Gasp! They did this while inflated!….

Posted on October 15, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“It is surely harmful to souls to make it a heresy to believe what is proved.”

~~ Galileo Galilei ~~

Beauty at Night

Image copyright ahuha.com ~~ found at:

https://halfeatenmind.wordpress.com/2015/10/10/photo-moment-building-bridges-a-quote-by-rick-pitino/

“The opposite of Galileo’s defense is also true;
surely it is harmful to souls to make it mandatory to believe what is unprovable.
History is a long litany of absolute proof of such harm.”

~~ gigoid, the dubious ~~

Good morning…. Well, I have the proof now. After all this time, what we’ve always known to be true has now been thoroughly, scientifically tested, and found to be true, to wit: Shit happens, and there’s nothing to be done about it.

Good to know, don’t you think? I do; it’ll save us all a lot of time worrying. Myself, I plan to use a good part of today, just contemplating the simple fact of my own innocence…. I mean, I can’t do anything about it, right? That means, by logical concatenation, I can’t be held responsible for it if it goes wrong. What a bonus!

Now we’ve thoroughly, and scientifically destroyed any chance at all of having y’all take any of the following seriously, we’d best be off to the oyster beds. At least underwater your shouting at me in frustration won’t be so loud. Wait! Sit down! If y’all rush me now, we’ll never get this poor old thing off the ground! Luigi, get us outta here! Hang on, ffolkes; you can take your shots at the end….

Shall we Pearl?….

Calvin: “Do you believe our destinies are determined by the stars?”
Hobbes: “Nah.”
Calvin: “Oh, I do.”
Hobbes: “Really? How come?”
Calvin: “Life’s a lot more fun when you’re not responsible for your actions.”

~~ “Calvin and Hobbes,” Bill Watterson ~~

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

I’m modeling a new version of the White Rabbit syndrome today; that means I only have time to fall back on our default musical choice…. It’s hard to feel guilty about it when I know it will be enjoyed, if only for it’s own inherent beauty and peace to be found within its space and time…. See, we can use fantasy and metaphor ANYWHERE!…. Oh, and if the choice is confusing, don’t fret; I just picked the one you see because I liked the picture the best…. Enjoy, ffolkes…..

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Classical Music for Spring

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https://youtu.be/4-ZU3rtWmhM

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If you wish to know
Why there are disasters
Of Armies and Weapons in the world
Listen to the piteous cries
From the slaughterhouse at midnight

~~ Old Chinese Saying ~~

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“The Meaning Of Life:
The reason that we’re all here is that
it was too crowded where we were supposed to go.”

~~ Steven Wright ~~

At last! A statement so perfectly attuned to actual Reality as to be indistinguishable from a slap in the face, which is mankind’s most favored form of testing the strength of a proposition to, and for, each other…. Sure, there are some issues in the implications, but, I’d say it fits the available evidence as well as any of our current major religious philosophies, and a damn sight better than most of them.

To me, quite frankly, it makes a lot more sense than some old fart with a long beard up in the sky who gives a rat’s patootie about what the hell I’m up to here where He is supposed to have dumped me, into this shit pile of violence, mutual abuse, and, an overall atmosphere of bigotry and all-around IDIOCY that permeates every level of society, all around the world. If that shit is true, I’m supposed to THANK the butt hole? I don’t think so….

Besides,if Steven is wright, (and, of course, he is, obviously), that means everyone on this planet is somebody who failed whatever test they had to take to make it into the country club, which goes a long way toward explaining the past 10,000 years of history, filled with blood, aggression, and very little progress toward any sort of intelligent response to life at large….

“Are you sure it isn’t time for another colorful metaphor?”

~~ Spock, “The Voyage Home,” stardate 8390 ~~

I would say, in this case, Spock is correct; it’s time for a long series of colorful metaphors, which, if vulgar and distressing to the faint of heart, still offers a relief from the angst of knowledge unavailable with any other activity, such as prayer, or, kicking an unsuspecting furry creature, which, though a temporary relief, can bring both a large rise in one’s karmic account, and, if one possesses any sensitivity and compassion at all, a large dose of guilt, well-deserved. ( This, I might add, is true of the metaphoric “kicking of the cat” one commits when they take their anger out on any creature undeserving of it…. A child, a woman, a dog, a man, a cat… what’s the difference? None at all, when they are innocent…)

I would also say our entire species is deserving of any epithet applied to us by the Universe; if so, it, too, will be a metaphor, of the failure of spirit which will lead to our eventual extinction as a species…. The only possible other result, survival into the far future, will only occur if we can act to change our very nature, and quickly; the planet’s ecosystem is not going to give us much longer to make the necessary alterations in the way we treat LIFE, of which we are a much less important part than that for which we give ourselves credit. When we are gone, the Universe will barely blink; it is only our towering egos, propelled by the power of our imagination, which gives an unfortunate few of us the idea we are more important than a single grain of sand….

There are a hundred issues confronting society today, any and all of which are disruptive to our progress as a species and a culture. War, sickness, greed, abuse of all kinds, education, racism, sexism, government corruption by business…. Let’s take a moment to review some information I re-blogged yesterday here on ECR, having first noticed its publication on our old friend Lou’s site, Tales From The Conspiratum, on WordPress (here: http://talesfromtheconspiratum.com/2015/10/14/we-are-anonymous-cannabis-cures-cancer-525 )

As I said yesterday, how much truth can you handle, ffolkes…. Here is just ONE example of a rather egregious example of how our government has been corrupted by big business, and the ambition and greed of professional politicians, who do the bidding of their corporate masters, at the expense of the rest of us…. Check this out….

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We Are Anonymous: Cannabis Cures Cancer

https://youtu.be/HaxOPEU3ecQ

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If they would lie to us about something like this, at the same time they lied to us about Vietnam, and all the other crap they did during that shameful period of our history, why would anyone think they are, all of a sudden, now telling us the truth, about ANYTHING?…. I ask you if can believe them; if you do, I have a wonderful deal for you in a bridge…. Cash only, no credit…. And, uh, can you tell me the way to the bus station?….

I say again, ffolkes. They are lying to us; they know it, we know it. How much longer can this situation go on, before the societal version of critical mass is reached?

Not long, I’d say….

So be it.

gigoid has spoken, with the help and support of We Are Anonymous, and hundreds of millions of unhappy slaves of the corporate nightmare in which we are all entrapped…. But, only until enough wake up, & see the truth…. I have only three thoughts with which to leave you…. An observation, a reminder of what CAN happen if we don’t pay attention, and, a last bit of hope….

“Recorded history is largely an account of the crimes and disasters committed by banal little men at the levers of imperial machines.” — Edward Abbey

“All military type firearms are to be handed in immediately… The SS, SA and Stahlhelm give every respectable German man the opportunity of campaigning with them. Therefore anyone who does not belong to one of the above named organizations and who unjustifiably nevertheless keeps his weapon… must be regarded as an enemy of the national government.” — SA Oberfuhrer of Bad Tolz, March, 1933

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

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I have followed this poet’s blog for over four years, since first discovering her website, soon after starting my own blog here on WordPress. Each and every time I read one of her poems, I am astounded, or deeply moved, or shocked into clarity, or just plain slack-jawed in awe of the power that moves through her sometimes, when her Art, her pain, her love, and her imagination merge to make magic with words…. mostly in her second language.

In my mind, her spirit is Art, a muse come to life; in a world once painted in a story by Samuel R. Delaney, she would be called a Singer, an artist at large in the world, allowed to go anywhere, and do anything, from singing in a fountain during a fire, to acts of self-mutilation after a performance, even to murder, in the pursuit of their Art, whether it be poetry, song, sculpture, all of it, or none…. so long as the Art moves through them…. Believe me, Art moves through Mari Sanchez Cayuso…. This poem was a recent offering, a simple poem that spoke to me somehow, and can be found here:

http://starsrainsunmoon.com/2015/10/04/essays/

Essays

I don’t know what is airier

Than silence, somehow natural

Accommodating yardfuls of violet

Tens of thousands living roots

Reopening by instinct

I like it; privately wanting it

Finding satisfaction in its touch

~~ Mari Sanchez Cayuso ~~

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This one’s pretty simple. It begins and ends with an idea presented by a Taoist master, which explains the choice of today’s icon for this section. It’s another pearl about Life at Large, and how to approach the whole ball of wax with some intelligence, dignity, and honor…. with a bit of good advice thrown in on how to nurture one’s inner garden…. Enjoy! It won’t be on the Quiz, though all of it is stuff you probably would be wise to remember….

“Every day passes whether you participate or not.” — Deng Ming-Dao

“Freedom begins between the ears.” — Edward Abbey

“Eat not thy heart; which forbids to afflict our souls, and waste them with vexatious cares.” — Plutarch — Of the Training of Children

“It is far more impressive when others discover your good qualities without your help.” — Miss Manners (Judith Martin)

“The truth is always the strongest argument.” — Sophocles — Phaedra, Frag. 737

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

“The soul is healed by being with children.” — Fyodor Dostoyevski

“You’re never too old to become younger.” — Mae West

“Use a mirror in difficult times: You will see both cause and resolution.” — Deng Ming-Dao

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I did it…. barely, and a bit late, but, hey, it’s done, so, who cares? Not me, obviously. Nor should you, as this means you can now go do something that might actually help the situation…. I’d suggest washing up first; reading ECR can create a build-up difficult to clean off if it dries…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, provided Space and Time can hold together that long….

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….

Full licensing requires pink taffeta, and/or pale green tissue organza….

Posted on October 14, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“If you can’t say something nice, say something surrealistic.”

~~ Zippy the Pinhead ~~

Supermoon eclipse over Arizona September 2015

Image from gizmodo.com

Good morning…. Okay, so, momentous news…. sort of…. You see, I’ve come to realize, it’s too late… I’ve been living alone too long, and, it’s too late to go back. I shall, from this now forward, into the next, etc., ad nauseam, be condemned/blessed by remaining in that state until my demise.

