Only when it’s in public view….

Posted on December 3, 2014 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Truth never hurts the teller.” ~~ Robert Browning ~~

A large, yawning chasm of empty space seems to have filled up my head, where usually I find a swirling cloud of random thoughts and feelings, all prompted by perceptive anomalies, or in reaction to some stimulus provided by a world gone mad…. This, of course, isn’t anything we haven’t seen before around here; this daily blog business seems to breed such incidents of oddity…. I’ve even become accustomed to the fear and loathing that accompanies the ranting process, a natural side effect of having to look at Asininnies for so long at one sitting…. Kind of similar, they say, to the effects of long-term drug use on the liver, with some small differences in detail…

None of that, it seems, is giving me a clue as to what might go in this section today. If we go by what has gone before, we’re attempting to wander around the area, blathering, until something definite occurs to me to address, or, maybe, some strange impulse from deeper within my subconscious mind will float up, bringing with it an idea we can use to keep this from stagnating…. which, by the looks of this paragraph, is NOT too far off…. Damn it, why does this have to happen when I’m feeling shitty, and my hands are killing me? It’s almost as if Murphy….. oh, shit, Murphy….

Fuck me hard, I’m screwed now…. I forgot all about Murphy, difficult as it may be to believe, and I know now what I may be in for…. He’s had time, thanks to my neglectfulness, to set up any number of foul-ups in my world, which I will proceed to stumble upon every hour or so, as I try to complete even ONE of any necessary tasks today…. He KNOWS my schedule, dammit; with that knowledge, he can set me up for many, many falls, all in one day, without much effort at all… What have I done to myself? I’m tempted to say “ARGGH!”, but, that would be weak, and foolish, so, I won’t….

I will, however, take this opportunity to get the hell out of this section, before it blows up in my face, any more than it just did…. I’m glad I got some of this Pearl done yesterday, while my hands were out of action, & I was forced to use a bunch of archived material…. Don’t worry, though, it’s all good stuff, and hasn’t been seen in some time, so, it shouldn’t set off your antique-alarms…. Sorry in advance, but, this is the best you’ll get today…. I’m going to be quite busy, I’m sure, dealing with a number of crisis situations throughout the day, so, it will have to do…. This rain is due to stop by tomorrow, or the next day, and I should get a break from this arthritic pain that has dogged me for five days now….

In keeping with the latest regulations, this is the end of this intro section; whatever you’ve seen here in the past has no further relevance, given the news we just received…. It’s probably a good thing I didn’t go to read news this morning…. If the last couple days of it are any indication, the world has gone stark, raving mad, and nobody is even paying attention…. SIGH…. I guess you could say that’s nothing new for this species…. Let’s get on with this, okay?….. Hang on, we’re going in!….

Shall we Pearl?

“Do not they bring it to pass by knowing that they know nothing at all?” — Terence (185-159 BC) — Andria, The Prologue, 17

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I’m having a hard time deciding on today’s video; therefore, I will go with an old favorite….. I think, given the material we have today, some classical music will be good for us…. I know I’ll need it, for sure…. It’s always the right choice when one is looking for music by which to think, or read, or relax…. In fact, let’s make it holiday-friendly, with some Christmas music, Celtic style…. Enjoy!….

Weihnachtslieder Weihnachtsmusik – Christmas Music Celtic Harp

http://youtu.be/4alfM-EBVHE

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“The wind passeth over it, and it is gone;” — Old Testament — Psalm ciii, 16

As I’ve stated, my hands are not up to typing out a rant, no matter how fresh it may be, or how justified…. Instead, here is a good discussion from last year, early… It isn’t terribly long, but, fairly cogent, and, will fit in with the needs of today’s Pearl quite nicely, I think….

From 2/22/2013:

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

Albert, though absolutely correct in his assessment of the danger of atomic war, was somewhat premature in this prediction of the form our doom will take. He, himself, were he alive today, would probably agree that we now face a much graver, if no less permanently fatal, danger, one with even more grave consequences for humanity than an atomic holocaust. There is a possibility, slim though it may be, that we could survive an atomic war, though civilization would be in greatly reduced circumstances. The danger we now face is worse, in that it allows no possibility whatsoever that we will survive it at all….. None….

I’m referring, of course, to the effects of global warming, and the continuing assault on the environment made inevitable by human greed and avarice, and humanity’s massive denial of the facts that are being shoved in our faces. This denial is so strongly entrenched that it prevents most people from even looking at the evidence that is available, because, mostly, they don’t WANT to see it. It makes them afraid to even think about the subject, so they refuse to do so, in spite of the fact that doing so will eventually cause their demise, as well as that of everyone they hold dear….

I spend a lot of time, and words, on trying to convince people that this issue is not one that is going to go away, and will not be solved by ignoring, and even denying, its presence. I try to mention that none of my predictions are confined to this blog, that there is ample scientific evidence, freely available, online, or in libraries, and news reports, that shows very clearly just how little time we have left to either stop our depredations on the environment, and that demonstrates quite plainly how critical it is to find some way to correct the damage we’ve done. Otherwise, there is absolutely no doubt at all that we, as a species, will join the ranks of the Dodo, and the T-Rex, and all the other promising life forms that once existed on Earth, which are now extinct.

If you have, or know of, any evidence to the contrary, I hope you will be kind enough to show me where I can look at it; I would be thrilled to find some hopeful data on the subject. However, I’m fairly confident no one will take me up on that, because, to my extensive knowledge, there is no such evidence, so it would be hard to produce out of thin air…. which is what we all will be breathing in the relatively near future….

Normally, at this point, I would go into my usual rant about the responsible parties in this mess, to wit: the Beloved Ruling Class, otherwise known as the 1%, or the Corporate Masters and their Pious Lackeys, the Priestly Hierarchies….the Asininnies, in short. They hide behind their compound walls and watch as the rest of us labor on their behalf, as the atmosphere continues to become overloaded with millions of tons of particulate matter every second, while the oceans are filled up with toxic unnatural substances that cannot be destroyed, or eaten, or otherwise used to enhance life. Our planet is being turned into a refuse dump, and we are about to lose our jobs as subsidized scavengers…..

Today, however, I’m reserving my anger for the Universe at large, for its cruel, dispassionate treatment of me and my family, so I don’t want to take the time for my usual indictment of those assholes…. Besides, there’s always tomorrow, right? I can say that now, and maybe for a time, but, I won’t be able to always say it…. We have been served our final notice of eviction ffolkes, and, any folks listening in…. The landlord, a lady by the name of Gaia, is tired of our constant degradation of the property, and wishes us to vacate, so they can repaint, and put down new carpets…..

“You know,” he added very gravely, “it’s one of the most serious things that can possibly happen to one in a battle — to get one’s head cut off.” — Lewis Carroll, “Through the Looking-Glass”

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In light of the rather sober nature of the message in the above rant, here is something a bit lighter….

Roses for Noses

I have a bozoid personality, of the first degree;
nobody, I mean nobody, knows that better than me.
I often wonder, as the world goes around, and around
how many others have realized just what I’ve found….

I know for a fact, I’m not the only bozoid one;
too many people laughing out there, having fun.
Is their laughter, though, at themselves first?
Or is it some other impulse, like purple liverwurst”….

I’ve always loved to make others laugh and giggle,
since my tender youth, when my ears began to wiggle.
The world is full of humor, but not always easy to find
so laughing at myself I learned never to mind….

We bozos know each other, here, there, and everywhere
there’s no hiding such joy, it just wouldn’t be fair.
We all have one feature, our great bulbous nose,
and there’s no doubt at all, cuz it just grows….

There’s nothing like a good, big mistake, a disaster,
to show us the folly of living life faster and faster.
Nothing in the world can ever take the place,
of seeing in the mirror, a happy, smiling face….

