Epic questions of no import….

Posted on February 12, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Inside every old person is a young person wondering what happened.”

~~ Terry Pratchett. ~~

The Road Goes Ever On….

Hajime….. The process here at ECR has become a bit choppy, in terms of how smoothly it progresses. This, in turn, may, or, may not have an effect on the Pearls. Either way, I don’t really care, as long as they’re done. Quality, as you know, is NOT job 1 around here; we leave shit like that to Ford. I do make every attempt to make it as good as I can, but, hey, I’m human, and definitely bozoid, so, I know better than to expect reality to match my expectations…. Hell, I’m damn close to having none, anyway, what with the state of affairs on this sad old ball o’mud…..

Without going into THAT subject, which would, no doubt, keep me here relatively indefinitely, we’ll go for some brevity again, & cut this short. In fact, we’ll cut it REALLY short, & end it here. Surprise!…..

Shall we Pearl?….

“Love is all we have, the only way that each can help the other.”

~~ Euripides, Orestes (408 BC) ~~

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

We’re going default today, because, for some reason, I am now running quite late. Don’t know why, but, what is, is. This compilation comes from page seven of the You Tube list of choices in this venue, with the picture that drew my eye…. Enjoy!….

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Classical Music

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https://youtu.be/Ne48vhEhCBI

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I’m not late, particularly, but, the piece I’m working on for this section keeps growing on me. Here, to sublimate, is an older piece, from the day after my 63rd birthday, that came out pretty well…. Try to enjoy it, ffolkes; it’s all we’ve got today…. Oh, and, don’t fret about the time/space anachronisms you see today; we were shameless in using the Tardis to get this done, so, I don’t believe ANY of the times will match, or even resemble each other…. Oh, well….

From 11/2/2013:

According to my usual modus operandi, this section would, and may yet be, a rant of some nature. It’s been a while since I took any real shots at the churches, but, then, they are a bit less of a worthy target than are the politicians of the world. Let us not even begin to think about how the shadowy master class of corporate vampires deserve all the disdain, vituperation, and vicious criticism we can heap upon their nasty little heads; whatever we do will never be enough to pay them back for the damage they’ve done to others, and to our world in general…. No, I’d say I have no real lack of usual targets for my critical regard…. What I have is a lack of angst and/or emotional drama to drive that big ol’ truck…. The one I’d like to flatten them with, as they cross my road to the future….

It would be simple to cruise over to a news site, and pick up a current headline or two to work with; there’s no lack of material there, for sure. Even that doesn’t attract my interest; I guess my birthday gave me a good enough chance to get a lot of that out, and there’s not enough left today to drive any further attempts at ranting…. Too bad, actually, as I did have some rather interesting introspective moments yesterday, as the import of my increasing age grew in my thoughts, taking on a deeper meaning than is usual for me during my day…. I love when that happens, though, even if the contentment and serenity it brings me is such that I don’t want to write about it…. It feels too good to talk about it…. Kind of how a joke is like a frog; if you take either one apart to try to figure it out, they both die….

Since I wouldn’t want anyone with the discrete sensibilities of my Gentle Readers to be confronted with that kind of issue, I’ll just fade back ten yards, and punt…. Here is another old-school pearl for your delectation…. Since I’m not ranting about anything today, I’ll let Smart Bee pick out which pearls it thinks should be included, with, possibly, a few comments of my own, in parentheses to avoid any further confusion….. Remember, ffolkes, this is VIRTUAL wisdom…. don’t try to use it as if it were real….

“If you dig a deep enough hole, someone will want to jump in.” — Smart Bee

(It’s always good to start off strong….)

“My indignation, like th’ imprisoned fire, pent in the troubled breast of Aetna, burnt deep and silent.” — Thomson

(SIGH…. if only it had, we’d have a rant today….. 😦 ) 😆

“The silence drew off, baring the pebbles and shells and all the tatty wreckage of my life. Then, at the rim of vision, it gathered itself, and in one sweeping tide, rushed me to sleep.” — Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar

(At first I thought this was here just because it’s so bloody brilliant, in both content and style of execution… Astounding imagery, and powerful yet simple language, expressed with such beauty, the heart aches with it….. It also stretches beyond that, into the outer reaches of credibility and connection, to form a tenuous bond with reality, right here in this pearl…. Amazing, isn’t it?….)

“When great changes occur in history, when great principles are involved, as a rule the majority are wrong. The minority are right.” — Eugene V. Debs

(Mr. Debs, a political activist and reformer in the early twentieth century, had a lot of interesting things to say, many of them equally as true as this one…. If you have the time, look him up; smart guy…..)

“As far as we can discern, the sole purpose of human existence is to kindle a light of meaning in the darkness of mere being.” — C. G. Jung

(Yep….)

“We would like to apologize for the way in which politicians are represented in this programme. It was never our intention to imply that politicians are weak-kneed, political time-servers who are more concerned with their personal vendettas and private power struggles than the problems of government, nor to suggest at any point that they sacrifice their credibility by denying free debate on vital matters in the mistaken impression that party unity comes before the well-being of the people they supposedly represent, nor to imply at any stage that they are squabbling little toadies without an ounce of concern for the vital social problems of today. Nor indeed do we intend that viewers should consider them as crabby ulcerous little self-seeking vermin with furry legs and an excessive addiction to alcohol and certain explicit sexual practices which some people might find offensive. We are sorry if this impression has come across.” — Monty Python

(Actually, this sums up my opinion of 99% of the politicians I see in public, with incredible accuracy….)

(No apology from me is, or ever will be, tendered for making these assertions, either…. fuck ’em all……)

(When I say, “fuck them all”, I’d like to be clear that I don’t intend that in any positive way at all…. What I mean is, FUCK THEM ALL!!!…. and the white horse they say they rode in on, too…..)

“And never, ever cut a deal with a dragon.” — Smart Bee

(I’m with SB on this one…. The last pearl brings all the rest together perfectly, while at the same time reminding us that we already know the important stuff… I mean, it’s just common sense, right? Any dragon master knows this…..)

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Time, and again….

Life, and/or love, will seldom fit
into any box we keep for them to sit.
Loose and limber, without any reason,
always somewhat out of season.

Surprise, surprise, they seem to say,
we can’t help it, it’s just our way.
If only you would learn, instead of know,
maybe you’d find yourself with one to show.

Deal, just the way it is, now and here,
follow the path, on the other side of fear.
Finding the future isn’t all blood, sweat, and pain,
far, far more than mere joy we stand to gain.

The sages all say not to try, just do,
sounds as simple as putting on a shoe.
I’d say we could really go places,
if we could but learn to tie up the laces….

~~ gigoid ~~

11/1/2013

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Naked Pearls

Getting There….

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“The great man is he who does not lose his child’s heart.”

~~ Mencius ~~

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“You can easily judge the character of others
by how they treat those who can do nothing for them or to them.”

~~ Malcolm Forbes ~~

*********

“They may forget what you said,
but they will never forget how you made them feel.”

~~ Carl W. Buechner ~~

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“It costs so much to be a full human being
that there are very few who have
the enlightenment or the courage to pay the price…
One must abandon altogether the search for security
and reach out to the risk of living with both arms…
One has to embrace the world like a lover…
One has to accept pain as a condition of existence…
One has to court doubt and darkness
as the cost of knowing.
One needs a will stubborn in conflict,
but apt always to total acceptance
of every consequence of living and dying.”

~ Morris L. West, “Shoes of the Fisherman” ~~

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“The highest condition takes rise in the lowest.”

~~ Publius Syrus (42 BC) — Maxim 781 ~~

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Life at its noblest leaves mere happiness far behind;
and indeed cannot endure it. .
Happiness is not the object of life:
life has no object:
it is an end in itself;
and courage consists in the readiness
to sacrifice happiness
for an intenser quality of life.”

~~ George Bernard Shaw, Letter, Dec. 1900, ~~

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“I exist as I am, that is enough.”

~~ Walt Whitman ~~

*********

“Soon you will have forgotten the world,
and the world will have forgotten you.”

~~ Marcus Aurelius, “Meditations” ~~

*********

Happily may I walk.
May it be beautiful before me.
May it be beautiful behind me.
May it be beautiful below me.
May it be beautiful above me.
May it be beautiful all around me.
In beauty it is finished.

~~ Navajo Night Chant ~~

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It’s done. Beyond that, deponent sayeth naught. Not only that, but, I’m dropping y’all like a hot penny today, right here, and right now. Well, now…. no, make that now…. Okay, so, when it’s done, it’s done, and I’m outta here…. Bye! See y’all tomorrow, should I survive my own chutzpah until then….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Sitting right and tight….

Posted on February 11, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

There is great beauty in going through life without anxiety or fear.
Half our fears are baseless, and the other half discreditable.

~~ Bovee ~~

Winter Memories

Hajime….. Since my life has evolved into one long session of being domesticated by a female cat, producing Pearls has assumed a smaller size and shape, at least in terms of how much time I am allowed to spend in the creative mode necessary to do so. In fact, I’m slipping in this intro section during a time I had to enforce as being time to type; otherwise, I’d be playing ‘chase the mouse’ or ‘roll the balls’ until one of us dropped… and, I think we all know which of us would drop first…..

