Prunes provide a moveable feast….

Posted on April 4, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“A man is not aware of his virtues (if any).
Nevertheless, one hopes that they exist.”

~~ Edward Abbey ~~

Tower of London from the Thames

Hajime…. ‘Tisn’t often I’ll begin by apologizing, but, that doesn’t cause it to mean less, to me, at least. Today, I’m doing so to explain the Pearl you will see, as it is one I probably will try to forget, if only for the cost of getting it done. Without complaint or retreat into plaintive excuses, I’ll merely say I was unable to sleep again, until late this morning, thus making me late getting started, as well as beginning another day with fatigue rather than any particular enthusiasm. Oh, well.

That said, the Pearl should, after a fashion, speak for itself. Most of it won’t be too fresh, as I don’t have any fresh on hand, or, for that matter, in mind. In fact, with what I have in mind, I probably couldn’t pass a test to get into kindergarten. I am, nonetheless, rather determined to get it done, no matter how it turns out, if only to soothe my own disappointment. One must find one’s reasons to go on oneself, mustn’t one? One must, and one has done. So be it.

Since I don’t have much, what you see is, once more, what you get. I, for one, am going on; y’all can follow if you like….

Shall we Pearl?….

“Once the realization is accepted that even between the closest human beings infinite distances continue to exist, a wonderful living side by side can grow up, if they succeed in loving the distance between them which makes it possible for each to see each other whole against the sky.” — Rainer Maria Rilke

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

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

Yep. Classical music, as the icon indicates so clearly. Well, it’s clear to me; listen up to the music, and it may do the same for y’all…. or, not. So be it.

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

Classical Music

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

https://youtu.be/k353I-9GgIM

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

Since I don’t have the wherewithal to produce a rant, here is a rather extensive discussion from early in 2013, on the subject of gun control…. a subject which is rather important to ALL of us, in the long run. Me, I’m of the same opinion as Clint Eastwood, an eminently sensible man, all in all, to wit: “Gun control means, if there’s a gun in the room, I want to be the one controlling it.” Y’ll can do as you like in the matter…. Enjoy!….

From 2/9/2013:

“Is this an out-take from the “BRADY BUNCH”?”

~~ Zippy the Pinhead ~~

I’m rather hoping it is, in sooth…. if not, we all are in serious trouble, up the proverbial creek without a hint of a paddle. Not that it should be anything new or unfamiliar, as most of our history has been spent thus occupied. Of course, previous centuries didn’t have the distinct advantage of having either the Brady’s, or Zippy, in all his insane wisdom, as cultural icons, as well as ethical touchstones….. They had to make do with Socrates, and Plato, and stuffy old guys like that….. Aristotle was practically a rock star in his day, and remains a pretty smart dude, by all evidence, but I still prefer Carlin, I think, for the most cogent philosophy for modern times….

“In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the state and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defense.” — The Constitution of the United States of America Amendment 6, 1791

For a moment, I wondered what my unconscious mind was thinking when it made me copy and paste this amendment into the pearl, as a pearl…. especially as it seems to be in conjunction with the Zippy quote…. Here I am, five minutes later, still wondering what the hell I was thinking…. It happens that way sometimes…. just give me a few moments here, and I’ll come up with it…. Aha! Got it! Naturally, I only needed to go back to basics…. The answer to the question of how the two quotes are related is…. Reality….

Aye, that’s right, reality. It’s what we do here, explore reality, and all its implications, ramifications, and delineations. Also, it’s temperature. Well, perhaps that isn’t the right word, but…. Reality, as is clear and obvious to the most casual observer, exists in varying degrees (hence: temperature…. see?). The degree of reality that is included in an out-take from the Brady Bunch is clearly not the same degree of reality that is implied in the Sixth Amendment. I’d say, the Amendment would hit around 8 or 9 on the real scale, with 10 being the Reality of Amber, where all roads lead. (See Roger Zelazny’s book, The Courts of Amber…..), whereas the highest the Brady’s could hope for would be a 2 or a 3 on that same scale. They’re too oppositional in nature to be rated otherwise, as well as being on opposite ends of the scale of Relative Importance to ME and YOU…..

Now we get to the meat of this matter…. Of late, there has been a lot of public discourse regarding gun control, as a result of the media’s steadfast love of gore and manipulation. Another school shooting took place a few weeks ago, wherein some crazy idiot got hold of some firearms and used them in an insane manner. This, of course, all morality aside, is still a reprehensible act, and, IMHO, most easily solved by just taking one of his own guns and using it on him, at the time of his crime. Bang, problem solved, and since he’s standing there over the bodies he has made, no question of guilt. In such cases, the why of his guilt should not matter; whatever it is, it is reason enough to put him down, in defense of humanity. The other questions can be answered after the children have been defended….

Sadly, there are two segments of humanity who don’t agree with this logical outcome. One segment is what I term the humanitarians, a misleading term, since it usually involves the denial of much of human nature. The other, of course, is our old nemesis, the BRC…. our Beloved Ruling Class…. Neither of these groups will agree that allowing people to have guns should be allowed, or that killing the killers is a proper solution for the issue. In both of these positions, they are dead wrong, and, more, they know they are. This serves to make their arguments more shrill, more emotionally based, and, in their eyes, more valid, in some strange form of weird logic….

“Everybody in this room is wearing a uniform, so don’t kid yourself…”

~~ Frank Zappa ~~

One of the most edifying parts of this discussion, for me, is how it makes it so easy to identify those who are wearing the uniforms, and from what camp they are from, according to their colors and insignia. You can tell the humanitarians, they’re the ones wearing the faux-camouflage pants, in support of the troops, they’ll assure you; they want the police to be the only ones who carry guns, believing, for some unknown reason, that police are somehow more moral or ethical than other people. (Of course, they also would have trouble if you asked them to define the words, “moral”, or “ethical”, in any other terms than those used in a philosophy paper they memorized in college, or in seminary….)

The BRC are always easy to spot, as their sense of entitlement provides them with all the armor against opinion, or law, they ever need. They want guns to be only held by the militia, (which they control), or the police (whom they also control), because it makes them nervous as hell to know there are guns out in the land, in the hands of people who would use them, for certain, if they attempt to perform their illegal lying, cheating, and stealing anywhere in their presence. It also makes them nervous knowing that they would be in danger for real, if the truth about what they do is ever made public with enough evidence to convince the masses to act…. They don’t want to have to worry they will be over-matched in firepower when that day comes along….

SIGH…. I’ve opened a can of worms, again, I know it….. I’m not going to claim to have all the right answers to the situation we find ourselves in today. Though it is a different world, technologically and culturally, from the time when the Second Amendment was written, deciding to abandon its precepts on that basis is not, and should never be, enough to justify any change in a law that is so important to the common man, the very people for whom the laws were created, to protect them from the self-same usurpation that is now being attempted. Once the law is amended, and weakened, the term “slippery slope” becomes very real, and a valid fear for those people.

To put a cap on it for now, I’ll say this…. Quite simply, I do not trust those who would take the right to bear arms from the people. I have seen NO evidence, in history, or in recent current events, that ANY governing body, or ANY group, or ANY single person, of ANY persuasion can be trusted to have guns, and use them solely for the benefit of the people, without turning them to their own purposes, first. NONE. You can’t show me any, either…. Go ahead, I’m listening….

I have studied people every day of my life, and I know too much of human nature to ever believe what I’m told of another person’s intentions; even the best intentions can change in mid-stream, turning its back completely on any commitments made previously. People lie, they cheat, they break in their minds, and they can’t, as a whole, ever be trusted to act rationally on a consistent basis….. at least, not any more rationally than can I myself….

“In all matters of opinion, our adversaries are insane.”

~~ Oscar Wilde ~~

Such being the case, I’d rather keep my guns, thanks. I’ll accept the risks that go with that freedom, which includes the risk of bad people getting their hands on guns, and doing bad things to others. Don’t worry, if they do it in front of me, I’ll help…. and not by running away and hiding…. Life is dangerous, ffolkes, and one either learns to get along with that idea, or one spends a lot of time worrying about shit that can’t be changed…. A very unhappy state of affairs, to my way of thinking, and not very realistic in the long run….

“When the panorama of human existence becomes chaotic and confused,
it is quite soothing to watch the sun rise in the East.”

~~ gigoid~~

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

Blithely Untitled

A poem came to me today, willy, nilly,
along with a sharp blow to the head.
Since it left me feeling just a bit silly,
anything that rhymes should lessen the dread.

Manifesting destiny into a small, insidious group
we push on toward sanity, concentrating hard.
Full engaging moments spent navigating the loop
shall ever make a difference to victims found in the yard.

Still corpses of creatures, straight out of nightmare
fill up the corners of our tortured minds.
While ever saddened, the iconic male, most debonair,
gazes softly, ironically, at all the mutual interest he finds.

Moronic public statutes compel outbreaks of sanity,
responding to momentary impulses toward inducing peace.
Still, the motions get completed, in fertile stages of inanity
while the bulk of our inmates can find no surcease.

