Candid portions of soluble soap….

Posted on July 5, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Dream as if you’ll live forever. Live as if you’ll die tomorrow.”

~~ James Dean ~~

Contemplating the inscrutable….

Hajime…. After a full hour of arguing with Leelu, who thought 0430 was late enough to stay in bed, I’m up, once again staring at a blank screen, wondering what the hell to write. As you see, I opted for the easy way, with pointed remarks about the morning, just so I could get started. Naturally, as soon as I get the first sentence typed, my mind goes blank. SIGH…. It’s going to be a long morning, I can tell….

Fortunately, most of the material needed for today is on hand. We have a guest discussion for the ranting section, with a brilliant analysis of modern times by Dean Baker, and a fine set of Naked Pearls with which to finish. The rest shouldn’t take too long, if I can decide on some music without too much waffling. It’s also fortunate I’m not much at waffling; I’ve always found making decisions pretty easy, if I have the information needed to make one. The only trick will be to find something fresh, which is rather a random operation, anyway….

In the interests of efficiency, (not that it’s a particularly popular category around here), we’ll cut the intro short again, in hopes of finding some sort of rhythm further down the page. Fat chance, right? Oh, well. Such is life in the blogosphere. So they say. Me, I’m going to take them at their word, for now, so we can get on with the rest of today’s mess…. Since I said the word ‘efficiency’, I am obligated to make a serious attempt to achieve it, which means this is all you get…. Go figure, eh?….

Shall we pearl?….

“There is no sin except stupidity.”

~~ Oscar Wilde, “The Critic as Artist”, 1891 ~~

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Fare Thee Well, July 5, 2015

Last year on this date, the Grateful Dead celebrated their 50th anniversary as a band, by performing several concerts in the Bay Area, and, on the 4th and 5th of July, in Chicago’s Soldier Field. Here is a recording of one of those shows for your listening enjoyment…. Keep on truckin’, ffolkes….

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Fare Thee Well
The Grateful Dead

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Yesterday, a friend posted the following discussion of the participants in the upcoming presidential election here in the US. Quite frankly, it’s bloody brilliant, and I wish I’d written it… From possibly the best living English language poet, Dean J. Baker…. Links to his work follow the article…. Enjoy, ffolkes; this is telling it like it is….

Pap

How long has it been since you’ve heard this lie: ‘you are never given more than you can take,’ usually preceded by ‘God.’ Even recognizing it is to acknowledge that you’re a victim of positive attitude propaganda. Pap. Or, bullshit if you feel like saying so.

Most people won’t ever come to the point where they will acknowledge the harm being surrounded by cheerful asswipes can do to someone who rightfully so is building a case of rage and pessimism. It could very well be that feeling the burn, so to speak, will provide a manner or method as of that time unformed which will get you through the leveling of degrees of stress and trauma.

As well most people buy into that pap, and thus are crippled into detouring away from a healthy non-murderous rage.

Any trauma endured – and ongoing – is perversely translated into an opportunity to build a stronger self through life’s variable adversities. Post-traumatic stress, or any great stress, is thus deformed into the chance to grow. Lucky fucking you, huh.

You get to imitate Job, or Jonah, from the Bible. If there was a certainty of an afterlife where you could meet up with those responsible for such bullshit stories permeating into false attitudes in daily life, I’d bet there’d be a long line waiting to kick their asses.

It’s part and parcel of the fictive idea that you alone ought to be enough to raise yourself up, and if you aren’t one of those fortunates, then you’re a socialist. An example of the common depth of thought propagated in many countries now, with the exception of those who simply say We are right, kill everyone else.

I can see where that fog of optimism infects the minds and attitudes of many to the degree that actuates in saving possible enemy combatants under the guise of humanitarianism.

‘But they’re not carrying a gun, or explosives, now.’
‘I know. Let’s wait til later when we’re blown up, or strafed with bullets.’ Besides, if it doesn’t happen to us, we can always wail about tragedy to insulate ourselves from the reality of it.

This takes me back to the first statement about not being given more than you can take. It seems innocent. Hopeful. Designed to help.. not a passive aggression against an overwhelming reality in this and other lands of cheery manipulative crap contrived to drive the despair or stress so far underground it manifests itself as illness – at which time you’ll be told that a positive attitude helps.

‘Ok. I am positive that if I could kick you in the head I’d feel better, so come closer, you focking schmoe.’

This is only one example where a pervasive systematic form of denial can work against the overall health of a society and individuals simultaneously.
It can result in Hitlers, or Hillarys.

Now of course there are those of you who will think I planned on getting to that point in order to establish a rant against… Hillbillary. Or her devil’s adversary, T-Rump.

That they are the result of a grand denial is why they’re used as examples. Almost every single possibility for office of the Presidency has been flawed. It’s to be expected… isn’t it? Or have we been culturally conditioned to lower our sights for heaven and for politics?

You do know what’s at the center of it: money. It puts them out there as possibilities.

The crowd is so effectively disarmed into believing the fiction that they have a choice that nowhere is there the question of why exactly are these trouts touting themselves as leaders.

They will say what they’re going to do – which will change once in office, since it always does.

Not one of them shows a subtle understanding of the effective currents that will affect each and everything that even attempts to get done. So in other words, they pander to what they believe the greater number of people want to hear.

Thus, they lie. They give you the Big Happy coming your way.

Want some pie? Here it is. Oh, but you didn’t say you didn’t want it in your face.

That’s the opposite of the spectrum that says they must have flaws. Hey, she’s one big flaw so let’s elect her: we’ll make history. Not the reality of it being that if she’’ a choice you are history.

Is the country so depraved, so un-edicated, that they’ll take to Bubba Gump articulating outrage and fall for the idiocy that if he can articulate what they think he’ll do a good job? Probably on the Presidential throne.

What I’d want – and I think everyone ought to benefit by – is someone who shows a greater depth and understanding of the nuances of power. I believe any thinking person is repelled by the fact that as it stands T-Rump is blatting out euphemistic courage, and few are equating it with the robber barons knowing what’s best for you: da public.

He’s already got the lease, now he’s trying to own the Company Store.

They are all a trauma waiting to occur; inflicting their perversions of ideas of truth and reality upon a people less and less able to think (reading opinions on the internet and being able to vocalize your version is not thinking, it’s wearing Mr. Ed’s hat, or pontificating like Arnold Ziffle).

I’d have hoped that by now once the years of Tricky Dick and/or Liar Bill (ex-rapist, so things are improving) had gone by to the point where a famous novelist I met once might hesitate in stating whenever he’s going to take a dump that he’s “got to take a Nixon.”

As representative metaphors, Hillbillary stands for advancement and individual persistence – if you overlook integrity and other minor things. And T-Rump stands for the voice of the common person, that great articulate, well-learned and compassionate soul.. as long as they got theirs and you don’t jump the fucking line, ok.

They ought to be taken as these are who you don’t vote for, what you run from, what to avoid if you want a healthy country short-term and longer.

Consider that they each know why they aren’t fit for office, but humility prevents them from enumerating their faults since they know that would allow a balanced perspective to be weighed and decided upon.

Nah, they have plenty of humility they want you to share. Good old pusitive attitude propaganda.

The ‘Party’ as it stands is over.

These people are not icons of what or whom to vote for, but plinths of a society where the fall has only to be witnessed out loud: the emperor’s burlesque is what it’s all about on the surface.

#Politicians Vote NO. A crook, or one who’’ got the lease & now wants to own the Company Store. One dimensional caricatures at the expense of the country.

Voting ought to mean you choose someone better than a crook, with greater depth than the slim pickings of public outrage, and the process not resemble a game of Whack-A-Mole.

©Dean J. Baker

Dean’s site: https://tormentingthemonkey.wordpress.com/2016/07/04/pap/

Dean’s books: https://deanjbaker.wordpress.com/awards/all-print-books-links/
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Adjectives of Quality ~~ Bloody Friday

A baleful lump of ironic introspection
sits upon my shoulder today
leaving traces of fey reflection
with a smattering of true dismay.

Resistance may be futile, many have said,
belief didn’t necessarily follow.
Abnegation of fear marks all bills paid,
leaving such empty threats hollow.

Symbolic courage never sleeps so deeply
as when delusion holds sway.
Bartered virtue, sold far too cheaply,
stands in shame, until honor fades away.

Too many culprits exist to count just one;
all of us bear obvious blame.
Evil is as evil does, only, when it’s done,
it begins again, all same-same.

Nobody seems to care enough to deny the lies.
Ignorant fear rules humanity’s masses.
When evil passes unremarked, innocence dies;
silence equals guilt, leaving only hope’s ashes.

Reality screams; tales of terror unfold,
flames fanned with purposeful malice,
insidious dangers hide beneath atrocity untold
as Gaia weeps into an empty chalice.

~~ gigoid ~~

10/3/2015

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Naked Pearls

Subtle Points on Life at Large

*********

“Sometimes even to live is an act of courage.”

~~ Seneca ~~

*********

“Do nothing that insults your soul.”

~~ Walt Whitman ~~

*********

“People seem not to see that their opinion of the world
is also a confession of character.”

~~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~~

*********

“I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestioned ability of a man
to elevate his life by conscious endeavor.”

~~ Henry David Thoreau ~~

*********

“Without accepting the fact that everything changes,
we cannot find perfect composure.
But unfortunately, although it is true,
it is difficult for us to accept it.
Because we cannot accept the truth of transience, we suffer.”

~~ Shunryu Suzuki ~~

*********

“In the bigger scheme of things,
the universe is not asking us to do something,
the universe is asking us to be something.
And that’s a whole different thing.”

~~ Lucille Clifton ~~

*********

“The best thing for being sad, replied Merlin, beginning to puff and blow,
is to learn something. That’s the only thing that never fails.
You may grow old and trembling in your anatomies,
you may lie awake at night listening to the disorder of your veins,
you may miss your only love,
you may see the world about you devastated by evil lunatics,
or know your honour trampled in the sewers of baser minds.
There is only one thing for it then — to learn.
Learn why the world wags and what wags it.
That is the only thing which the mind can never exhaust,
never alienate, never be tortured by, never fear or distrust,
and never dream of regretting.
Learning is the only thing for you.
Look what a lot of things there are to learn.”

~~ T.H. White, The Once and Future King ~~

*********

“I give up, what is the meaning of life?”

~~ Subtle Bee ~~

*********

“Let us go, through certain half-deserted streets,
The muttering retreats
Of restless nights in one-night cheap hotels
And sawdust restaurants with oyster-shells:
Streets that follow like a tedious argument
Of insidious intent
To lead you to an overwhelming question…
Oh, do not ask, “What is it?”

~~ T. S. Eliot, “Love song of J. Alfred Prufrock” ~~

*********

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Amazingly enough, it’s done; strangely enough, it’s relatively on time, and reasonably complete, in a Pearlish sort of way. I’ll take it, and run, with a glad heart and easy mind. Well, as much as I ever do. I’ll also note, tomorrow’s another day, & I plan to be here, though the plan calls for less angst, and more calm, centered behavior. I’ll echo here the fat chance used above. On that note, see y’all tomorrow, ffolkes; odds on that are, as ever, pretty good….

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….

Thoughtful food….

Posted on July 3, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“And though the course may change sometimes,
Rivers always reach the sea.”

