages, take over businesses or even a school.”….

“We believe July 16, 2014, brought dynamics never before seen in law enforcement,” he said, adding that the suspects attempted to kill officers, fired more than 100 bullets and had about 200 rounds remaining when the gunfire ended.” — excerpted from the article

http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/State-Supreme-Court-yanks-Citizens-United-measure-5682420.php

“If approved by the voters, it would have asked Congress to submit a constitutional amendment to the states that would authorize federal lawmakers to limit campaign spending and would specify that only people, not corporations, have the right of political free speech.”

“In the 2010 Citizens United ruling, a 5-4 majority of the nation’s high court said federal laws that limit spending by corporations or labor unions on political causes violated freedom of speech….. ” — excerpted from the article

http://blog.sfgate.com/gettowork/2014/08/12/most-memorable-resume-lies/#25719101=0

“58 percent of hiring managers in a recent CareerBuilder survey saying they have caught a resume lie.”….. “Fifty-one percent of respondents said they would automatically throw out a resume containing a lie, 41 percent would base their decision on the type of lie, and 7 percent would overlook a lie if they liked the job candidate.” — excerpted from the article

http://blog.sfgate.com/nov05election/2014/08/06/what-would-the-founders-say-cagop-barring-media-from-qa-with-party-chair/

“…. a response from GOP state vice chairwoman Harmeet Dhillon…. “There are open press and closed press events at every convention (Brulte) has run. There will be open press events and press conferences at this convention. Closed press is to allow delegates to ask him sensitive questions about strategy and finances that the public and our opponents are not entitled to know. … And neither does John Burton (the Democratic state chairman) invite the Chronicle to every meeting of delegates to his party.”

“We asked Tenoch Flores, spokesman for the California Democratic Party, about its rules regarding press coverage of convention events. His response: “It is our policy that any delegation meeting taking place at convention is open to press.”– excerpted from the article

and, finally, a voice of reason….

http://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/carroll/article/Notice-your-urges-when-I-say-you-can-5682102.php

“I favor considered opinion over uninformed opinion. It’s a liberal bias…..”

“Experts are not always right. Scientists are not always right. But most of the time they are. We built a very fine country on the basis of Enlightenment rationality. Thomas Jefferson and those folks very much favored knowledge over ignorance, reason over superstition.”– excerpted from the article

Truth. Lies. Human nature….. What a mess, eh? I can only hope that, somehow, the strength and beauty of human nature, the incredible creativity and passionate imagination our spirits have the potential to express, just as much as it does our flaws, will gain ascendancy in the coming years, becoming the rule of human behavior, rather than the exception, and that we can overcome the reckless, selfish, violent spirits among us to reach for that potential…. Being a curmudgeon, and somewhat of a cynic, at least in regard to human nature, I find myself reluctant to hope…. but, it’s like Emily always said….

Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune without the words,
And never stops at all,

And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.

I’ve heard it in the chillest land,
And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.

~~ Emily Dickinson ~~

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Image used with original poem at:

http://souldiergirl.com/2015/07/29/twilight-of-intrigue/

A couple months ago, I was introduced to a new blog site. I don’t remember how I found it, but, I’m sure glad I did, for. on this site writes an incredible poetess….. Her work is powerfully personal, revealing, painful. and joyous, all at once. Simple, clean lines come together to place the reader right inside her soul…. She’s fought a hard battle in Life, to get to the point she now observes it from, and I, for one, am very glad she uses her poetry to help herself find the Light inside her soul…. She is indeed, a souldier girl…. You’ll be seeing more of her here, but, the link above will take you to her site, where you can sign up to be notified when she posts…. Enjoy!….

Twilight of Intrigue

Do you see

The amigos of three

Brushing upon the twilight of intrigue

The starry night

Gazing in our eyes

Comprised of moments

Later whispered as memories

Carried on the tail end of time

“Remember when it was you and I

In the silence of life”

Love, solace and a hopeful gleam

Brushing upon

The twilight of intrigue

~~ Souldiergirl ~~

Posted at above link on 7/29/2015..

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Kokopelli graces the top of this section today, simply because his nature comes closest to the nature of this pearl…. This means, naturally, it would behoove y’all to WATCH OUT. You see, it’s a trick pearl, beginning and ending with a variation on a theme from Life, with a group of clear instructions on how to go about calculating that particular algorithm…. You’ll enjoy it, if you can find the key….

“What I ought to do, I can; if I can, why don’t I?” — Smart Bee

“Hateful to me as are the gates of hell, is he who, hiding one thing in his heart, utters another.” — Homer (c. 700 B.C.)

“If you understand, things are as they are. If you do not understand, things are as they are.” — Gensha, Zen Master

“Count your age by friends not years, and count your life by smiles, not tears.” — John Lennon

“Generosity is giving more than you can, and pride is taking less than you need.” — Kahlil Gibran

“To know what is right and not to do it is the worst cowardice.” — Confucius

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

“Dignity does not consist in possessing honors, but in deserving them.” — Aristotle

“What I can do, I ought to; if I ought to, why don’t I? — Smart Bee

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It was close, there, Ma, but, I whipped ’em! There was some doubt there, for a time, this would make it through to the end…. I am currently unable, not mention unwilling, to go into the reasons, but, since we’re done anyway, it doesn’t matter at all, does it? Nope. Hence, my exit, stage virtual…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, as long as the Space/Time Continuum holds together….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Great deals on used sidewalks….

Posted on July 14, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

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

~~ Zippy the Pinhead ~~

Surreality on a Train….

Good morning…. Today’s opening quote from Zippy is one with which we are very familiar in these parts. Without going into what would no doubt be described as Too Much Information, let us merely say, in the interests of full disclosure, I’m going to cheat. You won’t be required to do anything out of the ordinary, other than the two new injections required by law. Don’t worry, it won’t hurt (much), and it’s GOOD for you. We have the assurances of our BRC this is true; now, don’t you feel better?

Hah!…. Sure…. Let’s do this…..

Shall we Pearl?….

“Work is not an end in itself; there must always be time enough for love.” — Robert Heinlein

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It’s been a while since I thought of this band…. I like them a lot; they’ve made some great, innovative music over the years. Here is a live concert from not very long ago. It’s nice to think they’re still making new music for us to enjoy….. So, please do so….. Otherwise, we don’t get our kickback….

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Blues Traveler

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https://youtu.be/JQv66WUDEFw

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The following rant(s) makes up a rather long ranting section; I don’t mind, because the subject matter is one I believe in strongly. The message is one ALL of humanity needs to heed….

Last posted in June of 2014, created in May of 2012:

It has been a long while, too long, since I posted anything on the subject of human trafficking/sex slavery, one I consider to be truly evil, with its own category of posts that touch upon the issue…. To make up for that, below this paragraph you’ll find TWO rants on the subject, both from May of 2012, when I first began to write about it…. Please pay attention to these rants, ffolkes, and spread them around if you will, to spread this message to all who need to hear it, which is virtually everyone alive…. Men, especially gentlemen, have a big responsibility to uphold, and need to be made aware of how they are failing to do so….

Free our sisters, free ourselves…. take note, ffolkes, and pass it on….

From 5/2012:

O men with sisters dear,
O men with mothers and wives,
It is not linen you ‘re wearing out,
But human creatures’ lives!

~~ Thomas Hood — The Song of the Shirt ~~

Yesterday, I reblogged an article posted by rmott62, a very strong, inspiring young woman who writes about her experiences as a sex trade slave. I use the word “slave” deliberately, for no other word describes how the women, and children who are trapped, abducted, or even tricked into becoming prostitutes. I have reblogged her work, and the work of a couple others who have been fortunate enough to have exited the system in which they were entrapped, several times, and I will continue to do so as long as she, and I, still are publishing. I do this because I am ashamed….

Yes, ashamed…. I am ashamed at myself, and of all the other men in the world who turn their faces away from this issue, and pretend that there is nothing they can do about it. I am ashamed that this practice, of raping and abusing women and girls, just for their own pleasure (though I fail to see how it can be pleasurable to rape or abuse…), just because they can, not only has been present for thousands of years, but continues unabated in today’s supposedly enlightened culture. To my way of thinking, all of us men are responsible for this, and it is our DUTY to do whatever we can to put a stop to it.

Back in the days when mankind lived in caves, when a man in the tribe became dangerous to others in the tribe, for stealing, for abusing others, for whatever reason they had that went against what was good for the tribe, the other men in the tribe made it a point to discipline that man. It may have been merely a physical beating, or banishment from the tribe, or even death, but the other men took it upon themselves to see that the will of the tribe was upheld. Somehow, when culture grew, and started inhabiting cities, and there was more interchange between various tribes, the system broke down. The people of the society were now supposed to be protected from such depredations by law….

But, at about this time, the unscrupulous among us started to solidify their power over society; the richest among the tribes were those who made the laws; they were also the same ones who saw nothing wrong with raping and abusing women, assuming that was their privilege as one of the beloved ruling class. And so the laws were made to reflect that attitude, and the die was cast. This system has survived the centuries, and now the attitude that prostitution is an integral part of society is so ingrained that even those without any other kind of power over others can go to a brothel and act out their sick fantasies, at the expense of a woman or child who has no defense against the violence that occurs if they should object…. and if there is a discussion it is always about a “victimless crime”….

It disgusts me, right down to my core. It is perhaps the sickest part of our society, and very few people are even aware of it. There is certainly no discussion in the public at large of the issue; it is far too volatile for any politician to ever take the chance of siding with the women who are being abused. Hell, a good half of those assholes in office are trying to take away the few rights women have managed to get into law over the last 40 years; Roe vs. Wade has already been set aside, and the asshole men who can’t stand the thought of a woman having the right to choose anything, much less their own sexual nature, are trying to make sure it never gets revived.

I’m not sure what can be done, at least not on a society-wide scale. The attitudes, and laws, have been so set in stone for so many years that it may require surgical removal to make any progress. But, on a smaller scale, I can make noise about it, and try to shame any man who believes otherwise that he is not only a fool, but an asshole fool, and doesn’t deserve to call himself a man. When I was in college, the women’s rights movement was in its beginnings, and there was a phrase coined that says it all, to me…. Free our sisters, free ourselves….

None of us men will ever be truly and completely free until we have freed our sisters from such servitude. That is a fact. It is not just my opinion, it is a fact, and we would do well to pay heed…. and those who engage in this industry had best watch out, for if no one else does, I will be looking for them, and when I find them, I will do all I can to end them. You can interpret that however you wish; I have no doubt in my mind as to what I mean, and I mean “end them”…..

______________________

From 5/2012:

“I’m just sitting here watching the wheels go round and round.” — John Lennon

Men are afraid of women… hence all the jokes about them taking over, over slyly ruling us without us knowing it. Men’s fears of just that thing are what cause him to hate women, because they do not understand them, and fear arises out of lack of understanding. Here are a few examples of such lies, the lies that perpetuate the war between the sexes…..