Reluctant motivation to continue is unbound,
striving to ascertain how far there yet remains to go.
No precognitive guesswork will make any less of a sound
to soften the final strains, or teach us to truly know.

~~ gigoid ~~

2/7/2014

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

Today’s final old-school pearl is the only fresh material I can provide today; in spite of its relative freshness, it’s a little strange. But, it works, as it is merely giving us some stuff about living we may have either forgotten, or, overlooked in our haste to be…. In any case, none of it will hurt you, and may even help… Go figure…..

Though man a thinking being is defined,
Few use the grand prerogative of mind.
How few think justly of the thinking few!
How many never think, who think they do!

~~ Jane Taylor ~~

~~ Essays in Rhyme, (On Morals and Manners, Prejudice, ) Essay i, Stanza 45 ~~

“The hard questions always have more than one right answer. The easy questions have no answers at all. That’s the universe’s way of keeping things balanced.” — Solomon Short

“It is better to know nothing than to know what ain’t so.” — Josh Billings

“Yesterday is but today’s memory, and tomorrow is today’s dream.” — Kahlil Gibran

“Look to the essence of a thing, whether it be a point of doctrine, of practice, or of interpretation.” — Marcus Aurelius Antoninus — Meditations, viii, 22

“A happy person is not a person in a certain set of circumstances, but rather a person with a certain set of attitudes.” — Hugh Downs

“Nobody ever died of laughter.”

~~ Max Beerbohm ~~

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

It’s done, and that’s the best I can say of it. Today is what we call REALLY trusting the process. So be it. I’ll try again tomorrow, if I can manage to rest/sleep enough to waken with a functioning neuron or two. In any case, see y’all tomorrow; personally, I don’t seem to have much choice, if I am to remain in the vicinity of sanity….

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….

Golly! It’s exactly infinite!….

Posted on April 3, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Love not what you are, but what you may become.”

~~ Miguel de Cervantes ~~

Typical tourist shot of Abbey & Ben

Hajime…. Well. Here we are again, this time with a degree of reluctance rather difficult to overcome. Another very long night, with the bonus of tweaking my back good and proper right before arising. Joy, oh, joy…. Since I am determined, in spite of all that, to post today, I’ll struggle through the process, & see what can be done. And, I won’t even ask for any slack.

I will, however, take some, or make some, one way or another, for, today, I’m going to need some to get through this without any unwarranted angst build-up, nor any dead bodies, if at all possible. Leelu hates the smell. At any rate, this little short diatribe-like outburst, which is here merely to fill in a bit of space on the page, is all the intro you get today. In fact, you have already reached the end of what I’ve got, so, we’ll just be on our way, just as if we planned it this way…. Slick, eh?…. Well, I think so, but, then, we already know where from I began the day…

Shall we Pearl?….

“A man can’t get rich if he takes proper care of his family.”

~~ Navajo Proverb ~~

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

Betty Boop in 1934

Image from 123freevectors.com via Google Images

I’m feeling pretty down, altogether, so, we’ll go today with a bit of different entertainment. Here is a collection of all the various Betty Boop cartoons that got banned at one time or another, for various offenses against the public’s sensibilities, as legal at the time. None, of course, are anything perverted, other than with the usual human insanity, which, in Betty’s case, was mitigated by the size of her heart…. Enjoy, ffolkes, this is all classic humor and state of the art for the time…

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Betty Boop

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https://youtu.be/VkG9c1yy2lg

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There are days when I must trust the process. Today is such a day, for sure and for certain. I’m trying NOT to go into the archives for anything other than the poem, so, here is an old-school pearl, taking some shots at modern society, and a few of the things that I see we need to change, if we have any hope of making it to the twenty-second century….

“The world has taken on a thickness of vulgarity that raises a spiritual man’s contempt to the violence of a passion.” — Charles Baudelaire

“It’s silly to go on pretending that under the skin we are all brothers. The truth is more likely that under the skin we are all cannibals, assassins, traitors, liars, hypocrites, poltroons.” — Henry Miller

“The industrial way of life leads to the industrial way of death. From Shiloh to Dachau, from Antietam to Stalingrad, from Hiroshima to Vietnam and Afghanistan, the great specialty of industry and technology has been the mass production of human corpses.” — Edward Abbey

“Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.” — Genesis 1:28

(As an aside, I would like to note, the statement from Genesis, in my mind, is the root cause of ALL our troubles here on Earth….This is not only a contemptible lie, it is sheer effrontery on the part of the one who thought this shit up…. Sheer wishful thinking, and, quite obviously insane….)

“If you close your eyes, You won’t see them dying” — Eric Bogle

“The danger is not that a particular class is unfit to govern. Every class is unfit to govern.” — Lord Acton

“The individual must not merely wait and criticize, he must defend the cause the best he can. The fate of the world will be such as the world deserves.” — Albert Einstein

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

Elemental, dear Watson….

Don’t worry,
it’s not
me
you hear
screaming.

It is
only
my bones,
giving in,
to
cowardly,
pathologically,
repetitive,
fucking,’
complaints
of
past abuse,
and
all the fun
we had.
playing,
hard.

I don’t mind
too much;
I can spend my
TIME
in another space
in my head,
pretending
my bones
don’t
exist….

It
is,
indeed,
a shame
they
always
come
back….

Fuck.

It
hurts.

More proof,
I guess,
either
God isn’t,
or,
He is.

He isn’t?
Oh,
Well….

Ante up.
Deal.

He is?
Then,
I don’t fucking care
who
doesn’t like it,

I say,

He
is
a bully,
a coward,
a hypocrite,
and,
truly,
an enormous asshole.

I suppose,
God
is
what comes,
to,
and
from,
People,

because

they
feel
a need,
for
someone
to
blame,
for
a
Universe
they
cannot
understand
or
accept.

I
will
take the complaints.

After all,
they
are
my bones.

~~ gigoid ~~

9/14/2014

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

Our final pearl is an old-school, random harlequin variety pearl. It’s a bit more obscure than most, but, winds its way to where it should be, eventually. Try not to take it personally, okay? I’m tired, and it’s all I’ve got…. Just think of the children before you decide to vent….

“The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance.” — Socrates

“If you don’t know where you’re going, when you get there you’ll be lost.” — Yogi Berra

“Any certainty is a delusion.” — Subtle Bee

“Cultivation to the mind is as necessary as food to the body.” — Cicero

“Don’t go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first.” — Mark Twain

“How is one to live a moral and compassionate existence when one is fully aware of the blood, the horror inherent in life, when one finds darkness not only in one’s culture but within oneself? If there is a stage at which an individual life becomes truly adult, it must be when one grasps the irony in its unfolding and accepts responsibility for a life lived in the midst of such paradox. One must live in the middle of contradiction, because if all contradiction were eliminated at once life would collapse. There are simply no answers to some of the great pressing questions. You continue to live them out, making your life a worthy expression of leaning into the light.” — Barry Lopez, Arctic Dreams

“And furthermore, my bowling average is unimpeachable!!!” — Zippy the Pinhead

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

While making no claims as to quality, I can honestly say, it’s done. That, by the way, is also ALL I’m going to say about it. I will, as usual, try again tomorrow, given half a chance. For now, I shall bid thee adieu, with the hopes your day goes better than my night. See y’all mañana, amigos; I wouldn’t advise trying to stop me….

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….

Uncanny visions in sauce aubergine….

Posted on April 2, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Yow! Did something bad happen or am I in a drive-in movie?”

~~ Zippy the Pinhead ~~

Iconic Alaskans, Pre-Zombie Age

Hajime…. In spite of the rather excellently nonsensical title for today’s Pearl, I can make no claims to any particular excellence, as it isn’t done yet. However, having, somehow, managed to fall into some pleasant hours of actual sleep, there is hope for, at least, some degree of coherency, if not erudition. Plus, having already used up half of my most elegant vocabulary in this paragraph, the rest may suffer somewhat. So be it, as they say downtown; I’m too happy to care. Sleep is a weapon, and, for the first time in what seems like a decade, I am armed well to start the day.

It’s odd to have such clarity so early, but, let’s see if we can’t take some advantage of it, to make a decent effort at a fine, lustrous Pearl, of great beauty and value. Or, we could fake it, which may happen further down the page, as one can never tell just how cooperative SB will be on any given day, and, we must always be aware of the kind attentions of our old nemesis, one Murphy, the ultimate asshole. Oops, he doesn’t care for that epithet, but, hey, he knows how I feel about him, so, as they say in certain areas of the city, fuck it.

And, we’ll apply that attitude to the intro today, in the interests of getting on with it, since I’m rapidly running out of patter. In fact, I can’t seem to find even a tidbit left in there which might have any useful effect on what is happening. As can be observed, we are rapidly getting close to a point from which extrication may be impossible…. To forgo any possibility of derailing our purpose today, I believe I’ll use this little toy right here, which is, possibly, our most efficient toy. It’s pretty cool, and it works like this….

Shall we Pearl?….