~~ Led Zeppelin, Ten Years Gone ~~

A portrait of focused intent….

Hajime…. I gave up on my deadline, which is probably obvious for those who come here at a regular time. It’s now an hour after my self-imposed time to be done, yet, here I am, just beginning. I’ll be trying to ignore my inner voices, who are already clamoring for panic mode, to see if it will help me keep this reasonably coherent (not that’s ever kept us from posting before…). Should I meet with any success, it’ll be a first, so, you may offer congratulations any time. Hah!

That’s right, ffolkes, I’m teetering on the edge again. If there was a god, he might know why, but, since we don’t cater to such nonsense, I’ll just have to assume I have a good reason, so I can get on with enduring its depredations, in whatever form they may take this time out. Thanks to the nearly limitless abundance of material with which my imagination can formulate new nightmares, day or night, well, that form is pretty, well, formless, so I never know quite what to expect in the way of new, depressing thought patterns. Lots of crap in there with the good stuff to work with, so, it can get a little weird….

How ’bout that picture, eh? It’s the latest I have of Leelu, showing off her developing calico coloration, as well as her magnetic personality. Notice how sharp and clear the picture is, behind and around her; she, in contrast, is a bit fuzzy. I think that’s due to her magnetic nature, which complicates taking digital pictures; she always appears as if she is moving, even when sitting still. Probably has something to do with the cat characteristic of being capable of inter-dimensional travel; alternately, it could be my old, shaky hands…. It’s still a nice picture of her, at nearly a year old….

I’ve blathered sufficiently to meet our everyday standards, so, I guess I’ll go try to throw the rest of this together. Hell, if I’m lucky, it might even get done before noon. I’ll see what I can do about that…..

Shall we pearl?….

“Is is not true that we have only one life to live;
if we can read, we can live as many lives
and as many kinds of lives as we wish.”

~~ S.I. Hayakawa ~~

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Y’all knew this was coming, right? If you didn’t, you should have; there have been more than enough clues, for anyone who’s been coming here for any length of time. No worries; it’s all good. I hope you enjoy today’s selection, chosen, as always, for the picture that grabbed my attention….

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Classical Music

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Since I’m in White Rabbit mode (I’m late, I’m late, etc…), here’s one from the archives…. Enjoy!…

From 3/26/2014:

“If Patrick Henry thought that taxation without representation was bad, he should see how bad it is WITH representation.” — Smart Bee

http://www.sfgate.com/business/technology/article/Obama-to-propose-ending-NSA-s-phone-call-sweep-5345715.php

So…. I’m feeling GOOD! Shall we rant?…..

If I’m to believe this article’s headline, Barry says he wants the NSA to stop being bad boys, and play nice with the rest of us….. I believe I’ll wait to see if any of this really happens before I break out the champagne…. This president, I’m sorry to say, has developed a particularly nasty habit, over the course of his time in office, of playing fast and loose with the truth, a tendency which, when observed in the past, in EVERY other psychopathic resident of his position, only becomes worse the longer the perpetrators believe they’re getting away with it…. When action is overdue, talk is cheap….

Due to my intense disappointment in his actions thus far during his administration, I’ll save my trust for later, when… no, IF I see ANY of his statements come to pass, in truth…. If, as I suspect, all goes according to historical example, we’ll see some superficial posturing by the White House pundits, that might eventually get around to SUGGESTING some changes that should be made….. But, none will actually occur in reality, and any real discussion will get bogged down in committee…. Meantime, the media will find some other outrageous issue to distract them from ever following up to see if anything happens along the lines of actual reform….

Now I’ll finish reading the article, & see how my prediction fared…. Ah, I see now…. Upon reading it through to the end, I came across the key phrase, the one indicating the real strategy behind the White House announcement…. to wit: “The president’s plan, however, relies on Congress to pass legislation — something that has so far seemed unlikely.”

Immediately upon reading this, my crap detector went off, with a loud “AHA!”, (inadvertently sending the cat flying across the room to hide in the plants, thinking I was about to come after her for something she did, no doubt…. she has a guilty conscience, I’m sure…. Right….. I’d believe that…. if I believed she had one at all….), when I realized I knew, now, just WHY Barry is adopting this stance, at least, if you believe what he says here…. which, understandably, I’m now having a hard time doing….

If he just leaves it up to Congress, it’s a foregone conclusion nothing will be done ….. Not by THIS one…. The current Congress has been, for the last three years, at least, the absolute worst one, EVER, for getting anything actually DONE…. This includes ALL of the past elections of congress we’ve seen in our history… I shit you not, this Congress has passed fewer laws, and had fewer bills presented at all, than ANY previous sitting of that august body, by a factor of about 8….. They’re determined to be known as the newest holder of the title of “Do-Nothing Congress”, formerly held by one in the early, or late, 20th century, I believe….

(Side note: This, of course, can be attributed to the Republican majority in the House of Representatives…. The party’s pundits, all older, white, Christian conservatives, determined, and stated in public, soon after Obama was elected, that their entire focus for the time he is in office would be to ensure that NONE of his legislative reforms ever took place, or made it into law…. It didn’t matter to them whether or not any of his programs would actually HELP the citizenry they represent; they were determined to undermine every reform he attempted….

For the most part, they’ve been successful in allowing NOTHING, or, nothing much, anyway, to get done…. all because of their unstated, but obvious, bigoted fear of the black man in the White House, an affront to their sense of Caucasian entitlement, not to mention the severe blow to their sense of reality…. They hadn’t even noticed when they ceased to be the majority in the real world….)

After reading the entire article, I find my opinion confirmed…. This announcement is just another stall tactic, one designed to give the impression to the public that something is happening, when nothing actually IS happening, or GOING to happen, other than business as usual for the spy agencies, who have continued ALL of the activities of espionage they are accused of carrying out…. The government has absolutely no intention of giving up their new toys, and they will continue to lie their little faces off to keep that from becoming public knowledge….

The NSA is STILL spying on the citizens of every nation of the whole world, including their own citizens, without ever having actually slowed down, or ceased ANY of the programs they’ve begun…. If you actually believe it when they tell you they have, well, then, you deserve to have them in your face…. Sorry, ffolkes, but, it’s just plain STUPID to believe these people are going to tell us ANYTHING they don’t WANT us to know….

Oh, every once in a while, we’ll see in the news they’ve sent one of their lackeys chiefs to Congress to discuss issues, or make statements, none of which actually address anything relevant…. they’re just making more smoke….. In the process, nothing is actually being done to stop them at all, not by Congress, not by the Courts, and certainly not by the White House…. No, it’s all just smoke, ffolkes, sent up to get in your eyes, trying to make you think they’re listening to your concerns…..

Right…. sure they are….. I’m sorry to have to be the one to tell you, but, to these myrmidons of the shadowy corporate masters, your concerns are something to be used against you, to fan your fears of the “unknown other”, while simultaneously listening to your every spoken word over the airwaves…. Whatever they tell you they aren’t doing, or can’t do…. well, ffolkes, the smart money says they are not only capable of everything we suspect of them, but are already beyond that level, and are capable of far worse…. Count on it…. Not only are they lying about what they are doing, they are lying about what they CAN do…. which we will ONLY find out when we find the police at our door…..

Think about it, ffolkes!….. When you break down the walls between yourself and the truth, and really THINK about their purpose, the bottom line concept of their given task as spies, LYING, especially about what they are doing in the dark, away from the public eye, is an important part of their JOB!…. And, guess what? They’re good at it….

I hate to be such a curmudgeon about all of this, but, the evidence just keeps pushing me back into that mode, pissed off and ready to start picking off real targets, instead of merely suggesting them…. If you couldn’t tell, I think I pissed myself off…. I’d better go now, before I get REALLY worked up, and can’t find my way out of this rant…..

“A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both.” — Eisenhower, First Inaugural Address January 20, 1953

“I don’t mind being in touch with reality, as long as I don’t have to live there.” — Smart Bee, channeling gigoid again

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Honorable Request

Days, filled to a brim with fluff and time, pass
dimly into memory, bit by combative bit;
ever mournful, yet loud with life and sass,
only in dream do we meet, and dance, and flit.

Souls, spinning ’round in gleeful wonder, comply
as they must, never given a reason;
somberly proper, yet limber and quite spry,
dancing on to greet each bright new season.

Storms, angered by apathetic care, rage
proceeding into ministerial glare, unknown;
clothed in colors, purified solely with sage,
past an infinite future, already flown.

Life, plumbed to its depths and secrets, keeps
flowing with currents, strong and fairly found;
love stands, asking release, as it slowly weeps,
seeking refuge unasked, to stay honor bound.

~~ gigoid ~~

10/13/2012

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It’s too late to try to persuade SB to be nice, so, here’s an old, old-school pearl from the archives, billed as a damn good one…

From 6/7/2014:

I am compelled, at this point, to confess…. I still am not completely at my ease, physically. To be brief, there remains a small knife embedded in my right hip…. Well, that’s how it feels, anyway. With the meds, and rest, it’s doable; within an hour or two, it begins to get sharper, though, and by noon, it’s enough to make me want to hurt somebody, preferably someone else…. But, it is NOT going to keep me from finishing this Pearl…. This does mean I’ll be going old school though, as I was not able to get out yesterday to take any new pictures for this….. I’ll try to get back to that, as soon as I can get out of the house to a place where there are some reasonable subjects to shoot…. with my camera…. For now, let’s dive, shall we, & finish out this mess?….

“Ignorance plays the chief part among men, and the multitude of words;” — Diogenes Laertius (c. 200 AD) — Cleobulus, iv

“Common sense is the least common of all senses.” — Hobson’s Homily

“We’re not talking about the same thing,” he said. “For you the world is weird because if you’re not bored with it you’re at odds with it. For me the world is weird because it is stupendous, awesome, mysterious,unfathomable; my interest has been to convince you that you must accept responsibility for being here, in this marvelous world, in this marvelous desert, in this marvelous time. I wanted to convince you that you must learn to make every act count, since you are going to be here for only a short while, in fact, too short for witnessing all the marvels of it.” — Don Juan

“All passions that suffer themselves to be relished and digested are but moderate.” — Michael de Montaigne (1533-1592) — Essays, Book i, Chap. ii, Of Sorrow

“Rules make the learner’s path long, examples make it short and successful.” — Seneca

“Of all mankind, each loves himself the best.’ — Terence

“The world, dear Agnes, is a strange affair.” — Jean Baptiste Moliere (1622-1673) — L’Ecole des Femmes, Act ii, Sc. 6

Now THAT is a pearl, ffolkes…. and a damn good one, too….

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Having cobbled this one together in a rush, it probably ended up as a good metaphorical representation of my state of mind today; like ice, on the verge of melting…. However it came out, it is, as we are fond of noting, done. So be it. I’ll try again tomorrow, if I can find my routine around here somewhere; it seems to be hiding a lot of late. See ya, ffolkes; I’m determined, if not sanguine….

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….

Madras pants in seasonal colors….

Posted on May 24, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“A fire eater must eat fire even if he has to kindle it himself.”

~~ Salvor Hardin ~~

~~ from Foundation, by Isaac Asimov ~~

Alaskan Taxicab

Hajime…. As I begin today’s post, several, no, many things are running through my head, most of which are unprintable, thanks to the reappearance of Murphy in this process. I’m trying to ignore his usual tricks, including the bloody mess in the water closet, so, that’s the last we’ll speak of it. It’s just depressing, anyway. Instead, I’ll jump right into some light housekeeping, in a manner of speaking, so we can get on with the rest of today’s mess, such as it may be.

