Tag Archives: John Young

It’s just like the other one, mate…..

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Ffolkes,

Just once, I wish…. Shit! Duck!…. Get down, you bozos, this is live fire!…. Crap, who wasn’t paying attention to the perimeter alarms? Where’s my M-16? Thanks, keep your head down…. Oh, okay, Stan, no worries, we’ll check those later…. Damn, ffolkes, sorry ’bout this…. Stay behind the armored plating, & you’ll be fine….

We haven’t had an attack like this in months, since putting in the new digital cams on the perimeter…. Looks like they finally hacked them, or brought them down somehow; Stan says the monitors are dark…. Well, hang on, they never bring enough firepower; this should only take a few moments to drive them off….

Okay, good work, troops…. Ffolkes, you can go ahead and take your assigned seats now…. we’ll be taking off for the pearl beds in a few minutes…. Anybody sustain any injuries they can’t deal with using the first aid kit in the seat compartment? Good…. Stan, you’ll check the troops, please, to make sure they’re all intact? Thanks…. Me, I’ll get into the cockpit, and fire this sucker up….

Well, THAT was exciting, yes? Nothing like some adrenaline to get the juices moving, is there? My issue with that is the four hours it takes me to get over those little rushes that are our gift from our little supercharger gland…. It’s kind of fun, feeling ten feet tall and covered with armor, though it does take its toll later, when the crash comes at the end of the rush….

I prefer to have copious quantities of a preferred adult beverage on hand to consume, or some other merely semi-legal substance that will instigate the same sort mellowing process, with fewer side effects than the alcohol…. I guess my “spirits” are getting old; I know my liver is, for sure…. Can’t take those mornings after anymore….

Oh, that? Ah, don’t sweat the small stuff; this morning’s attack was actually a planned exercise; I don’t advertise them ahead of time, for a lot of reasons, the main one being security…. But, the forces that were firing at us, though using live ammo, would only have aimed to wound, not kill. The exercise is part of a mutual-assistance agreement I have with another libertarian down the street…. Once a month, unscheduled, we each mount a surprise attack on the other’s property, just to keep us each in tune, and give some practice to the shock troops who will be taking the brunt of any defensive casualties, as part of their contract….

Of course, all of the above paragraphs are a complete fabrication….. I don’t believe there are more than three or four words of truth in any of them, or all of them together, even though I padded them as much as possible…. What d’ya think, eh? Not too bad, and certainly not the average opening you’ll find anywhere else… I do try to find something new and fresh for y’all, and sometimes it works better than others, I’d say…. Whether or not THIS is one of those if for y’all to say….

Regardless of how it turned out, though, it IS an intro section, and, as such, there are certain regulations that must be observed…. Not that we pay all that much attention to them, but, we do observe them, from afar, with great admiration…. In spite of our lack of respect for those regulations, we do keep them in mind when composing this, even though WE are only ME; I just fall too easily into the royal ‘we’, so easily adopted when using the famous “sotto voce”…. as we do here, unashamedly, we admit, but, to great effect…. sort of…. To frequent effect, anyway….

Having thus used it, without the typical abuse that can follow, mostly, I believe I have reached the minimum limit of the aforementioned regulations, so, I’m going to summarily end this, hoping to go on to something a bit more entertaining…. I know, this wasn’t bad, but, I didn’t hear any outright guffaws, so, it needs a bit of work…. In the meantime….

Shall we Pearl?….

“Anyone who isn’t confused really doesn’t understand the situation.” — Edward R. Murrow

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Any one of the following articles would, under most circumstances, be sufficient to produce a rant, if all things were equal…. At the moment, for a day or two, they are NOT equal…. Mother Nature is giving us a taste of how miserable the weather can be, and of how unpredictable it has become in these days prior to the completely chaotic time to come in the future, as the effects of global warming become more pronounced…. For now, She’s giving us a small heat wave, in May, with temps in the area threatening to hit triple digits….

Fortunately for me, the town I live in only expects to get into the mid-90’s, Fahrenheit, which isn’t too bad, but, given my decreased tolerance for heat, is more than enough to put me into a comatose state for much of the day, motionless in front of a fan on high speed…. I just can’t take it like I used to be able to do. Right now, it’s pretty nice outside, at a bit past 4 AM, but, the air is still, there’s no fog, as we usually see in summer, and it already feels muggy…. These are typically NOT good signs for the rest of the day; they tell me that HEAT is on its way….