Given the state of affairs in which I find myself, it becomes thus even more significant to have completed ANY of the material you’ll find below today. I’ve been bleeding it out in small pieces, as I find the time, much like those times in Hell when my pain makes it impossible to either sit, stand, walk, hold still, or twiddle a finger. So, you see, I actually already possess the necessary skills to do this; maybe that’s why I continue to do so. Or, maybe it’s the ever-present specter of insanity and darkness that threatens to engulf me when I DON’T get this out of my system…. Who knows? If I did, I’d probably be doing something else, so, I may as well go with the flow…. right?

Ah, hell, there I go again, waffling. Since I promised myself to stop that, I’ll play nice, & finish this torturous beginning so we can get something a bit more constructive, if not enlightening, done before they bring in my medications…. Oops. Did I say that out loud? Crap. Oh, well, there goes the credibility gap again…. Fuck it, I’m outta here, and so are y’all, because, hey, closed cabin…. Better hang on, Luigi’s back….

Shall we Pearl?….

“A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, and die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.” — Robert A. Heinlein, The Notebooks of Lazarus Long

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I was trying to decide what kind of music to include today, when I realized I wanted to hear the ‘best’ of whatever type I felt like hearing…. That, naturally, led me to think of this organization, for the music I hear every time is, without doubt, the best I’ve heard in my life, for it is ALL straight from the human heart…. every note, every voice, every instrument is played with love, and joy….. so, enjoy!….

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One Love
Playing For Change

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https://youtu.be/4xjPODksI08

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The piece upon which I’ve been working is still incomplete; hence, yet another archived post. Here is a discussion of perception, and how it affects our daily lives, in a political/social sense…. Enjoy!….

From 1/12/2014:

Perception is, perhaps, the most elementally intricate quality we possess as living creatures. Through the five-plus senses we bring to the process, we receive information from the universe that gives us what we require, in order to be able to interact with Reality, (another term for the Universe… for the purposes of this discussion, anyway….) in some sort of way that is meaningful to us. This information comes to us in a variety of forms, and our minds must utilize the complex, yet subtle qualities of imagination, reason, logic, and all those mental functions that our minds have discovered to organize the information, functions whose etiology are basically unknown to us, as part of our basic nature. We don’t think about, or feel in any way, the process of seeing, or smelling, or touching, except in the context of the sense itself…. We just DO it….

Yet each sense is such that it works WITH all the others, in ways we don’t really understand, to give us the pictures in our heads that show us how our minds perceive the world outside us…. We, being the imaginative creatures we are, have evolved all sorts of ways to organize and utilize our perceptions, all of which are again connected (remember that complexity part…) to another facet of Reality, which is our motivation for what we do, an outgrowth of our judgments of what we perceive…. We perceive, we judge, we act on that judgment, all according to our basic outlook on life, and how we choose to accept, and use, what we perceive….

This subject, I know, is a bit esoteric for such a venue, but, I’m leading up to a point, which is this…. We all perceive the world differently, but, that doesn’t mean the world takes that into any account…. It’s one of our hardest lessons to accept when we are forced to admit that the Universe, in all its majestic glory, couldn’t give a tiny little crap for us, or for what we think of the way things are…. If we choose to interact with it in such a way that we are breaking the basic rules that everything works by, then we will have to pay the price, in the only way that the Universe uses to exact payment, to wit: extinction….

Now, given that, it seems to me that my ranting about all of this*** is a bit like that ant crawling up the elephant’s leg, with belligerent intentions…. In short, it’s not really a productive way to achieve whatever it is I’m trying to do, as I can see only one possible outcome, which, the odds, and logic, would tend to dictate doesn’t include any need for any worry on the part of the elephant…. All that is a long winded, pedantic way of saying that my rants, while satisfying on a personal level for the release they provide, are mostly a waste of breath, in a practical sense…. Nothing will change because I rant, in spite of the need for change being the whole purpose behind the rant…

The major part of that reason, I think, lies in the fact that I’m preaching to the choir…. None of the ffolkes, or folks, who read my blog, (with the possible exception of any bored NSA drones who may be assigned to do so merely because of my anti-government stance, shown by the use of key phrases indicating my opposition….), are in any position to make any of the changes themselves, even though many of them would be willing to do so, I think…. But, the people who inhabit the halls of our government in Washington, and in other capitols around the world, DON’T read my blog, nor do they agree with most of the things about which I rant….

Why is that, do you think? Why don’t the people who govern us agree with any of what I say in my rants? It’s all stuff that can be proven, and is certainly important enough to all of us to warrant discussion… But, they don’t agree… They have their own agendas, which don’t look like anything that anyone in the great unwashed masses could come up with, even though they supposedly represent US…. These are our representatives, ffolkes…. I found this short comment in an old Pearl, which I think sums up most of my point pretty well…..

(From May 12, 2012):

“Such bickerings to recount, met often in these our writers, what more worth is it than to chronicle the wars of kites or crows flocking and fighting in the air?” — John Milton (1608-1674) — The History of England, Book iv

Did you ever wonder why a group of crows is called a congress? I didn’t. It makes perfect sense to me…. Dark, sinister looking creatures who act in odd ways, even for birds. Their behaviors tend to lean toward stealing shiny objects from wherever, or stealing the food of people or other animals and birds. When they speak, it is in a voice that grates on the ear like fingernails on a slate. In groups, they mill around, cackling and grumbling and jostling each other, until they all fly off to different areas to carry out whatever nefarious schemes they have hatched among themselves.

No, I have no problem envisioning a congress of crows; in fact, I believe they are in session, now, in Washington, D.C. …. Why, look! Here’s a list of them now!…..

http://blog.sfgate.com/nov05election/2014/01/10/congress-is-mostly-full-of-millionaires-but-who-are-the-richest/#19551101=0

Them’s some affluent crows, ain’t they?…. That’s what happens when any politician is given the keys to the treasury….. One last query…. Who gets to say how much money members of Congress get paid? Answer: They are authorized to set that themselves…. Okay, one more… Who authorized them? Why, they authorized that themselves, of course….

I’m tired now…. I’ve managed to spout off now about the Asininnies, or, at least, about the 545 of them who inhabit the top levels of OUR democratic bureaucracy, for a good, oh, thousand words or so, and once again, it will end up being read by those who mostly agree… (I’m making the assumption, reluctantly, but, with confidence, that if they DIDN’T agree, they’d leave a comment to say so…. I know MY Gentle Readers would do so….), so, I’m perfectly aware that no changes will happen because of what I’ve written….

I don’t feel any better, either, damn it!….. 😦

*** It must be noted that “all of this” should be understood to include: global warming, and the impending ecological disaster, overpopulation, criminality of the Asininnies, most especially the egregiously selfish actions of the Beloved Ruling Class, the Shadowy Corporate Masters, Snakeheads in general, (human predators…. pimps, slavers, pedophiles, and the ilk…), and the Priestly Hierarchies….. Oh, yes, and, on the rare occasion, exposing Pooh’s evil twin….

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Fatal Supplication

But what becomes of our deepest dangerous dreams?
Does fantasy rescue any part of life’s imperiled favor?
Reality becomes but silvery pairs of mismatched teams,
Dining with affable elegance, such diffident waste to savor.

Who decides what sorrows to carry bravely to term?
Will fragrant moments of sanity make hasty manifestation?
Only Time’s patient mutability sends messages so firm,
Yet salient impersonal vexation lends credence to ripe imagination.

Can folly bring out sadness and rampant visions of beauty?
What kindness can be found in distant open relations?
With countless faces the dead disturb with dire impunity,
From separate caches of wisdom come simple stylish privations.

Shall shallow emotion serve to provide such explanations?
When does avaricious intensity assume primary focus?
Plain answers slide softly through with multiple mitigations,
While conceptually indignant concepts engage a fatally personal locus.

~~ gigoid ~~

9/20/2012

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Naked Pearls

The Search for Meaning

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“Though leaves are many, the root is one ;
Through all the lying days of my youth,
I swayed my leaves and flowers in the sun.
Now I may wither into the truth.”

~~ W B Yeats ~~

“I am, therefore I am.” — Akira

“It takes courage to grow up and turn out to be who you really are.” — ee cummings

“Become what you are.” — Buddha

“Look well into thyself; there is a source of strength which will always spring up if thou wilt always look there.” — Marcus Aurelius

“Reason is not measured by size or height, but by principle.” — Epictetus (c. 60 AD) — Discourses, Book i, Chap. xii

“There is a time in every man’s education when he arrives at the conviction that envy is ignorance; that imitation is suicide; that he must take himself for better or worse as his portion; that though the wide universe is full of good, no kernel of nourishing corn can come to him but through his toil bestowed on that plot of ground which is given him to till.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self-Reliance

“Once upon a time, I dreamed of becoming a great man. Later, a good man. Now, finally, I find it difficult enough and honor enough to be–a man.” — Edward Abbey

“The ideals which have always shone before me and filled me with the joy of living are goodness, beauty, and truth. To make a goal of comfort or happiness has never appealed to me; a system of ethics built on this basis would be sufficient only for a herd of cattle.” — Albert Einstein

“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

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Having completed my chosen duty, I shall, forthwith, take my leave, as is my wont upon finishing. Go figure…. I’m on cat time now, so, I’d best be on my way, with the usual caveat, a warning, as it were, that I’ll be back tomorrow to try again…. Go figure…..