I’ve been home from Texas for three full days now, but, still haven’t fully recovered from either the jet lag, or the near-complete exhaustion into which I drove myself, in order to do what I had promised to do. I completed my vow, but, with a slightly reduced degree of my usual excellence, due to a number of factors, led by the difficulties presented by my own reduced physical abilities, which tended to complicate all the rest. That, of course, is an obscure reference to getting old, a wall against which I am still banging my head too often. But, it got done, and done to a turn, so, all is well, with a good time had by all.

I have managed to put together a Pearl, complete with a fresh rant-like discussion. A new poem is leaking out, but, hasn’t quite gelled enough to finish, so, we’ll outsource there today. In some ways, I’d call what we have today a standard Pearl, not too shabby, but, not blindingly bright. So be it. It’s going to take some time, I think, to get back to our normal (hah!) routine, but, with Leelu’s help, we can do it. Perhaps my decision to return to Facebook will complicate matters, but, it’s good, I think, to take ourselves out of our comfort zone now and again, and, it certainly won’t hurt me to socialize a bit more….

All that said, to our usual lack of purpose, and, the obligatory lack of clarity, I’ll get this slow on the toad, so we can all get on to something more productive, if less fun. I suppose I should issue one or more of our usual warning/disclaimers, but, I’ve decided, from now on, y’all are on your own in that respect. If y’all don’t have a clue by now how it goes around here, well, you’ll just have to deal with it as it is, for, we have done all we can do to prepare you sufficiently to protect yourselves…. In short, welcome to reality…..

Shall we Pearl?….

“The stupid are deaf to the truth;
they hear, but think that the wisdom applies to someone else.”

~~ Heraclitus ~~

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It’s been a while since posting at all, so, naturally, Murphy has stepped in with his usual precise timing, to throw a spanner in the works. First day back, & I find myself late, and rushed to get it done…. Hence, our default musical choice, again chosen for the picture which drew my eye…. Enjoy, ffolkes….

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Classical Music

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https://youtu.be/v83uhOqSHu8

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“In the arena of human life
the honors and rewards
fall to those who show their good qualities in action.”

~~ Aristotle, Nicomachen Ethics (4th c. BC) ~~

Though he lived more than 2500 years ago, Aristotle is still regarded as one of humanity’s greatest minds. There are points in his writings which indicate certain fallacies, but, most, if not all, may be attributed to the time in which he lived, for no man, or woman is free from the prejudices or assumed facts with which he is raised, and lives his life. Given that caveat, his thoughts on ethics, morality, and philosophy remain one of the standards by which excellence in thinking is judged.

If we can assume the validity of this aphorism, it clearly indicates how our modern world, so full of conflict and strife, has reached such a dangerous point in our journey toward developing a mature culture, able to survive into the unknown future. If we may define ‘human life’ as those parts of culture which best describe humanity’s hope for that future, then the culture we have been manipulated into accepting has nothing to do with being truly human, for all the honors and rewards go to those who display our most destructive characteristics, such as lack of compassion for others, the ability to deny their own responsibility to the species at large in favor of personal gain, and the use of their imagination for self-service, rather than for humanity at large.

Thus it is clear to me, because we have denied the ethical, human side of our nature, we have become a culture which is slowly, but, inevitably, heading for self-destruction. Moreover, thanks to the part of our modern culture which encourages dependency and mental laziness, almost all of those who will die in the imminent chaos are completely unaware of the danger, or their own part in bringing it to their own lives. As long as those who control the media, especially television, most of the world will go to their deaths without ever knowing of their peril at all…..

“It has yet to be proven that intelligence has any survival value.”

~~ Arthur C. Clarke ~~

I’ve written on this subject previously, as you know; some might say I’ve beaten this poor horse to death. But, given the absolute cluelessness of the general public on this planet, I would think some repetition might be necessary. In fact, given that same reluctance to use their minimal powers of reasoning, some serious pounding with a two-by-four piece of pine might also help it sink in, thought that remains a question. The need for the masses of humanity to WAKE THE FUCK UP is greater now than ever, I think; it’s also completely unlikely to happen….

When I returned to my online haunts, I checked in at chuq’s blog, where a lot of the discussion revolves around politics, and foreign policy, with a bunch of our current election news thrown in for discussion. I’m going to let y’all off easy today, by ending today’s rantish piece with my comment from the first post I saw…. It’s a good summary of how I’m feeling, politically, these days, so, we’ll go with it, and leave it at that for now…. As y’all know, I’ll probably come back to this again, because it’s all I can do….

“SIGH…. After seven days of completely ignoring politics, I can only say how ‘odd’ it all seems with a bit of perspective. I am reminded of the old joke about, “but, if you do, it only encourages them!”

The only way left to defeat the corporations, who are the real enemy (governments are merely the tool with which they distract us), is a complete boycott of their systems, returning to barter as our form of economics, which places value on human effort, not on illusions, ideas which do not exist in the physical world. If we didn’t pay our taxes, they wouldn’t have anything with which to threaten us, would they? How would they pay their myrmidons to arrest us all?

Capitalism must go, so must governments, and religion. Together, they have been used, as tools of manipulation, to direct the entire world for the benefit of just a few, disregarding any moral considerations in favor of their narcissist, sociopathic selfishness. It’s time for them to go away, and leave the rest of us be…. That includes all the Democrats, all the Republicans, all the Popes, and Imams, and Prophets, and ALL the bankers…. along with all the other assholes who sell their souls to the corporations, so they can be part of the elite….

…. may they rot in their own version of hell, instead of giving it to everyone else…. & you can tell ’em I said so.”

So be it.

gigoid has spoken….

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

A Book

There is no frigate like a book
To take us lands away,
Nor any coursers like a page
Of prancing poetry.
This traverse may the poorest take
Without oppress of toll;
How frugal is the chariot
That bears a human soul!

~~ Emily Dickinson ~~

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

Naked Pearls

Instructions for Life

*******

“Only the actions of the just
Smell sweet and blossom in the dust.”

~~ James Shirley — Contention of Ajax and Ulysses, Sc. 3 ~~

*******

“Live as if you were to die tomorrow.
Learn as if you were to live forever.”

~~ Gandhi ~~

*******

“The closing of a door can bring blessed privacy and comfort
— the opening, terror.
Conversely, the closing of a door can be a sad and final thing —
the opening a wonderfully joyous moment.”

~~ Andy Rooney ~~

*******

“As threshing separates the wheat from the chaff,
so does affliction purify virtue.”

~~ Richard E. Burton ~~

*******

True wealth is measured not by what you accumulate,
but by what you pass on to others.

~~ Larry Wall ~~

*******

“I leapt headlong into the sea,
and thereby have become better acquainted with
the soundings, the quicksands, and the rocks,
than if I had stayed upon the green shore,
and piped a silly song, and took tea and comfortable advice.”

~~ John Keats ~~

*******

“Just as treasures are uncovered from the earth,
so virtue appears from good deeds,
and wisdom appears from a pure and peaceful mind.
To walk safely through the maze of human life,
one needs the light of wisdom and the guidance of virtue.”

~~ Buddha ~~

*******

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

It’s late, but, it’s done, as well as I can do it, given the current status of reality. So be it. As noted, peripherally, above, all we can do is all we can do. Since it is patently clear we’ve done all we can do, I’ll quit pounding on the poor wee beastie, & allow it to expire of its own accord. As is my habit, I’ll try again tomorrow, with, presumably, fewer issues with which to deal. Hope springs eternal, as they say. See y’ll tomorrow, ffolkes; that’s the only warning you’ll receive…..

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.

“Do unto your data that which you can undo.”

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Definite traces of apoplexy….

Posted on May 16, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“All men are created unequal.”

~~ Lazarus Long ~~

Looking south from La Bufadora, Ensenada, Baja Mexico

Hajime…. Today’s effort, which has already suffered a start-over, is rather eclectic, general, and long enough to choke a horse. But, it’s okay, because it’s all proven material, having come from yet another deep dive into the archives. As noted previously, I’m leaving on a trip tonight, and won’t be posting tomorrow morning, unless I have time to find one to re-blog (yeah, that’s the ticket….). So, I’ve tried to put together a worthy one to hold y’all until I can return to the keyboard with something fresh…..

In order to keep from making it TOO long, I’ll make this intro short, as has been our habit of late. It’s a good habit, I think, especially considering some of the intro sections we’ve created in the past, many of which approached a thousand words or more. But, we’re not going that route today; in fact, now I’ve related that, we’re done here. Let’s go on to the rest of today’s mess, before Murphy notices we’re gone, okay? Okay….

Shall we Pearl?….

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

~~ Long Chen Pa ~~

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

We are going with our default today, simply to save time & energy, of much use elsewhere in today’s schedule…. Enjoy!….

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

Classical Music

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

https://youtu.be/hDhTqF3_JWs

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

Today’s rant is a general, all-purpose rant against the Asininnies, from the early part of 2013, while my supply of angst was nearly limitless. It’s a bit lengthy, as I took shots at most all those I consider to be part of the problems we face in today’s world. I hope you enjoy it….

From 3/15/2013:

“Republican views of the world differ from Democratic views of the world. The reason for this is that these views are based on different compilations of misinformation.” — Smart Bee

There are moments, such as this one, when I believe the people, or person, who put together the database known to me as Smart Bee, is perhaps the most intelligent creature on this planet….. I’ve been ranting about politicians for years, trying to show people how dangerous it is to believe ANY of the stuff that either party is slinging at us to try to convince us they are worthy of our votes. Now, in one short aphorism, of two lines, we are given a perfectly reasonable explanation for all of the crap we hear from them…. Essentially, this says that every one of them is full of shit, and everything they say and do is destined to fail, because it is ALL based on incorrect information, or, to be more accurate, on unwarranted assumptions about reality…..

The most important part of this description is its impartiality of indictment. Both parties are brought into scrutiny, and found wanting, of any real knowledge of the truth, because they are both basing all of their premises on false beliefs, just for starters. Add to that, since they are politicians by choice, their genetic predisposition is to self-aggrandizement, and they show an inherent inability to tell the truth. It becomes rather easily seen why our society has become, well, insane…. It’s a short trip to crazy from where they begin the journey…. and they don’t take any detours on the road….

You see, both parties are convinced of a complete falsehood, one that humanity has been struggling with for centuries…. This lie is so basic, it colors and affects everything they do to try to manipulate the world into going the way they wish it to go. As long as they continue to try to do this, our society is doomed to failure in the long run, for the lie goes against the very nature of reality…. Simply put, these people believe they can legislate morality…. They believe that they can make laws, and people will go against their very nature to follow them, in spite of the fact that the law they propose is contrary to what comes naturally to humans, to wit: self-centered, grasping behaviors that only benefit the perpetrator, and no one else…..

We have laws against stealing…. and the most accomplished thieves we see in our culture wear suits and live in Washington D.C. We have laws against killing each other, but, people still get killed, and, if the killers do so while wearing a flag, or a badge, they are considered heroes, no matter how many they kill. We have laws that supposedly protect women, children, and the aged, from suffering abuse, but, just look around you, and you will see no end to the depredations that society allows to be perpetrated upon these three most vulnerable members of our society, all very much within the legal limits of the public morality, as given in the law books….