“Are people more important than the grizzly bear?
Only from the point of view of some people.”~~ Edward Abbey ~~

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

One might have guessed I’d go with a classical composer today; it’s my default. When I really want to concentrate, and be soothed at the same time, this is usually the composer to whom I turn. One of the most prolific composers of all time, I give you Camille Saint-Saënz, for your listening enjoyment….

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

Camille Saint-Saënz

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

https://youtu.be/eIZpyoKHhXo

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

Today’s rant will be from the archives, simply because I’m in too good a mood to spoil with such vitriol as might come forth. Here instead is a relatively short discussion of the tendency of the human animal to resort to violence as a means of expressing their innermost demons…. sort of. It will do for our purposes today, which, at this point, merely involve getting down to the next section…. Keeping that in mind, please enjoy our little foray into the fairly recent past…

From 1/23/2013:

“I’ve never killed a man, but I’ve read many obituaries with great pleasure.”

~~ Clarence Darrow ~~

I really love the power of understatement; this one from Mr. Darrow is an excellent condemnation of a huge class of people, unnamed as yet, but whose names are indelibly etched on our memories, just waiting to be included in a list of people the world would be better off without…. We all have a list by that title in our heads; anyone who denies it is a liar, plain and simple, and fooling no one. As a human being, it is part of our nature to hate, and nobody is so morally chaste as to escape those kinds of feelings now and then. Nobody…..

Sometimes, what amazes me about modern life is that there are so FEW outbreaks of random violence… I’d think that, with all the pressure our society puts on people, there would be a lot more of us who crack, enough to lose control over our baser impulses, and start trying to cross names off our list of preferred targets….. The way they usually go about it isn’t the most logical, or tactically intelligent, but what do you expect from somebody in an emotional crisis? Logical thinking? Not going to happen, sorry….. I’d say it would be time to get nervous when some guy starts blasting away, then disappears, only to attack again later, in a new place…. That would indicate more planning and strategy, and a much more dangerous person…..

I’m not sure just why I started this pearl…. It might have been in response to yet another random shooting spree reported yesterday in the news, in which a teenager started firing at people because of some argument he/she had with another teen, or something like that… another totally insane reason to start killing people, but, then, do you really expect rational from these people? It isn’t rational to expect them to have an understandable reason for their insanity, it doesn’t work that way…..

But, the media will spend an incredible amount of time and energy exploring every nuance of what this idiot was doing when they snapped, until no secrets are left to the young person’s life…. In looking at the entire incident, including the media coverage, I am tempted to give a big sigh, and lament the death of society, or at least the apparent death of decency…..

Amorphous anxiety seems to be our legacy as members of today’s culture; our lives consist of a series of unpalatable events fueled by unwarranted lies, and made worse for a societal tendency toward sloth combined with a severe lack of compassion; the sheer futility of it all seems to be the only message that comes through clearly. The fatal flaw in human nature that keeps us from becoming truly moral creatures is still in control of our destiny, and any impetus toward rationality is disallowed.

“The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who in times of great moral crises maintain their neutrality.” — Dante Alighieri (1265-1321)

This is the flaw we possess, all of us, and that which has plagued us throughout our history. One of my blogging friends commented a day or two ago with a relatively famous quote, in response to another discussion around the recent spate of reported shootings…. “All that is needed for evil to succeed, is for good men to look on and do nothing.” (She didn’t report the attribution, but according to Google, it was first stated by a man named Edmund Burke, with a number of slight alterations in wording since its appearance.) This single truth has been the biggest stumbling block to human progress for our entire history, and continues today to keep us from making any progress toward improving our chances of survival in the long run.

Once more, I’ve painted myself into a virtual corner, so to speak, since I don’t have any good solutions to offer to our dilemma. Oh sure, I can tell anyone what is needed for us to start making the world into the kind of place that would be home to EVERYONE…. I think, down inside, all of us KNOW what is needed for the world to be a better place. But, until it becomes common practice for people to make decisions based on compassion and love, rather than ambition and avarice, things aren’t going to change much, because the folks who don’t care about others aren’t going to stop what they’re doing…. there’s nothing in it for them if they do. Only when good men stand up, and refuse to allow that kind of usurpation of the rights of everyone else, will any changes take place…..

So, you tell me….. When is that going to happen? And how do we convince people that it needs to happen? Answer those two questions, and we might have a direction to go……

“If you ever go temporarily insane, don’t shoot somebody, like a lot of people do. Instead, try to get some weeding done, because you’d really be surprised.” — Deep Thoughts, by Jack Handey

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

Intelligent Crimes

The value of wit is often said to cause harm,
for those who think, such is its greatest charm.
The new and the bold cannot be fulfilled
if innovation and change is left unwilled.

Society behaves at its base as a mob
conformity and submission its primary job.
Any sign of rebellion against the mob’s rule
is met with resentment, naming such rebel the fool.

Intellect and talent are looked at askance,
expressing artistry stands nary a chance.
To stand out from the rest of mankind
is fraught with danger, for body and mind.

Often I stand to watch in solemn dismay
as beauty and joy are left by the way,
ignored and reviled by the unwashed masses
who prefer darkness, and acting like asses.

With shouts of derision the normals make known
their fear of intelligence, greater than their own.
They hope to stop all semblance of progress;
for thoughts and ideas, they couldn’t care less.

The world struggles on in spite of all opposition,
managing to maintain its advanced position.
Pulling the foolish along in spite of reluctance,
helping each to learn the survival dance.

Hard though it may be to keep up with the future
genius manages its plans to develop and nurture.
In the final analysis, those who live by reason
enjoy life the most, season to season.

~~ gigoid ~~

10/7/2012

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

Our final pearl today is a rather simple, yet definitive pearl, of the pointed variety. This points us toward a way to approach our lives with elegance, rationality, and a degree of style. If you don’t get it, just go by the final injunction, and you’ll be fine…. Enjoy!….

“The most precious gift we can offer others is our presence. When mindfulness embraces those we love, they will bloom like flowers.” — Thich Nhat Hanh

“If passion drives you, let reason hold the reins.” — Sagacious Bee

“But the only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible.” — Arthur C. Clarke

“I’m not a teacher only a fellow traveller of whom you asked the way. I pointed ahead – ahead of myself as well as of you.” — George Bernard Shaw, “Getting Married,” 1908

“Don’t take anything seriously except happiness.” — Albert Camus

“Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest.” — Mark Twain

“If you get confused, listen to the music play.” — Robert Hunter

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

The smooth efficiency with which this Pearl came together makes me nervous; however, having trusted the process thus far, I must go with the flow. Since it’s also done, perhaps I’ll forgo the usual idiocy here at the end, & merely take my leave. Yeah, that’s the ticket. I’ll see y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, unless somebody comes up with a weapon I can’t deal with…. The odds are good, as always….

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….

A feast for fools…

Posted on April 1, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Above all, we must abolish hope in the heart of man.
A calm despair, without angry convulsions,
without reproaches to Heaven,
is the essence of wisdom.”

~~ Alfred Victor Vigny ~~

Early morning in Alaska….

Hajime…. Though I am, as the title suggests, well aware of what day it happens to be today, I won’t trouble y’all with yet another attempt to be foolish. I figure enough of that goes on here as a matter of course, so, we’ll let the world have its fun, and I’ll take the day off…

No foolin’. You see, I’m not in a good space at all, and, I need to take another day to look for some balance. What you see below the above picture of Alaska will be rather truncated, in comparison to a regular Pearl, as I didn’t get it done yesterday, and I have no wherewithal with which to do so today. C’est la fucking vie, as they say these days in the Eurozone, from what I can gather. I don’t have enough in me to care much what anyone says, and, that, for sure and for certain, is no foolin’.

Since I’m in such a foul mood, I’m done here, and, possibly, below as well. I don’t care. I will, however, care tomorrow, I am sure, so, I’ll make a better effort when that gets here. One may hope, anyway. For now, let’s get this done, so y’all can go have some fun, which seems to be a state we’ll be looking for desperately, if not frantically. Oh, well….

Shall we Pearl?….

“I can’t understand why people are frightened of new ideas.
I’m frightened of old ones.”

~~ John Cage ~~

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

A Naked Pearl

The Answer

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

Always we hope
Someone else has the answer
Some other place will be better
Some other time it will all work out.
This is it.
No one else has the answer
No other place will be better
And it has already turned out.
At the center of your being
You have the answer;
You know who you are and what you want.
There is no need to turn outside
For better seeing.
Rather abide at the center of your being
For the more you leave it
The less you learn.
Search your own heart and see
the way to do is to be.

~~ Lao Tzu ~~

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

Well, there you go. I guess, what y’all ended up with is a really, really old-school pearl, much like the ones that first got sent out to the folks at NSH back about 11 years ago…. Such as it is, it is, and so am I. So be it. See y’all tomorrow, even if I must abrogate my own standards, such as they are…..

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….

Folly defines itself, it seems….

Posted on March 31, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.”

~~ Albert Einstein ~~

Shadow of an old, crooked man….