Don’t be shy, just let it all hang out;
we bozos have more fun, there’s no doubt.
Life’s too somber and gray if we let it get on top
if we don’t stay loose, the pain won’t ever stop….

My advice to all of you, out there in the world,
let noses grow round & red, keep hair tightly curled.
Find a way to let your spirit out often to play,
you’ll never once regret any price you pay.

~~ gigoid ~~

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This is what I like, or, perhaps, ‘am forced’ is a more accurate phrase, to call a random pearl…. The quotes you see below collected themselves, by the insidious method of getting included in with another group, on a subject which, though close to this in spirit, is not amenable to the degree of functionality necessary to bring coherence to the whole…

I see by the above statement, which approaches total inscrutability quite closely, the lack of organization inherent in the random method has spilled over into my thought patterns, and we’ll get no more clarity out of me today…. In truth, the only thing left to do now is to let them stand alone, to take their lumps like the rest of us who live here in the real world…. There probably IS a point here, but, I’m damned if I’m in a mood to try to find it…. you’re on your own there, ffolkes…. Try not to strain anything, okay? My insurance guys are already pissed off at me….

“There are no straight lines in space.” — Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

“If you would know a man, observe how your cat treats him.” — Smart Bee

“History is a pack of lies about events that never happened told by people who weren’t there.” — George Santayana

“Let thy speech be better than silence, or be silent.” — Dionysius the Elder (430-367 BC) — Frag. 6

“Insanity — a perfectly rational adjustment to an insane world.” — R. D. Lang

“There are some jobs in which it is impossible for a man to be virtuous.” — Aristotle (B.C. 384-322)

“A reverence for life does not require one to respect nature’s obvious mistakes.” — Robert A. Heinlein

Don’t blame me; I just work here…. To be honest, this one says more than it may seem at first glance…. Let it percolate a bit, and it should, at the very least, bring a slight smile, or even a snicker, to an otherwise lost cause…. SIGH….

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Well, it’s done…. Sadly, that’s about the best I can say…. To bring meaning to the old saw about keeping silent if one’s words don’t improve the silence, I’ll stop now…. Imagine that; gigoid, showing tact…. What’s the world coming to?….. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes…. nobody seems willing to stop me, so, I’ll be back then, with more (insert pithy, Anglo-Saxon epithet) to throw out there….

Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark, and Theresa…
and everyone else, too…When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

À bientôt, mon cherí….

He meant plaster of PARIS!….

Posted on December 2, 2014 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“So as this only point among the rest remaineth sure and certain, namely, that nothing is certain. . .”

~~ Pliny The Elder ~~

Today’s picture is one of several I took, of pubs in England, and Ireland, while traveling there in 2013; I showed the first one, of the Old Swan, in London, a few days ago; this one, located in Belfast, is the oldest public house in that city, having been first established by royal license in 1635, on that same spot… This view is of the main room by the bar; I sat at the table just to the right of the fireplace to have my lunch, (you can just see my stick, leaning against the wall by the mantle), consisting of a traditional plate of bangers and mash, and a stout beer…. Some day, I want to tour both islands of the British Isles, to visit at least one pub in every town I see…. I figure I couldn’t get a much better feel for the people than to visit the places where they hang out to eat, drink, and plot revolution….

Well, the last part is my imagination, but, I’ve read enough history to know that many revolutions were plotted in rooms just like this one, perhaps this one itself, and not so long ago…. This pub, called White’s Tavern, has been a popular spot for almost 400 years, many of which saw what the locals call “the troubles”, as the civil war between the Catholics and Protestants in that country waged over the past couple hundred years. I’d wager good money that a lot of the battles in that war were planned right in the room you see above, a wager I would be confident of winning…

Now, all this doesn’t pick my pocket, nor break my bones, to paraphrase Tom Jefferson, pitifully badly, but, it IS interesting. Well, to me, anyway, as a student of both history, and European culture over the ages; whether y’all are interested, or not, is of little concern to me at this point. You see, I’m in the middle of what may be the most cogent, properly executed intro sections I’ve ever created…. Of course, this little intimate conversation, which we now are holding, sort of puts that to the lie, so to speak…. In short, I’ve even managed to screw up THIS one, haven’t I? I think I have, more’s the pity…. It was going so WELL, too!….

Now, of course, we’ll have to abandon the direction we were headed, to hare off in some other wild way…. Where we will find ourselves when I’m done screwing around would be a bit hard to predict, so, I won’t even bother to try; all I’ll say is, sorry ’bout that…. I tried this to keep myself from falling into a rant right out of the gate, but, I seem to have carried it a bit too far away from our normal process, so far we lost track of the time, as well as the desired outcome…. Such sloppiness is, naturally, to be expected when trying such a new, and delicate procedure, but, I managed to find completely new ways to foul it up…. I’m talented that way, if you hadn’t noticed….

Ah well, so much for that one…. We’ll now be compelled to force our exit again, using that new, but already well-practiced skill, developed and installed at such great expense and effort, of ruthlessness, for which I am ever thankful, for having saved us so many times, over such a short period of time…. One of our best buys, no doubt…. To use it does cause a bit of trouble, in that we are using more first-aid supplies, but, those are a small price to pay for ending up in the right place each day…. Well, the right place according to our calculations; I won’t claim infallibility of results, only of intent….

Look out!…. Okay, that should do it… We’re past the worst point now, so, I suppose I should get on with the rest of today’s mess….

Shall we Pearl?

“Thoughts are free and are subject to no rule. On them rests the freedom of man, and they tower above the light of nature.” — von Hohenheim (1493-1541)

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As may happen with any long-running show on TV, the BBC series with Jeremy Brett as Sherlock Holmes suffered a few miscarries, in terms of falling into clichéd plot lines that catered to disparate elements of the viewing audience, such as spiritualism, or any of the other suppositions about the habits of the world’s most renowned fictional character…. Certain plot lines reached a point where the contents of the story achieved rather a far-out look and feel, as the writers tried to convince the audience of Sherlock’s great powers, as explainable only by extraordinary means….

This episode is one such, featuring the actor who played Mycroft Holmes, Sherlock’s brother, in a case he pursued with the help of Watson…. It’s a very enjoyable piece of TV entertainment, and a pretty good small-screen adaptation, definitely one of the BBC’s best efforts…. Enjoy!…..

The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes – S07E05 – The Mazarin Stone

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TMP52a6Nlc

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I’ve related in previous posts how the rain we are experiencing here in NorCal has aggravated the arthritis in my hands, to the point of making typing a challenge…. Plus, dealing with the damn things, when added to the other spots on my body that seem to jump to be included in the litany, in dreaded sympathy, is exhausting over time…. all of which occupies my mind far too much for my taste…. It also keeps me from gathering news to use as subject matter…. Hence, another trip to the archives for a rant…. This is rather a mild one, but, fairly cogent, and all too true for comfort….

From 2/22/2013:

“Know that which pervades the entire body is indestructible. No one is able to destroy the imperishable soul.” — Bhagavad Gita (c. B.C. 400)

I first read the Bhagavad Gita when I was about 17; along with the Tao Teh Ching, it has had a profound effect on my life, and the attitudes I bring to living it. The above verses are what led me to my belief in the mind’s immortality, as a form of energy like any other in this Universe, thus subject to the Law of Conservation of Energy. This deduction served to remove the fear from Death for me, as I can now view it as a mere change of form, to one whose characteristics I do not know, (or remember), from previous changes. Once fear is removed, Death becomes just another part of Life, and is welcome as such, for the inherent beauty it possesses as the complement to Life…..