“[…] For all our conceits about being the center of the universe, we live in a routine planet of a humdrum star stuck away in an obscure corner […] on an unexceptional galaxy which is one of about 100 billion galaxies. […] That is the fundamental fact of the universe we inhabit, and it is very good for us to understand that.” — Carl Sagan

The people who get involved in politics, and religion, for much the same reason, believe they are special, and entitled to take all they can from the universe, because they are the be-all, and end-all of the evolutionary ladder. It says so right there in the Bible….. They don’t care that reality says differently, because their sense of denial has been fine-tuned since shortly after they were born, and they are capable of ignoring facts right up until they slap them in the face…. (Witness the Republican melt-down in the last Presidential election, when the Republican party got slapped in the face by their own lack of contact with reality…..)

In spite of all the massive amounts of evidence to the contrary, these folks believe in their own divine entitlement as the lords of creation, chosen by God to do with this planet as we would, without regard for any of the other creatures that live here with us, or for the beauty and balance of the land that sustains us. As far as they are concerned, other people and animals, and natural resources, are theirs to do with as they wish, with God’s blessing…. The fucking assholes…..

I apologize for the vulgarity, to my readers, but not to those at whom it is directed…. To them, I say, fuck you, and fuck you again…. I regard all politicians, priests, preachers, police, lawyers, judges, and corporate misogynists of all shapes and sizes to be INSANE…. floridly, and viciously insane, without any of the moral standards that the rest of mankind embraces. These assholes are responsible for our imminent demise through environmental destruction of the ecosphere, as well as for the endless preying on the weak and vulnerable to suit their own depravity, and lack of moral fiber.

“All ambitions are lawful except those which climb upward on the miseries or credulities of mankind.” — Joseph Conrad

Sexual slavery, corporate collusion to fix wages and prices, legislative corruption and oppression, judicial malfeasance and more corruption, governmental incompetence, religious repression and collusion with politicians, all serve the purposes of the ruling class to a T, no matter how much suffering it causes to others…. As long as they have what they want, nothing anyone else says or does matters at all….

I hate to be a harbinger of bad news, but, I call ’em as I see ’em, and I see what is real…. None of what is wrong in the world will change, until the major portion of mankind makes a change of spirit, and the people, as a whole, decide that the few among us who are bold enough to act must, in fact, act. The evil among us will not go away, or stop, of its own accord, and waiting for them to come around to a more amenable state of mind isn’t going to work, as that just isn’t going to happen.

If we wish to survive, they have to go, and mankind must find a new way to get along with each other than the out-dated ways we have been trying for millennia… Those old ways leave too much power in the hands of people who will give in to the temptation that goes along with such power over others, and must not be allowed to happen any more, not if we wish to survive to see any future at all….. The universe doesn’t care one way or another, so we’ll have to be responsible for our own actions…. as we have always been, and have always been afraid to admit….

“If we do not permit the earth to produce beauty and joy, it will not produce food either.” — Joseph Wood Krutch

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

Today’s poem is from a poet who has graced our pages before. Simply put, she’s one of Mankind’s treasures, though she was a broken spirit, with a lost soul, who finally ended her own pain. Before she left us, she gave us the power of her genius; it wasn’t enough to save herself, but, what she wrote gave it all to the world….. I hope you enjoy this example of that genius….

Insomniac

The night is only a sort of carbon paper,
Blueblack, with the much-poked periods of stars
Letting in the light, peephole after peephole . . .
A bonewhite light, like death, behind all things.
Under the eyes of the stars and the moon’s rictus
He suffers his desert pillow, sleeplessness
Stretching its fine, irritating sand in all directions.

Over and over the old, granular movie
Exposes embarrassments—the mizzling days
Of childhood and adolescence, sticky with dreams,
Parental faces on tall stalks, alternately stern and tearful,
A garden of buggy rose that made him cry.
His forehead is bumpy as a sack of rocks.
Memories jostle each other for face-room like obsolete film stars.

He is immune to pills: red, purple, blue . . .
How they lit the tedium of the protracted evening!
Those sugary planets whose influence won for him
A life baptized in no-life for a while,
And the sweet, drugged waking of a forgetful baby.
Now the pills are worn-out and silly, like classical gods.
Their poppy-sleepy colors do him no good.

His head is a little interior of grey mirrors.
Each gesture flees immediately down an alley
Of diminishing perspectives, and its significance
Drains like water out the hole at the far end.
He lives without privacy in a lidless room,
The bald slots of his eyes stiffened wide-open
On the incessant heat-lightning flicker of situations.

Nightlong, in the granite yard, invisible cats
Have been howling like women, or damaged instruments.
Already he can feel daylight, his white disease,
Creeping up with her hatful of trivial repetitions.
The city is a map of cheerful twitters now,
And everywhere people, eyes mica-silver and blank,
Are riding to work in rows, as if recently brainwashed.

~~ Sylvia Plath ~~

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

Our final pearl of the day is a short, five-star statement which speaks of some of the more subtle, but, important points about how to live life well. Short it is, but, I guarantee, it’s long on wisdom…. Sometimes, it’s the shorter pearls that pack the most punch….

*******

“It was a high counsel that I once heard given to a young person,
“Always do what you are afraid to do.””

~~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~~

*******

“Tenderness and kindness are not signs of weakness and despair,
but manifestations of strength and resolution.”

~~ Kahlil Gibran ~~

*******

“It is not good for man to achieve all they wish.”

~~ Heraclitus ~~

*******

“Happiness depends upon ourselves.”
~~- Aristotle ~~

*******

“How admirable, he who thinks not,
Life is fleeting,
When he sees the lightning!”

~~ Basho ~~

*******

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

Oddly, for a change, today’s thrown-together-in-a-rush Pearl came together smoothly; so smoothly, I’m caught without much to say here at the end. I’m not going to predict its quality, any more than I would ever do so, but, it feels okay, and we’ll let it fly solo, just as it is. So be it. Hopefully, I’ll have time to find a re-blog for tomorrow; after that, it’s all up in the air as to what may occur. But, then, that’s pretty much always the case, and not just here on ECR. See y’all down the road a piece, ffolkes. I may be late, but, I’ll be here, come what may….. 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….

Loaded with extra creatures….

Posted on April 14, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“They certainly give very strange names to diseases.”

~~ Plato (427-347 B.C.) ~~

No computer today….

Hajime…. As you see from the picture, I was not allowed to compute yesterday. I managed to do a small bit of surfing, during one of her naps, as indicated by the re-blog I posted yesterday afternoon, but, that was about all I got in. So be it. Since I’m still in somewhat of a mood, we’ll forgo a lengthy intro, in favor of getting right into the mess for today. Given the status of my muse, and our rather touchy relations just now, that’s likely the most productive scenario I can put together, anyway. It’s not the best Pearl ever, but, for what it is, it ain’t bad…. Moreover, I’m going to trust the process implicitly, and just get on with it. Watch this….

Shall we Pearl?….

“I must stand up in search of the truth,
if I don’t I only roll with the flow of the lie
and make it stronger.”

~~ Sovereign ~~

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

Blue Moon Soup

Image is a screen shot from You Tube via Google Images

Today’s musical selection is from a group of progressive bluegrass musicians from Ohio. I found their covers of some Grateful Dead tunes in the 2014 Dead Covers Project, and was totally amazed at the music they make together. Guitar, mandolin, bass, violin, all played with superb talent, and voices that blend in excellent harmony. They have fun when they play, and you will, too, when you listen, and watch. Enjoy, ffolkes; follow the link to You Tube, and you’ll find more of their work, well worth hearing….

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

Blue Moon Soup
Mississippi Half Step

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

https://youtu.be/8HWxZfAmmLc

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

I’d hoped to have a fresh rant done, but, it’s stalled. Here, to sublimate the urge to vent against the machine, is a pearl from early 2013, speaking of our old friends (not), the Asininnies….

From 3/28/2013:

“In order to become the master, the politician poses as the servant.” — Charles de Gaulle

Charles de Gaulle was a very interesting man, as this aphorism makes clear. It’s not your typical statement from someone so deeply involved in politics as to have been the Dictator/President of France, as he was for so long, but, the quote IS/WAS typical of him, or, at least, of the image he projected, as a maverick in the political world, both inside and outside of France. If I recall my history correctly, (he was alive for much of the first half of my life….), other world leaders didn’t trust him much, which tends to give him more cachet, in my mind…. If the normal run of politico mistrusted him, he’s obviously my kind of guy, as that kind of reaction from a politician generally implies the target subject is an honest man….

With this statement, he pulls the covers of the greater percentage of those in public office. Those eminent officials are constantly spouting off about how they are “public servants” and how their salaries are paid by the taxpayers…. All the while, they are shoveling money from the public treasury into their pockets just as fast as their little hands can move. They make the same noises when they are up for re-election, to further solidify the image they wish to project, as concerned citizens just following their hearts to help the people, when in fact, they are merely petty thieves, with slick tongues and a smooth patter…. no more honest than a street grifter, and no more likely to give a shit about anyone else….

I’m not going to make this a long rant today; this is one subject that is so obvious (to me) that I hesitate to even write about it, as it would be insulting my readers to assume they weren’t aware of this truism. But, I did want to remind y’all that, no matter how honest and sincere a politician may seem, no matter how often they tell you they are just your servant, they are lying, bare-faced and deliberately. This applies to ALL of them, from the top to the bottom of our federal, state, and local governments; the corruption is inherent in the structure of the system, which encourages behaviors that are self-serving, and rewards theft with more access to more money…..

“Conservatives are not necessarily stupid, but most stupid people are conservatives.” — John Stewart Mill (1806-1873)

I don’t think I need to even show any evidence here, as it ample proof of the chicanery prevalent in society is all over the news every day, if one knows where to look, and how to read between the lies….. (not a typo…) The recent events surrounding the budget mess, have reached a stage where it is apparent, even to the citizens who blindly support anything the politicos say, that there is something wrong with this picture, and serve as a perfect example of what I am implying, nay, accusing them of here. The bickering and obstructionism reached levels that showed exactly how little the people mattered, in relation to the money, and who would have the control of it….. It’s a huge mess, and nobody has any acceptable solutions (so they say….)…

So, what do they do?…. Things get stalled long enough for the Supreme Court to take up the constitutionality of the concept of Gay Marriage, a decision that will have a long-term effect on how our country operates on some levels, and certainly engages the emotions of every citizen with any concern over the issue… Quite distracting, in fact, and to me, a bit suspicious in timing, as it takes the public awareness away from what Congress, and the White House, are up to, which, I assure you, is no good…. at least, not for us, or for the people at large….

SIGH… My outrage at the system is so large it keeps me awake at nights, sometimes…. but, it is so large because the system is, in nature, completely amorphous, with no obvious pieces that can be attacked and destroyed…. Add to that the fact that too few people alive are even aware of the need to do so, and it leaves me with little choice but to rant…. So, life goes on without any real changes, and the rich keep getting richer, while the poor keep on keepin’ on, best they can…. Me, I’m gonna go take a nap…..