The proof is too strong to ignore, I’m afraid. I guess I’ve seen it coming, but, in the end, it only took eight-plus-fun-filled-(NOT)-days, of enduring a Hell worse than anything in Dante’s feeble imagination, to get my mind clear enough to acknowledge the truth of what I perceive… I’ve become a completely unsocialized human being, with too many idiosyncrasies to allow myself to consort with other humans…. S’true, so don’t try to convince me otherwise; I’ll be a hermit, and it’s probably for the best…

Now, I’m not being depressive by saying that…. No, I am, in truth, motivated by what love I have left in my heart for the species at large, and for the eight to ten people whose company I seem to be able to tolerate for more than two minutes without feeling homicidal. The more time I spend around mundanes and myrmidons and slaves and assholes and creeps, and all the other idiots who seem to be all that is left in this part of the world, the more I have to assert firm control over my weapon hand, to prevent myself from leaving a trail of bodies behind me, EVERY FUCKING TIME I STEP OUT THE DOOR! I tell ya, it gets wearing….

Then, when, as in the past two weeks, my physical issues keep me house-bound, I end up getting to a place as I did just a little bit ago, where I am sitting here, in front of the computer, mind racing, Mozart playing at full volume, when I realize I am much happier alone. I don’t feel like killing anyone, and the weirdest thing I do is what prompted this little diatribe, to wit: I periodically find myself talking seriously to the programmer of whatever software I’m using, cursing him/her out for never learning to code with elegance, or otherwise bitching about the way it works, just as if she/he were right here to hear me, and, as if they cared…. Stupid is as stupid does. and talking to absent, arrogant hackers is stupid, AND weird, too….

Ah, well, I guess I COULD chalk it up to having been up all day and night for 9 of the last 11 days; that can be somewhat tiresome, I can attest…. Whoops! What the…? Oh. Okay, never mind. Just a little Tardis turbulence. Y’all know what that means, don’t you? I lost some time, and had to use the powers of a Time Lord to get back to the correct date. Now, I can attest the tiresomeness of sleeplessness holds true, the same when it’s been 11 of the last 13 days, as well for lesser amounts of time…. Pretty fucked up, to tell the truth; I found out there are levels of Hell lower than Dante’s Inferno ever dreamed of. In fact, where I was being held was right above the two lowest levels, for lawyers/politicians/preachers/pimps/myrmidons, and oligarchs. Honest, I could hear them screaming; it helped….

But, I’m back, temporarily, to further attest the veracity of the VERY old saying, true freedom is the release from pain…. While I’m in the groove, I think I should let Luigi do his thing…. Take it away, amigo….

Shall we Pearl?….

To be truly conscious of your stupidity is one of the greatest steps you can make toward wisdom. If you know others, you are learned. If you know yourself, you are indeed wise. It isn’t the things that you don’t know that get you into trouble. What gets you into trouble are those things you know for sure that ain’t so.” — Artemus Ward (1834-1867), aka Charles Farrar Brown

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Image from al.com via Google Images

©Jay Blakesberg

Image from billboard.com via Google Images

I’ve already pulled my covers as a Deadhead; no surprises there. It’s also no surprise the live concerts the band played, in June and July of this year, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of their first tour, have already been released to You Tube for the fans to hear. This is even though the CD’s and other merchandise for the tour is still on sale, and the band, with the new members to replace Garcia, Hunter, and other deceased band mates, are going on a new tour…. In short, the Dead community, which includes the Dead Family, have allowed the music to remain online without legal action…. It is a clear indicator of why the band’s connection to their fanbase, and American society in the last half of the century, reflects our entire history of that time…

Here for your enjoyment are two of the concerts the band played during the initial celebration tour, in June of this year…. Enjoy, ffolkes; there’s nothing like a Dead concert, for sure, and for certain….

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Grateful Dead
Fare Thee Well X 2
2015

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https://youtu.be/Du9QPhLgblY

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https://youtu.be/5WZmNdfvAjY

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One might think, given the fact my last post was made on the 9th, I would have come across something rantable; I may have, but, to be frank, the period of time between then and now is one I’d prefer NOT to think about ever again. Having made the decision to excise those six days from my life and memory, as being unworthy of keeping, I must confess I honestly don’t remember getting worked up enough about anything to have written anything caustic, or even analytical. What I did manage to do, somewhat unconsciously, I think, is collect some rather good pearls that do make some reference to the world’s continuing problems on the human society front….

Mankind is, quite simply, as a species, a major fuck-up, perhaps even rating ‘clusterfuck’ status…. Anyone who says otherwise is NOT paying attention. Below you’ll find some reasons why that is true, along with some more general comments regarding the situation, which drew my attention as having something worthwhile to say, if only as a piece of smarm, or sarcasm…. Hell, without looking, I know I included something derogatory about a politician, or a lawyer, or a preacher of some kind…. I can do that in my sleep, and though I didn’t come anywhere near sleep for almost seven straight days, I did find these pearls, for better, or for worse…. Your call….

“The more laws, the less justice.” — Marcus Tullius Cicero (106-43 B.C.) Roman Orator, poet, statesman — De Officiis (44 B.C.)

One of the unpardonable sins, in the eyes of most people, is for a man to go about unlabeled. The world regards such a person as the police do an unmuzzled dog, not under proper control.” — T.H. Huxley, 1893

“A sect or party is an elegant incognito devised to save a man from the vexation of thinking.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

“I cannot convince myself that there is anyone so wise, so universally comprehensive in his judgment, that he can be trusted with the power to tell others: ‘You shall not express yourself thus, you shall not describe your own experiences; or depict the fantasies which your mind has created; or laugh at what others set up as respectable; or question old beliefs; or contradict the dogmas of the church, of our society, our economic systems, and our political orthodoxy.'” — Jake Zeitlin

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

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

“A man’s ethical behavior should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties; no religious basis is necessary. Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death.” — Albert Einstein

“Patriotism is the willingness to kill and be killed for trivial reasons.” — Bertrand Russell

“If people behaved in the way nations do they would all be put in straitjackets.” — Tennessee Williams

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Historical Perspective

When all has been said, and all been done,
there really isn’t much to say;
we all come to the same place in the sun,
where darkness overtakes us on our way.

The road seems long as we trundle along,
our perception of time allows us this boon.
In truth, our time here is a short, sweet song,
ending far, far too soon.

There never seems to be all the time
we would wish to have for our own.
Right at the point we find reason in our rhyme:
“It’s for you; your friend Death’s on the phone.”

Yet we all keep moving along our chosen pathway
burning each moment in imagination’s hot fire.
Future and past are held well at bay
lest we are distracted from our desire.

‘Tis no wonder history is rife with pain, and fear;
we sang sweet songs, but the key was wrong.
The only real surprise, it seems crystal clear,
is why the darkness has taken so long.

Just an observation….

~~ gigoid ~~

Written 10/13/2015.

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For some of our Gentle Readers, this pearl may be somewhat murky; it’s okay. It was constructed over a week’s time, during rare moments of lucidity, and, though I wasn’t certain it would work, it did. In fact, it came out rather well, which is why I chose to use the icon(s) you see above today’s final section. It’s a test, with no grade, just a minor thrill of discovery if/when the point comes clear…. and, yes, there’ a point. Sarcasm doesn’t become you…. Okay, it does, but, it’s unnecessary in this case, so, enjoy….

“Agesilaus being invited once to hear a man who admirably imitated the nightingale, he declined, saying he had heard the nightingale itself.” — Plutarch — Life of Agesilaus II

“Think for yourself and question authority.” — Timothy Leary

“Dialogue becomes pointless with someone who escapes the procession of the years. I ask those I love to be kind enough to grow old.” — E.M. Cioran

“A man would still do something out of sheer perversity – he would create destruction and chaos – just to gain his point…and if all this could in turn be analyzed and prevented by predicting that it would occur, then man would deliberately go mad to prove his point.” — Feodor Dostoevsky, “Notes From the Underground”

“It matters not how long you live, but how well.’ — Publius Syrus — Maxim 829

“Wilderness begins in the human mind.” — Edward Abbey

“If you love the sacred and despise the ordinary, you are still bobbing in the ocean of delusion.” — Lin-Chi

“As Caesar was at supper the discourse was of death,–which sort was the best. “That,” said he,”which is unexpected.” — Plutarch (46-120 AD) — Caesar

We chased our pleasures here, dug out treasures there.
Can you still recall the time we cried?
Break on through to the other side.

~~- The Doors~~

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Today’s Pearl, as noted in the intro, somewhere, turned out special, if only for having taken damn near a week to complete. Ah, well, such is life in strife, as we say downtown, and, hey! It does have a new poem, right?. All we can do is all we can do, as I’m sure you know.

I guess I’ll try to do this again, hopefully by tomorrow. As those of us who have the powers of a Time Lord know so well, Time will tell. It always does. See y’all sometime during that Time; in fact, I don’t think anyone can prevent it now…. Nor would they, now, would they?…. Okay, I’m done.

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….

Indolence: the immortal sin….

Posted on October 9, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“There are no speed limits on the road to excellence.”

~~- David W. Johnson ~~

The Icy Plains of Pluto

Image by NASA/New Horizons Spacecraft

Good morning…. Well, in truth, it’s not morning. It’s also not good, in a relative sense only, in that I’m at about 50/50 on the SE/OK scale…. SE is Side Effects (in caps to indicate strength; it’s miserable) vs. well, OK, which means just what it says. At this particular moment, mid-evening last night (provided this gets posted in the morning, of course), I’m trying to use this process to tire myself enough to ignore the dyskinesia enough to fall asleep. Hopefully the medication I got last night will work in a while, and I’ll be able to sleep…. Bliss!

Now I’ve gotten rid of those who get bored easily, I can tell you today’s Pearl is special to me. It speaks to three of my most passionate beliefs/opinions, with material presented mostly by others; my comments will briefly address my own thoughts on what they have to say… You’ll see, don’t worry. It isn’t complicated, structurally, but, some of it may be rather pointed and, well curmudgeonly, due to the intense nature of the subject(s) under discussion/examination…. For some, it will be new ideas; for some of our Gentle Readers, it will be preaching to the choir. S’okay, it’s all relevant….

It’s also about to be put off another day, as I feel, quite frankly, like crap, due to the ongoing physical battle in which I’m engaged. Oh well… Such is life. Whenever it is, today, or tomorrow, here it is….

Shall we Pearl?….