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….

Curious fractals or penny-wise mavens….

Posted on February 2, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Wherever I go, there I am,” Pooh mused.

~~ Philosopher Bee ~~

Early morning in Galway, post-championship game….

Hajime…. Up a bit late, & running smoothly, he sits to write, ever clueless in pre-coffee state…. “What are you doing, trying to type before the first sip?”, he cries, piteously. “Don’t you remember what happened last time?” Shuddering with the memory, he hunches his shoulders, rises, & walks off into the nether regions of the mortal coil, attempting to shake off the sense of foreboding sitting heavily on his left shoulder, trying to make him turn to look at his fears…. Moaning softly with the effort, he shuffles into the loo, to sublimate the blues….

Not too shabby, I’d say, for a first effort, pre-coffee…. We’ll play it as it lies, too, since it’s laid up so close to the hole. A tap in for a birdie, we can hope. Not that we’re concerned with our handicap; no, it’s more the challenge of playing a game in my head as I write I enjoy. Since, however, we are not here to enjoy ourselves….. Wait! That is what we ARE here for! What was I thinking? Oh, right….

Well, never mind, I’ve wandered & blathered sufficiently to soothe the monitors, so, we’ll just be off to the oyster beds without further fussing. In fact, we’ll get this slow on the toad with some style, and cruise over in the Tardis. Sound good? Good. Let’s do it, before the warranty expires….

Shall we Pearl?….

“The creation of something new is not accomplished by the intellect but by the play instinct acting from inner necessity. The creative mind plays with the objects it loves.” — Carl Jung

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©Jay Blakesberg

50th Anniversary Show

The band needs no introduction. Suffice it to say I was at one of their concerts earlier in the year this show finished off, which I have on my computer to watch again whenever I like…. I listened to this show live, as well…. It’s a good one, as many were….. Enjoy, ffolkes….

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Grateful Dead Live
New Year’s Eve 1987

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https://youtu.be/ldiZ1pNA7us

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The discussion I’m working on isn’t done, and I’m too late today to finish it before posting. Here is a discussion from 2012 to fill in for the day…. I hope you enjoy it; it’s from the early days of ECR, when I was still feeling my way to the form it now shows….

From 915/2012:

“I have often wondered how it is that every man loves himself more than all the rest of men, but yet sets less value on his own opinions of himself than on the opinions of others.” — Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

See? There, now, I’ve been saying this for years, and here’s old Marcus Aurelius, that Roman cogitator extraordinaire, putting it straight out there way back around the time of J.C.’s failed attempt at societal reform. A very cogent, yet poignant description of human nature and the preponderance of Ego that drives most of humanity to act out of their own ignorance, rather than consider the veracity or usefulness of someone else’s ideas. This format for stating this answer to one of the great questions is one that all the best philosophers choose when creating aphorisms; clear, simple language and brutally honest self-examination provide us with true wisdom, like it or not……

What particularly gets me about people at large is the high percentage of folks who fall into the trap that Ego sets; for some reason, people seem to prefer the cozy blindness with which ignorance can cover them to the cold, harsh light of self-knowledge. The very ego that sets them apart from the rest of the animals who inhabit this planet becomes also the greatest threat to survival, when it is allowed to dictate how one views reality.

The state of society in today’s world rests on the brink of total collapse; any number of issues currently in play in the world can lead us to upheaval unseen since the last Ice Age. Pollution, created by mankind, is pumping tons of carbon monoxide into the air every minute, and all those precipitates are eventually bound to cause changes to climate that we will have no power to stop, or reverse.

The economy of the world is constantly on the verge of collapse in these times, due mostly to the unacknowledged crimes of the 1% of mankind who controls 99% of the money and resources. These crimes arise, again, out of Ego, as the elite of the world believe that they are “different” from the rest of humanity, and deserve to make all the decisions, which oddly enough, are only beneficial to themselves….. again, the power of Ego trumps virtue…..

I’m a smart guy, pretty much, but this is a problem for which even I cannot find a solution, other than the age-old, time-worn, and always ineffective war between the classes. That solution has been tried innumerable times throughout history, and each time the same structure of society re-settles into the same old shape, with a few people at the top, making all the important decisions for the rest of humanity. All because we, as individuals, and as a species, cannot learn to control our ego, to persuade it to act for the benefit of all, rather than just looking out for itself….. I figure that whatever happens will be what we deserve, and I can’t say that I think it will be very pretty, for the species….. or for a lot of individuals…..

Maybe there is a solution…. as a matter of fact, there is one that has been around for as long as mankind has been writing stuff down…. and it’s always the same little piece of advice, a little idea that can change one’s entire life and world-view….. but only if it is accepted, and believed, and applied to reality…… Everybody knows this, but, how many actually live it?…..

“Do unto all as you would wish to have done unto you, and reject for others what you would reject for yourself.” — Mohammed

That’s right, the Golden Rule…. a basic tenet of EVERY philosophy that Mankind has ever formulated; even most religions will acknowledge the wisdom of this, though it doesn’t serve their interests as well as they would wish. But, throughout history, we have always known what is the right way to act…. we’ve just always chosen not to apply the principle in interacting with others…. Instead, we allow our ego to dictate how we behave, thus bringing us to the current world, with all of its problems and dangers…..

SIGH….. It’s really quite easy, and it’s the only answer that will work, in the long run. It really is too bad that most of humanity isn’t buying into it, isn’t it?……

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Between what I see and what I say
Between what I say and what I keep silent
Between what I keep silent and what I dream
Between what I dream and what I forget:
Poetry.

~~ Octavio Paz (1914-1998) ~~

*********

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 ~~

9/15/2012

*********

Griefe brought to numbers cannot be so fierce,
For, he tames it, that fetters it in verse.

~~ John Donne ~~

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

Naked Pearls

Human, done right….

*********

Between those who use their neighbors, and those who use a cane.
Between those in constant power, and those in constant pain.
Between those who run to evil, and those who cannot run.
Tell me which ones are the cripples, and which ones touch the sun.

~~ Ceili’s Muse “What you do with what you’ve got” ~~

*********

“There is only one nature
the division into science and engineering
is a human imposition,
not a natural one.
Indeed, the division is a human failure;
it reflects our limited capacity
to comprehend the whole.”

~~ Bill Wulf ~~

*********

“If you make a mess, clean it up.”

~~ Mom ~~

*********

“No man, for any considerable period
can wear one face to himself,
and another to the multitude,
without finally getting bewildered
as to which may be the true.”

~~ Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter (1850) ~~

*********

“A possum must be himself, and being himself he is honest.”

~~ Walt Kelly ~~

*********

“A person is not given integrity.
It results from the relentless pursuit of honesty at all times.”

~~ Anonymous Bee ~~

*********

“Men can only be happy
when they do not assume
that the object of life is happiness.”

~~ George Orwell ~~

*********

“I searched into myself.”

~~ Heraclitus ~~

*********

In the vacant places, we will build with new bricks.

~~ T.S. Eliot ~~

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

It will be okay; I know it will, if I can just wait. So, we’ll post it, and wait to see what happens. Trust the process, Luke! Okay, Ben, back off, now. And leave the pastries….. Hmph. I hate when my head goes all strange like that. Oh, well, tomorrow is another day, theoretically. I’ll see y’all then, unless I regain my senses before then…. Fat chance of that, right?…. Right….

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….

Popcorn delivery on Tuesday only….

Posted on February 1, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“One touch of nature…makes all the world kin.”

~~ John Muir, American Naturalist ~~

Symmetry on the Galway Estuary

Hajime…. For reasons which shall remain mysterious, today’s intro will set a new record for brevity. To do so, I’ll need to dump y’all off at the oyster beds rather abruptly; it can’t be helped. To keep to the plan, this is all you get…. I know, a pain, but, needs must, Mr. Windigate, so, we’re outta here….

Shall we Pearl?….

“If it is not right do not do it; if it is not true do not say it.”

~~ Marcus Aurelius ~~

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

watch-star-trek-renegades-now-available-free-online-750x480

Star Trek: Renegades

Image from startreknews.net via Google Images

When the internet became ubiquitous, an internet version of Star Trek began to show up online, in movies an episodes made by various fans. This movie is one of those released last year some time, and lives up to all its history…. Enjoy!…. Oh, and, there are more on the You Tube page where this resides….

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

Star Trek: Renegades

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

https://youtu.be/eE2Wgop9VLM

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

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

I got nothin’ today…. Here is a discussion of politics from 2013, with a short rant from 2012….. It’s all still valid information, only, now, it’s worse by a factor of about 4…..

From 4/18/2013:

To attempt to soothe the ruffled feathers of my friend who wants me to rant, I give you now a rant from 2012, post-election category…. It kind of fits in with the morality play above…. sort of, maybe…. any who, enjoy…..

“Integrity is when what you say, what you do, what you think, and who you ARE all come from the same place.” — Madelyn Griffith-Haynie

Okay, I know we are all probably sick to death of politics, and the election, and everyone would like to have a break from talking and thinking about it….. I know I am. So, I’ll try to make this fairly short, and make it the last political diatribe for at least a day or two. It may be possible, if nothing in the news jumps up to stimulate my outrage (which may be on a short vacation itself….. I hope. I could do with the emotional space….).