“The trouble with Congress is every time they make a law, it’s a joke, and every time they make a joke, it’s a law!” — Will Rogers

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

A couple weeks ago, a friend sent me a poem, which I included in this section, by a new young poet she found. She searched out a site where he is posting his work, and found another poem to send. It’s good, as is the young poet, who will, I predict, make a mark in the world of literature. I hope you enjoy it, and, use the link to visit his blog site…. Enjoy, ffolkes….

In Poetry

I slept last night
In a cave of shadows and howls

a bear skinned itself
With his razor claws
To reveal a wolf
Eating its pups,
And their eyes burst
Under jaws,
Wet and blind

Red splashed furred skins
Dragged across the damp stone

Followed me like friends
Kept talking to me

I slept last night

the dark man from the cornered place
held a gun against my neck
And shot me down

Emptied my flesh
Felt the drift-away come up on me
Like a song as they played the pipes
Slowly

Drifted into realms
Haemorraging

In the hard dark cave
Where shadows shriek
I wake again

rise in slow
Shunting movements

vertebrae slipping
Tightly into place

Bending me skyward

Tonight I watched dublin
Snuffed out under a heavy haze

Her lights jaded

Night is here again

Goya’s demons gather
reason crumbles
castles of sand
meeting the tide

some wind blows me
some tumbling entity

some words drop out of me
Unbidden and unmade

build a flesh and soul
with pick and spade

And house me again
In this poetry.

~~ Brendan McCormack ~~

http://boneorchardpoetry.blogspot.com/2013/02/brendan-mccormack.html

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

Today’s final old-school pearl is rather special, in its own little way. It’s nine stars, each gem lustrous, all apparently unrelated, until, at one point, one realizes they are all, in at least one way, saying much the same thing. You can decide for yourselves just what that may be. It doesn’t matter at all what your conclusion may be; it will be the right one….

“Philosophy, means, first, doubt; and afterwards the consciousness of what knowledge means, the consciousness of uncertainty and of ignorance, the consciousness of limit, shade, degree, possibility. The ordinary man doubts nothing and suspects nothing.” — Henri Frederick Amiel

“It is the quality rather than the quantity that matters.” — Lucius Annaeus Seneca

“In those whom I like, I can find no common denominator; in those whom I love I can: they all make me laugh.” — W. H. Auden

“42. Remember that the best relationship is one where your love for each other is greater than your need for each other.” — Instructions for life

“He who fights with monsters might take care, lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.” — Friedrich Nietzsche, “Beyond Good and Evil” IV, 146

“The only way to compel men to speak good of us is to do it.” — Voltaire

“The “beast” is a myth we have created, a scapegoat, upon which we project the image of ourselves we are unwilling to acknowledge. When anyone behaves in a peculiarly unpleasant manner we tend to answer that he behaved “like a beast,” when the fact is, of course, that no beast every behaves so iniquitously as men frequently does… The myth of the beast is perpetuated from generation to generation. The result is a perversely distorted view of the nature of other animals, and a profoundly impoverishing failure to understand our true kinship with the rest of animated nature. So-called primitive peoples have never lost this kinship with other animals… Without the benefit of a Darwinian theory of evolution our technologically less advanced peoples in their creation myths and in their conduct toward the animal world exhibit a far deeper understanding of the interrelatedness of all living things than does so-called civilized man.” — Ashley Montagu,_The Humanization of Man_, 1962

“When nothing is sure, everything is possible.” — Margaret Drabble

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

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

Well, there you have it, such as it is. To keep faith with the tenor of today’s post, as set in the intro, I’ll forgo any lengthy farewells, in favor of a bit of brevity here at the end of all pearls, for the day, at least. I will, however, make a strong effort to return tomorrow, with a fresh rant, and, who knows, maybe a new poem. In any case, I’ll be back, to quote a very bad actor turned very bad politician. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes; that’s a good bet….

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….

Privately amorphous, he moulted….

Posted on March 8, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Seek not to follow in the footsteps of men of old; seek what they sought.”

~~ Matsuo Basho ~~

Simple Beauty

Hajime…. The day ahead of me gives the appearance of being stuffed full already, and I have yet to complete this Pearl…. I also need to apologize to some of the blogs I follow, for not getting there often enough to keep up. As my body continues its journey back to good health, I find myself getting weary earlier. This has sent me to bed by 8 PM now for a few weeks, and it’s eating into my reading time. I’m sure I’ll eventually be back to a higher energy level, but, for now, mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa, and, now we can go on….

Since we are again somewhat late getting started, with little properly done, I’ll make this short. How short? Well, this short…..

Shall we Pearl?….

“Drop the question what tomorrow may bring,
and count as profit every day that fate allows you.”

~~ Horace ~~

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

I feel like something jumping and raucous today, so, you’re just going to have to settle for what you get, and like it. If you enjoy good, loud, driving rock & roll, you’ll be fine, If not, well, don’t turn it on, because these guys have way too much fun to keep your feet still…. It isn’t too long, but, they rock the entire time. It’s from a concert in 1973, & the video isn’t too sharp, but the sound is fine…. Enjoy, ffolkes….

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Elvin Bishop

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https://youtu.be/Os6LLRYQnh0

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Freedom = Responsibility

I find it a noisome fact to realize, if one asked any modern American to explain the meaning of the above equation, they would be relatively unclear, both in their own mind, and in their explanation, as to how to do so. They may have some idea of what freedom means, but, cannot easily come up with the very simple answer to what the responsibility entailed may be. I say simple because we were actually all given ample warnings about how certain elements of humanity would try to abrogate our freedoms for their own benefit, in plain language, such as this:

“If a Nation expects to be ignorant and free in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be … If we are to guard against ignorance and remain free, it is the responsibility of every American to be informed.” — Thomas Jefferson

Those Gentle Readers who have been here often know this is a subject upon which I tend to harp, as it is, in my opinion, the major failure of the American public, now, and for the past 200 years. However, rather than rant today, I’m going to send you to read two posts online, one at Salon.com, and one here on WP. The first is an article exploring the exact issue outlined in Jefferson’s statement of responsibility. The second shows quite clearly the result of this failure of responsibility, and how the American public has failed to earn the liberties they have lost….. The article on Salon I found here:

https://lobotero.com/2016/03/07/why-the-right-hates-american-history-salon-com

This is the article for you to read:

http://www.salon.com/2015/02/26/why_the_right_hates_american_history_partner/

********

The second article is from Dean Baker, whose work you first saw here yesterday, with a very fine poem. Today you’ll get his take on the Trump phenomenon, with erudition, accuracy, and humor….

https://tormentingthemonkey.wordpress.com/2016/03/06/t-rump-is-a-symptom-not-a-solution-the-trump-dump/#comment-1139

You can find more of Dean’s work, and buy his books, at CreateSpace.com, here:

https://www.createspace.com/5995746

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

Haiku

Only a Pearl now
to bring us a bit of space;
no less and no more.

~~ gigoid ~~

Adjectives of Quality ~~ Bloody Friday

A baleful lump of ironic introspection
sits upon my shoulder today
leaving traces of fey reflection
with a smattering of true dismay.

Resistance may be futile, many have said,
belief didn’t necessarily follow.
Abnegation of fear marks all bills paid,
leaving such empty threats hollow.

Symbolic courage never sleeps so deeply
as when delusion holds sway.
Bartered virtue, sold far too cheaply,
stands in shame, until honor fades away.

Too many culprits exist to count just one;
all of us bear obvious blame.
Evil is as evil does, only, when it’s done,
it begins again, all same-same.

Nobody seems to care enough to deny the lies.
Ignorant fear rules humanity’s masses.
When evil passes unremarked, innocence dies;
silence equals guilt, leaving only hope’s ashes.

Reality screams; tales of terror unfold,
flames fanned with purposeful malice,
insidious dangers hide beneath atrocity untold
as Gaia weeps into an empty chalice.

~~ gigoid ~~

10/3/2015

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

Our final old-school pearl is a rather elegant nine-star necklace, with some observations on what it takes to be a complete human…. Well, in my book, anyway…. Enjoy!…

“You must create your own world. I’m responsible for my world.” — Louise Nevelson

“Happiness is the harvest of a quiet eye.” — Austin O’Malley

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

“The countenance is the portrait of the soul, and the eyes mark its intentions.” — Cicero

“It isn’t the mountains ahead that wear you out, it’s the grain of sand in your shoe.”– Ancient proverb

“Self-improvement is a dangerous form of vanity.” — Alan Watts

“The one unforgivable sin, the offense against one’s own integrity, is to accept anything at all simply on authority.” — Maureen Johnson Long

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

“Who then is free? The wise man who can command himself.” — Horace

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

Given the twenty-minute break to serve as a tree limb for a cat in serious need of a cuddle, the mere fact we are done is enough to amaze. But, then, I’m pretty easily entertained. Regardless, we’re done, so, I’ll not torture y’all any further today, but, will save some of it for tomorrow…. Oh, not to worry; I’ll be here. Nobody seems to have figured out how to stop me, so….. See ya….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Defined by overt self-interest…

Posted on February 26, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“And it’s just a box of rain
I don’t know who put it there
Believe it if you need it
Or leave it if you dare
And it’s just a box of rain
Or a ribbon for your hair
Such a long, long time to be gone
And a short time to be there”

~~ Box of Rain by Phil Lesh, & Robert Hunter ~~

~~From American Beauty, 1970, The Grateful Dead ~~

Catnap while gigoid works…

Hajime….. There is a lot to be said for sleep. Mostly, it’s all been said, but, my appreciation for it has again been highlighted by its presence in my life again last night. I fell asleep early, and slept, fairly naturally, for eight solid hours, with only the usual interruptions for visits to the porcelain throne, as is normal at my age…. All in all, a grand night’s sleep, for the first time in what seems like ages…. I’m not sure just what to do with all the energy. SIGH…. Ah, well, it’s a nice conundrum to face, even so early, and I’m sure I can figure it out….

Well, now what? Gosh, it’s weird to have this much energy in the morning; the usual application of will to the morning routine isn’t even close to the usual degree necessary to type. Now, if only ideas were as plentiful as energy, we might get somewhere. As it is, I’m afraid a bit of brain-cudgeling will be needed to produce anything readable, and the odds on that are slim. I guess we’ll just have to trust the process again, and see if Leelu will give me enough time to get it done….

That said, let’s get to it. Let me at that ranting section, I’m ready to rumble….. In fact, let’s do it now, so I don’t lose any time or energy to vacillating, as we often will do here in the intro section. Today, we’ll use this little device from the Tardis, and move us right along to where we should be by now…. Watch closely, or you’ll miss it….

Shall we Pearl?….

“As war and government prove, insanity is the most contagious of diseases.”

~~ Edward Abbey ~~

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

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

We are going with classical music again today, just because I want to. I find it is the simplest solution to conundrums, since it’s music that has been filtered through the ages, until all we have to listen to is what is considered the best…. Enjoy, ffolkes… As usual, the mix you’ll hear was picked solely because I like the picture it showed….

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

Classical Music

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

https://youtu.be/tAkHdB77u2c

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

“The older we grow the greater becomes our wonder at how much ignorance one can contain without bursting one’s clothes.” — Mark Twain

Though there is sufficient energy, and angst, built up to rant, I’m going with an archived piece, simply because it is on the subject I wish to address, and says what I would have said, anyway…. Enjoy, ffolkes, it’s all still as true as the day….