Hajime…. I’m here, typing, but, let’s not make too much of that, since it’s the same thing I’ve done almost daily for five years now. The only difference we find from day to day is how much I’ve been able to sleep the night before, which is somewhat of an unpredictable facet of my life. Today, I happen to have had, oh, maybe three solid hours, found at the hind end of the night, as usual. Such is becoming rather more consistent a happening than I’d prefer, but, what the hell, I’ve got nothing better to do at the moment, so, I may as well get this done.

In the spirit of being efficient, as well as catering to my fatigue, we will set out immediately to the oyster beds, so we can say we wasted no time. Not that anyone is monitoring, (aside from the NSA, of course, but, they only check it later, I’m sure, so, no worries…. besides, they already know I despise them and their false sense of paranoid entitlement, so, I try to say howdy at least once in a while… Howdy, assholes!…. stolen any cool data lately?), but, we know, don’t we? We do. Since that is so, why don’t we just do it like this….

Shall we Pearl?….

“The authority of those who teach is often an obstacle to those who want to learn.”

~~ Cicero ~~

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

The Original Parrothead

I know I’ve used this concert in the past, and, I won’t usually repeat most music. But, I’m in the mood for a good time, without any worries to get in the way, and, nobody throws a better party than Jimmy. I know, I’ve been to more than a dozen of them since first hearing his music in 1975, first hearing the album, Livin’ & Dyin’ in Three-Quarter Time…. Enjoy, ffolkes…. Unless you’re lacking a party gene, you’ll like this one….

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

Jimmy Buffett
Live in Anguilla

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

https://youtu.be/yR8FvDDhBv0

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

“Science is the whore of industry and the handmaiden of war.”

~~ Edward Abbey ~~

I don’t know about all of y’all, but, in my mind, the quote above from our old friend Ed is a perfect start to a good, strong indictment of both the Beloved Ruling Class, and the unwashed masses who allow themselves to be enslaved by their own nature. It speaks quite plainly, in a short, pithy statement, how even the most intelligent folks can be manipulated by their own lack of self knowledge, bringing us to the unstable society, and uncertain future, in which we now exist. It’s a perfect lead in for an exploration of our own failures of spirit, and how they will affect us all.

But, I’m fucking tired, and can tell that any ranting I do today would go completely over the line into pure rage, so, rather than subject any of us to such a display of emotion, which would indicate a lack of personal control and knowledge which I refuse to countenance any more. So, instead, we have for y’all a nice little seven-star, old-school pearl to explore those same spiritual difficulties, in a roundabout way. The last one, of course, tells us the truth about what matters the most, for all of us…. Enjoy!….

“All politics is based on the indifference of the majority.” — James Reston

“It is fear that first brought gods into the world.” — Sagacious Bee

“The mastery of nature is vainly believed to be an adequate substitute for self-mastery.” — Reinhold Niebuhr

“If the thraskin puts his fingers in his ears, it is polite to shout.” — Doctor, The Time Monster

“36 percent of the American Public believes that boiling radioactive milk makes it safe to drink.” — results of a survey by Jon Miller at Northern Illinois University

“It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society.” — Krishnamurti

“To laugh often and love much, to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others, to give of oneself; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to have played and laughed with enthusiasm and sing with exultation; to know even one life has breathed easier: this is to have succeeded.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

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

Dreaming, I wait….

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

~~ gigoid ~~

8/18/2013

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

Our final old-school pearl today is a rather simple affair, speaking casually, and, likely, causally, of the qualities of Character, and, how to find & use it…. Enjoy!

“A man reveals his character even in the simplest things he does.” — Jean de La Bruyere

“If you would hit the mark, you must aim a little above it: Every arrow that flies feels the attraction of earth.” — Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

“The greatest happiness you can have is knowing that you do not necessarily require happiness.” — William Saroyan

“What’s money? A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and gets to bed at night, and in between he does what he wants to.” — Bob Dylan

“Certainly, virtue is like precious odors, most fragrant when they are incensed or crushed, for prosperity doth best discover vice, but adversity doth best discover virtue.” — Sir Francis Bacon, Of Adversity

“A man makes no noise over a good deed, but passes on to another as a vine to bear grapes again in season.” — Marcus Aurelius Antoninus — Meditations, v, 6

“I wanted only to try to live in accord with the promptings which came from my true self. Why was that so very difficult?” — Hermann Hesse

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

Well, I did it, against all odds. So be it. To separate ourselves from the possibility of a problem developing here at the end, we shall take our leave forthwith, stage virtual, and be done with it. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes. Wish me luck; I’ll probably need it….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Organized reserves of flippancy….

Posted on March 30, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“I expect nothing. I fear no one. I am free.”

~~ Nikos Kazantzakis ~~

Captive Beauty

Hajme…. Quietly babbling to itself, the brook tumbled over rocks down the gentle slope toward the waiting trees, obligingly leading into the depth of the woods. Softly, the breeze pushed at the backs of sweaty necks of the party walking alongside the brook, on an ancient path worn by generations of animal and human feet. In the afternoon sun, which beat mercilessly upon the heavily laden backs of the porters, the party looked wilted and fatigued, stumbling occasionally on the rock-strewn path. As the afternoon wore on, they walked more slowly, peering side to side on the path, obviously seeking the proper bivouac…..

Okay, that’s enough. We’ll leave our party wherever in the hills they happen to be, & let them find their own camp site. I wrote that story intro because I don’t really want to be up at all, having again fought for sleep all night, unsuccessfully. I don’t feel too bad, considering, but, I decided to try not to complain about it first thing. Since I could only wait until the second paragraph, I’ll also place a firm limit on it, and end such indulgence before it really gets started…. The primary purpose in saying anything at all about it is to give warning to my Gentle Readers as to the general outlook for today’s Pearl, which is, sad to say, rather unpredictable in nature…. Go figure….

I only say this to give y’all a chance to skip the parts that don’t suit you today. It’s all fairly fresh, if not from the archives, and probably won’t be too weird, thought, of course, a certain degree of that is always present. However, it will be, due to circumstances well beyond my comprehension, if not control, shall we say, somewhat patchwork in nature, and, thus, the unpredictability previously mentioned. Hell, I guess I’m saying, I haven’t a clue as to what may happen after the intro, so, watch where you put your feet, and your faith. Either one could be in serious danger if you are less than mindful…..

Now I’ve probably driven most everyone away, I guess I’ll get to this; it’s already late, by my usual schedule, so, some haste might be in order…. Haste, however, as we know, makes waste, so, fuck that. I’m going to take my time, and see if I can’t make it, if not good, at least palatable as food for thought. If I can do it, it will be a first, but, we won’t comment on that. Instead, we’ll do this…..

Shall we Pearl?

A wise man once said …”I don’t know.”

~~ Subtle Bee ~~

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

Today’s music was chosen simply because it’s a default day. As always, this compilation was picked because the picture drew my eye. I hope you enjoy it as you read….

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

Classical Music

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

https://youtu.be/aJZtIHeI27s

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

As a break from the usual sobriety, here is a discussion of one of our favorite things around here, to wit: sheer nonsense…. Enjoy!….

From 2/8/2013:

“Yow! I want to mail a bronzed artichoke to Nicaragua!”

~~ Zippy the Pinhead ~~

As previously noted, we like our nonsense around here…. This one from Zippy is particularly nonsensical, and will serve nicely as a segue into a discussion of the value there is in engaging in nonsensical behavior on occasion. A lot of folks, and even some ffolkes, might think there isn’t a lot to say on the subject, but, they don’t know me, do they? Having spent much of the last two years honing that very skill, to wit: propounding at length on subjects of little meaning, I think we can turn this into quite a nice little pearl, one that will shine even in the dark…. or maybe not… Why don’t we just go ahead, and see what happens, eh?….

Now, to begin, let me point out that the concept of nonsense, by the structure of the word itself, gives us a clue as to where its value lies… it is composed of two parts, “non” a prefix indicating negative state, and “sense”, in this form meaning perception, or ordered perception, more accurately (it makes good sense….). This tells us that the word ‘nonsense’, as the direct antonym for ‘sense’, supplies the balance that the universe demands from every part of its makeup….

“As a professional humorist, I often get letters from readers who are interested in the basic nature of humor. “What kind of a sick perverted disgusting person are you,” these letters typically ask, “that you make jokes about setting fire to a goat?” … — Dave Barry, “Why Humor is Funny”

Everything in the universe exists in duality, as we have explored previously; this duality is directly related to our own set of perceptive abilities, which operate solely by noting the presence or absence of certain forms of matter, or energy manifestation (light, sound, etc….) We see because our eyes note the presence and absence of light waves. We hear the moments of sound between the moments of silence…. It all exists in duality, and that is how we perceive it, for that is what gives the universe its balance, and allows it to produce life, and matter, and all that we are a part of in this grand landscape of wonder….