“All anger arises out of obstructed desire.” — Bhagavad Gita

This is the second verse from the book I found to be extremely valuable, in learning to live with dignity, with honor, and without fear. This statement, by its very nature, implies that our anger is under our control, thereby placing it into our bag of assets to be used when needed, rather than in our bag of liabilities, or, emotions that keep us from reaching our potential as humans, like fear, anger, greed, etc….. Fear can be seen as the desire to be safe from harm, obstructed, which thus sheltered under our aegis of emotions that can be changed, by merely changing our desire…. By learning to deal with fear, anger becomes our ally, rather than our enemy…..

In turn, these two principles, used congruently, give us the emotional freedom to make clear decisions about reality’s demands and issues, without our emotional responses coloring the decisions with their negative outlook, and tendency toward denial and obstruction. We become immune to the storms that plague most people, for we know how to adjust our attitudes to suit the conditions under which we find ourselves, instead of falling prey to letting the circumstances dictate our response. True freedom, indeed…

Today, when I found this, I was immediately reminded of all of the things I had lost track of in the distractions of living…. All the pain and anger I’ve been feeling since hearing the news of my brother’s illness fell away, no longer able to sustain their hold over my emotions; I am once more able to see how this is not an issue to be angry about, but rather one to use as an opportunity to grow, and to perhaps be able to give my brother the love and support he needs, despite what he may want, in his own grief…. He is afraid, and trying to keep from either showing, or sharing that fear with his family; I won’t allow him to die that way, or to be without his family, when it is so unnecessary…..

So, I am feeling better in that respect, and though I am still filled with sadness, I know now that is just my own self-pity, feeling sorry for myself for having to face his death…. Grief is, in truth, misplaced in looking at death, and in reality is more of a solace for the living, than it is a tribute to the dead; our grief is more a feeling of loss in ourselves than it is sorrow for their passing. It is not, ultimately, a time for sadness, but, rather, a chance to acknowledge the beauty of a Universe that gives us this opportunity to experience the change in our consciousness….

I’m betting when we change over, we are in a place where our minds are much more in tune with the very base of reality, with the ability to direct the formation of the next form it takes…. Hey, it makes as much sense as any of the other suggestions of what happens that I’ve heard, and has the advantage of fitting the facts of observable, recordable reality, pretty precisely….. and if I’m wrong, well, I’ll deal with that when I get there…. 🙂

I’ll tell you this quite frankly…. if the Christians are right, or the Muslims, or any of the other organized institutional churches, then I will definitely have a few words for whatever is passing itself off as God, to answer for the actions of His/Her/Its followers…. and I won’t be taking any BS for a response….

“And now there is merely silence, silence, silence, saying all we did not know.” — William Rose Benet

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I’m again unwilling to share the blame for any of this, so, once more, you must put up with my own pallid, if pungent, poetry….

Stray Cats

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

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

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

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

~~gigoid~~

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When I went to put together an old school pearl for this section, Smart Bee seemed in a weird mood, presenting a choppy group of quotes, many of which seemed to fit together, but, with as many that did not fit presented right alongside…. I finally figured out SB had something to say about a category of Asininny, specifically the Dogma Dogs… So, I pulled out those that didn’t say much about that, to find this perfect seven-star pearl had come together, all directed at those silly, delusional thieves dwelling among us, who like to wear clothes trimmed in gold filigree, just because they think it’s swell…. when, in truth, it’s an example of how little they do know about Life, or Reality….

“A half truth is a whole lie.” — Yiddish proverb

CLERGYMAN, n. A man who undertakes the management of our spiritual affairs as a method of bettering his temporal ones. — Ambrose Bierce, “The Devil’s Dictionary”

“The easy confidence with which I know another man’s religion is folly teaches me to suspect that my own is also.” — “I would not interfere with any one’s religion, either to strengthen it or to weaken it. I am not able to believe one’s religion can affect his hereafter one way or the other, no matter what that religion may be. But it may easily be a great comfort to him in this life — hence it is a valuable possession to him.” — I do not see how eternal punishment hereafter could accomplish any good end, therefore I am not able to believe in it. To chasten a man in order to perfect him might be reasonable enough; to annihilate him when he shall have proved himself incapable of reaching perfection might be reasonable enough; but to roast him forever for the mere satisfaction of seeing him roast would not be reasonable — even the atrocious God imagined by the Jews would tire of the spectacle eventually.” — Mark Twain

FAITH, n: That quality which enables us to believe what we know to be untrue. — Ambrose Bierce, The Devil’s Dictionary

“The least pain in our little finger gives us more concern and uneasiness than the destruction of millions of our fellow human beings.” — William Hazlitt (1778-1830), Works, Vol.X

“An honest god is the noblest work of man. … God has always resembled his creators. He hated and loved what they hated and loved and he was invariably found on the side of those in power. … Most of the gods were pleased with sacrifice, and the smell of innocent blood has ever been considered a divine perfume.” — Robert G. Ingersoll

“I have no problem with God.. it’s his pushy followers I can’t stand!!” — Smart Bee

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Okay, well, it took a while, but, I managed to get this done in spite of my hands; I can’t say it has been the most fun I’ve ever had, to be sure. But, it’s done, so, I’ll take it, and run…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, even if the rain keeps up….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Spam-tested for your protection….

Posted on December 1, 2014 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“What is food to one man may be fierce poison to others.”

~~ Lucretius (95-55 BC) — De Rerum Natura, iv, 637 ~~

The choice of whether to write about the opening quote, or the picture that comes below it, can be a true conundrum, one I generally ignore in favor of my own silliness, or the random blather that so often marks these introductions. Today, I will choose the picture, one of my own, because of the thought that occurred to me as I viewed it this morning….

That thought centered on the church in the picture, surrounded, as it is, by the seemingly limitless row houses, each with its complement of flats and apartments, and each of those filled with a number of low-income Irish folks, who probably work in or around the water, attending the church on Sunday. I am struck, each time I look at these pictures of Cobh, the port town near the city of Cork, in Ireland, at the sheer opulence of the church, as opposed to the shabby houses that dot the hills all around it…

It makes a perfect example of what is wrong in our world, a place where the minds and efforts of the general run of men are focused more on the rewards they expect in the next life, and not on the problems we have in this one…. It makes a perfect visual metaphor for how we continue to have the same issues dog us, year after year, century after century, while we insist there is nothing wrong at all. The Asininnies and the Dogma Dogs have the population of the Earth so bamboozled, they will believe almost anything told to them, if it has the proper provenance, and is uttered by a talking head, either at the podium in church, or on a TV with a national flag behind them….

Ah me, I’ve stumbled again, haven’t I? Ranting before my coffee has settled in my tummy…. With nary a joke, nor a helpful cliche to smooth the way, I’ve no doubt already driven half my potential readers to another blog, without ever getting out of the intro section…. I must be an idiot, which would put me right into the same category with everyone else in the world wouldn’t it? Oh well, at least we didn’t sustain any serious injuries (unless y’all aren’t sharing with us….), or, for that matter, leave a trail of body parts behind us…. not yet, anyway. Nor do we plan to do so, unless, of course, we can’t avoid it…. Sometimes, the sight of the vehicle can cause a bit of panic among the denizens, and they’ll riot, but, as long as we maintain altitude, it won’t bother us….

I’ve about gotten to the desired point; in fact, we’re here. Since we have become more ruthless in our approach to these intros, it has made it easier, mostly, to get us where we need to go…. Well, mostly it just keeps us from getting off the track so far, but, that helps, too. For now, it’s enough to know, and to say, here we are, so, please hang on, while we navigate this rather tricky turn, right around the herd of peacefully grazing metaphorical logic bombs…. A beautiful sight, eh, what?…. Oops, better duck, ffolkes, low bridge a’comin’!….

Shall we Pearl?