From 4/18/2013:

MORAL, adj. Conforming to a local and mutable standard of right. Having the quality of general expediency.

“It is sayd there be a raunge of mountaynes in the Easte, on one syde of the which certayn conducts are immorall, yet on the other syde they are holden in good esteeme; wherebye the mountayneer is much conveenyenced, for it is given to him to goe downe eyther way and act as it shall suite his moode, withouten offence. _Gooke’s Meditations_

— Ambrose Bierce, “The Devil’s Dictionary”

A reader commented to me recently that my rants have gone soft; she enjoys it when I rake someone over the coals, figuratively speaking, and asked me when I was going to get back on my white horse, or my soapbox, as the cliché may be…. I told her it is most likely a result of having some of the pressure of living removed, by the acquisition of my SS benefits, so much so that I’m finding it hard to summon up the outrage needed to rant effectively…. Like Voldemort told Harry, when he tried to use the Cruciatus Curse against Bellatrix Lestrange, in HP5-The Order of the Phoenix, “You’ve got to MEAN it, Harry!” Funny how not worrying about where the next meal is coming from takes some stress out of one’s life, isn’t it?….. Ha Ha…..

So, anyway, then I saw the above entry from the Devil’s Dictionary, and thought to myself, “AHA!” (I do that a lot…), “Now, here’s a subject worthy of a rant!”…. This is absolutely true, even though morality is sort of like reality…. there are as many versions of what it means as there are people…. of which, each and every one believes that what they perceive is the only correct version, obviously…. Right….

So, you can see the problem right away…. As a society, we have an unfortunate tendency to try to legislate morality, so that everyone is compelled to behave according to a commonly accepted pattern of behavior…. Supposedly, this legislation is supposed act as some sort of magic bullet, that will stop all the bad things from happening, like stealing, killing, and general misbehavior that is upsetting to the rest of society…. It never works, at all, but, we keep on passing laws designed to enforce a common morality anyway….

Such a drama is now being played out on the national stage, as the Senate just defeated the new gun control reforms that 90% of the populace wants in place. Out of a hundred Senators, it only took 45 Republicans to bring the proposed law down, meaning that once again, a very small percentage of people have forced their views on the rest of the public, to suit their own morality, and, more importantly, to suit their own special interests, who paid good money for their votes, dammit!…. I am somewhat piqued about this, but see little in the way of anything to be done that will make any difference, in the big picture…. No matter how stringent the laws, people who want guns will get them, and use them on other people…. The new laws would have made that a bit more time-consuming, but no less possible, or even less probable….

Since I can’t thing of anything positive to suggest, other than to stay alert to what may end up as a critical issue, I will fill out what should normally be a rant, with a number of cogent pearls, to try to jab the stick into the appropriate eyes…. and my friend will have to wait a bit longer for a good, old-fashioned brouhaha, as I get nasty and vicious in my denouncement of the BRC, the churches, and the corporate masters….. I will say this to her….. have no fear, my outrage isn’t gone, just temporarily dormant, and I WILL be back to rant….. meanwhile, enjoy these tasty gems…..

“The greatest lesson in life is to know that even fools are right sometimes.” — Sir Winston Churchill

Linear Model: An assumption concerning the nature of reality applied unquestioningly to every relationship as though God had determined that truth must always run in straight lines. — Smart Bee

“The clinching proof of my reasoning is that I will cut anyone who argues further into dogmeat.” — Sir Geoffery de Tourneville (ca. 1350)

“Has history ever recorded a time when the majority was right?” — Lazarus Long

“He would be the finer gentleman that should leave the world without having tasted of lying or pretense of any sort, or of wantonness or conceit.” –Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (121-180 AD) — Meditations, ix, 2

“A great deal of intelligence can be invested in ignorance when the need for illusion is deep.” — Saul Bellow

“If you want to be free, there is but one way; it is to guarantee an equally full measure of liberty to all your neighbors. There is no other.” — Carl Schurz

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

Haiku VIIA

Making it all up
I go merrily along;
waters of Lethe.

~~ gigoid ~~

4/18/2013

Unsolicited Gratitude

Fear becomes familiar when reality bodes us ill
pain assumes first position, no matter our will.
Powerless, we founder, no strength to prevail
anguished and afraid, against unwanted Fate we rail.

Still, a grain of hope deep inside, hidden well against need
gives us reason to survive, our starving souls to feed.
Failure of courage burdens time, of being bested,
until our souls, in submission, become foully infested.

Bitter tears wash through us each day, with little care,
no thought, no feeling, no wish, or need to be fair.
Rendered clueless, confusion falls upon us, as prey,
we surrender a piece of our soul, little as we may.

Yet, always, a bright beam of hope is seen from afar,
no matter how dreary, or dark, it may seem where we are.
None knows, nor would consent to tell, it seems
from whence it hails, or why it so brightly gleams.

Saving our sanity, absolving our unwanted fears,
dispelling the myths and lies that come with the years.
Each man has known the precious gift that hope may give
And gives glad thanks, as long as he may live.

~~ gigoid ~~

9/12/2012

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

I had not intended to use so much archived material today, since my energy is so strong. However, SB has apparently gone on strike, and won’t give me anything worth sharing. This one is a good one, so, it will do for today….

From 4/19/2013:

As you may have noted, my brain is broken…. and I am not sure which tool is going to work to fix it…. What this means in terms of today’s Pearl is that you will have to put up with more than the usual degree of smarm, and the occasional random insult, as I try to cope with creating a Pearl out of what is laying around in my brain, rather than a true creative episode, building and sharing images of grand eloquence, made up of just the right words….. Today, though, those words are hiding from me, so I have to allow Smart Bee to have its head, so to speak, because anything in mine has to be viewed with suspicion, and handled with care, lest it explode, whereupon, we get blamed for an act of terrorism…. Of course, that last word is probably what comes to mind when y’all think of this blog anyway…..

Nevertheless, I’m going old school, and you can’t stop me…. (Believe me, you don’t WANT to stop me today….. just let me have my way, and everything will work out fine….)…. Here is a group of pearls, all of which are pointed in a certain direction, which SHOULD be obvious…. If it is not, well, I guess you’re S.O.O.L., as they say downtown…. well, they said that when I hung out there…. any who, here….

“Critics quarrel with other critics. With an artist, no sane man quarrels.” — George Santayana

“Our discontent begins by finding false villains whom we can accuse of deceiving us. Next we find false heroes whom we expect to liberate us. The hardest, most discomfiting discovery is that each of us must emancipate himself.”– Daniel J. Boorstin

“Charms strike the sight, but merit wins the soul.”– Alexander Pope (1688-1744) — The Rape of the Lock, Canto v, Line 34

“There’s a lot of stupid people out there. Just to prove it, think of how dumb the average person is, and then realize that half of the people out there are stupider than that.” — George Carlin

“A man that expects to train lobsters to fly in a year is called a lunatic and is locked up. But a man that thinks people can be turned into angels by legislation is called a reformer and allowed to walk free.” — Mr. Dooly

“All things that are born must die. Work hard for your own freedom from sorrow.” — Buddha

“Do not speak of what men deserve. For we each of us deserve everything, every luxury that was ever piled in the tombs of the dead Kings, and we each of us deserve nothing, not a mouthful of bread in hunger. Have we not eaten while another starved? Will you punish us for that? Will you reward us for the virtue of starving while others ate? No man earns punishment, no man earns reward. Free your mind of the idea of *deserving*, of *earning*, and you will begin to be able to think.” — Odo, The Prison Letters (Ursula LeGuin, _The Dispossessed_)

Oooh…. now, THAT’S a pearl of virtual wisdom, if I ever saw one….. Print it!…..

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

Done, and, in jig time…. I’ll take it. Let’s print it, post it, and be gone, shall we? I, myself, will be off for a spin around the Big Blue Room today, to take advantage of all the extra energy….. I will, however, issue the usual warning, & remind y’all, I’ll be back tomorrow…. Nobody big or bad enough seems to want to try to stop me, so, I’ll be here…. Ta, then….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Little balls of inert gases….

Posted on February 16, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“We need wilderness because we are wild animals.”

~~ Edward Abbey ~~

Beauty

Hajime….. The Space/Time Continuum in which we live is pretty big. So big, even our imagination, which seems unlimited in scope, has a hard time grasping just how much of Space and Time there is… we use words like ‘infinity’, ‘eternal’, ‘vast reaches’, to try to describe the nature of what we perceive, but, we still don’t really have a complete understanding, down in our gut, where reality is connected, in ways we cannot perceive, but, instinctively know are there, for we feel their presence, even if we don’t quite comprehend their nature.

For many of us, this lack of comprehension produces a feeling of fear, our natural response to the unknown; this fear often becomes the driving force behind all they do, for they do not, or can not, find the courage to face the unknown, to learn how & why it works as it does, thus replacing fear with knowledge…. It is a rather simple task, but, far too many of our species never find the courage to face their fears, preferring to accept the false explanations given by others, which seem to give relief from the fear, but, in truth, merely reinforce it, using it as a means to manipulate them, using the guise of a ‘moral authority’.

Hmm…. I suppose the intro section isn’t exactly the best place for a discussion of ‘moral authority’, other than as a passing fancy to fill in a bit of space…. which we have accomplished, quite adeptly, if I do say so myself. Since there is little point in carrying this discussion further, unless we are planning on being here all day, I’ll chop it off right there, without going into the obvious solution to such ignorance, to wit: a bit of courage to face the fears…. We’ll leave those poor saps to their fate for now, and get on with our chosen task for today, which is to get the fuck done….

In light of our newly found purpose, I’m going all executive again, and removing us post haste to the oyster beds, so we can get this slow on the toad, where it belongs. How does that work, you may ask? Well, it works like this….

Shall we Pearl?….

“Do I look like someone who cares about what God thinks?”

~~ Zippy the Pinhead ~~

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

Today, I want smooth, and hot. Who else?…. Enjoy, ffolkes; he just keeps getting better as the years go by…. He was the very first artist I saw live on a stage in SF, back in 1968 or 69 (naturally, it’s all kind of blurry, exact-time-wise….); even then, he was not merely the best, he was the most uniquely himself, in every note he rips from his guitar, straight out of his soul…. He remains as unique today, 47 years later…. approximately…. What can I say, ffolkes? It was UC Berkeley, the year after the Summer of Love hit its zenith…. anyone who says they remember it in specific detail wasn’t really there…

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

Santana Live
Las Vegas 2015

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

https://youtu.be/6GzUFbWXLDc

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

I had a nice quote from Ovid to rant on today, but, having bled out a poem last night, the driving force isn’t quite what it needs to be to do it right…. Here is a rant from 2013 about our old friends over at the NSA, those valiant guardians of your morals who so blithely steal information for their own paranoid purposes…. Enjoy!….

From 10/31/2013:

Well, I waited until now to begin ranting, which is probably a good thing. Perhaps this will be a bit more effective as a call to action than in the usual position, or wherever it’s been of late that has kept it from at least making me feel a bit better for having ranted…. What a mouthful! And so on topic, too! Gotta love us amateurs, eh?….

At any rate, I found this article yesterday, buried back a few pages, probably because everyone is so tired of hearing of yet ANOTHER outrageous instance of the NSA breaking the law, by once again going far beyond the scope of their legal mandate, in the ever-widening quest by our own government to become the true Evil Empire…. I know, that’s some pretty high-powered language to use to in discussing an agency of our own government, but, as always, I believe in calling a spade a damn shovel, not an indigenous individual digging device, type 2…. and you may as well get used to it….