But, the human mind is subtle, and recognizes the subtlety of the universe…. Thus, when we are confronted with seriousness for a long period of time, our nature demands something as balance, and we slip over into the nonsense mode in the privacy of our minds, to provide some relief from the somber nature of much of what is created by the hand of Man…. Goodness knows, after I am forced, or trapped, into listening to the prattling of fools about laws, or dogma, or some such asinine bureaucratic folderol, a bit of Zippy, or Wacko, or Pooh’s evil twin can always make me smile, and get through the boredom with greater equanimity….. or, as much as I ever can summon in those situations…..

“A little nonsense now and then,
is cherished by the wisest men.”

~~ Willie Wonka ~~

Willie knew this little fact about the universe well, thanks to Roald Dahl, whom we can thank for his contribution to literature of quite a bit of nonsense, written with great style and verve, and not a little sarcasm. This little couplet springs up in my mind on many occasions when I am confronted by some piece of societal sobriety, and reminds me to take what I’m seeing or hearing with a big dose of salt, and maybe some Cholula’s hot sauce to spice it up. What the hell, it can’t hurt…. Can it? You tell me…..

“SANTA CLAUS comes down a FIRE ESCAPE wearing bright blue LEG WARMERS.. He scrubs the POPE with a mild soap or detergent for 15 minutes, starring JANE FONDA!! — Zippy the Pinhead

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

Notes of process and program…

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

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

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

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

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

~~ gigoid ~~

1/3/2013

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

Naked Pearls

Good Stuff to Remember

*******

“What you think of yourself is more important than what others think of you.”

~~ Seneca ~~

*******

“Think not that thy word and thine alone must be right.”

~~ Sophocles — Antigone, 706 ~~

*******

“It is necessary to the happiness of man
that he be mentally faithful to himself.
Infidelity does not consist in believing, or in disbelieving,
it consists in professing to believe what one does not believe.”

~~ Thomas Paine ~~

*******

“It is impossible to design a system so perfect that no one needs to be good.”

~~ T. S. Eliot ~~

*******

“Do not look for all the answers at once.
A path is formed by placing stones one in front of the other.”

~~ The Giant from Twin Peaks ~~

*******

“…for the most part happiness consists in being willing to be what you are.”

~~ Erasmus ~~

*******

“Tanstaafl!”

~~ Ancient Sage Bee ~~

*******

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

Well, I did it. As I figured before beginning, I don’t think I’ll comment on the quality of whatever you find above; too easy to look silly, and, I’ve probably already reached my limit for that today. I think I’m going back to bed, to see if the sleep I seek, which seems so elusive at night, can be found, or persuaded to approach for a session of indulgence. The way I am feeling, fat chance…. In a perfect world, who cares, right?

Okay, that does it. I’m outta here, before I try to be rational. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes. I can’t seem to help myself….

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….

Orgiastic impulses neatly excised….

Posted on March 29, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“The supreme triumph of reason is to cast doubt upon its own validity.”

~~ Miguel de Unamuno ~~

The warrior rests….

Hajime…. There are times when the life changes we all go through as we age become habitual, or at the least, routinely present in such a way as to seem to be de rigeur. For me, this principle seems to apply heavily to my physical issues, complicated by my own lack of patience with my body’s steady decline in functions which have been, for most of my life, taken for granted as being a permanent characteristic, to wit; an ability to DO anything at all I wished my body to do, and, do it well. Now, I must think ahead, to account for the failures of strength or resilience that once were unknown to me. Quite frankly, it’s a pain in the ass, but, then, by this time, we also know it ain’t goin’ away….

I really didn’t mean to start off with a litany of the complaints of the aged, but, having again spent a restless night of trying to find a position comfortable enough to fall asleep, until about 0130 am, when I finally fell asleep until about 0430…. whereupon the cat insisted it was time to get up & feed her, and open a window for her to monitor the birds. Hence, here I am, old, tired, & grumpy, again, a state which seems to be turning into a rather more permanent condition than I really would like; it’s fun to be grumpy, after a life of holding in one’s angst, but, most of the time, one ends up dumping on the wrong person, so, it’s best to try to avoid such a state when possible, to keep from developing bad moral habits.

Gee, do ya think I’ve been too personal? Or, just too chatty? Well, I do, and I’m the one typing here, so, I think we’ll just get on with the rest of this mess, since much of it still needs to be either polished up for reading, or, simply put in the correct format. I do, in spite of not trying to become famous, take some pride in my work; just because nobody is paying me doesn’t mean I don’t have to do my best. And, that statement, by itself, is one we have heard from far too few people in the world for a long time, as the moral/ethical status of humanity has gone into the toilet as the oligarchy has become more entrenched, and the populace has become more, and more, stupid and venal. Not many folks these days care much about the quality of anything they produce, as long as they get what they want from doing it. Quality isn’t even on the job specs, at all….

Ah well, no need to start ranting in the intro; yesterday’s re-blog said all that much more clearly, and much more compellingly than what I just related. Since that’s so, I guess I’ll just employ one of the Tardis Toys, and be done with it. You might want to hang on to something; this one makes some sharp turns….

Shall we Pearl?

“You think the only people who are people,
Are the ones who look and think the way you do,
But if you walk the footsteps of a stranger,
You’ll learn the things you never knew you never knew…

You can own the Earth and still,
All you’ll own is earth until
You can paint with all the colors of the wind.”

~~ Stephen Schwartz, Colors of the Wind ~~

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

Most days here at ECR, if you see the icon above, you’d think, “classical music”. Most days, you’d be right. Today, however, I’m indulging myself, and it just means we’re listening to the best guitar player I know of, all-around. There may be better musicians in some genres who can be considered his equal. But, for my taste, his work is the best of the best, for every kind of music he has attempted in his time. It might just be me, but, a lot of ffolkes seem to agree…. Enjoy, ffolkes; I intend to do so myself, so, y’all may as well join in…. Here’s Eric, with an acoustic guitar and a few friends….

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

Eric Clapton
Unplugged

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

https://youtu.be/xGavzOvTMjY

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

I’m late, I’m late, etc….. Since I am, here is a decent little rant from a few years ago to fill in this section. Enjoy!….

From 2/3/2013:

“People see what they have been conditioned to see;
they refuse to see what they don’t expect to see.”

~~ Merle P. Martin ~~

This statement is one that will find some strong agreement here, as it is as clear an indictment of the unwashed masses as I’ve ever seen; it places some of the blame on their oppressors, as it should, but still manages to show where people are responsible for their own ignorance, in spite of how they may be conditioned…. One may not be responsible for their conditioning, but they are still responsible for what they refuse to acknowledge as truth, and Mr. Martin has given them little room to wiggle out of that responsibility…..

In some ways, y’all might think that I tend to obsess about those who are manipulating society. and the impending global catastrophes that I see as inevitable. In a way, you could be right…. it COULD be called obsession, since I do take at least one shot a day at the BRC and the priestly hierarchies; if I don’t hit them regularly, I just feel empty, and incomplete….. But, I don’t lose any sleep over it, so I think my concerns are still in the rational stages of evolution. What can be challenging is finding new ways to approach the subject, that will show the assholes for what they are, and what they are doing to the rest of us, and still not bore the reader senseless…. it’s hard to motivate someone who has fallen asleep….

“The worth of the State, in the long run, is the worth of the individuals composing it, and a State which postpones the interest of their mental expansion and elevation to a little more of administrative skill, or of that semblance of it which practice gives in the details of business… will find that with small men no great thing can be accomplished.” — John Stuart Mill, ‘On Liberty’, 1859

The other day, someone asked me a question about a statement I had made, to the effect that I believed that the usurpation of the Constitution began within minutes of it being signed…. She asked me how I knew that, and at the time, I gave her the answer that occurred to me at the time, to wit: I know this because I know human nature, and the money lenders and bankers wouldn’t have wanted to wait even a minute to try to get their two cents into the process, in order to start turning it to their advantage….. And Mr. Mill has, with this statement, shown us how they went about that perversion….

During elections, and often in the time prior to the announcement of the candidates and their platforms, there is a loud lamentation that there are no GOOD candidates to be found, that the men and women who end up running for office are NOT the most qualified for the job, but merely those who WANT it for their own reasons (you can bet that altruism is NOT one of those reasons….). In fact, to my mind, the single most qualifying characteristic I would like to see in ANY candidate would be a lack of desire to get elected; in other words, in order to be well-qualified, they have to NOT want to get elected…. It’s the only way we can trust them not to steal so much….

“Intelligence has nothing to do with politics.”

~~ Londo Molari ~~

What we have in reality is that ALL of those who run for office are people who WANT POWER; the exceptions are too few to be statistically significant, so I use the word ALL with that caveat. Sure, occasionally, a person who really doesn’t want to be in office, but happens to be the most qualified, gets persuaded by friends that they can do some good, and they are popular enough, and intelligent enough, to get elected. Once in office, though, they generally discover that their opportunities to do good for others are severely limited by the efforts of their peers, who have no interest whatsoever in looking after the people, unless it serves their own purpose.