“But the only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible.” — Arthur C. Clarke (1917- 2008) — Profiles of the Future (1962; rev. 1973) — “Hazards of Prophecy: The Failure of Imagination”

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Today’s video selection is another comic; this one is also a special kind of guy, like George Carlin. His approach is similar, but, entirely different, if you know what I mean…. If not, that’s okay. You’re gonna laugh anyway, because he’s funny as hell…. Enjoy, ffolkes….

Eddie Izzard – Dress to Kill

http://youtu.be/H8ItGMtTCuY

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“Time has only a relative existence.” — Carlyle (1795-1881)

I’m afraid a fresh rant is out of the question today…. I spent most of yesterday, right up until arising today, buried in intermittent, damn-near=intolerable pain, mostly in my hands, and shoulder joints, with some help from the hips and lower back, just to keep it interesting for me, I guess… It pretty well shot the whole day, after posting in the morning, an event made more difficult by the pain, for sure…. The act of typing has become a struggle, to get my thoughts down on the screen, while nursing the fingers through the aching to get it done…. Not as easy to do as to say/type, trust me….

So, nothing fresh today, but, I have time, so I’ll try to find something not too long…. Ah, perfect…. ‘Tis not a rant, for sure. ‘Tis just an old-school pearl, actually a Pearl, taken whole from the post for the listed day….. This was the original format of the Pearls of Virtual Wisdom (they have gone through at least three format transformations over the three-plus years on this site…); what you see here was the entire post for the date…. It isn’t a rant but it’s not bad, and it takes up the appropriate amount of space and time…. so be it…

From 8/22/2011, entitled, “A Different Sort of Hermaphrodite“:

Ffolkes,

This is definitely a different sort….it floats. Of course if it didn’t we’d just have to find one, of fix one, that would show the same characteristics. It’s a dirty, lonely job, but, somebody has to hate it, so why not us? It’s not as if they aren’t paying us well, right?…..And if it was so bad we couldn’t take it, it would just fall to someone who didn’t know the right way to hold one. So let’s have no more nonsense; just get in there and grab it by the toe and start twisting…..right? Alrighty then…..

The foregoing was brought to you with support from a grant by a local drug dealer with delusions of adequacy. He’s trying to buy his way into respectable society; we don’t think he’ll ever be accepted, but that is no reason we can’t take his money, since we’re doing something about all the lost souls he creates. We turn them into body slaves for sick old men and women who have never been treated for their bipolar disorder. It’s just another public service that we don’t much talk about, because it’s embarrassing to have everyone fawning over us. People sometimes have no dignity…….

Okay, enough fooling around, let’s get down to some serious literature……well, I guess we would, if I could think of something serious. Somehow this morning my brain is refusing to wrap itself around anything too heavy; hence the above two short paragraphs of…….hmm, well of whatever they are. Can’t seem to come up with a description, which isn’t surprising; it’s pretty far out in left field. I suppose we should come in out of the cold now, so with no further ado, I give you today’s Pearls of Virtual Wisdom. Remember to wash up afterward…..

“I once wanted to save the world. Now I just want to leave the room with dignity.” — Lotus Weinstock (I can definitely relate…..)

“Cogito cogito ergo cogito sum — “I think that I think, therefore I think that I am.” — Ambrose Bierce, “The Devil’s Dictionary”

“He who has a WHY to live for can bear with almost any HOW.” — F. Nietzsche

“Just as a cautious businessman avoids investing all his capital in one concern, so wisdom would probably admonish us also not to anticipate all our happiness from one quarter alone.” — Sigmund Freud

“Genius is not a possession of the limited few, but exists in some degree in everyone. Where there is natural growth, a full and free play of faculties, genius will manifest itself.” — Robert Henri

” — Bother!” said Pooh. “Eyeore, ready two photon torpedoes and lock phasers on the Heffalump; Piglet, meet me in transporter room three.” — Smart Bee

So, I’m going to end on that note, so I can head down to the transporter room to see them off. Y’all take care out there……

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

Once again, to avoid splashing on anyone else, here is one of my older poems…. Since it’s raining again today, we’ll go with this one…. It’s a bit early, since winter won’t officially begin for three more weeks, but, it’s appropriate to the day, and the way I feel about it…. or, hope to, at some point during the day….

An Old Man, Snoring….

Winter arrives with gusts of wind and rain,
clover spreads green amongst the hedges.
Urban gardens quiver, and dream of spring again,
gargoyles stoically crouch on corniced ledges.

Umbrellas sprout over heads shrouded and hatted,
dotting the sidewalks in colorful profusion.
Urban denizens pose sketches, framed and matted,
adding casual beauty to fill the illusion.

Hissing tires, swishing along with the wipers
join nature’s orchestra smoothly, as percussion.
Dripping gutters sound gong tones, true pipers,
a sudden roar of wind hushes all discussion.

Dreams of summer heat form the crux of desire
as winter chills our souls from without.
Sitting in warmth, gazing into an imaginary fire;
content to know spring will come, no doubt.

~~ gigoid ~~

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

Sometimes, putting together a pearl of virtual wisdom becomes an exercise in patience, as well as a perfect real-time example of the old saw, that speaks of how the journey is often more illuminating, and/or satisfying, than the destination…. This took forfuckingever to get done; it’s fortunate that a) I’m retired, and b) I’m stubborn. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have come out as well as it did….

Of course, such a value judgments are perfectly useless, but, nonetheless remain inevitable; we’re all humans here, nothing of which we should be ashamed. In fact, that might just be a good summary of our destination today…. You tell me, if you feel you should; don’t let any subsequent guilt keep you from indulging yourself…. It’s all in good fun, right?…. Well, I’m having fun, so, y’all can do as you like… First, though, read this, and let yourself flow with it to its proper conclusion, whatever form that may take for you….

“To conduct great matters and never commit a fault is above the force of human nature.” — Plutarch (46-120 AD) — Life of Fabius

“Most people would rather give than get affection.” — Aristotle

“No man is rich enough to buy back his past.” — Oscar Wilde (1854-1900)

“What the meaning of human life may be I don’t know; I incline to suspect that it has none.” — H. L. Mencken

“Blessed are the forgetful: for they get the better even of their blunders.” — Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900)

FRIENDLESS, adj. Having no favors to bestow. Destitute of fortune. Addicted to utterance of truth and common sense. — Ambrose Bierce, “The Devil’s Dictionary”

“If possible, try to find a way to come downstairs that doesn’t involve going bump, bump, bump, on the back of your head.” — Pooh in Winnie the Pooh A.A. Milne, English author (1882-1956)

Well, there you go…. I don’t think I could have said it better myself…. But, then, how can one not admire a man who wrote both Winnie the Pooh, and the world’s first, and perhaps ultimately, best, murder mystery? (The Red House Mystery)…. He also was a playwright, and poet…. Gotta love those polymaths, eh?….

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I think I’ll stop now; I don’t think I’ve got any more in me today. I will apologize in advance if I seem to disappear; I have a feeling I’ll be down and out much of the day, under the influence of copious quantities of pain relieving medicines…. SIGH…. Another day down the tubes, so to speak, though what the tubes may be, I haven’t a clue…. Ah well, that’s nothing new….. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes…..

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Stereotyping promotes bigotry, it’s clear….

Posted on November 30, 2014 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Neither genius, fame, nor love show the greatness of the soul.

Only kindness can do that.”

~~ Jean Baptiste Henri Lacordaire ~~

Right on time, it seems, yet still clueless. It seems keeping to a strict schedule is no more consistent than being late, or early, for the purposes we attempt to address each morning. Of course, it would help, no doubt, had we any clue as to what KIND of consistency we need, or, for that matter, the purpose we are attempting to fulfill. There is that old saw, about “if you don’t don’t where you’re going, don’t worry, when you get there, you won’t know where you are, anyway”, or some such snarky, condescending bit of doggerel to tell us how much of an idiot we are.. Why is that? Ah well, I guess it makes people feel better to put someone else down for not knowing something basic….