“A good listener is not only popular everywhere, but after a while he gets to know something.” — Wilson Mizner

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Image from tvspeaks.com via Google Images

I would like to ask each and every one of my followers who read this post to share this video with their own group of blogging friends. This young man gives the most powerful, cogent, logical. and straight-forward summary of the issue of the abuse of women in our society I have ever heard, or seen, or read. This video NEEDS to go viral, so that everyone alive today has to think about what this young man says… As I remarked to the person who sent it to me, if it does go viral, it can be a game changer….

Watch it. Think about it. And, share it….

gigoid has spoken.

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strolling | ep 7 | male feminists

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https://youtu.be/D7aAIAhHH1U

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Today’s ranting section will begin with an excellent video, one of many put out by the crew of this HBO show. It speaks about our society’s response to mental illness, exploring some of the statistics, and how society’s response, especially by the police, is completely at odds with the avowed message given by those in authority. It’s very good, and very complete.

As a retired mental healthcare professional, and an advocate of the 2nd Amendment to the US Constitution, I can fully agree with John’s assessment of the issue; I have followed that assessment with my own thoughts on gun control, in a mini-rant…. Enjoy! And, think about it too… Can’t hurt….

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Last Week w/John Oliver
Mental Illness

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https://youtu.be/NGY6DqB1HX8

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This is a bit old, in a relative way, though it’s all still true. However, things have deteriorated from the point at which this was written, as made obvious in the video above…. Just extrapolate up to today for the full, chilling effect of the implications for all of us….

From 3/29/2012:

“By calling attention to ‘a well regulated militia’, the ‘security’ of the nation, and the right of each citizen ‘to keep and bear arms’, our founding fathers recognized the essentially civilian nature of our economy. Although it is extremely unlikely that the fears of governmental tyranny which gave rise to the Second Amendment will ever be a major danger to our nation, the Amendment still remains an important declaration of our basic civilian-military relationships, in which every citizen must be ready to participate in the defense of his country. For that reason, I believe the Second Amendment will always be important.” — April, 1960 (Then) Senator John Fitzgerald Kennedy (1917-1963)

President Kennedy was a pretty smart guy; not exactly the most ethical bulb in the box, but he had his head screwed on his shoulders fairly solidly, and had the unusual political stance of actually wanting the American people to have a chance at what they deserve, and are promised by our form of government, i.e., a shot at “the pursuit of happiness”….. However, in this statement, he makes an unwarranted and dangerous assumption, to wit: “it is extremely unlikely that the fears of governmental tyranny which gave rise to the Second Amendment will ever be a major danger to our nation.” Jack was an optimist…. and as is often the case, the pessimists were closer to right on this one…..

Our rights are in imminent and clear danger of being abrogated, permanently. This is an indisputable fact. This kind of fact is provided with partial proof of its truth by the reaction of those responsible for this subtle attack on our legacy of freedom, who, when confronted with knowledge of their intent, immediately accuse the confronting entity of “spreading communist propaganda”, or “attacking the principles of freedom” or my favorite complete lie, “you’re threatening our national security.” It’s would be somewhat amusing, if it weren’t so dangerously disgusting…. I mean, do they really expect the American people to sit around and do NOTHING? I kind of hope they do believe that…. it will be then a bigger surprise to them, when the American people stand up, point their gun at the head of these idiots, and take their rights back….. call me treasonous if you will; I call it patriotism, of the first water…..

“Caesar had his Brutus; Charles the First, his Cromwell; and George the Third [“Treason!” cried the Speaker]–may profit by their example.
If this be treason, make the most of it.” — Patrick Henry (1736-1799) — Speech in the Virginia Convention, 1765

“You can lead a yak to water but you can’t teach an old dog to make a silk purse out of a pig in a poke.” — Opus

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Accentuated Lessons

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

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

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

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

Peace lies within, always…..

~~ gigoid ~~

Written 1/26/2013.

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This is a good one…. You should pay attention, and think hard about these, and what they mean together…. Yep. You should do that….

“Failure to understand reality is not reality’s fault.” — Bill Henneman

“One does what one is; one becomes what one does.” — Robert Musil, c. 1930

“The keenest sorrow is to recognize ourselves as the sole cause of all our adversities.” — Sophocles

“We are more sensible of what is done against custom than against Nature.” — Plutarch — Of Eating of Flesh, Tract 1

“Every man is a damn fool for at least five minutes every day; wisdom consists in not exceeding the limit.” — Elbert Hubbard

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

“Fear is the main source of superstition, and one of the main sources of cruelty. To conquer fear is the beginning of wisdom, in the pursuit of truth as in the endeavour after a worthy manner of life.” — Bertrand Russell, “An Outline of Intellectual Rubbish”

“In reality the soul is not mortal, but if the soul believes in mortality it is just like being mortal.” — Hazrat Inayat Khan (Sufi writer)

“You can’t change the music of your soul.” — Kathrine Hepburn

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

This one was a tough row to hoe; must have to do with everything else going on. (DUH!!!….) But, it’s done, and, if I can do it, it’ll be posted. I won’t make any promises beyond that, other than to back, eventually…. See y’all, later, ffolkes, given a fair wind and a rising tide….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Magic bullets engender dilatory responses….

Posted on August 27, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“You don’t have to burn books to destroy a culture.

Just get people to stop reading them.”

~~ Ray Bradbury ~~

Artist’s rendition of Life in the Mars Colony

Image by Ville Ericsson via Space.com

Good morning…. Remember Alice’s White Rabbit? That’s me, all over. “I’m late, I’m late, etc….” The date with which I’ve tasked myself is not, perhaps, as important as the Rabbit’s, though, ’tis to me, but, that’s one of those points we are wont to call moot. Well, some of us are. But, I digress, which, as y’all have previously seen, isn’t unusual, or particularly helpful.

Ah, well, so much for the intro. I had hope honesty, even if coupled with fantasy, might work; alas, ’tis yet another plan gone awry. This, of course, leaves us in the lurch, and though Lurch was one of my favorite characters, it’s not the place a nice blog likes to find itself. Therefore, with powers vested in me by the leasing of the Tardis, I declare this intro complete…. Luigi, you know what to do…. The rest of you…. look busy.

Shall we Pearl?….

“He who fights the devil with his own weapons, must not wonder if he finds him an overmatch.” — South

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

Jerry Garcia

Image from the Jerry Garcia Foundation website, at:

http://www.jerrygarciafoundation.org/?eml=dn/PlayingForChang-CheckItOutHere-body-inline-left-1-3/2015August26/2661282/6131962&etsubid=39846924

As a Deadhead in good standing, (I’m all registered as a user at Dead.net), I receive periodic emails from the remainder of the band, which has now morphed into the Dead & Company, now beginning a tour to live up to the band’s historic live reputation as improvisational wizards, along with the newest band members, taking the place of, but, never replacing Jerry and the others who have passed….

The Garcia Family started a non-profit foundation, with the purpose of bringing music to the children and people of the world. They’ve just released a song, with people from all over the world singing “Ripple”, one of the Dead’s iconic songs, with cameo appearances from several big musical names, such as Jimmy Buffet, and David Crosby. I’ve included it as today’s video, so, enjoy!…..

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Ripple | Playing For Change | Song Around The World

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https://youtu.be/MHo1fNnXFVU

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

Since I’m late, you know what’s going to happen now…. Here’s a short little mini-politireligirant that spilled out in the intro, from the archives….

From the intro on 6/10/2014:

I am frequently (adjective TBA) (Okay, we’ll use “bemused” for wont of anything more accurate….) to learn something new about people, especially myself….. In the process of checking my bank account online, to see if my SS allowance had been deposited, I became aware of the power of certain feelings, engendered by the mere presence, or absence of resources… In essence, just the mere fact of having a significantly useful amount of money to use is enough to stimulate feelings of extreme relief, almost a giddy joy, which is probably a reaction to NOT feeling the stressful worry that goes along with NOT having enough resources on hand….

In today’s world, most of us are only one or two months worth of paychecks from living on the streets, so when our bank account gets too small, it’s a source of constant stress….. Especially when food becomes scarce…. Of course, only the middle and lower classes of society are subject to this process, but, hey, that’s you and me, ffolkes, so it’s not as if you don’t know whereof I speak….

The most difficult feeling with which to cope, for me, is the one that comes to me when I realize that our BRC, our beloved rulers, and their corporate masters, along with their counterparts in the priestly hierarchies, don’t ever have to feel any of that…. They are already rich enough to have passed beyond the level where a month or two of income reduction, or shall we say, reduced profit, because that’s closer to the truth of the matter, won’t have any significant effect on their lives, and certainly wouldn’t cause them to lose their place of residence. In point of fact, they’re rich enough that they don’t have to even THINK about that issue at all…. I would guess that is a very powerful feeling in itself….

Now, I know you’re thinking to yourselves, “there he goes again, ranting in the intro…”, and you’d no doubt be right. I didn’t intend to start off this way, but, having gone to look at my account, it struck me pretty hard how wide the gap has grown between the rich, and the rest of humanity…. The income differential grows larger each minute, as the system of thievery of the middle classes, and the parasitic assholes who reap the rewards of that theft, continue their pillaging of society without ever slackening pace…. rushing us all along the road to extinction with gleeful madness…

Such ranting has become less than profitable for me, and seems to keep some folks away, which is part of the reason why I’m looking around for new ways to interest my readers…. I hate feeling this crap, and hate the fact that the world is set up in such a way as to allow the rich and powerful to do pretty much whatever they want, and the rest of us suck hind teat…. SIGH….

It just makes me want to go out & buy that gun I keep promising to obtain…. But, I know that soon after doing so, I’d have to keep one of the first rules of gun ownership, to wit: If you are going to keep your gun loaded, then only pick it up when you are prepared to fire it….. My only problem with that is the difficulty in CHOOSING a target; there are a LOT of them out there that are worth one of my bullets…. It’s all the more attractive as I think about how GOOD I’d feel after taking down a couple of those assholes who have more money than morals…. tempting, indeed…

For now, though, I’ll content myself with that, and get on with today’s business, such as it is…. At least this will keep me from SPENDING all that money for a few hours….

Note from 2015:

Nothing’s changed much in the past year, has it? In fact, things look a bit less stable than even that short time ago…. Ah well, tomorrow’s another day….