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

~~ Elbert Hubbard ~~

It’s hard to say whether writing pieces such as this one is a part of my five minutes, or whether it is part of the other side of the coin, which prevents me from reaching my limit…. Either way, I’m starting to understand that, since I’m shouting into the wind, pretty much, with these political and social diatribes, I need to keep them fairly short, and uncomplicated, or I will lose my audience to boredom with the repetitive nature of what I’m writing. Yes, we need to be aware that most of our Beloved Ruling Class are assholes, and need to be culled from the human herd….. but railing about it too much will only defeat my purpose, which is to educate and stimulate, hopefully to action that will serve to help the situation….

So rather than exceed my limit for the day, we’ll leave this here, and hope that what I’ve written will cause at least a touch of bleeding in the BRC, even if it’s only a scratch…. Better now to go look for some poetry, to soothe my fevered brow….

“I know everything about everything, except that.”

~~ Smart Bee ~~

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

Premises, premises….

Tricked, I stumble, and I fall
dreaming, through an abandoned palace.
Frightened and wary, unheard my call
fading into memory, no cup, no argent chalice.

The people, crushed, cry out to be freed
asking only to take part, or travel.
Nascent oaths spotlight such bursting need
fed by treachery, deep from our well.

Only the wicked shall find their way blocked
justice seeks them, snug in their hole.
Faint praises never touched, but naked, stalked
singing no gospel, no soul, no rock and roll.

Only the promised will remember the way
from unforgiven trails of sorrow.
To live life, and give death no sway,
saving grace for our only tomorrow.

~~ gigoid ~~

12/19/2014

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

In order to finish in good time, I must again go to the well, er, archives. Here is one from the day after the rant I used above. I hope you enjoy it….

From 2/4/2013:

Once again, fate has conspired to force my hand, to the point where I must prevaricate in order to stay on track…. which is to say, I’ve been stupid, and lost my way to wherever it was I’d planned to go…. As is my wont in such cases, we will go old school, with a group of pearls that all have something to say about something or other…. Today, we’ll address stupidity, and how all of us on the bus may fall prey to it at times…. Sometimes you eat the bear, and sometimes, the bear eats you, as they say…. Here are some thoughts on the matter from some pretty famous ffolkes, and a couple not so widely known, but respected for their wisdom in their own circle….

“The majority of the stupid is invincible and guaranteed for all time. The terror of their tyranny, however, is alleviated by their lack of consistency.” — Albert Einstein

“There is no sin except stupidity.” — Oscar Wilde (1854-1900), “The Critic as Artist”, 1891

“There is no nonsense so arrant that it cannot be made the creed of the vast majority by adequate governmental action.” — Bertrand Russell (1872-1967), “An outline of Intellectual Rubbish”

“Stupid is as stupid does.” — Mrs. Gump, Forrest’s mama

“The only evidence against evolution are its opponents.” — Smart Bee

Boy, if that ain’t the Truth, in big, shiny letters ten feet tall!…. In contrast, below you will find one of my all time favorite aphorisms, from my all time favorite author, advising us of what we CAN be, if we choose….

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

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I have fulfilled my vow; this allows me to enter the remainder of the day with a clear conscience, if not complete serenity. Good enough. I’ll even forgo any further idiocy here, and merely say, see y’all tomorrow, when I will make yet another attempt at transforming my inner demons into intelligent discourse…. Sure I will….

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….

Traps for the unwary….

Posted on March 28, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

It’s not the pace of life that bothers me, it’s the sudden stop at the end.

~~ Hobbes ~~

Old and new….

Hajime…. Approximately 17 months ago, I began what might be called a forced march, given little choice but to work toward a more healthy lifestyle, as my habits, formed over years of neglect on my part to walk the warrior’s path, were literally killing me, with the full cooperation of the modern medical model. Over that period of time, I spent a very long time in physical hell, suffering from the elimination of a pain medication to which I had been addicted by the doctors in whose care I placed my health. Without assigning any blame other than to myself, and my own lack of mindfulness, I can now say I’ve reached a milestone in the journey, one which indicates reaching a long-sought-for degree of balance.

Simply, last night, I slept, without any aids, for eight solid hours, without enough pain to wake me. I’m up, and in good status, relatively speaking, without any major pain, or other fatiguing factors to begin the day. It tells me my body chemistry and mental state has achieved some balance, and it’s about damn time. Whether or not this will make a big difference in Pearls remains to be seen, but, if nothing else, the physical effort is definitely on board to be less troublesome, and that’s a good thing….

There, I’ve related enough personal bs to fill the intro adequately for our purpose, so, I think I’ll just go with the flow that shows, and get on with the rest of the mess we have to put together today. The only questions to be answered now are whether or not I have a fresh rant in me, and whether or not Smart Bee will cooperate well enough to put together an old-school pearl. Time, as always, will tell; it can’t seem to keep quiet….but, I digress. We, that’s y’all, and I, are leaving, and, we’re doing that right now….

Shall we Pearl?

“It’s like brother Nietzsche said–being human is a complicated gig,
so give that dark night of the soul a hug and howl the eternal yes.

~~ Chris Stevens, Late night DJ, “Northern Exposure” ~~

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Today’s music will be purely to satisfy my own wishes; naturally, that means some excellent guitar music. I was going to go with Clapton, or one of the other rock virtuosos, but, we’ll go with classical guitar, instead, to soothe the savage breasts we all have in the mornings…. Enjoy!….

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Classical Guitar

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https://youtu.be/NOZhkTLTKzU

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I’d hoped to rant this morning, as I’ve more than enough built-up angst to fuel a good one. But, time constraints and my own sense of urgency have killed that idea for today, so, here is a pretty neat little discussion from 2012 that will do nicely…. Enjoy!….

From 9/10/2012:

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

Sometimes it can be hard to tell whether a quote attributed to Confucius was actually uttered by him; there are a lot of people out there who consider themselves funny, and they use his name without any by-your-leave. This one, though, has the “look and feel” of his philosophy, as he was often concerned with virtue, and the effect of that virtue on society….. Around here, we always go by the theory that, “if it waddles like a duck, and it quacks like a duck, it’s probably a duck.”

This idea, regardless of its accuracy, (and it is very accurate…. trust me….) is one that many people would never consider, since those same many people never use introspection or self-inquiry to judge their own actions. Mostly they don’t think at all, of course, as is the habit of the major percentage of humans, but in this especially, the greater portion of mankind never even thinks about whether their actions are virtuous or not. They simply don’t care what their own motivation consists of, preferring to treat the universe as their own little plaything, insisting that reality bend itself to their viewpoint.

“If we are not stupid or insincere when we say that the good or ill of man lies within his own will, and that all beside is nothing to us, why are we still troubled?” — Epictetus (c. 60 AD) — Discourses, Book i, Chap. xxv

Reality, naturally, takes umbrage at such behavior, and will generally furnish such fools sufficient trouble to keep them alert, if not actually awake and aware. In that sense, reality is self-adjusting. But no matter how many times some folks get stepped on, they never can figure out that their own actions are what brought them to the point they currently inhabit. I often wonder how some folks reach the age of consent, much less the age of reason; their lack of ability to reason would seem to me to be terminal in the short run. But, our society, in the process of advancing beyond the cave dweller stage, protects such fools, and their stupidity is rewarded, rather than punished. In such cases, my wonder at how they reached the age they possess turns to regret, that they reached the age of reproduction….

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

Using this principle, I laugh all the damn time, it seems. But, sadly, the world does not laugh with me…. That’s okay, though, for I have hope that things will eventually shake down into some sort of intelligent order. Call me crazy, but that hope does exist…. even though I know it is a relatively futile hope…. Is there any other kind?…..

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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 ~~

4/22/2013

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Our final old-school pearl turned out rather well, considering I gave SB the lead on picking out the entries. I’d say it’s a message on how to live one’s life with some dignity and peace, but, that’s just me…. Y’all tell me if you see it differently…. Or, just enjoy some pieces of eternal human wisdom, such as they are….

“The privilege of absurdity; to which no living creature is subject but man only.” — Thomas Hobbes

“It isn’t easy being green.” — Kermit

“Treasure your relationships, not your possessions.” — Anthony J. D’Angelo, The College Blue Book

“The only abnormality is the incapacity to love.” — Anais Nin

“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” — Albert Einstein

“Treasure the love you receive above all. It will survive long after your gold and good health have vanished.” — Og Mandino

“Do you have the patience to wait till your mud settles and the water is clear? Can you remain unmoving till the right actions arises by itself?” — Lao Tzu

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It’s done, and it’s good. Well, for me, it’s good; for y’all, it will naturally depend on from whence you began your journey, and your own inner state. That, of course, is a given. But, regardless of how much I fool around here, or try to pad things here at the end, it’s still the end, and we’re done, so, I should probably think about getting us out of here. Unfortunately, I seem to be stuck in a loop, and can’t seem to stop typing…. Oh, well, let’s use a Tardis Toy, which will bring us directly to where all of us need to be…. That’s what a Tardis does, you know…. See ya….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Bargaining is intrinsically sordid….

Posted on March 26, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Take me disappearing through the smoke rings of my mind
down the foggy ruins of time
far past the frozen leaves
the haunted frightened trees
out to the windy beach
far from the twisted reach of crazy sorrow.