Not that I care overmuch where we end up, as long as all the passengers arrive relatively safely; injury-free is good, too. The insurance guys love that. But, we aren’t always concerned with safety around here; it doesn’t go with the concept of thinking for oneself. Refusing to buy into the crap that most of the world is trying to feed us is a dangerous business; the BRC and the rest of the Asininnies really don’t like it when we do that. They spend a lot of time and money to make sure we’re all stupefied with the pressures of life, handicapped with so many issues to resolve daily we barely have the time to scratch an itch, much less spend a lot of time in wondering what might work better for us…. just the way they like it….

You will please note, at this point, I am stopping myself, deftly heading off what promises to be a rant of some proportion, in order to save the opening section from driving everyone off again…. I try to come out silly, or nonsensical, but, somehow, seem to fall right into ranting by the second paragraph in…. It’s frustrating, but, I think I’m starting to find the rhythm to keep it moving…. If I can just make this turn here, to send us closer to the path we’re supposed to be on by now, we should make it just fine…. Of course, it won’t be the same without Mickey, but, I’ll bet y’all hadn’t even missed him yet….

No, he didn’t get fired; who could fire a mouse of such a gentle nature…. No, Mickey sacrificed himself to a cause yesterday… It’s a long story, and actually, the details are gory enough, we’ll not be sharing them here this morning, lest we not only ruin breakfast, but, lunch, too…. Suffice it to say, Mickey, by allowing himself to be run through that threshing machine, saved the lives of millions of insects, not to mention the President of Disney World, and his entire entourage, who would otherwise have been wiped out completely…. Not bad for a rodent, eh?

Now, then, before anyone tumbles to the metaphor there, I’m going to make an executive decision, to take us out of here via the first available route…. which, as can be seen, is coming up just ahead…. It looks to be a fairly smooth exit this time, so, tightening your seat belts should be sufficient measure to comply with safety regs…. and, if not, well, just hang on to the arms of your seat, and you should be fine…. Hey, look at the bright side…. if anything DOES happen, you’ll be free to sue us down to our socks…. Bonus, right? Right….

Shall we Pearl?

“He who knows nothing, doubts nothing.” — Italian Proverb

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When I was young, before the age of ten, my mother had a record of Andres Segovia playing classical music on the guitar…. I was impressed by the sounds he made, seemingly echoing an entire orchestra on one instrument…. Needless to say, it gave me an appreciation of the guitar which has been with me ever since, ever growing to include new musical venues which feature the guitar…. Brazilian music has emerged as one of the most well-known genres of modern music to do so, which makes it my pleasure to introduce any of y’all who aren’t familiar with it, to a good example of the finer aspects of human nature…. Enjoy!….

João Luiz e Douglas Lora – Brasil Guitar Duo

http://youtu.be/bw7JWO_U0V0

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And in your dreams you can see yourself
As a prophet saving the world
The words from your lips
I just can’t believe you are such
A fool.

~~ Frank Zappa, “Oh No” ~~

Politicians. Dogma dogs. Snakeheads. Myrmidons, Pimps. Sleagles. (A newly coined word, to describe sleazy legal eagles, i.e., those lawyers who end up as politicians, or living up to the latest lawyer jokes, not a single one of which I’ve ever heard that wasn’t true as the day…. for most of them, anyway….) To my way of thinking, this list names the six categories of the human species responsible for the greatest part of the misery in this world… These are the real predators of our species, who prey almost exclusively upon their fellow man…. Whether they do so out of sociopathic egotism, misogynistic ignorance and fear, or deliberate choice of evil, these people have usurped human society for their own ends….

In the past 5000 years, these Asininnies, as I call them, have brought us all to the brink of extinction, a fate we cannot escape unless we figure out how to break the hold these assholes have on the resources of the planet, for their own benefit, at the expense of everyone else…. This is not a new viewpoint of the structure of our culture; our most ancient sages speak of the self-same issues, with the same degree of cluelessness as to how to stop them… For example, here is an observation from approximately 2600 years ago:

“Written laws are like spiders’ webs, and will like them only entangle and hold the poor and weak, while the rich and powerful easily break through them.” — Anacharsis (f1. c. 600 B.C.), Scythian philosopher — Quoted in Plutarch, the Lives of the Nobel Grecians and Romans, Solon

These villainous pretenders to the name ‘human’, relatively few in number, compared to the power they wield, are aided in this predatory behavior by willing allies from within the ranks of the less bold, but, no less evil individuals, who act as their sycophants, giving service to the same ideals of selfishness, and personal gain, while pretending to serve the public good…. They do this by encouraging the less intelligent among us to buy into the delusion of their own special nature, to wit: religion, fostering the attitudes which also lead to nationalism, and the divisiveness that plagues mankind…. The weak, foolish, easily-seduced members of the public are promised they will be rewarded for their submission to authority, with the gift of eternal life, which, for some reason, they actually believe is within their grasp, despite all the obvious evidence to the contrary….

These hypocritical dogma dogs teach unwitting fools to give up their right to think for themselves, usually convincing them of this deliberate lie before they are able to think at all, in childhood, with scary tales of what will happen if they do not submit to the will of God… with more lies to describe the perils of eternal Hell, should they ever think for themselves…. If you need any proof of this assertion, well, it’s right out there where anyone can see it… to wit:

“In much wisdom is much grief; and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.” — Old Testament — Ecclesiastes i, 18

Yet people continue to fall for the same old bullshit stories, because it plays into their laziness, and their need to see themselves as ‘special’, in a universe they do not comprehend, surrounded by fearful sounds and sights, all of which is too hard, and too scary, to try to figure out on their own…. So, they buy into the elitism of being “God’s children”, whether they call God Yahweh, or Allah, or Krishna, or Guan Yin, or any of a hundred other names humans have come up with to try to explain those things they don’t understand…. They do this because it saves them from having to use their minds for anything other than thinking up ways to cheat or steal from their fellows…. which is far easier than working….

I know this sounds somewhat like sour grapes, but, believe me, I don’t miss what I see others have in their faith, at all. Nor do I wish to give up what I know to be true. I have found this truth by gathering my own evidence, upon which I have based all my conclusions; I won’t give it up in order to buy into something that, as far as all the evidence shows, has no existence in the real world; not the one in which I live, anyway…. None of it makes any sense, and never has; it just doesn’t hang together, logically, and is NOT supported by the physical evidence that exists…. But, they never let up the pressure, with sentiments such as this:

“Be not faithless, but believing.” — John 20:27

Such obvious little gems of manipulation typically remind me of how one is treated when trying to buy a car…. You know, when the salesman says something to the effect of “Trust me! Would I lie to you?” I’m often tempted to answer them (both the car salesmen, and the dogma dogs, who try to sell me nonsense…), perfectly truthfully, with a simple “No, thank you. Yes, I’m certain you would.” But, then I think of how much I need the car…. So, I tend to work the salesmen with my own manipulations, to lower the price…. Hey, turnabout’s fair play, right? Right….

Well, perhaps it isn’t exactly honorable to engage in a battle of wits with unarmed persons, but, one has to live in the world, if not of it, so, I figure it’s a wash, as they would do unto me first, unless I did unto them first…. It’s a moral dilemma, I admit, but, I’m on my side, just like everyone else…. Unlike the dogma dogs, whose every word is designed to extend their control over the minds of their constituents, I try not to make others do my will without good cause, an attitude, and a courtesy which, I assure you, is not reciprocated by most of the world’s inhabitants…. Especially if any of them have had legal training, or are heavily dependent upon catechism for their moral state….