Any who…. here is what I was thinking when I came across this little gem…. What if we devised a test, that in some way would enable us, as voters, to determine the relative status of each of the candidates according to this rule? A way, as it were, to measure their degree of integrity, which is something I think we can all agree would be a good thing to see in a politician, unlikely as it may be. If we could, say, set up a scale of integrity, and make it law that a person had to score in the top 5% of the scale in order to merely be eligible for office, I think we might see a whole new set of politicians, who had never before been seen in public.

In fact, in thinking about the current crop of those in office, it is entirely possible that ALL of those in office now might not be eligible…. I am not excluding the President, out of fairness, though I personally believe he might score in the top 10%…. I still have questions about some of the stuff he has signed that didn’t seem to be very well publicized, as they didn’t exactly fit with his image….. The newest version of the Patriot Act, the NDAA, that he signed last New Year’s Day comes immediately to mind….

I don’t care if he did try to mitigate some of the deleterious effects of the law, he still signed the damn thing, thereby seriously endangering a number of the first 10 Amendments to the Constitution. Plus, the method he used to keep it from the public awareness was rather suspect, in my mind, and reminiscent of the old days under Nixon, Johnson, Reagan, and the two Shrubs, may they all rot in whatever level of Hell they are destined to occupy….. (I know, I know…. not being a Christian, that curse has little weight, but, hey, it’s a pretty clear indicator of my opinion of all of them….)

As I suspect it might, this grew to be somewhat more than I intended it to be, so I’ll cut it short here. But, my suggestion above, about the test for integrity that should be a given for political aspirants, is completely serious, and I wanted to get that out. Maybe by the next election, we can get the rest of the country to buy into it…. which should be interesting, and fun. I’ll be looking forward to the expressions on the faces of all the supporters of those now in office, when their people gloriously fail to pass the test…. and to the results it will have on society, should it ever be adopted…. I don’t see any way at all that it could do anything that wouldn’t improve the situation…..

And so I penned
It down, until at last it came to be,
For length and breadth, the bigness which you see.

~~ John Bunyan — Pilgrim’s Progress, Apology for his Book ~~

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

Notes of process and program…

Poems, alas, don’t chase through my head,
bumping and pushing each other like brothers at dinner.
They’re more ripped out of my innards, instead.
Time and circumstance reveal no ultimate winner.

Simmering and bubbling near my unconscious mind
these maddening rhymes blind me sans glimmer.
Building until bursting as if to be dined and wined,
the remaining denizens appear much slimmer.

Fiery visions retain such glorious fatal dimension,
in retrospect, yet fail to leave a permanent scar,
until blessed, or cursed, with focused attention,
singing, crying, bleeding, fast as a movie star.

Pretty soon can’t be soon enough, she said
to a chameleon colored thief bathed in moonlight.
Fancy candles in stripes of blue, gold, and red
foster honest dreams in shades of white.

Passage to daylight is problematic, at best:
beastly ghosts of insomniacs cast no shadow.
Even judges with robes can pass the wrong test
while the rest of us go with what we know.

~~ gigoid ~~

1/3/2013

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

Naked Pearls

Human Philosophy

*********

“I think I am! I think I am!”

~~ the little engine that philosophized ~~

*********

“The unexamined life is not worth living to a human.”

~~ Attributed by Plato to Socrates, Apology ~~

*********

“Food for thought is no substitute for the real thing.”

~~ Walt Kelly, Putluck Pogo ~~

*********

“Als das Kind noch Kind war,
gab es diese Fragen:
Warum bin ich mich, und warum nicht dich?
Warum bin ich hier, und warum nicht dort?”

(“When the child was a child,
there were these questions:
Why am I me, and why not you?
Why am I here, and why not there?”)

~~ Rainer Maria Rilke ~~

*********

“It takes a long time to bring excellence to maturity.”

~~ Publius Syrus (42 BC) — Maxim 780 ~~

*********

“Except for our thoughts, there is nothing absolutely in our power.”

~~ Descartes ~~

*********

“Self-trust is the essence of heroism…
It speaks the truth, and it is just,
generous, hospitable, temperate,
scornful of petty calculations,
and scornful of being scorned.
It persists; it is of an undaunted boldness,
and of a fortitude not to be wearied out.”

~~ Ralph Waldo Emerson, _Essays_ ~~

*********

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

~~ Pablo Picasso ~~

*********

“It is the heart afraid of breaking
that never learns to dance.
It is the dream afraid of waking
that never takes a chance.
It is the one who won’t be taken
who cannot seem to give.
And the soul afraid of dying
that never learns to live.”

~~ Bette Midler, The Rose ~~

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

Well, there you have it; yet another mess from gigoid’s fertile mind. I make no apologies, nor have I any regrets, other than to find it done before actually being fully awake. We’ll see how it flies before making any judgments. Meantime, I’ve got stuff, so, I will see y’all tomorrow, should the wherewithal to do so find its way into my presence…. Odds are good, once again….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Scruff, the tragic flagon….

Posted on January 23, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“The living world is a continuum in each and every aspect.”

~~ A. C. Kinsey, The Kinsey Report ~~

Just when you thought it was safe to go outside….

Hajime…. Okay, so, here’s the deal. I’ll write ’em, you read ’em. Deal? Deal.

Of course, this presupposes I will be able to come up with something to write. Since that, at the moment, seems a rather remote possibility, we’ll cut this intro off before it gets rolling, keeping us trapped here again. So short, you’ll need to keep the oxygen handy…. It looks like this…..

Shall we Pearl?….

“And those who were seen dancing
were thought to be insane
by those who could not hear the music.”

~~ Friedrich Nietzsche ~~

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

I’m in a mood, & when I’m in a mood, this is who I listen to…. Today, you can listen, too…. Even if you’re not in a mood…… Enjoy!….

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

Mozart Symphonies

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

https://youtu.be/Mv6J25zOanw

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

“Grown men do not need leaders.”

~~ Edward Abbey ~~

The quote from Ed Abbey is a perfect lead for a rant on a subject I can write about endlessly, apparently. I’ve related any number of times how humanity needs to grow up, give up the illusions of their fearful youth, and learn to face the damn universe with some courage…. But, has anyone listened, other than the choir who end up here, listening to me preach? No, not really, for they don’t wish to hear they need to stop acting like children….

To save y’all from any further haranguing on this, I decided to sublimate, with some thoughts from historical figures, all of whom have seen the same issues during their own time on Earth, and wished to give warning to those who will not see…. There are only nine, so, don’t fret too much; besides, I know my Gentle Readers could, using these aphorisms, create the same rant I might have written, had I gone with the urge to do so…. Enjoy, if only for its brevity…..

“I found one day in school a boy of medium size ill-treating a smaller boy. I expostulated, but he replied: ‘The bigs hit me, so I hit the babies; that’s fair.’ In these words he epitomized the history of the human race.” — Bertrand Russell, Education and the Social Order

“There are more stars known to exist right now than the total number of all the grains of sand on every beach in the entire world. With those kinds of odds, it would seem downright naive for someone to go to a beach in, say, some out-of-the-way inlet in Baffin Bay, stoop to pick up only one tiny grain of sand, and declare that that grain alone was the only place where life could exist.” — Hugh Downs

“If a million people believe a foolish thing, it is still a foolish thing.” — Anatole France

“Good intentions will always be pleaded for every assumption of authority. It is hardly too strong to say that the Constitution was made to guard the people against the dangers of good intentions. There are men in all ages who mean to govern well, but they mean to govern. They promise to be good masters, but they mean to be masters.” — Noah Webster

“In this world of sin and sorrow, there is always something to be thankful for; as for me, I rejoice that I am not a Republican.” — H.L. Mencken

“Instead of giving money to found colleges to promote learning, why don’t they pass a constitutional amendment prohibiting anybody from learning anything? If it works as good as the Prohibition one did, why, in five years we would have the smartest race of people on earth.” — Will Rogers

“Held to be a crime when committed by individuals, homicide is called a virtue when committed by the state.” — Obvious Bee

“Whenever a man has cast a longing eye on them [public offices], a rottenness begins in his conduct.” — Thomas Jefferson, 1799

“The purpose and function of government is not to preside over change but to prevent change. By political methods when unavoidable, by violence when convenient.” — Edward Abbey

“Is it not a noble farce, wherein kings, republics, and emperors have for so many ages played their parts, and to which the whole vast universe serves for a theatre?” — Michael de Montaigne — Essays, Book ii, Chap. xxxvi, Of the most Excellent Men

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

As noted above, I’m in a mood. In this mood, only one poet will do…. In fact, we’ll overdo, with two….

Had we our senses
But perhaps ’tis well they’re not at Home
So intimate with Madness
He’s liable with them

Had we the eyes without our Head —
How well that we are Blind —
We could not look upon the Earth —
So utterly unmoved —

~~ Emily Dickinson ~~

*********

Said Death to Passion
‘Give of thine an Acre unto me.’
Said Passion, through contracting Breaths
‘A Thousand Times Thee Nay.’

Bore Death from Passion
All His East
He – sovereign as the Sun
Resituated in the West
And the Debate was done.