Ah, to dance beneath the diamond sky with one hand waving free
silhouetted by the sea
circled by the circus sands
with all memory and fate
driven deep beneath the waves
let me forget about today until tomorrow.”

~~- Bob Dylan ~~

Traffic Monitor Leelu

Hajime…. My first task today is to apologize to those blogging friends whose sites I have not visited in the last few days. I’ve been posting, then spending most of the day offline, recovering from, or dealing with the physical issues plaguing me of late. I’ve made a few comments, but, mostly have skipped surfing at all, and made only a few comments. I hope to be back to relative normalcy soon, or, what we call that around here, anyway, so, bear with me in my struggles to find my center/balance, and get back to doing what I wish to do….

Today’s mess was mostly done, save for the final section, which has a short bit to finish. It’s just as well, as yesterday’s events nearly put me in a world of trouble. A young security officer made the mistake of attempting to intimidate me when I showed some anger at a bureaucratic conundrum that had developed during my time out of the house; he is a very fortunate young man, in that I was able to refrain from sending him home in a box, with a massive effort of will. He simply had no clue as to how much danger he was in, so, I was compelled to let him go, and merely lashed him verbally. I then had to walk off the anger, and today, am paying for that in stiffness and pain…. SIGH…. So be it.

That’s probably enough whining for one day. In fact, it’s enough, period. Let’s get on with this mess before I fall into any more chatty, boring episodes, okay? Okay….. Besides, this isn’t as easy as it looks, when I have a very hormonal teenage cat, trying her best to call the neighborhood boy cats to come play, while alternately rubbing up against me for attention in her affectionate state…. It isn’t easy to type with claws in the leg, you know. But, I’m getting it done, with the help of this little Tardis Toy, which works very simply and efficiently. Watch this….

Shall we Pearl?

And Katerfelto, with his hair on end
At his own wonders, wondering for his bread.
‘T is pleasant, through the loopholes of retreat,
To peep at such a world,–to see the stir
Of the great Babel, and not feel the crowd.

~~ William Cowper ~~

~~ The Task, Book iv, The Winter Evening, Line 86 ~~

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Playing For Change Logos

In keeping with my new cause, here is another video from Playing for change, with one of the best versions of an old Stones tune I’ve ever heard…. Enjoy, ffolkes; it just doesn’t get much better than this….

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Gimme Shelter

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https://youtu.be/GJtq6OmD-_Y

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My recently adopted policy of working ahead with old material seems to be working okay, for the time being, hence, here is another discussion of morality/ethics and religion from the last day of 2012…. Enjoy! At least you don’t have to listen to any more BS about the elections, or Republicans, or the Hillarity, or Brussells…. Bonus!….

From 12/31/2012:

Forgiveness. How does a person without faith in a higher power obtain this boon? Certainly not from themselves…. I know, if I have done something for which I feel the need, or desire, to be forgiven, then I most likely don’t deserve it, and refuse to give in to self-indulgence. According to the preachers, God forgives all, but damn me if I can see any reason to do so, no matter how ‘merciful’ he/she/it might be. How can anyone expect moral behavior, if even our most grievous sins are forgiven? Because of the promise of reward for compliance, or threat of punishment for refusal to conform? I agree with Albert Einstein, that any such philosophy is not realistic, and certainly not moral…..

“In his private heart no man much respects himself.”

~~ Mark Twain ~~

All of us, without exception, have things we hide inside ourselves, secrets that nobody else will ever be told. Whether it is a memory of an act one is not proud of, or a bit of severe foolishness, or something so shameful that to share it would be to become a pariah, all of us humans have secrets. I would guess that almost all of them are akin to what is described in the first paragraph, to wit: acts that need forgiveness, but do not deserve it. I believe that this may be a method by which one can tell another person’s outlook on religion, for almost all religions are based on this principle, of divine forgiveness. Even though we may do things in life that are unforgivable, the gods, or God, for the monotheistic among us, are so merciful, that they will do so, if you but acknowledge their divinity, and admit they are your higher power…..

It’s a good deal, all in all, if one buys it. Myself, I’m a bit sanguine about it, since I only have the word of the preachers that it is so; there is no real evidence to be found that supports the theory, and the scientist in me wants at least a little bit of proof before accepting something as truth. I’m not going to buy anything just on someone else’s word, or assertion of truth; I’ve been alive long enough to know that doing things like that can only lead to losing something, if only the advantage of self-respect.

“His ignorance covers the world like a blanket,
and there’s scarcely a hole in it anywhere.”

~~ Mark Twain ~~

Wait, I thought we were talking about religion, not the last Republican President….. Sorry, couldn’t resist…. Any who, it all comes back to the basic idea of how we view reality, in terms of the concept of God, or a power greater than ourselves, that is responsible somehow for everything that exists, and thus, for us. By giving away that responsibility, I think, we are showing our own cowardice; I’m not willing to do that, not without more compelling evidence than hearsay.

I’m not blind to the other evidence that many religionists claim as being proof of God and his will; I’ve burst into tears myself at the sight of a particularly vivid sunrise, without knowing why, other than the beauty of it was so arrestingly powerful. I’ve seen good things happen everywhere, in human interaction, and in Nature. I’ve witnessed what priests like to call “grace”, and will admit that such events are not explainable by ordinary means. I’ve also witnessed the other side of existence, where human nature turns dark and cruel, while Nature reveals its own complete indifference for human suffering, and cannot accept that the same entity would dare to assume, or want responsibility for such a wicked universe, even if the balance of good and evil is maintained by the presence of the other.

That assumption is purely human, and thus does not qualify, in my mind, as evidence of divinity in the form of God, by any of the visions held by any of the churches of Mankind. Unless, of course, one goes beyond doctrine, into philosophy, where the above contradictions do not apply, or can be explained by one further assumption. That assumption is a hard one for most humans, as it involves taking responsibility for EVERYTHING that they do, and for everything that happens to them. (Yep, that’s a paraphrase of the basic principle of Karma…) In other words, as Robert Heinlein put it so aptly in Stranger In a Strange Land, “Thou art God.” I know, it’s blasphemous, but, hey, been there, done that, let’s get past it…. It is the only explanation that fits ALL the facts in evidence, and even if a bit grandiose, really isn’t, because we are, after all, just a bunch of bozos on the bus.

Being God, though, would be a really boring job, the way the job descriptions in all the churches read, and I don’t think I want to take that on, particularly. It may be the only way I can find any forgiveness for those things I’ve done in my long life of which I am not proud, but, since I don’t feel that I SHOULD be forgiven for them, I think I’ll just accept the responsibility, along with the consequence, a certain lessening of my self-esteem, and try to act in the future in ways that won’t make me feel that way…. It really isn’t hard to be good, in reality, as long as you care…. The problem is, not enough people care, or even think about stuff like this….. Me, I can’t help myself…… Caring, to me, is what being human is about; those who don’t care aren’t fully human, and won’t be until they do…..

“I am covered with pure vegetable oil and I am writing a best seller!”

~~ Zippy the Pinhead ~~

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Random Visions/Coloring Between the Lines of Grief

Everywhere is dark, and shining,
with points in dissonant pain.
Sharp, senses dull past divining,
tears burn, a torrential rain.

Escape! Flee within to cower,
find an unconscious cave.
Call on Morpheus’ power
deny reality’s beckoning wave.

Light breaks, drawing the inner eye,
leading to the slippery slope.
Risk is critical, we may only sigh,
yet welcome, for bringing hope.

Sanity seems far out of reach
Insanity’s a stronger friend.
Decisions made will merely teach
our way toward Death to wend.

Lost, while still on familiar ground,
the future yet undesigned.
Making way on paths unfound,
to Now, as yet undefined.

~~ gigoid ~~

2/22/2013

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Naked Pearls

Thoughts on Love

*******

Again, Again! Again, again, even if we know the countryside of love, and the tiny churchyard with its names mourning, and the chasm, more and more silent, terrifying, into which the others dropped: we walk out together anyway beneath the ancient trees, we lie down again, again, among the flowers, and face the sky.” — Rainer Maria Rilke

“When you’re around it all the time, you don’t notice it so much.” — Garrison Keillor, “Lake Wobegon Days”

“When one loves, nothing is too much trouble, and there is always time.” — Abdu’l-Baha

“If you’re smoking after sex then you’re going *WAY* too fast!” — Thinks he’s humorous Bee

” Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon.” — Instructions for life

“A coward is incapable of exhibiting love; it is the prerogative of the brave.” — Mahatma Gandhi

“All I know of love is that Love is all there is.” — Emily Dickinson

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Well, I did it, in spite of the cat’s yowling for love, which we are NOT giving in to this year; no kittens for us. In looking back over what happened today, I have no explanations, or clues, so, I’ll just let it fly as it is, trusting once more to the process. Tomorrow, at this point, is still a question, so, we’ll see how it goes, eh? My plans are to post again tomorrow, but, y’all know how plans go. Regardless, y’all be chill, it’s strange out there….

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….

Verifying solitary rice cakes….