“Obsessed by a fairy tale, we spend our lives searching for a magic door and a lost kingdom of peace.” — Eugene O’Neill

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Yep. It’s mine, from the past….

When life calls, ready or not….

Memories are all we have sometimes
to keep our sanity intact,
with learned phrases and subtle rhymes
lessening life’s vicious, vibrant impact.

Presently all seems composed and intent
in stark contrast to hollow day,
forlorn patchwork emotions of unheralded bent,
fill up night’s bower, leaving hell to pay.

Such vigorous and elevated temper
brings us rare moments to ponder,
filled with lessons all need to remember
lest base perception lose valued wonder.

Laugh loud when entropy sticks fast
leaving shameless anger in its wake.
Let bygones pass quietly into the past
reaping only what is left to take.

Final words of wise imagination
tell us living well’s the best revenge, it appears
ever eluding choirs and congregations
finally finding home, never buried in tears.

~~ gigoid ~~

Written 9/10/2012.

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

Naturally, we go once more to the archives to save our sorry ass….

From 6/13/2014:

Naturally, saving time means old-school…. I’ll be good, though, and find some fresh pearls, instead of pulling one from the archives… Aren’t I nice? Especially for someone still half-way buried in sleep…. Let’s see what happens; this could go several ways, so I hope it finds a good path…. I never quite know what to expect when I push Smart Bee to hurry…. sometimes it comes out well, and sometimes, well… it comes out, which is the BEST thing that can be said of it…. Let’s hope for better than that….

“Memory: what wonders it performs in preserving and storing up things gone by or rather, things that are!” — Plutarch

“We ought never to do wrong when people are looking.’ — Mark Twain

‘The Emperor is not as forgiving as I am.” — Darth Vader (Star Wars)

Although a cloth be washed a hundred times,
How can it be rendered clean and pure
If it be washed in water which is dirty?

~~ Nagarjuna (c. 100-200 A.D.) ~~

“Hearts will never be practical until they are made unbreakable.” — The Wizard of Oz

“After being asked by a waitress if he wanted his pizza cut into four slices or eight: “Better make it four. I don’t think I can eat eight pieces.” — Yogi Berra

“The death of God left the angels in a strange position.’ — Internal documentation, programmer unknown

Well, it does show some of the effects of hurrying, but, it’s really not bad at all…. Makes a couple of good points, I think…. No worries, either way, it’s done…. so be it….

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

Done. I’m not sure at all how it came out, and simply don’t have time to care. This is it, ffolkes; WYSIWYG. And, I’m outta here. See y’all tomorrow…. maybe. Ah hell, who am I kidding? I’ll be here, come hell or high water…. or, the NSA, those clandestine a-holes….

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….

We’re off to see the lizard….

Posted on August 18, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

No pleasure is comparable to the standing upon the vantage-ground of truth.

~~ Francis Bacon — Of Truth ~~

Rainbow Lightning

Saguaro Photography via Gizmodo.com

Good morning…. Indeed, it’s actually morning, too. I’m up at an hour more familiar to the rest of the world today, having, for an unknown reason, slept all of seven hours, thanks to the application of a massive dose of helpful herbs. I’m not sure what to do with all the energy, but, I’m sure most of it will be consumed by the sheer rush of putting a Pearl together in no time. As a matter of fact, just thinking about having to work so fast makes me tired…

No, not really, but, it does make me want to get going, so, I’ll reject all temptation to fool around here in the intro, and merely instruct Luigi to get us the hell out of here, now…. Hang on, ffolkes….

Shall we Pearl?….

“Truth is a gem that is found at a great depth; whilst on the surface of this world, all things are weighed by the false scale of custom.” — Lord Byron

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As you may guess, default music today….. I’ve tried to give it a bit of a new feeling, by going to the last page I could find on You Tube to grab this one, which was chosen just for the picture alongside it on the page…. Enjoy….

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Classical Music for Babies

The Mozart Effect

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

https://youtu.be/e3cp9863zuo

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

As always, the picture tells the story; here’s a rant/discussion from the archives…. This was last posted on 2/25/2014, written earlier.

From 12/12/12:

“He who proselytizes in the cause of unbelief is basically a man in need of belief.” — Eric Hoffer

This is true…. you never see an atheist going door to door, trying to convert the pious to their unbeliefs. However, I would go further on this train of thought, and add that, “He who proselytizes, in any cause, in basically a man in need of a life.” I’m sure it occurred to Mr. Hoffer, but he was too busy trying to explain this statement to somebody who didn’t understand the word ‘proselytize’….. For my own case, I have never, ever understood why people feel compelled to go door to door to try to get other people to believe what they believe; it’s one of the most persistent delusional systems I’ve ever witnessed, to believe that anyone wants to hear what they have to say, much less they will find their beliefs palatable to others, or find anyone who believes them to be superior to their own…..

“More people would learn from their mistakes if they weren’t so busy denying they made them.” — Smart Bee

Humans seem to have an immense blind spot when it comes to their own actions and beliefs. Most of them never seem to question the things they are told, even when those things are presented with no evidence other than faith. Of course, the people who are invested in the religious system, to wit: the preachers, begin their indoctrination when their constituents are very young, when they are still prone to accept whatever an adult says as truth. This ensures a life-long predilection for being simple to control…. or, in short, mental slavery, if you will. Unless there is some sort of rebellion of spirit, where new knowledge is injected, these poor saps will spend their entire lives believing that what they have been told is real, when, in fact, they are fitting themselves with shackles, that will forever imprison their minds, and their imagination…..

“To defend one’s self against fear is simply to insure that one will, one day, be conquered by it; fears must be faced.” — James Baldwin

In my life-long quest for the truth, I’ve come to believe that religions, while originally intended to benefit people, (by their iconic progenitors, anyway…. I’m sure Jesus was a quite nice man, and wanted the best for those to whom he preached his own philosophy of compassion….), have historically been taken over by the predators who live to control others.

To be fair, some of those who become priests, or any of the other varieties of religious fanatic that prevail in our society, may indeed believe that their beliefs are true, and act accordingly, but the majority are, as far as I can tell, only concerned with maintaining status quo, thereby benefiting themselves, while never actually allowing any REAL progress in the development of the human condition. They would have society behave as if we were still living in caves, in essence, still cowering in our meager shelter while the storms and lightning are raging outside, terrified of the power of what we do not understand, and, therefore, allow ourselves to fear….

“A universe of death, which God by curse
Created evil, for evil only good;
Where all life dies, death lives,
and Nature breeds Perverse,
all monstrous, all prodigious things,
Abominable, unutterable and worse
Than fables yet have feigned, or fear conceived,
Gorgons, and Hydras, and Chimeras dire.”

~~ Milton, Paradise Lost, Book II ~~

(Side note: I’ll bet Milton had a hard time sleeping….)

The Universe is a big place, and there is a lot to learn. Fearing that knowledge, or fearing what changes that knowing will always bring, is the act of a coward, to my mind, and should not be encouraged. Supernatural beings of unlimited power are not a required component to the understanding of Nature and the Universe; we need not fear that our lack of knowledge of how things work is unattainable. Just because we do not understand a part of reality does not mean that whatever it is, is beyond our understanding.

It is not necessary to ask for exemptions, or intervention by our own personal gods, for us to achieve happiness, or even contentment; that is completely within our own power, if we but acknowledge that part of us that is free, and connected to everything else we can perceive. The connections may not be fully understood, but they are there, and if we can only learn to recognize it, the power to change reality lies within us, all the time…. As Epictetus said, “Happiness lies in learning to accept a simple truth. There are some things you can change. And there are some things you cannot.” It’s really quite that easy, you know, once one learns to accept this fact of life…. No dogma required…..

“If brains were outlawed, nothing would change.” — Smart Bee

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

Pensive early and late…

Endings aren’t always a new beginning
I’m sad to say.
Sometimes it’s just an ending
there’s always a price to pay.

Still, it’s only money, he said
watching it piss away
Did everything ‘cept meet Fred
‘n had a good time the whole way.

Even the bad stuff turned out well,
life lessons are just that way.
Knowing what’s right, you can’t always tell,
we don’t always know the right things to say.

I’ll take all the hard times, without complaint,
learning isn’t always easy to take.
Kindness, patience, and compassion without restraint,
are still the best decisions we can make.

~~ gigoid ~~

Written 4/26/2013.

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

Okay, so, here is the only fresh pearl you’ll see today…. Try to enjoy it, okay? Thanks….

Every one is bound to bear patiently the results of his own example.” — Phaedrus (c. 8 A.D.) — Book i, Fable 26, 12

“He that feareth is a slave, were he never so rich, were he never so powerful. But he that is without fear is king of all the world.” — E. R. Eddison, The Worm Ouroboros

“Anacharsis said a man’s felicity consists not in the outward and visible favours and blessings of Fortune, but in the inward and unseen perfections and riches of the mind.” — Plutarch — The Banquet of the Seven Wise Men, 11

“The evidence of the emotions, save in cases where it has strong objective support, is really no evidence at all, for every recognizable emotion has its opposite, and if one points one way then another points the other way. Thus the familiar argument that there is an instinctive desire for immortality, and that this desire proves it to be a fact, becomes puerile when it is recalled that there is also a powerful and widespread fear of annihilation, and that this fear, on the same principle proves that there is nothing beyond the grave. Such childish proofs are typically theological, and they remain theological even when they are adduced by men who like to flatter themselves by believing that they are scientific gents…” — H. L. Mencken

Although it is tempting to resent disaster, there is not much use in doing so… Whether we remain ash or become the phoenix is up to us.” — Deng Ming-Dao

“You are all depending for your spirituality on someone else, for your happiness on someone else, for your enlightenment on someone else…. You have been accustomed to being told how far you have advanced, what is your spiritual status. How childish! Who but yourself can tell you if you are incorruptible?… I desire those, who seek to understand me, to be free … from the fear of religion, from the fear of salvation, from the fear of spirituality, from the fear of love, from the fear of death, from the fear of life itself…. You can form other organizations and expect someone else. With that I am not concerned, nor with creating new cages, new decorations for those cages. My only concern is to set men absolutely, unconditionally free.” — Krishnamurti — From his last speech to the Theosophical Society

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

“The ultimate value of life depends upon awareness, and the power of contemplation rather than upon mere survival.” — Aristotle

“The only problem with seeing too much is that it makes you insane.” — Phaedrus

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I don’t even have time to apologize for any breathlessness with which y’all may have been bothered and bewitched, ffolkes. It’s done, and that’s that. See y’all tomorrow, hopefully with a bit less rush to get done. Of course, that will depend on whether or not the Space/Time Continuum continues to breeze along at its current clip…. We’re hoping for the best….