“My notion of a wife at 40 is that a man should be able to change her, like a bank note, for two twenties.” — Warren Beatty

A lady is one who only shows her underwear intentionally. — Smart Bee

— Yo momma……so fat she has to buy two airline tickets. — Smart Bee

“A beautiful woman is paradise for the eyes, hell for the soul, and purgatory for the purse.” — Smart Bee

“Passionate kiss like spider web, lead to undoing of fly.” — Confucius say (No, he didn’t, but liars don’t care….)

Really, really sexist and paranoid, yes? Yes….

The mere existence of these jokes, and others like them, indicates clearly what men are afraid of in women, and that is their sexuality. We… well, men, not necessarily we men, because not all of us hate them… No I don’t understand them, but that doesn’t make them any less fascinating or wonderfully different. I am aware of my own self, and my own powers, and they have naught to do with what women can do; I feel no need to compare the two, or to assume one is stronger or better. They are just different, and what is different about women is not to be feared, even if not understood. It is just to be learned, that’s all….and the learning is a totally awesome trip, I assure you….

But, back to the sexuality that men fear. It is because these men have never learned to understand themselves, or their place in the scheme of things, that makes them unable to understand women, and turns their ignorance to fear, from thence to hatred and abuse against them. Men cannot stand the thought that a woman might be more important than him, and that is a certain sign of lack of confidence, and of ignorance. Men who know their place in life, and who are confident of their own ability to cope with that place and its demands, have no need or desire to be more important than anyone; they are complete within themselves….

Too many men in this world don’t come anywhere close to this kind of self-knowledge; most go through life without exercising more than two neurons at once, and those tend to lose function whenever the blood goes elsewhere than the brain (such as during an erection). Most men are so afraid of women that they spend half their life telling jokes like the above, and spreading the nonsensical lies that perpetuate this atrocity.

Yes, atrocity, because it is this fear and loathing, of both themselves and women, that leads to issues such as domestic abuse, sex trafficking, prostitution, and abuse of children. The only women who are actively engaged in these activities are those who have been brainwashed to believe the crap they’ve heard all their lives, and who have given up their own humanity; they are very few in number. Otherwise, it is men who perpetrate these vile actions on women…. all because of their own fear and ignorance…. and I say, shame on them, for they are not men, in my world…. they are vicious, unredeemable beasts, and should be put down like the dangerous creatures they are…..

“In the dark colony of night, when I consider man’s magnificent capacity for malice, madness, folly, envy, rage, and destructiveness, and I wonder whether we shall not end up as breakfast for newts and polyps, I seem to hear the muffled cries of all the words in all the books with covers closed.” — Leo Rosten

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Dreaming, I wait….

In the most patient moments of rationality
kindness flows smoothly in a special milieu,
fallow thoughts speed first from equality
to give no anxious fever, anger to eschew.

Indignant mothers and step-sons in-law
shall fade simply from brilliant to grey,
intoning ritual dogma, fresh, avid, and raw,
falling, falling, in massive pastoral disarray.

Safety lives not, save brightly in ignorant bliss,
it follows us all, silent and infinitely frail,
foremost too often, soft as a virgin kiss,
alive, always eager, willing, and pale.

Intimate knowledge finds only the bold few
with courage and virtue to gift, unbidden.
No solemn royal version may pass in review,
true love for man, never to remain unhidden.

Sweet feathers of Emily’s hope uplift,
calm, drowsy episodes bursting with light,
With final glad cries we set ourselves adrift,
swimming in the oceans of natural delight.

When sorrow is banished, in ages yet to come,
roots solidly anchored, cold and remote,
Ample supplies of kindness sit silent and dumb,
and the old stranger shrugs on his faded coat.

Dreaming, then, I wait with shadows in the night
aspiring to inspire, a message from the muse’s heart
Never forgotten images, framed in color bright,
tempt me only, grieving, steeped in serenity’s arcane art…..

~~ gigoid ~~

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Today’s final section’s entry turned out to be an odd little pearl; it took SB three separate tries to get it right, and, it still looks as if it could be bigger. It’s actually fine the way it is, with a fairly coherent little message on how to approach the process of growing into your humanity…. Well, okay, so, maybe not QUITE so rarefied a concept, but, it works for me…. Enjoy!….

Living Dead
the path is chosen,
to live forever
is to die
forever.

To not know
when you’ll die
is to find life
wherever
you are.

~~ Alagad ~~

“To know others is wisdom. To know yourself is enlightenment.”

~~- Lao Tzu ~~

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

~~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~~

“Each of us bears his own Hell.”

~~ Publius Maro ~~

“Change is inevitable, growth is intentional.”

~~ Glenda Cloud ~~

“It is a good thing to be rich and strong, but it is a better thing to be loved.”

~~ Euripides ~~

“Only when you drink from the river of silence shall you indeed sing.
And when you have reached the mountain top, then you shall begin to climb.
And when the earth shall claim your limbs, then shall you truly dance.”

~~ Kahlil Gibran ~~

~~ Essay on Death in The Prophet ~~

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As noted, quick, if not short. I’ve done what can be done, and shall take my leave forthwith. Y’all try not to worry too much, okay? I know things out there look bad, but, remember, there are still more of us than them, so, all we have to do is maintain the world as we see it, and it will all be fine in the end…. And, if not, well, there’s always the next incarnation, when we can try again…. Regardless of all the reasons to NOT do so, I’ll be back tomorrow, so, see ya!….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Paradox, paradise, or paranoia? You decide….

Posted on January 11, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Sure, understanding today’s complex world of the future

is a little like having bees live in your head.

But, there they are . . . ”

~~ The Firesign Theater ~~

~~ “I Think We’re All Bozos On This Bus!” ~~

I found this absolutely adorable picture on the blog site of my friend Lou, at http://talesfromtheconspiratum.com/2015/01/06/ridiculously-photogenic-moments/; he had reblogged it from another site. You can find it, and others like it, at http://www.ebaumsworld.com/pictures/view/84408138/ The blog post is entitled 23 Ridiculously Photogenic Moments, and has some great shots of unlikely subjects, all looking good doing ridiculous stuff, like this goofy-looking pit but with the bemused smile…. Put the picture together with the great quote above it, which is from my all-time favorite comedy album, and you’ve got something…. The exact nature of what we have is, of course, left as an exercise for the gentle reader….

Now we have the housekeeping out of the way, what shall we say about this Pearl? It did not come to bury Caesar, but to praise him. Or something like that; I forget how it goes. It really didn’t apply, anyway, did it? I thought not. Just another failed attempt at early humor, when I know better. I should stick to either straight fantasy, or nonsense. Given the relevance of the opening lines today, by the Firesign Theater, perhaps it would be best if we made some effort to return there, to what we know best…. Let’s see what I can come up with along those lines…

Strangely enough, no strange, or funny, or even neutral fluff seems to be available for use today. That may be due to the spasms and level 6 pain I’ve had for the last, oh, 22-plus hours, much of which was spent in a supine position, with knees up on a bolster, and the music loud to drown out my groans…. I used a massive dose of several substances to get a couple hours sleep (making the average over the last three nights a total of about 8 or 9 hours…. yay. Every little bit helps, they say…. They’re wrong, but, that’s what they say…), but I can see now it’s a good thing most of this Pearl was already done before I got up today.

In fact, I’m dropping all pretense, and getting on with it, so I can go lay down again, until my lower back decides to stop complaining…. I don’t like to be a complainer, and find myself in that position far too often for my own comfort… Fuck it, let’s go find something else to think about….

Shall we Pearl?

“I read the news today, Oh boy…” — John Lennon

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

In the upcoming weeks, you may see a number of videos like this one; the news of late out in the Big Blue Room is enough to make anybody want to relax, and take themselves to a happy place… Enjoy!

Celtic Music – Relaxing And Beautiful Mix

http://youtu.be/qoktesLkHy8

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

On December 6 of 2012, the Pearl I wrote turned out pretty well, with two pretty good mini-rants on two subjects. Given the recent spate of killings by police, in this country alone, this outburst is particularly relevant. I don’t think it’s necessary to reiterate my belief the world is over-militarized, whether by local police, or large national police organizations, or military institutions on a national level….

But, then, it is well to remember, the making and selling of arms, and all of the other weapons of war and destruction, IS the oldest, largest, most lucrative business on this planet, a fact of which all governments, all large religious institutions, and all multi-national corporations are fully aware, as evidenced by their uniform complicity, in allowing it to continue to furnish the means by which Man’s insane avarice for power is expressed, endlessly….

From 12/6/2012:

“Who will protect the public when the police violate the law?” — Ramsey Clark

Here is a question that is particularly relevant in today’s society. In my time on this sad little ball of mud, I have studied the various parts that make up our culture, and the police, due to their ubiquitous nature, have always been right there at the forefront of my observations. We all have our stories of how we have had to deal with police in various circumstances, not all of which show them in their best light. In fact, next to lawyers, police officers are probably the most reviled members of society, as well as one of the most admired. There are good reasons to support both views…..

I cannot say that my knowledge of ALL policemen is complete; I don’t know them all. But my observations over the years have indicated that at least half of those who enter the field do so out of a desire to have power over others, rather than an impulse to be of service. It is easy to spot these folks…. They’re the ones who never signal a turn in their cars, and are always moving at a speed greater than the posted limit. They assume that the laws that govern the populace are not applicable to them, and act accordingly. They enter any situation with the attitude that “might is right”, and attempt to intimidate anyone who tries to usurp or question their authority. They don’t serve as policemen to keep the peace, but to control the beasts….. two entirely different goals.

I find myself at this point to be in the beginning stages of a rant; this subject is one that frustrates me a lot, as I believe that the police should be offering themselves as an example of honorable, lawful behavior. Many of them do so, but a large number are no more concerned with serving and protecting than they are in consuming donuts without sprinkles. Due to circumstances well within my control, I’m not in the mood for ranting this morning, so I’m going to let this go without further comment.

Suffice it to say that society needs to consider the question asked above by Mr. Clark, and take a hard, realistic look at the requirements needed to procure police officers who are of the proper frame of mind to assume the responsibilities involved in public protection. It seems to me that psychological testing of potential officers would be a good place to start; perhaps some of those who go into the field for their own purposes might not be given such power, if they could be winnowed out in the testing process…… Perhaps then we would begin to see the police set the example for the rest of society, rather than proving to be one of the problems we need to solve…..

“The superior man is the providence of the inferior. He is eyes for the blind, strength for the weak, and a shield for the defenseless. He stands erect by bending above the fallen. He rises by lifting others.” — Robert Green Ingersoll (1833-1899)

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

First written in September of 2012, this is a poem that arose out of my time spent waiting for Social Security to grind through its bureaucratic machinations to grant my retirement…. As I read it now, I can see the marks of depression I struggled with then, fighting to stay positive, while my mind waged war with itself, using every trick at its disposal to stay sane enough to survive, as well as to challenge my own will to do so… I hope you enjoy it….

Visible life

Forty-two days of pressure and internal rain,
leave marks of salvation, often in pain.
Such sharp reminders of yesterday’s remorse
fight heavily to keep a straight course.
Rash moments, bright, and routinely immense
Give us pleasure, bereft of common sense.