“If it weren’t for lawyers, I think we could have invented a universal symbolic representation of reality.” — Smart Bee

I’ve delivered my indictment, and have run out of steam…. Many will say it isn’t soon enough, but, we never listen to them, anyway, so. I’ll just bring this to a close here, and hope for the best…. If nothing else, I got all the anger and angst out far enough to provide me with a bit of peace for a time…. which is the entire purpose of this exercise….

Any of y’all, or any other folks who may drop in to read, who may find this to be new information, are encouraged to follow this line of thought to its logical conclusion, whereupon, you, or they, will be ready to take up arms, and try to help the rest of us kick the assholes to the curb, so we have at least an outside chance of surviving our own idiocy…

If not, well, I suggest you take the following piece of observation to heart, and, at the very least, begin to laugh at the assholes, thus showing them the respect they deserve…. Hell, it can’t hurt, and just may help….

“You have a mongrel perception of humor, nothing more; a multitude of you possess that. This multitude see the comic side of a thousand low-grade and trivial things — broad incongruities, mainly; grotesqueries, absurdities, evokers of the horse-laugh. The ten thousand high-grade comicalities which exist in the world are sealed from their dull vision. Will a day come when the race will detect the funniness of these juvenilities and laugh at them — and by laughing at them destroy them? For your race, in its poverty, has unquestionably one really effective weapon — laughter. Power, money, persuasion, supplication, persecution — these can lift at a colossal humbug — push it a little — weaken it a little, century by century; but only laughter can blow it to rags and atoms at a blast. Against the assault of laughter nothing can stand. You are always fussing and fighting with your other weapons. Do you ever use that one? No; you leave it lying rusting. As a race, do you ever use it at all? No; you lack sense and the courage.” — Mark Twain (1835-1910), “The Mysterious Stranger”

So be it….

gigoid has spoken….

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

This poet needs no introduction… All you have to do is read, and enjoy….

Ode

Bards of Passion and of Mirth,
Ye have left your souls on earth!
Have ye souls in heaven too,
Double lived in regions new?
Yes, and those of heaven commune
With the spheres of sun and moon;
With the noise of fountains wound’rous,
And the parle of voices thund’rous;
With the whisper of heaven’s trees
And one another, in soft ease.

Seated on Elysian lawns
Brows’d by none but Dian’s fawns;
Underneath large blue-bells tented,
Where the daisies are rose-scented,
And the rose herself has got
Perfume which on earth is not;
Where the nightingale doth sing
Not a senseless, tranced thing,
But divine melodious truth;
Philosophic numbers smooth;
Tales and golden histories
Of heaven and its mysteries.

Thus ye live on high, and then
On the earth ye live again;
And the souls ye left behind you
Teach us, here, the way to find you,
Where your other souls are joying,
Never slumber’d, never cloying.
Here, your earth-born souls still speak
To mortals, of their little week;
Of their sorrows and delights;
Of their passions and their spites;
Of their glory and their shame;
What doth strengthen and what maim.
Thus ye teach us, every day,
Wisdom, though fled far away.

Bards of Passion and of Mirth,
Ye have left your souls on earth!
Ye have souls in heaven too,
Double-lived in regions new!

~~ John Keats ~~

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Here is an old-fashioned nine-star pearl, freshly picked, in the style in which they were first created. Each one will stand alone, as good advice, or a clear observation; together, they give us a blueprint for a Life, well-lived….

“I love to doubt as well as know.” — Dante

“Every day should be passed as if it were to be our last.” — Publius Syrus (42 BC) — Maxim 633

“He who is able to conquer others is powerful; he who is able to conquer himself is more powerful” — Lao Tzu

“A bone to the dog is not charity. Charity is the bone shared with the dog, when you are just as hungry as the dog.” — Jack London

“It is better not to live at all than to live disgraced.” — Sophocles (496-406 BC) — Peleus, Frag. 445

“Think for yourselves and let others enjoy the privilege to do so, too.” — Voltaire

“Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it.” — The Buddha

“The meaning of life is that it stops.” — Franz Kafka

Only when you drink from the river of silence shall you indeed sing.
And when you have reached the mountain top, then you shall begin to climb.
And when the earth shall claim your limbs, then shall you truly dance.

~~ Kahlil Gibran in Essay on Death in The Prophet ~~

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Today’s Pearl came together quite nicely…. Now, let’s see if it’s worth posting….. Well, that’s really not too shabby, I think. Of course, that is ME speaking, and I tend to be a bit loose in judging myself…. I figure that’s best, since the rest of the world tends to judge me by harsher standards, none of which make any particular sense to me…. SIGH…. Ah well, life does go on, until it doesn’t…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, as long as nobody talks me out of it….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

À bientôt, mon cherí….

The prospect of failure is unacceptable….

Posted on November 28, 2014 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Freedom begins between the ears.”

~~ Edward Abbey ~~

Today’s quote, when taken in conjunction with the evocative, albeit ordinary, picture of a London public house, assumes a more rarefied meaning than it would, were it standing alone…. Having been to the pub in the picture, I can take myself out of the present, slipping quietly into my imagination, any time I wish, just by looking at it…. This, to me, is freedom, and it all starts between my ears…. See? I may be half-asleep, but, I can see that…. Not that my ability to verify makes it a better pearl; it does, to some small degree, add some weight to the proof, so, my paragraph can’t be considered a total failure, if a failure at all….

Given the paragraph you see was written, technically, under duress, defining it as a failure would not have been particularly surprising; we give ourselves a LOT of leeway when considering events that occur pre-coffee. Since my first, wonderful, life-giving sip of the magic brew just passed my lips a moment ago (and, as you see, is already visible in the words I write…), it also isn’t surprising to feel compelled to share such an intimate detail with y’all. That first sip has an effect on the drinker which is much magnified; some might say it has an effect that defies all reason…. yet, there ’tis, in its simple glory, saving my ass again….

Without its beneficent presence in my life, these morning Pearls would be quite different, and, I, for one, would NOT wish to know how…. I’m quite happy with how coffee brings me back into focus each morning, and the near-miraculous effect it has on me is MORE than merely welcome; it is treasured, as one of my finest moments each day…. There’s nothing like those first few sips of coffee to bring the world into a more acceptable framework, one we can look upon with favor, and anticipation, instead of trepidation, and a reluctance to face the day…. I’m not sure that I’d be the same person, without coffee….

I know, that’s a bit over the top, but, hey, it’s my top, so, back off…. Coffee, as is patently obvious to anyone with two or more neurons, is not something I take lightly, or would ever consider removing from my life…. and, I don’t care a whit whether a doctor tells me to stop, or not…. I’d cut back, or drink it less strong, maybe…. but, give it up? Never…. there are certain things in life for which there can be no compromise, and, trivial as this one may be, it is one of my issues of stubbornness, one I’ll never consider changing, or ever consider leaving out of my life…. So be it….

Well, that may be the oddest little intro I’ve ever done, but, the key word here is “done”…. so, I’m going to take advantage of that, and get us down the pike…. right here, right now….

Shall we Pearl?

“Arguments derived from probabilities are idle.” — Plato

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

Here is another episode of Sherlock Holmes’ adventures…. This is one of my favorites, simply for the expression on Holmes’ face, at the end of the story, when he is hugged by a woman he has helped…. priceless! And, an example of most excellent acting…..

Sherlock Holmes Season 3 episode 2 The Abbey Grange

http://youtu.be/asjcjRC7ixI

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It is apparently going to rain for a while around here; my hands and shoulder seem to be a fairly reliable barometer of such weather these days, since they begin to ache a good day before the rain actually arrives…. Whatever the cause, it would be nearly impossible to type fast enough, or long enough to be able to put together anything like a rant…. and, I’m not really in the mood today, being still in a good space from yesterday’s fine foods, brought to me by my friend after her Thanksgiving at Mom’s…. Hence, this little discussion from the past…. It’s a good one, so, please, enjoy, and TRY to pay attention, okay?…. It’s all worth thinking about….

“Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.” — Abraham Lincoln

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

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

In the past, I’ve written some rather cogent poems about pain…. Since it seems to be “too much with me” these days, here is one of them….

Gauges of Pain

Consciousness devolves in pools of gripping fears
holding hostage any hope of serenity,
sharp stabbing motions and greedy tears
nary a moment passes without common calamity.

Always a surprise, nothing soothing ever found,
leaving only breathless clinging pain,
salvation seemingly absent, it muffles all sound,
bringing ever more sadness and rain.

Solitude is ever present to claim my time,
lonely hours and relentlessly long days,
no radio plays such music in secular rhyme
happy, vibrant voices belong to elder ways.

Life can be justified it seems to say,
by hopeful favored moments of pleasure,
seemingly friendly, pointing out the only way,
to bring back happiness in minimal measure.

Days of horror and embarrassing tears
serve ever to drive wretched hours to withhold
promising naught but sorrow in coming years,
black, bitter memories that never grow old.

Cold, cold the days fly by,
can it really be our only token?
Never to say, or know just why
the pain never stops, even when spoken…

~~ gigoid ~~

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

Today’s final section will be the freshest of the day…. That is, if SB decides to help out…. If not, it could make things somewhat sticky…. Let’s see what we have today, shall we?…..

“Become what you are.” — Buddha

“Some of my ancestors fought in the American Revolution. A few more wore red coats, a few wore blue coats, and the rest wore no coats at all. We never did figure out who won that war.” — Edward Abbey

“To blow and swallow at the same moment is not easy.” — Plautus (254-184 BC) — Mostellaria, Act iii, Sc. 2, 104, (791.)

“Even if there is only one possible unified theory, it is just a set of rules and equations. What is it that breathes fire into the equations and makes a universe for them to describe? The usual approach of science of constructing a mathematical model cannot answer the question of why there should be a universe for the model to describe.” — Stephen Hawking

“Stupidity cannot be cured with money, or through education, or by legislation. Stupidity is not a sin; the victim can’t help being stupid. But stupidity is the only universal capital crime; the sentence is death, there is no appeal, and execution is carried out automatically and without pity.” — Robert A. Heinlein — Lazarus Long

“It’s hard to be religious when certain people are never incinerated by bolts of lightning.” — Calvin, Bill Watterson’s Calvin & Hobbes

“In writing, fidelity to fact leads eventually to the poetry of truth.” — Abbey

Having thus created what is, perhaps, the most inscrutable pearl ever, I shall quit the field, knowing I’ve done my best, if not my best…. if you know what I mean… I don’t, and probably should, but, hey, I always get a little giddy after a pearl such as this one, from the effort to understand, or, at minimum, stay in the same ballpark….

I think it would be best if I just stop now, and tempt fate no further….

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

It’s disheartening to realize the most cogent thought expressed today is the last line in the previous section…. SIGH…. Oh well, it’s done now, so I may as well get on with it…. I’ll see y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, if I have any neurons to spare….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

À bientôt, mon cherí….

We shall begin in doubt….

Posted on November 26, 2014 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Things ain’t what they used to be and never were.”

~~ Will Rogers ~~

Pelete delo sogrino, igintelete. Doftole singre ankalatuprofuto! Sporiada se kunka, tele se falluke. Protogat salumbo, te gorte so fahl…..

So, I was sitting here, staring at the screen, when the line above flowed, very gently, from my brain to the screen, transported without comprehension by fingers of steel…. Well, they felt like steel, anyway. And, no, I don’t know what it means, and, in fact, I suspect it is in a language that has been dead since before the sinking of Atlantis, many, many moons ago…. All I really know for sure is that every single word of it was rejected by Spell Checker….

Not that I’m an expert in dead languages, but, I am fairly familiar with the current crop, and this, though it resembles several language’s word patterns, is nothing like any of those I’ve heard…. If anyone out there thinks it might be one they know, please, let me know via a comment…. Google spit at me when I plugged it in to their translator, and my little translation program froze for almost an hour, before telling me to never ask that question again, and what did I think I was doing, messing with a free program like that….

I suppose, at this point, I should just give in, and give up the ghost, in a manner of speaking….. Of course I made it up. What else? You expected, perhaps, some sort of actual phrase from a real language? If so, y’all need to spend a bit more time here, to gather some more info on me, which would have told you to never trust your senses, or to ever, ever take something I say in this intro seriously…. This is where it ALL hangs out, all my weirdness, all my angst, all my silliness…. because it’s all allowed to play with whomever it finds, and to say, and do, anything at all, if it only fills in the space needed to call this legal…..

Hell, some of the crap I’ve pulled here could conceivably have been prosecutable, had any lawyers caught wind of it. Especially with some of the rants I start; they do have a tendency to be somewhat vitriolic in nature when found in this section, with little regard for saying what is legally acceptable…. I guess one could say I’ve been a bit lucky there…. Today’s little blurb is even stranger than usual, as I seem to be slipping in and out of real-time as if it were a raincoat, on a rainy day in town…. On and off, off and on, we have been teasing reality with a bit of fantasy, pushing it for all it’s worth…. In this market, that won’t be much, but, hey, we’re a non-profit organization, so no big deal, eh?

In fact, I see I’ve blathered quite sufficiently for one morning, and may now proceed to fill in the rest of this mess, with whatever comes to mind today…. That, I can tell, MAY be somewhat odd, to say the least…. I’m in an odd mood, to be sure…. For me, that’s saying something, indeed…. We do odd quite well, when we do it at all…. and, when we FEEL odd, well…. It’s probably best not to give too much warning, lest y’all be tempted to ask for a refund, before we get out of the foyer…. In fact, let’s be downright ruthless, okay?…..

Shall we Pearl?

“Yes,” said Piglet, “Rabbit has Brain.” There was a long silence. “I suppose,” said Pooh, “that’s why he never understands anything.” — A. A. Milne

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

It probably won’t take quite so long to read today’s post, as it would take to hear all of this collection, but, here is some pretty good music to listen to while reading this blog…. Trust me, Pearls are long, admittedly; I doubt, however, it will take eight hours for y’all to plow your way through it…. But, then, one never knows, do one?….

8 Hours best of Classical Music – 8 Stunden Klassische Musik

http://youtu.be/eVHsOyfq3f8

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

“Sometimes it is said that man cannot be trusted with the government of himself. Can he, then, be trusted with the government of others?”” — Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826)

As many of y’all may have realized by now, I hate to be too obvious…. In light of that, rather than a rant on the mess our country has stepped into in Missouri, with yet ANOTHER asinine denial of justice, I’ll go with a rant from the archives, on another subject close to my heart…. Well, actually, in terms of how I feel about it, it’s much closer to my ass, but, we’ll go with heart for now, to maintain our dignity, such as it may be…..

It’s good to remember this issue, because it hasn’t gone anywhere at all…. In fact, it has worsened considerably, as the administration continues to completely ignore the public’s wishes in this, continuing its obsessive quest to expand the degree to which they spy on us…. If you doubt me, just read the damn news…. It’s all over the place….

From 11/4/2013:

“I believe that all government is evil, and that trying to improve it is largely a waste of time.” — H. L. Mencken

Eric Snowden will someday be recognized as the honorable Über-geek he really is; more importantly, I am hoping that he’ll rightfully be admired as an American hero. It is already clear that he was just as brave as any soldier on the front lines of a war, for having had the courage and integrity to defy his corporate-controlled, amoral spy-masters, to reveal to the world the illegal and seemingly limitless spying tactics used by the NSA at the behest of our governmental corporate lackeys, knowing full well that by doing so, he was setting himself up to be persecuted by them. This situation is a perfect example of how the government will say one thing in public, and do another in private…. More specifically, it shows how little the government believes in its own need to follow the laws they make…. They seem to feel as if the making of the laws allows them to assume they are exempt from them….