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….

Overt simplicity: Bane, or Boon?….

Posted on August 8, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“The world is a book, and those who do not travel, read only a page.”

~~ Saint Augustine ~~

The Baddest Raccoon in the World

Image from the UK Telegraph 8/5/2015

Good morning…. I think. The odds have improved a bit; without going into boring detail, suffice it to say I’m up, and have slept adequately for the purposes for which we had hoped to so obtain. Boy, that got a little convoluted, didn’t it? Let’s try to stay within the loose parameters set by our nearly nonsensical title today, by keeping it simple. In fact, let’s keep it simple as pie…

Cool picture today, eh? That is one BAD ASS raccoon, boy howdy! If he’s bad enough to have a croc for a limo, can you imagine who he’s got for a bodyguard? Definitely somebody you wouldn’t want to mess with, I should guess…. Okay, enough about me….

Shall we Pearl?….

“If you can’t speak softly, just use the stick.”

~~ Smart Bee ~~

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

I might have mentioned the laziness I feel today; if not, well, I am. I don’t even feel like expending the energy to go look for a video, so, instead, here are a few really cool pictures, from the same article where I found our Bad Ass Raccoon for today’s opening picture, a photo spread in the UK Telegraph on 8/5/2015. You can find the rest of the pictures by simply Googling the date and newspaper name…. Enjoy!….

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Today’s rant will be from the archives…. It’s not that I don’t have anything to rant about; in this crazy world full of assholes and butt wipes of all kinds, finding material is not a problem at all. No, it’s merely my own laziness, combined with a serendipitous find of an old rant on a currently hot-butto subject, to wit: gun control, a term which has a number of different meanings, depending on whether you’re speaking to someone from the NRA fanatics, or from the AABH Gumbies (American Association of Bleeding Hearts). My own opinion is…. well, don’t worry, it’ll be clear in a few moments….
Enjoy!….

From 7/24/2012:

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

This short statement, which I sadly found unattributed, states perfectly why I resist all the efforts that people make to change my feelings about guns, and how society should deal with them. In 61+ years, I have never, ever seen one convincing argument that can even tempt me to believe that the government of this country is either morally superior or possesses great wisdom. In fact, all of the evidence I can find tells me the exact opposite.

If any of these people advocating that all guns should be made illegal to possess by a common citizen can provide me with ANYTHING, just one thing, that indicates that I am wrong in this matter, then let them show it. I’ve seen NOTHING that tells me that the government has ANY morals or ANY wisdom…. and I’m supposed to trust them with guns? I would as soon turn my back on a hungry leopard…..

I’m serious about this, as most of us are when speaking of deadly force and weaponry. But what I meant is, I am serious in my invitation to the people who advocate gun control,which I happen to believe in; my definition is just a bit different than the common conception. But, if they could provide me with even one piece of information to support their belief, then I’m willing to listen to it, and consider its validity, or lack of same. I’m fairly certain they cannot, or will not, do so, but I try to keep my mind open to new information. They have not provided any….

I don’t think that common citizens NEED to own automatic assault rifles, or bazookas, or tanks. But, access to these types of weapons CAN be regulated, in such a way, and firmly enough, that number of people who obtain them for nefarious purpose, such as what happened in Aurora, Colorado recently. (And in Orange county…. you just didn’t notice that near massacre because it was the police doing the shooting…. at scared women and children….) I can see requiring that a person wishing to obtain such weapons undergo psychiatric testing, and registering the guns so the police know where they are, and how many. Regulation is possible, and in the case of weapons capable of mass mayhem, desirable.

But, I DO NOT believe, for even one second, that any government in the world, including this one, can be trusted with a monopoly on deadly force… from that point to tyranny and slavery is one short step, as has been amply demonstrated throughout our bloody, violent history. “Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” We have all heard this, from the time we were small. It is a truism that nobody even bothers to try to disprove, as it has been proven to be true so many, many times, and it is so widely accepted as truth no one even knows anymore who said it first.

So, when I hear the outcry that always comes after an incident like the one in Colorado, shouting that “guns are bad”, and “get rid of the guns”, I sigh, and shake my head, and wonder at the naivete of the people who believe that the government could be trusted with that kind of power. But, I guess it’s no more naive than the folks who believe that Mitt the Twitt wants to help make their life better…. and no less dangerous a belie to hold…..

“Remember kids, if there’s a loaded gun in the room, be sure that you’re the one holding it.” — Captain Combat

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In the recent past, I’ve been too lazy to even go look for any new poems by anyone else. While cruising old Pearls for material, I found a good one, which I haven’t posted for three years, which ought to be long enough for a recycle job…. Enjoy!….

A Last Confession

What lively lad most pleasured me
Of all that with me lay?
I answer that I gave my soul
And loved in misery,
But had great pleasure with a lad
That I loved bodily.

Flinging from his arms I laughed
To think his passion such
He fancied that I gave a soul
Did but our bodies touch,
And laughed upon his breast to think
Beast gave beast as much.

I gave what other women gave
That stepped out of their clothes.
But when this soul, its body off,
Naked to naked goes,
He it has found shall find therein
What none other knows,

And give his own and take his own
And rule in his own right;
And though it loved in misery
Close and cling so tight,
There’s not a bird of day that dare
Extinguish that delight.

~~ William Butler Yeats ~~

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It took a bit of persuasion, but, SB came through in the end. This is what I’d call a typical Taoist pearl, with some pretty standard, not to mention excellent, thoughts on how to live one’s life in harmony with the universe…. Using these concepts as a guide can most certainly allow on to achieve, at the very least, a reasonable facsimile to harmony, which is, needless to say, better than the alternative, n’est pa?…..

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

“A human being is a part of the whole, called by us Universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest–a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole nature in its beauty.” — Albert Einstein

“Rotten wood cannot be carved.” — Confucius (Analects, Book 5, Ch. 9)

“Who does not trust enough will not be trusted.” — Lao Tzu

“Democritus said, words are but the shadows of actions.” — Plutarch — Of the Training of Children

“Great tranquility of heart is his who cares for neither praise nor blame.” — Thomas A. Kempis

“One who knows that enough is enough will always have enough.” — Lao-tzu, _Tao Te Ching_

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As is perfectly normal, a bit of a struggle ensued when I attempted to keep this process moving; SB always has something to contribute, and usually, it’s got a lot to do with whatever Murphy’s been whispering when I’m not paying attention…. Brute force and threats worked just fine today, though, meaning we saved a bit on bribes, always a good thing. I think it would probably be best now if we go, before I say something subject to litigation. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes; Mom says I have to….

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….

No, sorry. Wrong imaginary number….

Posted on July 25, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“I’m afraid of no man, and very few women.”

~~ Smart Bee, speaking for gigoid ~~

Ironic Tulips in Oregon

Good morning…. In the perhaps misguided hope of continuing to be able to use that assessment, I’m NOT going to relate any of the events which took place yesterday during my foray into the BBR. Suffice it to say, my lawyer tells me I should be able to escape prosecution, since none of the participants died, or received any lasting injuries. Also, the two poor wee myrmidons are expected to fully recover from their confusion, so, there’s no way they can hold me responsible, since I wasn’t the one who called them. Besides, they got the fire out without any injuries or real damage to their silly war wagon; it wasn’t my fault they tried to…. well, never mind, you can read about it in the news….

Believe me, it was quite a day, and I was really glad to get home. Too bad it got me all worked up, & sleep became impossible. Did you know it’s really dark outside at 3 AM? Who knew?

Ah well, fudge it. Luigi, fire it up & let’s hit it; I’m in the mood to go rogue!…..

Shall we Pearl?….

“Anytime I see a person fleeing from reason and into religion, I think to myself, there goes a person who cannot stand being so goddamned lonely anymore.” — Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

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I’m tired, which translates as ‘lazy’, so, here is today’s video selection, with a couple hours of classical music, in a collection the uploader called “The Most Relaxing Music in the Universe”. You will tell me if you think it is so, yes?…. Enjoy!….

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Classical Music Mix

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https://youtu.be/qfh7MwKQY7U

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I was cruising through Smart Bee’s database, on a search for stimulation to distract myself, when I came across the following quote…

“Among the many handicaps of old age which must be lived with is wisdom.”

~~ Smart Bee ~~

The attribution was given to SB after performing a search for the author; anvari.org, the largest dB I know of for such searches, had none listed, so it goes, as is our policy to SB…. On the same page was a quote along the same lines by a frequent visitor here, our old mentor, Henry L. Mencken, who wrote his thoughts around the turn of the twentieth century, having lived from 1880 until 1956. I’ve enjoyed many of his quotes, as he seemed to have a very clear view of reality, with no fear of saying exactly what he thought, without regard for who might be offended. If it was truth, as he saw it, he told it…. The quote he contributes today is as follows:

“The older I grow the more I distrust the familiar doctrine that age brings wisdom.” — H. L. Mencken

Now, since I’m getting to an age where I might consider myself to have entered my “golden years”, I can attest to the accuracy of each of these statements; now we’re going to explore why….

Why would I look at wisdom as a handicap? Actually, that part is easy…. Wisdom, if you will, has the particular quality of bringing with it the ability to see things very clearly, to recognize motivation, or causes, with much more skill and accuracy than anyone younger is capable of achieving, simply because the experience of growing older provides us with those skills. They do not come naturally; only the passage of time will bring them to anyone…. It also isn’t anything that is subject to change; there is no other way to gather experience, except by existing over time….

But, then, one day, soon after acquiring this ability to see clearly those parts of reality which signal change, it becomes clear also, there is a reason for the old saying we’ve all heard, “Ignorance is bliss.” The reason for this is simple; we expected our knowledge to make our lives simpler, and more comfortable. In the most basic sense, it does so, of course, by showing us how to avoid trouble, thus saving time & energy dealing with it, and with its aftermath, often more terrible. It also, however, shows us, time after time, and in every place we look, just how dangerously stupid are the general run of people, and how their lack of awareness of their own place in the scheme of things, makes the world a more dangerous place for everyone….