Still the night comes soft and eternally dear
to bring out wishful dreams so vitally clear.
Life’s myrmidons give freely in protest
lifting with skill, soul pieces first to infest,
Loudly brash, with no such voices to remain
Sealed in infamy, branded ugliness all too plain.

Now come brave signs of chapter and verse
Shielded by ignorance, irritable and terse.
Gravid portions of in-between retaliation
leave only pale marks of initial gestation
With hope even pallid warriors grow brave
Leading all humanity, to a warm, stale grave.

Hope never falters, nor leaves any trace
Yet lingers forever in a welcoming space.
Cheerful faces yet shine out of time
for tricking and fumbling sweet melody sublime.
Fill in the spaces with a long, strong retort
life is ever visible, if only as last resort.

~~ gigoid ~~

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

(Note from gigoid: This was written ahead of time, and does not reflect current conditions. It is, however, done, which makes it perfect for today…. I’m just not feeling as silly as indicated….)

I’m feeling a bit silly today, along with the normal (!!!…) degree of angst over the news; Smart Bee was sympathetic enough to find the perfect group of pearls with which to address both emotional states at once…. Go figure, eh? This one is both fun, and quite pointed, with some sharp thorns adorning the roses…. There were a lot of them, so, brace yourselves, and for goodness sake, put down your adult beverages so you don’t spew on the keyboard….

“I drank what?” — Socrates

“The avoidance of taxes is the only intellectual pursuit that still carries any reward.” — John Maynard Keynes

“We have had no good comic operas of late, because the real world has been more comic than any possible opera.” — G. K. Chesterton, The Quotable Chesterton

“Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.” — Hanlon’s Razor

“Good God,” said Arthur, “it looks just like the sea front at Southend.”
“I’m relieved to hear you say that,” said Ford.
“Why”
“Because I thought I must be going mad.”
“Perhaps you are. Perhaps you only thought I said it.”
Ford thought about this.
“Well, did you say it, or didn’t you?” he asked.
“I think so,” said Arthur.
“Well, perhaps we’re both going mad.”
“Yes,” said Arthur, “we’d be mad, all things considered, to think this was Southend.”
“Well, do you think this is Southend?”
“Oh, yes”
“So do I.”
“Therefore we must be mad.”
“Nice day for it.”
“Yes,” said a passing maniac.
“Who was that?” asked Arthur.
“Who–the man with the five heads and the elderberry bush full of kippers?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t know. Just someone.”
“Ah.”

— From The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

“It is an interesting question how far men would retain their relative rank if they were divested of their clothes.” — Henry David Thoreau

“If you ever reach total enlightenment while you’re drinking a beer, I bet it makes beer shoot out your nose.” — Deep Thoughts, by Jack Handey

“If a lawyer and an IRS agent were both drowning, and you could only save one of them, would you go to lunch or read the paper?” — Smart Bee

“When something irritates you, think of this: How else would we get pearls?” — Smart Bee

“For to err in opinion, though it be not the part of wise men, is at least human.” — Plutarch (46-120 AD) — Against Colotes

Finally, to finish off this nonsense, we move on to what good ol’ Socrates said, immediately after voicing his surprise, as related in the opening line of this pearl….

“Sure, everyone always said ‘Socrates what is the meaning of life?’ or ‘Socrates how can I find happiness?’…. Did anyone ever say ‘Socrates, hemlock is poison.’???????” — Socrates, minutes before death

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

If I were the religious sort, I’d say ‘Thank God that’s done!”. Since I am not anything of the sort, I’ll just say, it’s done, and be done with it. That seems to fit in with my current state of mind better, anyway…. Right now, if God were here, I’d spit in his face, for being a butthead…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, I hope…

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

The jewel burns with an eerie light….

Posted on November 29, 2014 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“I told you I was ill.”

~~ Written on grave ~~

I’d make a comment about the picture above, in which Charlie C. and I try to out-silly each other, but, once the quote that adorns the top o’the page today sinks in, it will make our silliness fade into insignificance…. Either way, that is to say, in either case, I’ve managed to completely screw any formal or serious opening, so, whatever takes place from this point on, don’t expect a lot of precise reasoning, or the cerebral comfort of clean, clear logical thought…. because I’m pretty sure we’re fresh out….

Having thus made it much easier on myself, (funny, while perhaps less deep, is nonetheless no less a challenge than being serious; it IS, however, much more FUN to write…. Far fewer trips into past miseries result from being funny than from being serious….), I shall proceed to the meat of today’s intro section, which, somehow, resembles sausage more than a fillet of salmon, in spite of its tangy smell of citrus and coconut. I’m not sure what kind of recipe for success that will make, but, we all have to use the ingredients we find on the counter, don’t we? Well, I do, anyway…. I hate to throw out a good paragraph, smelly though it may be….

Of course, it isn’t always possible to save some words and phrases; they get overused by pundits and dogma dogs, who pound certain groups of them into the heads of their constituents as often as they can, to help solidify those already calcified organs of thought…. But, that’s not our concern just yet; ranting is strictly prohibited here in the intro; at least, that’s what I hear…. I also hear it happens regularly in spite of regulations, so, maybe if I show y’all what I found that prompted such cynicism so early in the day, you will see to what I refer…. It’s an ugly, yet accurate little phrase, from a social critic of some renown, & goes like this….

“Terrorism: deadly violence against humans and other living things, usually conducted by government against its own people.” — Edward Abbey

Hmm…. we seem to have blown straight past “silly mode”, into “ranting mode”, with hardly a ripple….. I’m not sure just how that happened, but, it did, for sure…. Even if it’s true, the statement from Mr. Abbey completely ruined my silly intro, and I was having such fun, trying to keep things from getting all serious…. But, the quote was attached to the nice, silly one at the top, so, there’s little I could have done, without losing both…. Ah well, at least it got me this far….

In fact, I think I see a…. yes! It’s a way out! I’m taking it, so hang on, ffolkes, & we’ll get on with the rest of today’s mess… Stay in your seats, please, until we are fully emerged from the water.

Shall we Pearl?

“Cicero called Aristotle a river of flowing gold, and said of Plato’s Dialogues, that if Jupiter were to speak, it would be in language like theirs.” — Plutarch (46-120 AD) — Life of Cicero

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

I feel like a bit of time travel would be in order, so, we’ll take a trip back to the days of yore…. (How many years does one have to go back in time to reach “yore”? I always wondered….) Here is a classic cult figure from the late 60’s, that era of societal upheaval and radical change, a time which so many of us remember little, even though we were there…. In fact, there’s an old joke about those days, which goes, “If anyone tells you they remember the sixties, they’re lying!”…. Still, I do remember Jethro…. Enjoy this stroll down memory lane, ffolkes…. at least you’ll hear some dandy flute music….

Jethro Tull Live At Montreux Jazz Festival 2003 Full DVD

http://youtu.be/L057hdteud8

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

At least once a year, I post this piece, to give any new readers an idea of what this blog is all about, in a manner of speaking…. Naturally, any conclusions are left as an exercise for the Gentle Reader, with the gentle reminder to remember to read between the lines at least half the time; it helps comprehension immensely….

Last posted on ECR on 7/16/2013:

I’m not feeling lazy, but, I AM feeling lazy, so I’m dipping into the past to come up with today’s third section…. It has been some time since I posted this, which I try to do at least once a year, to keep new ffolkes apprised of my history, and provide some background for the stuff I write here…. some of the back story, as it were…. So, here is my philosophy of Life, and some of the rationalizations that prompted its creation….. Though Peruaosophy originally was composed in the 1980’s, this article was posted on the site, GoodBlogs.com, sometime in early 2011, prior to starting this blog on WordPress….

Birds Do It, Bees Do It. So Do I…

In the dim, dark past, when I was, sort of, attending college at UC Berkeley, (1968-70) discussing philosophy was standard in many of the BS sessions in which I participated. In order to not be thought of as someone who was ignorant in the field, I naturally read the classic tomes by such philosophers as Friedrich Nietzsche, Soren Kierkegaard, Plato, Socrates, Epicurus, Solon, and Jung, as well as more modern folks, such as Bucky Fuller, Sartre, and John Lennon (yes, him too…his philosophy tends to lean way to the left, but, does come with guitar accompaniment…).

One day later on, sometime in the 80’s, I was involved in learning to raise kids, deal with a wife, and in general going quietly crazy trying to balance all the balls one must keep in the air to get by in today’s world. As I sat this particular day, it struck me how long it had been since I stretched my mind. It seemed as if I’d been buried in mundane details forever; upon examination & reflection, I decided I wanted to expand my consciousness, using the flight of imagination to lift me above the everyday cares and woes to which I had fallen prey. And I found, as well, that I had been unconsciously acting according to many of the precepts that I had learned in those halcyon days of my youth.

Encouraged by this revelation, I went one step further, and made the decision to codify my own personal philosophy, to put down in writing those things that I consider to be essential to becoming a well-grounded, well-rounded, productive and contented member of society. The process went more quickly than I had imagined, and I came up with seven basic concepts, all of which I hold to be an integral part of what I believe. Axiom #4 was added later as a necessary part of the whole, overlooked in the initial version, bringing the total number of axioms to eight.

The word I coined to describe this philosophy is Greek; “perua” means “pearl”, and of course, “osophy” is “the study of”. Thus I give you Peruaosophy, the study of pearls of wisdom. Each axiom stands alone; together they describe, fairly well, my approach to Life at Large…..

Peruaosophy

The wisdom of pearls…

(The world is my oyster; which way to the pearls?)

Axioms

1) I think I am; that’s close enough.

2) The nature of the Universe is Change.

Unpredictable, innovative transformation of Reality is the Norm.

If you have a problem with this, you’re in for a rough ride in Life.

3) Thou art God, you know. Let’s do lunch.

4) Excellence is its own reward.

5) Girls think differently. So do boys. Don’t fight it.

6) Axiom #2 X axiom #5 = And God so loved the world, She said, “Quit whining!”

7) Do your Duty. Respect Life. Honor the Truth. Share your Love.

8) Go back. Everything you need to know is in the first seven axioms.

~~ gigoid ~~

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

I am not sure exactly, or even approximately, why I’m including this poem; it has nothing in common with anything else in today’s Pearl…. But, it is what my subconscious wants, and I know better than to argue with it…. The subconscious mind has a nasty, sneaky way of exacting revenge when thwarted, & I’ve learned it’s best to just let it have what it wants…. Hence, today’s poem, about Love, rather than silliness, or philosophy, or anything else but Love…. Go figure….

Beyond Agapé

Passion burns and shines like iridescent paint
yet solitude stands mocking such mundane complaint.
Schemes and dreams promise to tempt attraction
never ending effort spends wit in perverse reaction.

Hale and hearty reports of honor and love
draft recruits to collect manna from above,
while searching each soul for that which will serve
to bring pure sensation to each expectant nerve.

How simple to fall into complete helpless hope
of two hearts bound in tradition, with cultural rope,
living a simple life, shared, in joy and in grief
promises consummated, in consensual belief.