As such, my energy levels are dropping dramatically, as I KNOW I’ll be needing it all to keep myself still, and cool, for much of the day, confining any physical activity to the morning, or late evening hours. I went to the bother of collecting these articles, so, I’m leaving them here, for you to peruse in your spare time; they’re scary enough all by themselves, even without my added commentary designed to bring out the obvious flaws or lies that you’ll see in them… especially the first one…

The two on either end are quite scary in their implications; the potential scenarios that have evolved, and those yet to formulate, from those issues, are NOT comforting, to say the least…. The one in the middle, on the FCC decision, is more encouraging, as it seems the noise we consumers made about it is having an effect on the officials involved…. YAY! It’s nice when so many people speak that they HAVE to listen….

But, I’m already tired, and sweaty, and it’s only 0423 in the morning, so, from this point, you’re on your own with these…. I WILL follow them with a five-star pearl to drive some of the points home, or, as in this case, to provide some contrasting information, in an ethical sense…. Enjoy this little taste of current events, please, or, at least, LISTEN UP….

http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/NASA-spots-worrisome-Antarctic-ice-sheet-melt-5471531.php?cmpid=hp-hc-nationworld

http://blog.sfgate.com/techchron/2014/05/12/fcc-chair-said-to-be-backing-down-on-plan-to-destroy-net-neutrality/?cmpid=hp-hc-bustech

https://news.yahoo.com/spying-on-millions-of-americans-living-in-the–united-states-of-secrets-183952032.html

“Sanity is for the masses who don’t know how to handle insanity.” — Tim Sailer

“An idea that is not dangerous is unworthy of being called an idea at all.” — Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915)

“The most common sort of lie is the one uttered to one’s self.” — Nietzsche

“The measure of man is what he does with power.” — Pittacus

“There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth: (1) not going all the way; and (2) not starting.” — Buddha

Ffolkes, I just can’t make it any clearer than that, without resorting to a rant….

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Since this will be an entirely fresh Pearl today, I’d best go with a poem of my own, to save the reputation of anyone else I might choose….

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 ~~


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Having decided to forgo a rant today, that means this will be another old-school pearl…. Yes, I’m being nice today; I’m too hot & bothered to spend the energy to be a curmudgeon… Enjoy!….

“Apparently I’m insane. But I’m one of the happy kinds!” — John Young

“In a technological world where anything is possible, paranoia will  reign supreme.” — Stephen Crandall

“Never encourage Politicians, Fools, or Punsters!” — Smart Bee

“I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.” — Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

“Common and vulgar people ascribe all ill that they feel to others; people of little wisdom ascribe to themselves; people of much wisdom, to no one.” — Epictetus

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

“All great deeds and all great thoughts have a ridiculous beginning.” — Albert Camus

And sometimes, they end on that same silly note…..

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After reading this, in editing/proofing mode, I think it would be best if I keep this closing section relatively short…. There’s too much in the above that could construed as legally actionable, or, at the very least, taken wrongly by those who find it hard to operate BOTH of their functional neurons at the same instant…. which is a clandestine insult those self-same few will never get, as it flies, serenely, right over their heads….

In any case, I heard an old saw once that says an author should always leave his audience wanting a bit more…. Unable to decide if I have reached that point, or not, I’ll concede its relevance, and just take my leave…. See you tomorrow, ffolkes….. if I don’t melt….

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

dozer3

Her shoes were bright, but made of porcelain….

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Ffolkes,
Imagine, if you will, the process of creation in my mind, as metaphorical coffee, softly bubbling, percolating until it is the proper consistency and flavor. Then, imagine that coffee as brewed, but left to sit on the warmer, slowly reducing itself, becoming stronger and thicker as each moment passes, until, if left long enough, the coffee turns to sludge, and becomes not a beverage, but garbage, bitter and toxic….. Well, that’s what has happened in my head this morning…. more’s the pity….

Not that I had any particularly good ideas floating around, waiting to be infused into the final flavor of this morning’s concoction, but, it would have been nice if I had been at the keyboard, ready to put in some milk and sugar, and serve it up hot and fresh…. Instead, I spent an inordinate amount of time, worshiping at the porcelain throne, to soothe my inner demons, and lost that moment or three of opportunity….. Hence, this rambling, imaginative yet stupid couple of paragraphs that once again have used up more time than they warrant, or deserve, for that matter….. SIGH…..  If I were the type to be ashamed of myself, I would be, but, I’m not, so I don’t, so there….

I do, however, feel some small regret, at having to figure out, once more, some way to have this lead into the rest of today’s Pearl with some style and dignity, in spite of never having previously attained either of those qualities. One always retains some hope, though, and I keep trying to find a way to make this intro section palatable, and interesting.