~~ Emily Dickinson ~~

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

Easy money here, ffolkes. It’s just a classic nine-star pearl about living life large…. Well, I think so; if not, you tell me what it says….

I care not, Fortune, what you me deny:
You cannot rob me of free Nature’s grace,
You cannot shut the windows of the sky
Through which Aurora shows her brightening face;
You cannot bar my constant feet to trace
The woods and lawns, by living stream, at eve:
Let health my nerves and finer fibres brace,
And I their toys to the great children leave:
Of fancy, reason, virtue, naught can me bereave.

~~ James Thomson. The Castle of Indolence, Canto ii, Stanza 3 ~~

“Let honor be as strong to us an obligation as necessity is to others.” — Pliny the Elder

“Look well into thyself; there is a source of strength which will always spring up if thou wilt always look there.” — Marcus Aurelius

“Have the courage to live. Anyone can die.” — Robert Cody

“True merit, like a river, the deeper it is, the less noise it makes.” — Halifax

“Once, I read that a man be never stronger than when he truly realizes how weak he is.” — Jim Starlin, “Captain Marvel #31”

“The superior man thinks always of virtue; the common man thinks of comfort.” — Confucius

“I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the community, and as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work the more I live. Life is no ‘brief candle’ to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for a moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it onto future generations.” — George Bernard Shaw

Listen to the MUSTN’TS child,
Listen to the DON’TS
Listen to the SHOULDN’TS
The IMPOSSIBLES, the WON’TS
Listen to the NEVER HAVE’S
Then listen close to me-
Anything can happen, child,
ANYTHING can be.

~ Shel Silverstein ~~

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

That went well, don’t you think? No? Well, I do, and guess who’s driving this bus? Yep. To keep with the tone set in the intro, I’m outta here. See y’all tomorrow, given the proper set of Time/Space coordinates….

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….

Public discussion of private fissures….

Posted on November 30, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“It’s hard to be religious when certain people are never incinerated by bolts of lightning.”

~~ Calvin, Bill Watterson’s Calvin & Hobbes ~~

What? It’s comfortable….

Hajime…. It’s been an ‘interesting three months, I have to say. Since the first of September, I’ve been to Ireland, and back, over a period of about nine days, which was intended to be sixteen days. For the entire rest of the time since, I’ve been, mostly, right here at home, miserable from the medication clusterfuck, in severe pain about half the time, and wishing to be in any other body in existence but this one.

For a man such as myself, who has always prided himself on physical prowess, as much as I am proud of anything at all (it’s a pretty useless condition, all in all; causes more trouble than its worth….), it is quite a challenge to accept the limitations I now experience, which extends to how far I can walk, though, as the last three weeks have proved, it doesn’t prevent me from standing and pacing until exhaustion sets in, which takes about, oh, five days or so…. But, it’s a small apartment; in five days, I only put in maybe, oh, five or six miles….

I’ve been spending much of that time, pacing, or sitting, or pacing, or, pacing, mostly in a state of introspection; hard not to when one is battling deep depression, and there’s nobody else around but a cat with only about eight or ten possible sounds to share with me. I love the wee beastie desperately already, after only about two months, but, she isn’t a scintillating conversationalist.

So, I end up either doing what I’m doing now, (writing, if I can sit long enough….), or, pacing, talking to myself, or, mostly, just thinking, about Stuff. You know, Stuff. We all have Stuff we need to think about; it’s not always the same Stuff, or even important Stuff. But, as George Carlin pointed out, it’s OUR Stuff, so back off!….

I cannot say, exactly, with any confidence, just how much longer this cleansing and readjustment of my brain chemistry will take. If the literature is accurate (often, it does not account for physiological differences from one person to the next; instead they create an average…..), it should be no more than eleven more days, hopefully with steadily decreasing intensity of symptoms. Why, last night, I was able to lie down for all of 22 minutes before having to get up to pace, with my nerves on HUM….. Didn’t get anywhere in the vicinity of sleep, but, it was welcome rest…..

Okay, I’m done prattling about myself. I’m coming out of a very dark time in my life, and feel on the verge of babbling much of the time. Right now, I don’t even want to think about very much of the last 12 months; they’ve all been Hell, but for a few days in Ireland…. Other than those few days of sheer joy of existing elsewhere, I have NOT experienced much of anything to remember, much less write home about. Oh, naturally, there were moments, here and there, with friends, with family, where my life approached something like normal socialization; otherwise, I’ve been forced to become a hermit, because of a general revolution in my own body…..

But, it’s all going to be over very soon, and, I will heave a sigh of relief my friends in Ireland, England, India, the Middle East, and all over the world, where my Gentle Readers live, will hear quite clearly, without any technical augmentation….

Guaranteed….

Well, maybe not quite, but, believe me, y’all will know….. For the moment, let’s go out to the oyster beds, so I can get off this soapbox…. Guido, we’re ready when you are…..

Shall we Pearl?….

“The the secret of contentment is knowing how to enjoy what you have, and to be able to lose all desire for things beyond your reach.” — Lin Yutang

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

Kenny Loggins & Jim Messina ~ 1974

Image from en.wikipedia.com via Google Images

These two hippies made some of the finest music of the late 60’s and the 70’s. An iconic group from Marin County near SF, they were an influential musical force for several years… The concert below was performed a few years after the above picture was taken….. It’s another blast from the past, and I hope you enjoy it…..

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

Loggins and Messina
Live at the Capitol Theater 7/9/76

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

https://youtu.be/mQDdpaLKMd4

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

Le Penseur ~ The Thinker ~~ August Rodin

Whether I have/had/need a rant for today, I’m using this material, just to be self-indulgent. It’s the intro section from a Pearl posted in 2013, and I think it’s cool. I’d forgotten I wrote this one; to make sense, you’ll need to know the title of that day’s Pearl, as it is part of the discussion below. I know, unusual, when the title never means anything, but, in this case, I knew not how well I had wrought…. Enjoy!…

From the intro section on 10/17/2013. The title of the Pearl on that date was:

Forlorn moments of epistemological apprehension….

Ffolkes,

The unconscious mind is a powerful thing, especially when its function spills over into the world of our conscious perceptions…. Today’s title enters that twilight zone for certain…. Beyond that, this deponent sayeth naught, lest the quest to understand bring me to the brink of insanity. Let it suffice to know that, as far as the title of today’s Pearl goes, I wrought better than I knew, and leave it at that…. I think all of us will be happier in the long run….

Thus it begins…. the slow, inevitable corruption of morality always begins with a single manipulation, performed “in their best interests”…. In this particular case, we are only speaking of our philosophical intentions, rather than any connected to actual manipulation of events, or reality. But, that really doesn’t matter at all, because the corruption doesn’t know that, or care. The weather change whereof I speak happens in the heart of the manipulator, at the moment the decision is made to alter the truth in order to achieve a certain result. Once that decision is made, it is irrevocable, and further manipulations will follow, as certainly as it follows the air will be clearer after it rains….

In light of the simple fact that I’ve only consumed about four ounces of coffee so far, it might be a bit dangerous to start such a discussion, one with the apparent depth of this one. In fact, the subtle and complex arrangement of thoughts that brought this on seems to be fading from my mind as I sit here and type…. It seemed like a good idea when I started, but, somehow, it’s just a little too deep to dive into first off. I know what it is I was trying to say, but, I’m not sure, at this point, I have the wherewithal to say it with the right degree of clarity…. I’m thinking we’ll shift focus here, and go on to more appropriate material for an intro….

Not that philosophy, or, in this case, epistemology, a branch of philosophy that investigates the origin, nature, methods, and limits of human knowledge, is an inappropriate subject for that…. it’s merely a bit too deep for my current state of intellectual comprehension to cope with efficiently, or more importantly, accurately…. I slept like a log last night, after a night of no sleep at all, and I’m a bit fuzzy thus far this morning; in this state, I’ll be lucky to be able to discuss the relevance of the wisdom of Daffy Duck, so, I think we’ll let the study of the meanings of human knowledge wait a bit longer before we try to take it on…. and, in the process, we’ll keep from making judgments about the morality of manipulation of that knowledge….

It’s too bad, really, as it would have made a great beginning for an epic rant about the mess in Washington D.C…… especially the current budget crisis, brought on by the immoral, not to mention ill-advised, manipulation of events, by a small group of fanatics who found themselves in a unique position, one of having more influence than their actual degree of relevance would normally command…. They took their opportunity in hand, and, being the truly ignorant bastards they are, used it for their own purposes, with complete disregard for the actual dictates of reality, or for the wishes and desires of their own constituents…. As far as I can tell, there isn’t a single point of view one can take in this that doesn’t end up exposing them to as immoral, and, in the final analysis, ignorant and selfish, with marked tendencies toward assholiness….

However, as it sits now, what has happened is that we’ve blathered enough to call this an intro, even though it didn’t introduce anything other than a state of confusion…. but, around here, that can be considered as the status quo for this time of day…. Okay, so this is where I stamp your papers, and say….

Shall we Pearl?…. In fact, let’s do it times three….