Reality dictates our degree of control over its state
insisting on changing whether or not we can wait.
Love will be present when we are completely at peace,
allowing ourselves, to give of ourselves, without cease.

~~ gigoid ~~

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

Smart Bee can be somewhat rambunctious at times, with a sense of humor at which I often shake my head, in wonder…. Most of this pearl was picked out yesterday, and the remainder left to be found this morning…. Smart Bee, though invaluable, can be a veritable pain in the ass, sometimes…. This time, however, it seems to have outdone itself, in terms of relative value…. Let’s take a look, shall we?….

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

“When one asked him what boys should learn, “That,” said he, “which they shall use when men.” — Plutarch (46-120 AD) — Laconic Apophthegms, Of Agesilaus the Great

“Euripides was wont to say, “Silence is an answer to a wise man.” — Plutarch (46-120 AD) — Of Bashfulness

“As those persons who despair of ever being rich make little account of small expenses, thinking that little added to a little will never make any great sum.” — Plutarch (46-120 AD) — Of Man’s Progress in Virtue

“All I can think of is a platter of organic PRUNE CRISPS being trampled by an army of swarthy, Italian LOUNGE SINGERS…” — Zippy the Pinhead

Don’t look at ME! You’re the one who kept on reading, aren’t you? I told you at the beginning how damn silly I felt, but, would you listen?….

Just kidding, ffolkes…. Actually, it’s only because SB went soft on me that I resorted to such obvious, ancient-cliche-trickery…. Four perfect lines from ancient sages, then ZIP…. nada, not a damn thing to be found, save for our old friend Zippy…. who once again saved the say…. Ah well, Plutarch won’t mind; he had a good sense of humor, I think…. I KNOW all my Gentle Readers do, of course…..

Maybe it would be best if I go now…. before y’all start throwing stuff at me….

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

I suppose I have to take the blame, but, it’s NOT MY FAULT! Well, okay, yes, it is…. but, don’t have to like it. Plus, as a human, I’m allowed to lie about it, if I think I can get away with it, so there….. On that childish note, which puts a cap to the silly mood I’ve been in all morning, I’ll leave you in peace…. such as it may be after such a start to your day…. and mine…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

À bientôt, mon cherí….

This bear’s brain has been softened!….

Posted on November 21, 2014 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“We have met the enemy and they are us and you are me and we are all together”

~~ Walt Kelly, Lennon, and the Beatles ~~

Given the state of affairs in which most of us exist, it seems pointless to bother explaining my own particular brand of insanity; nobody would blink, or wail, or fall down in shock and awe. Of course, if my own oddities don’t cause any sort of public display of astonishment, beyond the occasional snort of disdain, or the random chortle at my discomfiture, (only present, I assure you, because it’s too damn early in the day for such philosophical discussions)…. well, then, I wouldn’t expect to astound my audience with tales of strange behavior on the part of our Beloved Ruling Class, or that of my own particular nemesis, the dogma dogs….

When I think of the centuries of progress we have lost by listening to these fools, it depresses me, deeply; no other human activity plays such a large part in holding us back, as does the delusion of a supernatural force at large in the universe that, according to those who buy into that sort of thing, has some sort of obsession with having us worship them, bend our will to them, and otherwise surrender much of our humanity in order to make this delusion happy…. Now, if you were offered that as a deal for a used car, would you take it? Would you make that deal? I don’t think so; we all know how much used car salesman have OUR interests at heart…. Tricky Dicky taught us that….

I’ve done it again, haven’t I? Ranting before I even wake up, it seems, as I am, just now, finally awake enough to take note of what my fingers have been up to the last few minutes…. It seems my sub-conscious mind is chewing on the subject of dogma dogs, and their deleterious effects on human culture, since first gaining popularity back in the early days of our civilization’s rise from living in caves to living in cities built of metal and brick… Not that this “rise” has taught most people to think any more efficiently than when their most complex need was where to find another animal to kill. Hell, most of the folks alive today wouldn’t last ten minutes if they had to feed themselves, if there was no Burger King nearby….

Ah well, I suppose it’s only natural for me to complain; I am, after all, a human, with the same faults and prejudices most of us fall prey to, with, perhaps, just a few less delusions than is usually the case. Some of us humans have learned to pay attention to that little voice that whispers to us when we are told something that challenges our understanding; most people give that up to avoid having to think, or make decisions for themselves about what to believe. Those of us who have decided not to engage in such weakness, unfortunately, don’t seem to be able to convince the rest of the world of how little they actually see, or understand…. Instead, the world trudges on toward its doom, blithely blind to their own danger, or their own part in creating that danger.

Having now completely lost all track of where we might be in this process, I think I’ll abandon all hope, and just go on with the rest of today’s Pearl…. There doesn’t seem to be much point in belaboring this point any further; I’m mostly preaching to the choir, anyway, I think; most of my Gentle Readers, I find, are of that part of humanity that doesn’t buy into the bullshit being tossed around by the BRC; it might be more effective if anyone who actually needed to know this stuff would stop in to read…. But, that probably wouldn’t work, anyway, as they’d just bail the first time I asked them to think, or to answer a question they don’t understand…. SIGH….

But, we’ve managed to get far enough down the page to allow me to get us out of here without further claptrap (wonderful word, that….), so, I’ll just turn this little wheel here, push this lever down, press this button, and, voilá, we’re outta here!…. Hold on to your loose packages, ffolkes, the turn here is a bit sharp….

Shall we Pearl?

“In the handbook, it says that most people ignore the strange and unusual; while I myself *am*… strange and unusual.” — BEETLEJUICE

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

I feel like a bit of political satire, with a dash of impropriety, and some well-earned snark…. in other words, let’s see what our old friend Russell Brand has been up to of late, shall we?….. He is one of the few people in the public eye who is actively proposing world-wide revolution against those who would kill us all in achieving their own ends…. Here is his interview on Letterman last month, with a number of other available videos listed at the You Tube page where the link leads…. Listen up, ffolkes, he’s telling it straight….

Russell Brand on David Letterman – October 13th 2014 – Full Interview

http://youtu.be/_9h7clmd6Vc

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

“Selfishness is not living as one wishes to live. It is asking other people to live as one wishes to live.” — Oscar Wilde

I’ve ranted already, filling up a great deal of the intro with my usual diatribe against organized religion, and the dogma dogs who would have us believe all that nonsense, so, I’ll spare you another one today, and proceed with an old-school pearl to serve the same purpose…. This one is, obviously, aimed at those foolish, but dangerous predators who prey upon the weak and gullible among us…. a group which sadly includes the greater portion of humanity….

Note, please. the first entry, which attempted to warn people against these liars and manipulators, is part of a work written long before the birth of Jesus Christ, the dogma dogs’ most frequent choice for their insane machinations….

“Some foolish men declare that a Creator made the world. The doctrine that the world was created is ill-advised, and should be rejected. If God created the world, where was He before creation? How could God have made the world without any raw material? If you say He made this first, and then the world, you are faced with an endless regression … Know that the world is uncreated, as time itself is, without beginning and end.” — The Mahapurana, Jinasena

“The Church hates a thinker like a criminal hates the police.” — Smart Bee

“To certain individuals of small minds and overweening ambition, there is no greater insult than to be proved wrong.” — Thomas H Dyer 1984

“People in general are equally horrified at hearing the Christian religion doubted, and at seeing it practiced.” — Samuel Butler, in “Samuel Butler’s Notebooks”

“Worship the gods, listen to their advice, but don’t lend them money.”– Smart Bee

“Wickedness is a myth invented by good people to account for the curious attractiveness of others.” — Oscar Wilde “Phrases and Philosophies for the Use of the Young”

“What wisdom can you find that is greater than kindness?” — Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Smart Bee is a bit testy this morning; these are the best I could find…. So, I’ll leave you with a short statement of my own advice when confronted with someone trying to get you to swallow their hook, line, and sinker…. to wit:

“Get a taste of religion. Bite a preacher!” — Smart Bee, with gigoid’s full agreement

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

Some poems, and poets, need no introduction, nor adornment…. Enjoy!

I Speak Not

I speak not, I trace not, I breathe not thy name;
There is grief in the sound, there is guilt in the fame;
But the tear that now burns on my cheek may impart
The deep thoughts that dwell in that silence of heart.
Too brief for our passion, too long for our peace,
Were those hours – can their joy or their bitterness cease?
We repent, we abjure, we will break from our chain, –
We will part, we will fly to – unite it again!
Oh! thine be the gladness, and mine be the guilt!
Forgive me, adored one! – forsake if thou wilt;
But the heart which is thine shall expire undebased,
And man shall not break it – whatever thou may’st.
And stern to the haughty, but humble to thee,
This soul in its bitterest blackness shall be;
And our days seem as swift, and our moments more sweet,
With thee at my side, than with worlds at our feet.
One sigh of thy sorrow, one look of thy love,
Shall turn me or fix, shall reward or reprove.
And the heartless may wonder at all I resign –
Thy lips shall reply, not to them, but to mine.

~~ George Gordon, Lord Byron ~~

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

Since Smart Bee is a bit out of sorts, we’ll go with a choice from the archives…. This pearl was first posted on 7/13/2012, though, to look at it, you’d think it was made to go with the rant section above….
——————-

Here then is an old-school pearl…. Strung together, each of these distinct ideas blend to become one scathing exposé of society today…. Just what that exposé consists of is, of course, left as an exercise for the Gentle Reader…..

“And it came to pass that in the hands of the ignorant, the words of the bible were used to beat plowshares into swords…” — Alan Watts

“Religion is the masterpiece of the art of animal training, for it trains people as to how they shall think.” — Arthur Schopenhauer

“What do you mean, “There’s no such thing as a free lunch?” *YOU* are the free lunch!” — Solomon Short

On a sidewalk near Portland State University someone wrote `Trust Jesus’, and someone else wrote `But Cut the Cards’. — Smart Bee

Those Jesus Freaks
Well, they’re friendly but
The shit they believe
Has got their minds all shut.

~~ Frank Zappa, “The Meek Shall Inherit Nothing” ~~

“Honesty isn’t any policy at all; it’s a state of mind or it isn’t honesty.” — Eugene L’Hote

“Apes evolved from Creationists!” — Smart Bee

Well, there you have it…. perhaps a bit less scathing than sardonic, but attractively presented, if nothing else, eh? Don’t forget to offer a cut to the player on your right before you deal the cards ….

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

Well, I’ve done it again, Ollie…. There’s no going back now, and, since I never intended to do that, anyway, we can proceed to close this out with only minor guilt, which, I’m happy to say, I gave up years ago…. We all need a hobby, right? Right…. On that note, I’m outta here, ffolkes…. See y’all tomorrow….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Songs of hearth and home….

Posted on July 15, 2014 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard
Are sweeter; therefore, ye soft pipes, play on,–
Not to the sensual ear, but, more endear’d,
Pipe to the spirit ditties of no tone.