Murphy, of course, does all he can to prevent any such simple success, as he feels it is his duty as the personification of Loki in the modern world. If I can distract him, it becomes a bit easier, but, he’s getting wise to most of my tricks as time passes, so I’m brainstorming some new fabricated illusions for him….

However, in the meantime, I have a Pearl to create, and I haven’t even warmed up Smart Bee yet, what with all the other stuff in my head vying for prominence….. and I need to get done, as I have stuff to accomplish today again, out in the Big Blue Room….

I really, really want a new pair of shoes, and don’t know the outlets in this town, so I’ll have to research first. Always a fun time, figuring out the buses here, as this bus system is the absolute WORST I’ve ever seen for staying on schedule; it’s hard to figure out the times when it will arrive, meaning I end up standing on concrete for long periods…. It’s a cheap means of getting around, but rather inconvenient, if one isn’t physically up to the rigors of riding and waiting for the buses.

Why, lookie, lookie….. I do believe we have an intro section done! How did that happen? Hmm, if it wasn’t me, I’d be suspicious of conspiracy, but, I know myself too well, and it was just plain cluelessness…. Nonetheless, it worked, and we have several paragraphs of not-very-informative-but-quite-charming words and phrases, neatly stitched together into what we call an introduction…. It’s not your grandma’s intro, for sure, but it works for me, and it got us this far, so I’m not going to look a gift frog in the gums…. Shall we Pearl?…..

“Madness, we fancy, gave an ill-timed birth to grinning laughter and to frantic mirth.” — Prior
__________________________________

“Have you noticed that many people who laugh at kids who believe in Santa Claus are the same people who believe in campaign promises?” — Smart Bee

Well! It’s very smart of Smart Bee to make such a cogent observation so early in the day…. I had to chuckle at this one, as it is just so, so true, and nails perfectly a great many folks in today’s society who seem to fall for anything that comes out of the mouths of the people they see on their TV’s. Max Headroom, the original iconic talking head, was much more accurate than many realized at the time, as a caricature of the type of manipulation by the BRC that is so ubiquitous, nobody believes it exists.

When the machinations of those who actually rule are exposed, people tend to either disbelieve it (because they cannot accept their own cupidity), or to rationalize it, and make it okay in their minds, as being justified…. Unfortunately, the justification most often used is that of expedience…. It’s just easier, they think, to go along with what the rules say we are supposed to do, or want to do, than it is to try to change the rules set forth by those with the desire to control, and the means to assume that control.  Most folks won’t go to any great lengths to even find out the truth of the issues they encounter; they just accept whatever is said by their trusted news anchor, and never even know they are fastening the slave collar around their own necks….

The hardest part of all this, for me, is that people actively resist any knowledge that challenges their belief in the idiot assholes who run the world…. It’s as if they WANT to be controlled, and wish to be slaves, rather than have to take responsibility for their own actions, for their own success or failure in life…. If they follow the rules, keep their mouth shut, and resist any change, they believe they’ll be rewarded, (and this is the part that gets me….), BY GETTING TO GO TO HEAVEN INSTEAD OF HELL WHEN THEY DIE!  Now, I don’t know about y’all, but I’ve heard better lines from con men and grifters on the street, who at least will cheat you now, rather than later….

I’m really not sure what it is that is supposed to be the reward in THIS life for conformity, unless it is a life empty of all challenge, or interest…. I suppose for many, the idea of being left alone to live their life is attractive, but, to me, the price they pay, of placidly agreeing to live that life by someone else’s rules, is much too high, especially since what is offered as the reward is not just an illusion, but, were it real, I could easily obtain myself….

Add in the fact that what happens after we die is, so far, undetermined, and impossible to determine, with any degree of certainty, and the promises made by the priest/preachers, and the BRC, assume a rather strong degree of falsehood, as it is obvious that they cannot promise what they do not possess, or even possibly understand….

I’m attempting in this diatribe to keep from getting too vitriolic toward anyone in particular…. I do have a lot of dislike and, yes, hatred, for the Beloved Ruling Class, composed of lawyers, politicians, judges, legislators, lobbyists, the priestly hierarchies, and the corporate masters who are all complicit in keeping the rest of mankind in the state of repression currently extant…. Lots and lots of hatred, in fact….

I also have a lot of lack of respect, for the idiots who fall for the crap served up by those self-same assholes at the metaphorical top of the heap…. and feel no guilt whatsoever at calling a spade a spade…. But, it’s hard to get them to listen to begin with, and calling names will drive them into their mental cocoons, impervious to reason, so I’ve tried to take it easy on them today….