If I have to explain why that is true, then I’m preaching to the wrong choir…. Nonetheless, it’s true; for me, it’s the part of being aware of Reality which makes it both a blessing, and a curse, thus reflecting Reality itself.

“Lying to ourselves is more deeply ingrained than lying to others.” — Fyodor Dostoevsky

This idea can be seen to explain virtually everything wrong in today’s world. The simple fact of its veracity allows those with no morals or compassion to justify to themselves any sort of behavior at all, no matter how viciously immoral, or how it may affect anyone else. It also allows them to take advantage of all those who cannot bring themselves to look the Universe directly in the face, preferring to hide behind ignorance and lack of will, letting those with more boldness and strength determine the course of their lives for them. This pattern was established in the very first culture humanity created, when the first asininnies discovered just how gullible the rest of humanity was….

I’m not sure, at this point, exactly where this is taking us. I intended to speak about aging, and using what we learn to make our life more worthwhile, according to our own standards…. It has, apparently, degenerated into the beginning of a rant against the asininnies and our current societal mess, but, I really don’t feel like going there today; I’m too close to the edge of rage already, from the events of yesterday. If I started on all that now, I’d probably end up going out again, fully armed…. Probably not the best idea in this frame of mind….

So, I’m going to do something I almost never do…. I’m dumping this whole section. What you see is what you get, and we’ll come back tomorrow with something a bit more entertaining, if not more compelling. This one, obviously, is a wash, start to finish…. Ah well, so much for good intentions, eh? I’ll leave y’all with the following thought, which, somehow seems to say what needs to be said at this juncture…;

“And I said to myself be still, wait without hope. For hope would be hope of the wrong thing. Wait without love. For love would be love of the wrong thing. Wait without faith. For the faith and the hope and the love are all in the waiting.” — T.S. Eliot

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Here’s an older poem, from 2012, which I had slotted for use a couple days down the line…. It will do nicely for today, instead….

Semblance of Time

The dreams and visions of modern times are pallid and pale
filled with fear and loathing instead of joy and wonder.
Reality is aging poorly, submitting less data to loudly regale
Sad faded images lacking substance, or proof of thunder.

Sisters and brothers of nightly performance speak in spite
building up scars to protect, or keep a semblance of sanity.
Knowing illusion is near and dear, steeped in muscular delight
while compassion and intelligence get smothered by humanity.

Loneliness soon became the friend of many sizes of fools
stealing through mazes of social tests as if truly wise, or old
while companies of sterile opportunity are hiding their tools
from anyone who might be feeling even a little bit bold.

Painful momentary flashes seem to outline society’s fate
until soft, heavy monuments to elder gods fall from grace.
We’re all getting tired of being told we’re far too late
and never ever nearing tolerance, nor regaining any face.

A hard message awaits us all when we dare to even stay
of life’s uncaring disposition and curmudgeonly faux heart
Only with the strength of a hero may such tales make way
Only a poet may turn such pain into a valid work of art.

~~ gigoid ~~

Written 10/5/2012.

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It was a struggle to decide which of the various icons to use today to adorn this section. I’m not even sure why I chose the laughing Buddha, but, it seems to fit the ‘look and feel’ of how this pearl came out…. I forgot to give SB any parameters, which can be a good, or a bad thing. In this case, I think it came out pretty well. It seems to be a collection of thoughts on one’s best approach to Life, with a bit of humorous insight thrown in…. sort of….. Hell, you tell me; I think it works…..

Virtuous and vicious every man must be,–
Few in the extreme, but all in the degree.

~~ Alexander Pope — Essay on Man, Epistle ii, Line 231 ~~

“Be not anxious about what you have, but about what you are.” — Pope St. Gregory I

“The way up and the way down are one and the same.’ — Heraclitus

“In the sky, there is no distinction of east and west; people create distinctions out of their own minds and then believe them to be true.” — Buddha

“Why should we be in such desperate haste to succeed, and in such desperate enterprises? If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away.” — Henry David Thoreau, “Walden”

“In every man’s heart there is a secret nerve that answers to the vibrations of beauty.” — Christopher Morley

“Live the questions now. Perhaps then, someday far in the future, you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way in the answer.” — Rainer Maria Rilke

“To thine own self be cool.”

~~ Smart Bee ~~

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In gazing back over what has occurred today, I’m struck by only one thought; it’s done. Thankfully, I will take that as a sign to use the most efficient method for ending this, which looks a lot like this…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, since I will still be crazy after all these years, and, I can’t think of any reason not to do so…

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….

Thereby hangs a pail on a nail….

Posted on July 3, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

My imagination makes me human and makes me a fool;

it gives me all the world and exiles me from it.

~~ Ursula K. Le Guin ~~

Interior scenes from a train….

Good morning…. I got nothin’. Nothing at all, at all…. Not only can I think of nothing to write about, I can’t seem to even work up any angst about not being able to do so. this is going to make it a hard row to hoe today, for sure and for certain…. I suppose, that being the case, I’ll just issue the usual warning about keeping your hands inside the vehicle, and get on with it…. Try not to expect too much today, alright? I hate to disappoint people, & it looks as if we’ll be having a special on that today….

Shall we Pearl?….

“.. I wonder if I ought to tell them about my PREVIOUS LIFE as a COMPLETE STRANGER?” — Zippy the Pinhead

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It’s time to head back to our roots…. Here is a collection of cartoons starring the clown who started it all…. Enjoy, ffolkes….

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Bozo The Clown

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https://youtu.be/ayV2JD2AwT8?list=PLZs0gQed9tMR4V8_eLxr_b1Vuhm8a8hIF

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“And it does matter. An honest man or woman is an honest man or woman more because he or she is honest in the small, everyday things that “don’t matter” individually, but which make up a well-lived life, than because of some single great temptation that was passed. A person who is concerned about individual rights or about individual dignity makes his or her difference not because of any sweeping great statement or action, but because of the accretion of small, individually seemingly insignificant acts that spread that dignity and confirm those rights through every action they take. It matters because every action you take, and every action I take is an expression of the human spirit.” — William Oliver (oliver@uncmed.med.unc.edu)

What a fine beginning quote for a rant; it fits right in with our usual theme, and provides a good jumping off point for a discussion of current events…. Since a rant, or even a discussion is pretty much out of the question today, I’ll fill in with some rather good pearls from SB, before it went into its current snit…. Here for your morning enjoyment are some comments on modern life, as seen here on ECR…. The first one will give y’all an idea of exactly how far humanity has advanced over the last 4800 years…..

“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

“The gods can either take away evil from the world and will not, or, being willing to do so cannot; or they neither can nor will, or lastly, they are both able and willing. If they have the will to remove evil and cannot, then they are not omnipotent. If they can, but will not, then they are not benevolent. If they are neither able nor willing, then they are neither omnipotent nor benevolent. Lastly, if they are both able and willing to annihilate evil, how does it exist?” — Epicurus — Aphorisms, c. 300 B.C.

“Heaven does not choose its elect from among the great and wealthy.” — William Makepeace Thackeray, The Virginians (1857-59). Chapter 5

“The remedy in the United States is not less liberty but real liberty — an end to the brutal intolerance of churchly hooligans and flag-waving corporations and all the rest of the small but bloody despots who have made the word Americanism a synonym for coercion and legal crime.” — Archibald MacLeash (b. 1892)

“Acquittal of the guilty damns the judge.” — Horace

“From the standpoint of any sane person, the present problem of capitalist concentration is not only a question of law, but of criminal law, not to mention criminal lunacy.” — G. K. Chesterton, A Case In Point, The Outline of Sanity

“Americans like to talk about (or be told about) Democracy but, when put to the test, usually find it to be an ‘inconvenience.’ We have opted instead for an authoritarian system *disguised* as a Democracy. We pay through the nose for an enormous joke-of-a-government, let it push us around, and then wonder how all those assholes got in there.” — Frank Zappa

“There are some politicians who, if their constituents were cannibals, would promise them missionaries for dinner.” — H.L. Mencken

“Food for thought is no substitute for the real thing.” — Walt Kelly, Potluck Pogo

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Well, of COURSE it’s one of mine; I told y’all I had nothin’ new…. Ah well, sometimes old is better….

Random Exposure

If I only knew what I was doing here,
I could give others a clue.
Reality gets stranger every year,
and I’m not sure what I should do.

Singing happy old tunes, in an old, gravely voice,
gives me a lot of pleasure.
I’m only glad I can still make a choice,
to look at life, to take its measure.

Memorable moments keep passing by
gilded, framed in precious emotion.
I never have to ask anyone why,
no need for a stronger potion.

Everything in life is clear, to me
there is no doubt, no misunderstanding.
We’re all good, as you can see,
members of Life, in good standing.

Life can be hard, or it can be great fun;
the right path is there for each of us to take.
That choice is often a difficult one;
pay close attention to the choice you make.

~~ gigoid ~~

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As noted in the intro section, I’ve got nada…. This, of course, means you get another archived pearl for the final section…. The pearl I found to fill in today is a pretty good one, from a pretty good year…. Enjoy!…

From 5/5/2013:

Today has turned into a traditional Pearl… though the intro is shorter than usual, the rest of it follows format perfectly, with a rant in section one, a classic poet, and poem, in section two, and a third section, which obviously is supposed to be an old-school grouping of pearls…. I confess that I keep a stash of quotes from Smart be, to the tune of about eighty-seven pages of a document, so I’m not as short of quotes as I’d thought to be. I’m going to use it for a couple days, & let the real Smart Bee have a vacation, to see if that will fix the corruption in the file….

I know, wishful thinking, but, it’s worth a shot… If it works, it will piss Murphy off, so I’d do it that way anyway, for just that reason…. Any who, today’s group will be VERY random, so bear with me…. Buckle up, please, we can’t proceed until all seat-belts are fastened securely…. insurance rules…

But the sunshine aye shall light the sky,
As round and round we run;
And the truth shall ever come uppermost,
And justice shall be done.