— John Keats (1795-1821) — Ode on a Grecian Urn

The advent of cell phones with good cameras, along with the release of the above, a Go Pro digital camera, has revolutionized photography, in terms of who can take photos that may become famously known, on the Net, or via the news and magazine route…. The above photograph, taken from some news site, (where it was found along with many others, most of them taken by amateurs, rather than mostly professional photographers, as was the case for most of our history….), is a perfect example of another area that has changed along with the technology, i.e., language…. The new word, “selfie” has entered the language, where everyone now knows exactly what it means, and what is meant to say the above photo is one of an owl, taking a selfie….

To honor that new word, and to acknowledge its speed of acceptance as common, I have just entered it into my Spell Checker, (all three of them) because it didn’t recognize the word…. Now, it’s an officially recognized word, complete with dictionary entry, and an example (above) of how the word, and the process, have already become so ubiquitous, it can be used to anthropomorphize the owl, having it assume the human characteristic of self-aggrandizement, or overweening pride….

Alright, that’s probably enough for one morning…. I’m not accustomed to beginning an examination of language evolution so early in the day….. Hell, I’m not accustomed to much of anything, other than getting up & trying to find something worthwhile in my recalcitrant brain to put on screen…. I like the picture, though, and it meets, and/or exceeds the general standards for both cute, and compelling, so I don’t think I’ll be whining or regretting my decision to go with it today…. Besides, three paragraphs in is a little late to have second thoughts….

Now those thoughts have surfaced, however, I can’t help but wonder….. No, no, no….. I won’t do it….. I won’t go there any more; I promised myself I wouldn’t, and it never does any good, anyway…. I suppose, since I’m not going there, perhaps I should turn my ability to wonder to the task of figuring out what the hell we’re going to do today for pearls….

My brain is in the beginning stages of panic, as I have a dental appointment tomorrow…. As I may have mentioned, dentists and I are still somewhat at odds, in terms of my willingness to submit to the necessity for their assistance with my dentistry needs…. In short, I fucking hate to go to the dentist, and suffer the agonies of pre-appointment jitters for a day or two before each time I go…. I’ve even had to talk myself out of canceling & rescheduling twice, once yesterday, & once already this morning….

But, that’s tomorrow, and today still needs a Pearl…. as will tomorrow. Giving in to the panic now won’t help, so, I’ll find a way to get through this, somehow…. I am going to have to look for some kind of ending for this, first, but, that shouldn’t take too lon….. Oh, look, here we are now…. I figured we must be getting close…. Okay, then, off we go….

Shall we Pearl?…..

“It ain’t so much the things we don’t know that get us in trouble. It’s the things we know that ain’t so.” — Artemus Ward aka Charles Farrar Brown

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

“Conquer your fear and you need fear no more.” — Smart Bee

Having personally tested this aphorism more than seven hundred times, in real-time, real-life episodes of physical violence, I can attest to it’s truth, and it’s applicability to almost every human endeavor…. Once we learn how to handle being afraid, it is useful to us in virtually every aspect of life, improving out basic ability to deal with whatever life has for us, with a clearer mind, and a relatively untroubled heart….

Then, of course, we turn to matter of mind, and culture, and the fear returns, seven-fold….. No matter how personally capable we are of dealing with the fear we all feel when threatened, physically, it doesn’t help when we come to deal with matters of that affect us as members of a society that is bent on self-destruction, and places such dreadful stress on its denizens each day, to deal with all the insanity and absurdly immoral events played out on the world stage, time after time….. For example, here are two articles from yesterday’s UK Guardian (a foreign news site that tends to give us much more pertinent and relevant information on American culture than our own news organizations do…. though these particular articles are concern the British public scenario….), that should give an idea of just how bad things are…. Read these, then I’ll spew….

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jul/14/drip-government-data-retention-investigatory-powers-bill-horrors

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/jul/14/gchq-tools-manipulate-online-information-leak

The UK government, with David the Cameron at its head, is in lockstep with Barry the Obama when it comes to slick, impressive-sounding speech patterns, that SOUND as if they are working hard to help the average joe…. when in fact, they are busily screwing them, spying unreservedly on those self-same joes, invading their privacy, essentially eradicating all of the personal rights given to both our populations by the efforts of our ancestors….. Both the UK and US spy agencies (CIA, GCHQ, NSA, etc….) are sharing information and computer hacking techniques just like twins share facial features, and lying their asses off about how far it has already gone….

Now the UK is trying to pass legislation that will make their spying more legal, in their eyes…. which is actually just playing catch up, with the proposed ~~repression~~, er, legislation merely detailing, and making legal, all the clandestine, illegal collection of information that has been taking place since 2001…. The fact of its illegality is being completely ignored, and you can bet, even if we should manage to get them (politicians) back under control, not a single politician, or spy agency official, will ever be prosecuted, or go to jail for their crimes against society…. Any wagers on that?…. I didn’t think there would be…. It’s a sucker’s bet….

I keep pounding away at this, and the US & UK citizenry continues to bury its collective clueless head in the sand, much to the delight of the BRC and the Asininnies, who are pleased to note, I’m sure, that the populace of this country, and England, are as easily fooled, and as easily led into compliance, as any herd of cows could be…. I’m getting more than just a little frustrated at the sheer STUPIDITY of the American public, and wish, strongly, that there was some way to actually get through to the stupid fools, who actually believe their elected officials have their interests in mind…. Bloody idiots, every one of them….

Bah, humbug! I’m pissed again, because it’s all so fucking stupid, and nothing is going to change…. All I can do is sit here, and watch, as our species continues its headlong rush toward extinction, merrily skipping down the path to perdition without a clue….. Oh well, I suppose my best bet is to put together a short five-star pearl, to soothe my fevered brow…. Here are some thoughts on the subject, from our old friend Smart Bee….

“When you outlaw rights, only outlaws will have rights.” — Smart Bee

“Draft politicians, not human beings.” — antidraft slogan coined by Jeff Daiell, 1979

“In matters of conscience, the law of majority has no place.” — Mohandas K. Gandhi

“All people are born alike — except Republicans and Democrats.” — Groucho Marx (1890-1977)

“Appearances to the mind are of four kinds. Things either are what they appear to be; or they neither are, nor appear to be; or they are, and do not appear to be; or they are not, and yet appear to be. Rightly to aim in all these cases is the wise man’s task.” — Epictetus (c. 60 AD) — Discourses, Book i, Chap. xxvii

This pearl, ffolkes, is deeper, and more accurate than it may appear on first look…. Look at it just right, though, and it pokes a nice hole in the invisibility cloak the BRC thinks they are wearing, when they tell their lies to us….

Onward….

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

Here is a poem of mine that speaks to the above subject….. I wrote this in September of 2012, when the imminent presidential election was on my mind a lot, along with the above material, and it’s implications, should Mitt the Twit have reached office…. It DOES give the only real answer to their chicanery…. A reminder that our only REAL defense is already in our grasp….

Accentuated Lessons

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

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

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

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

Peace lies within, always…..

~~ gigoid ~~

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

So, here we are, in section three already…. Today’s Pearl has come together much more smoothly than anticipated, so, after a short break, I’ll put together a worthy old-school pearl, probably a standard seven-star version, with random parameters to keep it fresh and, well, reasonably under our watchful eyes, if not our complete control…. Enjoy, ffolkes!….

“I believe in everything until it’s disproved. So I believe in fairies, the myths, dragons. It all exists, even if it’s in your mind. Who’s to say that dreams and nightmares aren’t as real as the here and now? Reality leaves a lot to the imagination.” — John Lennon

“It is easy for men to talk one thing and think another.” — Publius Syrus (42 BC) — Maxim 322

“All men that are ruined, are ruined on the side of their natural propensities.” — Edmund Burke (1729-1797) — Reflections on the Revolution in France, — Letter i, On a Regicide Peace, Vol. v, p. 286

“[Freedom is] the power to live as you will. Who then lives as he wills?” — Marcus Tullius Cicero (106-43 B.C.)

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

“Always do what you are afraid to do.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)

“For here we are not afraid to follow truth wherever it may lead, nor to tolerate error so long as reason is left free to combat it.” — Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) — First Inaugural Address, March 4, 1801

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

I am, as usual, uncertain just how this Pearl came to be; I was there the whole time, observing closely, and still haven’t a clue as to how I got it done, especially in such a timely fashion…. I do, however, know enough not to question it, or worry overmuch about it, as it IS done, and that is the primary characteristic we look for…. Anything else that can be said of it is moot, once that is determined…. As such, I am now legally, and ethically required to say my goodbyes, or just dump you on your proverbial butt as I leave the scene, all dignity destroyed, but, content to be finished for the day…. Gotta go play out in the Big Blue Room for a while today, so, see y’all tomorrow…..

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid the dubious

Tip the scales, but, only if they give good service….

Posted on June 26, 2014 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

What we have here…. is a failure, to cogitate….. and, though it might further irritate the warden, I can’t see any such event taking place anywhere in the near future…. That, of of course, will make the creation of this Pearl just a trifle problematic, since virtually all I do, here, is based on at least a modicum of cogitation…. It may be MY cogitation, but, it’s there, and nobody can tell me it isn’t as valid, or as reasoned, as any other you might find…. presuming, of course, you are seeking any… So many of our peers on this planet make it a habit to “never touch the stuff”, which explains a lot about modern society….

Since that paragraph took almost 52 minutes to produce, you can see the difficulty to which I refer above…. or, maybe you can’t. Either way, my own head is in some sort of rebellion, or sit-down strike, or something…. I can’t seem to whip it into putting out anything more cogent than what you see before you now, and this, as is patently obvious, ISN’T going to cut it, not for an entire Pearl…. I’ve tried to use piffle, or blather, exclusively, to create Pearls in the past; it doesn’t work….. Nothing will make this kind of random BS acceptable for more than a few hundred words, despite my skill at creating it with little effort…. It just doesn’t hold up for long enough to get anywhere important, or even compelling….

Shoot, you’ve probably figured out by now that this intro section will be joining the ranks of many others, as being a marked departure from any real rationality, or even any cold, hard reasoning; it probably resembles a half-eaten peanut butter & banana sandwich more than anything else, though where that image came from I have no clue…. it just seemed to fit…. I may not have as much protein as peanut butter, but, I’m a good source of phosphorus, just like the banana…

So, how do you like my shoes?…. If I can’t impress anyone with my intelligence this morning, maybe I can charm them…. No, that won’t work, either, I’m thinking…. My charm won’t spread very far; it tends to get hijacked by my curmudgeon training, and the grump comes out, thus eradicating any good feelings the ostensible charm may have engendered…. besides which, I need new shoes, so they’re not going to charm anyone, except maybe an out of work shoemaker, or impress anyone but a mendicant…

Now that I’ve practiced my vocabulary usage, and literally babbled for four paragraphs now, I think we can wrap up this section, & try to get on with something that makes a bit more sense, and will possibly get us on our way…. I don’t believe I’ll even require the use of any emergency methods, as I seem to have wandered around to a point where we can easily jump off the wagon without getting in trouble…. Well, we can, if you follow directions, and jump NOW….

Shall we Pearl?….