“The world is so constructed, that if you wish to enjoy its pleasures, you must also endure its pains. Whether you like it or not, you cannot have one without the other.” — Swami Brahmananda

“Life is not the way it is supposed to be. It is the way it is. The way you cope with it is what makes the difference.” — Virginia Satir

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

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

Internal{Vicissitude}External

Life has come, and gone rushing by,
pretty much as expected.
The only surprises, as time did fly
came from people’s
choice of the fears they protected.

Not to say, not even once,
my interest hasn’t been engaged.
I’ve waited patiently, for the nonce,
for those moments
of love and glory, but, never got paged.

I looked all over for love,
….found it everywhere I sought.
What I never found, nor ever came aware of,
was one person
who would stay, no matter what.

Still, it’s been a wonderful time
filled with laughter, love, all grand craic.
I wouldn’t change a moment, nor a rhyme.
If those I love stay happy,
I can die in peace, honor no longer at stake.

I’ve walked the scholar/warrior’s path
since first standing at my father’s knee.
Duty, honor, a dip in love’s warm bath
keeps me strong and content.
Today’s a good day to die, as long as I’m free.

~~ gigoid ~~

11/29/2015

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

I was going to try to be scintillating here, but, gosh darn it, I’m just not. Scintillating. Interesting, maybe. Inane, for sure. But, scintillating? No. Ah well, at least the pearl comes close to that; it’s pretty good for a random, harlequin style pearl, that wanders around and around until it arrives a an obvious conclusion re: Life at Large…. What it is will be as personal to each of you, as it is relevant to reality…. We calculated, and it should be right around 78% applicable, with a plus or minus of two, to cover any error in calculation, or statistical anomalies generated by liars who fake their data…. Oh, hell, just go read them; you’ll see….

“Belief in the supernatural reflects a failure of the imagination.” — Edward Abbey

“Whoever lives true life, will love true love.” — Elizabeth Barrett Browning

“A candour affected is a dagger concealed.” — Marcus Aurelius — Meditations, book 9.

“Each morning puts a man on trial and each evening passes judgment.” — Roy L. Smith

“Character is that which reveals moral purpose, exposing the class of things a man chooses or avoids.” — Aristotle

“Fortis fortuna adiuvat.” [“Fortune assists the brave.”] — Terence

“It is best to love wisely, no doubt; but to love foolishly is better than not to be able to love at all.” — William Makepeace Thackeray

“…life is long enough if it is well-spent.” — Erasmus

Inside the museum infinity goes up on trial.
Voices echo, ‘This is what salvation must be like after a while.’
But Mona Lisa must have had the highway blues;
you can tell by the way she smiles.

~~ Bob Dylan ~~

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

Well, it’s done. Not surprising, considering it’s still most of a day early…. No worries, that’s why the Doctor lets us borrow the Tardis when we need it…. As for me, well, I’m going to go see if I can’t fool my brain into thinking it’s asleep…. Sometimes, illusion can become reality, if we try to believe it hard enough…. If not, well, I can hack another night or three of being up; I’m getting pretty handy at it, even if I hate it with a passion…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes; I don’t seem to have any choice, given my state of mind…..

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….

Pugilists do it with padded gloves….

Posted on November 9, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Why doesn’t everybody leave everybody else the hell alone?”

~~ Jimmy Durante ~~

Abbey Court B&B, London

Hajime…. ‘Hajime’, (Hah gee may) is the Japanese word for “begin”, used at the start of all martial arts matches…. I figured, since I have to go through a fairly brutal fight to get most of these done, it’s appropriate. And, if not, well, it gave us something to put at the top, right? Right. Now we can go on to even bigger, and, no doubt, better things…. I’m a natural optimist, you see….

I’m also a natural Bozo, though, so, it balances out, as all things must in the end. One must, after all, take such matters into account when deciding how to approach our Life at Large; otherwise, it all seems too complex to bother with. Trying to make sense of what we see, especially when it concerns the behavior of our own species, is usually more effort than the result is worth; that’s probably why we end up with all these religions, and governments, and other forms of unnatural bullshit. If nothing else, it’s a grand distraction from what we SHOULD be doing with ourselves….

Everyone, of course, has their own idea of what that SHOULD entails, which is why is gets so complex. Ah well, I guess we’re not going to make any sense out of it here in the intro; if ten thousand years of history hasn’t brought us any order out of the chaos, it’s certainly not going to happen in three or four paragraphs, especially paragraphs such as these seem to be, or, at least, were meant to be. Whatever THAT may mean….

Yep…. It’s pretty clear, isn’t it? I’ve lost it, completely. This means I’ll have to take a short break here, after wrapping up this section, to go find what’s left of my mind before continuing on…. For now, we’d probably just let Luigi have his head again; it sure is saving us a lot of time, and, around here, that’s a good thing…. Let’s do this, okay?….

Shall we Pearl?….

“A child is a person who can’t understand why someone would give away a perfectly good kitten.” — Doug Larson

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

We’re having a bit of trouble today, which isn’t unusual…. Rather than fight it, we’ll just fall back on several centuries of classical music to find a bit of listening pleasure….. Enjoy!….

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

Classical Music

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

https://youtu.be/n_0Qix6qf5g

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

Today’s rant is from the archives, written during the period before the 2012 election here in the US. I like it, but, then I wrote it, which is more than I’m capable of today…. Enjoy!…

From 4/19/2012:

“Ignorance can be compounded, made denser, until the light of our spirits is smothered.” — Deng Ming-Dao

As I read this pearl, my immediate thought was that it is a very clear, very accurate take on the 2012 election process that is currently unfolding before us in the daily news. The end of the political scale that is represented so raggedly by what is left of the Republican Party, and the mislabeled liberal end of the scale who claim to be Democrats, are both engaging in ongoing battles to see who can display the deepest ignorance.

The leading candidate for the “loyal opposition” to the party in power, Mr. Romney, seems to have a proclivity for alienating the very people from whom he is trying to win votes; women, immigrants and Hispanics, animal lovers, seniors, teachers and students, all have been told, in no uncertain terms, that they matter not at all to him. His plan? We’ll stop taxing the rich altogether, and that will fix everything…. Sometimes I wonder if he is getting all of his information on voter wants and issues of importance from old newspapers from the 1980’s, because he certainly hasn’t a clue as to what is happening out in America in this decade….

The other party, led by our first Black President, is busy hiding what the left hand is doing by distracting everyone with the tax and healthcare issues, to keep them unaware of how few of the Bill of Rights are left to us. “Executive Orders” signed by the POTUS this year, beginning on New Year’s Eve, while the voters were all busy celebrating the advent of the new year, include provisions that allow police to stop, search, and arrest any citizen of this country whom they suspect of any form of terrorism, or even of protest against the provisions of those orders.

These same police are not required to tell ANYONE that they have arrested and imprisoned a citizen, nor are they ever required to provide any evidence of their suspicions in a court of law. Even though there may be no evidence, they can subject these CITIZENS OF THIS COUNTRY to torture to obtain a confession, or whatever it is they are after. There is no oversight to these orders; they don’t go before Congress to be approved, nor are they reviewed by the courts. Both of those particular checks on the power of the Executive Branch are completely out of the loop on this…. and they aren’t even complaining about it!

Does it physically hurt to be that stupid? — Smart Bee

My guess at the answer to this is, No. It can’t hurt very much to be that stupid, as we continue to go out each time there is an election and vote these same lying, cheating, avaricious assholes back into the same positions from which they have been oppressing the American people for oh, a hundred or so years now. I’d say that around the time of the Depression was when the first real strangle-hold on the national throat was first achieved…. the pure bullshit the government was spewing back then can be seen to have been the first real time that the government’s outrageous lies were swallowed whole by a reluctant public, who had nothing else to eat, and thus nothing else to risk…

“He was born stupid, and greatly increased his birthright.” — Samuel Butler

So, how does it feel? Does it physically hurt to be so stupid as to be part of the crowd that continues to buy into all the bullshit lies that our own government heaps upon us every day? To keep going to the polls, just as if it really matters who gets elected? Get real, folks. You will not find a name on the ballot that belongs to someone who is not a willing tool of the powers of oppression, the money-changers who are the power behind the scenes of every government in the world. Not going to happen; they’ve been the real power in the world for centuries, and they’re not about to give up all they have, just to be nice, or because they’ve all of a sudden grown a heart.

I don’t know about you, but I’m getting pretty fucking tired of being lied to, and cheated, and looked at as just another idiot for them to shit on….. and I’m not going to put up with it for much longer, without some kind of return fire….. believe it…. I don’t think I am alone in this, either…. No way to tell for sure, but I find it hard to believe that EVERYONE is falling for all of it…. but, even if I’m alone in this, I refuse to knuckle under any further, and can only say that I will do all I can to see things turn in a direction that will return my Rights, and those of the rest of the American people…. or at least those not stupid enough to hand them over without a fight….

“He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it.” — Martin Luther King, Jr.

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

Gently Came a Wounded Child

But you shall not escape my iambics.

Soft, sinuous patterns of unearthly beauty
blithely commune with sinking stars,
as pale shadows of former virtue hover
near, ever clean, ever tolerant.
These unbidden habits are worn with age and care,
ready now for dissolution,
welcoming gladly the kiss of Death’s handmaiden.

Unknown to all, the child stands aside,
weeping for the lost days of youth,
days that now shall never be,
nor yearned for ever after.
Only darkness shall lay upon the landscape,
cold, hard, eternal.