~~ Charles Mackay — Eternal Justice, Stanza 4 ~~

“A competent and self-confident person is incapable of jealousy in anything. Jealousy is invariably a symptom of neurotic insecurity.” — Robert Heinlein

“Life is a long lesson in humility.” — James M. Barrie

“Ridicule is the best test of truth. — Lord Chesterfield

“If you hate a person, you hate something in him that is part of yourself. What isn’t part of ourselves doesn’t disturb us.” — Hermann Hesse, _Damian_, 1919

“There are two sentences inscribed upon the Delphic oracle, hugely accommodated to the usages of man’s life: “Know thyself”, and “Nothing too much”; and upon these all other precepts depend.” — Plutarch (46-120 AD) — Consolation to Apollonius

“Now and then it’s good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy.” — Smart Bee

Now, that’s not bad at all…. a very cogent grouping, I think…. Let yourself flow with it, and you’ll end up in a place you will like, I guarantee… If not, well, that’s okay too…. some of us need to let things stir around a while before consuming it… or something…. Ah hell, just listen to the last one, and all will be well….

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It’s done. Since that is the BEST I can say of it, we’ll let it die a peaceful death, moving on to the next item on today’s agenda, which happens to be missing…. Oh well, I didn’t feel up to much, anyway…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, should there be no other option….

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….

Filtered through a bold new paradigm….

Posted on June 21, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

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

~~ Elrond ~~

Faded Beauty

Good morning. Maybe…. Even in the quite curmudgeon-like space currently defining my presence this morning, there is no room for nicety. When I think of the general run of people in today’s world, my teeth yearn to bite, my hands to throttle; the mere thought of their pain fills me with an sense of unbridled glee I cannot contain…. Have I gone mad in my sleep? Where is my center, my serenity? Gone, replaced with sheer, bloody rage at the machine…..

Well, that was fun… NOT. It seems all the angst I usually put into ranting has been building up inside, in the past few weeks I’ve been over-using the archives. And why not, I say? It had been a while since I ranted, but, yesterday, a short exchange with a new blogging friend stimulated a fresh rant against our beloved ruling class (I’ve stopped capitalizing it; they don’t deserve the honor….), which you’ll find below, in the appropriate section…. It felt good, too, I have to say….

Rather than wander around too much here, we’ll get on with today’s mess; in the mood I’m in, we could easily end up with two or three fresh rants, and, I’d like to see if there’s a poem in there that might bleed out. If the process of opening up a vein will let it out, cool. If not, well, we’ll see what happens… In the meantime, we’d best be on our way, before I say something that sets off a rant…. It’s a bit early yet for that…. Onward….

Shall we Pearl?

“All the secrets we may be able to keep from any and every god and human being do not in the least absolve us from the obligation to refrain from whatever actions are greedy, unjust, sensual, or otherwise immoderate.” — Cicero, On Duties

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Image from mytinyphone.com via Google Images

In my mind, this man was one of the top three songwriters of the era in which he lived…. A true societal icon, his music did more to create a bond between the feuding races of Man than any religion has EVER done…. The love this man had for his fellow man shone through every note he played…. Enjoy, ffolkes….

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Bob Marley

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https://youtu.be/XspU6g9m2Fs

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“I don’t believe there’s any problem in this country, no matter how tough it is, that Americans, when they roll up their sleeves, can’t completely ignore.” — George Carlin

Since I regard George Carlin as the premier social philosopher of the latter half of the twentieth century, I appreciate him giving me the perfect opportunity to speak to an issue which, to be frank, pisses me off no end…. Yesterday, during a chance reading of a fairly new blog, with a subject something to do with clowns, I made a smart-aleck comment about how clowns are evil, going off on a mini-rant about commercialism of holidays, which led to another comment about the huge elf at the top banner of the blog; you know, the one from that insane propaganda movie, about the 6 ft. tall elf in NY who saves Christmas, or something…. Will Farrell, I think is the actor’s name; can’t be sure, never actually watched anything but the innumerable commercials and trailers for it….

Well, as became patently obvious, the subject flicks my ranting mode switch; when the blogger, a very creative young woman, commented with a “Santa?”…. I went off, ranting for several paragraphs, which I include below, to begin today’s rant, which will continue the theme, if I can do so strongly…. Should be easy, this one really fucks with my sense of justice and outrage….

The comment, as shown below, can be found here, where you can read the whole comment thread, and the original article prompting the conversation:

http://livelovelaughdotme2.com/2015/06/20/childhood-destroyed/comment-page-1/#comment-18066

Oh, honey-chile, I hate to be the one to burst a bubble for you, but, although Santa Claus (as a concept) used to be fairly innocuous, mostly harmless in terms of any psychic brainwashing was concerned, the whole concept of Christmas, and Santa himself, was hijacked by the bankers and businessmen, all the way back in the 1920’s, with roots going back even further in our history; it’s part of why the Great Depression happened…. Then, all the other holidays were turned into Hallmark days, so the businesses that depend on that sort of sales could potentially sell more ‘stuff’, during those months when no ancient, or religious holidays occur….

Mother’s/Father’s Day, St. Valentine’s Day, Thanksgiving, Halloween, President’s Day, Memorial Day, (originally just an observance for the dead in ONE battle…. Now, a person who doesn’t fall into the celebration can be accused of not being patriotic, for failing to buy beer, or watch a game of some kind, to honor all the LIVING brainwashed myrmidons, placing their lives at some risk while they’re off bombing and killing citizens of other countries all over the world, so our bankers can sell their plastic crap to the natives of those places….), virtually every holiday in every month in this country is either a complete fabrication of the government to stimulate business, or an ancient/religious holiday perverted for the same purpose….

I know many holidays are the only chance people today have, to feel good about their lives, and take a break…. So, what does the beloved ruling class do? They inundate the public with advertisements to buy this, that, or the other for the holiday, thus spending more than they can really afford, for a crap-load of stuff, all to celebrate something supposedly worthwhile, which they could easily accomplish without the costly manufactured needs…

Sorry to be a bummer, but, the subject of holidays, cute little elves, and all the other stuff used to convince people they just HAVE to participate in the ongoing economic frenzy of buying, all for stuff you will eat in one day, or throw away afterward…. Well, it just burns my ass to watch our entire society throwing money down the drain, for nothing important, except to fulfill what they BELIEVE to be the customs of the society, which have, in reality, been perverted into a travesty of anything honorable, or even reasonable…. It’s all an illusion, little one, deliberately created to convince people it’s important enough to waste their money on it….

But, then, maybe that’s just me…. It’s not Santa, young paduan; it’s what they’ve turned Santa into that lights my fuse….

gigoid, the sincerely dubious….

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I think the reason this subject angers me so much is connected to two reasons. First, it’s all so transparent, to me, yet, seemingly, there are millions upon millions of otherwise intelligent people who refuse to look at how brainwashed they have become. The opening quote from George takes on new meaning, when one considers how much strength of will it takes to deny evidence that slaps you in the face EVERY DAY….

It implies a choice. It tells me that most people in this country, rather than using their minds for what they were designed to do, have abrogated all their honor, and dignity, for the sake of a safe, secure existence wherein they are not required to think, or make any more effort than the minimum required to survive, in a world made soft and palatable, without danger, or challenge, or need for any imagination….

The second part. which angers me even more, is that we were warned this would happen, by the very men who gave their lives and fortunes to ensure we had the few rights we do…. Thomas Jefferson said it best, I think, though others of his time said much the same…. In fact, it seems Tom had something to say about just about everything happening in today’s news headlines, nailing exactly what has happened to our rights…. For those with tunnel vision, I’ll add a modern example of exactly what Tom was referring to in his statements….(in parentheses)

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

(The Koch Brothers. Super PAC’s. Corporate personhood. 55% of US Senators are millionaires…. Big Pharma/HMO’s. Walmart. )

“Banking establishments are more dangerous than standing armies.” — Thomas Jefferson

(Citicorp. Bank of America. Chase. Rothschild, Rockefeller, Kennedy, Dupont, Krupp, Takahashi, Windsor, Chang, Wang, and the other 0.02% who own ALL THE MONEY IN THE WORLD)

“I am mortified to be told that, in the United States of America, the sale of a book can become a subject of inquiry, and of criminal inquiry too.” — Thomas Jefferson

(Gee, does that sound anything like the programs gathering metadata by the NSA, or the FBI, authorized by the good ol’ Patriot Act, one of the most ironic catchphrases they ever came up with….)

“I place economy among the first and most important virtues, and public debt as the greatest of dangers. To preserve our independence, we must not let our rulers load us with perpetual debt.” — Thomas Jefferson

(Current US government debt is more than 700 TRILLION dollars, and counting….)

“…when all government… in little as in great things, shall be drawn to Washington as the centre of all power, it will render powerless the checks provided of one government on another and will become as venal and oppressive as the government from which we separated.” — Thomas Jefferson, 1821

(Need I even say anything here? Okay, just for a recent example…. Obamacare….Another? Okay. The Supreme Court decision allowing rich people to buy politicians through PAC’s…. What did one of the dissenting judges on the Court say about that? Let’s see….)

“A society that will trade a little liberty for a little order will lose both, and deserve neither.” — Thomas Jefferson

(Patriot Act again…. Secret courts. Torture as a legitimate tool. Police killings. Police militarization. Drone spying on domestic targets. All proven with evidence, yet denied by officials….)

“The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is it’s natural manure.” — Thomas Jefferson, Letter to William S. Smith, Paris, Nov. 13, 1787

(Sadly, this one is no longer possible, I think…. Not enough true patriots of liberty left; they’ve all become zombies, or bought into the lies, and are in complete denial of their slavery….)

Okay, that’s enough…. As you can see, Tom, and others, warned us of ALL of this…. But, thanks to laziness, to the common man’s lack of willingness to be responsible for their own lives and actions, the majority of Americans not only don’t realize they are no longer free at all, but, deny it when confronted with incontrovertible evidence….

SIGH…. Fuck ’em…. I won’t go down without a struggle, you can be sure of that…. Others may do as they like…. And, yes, I KNOW the NSA will eventually see this…. So what? I’m not going to lie, and become like them….

gigoid has spoken.

So be it.

“For water continually dropping will wear hard rocks hollow.”

~~ Plutarch ~~

~~ Of the Training of Children ~~

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I’d hoped a poem was ready to bleed out, but, it ain’t happening…. Here is yet another from the archives….

When life calls, ready or not….