Posted on March 25, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“It is much more comfortable to be mad and know it,
than to be sane and have one’s doubts.”

~~ G. B. Burgin ~~

Cork, Ireland, from a football pitch above the city….

Hajime…. I suppose there is a certain virtue associated with feeling disappointment in life; it happens often enough to warrant such award, if the disappointment is borne with dignity. However, since dignity has been eliminated from my life, by choice and circumstance, I can honestly say it’s a fucking pain in the ass to have slept relatively normally, yet wake up & have my first thought manifest in complete denial, saying only, “Damn, I sure want to go back to bed!”….

Having successfully ignored myself, here I am, to make another attempt at coherence, with, perhaps, a dash of reason to fill it out nicely. I do so with some trepidation, admittedly, but, with strong hope, based entirely on wishful thinking. Given those parameters, perhaps the hope is misplaced, but, we’ll see how it goes. I do have the advantage of having had almost three full days to complete this particular mess, so, we’ll see if that plays into the final results. Personally, I can’t say there’s any evidence to suggest success, but, none seems to be jumping up on the negative side, either, so, we’ll have to see how it goes.

I am sure, given my fogginess, I could wander around here in the intro for some time, padding this in the front, so to speak, but, I don’t believe we’ll need any such shady techniques today, since I had enough time to make it reasonably right on the first shot. In fact, I’m going to show some confidence in the process, well-deserved, and bring this to a somewhat timely close. I won’t even have to use any of the Tardis Toys today, as we are making good time already…. All I need to do is this….

Shall we Pearl?

“The best portion of a good man’s life is his little, nameless,
unremembered acts of kindness and love.”

~~ William Wordsworth ~~

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Playing For Change Logos

When one contributes to the cause with this organization, the first level of participation provides you with the title of PFC Ambassador, which gives the privilege of displaying the logo when sharing the music with others…. I’m happy to be a part of this cause, for it is one of the few real effective weapons the people of the world can claim as their own; it cannot be taken away…. It is also one of the two best weapons we have, to wit, love, and laughter, both of which bring light into darkness, turning it around from evil…. Here is one of the first videos they put together, with some fine musicians from around the world…. Enjoy!…..

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Stand By Me

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https://youtu.be/Us-TVg40ExM

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I am attempting to work ahead a bit, but, in order to do so, must resort to archived material, as I am currently rant-free, though not by choice. However it may be, or seem, that, ffolkes, is the way it is…. Actually, I’ve found some decent stuff, so, count your lucky stars it isn’t fresh and depressing…. It’s old and depressing instead…. Hey, what do you expect? It’s a rant!…. Try to enjoy it anyway….

From 12/30/2012:

“History is a lie commonly agreed upon.”

~~ Friedrich Nietzsche ~~

I often wonder how the future will view these times, it being a given that the fabric of our society is based primarily on lies and/or delusions.* Which ones will stand the test of time, and end up in the books as being the one everyone agrees upon? It has also been said that history is always written by the winners, and that seems to me to be fairly close to the real truth of the matter. It would be a bit more acceptable to me if it weren’t so bloody predictable, and that there was at least a small chance that the events we experience would be reported truthfully. Alas, I am not hopeful that will ever be the case…..

* (Note the use of the technique of the positively stated assertion, using the assumption of its truth as proven, the same as exemplified in ALL religious doctrines as the basis for their truth and relativity…. Just thought I’d make it clear, that this is real, serious stuff…. 🙂 ….)

In all honesty, I’m not convinced that we, as a species, will have much of a future. Given the current state of the environment, I can’t see us lasting more than a couple hundred years more, without some major changes to society, changes that are not imminent, or even under consideration. When I first started this blog, over a year ago, I posted a link, to a World Clock at Poodwaddle.com ( I love the human imagination!…..). You can find that clock here: http://www.poodwaddlecom/clocks/worldclock/ This clock has a number of faces, one of which shows exactly how much CO and CO2, along with unnatural amounts of other toxic substances, are being pumped into the atmosphere every second, by industrial and manufacturing facilities, and by cars and other vehicles.

I am a scientist, first. I chose the path of the scientist in my youth, before my tenth birthday, before the warrior’s path I chose later. In essence, scientists ARE warriors, and vice versa, as battling the universe requires study to be effective, and acquiring knowledge requires the curiosity and courage of a warrior, in order to find, and face, Truth. Each path, or persona, complements the other, and, in my time, have led me on a journey of great beauty and wonder. This journey, though, is in danger of being ended before its time, by the asininity of the human race….

There are some scientists who believe humans do not have the power to harm the planet, and the danger is not as great as others, and the evidence, might indicate. In one respect, they are right…. I don’t think the planet itself is in danger from what we are doing, though I’m sure it is suffering pain from the symptoms we’ve managed to saddle it with in our time. No, our activities, such as polluting the air and water, wasting resources, and killing the other creatures we live with indiscriminately, only endanger us, and the other life forms on the planet. Once we are gone, the planet will easily clean itself of the trash we deposited everywhere, and move on to the next evolutionary step in the parade of Time.

“Where man walks the earth hurts.”

~~ Smart Bee ~~

Many years ago, I used to believe in the ingenuity of scientists, to overcome the technological difficulties we’ve created, and find a way to keep us alive, perhaps by colonizing space, and leaving Earth behind. But, the figures don’t lie, and the figures say we don’t have the time to fool around waiting for space travel to solve the problems we have. By the time we could achieve any kind of significant progress there, we would be forced to live in domes, and wear protective gear to go outside them, to walk on the surface of our own world. That is if there are enough remaining resources to build the domes, and to power them sufficiently to survive.

The other possible solution is for the ruling classes of our species to come to their senses, to reverse their moral compasses, and start acting in the best interests of everyone, instead of just themselves. The whole problem with pollution we have today exists solely because the ruling classes, the people who control all the resources, don’t have any moral compass, or, choose to deliberately ignore its demands. They choose to deliberately structure society in their own favor, so that they have the power and control over what occurs, while the rest of us try to survive on what they don’t want. It is the same picture that history has drawn for all the millenia since we came out of the caves to live in cities, and the 1% of mankind who is in control is not interested in helping anyone else, unless and until they have secured their own….

Even the lies we agree upon in history show this to be true, so I don’t think there is a huge chance that we will see any changes before it is too late for it to matter. I just don’t see those in the beloved ruling class all of a sudden reversing the entire course of the history they’ve chosen to allow to happen; it is not in their nature to be altruistic to even a small degree. We are either going to have to rise up and throw them out on their asses, or suffer an ignominious death, when the air we can no longer breathe begins to choke us as we walk down the street toward our destiny….. which at this point, leads only to a coffin…..

“I can’t decide which WRONG TURN to make first!! I wonder if BOB GUCCIONE has these problems!” — Zippy the Pinhead

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Stray Cats

The veils that billow and fold
between dreams and reality
may sometimes part,
showing the visions of one to the other,
blending, bleeding as one,
only to bring us up short,
closely jammed against immovable fate.

Still, we keep our watch,
seeking to find the vision
that brings with it the mark of reality’s regard,
a humble mind, and a compassionate heart.

Events of broad impact draw us away again,
distracting with shiny glitter and tinny music,
leaving our feelings raw and bruised,
the victim of universal disregard.

Now, in the twilight of years, the music is fading,
and the glitter has all gone;
yet the memory of visions remains sharp and clear,
melancholy reminders of reality’s promises,
unkept…..

~~gigoid~~

4/12/2013

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Today’s final old-school pearl took a while to put together, as SB was in a funny configuration, or something. I managed to persuade a nine-star necklace of gems to come together, but, the message they tell together isn’t clear until it’s all over. That, in and of itself, is a good thing; whether you think so is both another thing, and, in the final analysis, immaterial, as it is what it is…. I hope you enjoy it; it’s all good stuff, and offers a chance for some rather positive, helpful reflection…. Go figure….

“They must often change, who would be constant in happiness or wisdom.” — Confucius

“A mode of conduct, a standard of courage, discipline, fortitude and integrity can do a great deal to make a woman beautiful.” — Jacqueline Bisset

“I have never met a man so ignorant that I couldn’t learn something from him.” — Galileo Galilei

“Remember, we all stumble, every one of us. That’s why it’s a comfort to go hand-in-hand.” — Emily Kimbrough

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

“For one human being to love another human being: that is perhaps the most difficult task that has been entrusted to us, the ultimate task, the final test and proof, the work for which all other work is merely preparation.” — Rainer Maria Rilke

“Wheresoever you go, go with all your heart.” — Confucius

“When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by and nuzzle them gently.” — Things we can learn from dogs

For age is opportunity no less
Than youth itself, though in another dress.
And as the evening twilight fades away,
The sky is filled with stars, invisible by day.
It is never too late to start doing what is right.
Never.

~~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow ~~

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I did it, with relative ease of effort, too. Since it’s a new day, we’ll use a new technique here at the end, which is rather abrupt, but, works quite well to bring things to a clean end. It works like this: Bye, ffolkes. See y’all tomorrow….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

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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