Such then are the signs and portents
as we enter into the unknown future,
they are grave indeed.

Uncertainty will be our sole companion,
as the search for hope yields no result.
The lamentations of the gods
shall sound the elegy for Man,
who never learned to see the gift that was made,
so many echoes ago, in the hopeful past;
thus will we pass this plane of existence
as we came, baffled and afraid….

~~ gigoid ~~

written 2/2/2012.

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

Today’s final old-school pearl is what I’d call an Emily pearl; quiet, plain, unassuming, but, powerful and elegant, in its way. Oh, I do hope you like it!….

“All the knowledge in the world is not wisdom.” — Albert Einstein

“Men show their character in nothing more clearly than by what they think laughable.” — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

“Words are the physicians of a mind diseased.” — Aeschylus (525-456 BC) — Prometheus, 378

“Virtue knowing no base repulse, shines with untarnished honour; nor does she assume or resign her emblems of honour by the will of some popular breeze.” — Horace (B.C. 65-8)

“Look well into thyself; there is a source of strength which will always spring up if thou wilt always look there.” — Marcus Aurelius

“Action should culminate in wisdom.” — Bhagavad Gita

“…life is long enough if it is well-spent.” — Erasmus

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

Done. As such, nothing further needs be said, or done, beyond this final outburst. Which, today, will be brief. How brief? This brief. 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….

Makes good nonsense to me…

Posted on October 26, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“For fast acting relief, try slowing down.”

~~ Lily Tomlin ~~

Memories of Spring

Good morrow, he said, with some trepidation…. Then, with some relief, he turned it over to me, whereupon I told him to get some rest & try not to worry, as there’s no hope, anyway. Resigned, he went off to bed, weeping, the poor sod. Meanwhile, since he’s imaginary, I put it behind me, and tried to figure out some way to get back to Reality from the point we find ourselves, somewhat to the East of anything remotely real…. Oh, wait, look, there’s Leelu, so, we weren’t as far out as I’d thought….

Hmm. Even for me, that’s a bit off center, isn’t it? Oh, well, just a little experiment in connective tissue manipulation; the results should be tabulated by the end of the post today, if you’re at all interested. Of course, that assumes we will make it that far, an untenable prediction, to be sure. But, ya gotta do what ya gotta do, and, we gotta, so. what the heck? Luigi, regulation 27 has kicked in; we’d better fire it up & get on our way. Ffolkes, if y’all could buckle up, our insurance guys will let us be off…. Hang on….

Shall we Pearl?….

“He who knows that enough is enough will always have enough.” — Lao Tzu

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

Paladin, the protagonist in this weekly TV show from my youth, was one of my role models as a boy; he provided weekly lessons in how to act with honor in all sorts of situations, which, for one who understands the power of metaphor, and, raised by an Army Master Sergeant, was an excellent classroom…. Enjoy!….

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

Have Gun ~ Will Travel

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

https://youtu.be/l9y_ZphZrMM?list=PLu-eNGHZ8vvT-_YvXnPeOSHkkqh64BQ8j

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

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

“Our affluent society contains those of talent and insight who are driven to prefer poverty, to choose it, rather than to submit to the desolation of an empty abundance. It is a strange part of the other America that one finds in the intellectual slums.” — Michael Harrington

I’d planned a rant based on the above quote, but, I just don’t have one in me today…. Instead, here is a rant that poured out of me during the intro section on the date listed below…. It’s not bad for an off-the-cuff diatribe…. Enjoy!…

From 4/6/2014:

Ffolkes,

Having long been cognizant of the risk involved in living a life of free will, I accept the inherent danger, without qualm or resentment, as the just cost it represents for the boon of living free. As our favorite Founding Father, Tommy J, was fond of saying, “The price of freedom is eternal vigilance; it’s cost is counted only in the blood of its defenders.” Well, I think he said it; it might have been one of the others…. but, it SOUNDS like mi amigo Tomas, so I’m going with that. The danger, as it turns out, is not from the world at large, so much as from the Australopithecean inhabitants of that world, specifically a certain small part of the impossibly fecund group of naked, hairless apes who infest the surface of the planet with me….

Now, this may sound as if I have a rather poor opinion of my fellow man…. In that, you would be right, insofar as it goes. Individually, I like some of them very much, and tend to try to spend what time I have to interact with those whom I can get along with, just like everyone else… The rest of them, as far as I am concerned, are pretty much superfluous, in most ways, and I figure the world would be a nicer place if they’d all just go away somewhere where they won’t bother those of us who only wish to get along, without trying to take advantage of anyone else….

The small group to whom I refer above, however, make the process of living with them a veritable pain the bloody ass, as they have no more desire in Life than to steal from everyone else….. These assholes will lie, cheat, & ultimately, will act, literally, in any way they feel will get them what they want, no matter how unethical, or immoral it may be. Their entire purpose in life is to see that THEY, and they alone, are in control of other people, and of the resources our society uses to maintain life and culture; in that purpose they are single-minded, quite ruthless, deliberately heedless, and completely uncaring, as to how much pain and misery they may cause to other people in the process of achieving their goals.

Now, the assholes who act like this are not a very large group of people…. but, for all of our history on this world, over 5,000 years, at least, this small group of snakeheads have conspired against the rest of humanity, diligently working to set themselves up as the oppressive, shadowy forces behind the Powers That Be in life, a task at which, for the most part, they have been quite successful. The number of people in the world who are in essential control is much smaller than the grand majority of people are aware…… These are NOT the people who get elected, or however they are chosen to lead a nation; the real power lies with those who control those leaders from behind the scenes, telling them what they can and cannot do…..

This number, of the true masters of our society, is, realistically, far less than a thousand men and/or women, world-wide…. Once the structure of control has been established, it doesn’t take a lot of manpower to maintain the status quo, since the vast majority of people in the world are not aware of the true picture of how society is arranged….. This cluelessness, I might add, is a sufficient degree of ignorance to enable those in power to remain there as long as they wish…. They have had a very long time to practice the skills they need to remain both in charge, and in the background, and they are VERY, VERY GOOD at them, believe me…..

I know these people are out there; I also know that they know they are not completely invisible, due in part to others such as myself, who refuse to leave in place any of the wool they keep trying to pull over our eyes. They know exactly what writers and/or ffolkes are out there in the world, who are watching them WITHOUT being fooled…. Hell, they probably have our addresses, and an idea of how many weapons we keep on hand….

They don’t care, as long as they are able to maintain their control, and their obscurity from the public eye…. If, by chance, the majority of the blind, ignorant public became aware of how much they are controlled, and for how long they have been the dupes of these human predatory vultures….. well, those shadowy snakeheads wouldn’t last very long…. A mob of humans is an ugly thing, with no conscience at all, once it has been set in action….. There is little chance of it ever happening, but, hey, there’s always hope, right?….

I note from the above that my rant for today can be considered as done…. Since, despite the evidence presented thus far, my brain is NOT in what I’d call “sharp” status, I think I’ll take this as it lies, & not worry too much about how it got there… That’s probably for the best, as I don’t have a bloody clue as to how it all came to be…. Hell, I’m not sure exactly what I’m doing right at this moment, much less have I kept track up to now…. it didn’t seem necessary, and, now, it would be more dangerous than what we’ve already done, so, we’ll stop here….

Whew! Thank goodness…. it almost got away from me there…. Now that we’re back in the saddle, so to speak, let’s ride, or, dive, whichever is more appropriate…. I think we’ll dive, as we have the scuba gear, and nothing to ride, anyway…..

Shall we Pearl?…..

“If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself, but to your own estimate of it; and this you have the power to revoke at any moment.” — Marcus Aurelius

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

Momentary Terror

Absently casual, memories pester endlessly
leaving only bleeding remnants, amiable and loving.
Coming awake, I cry to still the pain, shamelessly.

Elsewhen, time gives surcease, if only to live,
shoring broken pilings, worn and gray.
Passing on, I laugh at the pain, accept all it will give.

Time will build a shelter, warm and ever safe
save for Fate’s busy hands.
Enduring, I follow the pain, knowing it will chafe.

Fixed against a darkened sky of starry black
such beauty brings us to our knees.
Entranced, I welcome the pain, ’tis all I lack…..

~~ gigoid ~~

Written 2/24/2012.

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

Today’s final old-school pearl turned out a bit odd; it’s a classic seven-star, with a somewhat obscure endpoint. Such as it is, here ’tis….

“A word is dead
When it is said
Some say.
I say it just
Begins to live
That day.”

~~ Emily Dickinson ~~

“Grain grows best in shit.” — Ursula K. LeGuin

“Belief in the supernatural reflects a failure of the imagination.” — Edward Abbey

“If you find it in your heart to care for somebody else, you will have succeeded.” — Maya Angelou

“The tragedy of life is what dies inside a man while he lives.” — Albert Schweitzer

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

I feel like one
Who treads alone
Some banquet-hall deserted,
Whose lights are fled,
Whose garlands dead,
And all but he departed.

~~ Thomas Moore — Oft in the Stilly Night ~~

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

“And, another one bites the dust….” Far be it from me to deny reality its due; with that caveat in mind, I shall take my leave for another day (or, more, if Murphy gets his way…). So be it. See ya next time, ffolkes, with any luck at all….