Memories are all we have sometimes
to keep our sanity intact,
with learned phrases and subtle rhymes
lessening life’s vicious, vibrant impact.

Presently all seems composed and intent
in stark contrast to hollow day,
forlorn patchwork emotions of unheralded bent,
fill up night’s bower, leaving hell to pay.

Such vigorous and elevated temper
brings us rare moments to ponder,
filled with lessons all need to remember
lest base perception lose valued wonder.

Laugh loud when entropy sticks fast
leaving shameless anger in its wake.
Let bygones pass quietly into the past
reaping only what is left to take.

Final words of wise imagination
tell us living well’s the best revenge, it appears
ever eluding choirs and congregations
finally finding home, never buried in tears.

~~ gigoid ~~

Written 9/10/2012.

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I put the following pearl together, but, I don’t know exactly what it all means…. I mean, I do, but, I don’t…. See what I mean? (What IS the mind? More to the point, what does the mind MEAN?….)

Ah well, they’re all such good pearls, it has to mean something good, right? Or is that a bit too Pollyanna-ish? Or, maybe, Pavlovian…. Perhaps so; I don’t think any of it will affect the Space/Time Continuum, anyway, so, I think we’ll be okay…. If not, well, see y’all in the next Universe….

And now someone’s on the telephone desperate in his pain
Someone’s on the bathroom floor doing her cocaine
Someone’s got his finger on the button in some room
No one can convince me we aren’t gluttons for our doom

~~ the Indigo Girls, “Prince Of Darkness” ~~

“Whip me such honest knaves.” — William Shakespeare, Othello — Act i, Sc. 1

“Better to have illusions of a reality where everything is real than to have a reality of illusions where nothing is real.” — Bobby Matherne

“As the sword of the best-tempered metal is the most flexible; so the truly generous are most pliant and courteous in their behavior to their inferiors.” — Fuller

“Those who fear death most are those who enjoy life least.” — Edward Abbey

“One idea spoken truly, even in a cave, can change the world.” — Buddha

“Food, sleep, fear, propagation; each is the common property of men with brutes. Virtue is really their additional distinction; devoid of virtue, they are equal with brutes.” — The Hitopadesa (600?-1100? A.D.)

“Of all the benefits that virtue confers upon us, the contempt of death is one of the greatest.” — Montaigne

“I say love, it is a flower;

and you, it’s only seed.”

~~ Bette Midler, “The Rose” ~~

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

Well, I can’t do any better, or think of anything else to add; I guess that means we’re done here. Whew! It’s been a long life…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, if I can’t think of anything better to do….

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….

Oddly enough, it DOES float….

Posted on June 15, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“The logic of words should yield to the logic of realities.”

~~ Louis Brandeis ~~

The Pyramids as seen from the International Space Station

Image taken by NASA Astronaut Terry Virts

Good morning…. We meet once again, coming together to peruse those parts of Reality we can perceive, finding reasons to reason…. Or, not. As they’re fond of saying downtown…. Whatever they’re saying, here we are, fully prepared to pursue whatever nonsense or sheer beauty we may encounter in our journey together…. I can’t wait….

Shall we Pearl?

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

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

little_feat_1975_1.jpg.CROP.promovar-mediumlarge

Possibly the very best little-known band in Rock, Little Feat are considered one of the best ever, for their music, and for the show they put on stage…. Here is one of those from the late 1970’s…. Enjoy, ffolkes; these guys are GOOD….

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

Little Feat Live

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

https://youtu.be/eXsFZjfNCDY

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

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

Okay….. So, today’s ranting section is to be another mini-rant from the archives; if you were here, inside my head, you’d understand why I’m not going to attempt any fresh material of that nature; it would be dangerous for the Space/Time Continuum. This was an intro section, wherein I lost control & went off into a short, but, pointed rant about, you guessed it, our lovely BRC…. Enjoy!….

From 9/16/2013:

Powerful visions often pass through my mind, generally on their way somewhere else, thus making them merely an annoyance, rather than a joy. Such is life in reality, where we seldom get a proper chance to do just as we would like, even though we adjust and flex both our efforts, and our desires, in the quest to achieve whatever it is we are seeking to accomplish. This is because reality is like an amoeba, always changing shape and character, right before us, with nothing we possess that can affect it one way or another before it changes. All we have is the ability to change our minds, which, to those of us who study reality, is our most valuable tool….

This ability is the one saving grace we have in the face of reality, so it is a good idea to train it well. If not used, and guided, this ability, to be flexible in our thoughts, becomes weak, and can disappear altogether if neglected. The people to whom this has happened are doomed, to a life of misery and ignorance, because there is nothing new to learn for them, once they have abrogated the control of their own mind. They are unable to adjust to the rapidity of modern society, and constantly yearn for “the good old days”, which in their minds are golden, but in reality are just gone. It’s sad, but true, that the greater majority of this particular country has done just that, and now allows the pundits on TV to determine for them just what they will think….. It’s much easier than making up their own minds, and, easy is what they are all about…

Whoops! I didn’t mean to start ranting, but, it’s just so easy sometimes, when I start thinking…. That right there is the whole problem…. I start thinking, things just get all intense, and I start taking shots at the parts of society that seem to thrive on stealing from the others with whom they live….. It’s all such a waste, in my mind, to see the potential talent and abilities even the most average person possesses subverted, and/or deliberately perverted, into either disuse, or misuse, all for the sake of keeping the BRC in their positions of power over everyone else.

Those who wish to be in charge of others, who want the power over others that goes along with being an elected official in this country, are, in my mind, clinically insane; I wish sometimes I was more of a curmudgeon than I am, and that I owned a gun…. But, then, if I did, I’d feel compelled to use it, and my targets would be mostly found in one particular environment, a large city on the East Coast where those who are crazy enough to want that power gather, to perform their arcane rituals of theft, misdirection, and aggrandizement. It might take me a few weeks, and a couple boxes of ammo, but, I could make a serious dent in their numbers, given the time and space…. Too bad I’m disabled now, and can’t work up that much angst…. it might be fun….

Of course, then I’d be falling into the same frame of mind they cultivate in themselves, wherein they believe they are smart enough to actually make decisions for others….. It has always amazed me to see how much these men and women can delude themselves into thinking this kind of crap; it’s like they have a complete blind spot for other people, for what they might think or feel; they actually believe what they want should be paramount over what everyone else wants, or needs….. SIGH….. To make it all not just worse, but stupidly worse, they not only believe this nonsense, they are all-too-successful at getting everyone else to buy into it as well, and will use any persuasion they can think of, no matter how immoral, illegal, or just plain untrue it is, to assert control over the rest of society….

As the perfect example, I give you the attacks of 9/11/01, which the BRC used to perfection. to create fear, and even paranoia, in the public, thereby freeing them to mount their assault on the Bill of Rights. Without even considering the source of the money that paid for the attacks, or who might have had a part in planning it, let us note how the politicos ALL jumped on the security bandwagon, shouting for more restrictive laws to keep the terrorists at bay, while simultaneously pocketing all the extra money that now pours into the Homeland Security monstrosity of a bureaucracy, and disappears down the black hole that such behemoths always create, sending piles of money into places where the pundits can more easily transfer it to their pockets…. a habit of politicians, as Thomas Jefferson, and his cohorts, knew well.

Well, I see that I’ve completely lost my way, and fell into a full-fledged rant, before even seeing any headlines, and before consuming sufficient coffee to prevent it….. I’d better take a short time out….

Okay, well, that didn’t help much; I’m still in rant mode, but, now I don’t have the physical capabilities remaining to get any more of it out; it’s going to be one of those days, I think, and I might just go back to bed to avoid the worst of it…. Let’s see if I can get a Pearl done first. It should be fairly quick and easy…. I’ve already ranted, so I can go old-school for sections one and two, and I’ll find a good poem for section two…. as long as it all goes smoothly, I should be done, and back in bed within a couple hours…. Yay….

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

A young woman whom I believe will be one of humanity’s future poet laureates, maggiemaeijustsaythis, (Maggie Mae to her friends), has written another gem…. Her work continually amazes me, as is patently obvious by how often her name shows up in this section…. Enjoy, ffolkes! Oh, and, watch that last line; it’s a powerful metaphor, and will knock you over, if you aren’t paying attention….

Center of Time

Welcome home, a strawberry plant
grows out back
for you, but it
has twisted to fingernails
to scratch away the bugs.

It has a heart, ready for transplant.
I promised to die,
I admit, I’m in the habit,
but it just sat in one spot,
sucking on water cells

reminding me what it
would feel like to overheat.
Now you are here, hiding in
the desert, my fruit not fertile
enough for you
to eat.

So, you say it’s the center of time,
one hand holds it,
the other says good-bye.

~~ maggiemaeijustsaythis ~~

http://maggiemaeijustsaythis.com/2015/06/14/center-of-time/

I repeat…. Whew!….

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

Yep…. It’s yet another pearl about Life at Large…. Note the smooth, even way it all slides together….

You must remember this, a kiss is still a kiss,
A sigh is just a sigh;
The fundamental things apply,
As time goes by.
It’s still the same old story,
A fight for love and glory,
A case of Do or Die!
The world will always welcome lovers,
As time goes by.

~~ Herman Hupfield~~ ~~

~~As Time Goes By”, from “Everybody’s Welcome” ~~

“It is good to have an end to journey toward, but it is the journey that matters in the end.” — Ursula K. LeGuin

“For my part, I had rather be the first man among these fellows than the second man in Rome.” — Plutarch (46-120 AD) — Life of Caesar

“Be able to be alone. Lose not the advantage of solitude, and the society of thyself.” — Thomas Browne

“In theory, theory is the same as reality. In reality it’s not.” — Smart Bee

“A hole is nothing, but you can break your neck in it. — Smart Bee

Pity this busy monster, manunkind, not.
Progress is a comfortable disease.

~~ e.e. cummings, One Times One ~~

As I’ve said, many times, it’s all in the wrist…..

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

Some days, this process runs itself, which is a fortunate thing, since I often end up as I am today, rather a useless addendum to the issue. Nevertheless, I can take comfort in knowing the process itself will take us where we need to go, which, I may add, it has done quite well…. Since it is done, we’ll trust to luck, and go post it…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, should Fate deign to consent….

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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