“Since everything in life is but an experience perfect in being what it is, having nothing to do with good or bad, acceptance or rejection, one may well burst out in laughter.” — Long Chen Pa

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

Free our sisters, free ourselves…. take note, ffolkes, and pass it on….

From 5/2012:

O men with sisters dear,
O men with mothers and wives,
It is not linen you ‘re wearing out,
But human creatures’ lives!

— Thomas Hood (1798-1845) — The Song of the Shirt

None of us men will ever be truly and completely free until we have freed our sisters from such servitude. That is a fact. It is not just my opinion, it is a fact, and we would do well to pay heed…. and those who engage in this industry had best watch out, for if no one else does, I will be looking for them, and when I find them, I will do all I can to end them. And you can interpret that however you wish; I have no doubt in my mind as to what I mean, and I mean “end them”…..
______________________

From 5/2012:

“I’m just sitting here watching the wheels go round and round.” — John Lennon

“My notion of a wife at 40 is that a man should be able to change her, like a bank note, for two twenties.” — Warren Beatty

A lady is one who only shows her underwear intentionally. — Smart Bee

— Yo momma……so fat she has to buy two airline tickets. — Smart Bee

“A beautiful woman is paradise for the eyes, hell for the soul, and purgatory for the purse.” — Smart Bee

“Passionate kiss like spider web, lead to undoing of fly.” — Confucius say (No, he didn’t, but liars don’t care….)

Really, really sexist and paranoid, yes? Yes….

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

This poetess needs no introduction; the world lost one of its shining lights when she passed away last week. Also, it kind of fits in with the above themed rants…

The Lesson

I keep on dying again.
Veins collapse, opening like the
Small fists of sleeping
Children.
Memory of old tombs,
Rotting flesh and worms do
Not convince me against
The challenge. The years
And cold defeat live deep in
Lines along my face.
They dull my eyes, yet
I keep on dying,
Because I love to live.

~~ Maya Angelou ~~

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

Now that I’ve completely screwed the pooch, (and, just what does that REALLY mean?….), I’ll try to balance out the scales a bit, with a random, old-school pearl to finish off…. Hey, it can’t get any stranger, can it? I hope not….

“We enter into life naked and howling, covered with blood. The fun doesn’t have to end there.” — The Book Of Madness

“A man learns to skate by staggering about making a fool of himself; indeed, he progresses in all things by making a fool of himself.” — George Bernard Shaw

“In theory there is nothing to hinder our following what we are taught; but in life there are many things to draw us aside.” — Epictetus (c. 60 AD) — Discourses, Book i, Chap. xxvi

“Please help keep the world clean: others may wish to use it.” — Smart Bee

“One of my favorite philosophical tenets is that people will agree with you only if they already agree with you. You do not change people’s minds.” — Frank Zappa, 1979

“Where the map differs from the terrain, believe the terrain.” — Swedish Army Manual

“I’m not available for comment..” — Zippy the Pinhead

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

Zippy, though always good for a finishing line, got this one wrong; consider the quote to be ironic, okay? I answer ALL comments, as far as possible….. That said, I think I’m done; I’ve reached that point where the damage has been maximized, and leaving it all for the street crews to clean up is the most efficient method of dealing with the mess…. We’ve got a good crew here, so, it’s always ready for the next morning…. Now that reality has been insulted past all hope of redemption, I’m outta here…. See ya, ffolkes….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid the dubious

It ain’t the curiosity, it’s the stubbornness….

Posted on June 11, 2014 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

Forty-eleven different things COULD go here…. in fact, at one point or another, they all have…. gone there, I mean. All forty-eleven of them were more appropriate than this sort of faux-intimate chatter, but, since retiring, I seem to find a lot of things I like to do that aren’t appropriate…. Too bad, so sad, but, what’re ya gonna do? I don’t seem to be able to find a spot in me anywhere that gives a shit, so, the world is just going to have to deal with this one on those terms, and, again, too bad, so sad if it doesn’t like it, because, hey, this may be a world controlled by faceless, shadowy psychopaths, but, it’s still MY head, and nobody gets to tell it what it can do, or think, but me…. So there….

Okay, take a breath, self….

Now that we have the disclaimer out of the way, I suppose there’s another chance here for me to come up with something elegant and stylish to start off today’s Pearl…. Y’know what, though? Elegant and stylish, somehow, just doesn’t seem to fit my mood today, a mood which, if I HAD to describe it in one word, that word would be “unforgiving”….. Yep, more than merely curmudgeonly, more than just a bit grumpy, today I’m feeling like, if anyone, at all, gives me any trouble, or even hints at wanting to do so, they’re going to find themselves in a world of hurt, much akin to how they might feel after having a rugby team use them for a tackling dummy….

Oh, don’t fret, no Gentle Reader has ever been permanently harmed during the creation of these Pearls, and I have no intention of allowing that record to be broken, not today, not ever…. In spite of how it may sound, my bark is much less harmful than my bite…. wait, is that backwards? Okay, well, it’s probably more accurate that way, anyway, so we’ll let it go, and just remind you that pain can be our friend…..

What the hell am I saying? Pain is NEVER our friend; it may be a valuable part of our perception, laying down boundaries that tell us how close to actual damage we are getting, but, actually calling it friendly can lead to corruption of those senses, skewing our view of reality…. It can make us afraid to take risks, if we allow it to decide for us how close we can come to the edge of physical endeavor without falling over….. WE are the ones with a mind, and we need to make those decisions by using more than just one set of parameters, which is what pain is limited to providing….

I know, that’s all a bit esoteric, especially with only one cup of coffee in me…. We’ll let it lie there, as it is, and pretend it isn’t really part of this at all…. It shouldn’t be hard, as there isn’t really much there to chew on; it’s all pretty low-cal brain-food…. In fact, if I’m not mistaken, with this paragraph, we’ve reached the point for which we’ve been slogging…. We’re at the legal limit for intros, and, considering the lack of ANY worthwhile material that, thus far, has been included today, it’s for certain we should immediately employ emergency method #4, and make our escape while we may….

Shall we Pearl?…..

“The options described above interact with each other in strange and as yet to be defined ways.” — Unix Manual, pr(1)

“I’m just sitting here watching the wheels go round and round.” — John Lennon

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

Rather than rant, I’m reprinting a Pearl from 2011, near the very beginning of this blog…. The format was different then; all completed Pearls were in the style you see here, with an intro, and an old-school group of pearls to make the point for the day…. This discussion can lend some validity and perspective to the recent public dialogue regarding the growing gap between the rich and the poor….

At the time this was written, I was a member of that part of society that exists on about HALF of the income that would make life even remotely comfortable; in fact, it was just enough to survive, with NO real quality of life to be found…. Quality costs money, as the BRC is well-aware…. Before I begin to rant, I give you the Daily Pearl of Virtual Wisdom from from 9/10/2011, the day BEFORE the 10th anniversary of a date everyone knows:

Ffolkes,

In all the literature I’ve read over the years, a lot of different authors have painted a picture of the life of those living in poverty. These intent of these pictures is to create in the reader an empathy for the plight of the economically challenged (this phrase, while politically correct, bears no real resemblance to the actuality of being poor, and as such, is inherently evil. It doesn’t describe the reality; it puts another barrier between the real world and the meaning of the written word.This makes it easy to deny the reality, removing any true connection to the feelings involved….). But the empathy created is tempered by what is not painted into the picture. For the last nine months or so, I’ve been introduced to the life of the under-funded, and can state unequivocally that two important pieces of the experience of being poor in this country are missing from the usual descriptions.

It has been said that a hungry man is never bored; I can tell you from first-hand knowledge that this is true. Not knowing where the next meal is coming from keeps the mind focused the search for food/money, and creates a state wherein one cannot afford to spend time on the luxury of boredom. What is missing here are the feelings that accompany that focused state, to wit: a constant, low-grade fear, always present in the background, causing the stomach to jump, the heart to beat faster, and the mind to spend precious energy to keep the fear at bay.

This fear increases the urgency of everything; having to constantly turn the mind to finding money/food adds a flavor of desperation to everything act, and every perception. Former activities that brought relaxation are no longer sought out, there’s no time for them. Never relaxing has a cumulative effect, and the cycle spins faster and faster, contributing even more anxiety to the system. I often feel as if I’m one of those little hamsters on a spinning wheel, a wheel that has no way to stop, and no way to get off…..

The other part that most descriptions of the state of poverty seldom mention is the sense of bone-deep humiliation that goes along with having to ask for help or charity. I can say without hesitation that this is perhaps the worst part of having to struggle to get by, probably because all my life I have been fairly successful, at least to the extent that money and food were not primary issues. Having to ask for a loan from a friend or relative is possibly the most embarrassing and humiliating experience that I have ever had.

Just sitting here writing about it has me tearing up; one of the more unwelcome side effects of post-traumatic stress syndrome is how powerful emotions can surface at the slightest provocation, causing even more embarrassment, and making competent, effective action even more difficult to carry out. Self-confidence is not abetted by feeling humiliated, and self-respect becomes non-existent.

The only way I have found to lessen the despair and fear is to try to remember that things could be worse. Difficult as it may be, and I assure you it is, finding positive notes in the song of life currently being played always helps lessen the sense of dread that is my constant companion. Diving for, and reading, pearls of virtual wisdom helps too; contact with better minds than my own is uplifting, if only for the sense of hope that can be kindled by reading something inspirational, or an idea beautifully expressed. True beauty heals merely by its touch…..

I went diving for pearls yesterday, and found a lot of good quality stuff; here are a few of them……

“Of all the tyrannies that affect mankind, tyranny in religion is the worst.” — Thomas Paine

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

— Alexander Pope (1688-1744) — Essay on Man, Epistle i, Line 289

“The world has achieved brilliance without conscience. Ours is a world of nuclear giants and ethical infants. We know more about war than we know about peace, more about killing than we know about living. We have grasped the mystery of the atom and rejected the Sermon on the Mount.” — General Omar N. Bradley (1893-1981)
(And he ought to know….)

“Children today are tyrants. They contradict their parents, gobble their food, and tyrannize their teachers.” — Socrates (470?-399 B.C.)

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

Never be boastful; someone may come along who knew you as a child. — Chinese Proverb

An odd group, but mine own…..y’all take care out there….

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

Some days, it’s got to be a classic…..

A child said, What is the grass?

A child said, What is the grass? fetching it to me with full hands;
How could I answer the child?. . . .I do not know what it is any more than he.

I guess it must be the flag of my disposition, out of hopeful green stuff woven.

Or I guess it is the handkerchief of the Lord,
A scented gift and remembrancer designedly dropped,
Bearing the owner’s name someway in the corners, that we
may see and remark, and say Whose?

Or I guess the grass is itself a child. . . .the produced babe of the vegetation.

Or I guess it is a uniform hieroglyphic,
And it means, Sprouting alike in broad zones and narrow zones,
Growing among black folks as among white,
Kanuck, Tuckahoe, Congressman, Cuff, I give them the same, I receive them the same.

And now it seems to me the beautiful uncut hair of graves.