So easy, in fact, that I’m done for now…. The lawyers and politicians, who are genetically programmed to lie, the priestly hierarchies, who are deliberately delusional, and the corporate masters, who are just plain evil incarnate in re: their relation to the rest of us, can all go straight to their own version of Hell, as far as I’m concerned…. The folks who buy into their crap aren’t much better, in my book, as they tend to choose weakness over strength, cowardice over courage, and fear over reason, all of which means they will always get exactly what they deserve in life….. which is nothing but trouble and pain….

To the rest of us, those who doubt, those who think, those who care about other people, who think about, and believe in, concepts such as reason, duty, honor, and compassion…. Well, Thou art God, you know…. Wanna go downtown and get some lunch?….

“Apparently I’m insane. But I’m one of the happy kinds!” — John Young
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I’m not sure why, but it seems to be a day for metaphorical silliness…. What better way to honor that, or to humor it, than with a selection of Ogden Nash? Why, none at all!….

Children’s Party

May I join you in the doghouse, Rover?
I wish to retire till the party’s over.
Since three o’clock I’ve done my best
To entertain each tiny guest.

My conscience now I’ve left behind me,
And if they want me, let them find me.
I blew their bubbles, I sailed their boats,
I kept them from each other’s throats.

I told them tales of magic lands,
I took them out to wash their hands.
I sorted their rubbers and tied their laces,
I wiped their noses and dried their faces. Of similarities there’s lots
Twixt tiny tots and Hottentots.

I’ve earned repose to heal the ravages
Of these angelic-looking savages. Oh, progeny playing by itself
Is a lonely little elf,
But progeny in roistering batches
Would drive St. Francis from here to Natchez.

Shunned are the games a parent proposes,
They prefer to squirt each other with hoses,
Their playmates are their natural foemen
And they like to poke each other’s abdomen.
Their joy needs another woe’s to cushion it,
Say a puddle, and someone littler to push in it.

They observe with glee the ballistic results
Of ice cream with spoons for catapults,
And inform the assembly with tears and glares
That everyone’s presents are better than theirs.

Oh, little women and little men,
Someday I hope to love you again,
But not till after the party’s over,
So give me the key to the doghouse, Rover

~~ Ogden Nash
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I slept in today, inadvertently…. forgot to punch the button to set the coffee to brew at the correct time in the morning, so I had to do it myself, when I awoke at 0715, an hour later, or more, than usual…. As a result of that, plus the extended worship session this morning, I’m quite late getting this completed…. The above mild rant, more of a discussion, really, were it not for the harsh words for the targets of the rant, used up any outrage I’d built up, and I’ve got so many plans in action, and metaphoric pans on the fire, my creativity can’t seem to focus on anything I consider worth writing about….

With my usual panache, I will proceed to cheat…. Here is a Pearl from the dark ages, way back around 2005 or 2006, when I was working at NSH as a program secretary, helping East Indian psychiatrists write court reports that made them sound like natural-born English speakers, rather than ESL speakers with accents as thick and spicy as curried rice… Each morning, before anyone else was at work, I’d compose pearls like this one, and send it out so about 250 ffolkes would find it in their email when they booted up for the work day….. For some reason, I saw this, and it seemed perfectly appropriate for today’s Pearl…. Enjoy!….

It wasn’t my fault…

Ffolkes,
The dog ate my homework. There was an earthquake, and I was helping find the victims. I didn’t get the memo. My mom grounded me. The check was in the mail. I needed a widget, & the store was out. My electricity went off. There was a flood. Right after the earthquake…..


Actually, just had an appointment, but what kind of dramatic opening would that be? In retrospect, I probably should have taken care of this yesterday, on a delayed send, but I guess if I was that efficient I’d already be rich & retired. Ah me, choices……damned if we do, & damned if we don’t. Make good ones….

“Giving every man a vote has no more made men wise and free than Christianity has made them good.” — H.L. Mencken

Human nature, being what it is, I shall not attempt to rationalize further; it’s too early in the day to fend off physical attacks.

Y’all take care out there….& remember to DUCK!
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Well, THAT was interesting…. I’m not sure exactly what just took place. Let me go back and look at it; I’ll be right back…. Sometimes, I surprise myself…. That said, I’ll take it, or, rather, leave it, or, post it, or whatever….. It’s done, and I can’t make it any better than it is, given the content…..  As I’ve previously and frequently reiterated, all we can do, is all we can do…..  Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

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

gigoid

dozer3