These assholes over at the NSA have gone completely bonkers; they assumed that because they got practically all they wanted in the way of legal coverage by the administration, they may as well just go ahead and do whatever else they wanted, believing that the people who set them loose on the trail of ostensible terrorists would protect them from any critical attention and/or interference by something as mundane as the law, or the will of the people….. and, for a long time, they were justified in that belief…. But, now that their clandestine activities are being brought to light by that national hero, Eric Snowden, the rats are deserting their ship, and leaving them to their fate without any real support….

Talk around Washington is that the President is going to, belatedly, stop spying on the leaders of our allies, and will move to put limits on what the agencies are allowed to access in the data that is generated by the general public. This is a complete reversal, and I can only hope it is in response to the pressure put on them by the public’s obvious displeasure, and not as a temporary measure to appease while they figure out a diversion in some other area of the public venue, where they can cause some problem that will draw our attention away from this issue, allowing them to continue their illegal, but, in their eyes, oh so necessary theft of the people’s identities….

http://www.sfgate.com/business/technology/article/Report-NSA-broke-into-Yahoo-Google-data-centers-4939585.php

In the article, the most significant part of what is there, to my way of thinking, is that the companies involved say had no idea that they were being compromised, even though their own security measures are considered to be nearly impenetrable… Well, they SAY they had no idea; one must remember they ARE a corporation, and, thus, are very familiar with telling the public what they wish to hear….

However, it appears that the American and British spies went in, got their data, and left, without ever notifying Google, or Yahoo, of what they were taking, though such activities are still illegal, according to the laws in place…. (Not to mention rudeThe spying mandate they have doesn’t extend to what they stole, theoretically…. Of course, they can say they didn’t KNOW that, but, then, lying is their entire purpose, and the single most critical part of their entire modus vivendi, is it not?…. Even in the Art of War, Sun Tzu acknowledged the importance of the spy in warfare, calling them the most powerful of all types of warriors…

Of course it is, just as lying and cheating come naturally to anyone in a nationally elected office; it’s part of their job description these days, even if it is written in invisible ink….. Since Google, and Yahoo, and the other agencies that were hacked, are all corporations, and have pretty much the same characteristics as shown by the BRC pundits, (i.e., a tendency to lie at the drop of a cliche…), it’s a bit hard to tell who is more guilty here….

Is it Google and/or Yahoo, who are gathering all sorts of data about its users without their knowledge or permission (I don’t regard those passive advertisements that one can “control” what data is gathered by adjusting their “preferences” as real permission…. they take whatever data they want, and tell you about it later, if at all….)….? Or, is it the government spy agencies, who are stealing that same stolen data from the corporations, that fit the bill as the villain?

It should make for an interesting contest, to see how this fake argument plays out….. I mean, I can’t really believe that the BRC, who is controlled and supported by the corporations (go ahead, disprove that!….), will continue to try to take data from them without their knowledge. It’s more likely they are playing out this faux-dispute in the public venue in order to confuse the public about who is on their side in this issue… It seems to be working, as always, as the public is pretty much ignoring these latest revelations, and looking around for almost anything to take their minds elsewhere for a while… I’m almost interested, in a resigned, doubtful sort of way, to see just what they come up with next to draw the public’s attention off this issue…. Probably more to do with the recent roll-out of health care reform laws, which seems to be a hot button for a lot of people….

For me, all of it is dross and spittle…. I believe, absolutely, that if there is an official statement made by anyone in the government printed in the news, it needs to be examined in the light of what it is NOT saying, to ascertain about what it is lying, or what it is trying to hide by distraction, not merely for what it says…. Their motivation in making ANY public statement is manipulation of public attitudes; they’re not trying to make anything better. They lie, they leave stuff out, they point us in all kinds of useless directions, but they almost NEVER tell us what is actually going on, unless we’ve already caught them at it… In those cases, we see all sorts of backing and filling, as they come up with all sorts of “plausible deniability” in order to convince the public that their lies are really the truth…

What a crock! If it wasn’t so damn sad and depressing, it would be amusing…. SIGH… Enough is enough…. Stay alert, ffolkes, because they’re lying to you every day, and doing all they can to improve THEIR lot in life, not yours…. Let them know you’re on to them, at every opportunity…. If nothing else, it will make them nervous, which they deserve….

“You can fool all of the people some of the time; you can fool some of the people all of the time; and that should be sufficient for most purposes.” — Smart Bee, quoting from the true bible, used by both politicians and preachers…..

“The ideal robot, after all, is simply a properly processed human being.” — Edward Abbey

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

Increments

Meaning fades to distant reality
while gazing at such triviality.
An insane world, where utter finality
is reward for disability.

Metaphorically, as a matter of course.

Moment to moment, passion blooms,
swells, and fades, swept by new brooms.
Bitter dreams catch fire in empty rooms,
waiting for broken time, which never resumes.

Superficially, with great force.

Dire wolves stand snarling at the door
called to existence from a distant moor;
discordant strains sound a mad, sad roar,
a dirge for those who went before.

Morbidly, without vital recourse.

Honest effort fades from human ken
until entropy finds home in every when.
Illusory fear inundates imagination, then
buries hope, in its own ashes, hidden.

Cruelly, absolutely no remorse.

Silence falls until it shatters the night.
The universe has refused the fight.
Illusion is now reality, such a fey sight.
Who has courage to live in the light?

Really? It could be worse.

~~ gigoid ~~

2/15/2016

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

Naked Pearls

*********

“We pardon in the degree that we love.”

~~ Francis, Duc de La Rochefoucauld — Maxim 330 ~~

*********

“Real courage is when you know you’re licked before you begin,
but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what.”

~~ Harper Lee ~~

*********

“Purity engenders Wisdom,
Passion avarice,
and Ignorance folly, infatuation and darkness.”

~~ Bhagavad Gita (c. B.C. 400) ~~

*********

“Don’t hold to anger, hurt or pain.
They steal your energy and keep you from love.”

~~ Leo F. Buscaglia ~~

*********

“Intellect annuls fate.
So far as a man thinks,
he is free.”

~~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~~

*********

“There are victories of the soul and spirit. Sometimes, even if you lose, you win.”

~~ Elie Wiesel ~~

*********

“A man’s happiness,–to do the things proper to man.”

~~ Marcus Aurelius Antoninus — Meditations, viii, 26 ~~

*********

“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 ~~

*********

“Nobody ever promised it would make sense…”

~~ Sarge ~~

*********

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

Well, there you go. It’s a Pearl, and, a damn good one, too. Now we’ll see if reality can match my expectations. Since the odds on success are dead even, we’ll just leave it at that, & be on our way, so we can try again tomorrow… Hey, fresh poem, right? It will do. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, if my calculations are correct….

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….

Drifting pieces of abject devotion….

Posted on January 29, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“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 ~~

Guarding her flock of toys/prey….

Hajime…. I would call today’s Pearl a bit eclectic, but, that might be dignifying it more than it deserves. Given the extra time it took to complete it, one might think it would be better; so much for that idea. Smart Bee was more than a little reluctant to cooperate, not to mention the mitigating circumstance of my own lack of chutzpah during the process. It did, however, get done, so, we’ll refrain from any further complaining, which would only detract even further from any value there might be to be found today….. Hmph.

Disgruntled, I am. Yoda-ish, too. Fortunately, I also have the wherewithal to make decisions on my own behalf, which, today, may be our only hope of getting anywhere at all. In fact, I have a feeling if I don’t make it right now, I may just blow this whole deal…. I don’t usually give in to unreasonable fears, but, hey, there’s always something, right? So they say, anyway, and, I’m taking them at their word today…. Here’s how that looks….

Shall we Pearl?….

“The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane.” — Marcus Aurelius Antoninus

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

Jorma Kauknonen

Image from wikiwand.com via Google Images

Jorma Kauknonen is probably a new name for many of my Gentle Readers, though not all, I am sure. One of the finest guitarists to come out of the hippie era in San Francisco, he was an integral figure in the development of rock & roll into what it is today. As lead guitarist for first, the Jefferson Airplane, then Starship, and Hot Tuna, he set a standard for musicianship reached by few….. This takes a bit of time to get going, but, believe me, he rocks…. Enjoy!….

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

Jorma Kaukonen

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

https://youtu.be/GK9bPsHtJ3I

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

Here is one of my first rants on the subject I have tagged The Plague of Evil….. Not to worry, it’s short, and my writing wasn’t up to current standards…. but, the message is clear…..

From 10/29/2012:

“Abolition of a woman’s right to abortion, when and if she wants it, amounts to compulsory maternity: a form of rape by the State.” — Edward Abbey

This is a difficult pearl to write, as it turns out….. I’ve been cutting and pasting it ahead now for a week or two, trying to get past the anger I feel whenever I think about the number of asshole men who actively perpetrate the oppression of women in our society, a number far too large for my taste, and one I hope to make smaller before I leave this world…. one way or another.

I’d prefer to have them listen to me, and consider what I say to them, and subsequently change their ways…. but, if it takes more than that, say, the judicious application of brute force upon their person, well, I hope to be able to oblige them…. because, in my world, any man who is cowardly enough to try to assume his delusional superiority over women deserves whatever they get from other men, as well as from women strong enough to fight back….

“You’re a very strong woman… Though this would be a traumatic experience that you would never forget, I think that you would be very successful in
life.” — Senator Dan Quayle telling an 11-year-old girl — why he would want her to have the baby if she were raped by her father, 10/18/88 (reported in Esquire, 8/92)

Note, please that this quote from the Quail was made 20 years ago…. yet, the Republican party includes this very atrocity as a part of its platform…. disguised of course, and never directly addressed, or even obliquely alluded to, but, these attitudes are just the same now as they were then; perhaps even worse.

A very similar statement, just one of several in the same vein, was made in the last couple of weeks by a currently running candidate for the Senate, and the R/R ticket has steadfastly refused to speak out against what the man said…. or about any of the other statements by the low-class misogynists now inhabiting the entire Republican party. In fact, Lyin’ Ryan is already on record as having made the same assertion as Mr. Quayle did in 1988, earlier in this year’s campaign.

“The moral test of government is how it treats those who are in the dawn of life — the children; those who are in the twilight of life — the aged; and those who are in the shadows of life — the sick, the needy and the handicapped.” — Hubert Humphrey

These asinine fools would have us believe that their entire concern in this issue is for the fetus…. when in reality it is their own sexual insecurities that they are protecting, by taking the decision about any such matters, involving women’s health, out of the hands of the women involved, and putting it in the hands of men, who are deathly afraid of the women’s sexuality, because they automatically feel inferior…. This creates the reaction of rage, or anger, which always covers our fears, and these cowards in men’s clothing cover it all by spouting their lies and insanity even more….

I find at this point that I must bring this to a (temporary) end…. I am not paying attention to the lesson of today’s first section, and my anger at these assholes is getting to the point where I want to put away the computer and pick up my stick, to go looking for a few of them to bludgeon until some of my anger is released. That, while satisfying in the short run, would no doubt lead to complications I’m not prepared to accept, so….. But, I’ll be back to this subject, be sure…. I need to ask all those women out there who are supporting Romney and Ryan just when it was they lost their minds….