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….

Frugal memories of Cracker Jack….

Posted on August 24, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“I’m not crazy. I just don’t give a shit!”

~~ gigoid, the dubious ~~

Frightened Feline, Stumped

Good morning…. I suppose it’s only natural to be a bit thick at this time of day, regardless of how much sleep I may have been blessed to receive. But, does it have to be thick as a brick? It sure would make it easier if it didn’t take so damn long to find two neurons willing and able to work together long enough to get started on this, at least until the coffee can kick in. Of course, that would eliminate more than half of my opening ideas, since I generally end up doing just as I’m doing now, to wit: beginning the day with whining and complaints at how early it is….

I would imagine it’s getting as old for y’all as it is for me; it’s really a shame I can’t seem to think of anything else much of the time. Nobody told me it would be so difficult to come up with interesting, believable, compelling literature first thing in the damn morning. And, damn if I’m not experiencing some of the strongest feelings of deja vu I’ve ever felt…. What to you think? Should we go for three full paragraphs of cheap whining, or just get on with the regularly scheduled insanity? I vote for getting the hell out of here….

Since my vote is the deciding factor, that’s what we’ll do. Sorry for the boring intro; I’m sure you’ll give me, just this once, the benefit of the doubt, and forget the whole thing, won’t you? No? Ah, well, fuck it, then…. Luigi, fire that puppy up, and get us out of here, now! I’m done with this….

Shall we Pearl?….

He that holds fast the golden mean,
And lives contentedly between
The little and the great,
Feels not the wants that pinch the poor,
Nor plagues that haunt the rich man’s door.

~~ William Cowper ~~

~~ Translation of Horace, Book ii, Ode x ~~

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

Image by Susan at

http://birdsanddogs.com/2015/08/23/a-new-trail-tiger-mountain-trail/

Today’s video has been preempted by pictures…. One of the more consistent Gentle Readers of this blog has moved, and is involved in exploring an area of the country new to her and her partner and dogs. They discovered a very beautiful hiking area near where they are looking for a home, and posted some picture of the hike…. I thought they were great pictures, of a very beautiful part of the country, so, rather than a video today, here are a couple pictures, and the link to her site, where you can see the rest…. They’re worth it, even if the drought is affecting the forests heavily…. Enjoy!….

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

“The Earth is degenerating these days. Bribery and corruption abound. Children no longer mind their parents, every man wants to write a book, and it is evident that the end of the world is fast approaching.” — Assyrian Stone Tablet, c.2800BC

Mankind, as a species, is fond of touting how special he is; one is constantly hearing how advanced our culture is, how magnificent the works of art we have produced, how wonderful is our species! The pinnacle of Creation! Which makes us, possibly, about the stupidest creatures ever conceived, for basing our sense of entitlement on a massive sense of delusion and denial of reality….. If we can assume, for the purposes of discussion, the tablet referred to in the above quote was created on today’s date all those years ago ( as likely a date as any other day….), our species has made absolutely NO progress in the past 4,815 years! Whoever wrote those words on the tablet could easily have been born in 1950, for our world today exhibits EXACTLY the same symptoms of decay as described…..

Now, I don’t know about y’all, but, it seems a little specious to claim such a position of ascendancy when we cannot even bring ourselves to make sure everyone in the species experiences the same advantages as any other; what is the point of having a society/culture, if it doesn’t provide the same advantages to ALL its citizenry? None I can see. Yet, we continue to behave as if there is no tomorrow, lying, cheating, preying upon each other as if the future did not exist…. There are times when it seems we understand, for there is evidence, such as in movies, when a character can make a statement that catches the fancy of the public, who repeat it endlessly, without ever realizing it applies to themselves…. such as, “My mama says “stupid is as stupid does….”

Yes, Forrest’s mama had it right; what wasn’t clear to most folks is that it was talking about THEM. Most of the people I see in this world have no clue they are a slave; they live their lives just as if they had some choice in what they do, never realizing they are hemmed into such a narrow field of existence, they cannot see they are confined at all, believing themselves to be free men…. And the beat goes on, as it has for almost 5000 years, without ever getting anywhere that might actually brings us all into a future we can live with….

This rant isn’t going much of anywhere; I’ve already whined and complained for four paragraphs, without ever buckling down to any specifics…. Part of that is the simple fact there is SO MUCH about which I could rant, it’s hard to pick one…. Should I rail against the industrial machine? Should I indict the pundits, who lie and cheat and steal their way around the halls of government? Should I condemn the Dogma Dogs, who sycophantically endorse the corporate mandate, promising immortality and manna from heaven for the privilege of wearing a slave collar? Or, should I just bemoan the fact of my peer’s lack of honor and strength of will? Any and all of these are part of the core problem, but, I’m tired of them all…. and, that’s only a partial list!….

Ah, the hell with it. I’m gonna go find some pearls to sublimate, and be done with it for today…. We’ll all just have to deal with it…. If the group gets a bit smarmy, well, chalk it up to the mood I’ve put myself in with this rant….

“Bother!” said Pooh, as he found his smack had talc in it. — Smart Bee

“It is alarming and also nauseating to see Mr. Gandhi, a seditious Middle Temple lawyer, now posing as a fakir of a type well known in the East, striding half-naked up the steps of the Viceregal palace, while he is still organizing and conducting a campaign of civil disobedience, to parley on equal terms with the representative of King-Emperor.” — Winston Churchill, — speech to the West Essex Conservatives, February 23, 1930

“It makes no difference who you vote for– the two parties are really one party representing 4 percent of the people.” — Gore Vidal

“And if I said a year ago that these [social] programs weren’t working, perhaps I have been vindicated.” — President George Bush, on how Lyndon Johnson was to blame for the LA riots

“Definitely, times have changed. If you flunk out of high school today, you will likely have to settle for being just Vice President.” — Smart Bee

“I can picture in my mind a world without war, a world without hate. And I can picture us attacking that world, because they’d never expect it.” — Deep Thoughts, by Jack Handey

“Keep the war alive.” — A White House official, — describing President Bush’s 1992 reelection strategy

“Do unto them before they do it to you.” — American proverb

“Talk of revolution is one way of avoiding reality.” — John Kenneth Galbraith

“Whenever you hear a man speak of his love for his country, it is a sure sign he expects to be paid for it.” — H. L. Mencken

“You’re standing where I want to pee.”

~~ gigoid, to Ronnie Raygun, in one of his favorite dreams ~~

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

Piraeus calls me, silently

Sizzle, sizzle, crash, bang, boom.
Intellect burning with subsequent doom.
Lingering long over decisive style,
Whistling up chaos all the while.

Such frozen thoughts may shatter,
Should we infer, but, no matter.
Firing blanks is children at play
Blooded sages all gasp in dismay.

Nonsense is good sense at times
Mundane objectives trip lightly in rhymes.
Fallen angels dance on a pin
Until each sinner enters within.

Fast moments with natural rain
Bring ashes, yet still must remain.
Final thoughts clamor for more
Find them only on a far distant shore.

~~ gigoid ~~

Written 9/3/2012.

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

Now, THIS is a pearl!….

When the night has been too lonely,
and the road has been too long,
And you think that love is only
for the lucky and the strong,

Just remember in the winter
far beneath the bitter snows,
Lies the seed, that with the sun’s love,
in the spring becomes The Rose.

~~ Bette Midler, “The Rose” ~~

“If passion drives you, let reason hold the reins.” ~~ V. Smart Bee ~~

“Waste no more time arguing what a good man should be. Be one.” — Marcus Aurelius

“The bird of paradise alights only upon the hand that does not grasp.” — John Berry

“In morals, what begins in fear usually ends in wickedness; in religion, what begins in fear usually ends in fanaticism. Fear, either as a principle or a motive, is the beginning of all evil.” — Mrs. Jameson

“The mountains, too, at a distance appear airy masses and smooth, but seen near at hand, they are rough.” — Diogenes Laertius — Pyrrho, ix

“Do every act of your life as if it were your last.” — Marcus Aurelius

“To him who is in fear, everything rustles.” — Sophocles

Do I contradict myself?
Very well then I contradict myself
(I am large, I contain multitudes).

~~ Walt Whitman, ‘Song of Myself’ ~~

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

Well…. That was something. Rather than try to figure out exactly what, I think I’ll just go proof, and be done with it. Given the state of my attitude so far today, it’s probably for the best if we don’t make any further attempts at rationality; besides, my lawyer’s on vacation, so, I’d rather not have to deal with any consequences just now.

It’s Monday. I’m going to pretend it’s Sunday, again. I can do that; I’m retired….. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, if I can remember where I parked the Tardis….

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….

Trapped again in durance vile….

Posted on August 10, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

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

~~ Jules de Gaultier ~~

Blue Moon July 2015

Image from Space.com

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

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

Shall we Pearl?….

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

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OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Don’t mess with my kids….

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

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Cats protecting babies

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https://youtu.be/5MuQweOv9q8

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Future Shocked:

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

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

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

We all weep now…..

~~ gigoid ~~

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Appearances often are deceiving.” — Aesop

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

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

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

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

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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Tag Archives: Marcus Aurelius

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