Tenderly will I use you curling grass,
It may be you transpire from the breasts of young men,
It may be if I had known them I would have loved them;
It may be you are from old people and from women, and
from offspring taken soon out of their mother’s laps,
And here you are the mother’s laps.

This grass is very dark to be from the white heads of old mothers,
Darker than the colorless beards of old men,
Dark to come from under the faint red roofs of mouths.

O I perceive after all so many uttering tongues!
And I perceive they do not come from the roofs of mouths for nothing.

I wish I could translate the hints about the dead young men and women,
And the hints about old men and mothers, and the offspring taken soon out of their laps.

What do you think has become of the young and old men?
What do you think has become of the women and children?

They are alive and well somewhere;
The smallest sprouts show there is really no death,
And if ever there was it led forward life, and does not wait at the end to arrest it,
And ceased the moment life appeared.

All goes onward and outward. . . .and nothing collapses,
And to die is different from what any one supposed, and luckier.

~~ Walt Whitman ~~

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

Today’s picture pearl will be a bit special… While walking the other day, I found a Wise Old Pine Cone…. You got a glimpse of him the other day, as I took a picture of him, while telling you he would be the featured guest in future picture pearls…. True to my word, here is the first series of pictures detailing the adventures of the Wise Old Pine Cone, as he accompanies me on my journeys around the Big Blue Room, on one of my camera safaris….. Enjoy!…..

Wise Old Pine Cone making a statement about littering….

Wise Old Pine Cone posing for a picture with a group of friends….

Wise Old Pine Cone in an intimate discussion with friends during a visit….

Wise Old Pine Cone enjoying a sunbath with some more friends…. magical wild wheat, basking in the spring sunshine….

Wise Old Pine Cone making fun of authority….

Wise Old Pine Cone stoop-sitting, waiting for a promised iced tea….

Wise Old Pine Cone, home at last…. Can you spot him?…. No, of course not, he’s not in this picture…. Silly readers….

Today, we are taking the envelope to the shredder…. Above are seven photos, displaying the Wise Old Pine Cone on our rounds… Below are seven pearls, all lustrously elegant, ineffably stylish; in short, everything I’ve been looking for since we began today, but could never find, until now…. The part that takes the envelope out of the picture (so to speak…) is that you have to decide for yourselves which aphorism matches up with which picture…. Let me know if you figure it out, and we’ll see if we can’t come up with a prize of some sort, okay?…. Or, just read, and enjoy….

I ‘d be a butterfly born in a bower,
Where roses and lilies and violets meet.

— Thomas Haynes Bayly (1797-1839) — I ‘d be a Butterfly

“Some people confuse boredom with security.” — Smart Bee

“That life is worth living is the most necessary of assumptions, and were it not assumed, the most impossible of conclusions.” — George Santayana

“No man ever wetted clay and then left it, as if there would be bricks by chance and fortune.” — Plutarch (46-120 AD) — Of Fortune

“If you stand straight, do not fear a crooked shadow.’ — Chinese Proverb

“Truth needs no flowers of speech.” — Alexander Pope

“Life without learning is death.” — Cicero

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

I think I built a new neruonic pathway or three today, ffolkes…. Sheer laziness strikes again! In trying to figure out how to get this done, without expending any more mental energy than absolutely necessary, I think I had to forge new paths in my brain, for all the new, strange algorithms, showy yet meaningless philosophical distractions, and tricky instructions for achieving some user interaction, or at least, confusion, which I came up with in producing today’s outburst…. If nothing else, though, it IS done. Or, I think it’s done… I’d better check….

Yep…

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid the dubious

21 seems to be all Murphy wants today…. but, 21 what?….

Posted on November 17, 2013 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

It isn’t often I am favored with obvious clues from the universe as to what is coming up on the agenda….. Therefore, it comes as no surprise this morning that I don’t seem to be able to decode whatever it is trying to tell me with all these rather blatant little pointers, these little precognitive moments….. Moments such as looking up at the clock to note when I begin, to see it is EXACTLY 5:00 AM as I type the first letters….. or that I awoke at EXACTLY 4:30 AM….. or that the EXACT meaning of a word implies a certain complex concept, while simultaneously supplying meaning to a formerly inane title segment…. I wonder if the white raven that was sitting on my chair as I came out of the bedroom has any place in all this?…. Have I ignored TV so long I can’t figure out an obvious plot device like that?…. Maybe….

Actually, the above paragraph is one of those throw-aways of which I am so fond of creating, a collection of meaningless ideas strung together in such a way as to compel one to read it, but never quite reaching a degree of meaning that will offer the reader anything other than the beginning of a headache…. Since I awoke with one that is pushing right through the Norco, making my right eyeball throb like a dub hound’s bass speaker at top volume, I figured, why not share the wealth, eh? If I have to sit here in excruciating pain, with both hips screaming, back muscles threatening spasm, and a throbbing eyeball, it’s the least I can do…..

Not that anyone else deserves the pain I feel almost all the time; I’m still trying to figure out what I did to my karmic burden to cause this state….. If one believes at all in the balance of good and evil in the universe, karma is basic, a system of understanding and approaching life with compassion rather than aggressiveness, and the joy of striving for love, rather than the pain of striving for power….

I do believe in that balance, though it often seems that our neighborhood here in the Universe at Large is somewhat overloaded with folks who don’t feel the same way, spending most of their time in the pursuit of what I consider to be useless stuff, like money, or power over others…. I mean, power over others is EASY to assume, if one has no compassion…. it is much harder, and shows much more inner strength, to be able to have power over one’s self….

SIGH…. The power over ourselves of which I speak often, even mostly, eludes us, though, which is probably a big part of why the world is so screwed up….. Not only that, but, it seems I’ve once again fallen into the trap that often gets me in the mornings…. Another intro section full of nonsense, near-sense, and epiphany…. or what could serve as epiphany, had it occurred inside someone’s head, rather than here on my screen….

Since, however, I’m not one to waste anything I can use, especially if it adds to the word count, I’m keeping all of it, and going on to bigger and better things, if I can persuade myself to stop typing anytime soon…. I’m falling into the “can’t seem to stop” mode that occasionally plagues me….. That CAN be a problem, though it does help in creating these Pearls…. Besides, as I’ve iterated previously, it’s MY blog, right? I can do just about whatever I want, as long as it doesn’t draw the government myrmidons down on me…. or, even if it does…. I’m armed, even if I don’t appear to be…. Not only that, but, I have the power of the pen on my side, and THAT is powerful indeed…. Well, that’s what I’ve heard, anyway…..

Shall we Pearl?…..

“True eloquence consists in saying all that should be said, not all that could be.” — Francois Duc de la Rochefoucauld

Aha! That’s been my problem the whole time…. Now, why didn’t I think of that?….. I’ll have to work on that a bit, won’t I?….
_____________________________

“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

It has been a while since I spoke on the matter of gun control, and the Second Amendment… Since I HAVE done so previously, and in a way I found to be clear, and compelling, I am including that diatribe below… This is from the POVW posted on 11/20/12, a couple of weeks after the national election….
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As I suspected, the news has become a desert…. Since the election settled so many questions that had been paramount, there has been virtually nothing going on that is worth any outrage, and certainly nothing that would stimulate enough angst to produce a rant. The Republicans are all walking around shaking their heads, and wondering where they went wrong, or trying to fool the public into believing they are going to cooperate with the administration (a load of crap if I ever heard one….), and the Democrats can’t stop grinning long enough to get anything done yet…. It’s like watching a video of a particularly exciting Sunday School class…. pretty enough, but boring as hell….

A few items worth discussion have come up…. There is more noise being bandied about regarding gun control again, as I see some folks posting statistics about guns and people getting killed…. What, did they think?…. Were they expecting that, all of a sudden, after the election, human nature was going to change? It always amazes me how much outrage, and surprise, people seem to exhibit when another atrocity killing is brought out by a news outlet. People are going to lose their cool, and their control…. that is a fact of life, and a law of nature.

This issue, of the failure of human nature to control its homicidal urges, isn’t going to change, and wishing otherwise is a fool’s game. In addition to this fact we need to consider another, of equal importance…. guns are real. When they are used to kill, it is not as if the gun is responsible, yet people seem to think that allowing the government to regulate who can have guns, and who can’t, will somehow stop all that from happening. It won’t, and thinking it will is the worst sort of self-delusion….

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

Smart Bee has hit upon the main argument against gun control, as desired by the idiots who think it will help. Sorry, don’t mean to be derogatory, but it is undeniable, inarguable idiocy to think that the government is capable of controlling itself any more than individuals can; what evidence is there to even hint as much? None, none that can be seen, because there is none that can be produced. If you think that the government has even the slightest intention of using such a monopoly with restraint, or with any sort of integrity, well, then, you have fallen into some serious deep shit in your mind, and will need to seriously consider some intensive psychotherapy.

Hell, just take a look at recent statistics as to how many civilians have been gunned down by corrupt cops…. It may surprise you to see that the numbers are at least equal to, if not greater than those deaths by gun that are attributed to civilian citizens. In the town I live in, alone, there have been at least seven civilian deaths at the hands of police, using guns, just this year…. I’ve lived in a lot of rough towns, and in my estimation, this is not a particularly large town, nor a particularly violent one.

“Most people seem to think that trampling individual rights is OK if it is “for the good of society as a whole.” However, society is but a large number of individuals, and how can harming the individual parts better the whole?” — Andrew Ford, forda@agcs.com

Hearing a government official claim that by restricting a right it is good for society as a whole is, to me, the very same as hearing someone wearing robes and a conical, comical hat, claim they are looking out for ‘my’ interests over their own…. I’m not gonna buy it, not now, not ever. There is NO TIME when it is acceptable to restrict an individual’s rights, unless their exercise of that right is denying the rights of another. Doing so is entering the slippery slope that leads to the loss of that right. The good of society does not lie in that direction, but rather in a direction that protects that right, and all of the others we were left as our legacy.

Hearing ANYONE say they are acting “for the good of society” reminds me of the thief saying he is taking my things “for my own good”….. it doesn’t compute. Nor would I trust it if it did…. I may be a cynic, but in this case, I know I’m right…. The beloved ruling class is NOT going to look out for your best interests, or mine…. No matter how often they say they are, or how often they try to convince you, they are NOT going to do that. They are trying to control you, and screw you, and unless you hold on to your rights, and protect them with your own gun, then they will continue to try to take them away…. Sad, but true….

“Sure, understanding today’s complex world of the future is a little like having bees live in your head! But…. there they are!!!. . .” — The Firesign Theater, “I Think We’re All Bozos on this Bus!”