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

When life calls, ready or not….

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

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

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

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

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

~~ gigoid ~~

9/10/2012

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

Naked Pearls

Odd Bits of Truth

*********

“A good laugh is sunshine in a house.”

~~ William Makepeace Thackeray ~~

*********

“All the magick of creation exists within a single, tiny seed.”

~~ Magi ~~

*********

“Not every truth is the better for showing its face undisguised;
and often silence is the wisest thing for a man to heed.”

~~ Pindar ~~

*********

“We lie loudest when we lie to ourselves.”

~~ Eric Hoffer ~~

*********

“Aristotle was once asked what those who tell lies gain by it.
Said he, “That when they speak truth they are not believed.”

~~ Diogenes Laertius — Aristotle, xi ~~

*********

“A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds,
adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines.
With consistency a great soul has simply nothing to do.”

~~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~~

~~ Essays: First Series (1841) “Self-Reliance” ~~

*********

“It is the edge and temper of the blade
that make a good sword,
not the richness of the scabbard;
and so it is not money or possessions
that make man considerable,
but his virtue.”

~~ Seneca ~~

*********

“The fear of death is more to be dreaded than death itself.”

~~ Publius Syrus (42 BC) — Maxim 511 ~~

*********

“The more you love, the more you can love
—and the more intensely you love.
Nor is there any limit on how many you can love.”

~~ Robert Heinlein ~~

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

All I can say today is, we’ll be back tomorrow, with a greater effort, if not superior results…. Of course, given this one, getting better shouldn’t e too difficult…. I’ll be back, ffolkes. You can take it as a threat, a promise, a warning, or, a joke…. take your pick. I’ll be here, regardless….

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….

The thirteenth of always….

Posted on January 26, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“If we find what is unique to each day,
we will have freshness
and the greatest fulfillment possible.”

~~ Deng Ming-Dao ~~

Where’s my lap?….

Hajime…. There are days here at ECR when we have to trust the process; today is such a day. The Pearl is done, such as it is. It’s been a tough night, and morning, due to the night; ’nuff said on that, so, we’ll leave it in the past. Moving on, we have an archived politirant from 2013, unproofed, so it may be a bit pedantic, as I’ve learned a bit about writing since then. There’s a decent poem, and a decent old-school pearl. The music is a nod to the weather being suffered this winter by our friends in the Eastern US & Canada…. Thus, as you see, done, but for the blurb here, and at the end….

So be it. We’re gonna let it fly, as is….. This is how that looks….

Shall we Pearl?….

“There is nothing a man can do to guarantee success,
but there is nothing that can defeat him if he won’t give up.”

~~ Greg Praino ~~

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

The Original Parrot Head

Today’s music is for those Gentle Readers locked into their homes by the snow this winter…. Changes in latitudes, as this man knows, results in changes in attitudes…. Hopefully, this will warm y’all up a bit…. Enjoy your trip to the tropics….

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

Jimmy Buffet
Live in Anguilla

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

https://youtu.be/yR8FvDDhBv0

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

Running late again, so, here is a politirant from the archives…. I have not re-proofed it, so it’s liable to be a trifle pedantic; it’s a gift….It’s also just a filler, ffolkes; if you decide to skip it, I won’t be hurt….. Disappointed, as, in the process of moving what I’ve been working on, I lost all of it…. C’est la fucking vie…. Try to enjoy this one, if you can, while I weep in the background….

From 3/7/2013:

“It is useless for sheep to pass resolutions in favor of vegetarianism while wolves remain of a different opinion.” — William Ralph Inge, D. D. 1860 – 1954

I’ve seen this little statement before, and like it a lot, for its honesty in describing our Beloved Ruling Class in relation to the flock of sheep that comprises most of mankind. And, yes, this is the beginning of another politirant….. This one is prompted by the most recent activities that our leaders, if such word applies, have been shown to be engaged in by the news outlets I watch…. to wit: the legislation under review and up for vote in the House of Reps that is concerned with the economy, to wit: the “sequester”, and the recent comments by the POTUS re: global warming and climate change…. Let’s see what we can note about these issues, shall we?….

I have noticed that the Congress, and the POTUS, are currently at odds, as usual, over the economy, and arguing over how to address an issue over which they have absolutely no control…. I just don’t get it, actually…. There is no evidence whatsoever that anything the government does, or has ever done, about the economy has any effect at all on it…. none. Zero. Zilch. Nada damn thing…. The economy of the world, or even just this nation, is not subject to any manipulation by us; it’s too big, too amorphous…. It’s like trying to herd cats…. a lot of effort for small results, and you end up with a bunch of pissed off felines… If you know anything about cats, you will realize that this is never a good thing….

Yet, because the public demands that something be done, the politicians start their idiotic posturing, pontificating, and, otherwise polluting the airwaves with nonsensical suggestions as to what should be done to fix the problems. NONE of those ever work, nor will they ever work; the economy does not move according to any rules that we can control, or even know, and any action we take is just as liable to have a bad effect as a good one….. But, the public wants the government to fix it, so they try to make noises as if they actually could do something helpful, when in fact, anything they do is as liable to hurt as to help….. Sad, but, true as the day is long….

It’s actually kind of fun watching the contortions they go through for issues such as this; since I know for a fact that none of it will have any real effect on the issue, I can enjoy the parade without worrying about whether it will actually do anything useful…. It is a bit depressing to watch, since I am aware of just how little can be done, but, the show can be entertaining, and it does pass the time… The depressing part is knowing that the public is actually buying all of what they are saying, and really do expect something to change for the better… But, then, I am always amazed at the depth of human stupidity. I don’t know why, as I KNOW how dumb people can be… I am one, you know…. but, it always is a surprise to see just how deeply that stupidity is ingrained in the human condition…

Of course, this stupidity is part and parcel of why we are experiencing the second issue I mentioned above… global warming and overpopulation. I will be very interested to see exactly how the POTUS intends to address the issue, as he has promised to do, several times now since his inauguration. Since the issue is well advanced beyond the point that most people think it is, it will be a telling factor in deciding how seriously the issue is being taken, and whether or not it will have any chance at all of being either enough, or soon enough… Both of these are critical factors, as the point of no-return for the ecological balance of this planet is so near, it may have already been passed some months ago…..

I’m not sure how scientifically minded many of y’all are, but, I am… scientifically minded, that is, and I can tell you without fear of contradiction (from anyone with any reliable scientific knowledge, anyway….) that the atmosphere of this planet is, without doubt, and without evidence to the contrary, on the very edge of becoming unbreathable for humans…. The millions of tons of carbon monoxide and other toxic substances that are being pumped into the air EVERY SECOND, and that has been pumped in now for over a hundred years, has reached the point where it will begin a process of leaching oxygen from the air, and the balance of gases we need to survive will change, hell, IS changing, and fairly rapidly, until it is no longer of a balance that we can safely breathe… This is scientific FACT, not speculation, not a guess.. the process has already begun, the only question remaining is, how quickly will it happen?

“In the game of life you get to choose where you keep your brain – heads you win, tails you lose.” — Smart Bee

So, we’ll see where the POTUS keeps his brain, as he speaks in the next few days about this issue… Whatever he decides to do, you can bet that it won’t be enough, and it won’t make a damn bit of difference, other than in a few Presidential approval polls, perhaps. After all, even though he is a fairly reform oriented politician, he is still a politician, and you can lay good money, without fear of losing, on the fact that whatever he does is designed to benefit him and his Presidency, and any benefit for the public is a secondary concern….

He IS a politician, after all, and his primary concern is for his own success; it’s NOT the welfare of the people… He has merely discovered that being the “People’s Champion” is currently a good political stance to take…. if it ever becomes too itchy a coat to wear, he will take it off in a heartbeat…. Count on it…. You don’t get to that level of the game without being a complete asshole in some respects, and I don’t think anyone who WANTS to be President can be accused of not being ambitious, and, in the process, sociopathic….

“No people in the world ever did achieve their freedom by goody-goody talk and moral suasion: it being immutable law that all revolutions that will succeed, must begin in blood, whatever the answer afterward. If history teaches anything, it teaches that.” — Mark Twain, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (1889)

In this case, we aren’t talking about freedom, unless by that one means, freedom to stay alive…. and the BRC isn’t going to do anything about it, I don’t believe…. Or, rather, I’ll believe it when I see it, and, so far, no dice in that respect. I’m enough of a cynic to believe, sadly, that it isn’t GOING to happen, either… because I don’t believe that the POTUS, or the rest of the BRC, gives a damn about the rest of us, as long as they have their own….. This much is obvious from history, but, when did mankind at large ever pay any attention to history?….

If you have some evidence that contradicts that belief, I would dearly love to see it…. Truly, I would, because, quite frankly, my own intelligence, and the evidence I have now, forces me to conclude that we humans are shortly about to come to a bad end…. not with a bang, not with a whimper, but, choking to death in our own planet’s toxic air, victims to our own stupidity, and cupidity….

Daniel: “We’re damned if we do, we’re damned if we don’t; we need other options…” — from Stargate

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

Serendipity Morning

My mind wants to fly,
my soul wants to hold close, the source,
strong, the moments of time;
each as precious as golden thread,
binding together such elements of longing desire.

Love hovers, always patient,
   seeking the open heart,
reaching for the promise of tomorrow…..
   only for one, only for now, only what is real….
Dreaming, the morning calls,
   heavy with mordant belief,
replete, and eternally alive…..

~~ gigoid ~~

4/1/2013

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

Naked Pearls

Lesser Known Stuff re: Life at Large

***********

“No excellent soul is exempt from a mixture of madness.”

~~ Aristotle ~~

***********

“I think it’s good that everyone becomes food.”

~~ Hobbes ~~

***********

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

~~ Albert Einstein ~~

***********

“I’ve wrestled with reality for 35 years,
and I’m happy, Doctor, I finally won out over it.”

~~ Elwood P. Dowd ~~
~~ played by Jimmy Stewart in Harvey, 1950. ~~

***********

“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 ~~

***********

“In handling a stinging insect, move very slowly.”

~~ Lazurus Long ~~

***********

“Character is that which can do without success.”

~~ Emerson ~~

***********

“An infinite universe presents infinite examples of unreasoned acts,
often capricious and threatening,
godlike in their mystery.
Without god-powers, conscious reasoning
cannot explore and make this universe absolutely known;
there must remain mysteries beyond what is explained.
The only reason in this universe is that which you,
in your ungodlike hubris, project onto the universe.
In this, you retain kinship with your most primitive ancestors.”

~~ Raja Flattery, “The Jesus Incident”, Frank Herbert ~~

***********

“The worst fear is the fear of living.”

~~ Theodore Rosevelt ~~

***********

“Entropy requires no maintenance.”

~~ Amanda Walker ~~

***********

“Never play leapfrog with a unicorn.”

~~ Ancient Human Wisdom ~~

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

As noted in the intro, we’re trusting the process today; this means I’ll be out of touch a while, to forgo any unpleasantness, should this prove to be less acceptable than we calculated. Ah, well; so be it. My Gentle Readers can take anything; they do, after all, hang out here…. As for me, well, we’ll try this again tomorrow, to see if we can’t find some elegance or actual literature in there somewhere…. Until then, y’all try to stay strange, because it’s cool 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….

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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