I have made friends with the bees in my head; they know that I am armed and dangerous, to anyone who tries to convince me that our beloved ruling class has my best interests at heart. They don’t, and never have done…. I know this to be factual, and continued attempts to try to convince me otherwise are not only doomed to failure, but are likely to prompt an unexpected response; I can personally guarantee it will be one they will regret…. And, if they so decide, well, all I can say is “just desserts”….
_____________________________

POETRY, n. A form of expression peculiar to the Land beyond the Magazines. — Ambrose Bierce, “The Devil’s Dictionary”

I don’t pretend to always understand exactly what Emily was up to in her poems; to try to unravel the mind of a poet, and a woman poet, seems to me to be a task fraught with both frustration and danger; hence, my reluctance to approach that task…. However, understanding is, fortunately, not a prerequisite for enjoying her poems…. I hope you do, too…. Enjoy them, that is….. At least it’s not a magazine….

‘T was just this time last year I died.
I know I heard the corn,
When I was carried by the farms,–
It had the tassels on.

I thought how yellow it would look
When Richard went to mill;
And then I wanted to get out,
But something held my will.

I thought just how red apples wedged
The stubble’s joints between;
And carts went stooping round the fields
To take the pumpkins in.

I wondered which would miss me least,
And when Thanksgiving came,
If father’d multiply the plates
To make an even sum.

And if my stocking hung too high,
Would it blur the Christmas glee,
That not a Santa Claus could reach
The altitude of me?

But this sort grieved myself, and so
I thought how it would be
When just this time, some perfect year,
Themselves should come to me.

~~ Emily Dickinson ~~

_____________________________

Though I am up, and awake, and relatively free of major pain (I DID take my meds upon arising, so it’s all under control, for the moment….), there isn’t a whole lot that is sticking in my head for long…. I seem to be unable at this point of maintaining any train of thought for long; that’s the main reason I went with an old rant in section one. Fortunately, not as much mental effort is needed to produce an old-school pearl, so, that’s what we’ll do now, and hope for the best…..

“He is nearest to the gods who knows how to be silent.” — Marcus Porcius Cato (234-149 BC), attributed

“The right to be heard does not automatically include the right to be taken seriously.” — Hubert H. Humphrey, 1965

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

“Life is cruel? Compared to what?” — Edward Abbey

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

“We have met the enemy and they are us and you are me and we are all together” — Walt Kelly, Lennon, and the Beatles

“If you can see a thing whole… it seems that it’s always beautiful. Planets, lives…But close up, a world’s all dirt and rocks. And day to day, life’s a hard job, you get tired, you lose the pattern. You need distance, interval. The way to see how beautiful the earth is, is to see it as the moon. The way to see how beautiful a life is, is to see it from the vantage point of death.” — Ursula K. Le Guin, Dispossessed

Sometimes, the less effort I put into these pearls, the better they turn out…. like this one, which became a quite excellent little monograph on human nature, and Life at Large…. Serendipity hides all over the place, neh?….
_____________________________

Having arisen at a time that is, for me, of late, rather late, I am somewhat later getting done…. I hope that hasn’t adversely affected this Pearl; I hate when that happens!…. Let’s go see….

Once again, through a process I don’t fully understand, this came out okay…. Enough so that it can go out, just the way it is, with only minor proofing, and a lot of hope…. I hope somebody reads it, that is…. See ya next time…..

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid

Acres of discount bishops, reduced cardinals, and one used pope…..

Posted on July 16, 2013 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“I have many CHARTS and DIAGRAMS!” — Zippy the Pinhead

I don’t, but, in spite of that lack, I’m pretty sure I can make it through the day. Not that I’m saying that they wouldn’t be useful, for something or other, but, for our purposes here, which are, happily, much more mundane activities, not requiring the use of scientific paraphernalia, I don’t think we need to get that precise in our calculations. In fact, taking the time to fill them out, or in, could conceivably cause problems, and work to our disadvantage.

This, I think, is the primary reason that more ffolkes don’t use them on a regular basis, and why the market for them is often depressed. I’m sure it makes life difficult for those poor people who manufacture them for society’s use, but, it can’t be helped…. Perhaps it would be in their best interests to find a new line of work, one that isn’t quite so dependent on the current whims of society…. but, then, I’m not sure just when the market for charts and diagrams is going to get better…. Maybe they could start making lullabies, or perhaps, yogurt?…..

Don’t know why I woke up silly….. And if you try to tell me that the above wasn’t silly, I’ll slap you until you cry for your mama…. Well, okay, it could have been sillier, but I don’t see how, really, unless we dressed Zippy up in a clown costume…. Oh, wait, he already wears a clown costume….

Okay, well, that proves it, right? Silly is as silly does, and clown costumes define the parameters, I should think. If not, they should, especially when they are covered in polka dots, like his often are… Surely, there’s nothing sillier than a gangly, pasty-white, pointy-headed dude, in need of a shave, fetchingly clad in a polka-dot clown suit, unless it’s imagining his mother and father, and how THEY might be dressed…..

Now that I’ve spoiled any appetite for breakfast you might have had, it must be time to get on with the day’s business, such as it is. I realize it isn’t of much importance to y’all, other than as a means of wasting more time before you start your own day, but, it keeps me off the streets, at least for a few hours, and the public authorities are always appreciative of that, given the extra officers they feel they have to have on patrol when I’m out and about…. I don’t know why, though; I haven’t eaten anyone in years….. They get SO nervous and worked up, just because of a few youthful indiscretions….

Be sure, however, that period of my life is in the past, to stay; my diet these days is much more exotic, as I now stick to political pundits and religious dogmatists for the greater part my nourishment; they’re much less of a loss to society than your average man on the street, and, with generous amounts of mustard and cheese, can be quite tasty…. yum! Almost as good as a corporate elitist, or one of those savory military-industrialists, glazed with sugar and cinnamon….. Throw in the occasional sautéed police commander, and I’m a happy gourmand….

Hmm…. okay, you tell me…. Did that cross the line of good taste? It’s hard to tell, in the case of those assholes I consider responsible for the mess the world is in…. I mean, they have no compunctions about screwing over the rest of us, just so they can think of themselves as one of the elite, to whom the rules don’t apply. Why should I worry about offending them?

Essentially, I don’t, and I don’t care much what they, or anyone else, for that matter, thinks about it…. As long as they are out there, actively making decisions that affect the entire world based on their own perverted sense of entitlement, then I’ll feel no qualms about taking the odd shot or two at them, whenever I feel like it…. Fuck ’em, if they can’t take a joke….

On that note, shall we Pearl?…..

“If you’re going to tell people the truth, be funny or they’ll kill you.” — Billy Wilder

(Okay, NOW I’m officially worried…..)
_____________________________

The quote above is what I call a ‘settlefer’, because that is what I did…. settled fer it. It does fit, though, so it can stay…. Below you will find…. well, I don’t know, yet, what you’ll find, as I have yet to pick them out…. Let’s just say that I think you’ll like it, and leave it at that…. Nothing I seem to come up with to say about these harlequin style pearls ever seems to quite make the grade, accuracy-wise, so I’ll just trust to fate, and the inherent integrity of Smart Bee, to make it worthwhile…. it usually works…. Let’s see what we can find….

“The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled.” — Plutarch

“If Stupidity got us into this mess, then why can’t it get us out?” — Will Rogers (1879-1935)

“I figure that if God actually does exist, He’s big enough to understand an honest difference of opinion.” – Isaac Asimov

“In a philosophical dispute, he gains most who is defeated, since he learns most.” — Epicurus

“Take away the right to say ‘fuck’ and you take away the right to say ‘fuck the government.'” — Lenny Bruce

Hmm… not too shabby at all….. I should leave it there, as it is quite perfect as it is, but, I’m an incurable meddler, when it comes to pearls, anyway…. Two more ought to round it out nicely, I think….

“Why did Nature create man? Was it to show that she is big enough to make mistakes, or was it pure ignorance?” — Holbrook Jackson

“In heaven all the interesting people are missing.” — Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche

Alright, now you can slap me…. I’ll even hold your coat…. Sorry, couldn’t resist, but, at least it’s done for the day, eh? (Practicing my Canadian dialect…. or would that be the Canadian Dialectic?…. Eh?….)
_____________________________

The poem I have percolating is still doing just that, so, once more, I turn to one of the masters, with a poem that appeals to me, if for no other reason than the title…. as previously noted, I am easily entertained….

Another Song Of A Fool

This great purple butterfly,
In the prison of my hands,
Has a learning in his eye
Not a poor fool understands.

Once he lived a schoolmaster
With a stark, denying look;
A string of scholars went in fear
Of his great birch and his great book.

Like the clangour of a bell,
Sweet and harsh, harsh and sweet.
That is how he learnt so well
To take the roses for his meat.

~~ William Butler Yeats ~~

_____________________________

Birds Do It, Bees Do It
So Do I…

In the dim, dark past, when I was, sort of, attending college at UC Berkeley, (1968-70) discussing philosophy was standard in many of the BS sessions in which I participated. In order to not be thought of as someone who was ignorant in the field, I naturally read the classic tomes by such philosophers as Friedrich Nietzsche, Soren Kirkegaard, Plato, Socrates, Epicurius, Solon, and Jung, as well as more modern folks, such as Bucky Fuller, Sartre, and John Lennon (yes, him too…his philosophy tends to lean way to the left…).

One day later on, sometime in the 80’s, I was involved in learning to raise kids, deal with a wife, and in general going quietly crazy trying to balance all the balls one must keep in the air to get by in today’s world. As I sat this particular day, it struck me how long it had been since I stretched my mind. It seemed as if I’d been buried in mundane details forever, and upon examination & reflection I decided I wanted to expand my consciousness, using the flight of imagination to lift me above the everyday cares and woes to which I had fallen prey. And I found, as well, that I had been unconsciously acting according to many of the precepts that I had learned in those halcyon days of my youth.

The word I coined to describe this philosophy is Greek; “perua” means “pearl”, and of course, “osophy” is “the study of”. Thus I give you Peruaosophy, the study of pearls of wisdom. Each axiom stands alone, and together they describe fairly well how I approach Life…..

Peruaosophy

The wisdom of pearls…
(The world is my oyster; which way to the pearls?)

Axioms

1) I think I am; that’s close enough.

2) The nature of the Universe is Change. Unpredictable, innovative
transformation of Reality is the Norm. If you have a problem with this, you’re in for a rough ride in Life.

3) Thou art God, you know. Let’s do lunch.

4) Excellence is its own reward.

5) Girls think differently. So do boys. Don’t fight it.

6) Axiom #2 X axiom #5 = And God so loved the world, He said,
“Quit whining!”

7) Do your Duty. Respect Life. Honor the Truth. Share your Love.

8) Go back. Everything you need to know is in the first seven axioms.

~~ gigoid ~~

_____________________________

Well, don’t I feel like an infinite number of monkeys with typewriters?!….. Well, at least it isn’t Shakespeare….. Let’s see how it holds up to scrutiny of the relatively easy sort….. All I can honestly say is that it’s a good thing I like my standards down where they are, and they’re getting used to the smell, so…. we’ll take it, and run….. Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

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

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

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gigoid

Exploring Consensual Reality

Tag Archives: John Lennon

The jewel burns with an eerie light….

Songs of hearth and home….

It ain’t the curiosity, it’s the stubbornness….

21 seems to be all Murphy wants today…. but, 21 what?….

Acres of discount bishops, reduced cardinals, and one used pope…..

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