“I have known a vast quantity of nonsense talked about bad men not looking you in the face. Don’t trust that conventional idea. Dishonesty will stare honesty out of countenance, any day in the week, if there is anything to be got by it.” — Charles Dickens

We have “whistleblower laws” in place in our country, laws which are SUPPOSED to protect people like Mr. Snowden from being prosecuted when they bring illegal activities into the light of day; theoretically, these laws keep them safe from the people they are accusing, who would otherwise try to harm them to stop the bleeding…. However, our dearly beloved ruling class chooses to ignore all that, and are trying to bring charges of espionage and treason against him, as though he were some kind of spy himself, working for another country….

Eric Snowden was not a spy, unless it was for US, the people; after all, the NSA did hire him in the first place didn’t they? He must have had some technical credibility, and must have been relatively clean of misdeeds, as an über-geek, in order to have been asked to work for them at all, right? I would assume so…. Of course, that makes the arguably incorrect assumption that the NSA has some clue as to what they are doing, as well as at least a small degree of expertise in their chosen field… I could be wrong about that, though….. 😆

I think he’s done about as well as he could to keep from helping our enemies. What he HAS done, to our own leaders, is embarrass them highly; THAT is what they will not forgive…. To a politician “face” is very important, as are all illusions of appearance; why else would they all wear those stupid ties, all of a “power” color, and that silly-ass flag pin….

They feel they cannot afford to be seen as weak, or indecisive, so they will make ANY decision, no matter how wrong it may be, just to keep from appearing as if they don’t know what to do. They’re incapable of making a decision at all if it would make it seem as if they were admitting to being wrong in any way…. To give Mr. Snowden the credit for what has done, they would have to first admit they have DONE wrong, and they are not willing to do that, more’s the pity….

http://news.yahoo.com/snowden-says-calls-reform-prove-intel-leaks-were-114707696.html

(Note from 2014: This link is still active; I checked. For much more coverage of the issue, go to the UK Guardian website, which broke the original story. They have a full archive of articles examining the subject, from the time the story broke, up to very recently published works…. It’s very thorough coverage, giving a clear picture of the timeline of events….)

I happen to agree with Mr. Snowden’s assessment of the overall effect of his information leaks; I think he has made the world a safer place for all of us, if only because he made it perfectly clear that we are being lied to, right and left, by our own leaders. This is invaluable information, that the public NEEDS to know, if we are to be able to protect ourselves….

It is a bit disheartening, to be sure, to have to protect ourselves from our own leaders, but, hey, it’s better to know than not to know, for sure…. Now that we know, we can act accordingly to bring more pressure on the government to straighten up and fly right; if nothing else, more people have learned that it is important to keep a close eye on those who would call themselves our leaders, to keep them from screwing us around any more than they already are….

“I believe and I say it is true Democratic feeling, that all the measures of the Government are directed to the purpose of making the rich richer and the poor poorer.” — William Henry Harrison

I believe that not only is Eric Snowden NOT a traitor; I consider him to be a Patriot of this country, deserving of the Medal of Honor, or the Freedom Medal, the highest civilian award possible, for bravery and courage in the face of severe persecution by his own government, and for bringing to light the illegal and immoral acts of our government lackeys. It took great courage, and strong commitment to the truth, for him to make the decisions he made…. I, for at least one, thank him with all my heart….

“He who endeavors to serve, to benefit, and improve the world, is like a swimmer, who struggles against a rapid current, in a river lashed into angry waves by the winds. Often they roar over his head, often they beat him back and baffle him. Most men yield to the stress of the current… Only here and there the stout, strong heart and vigorous arms struggle on toward ultimate success.” — Albert Pike (1809-1891)

(Albert Pike…. another interesting fellow…. If you have a few moments, Google his name, and read the Wikipedia article about him… It’s a pretty interesting life he led, and I wonder why he is less of a well-known figure than he is… He was responsible for a lot of good work back in the 19th century, and deserves some of our thanks for all he did to preserve the freedoms we DO have today…. Check him out…)

“To use power is to make yourself infinitely vulnerable to greater powers.” — Bene Gesserit

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

As I’ve mentioned previously, this lady’s poetry is, perhaps, my favorite of all, save perhaps that of Alexander Pope…. I post this particular poem about once a year, or more, simply because it is so perfect an example of what poetry should be…. I don’t even have to say “Enjoy!”, because, if one has ANY appreciation at all of beauty, they WILL enjoy it…. Guaranteed, or, your money back…. (Hah! Gotcha there…. How much did you pay?….)

A bird came down the walk:
He did not know I saw;
He bit an angle-worm in halves
And ate the fellow, raw.

And then he drank a dew
From a convenient grass,
And then hopped sidewise to the wall
To let a beetle pass.

He glanced with rapid eyes
That hurried all abroad,–
They looked like frightened beads, I thought;
He stirred his velvet head

Like one in danger; cautious,
I offered him a crumb,
And he unrolled his feathers
And rowed him softer home

Than oars divide the ocean,
Too silver for a seam,
Or butterflies, off banks of noon,
Leap, splashless, as they swim.

~~ Emily Dickinson ~~

It occurs to me, I should add at least a token from Alex, to demonstrate why he is my other favorite poet…. Here is a very short, but clearly superior quatrain, that will give you a good idea…

Lull’d in the countless chambers of the brain,
Our thoughts are link’d by many a hidden chain;
Awake but one, and lo, what myriads arise!
Each stamps its image as the other flies.

~~ Alexander Pope (1688-1744) ~~

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

Today’s Pearl is mostly fresh, save for the rant, which is only because I didn’t wish to get started on the Ferguson issue; I could tell, if I started, I may have never stopped…. If I did that, how would this Pearl ever get posted? That wouldn’t do, so, we went to the archives, as is our wont in such cases…. To compensate, I will see if Smart Bee is in a good enough mood to provide us with some good shots at the Asininnies this morning…. That should give y’all a hint as to the parameters, but, no worries, mates…. by the end, it will be clear just whom we are targeting….

” Experience keeps a dear school, but fools will learn in no other, and scarcely in that; for it is true, we may give advice, but we cannot give conduct. Remember this: They that will not be counseled cannot be helped. If you do not hear reason she will rap you over the knuckles.” — Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) — Maxims prefixed to Poor Richard’s Almanac, 1757

“One generation cannot bind another.” — Thomas Jefferson

“On a throne at the center of a sense of humor sits a capacity for irony. All wit rests on a cheerful awareness of life’s incongruities. It is a gentling awareness, and no politician without it should be allowed near power.” — George Will

“The Pledge of Allegiance says ‘liberty and justice for all’. Which part of ‘all’ don’t you understand?” — Rep. Pat Schroeder (D) Colo.

“Nothing so needs reforming as other people’s habits.” — Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) (1835-1910)

“America’s one of the finest countries anyone ever stole.” — Bobcat Goldthwait

“A truly great man will neither trample on a worm nor speak to an emperor.” — Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)

Not too shabby, even if we had to resort to bracketing by Ben….. It will do…. It has to, it’s the last section, & we’re NOT starting over….

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

“All right, you degenerates! I want this place evacuated in 20 seconds!” — Zippy the Pinhead

I have to confess… It may have been a better idea to create a fresh rant; I’m not sure I cleaned out enough dross and/or drivel to keep me sane today…. Ah well, in our society, insanity is merely another option, one, which, in sooth, is a sane reaction, to an insane world…. If you followed that, you know exactly whereof I speak; if it is a bit unclear to you, well, that’s pretty damn insane of you, so, good on ya…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, whether you got that, or not….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Absolutely more fun than clotted cream….

Posted on November 25, 2014 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“How you do anything is how you do everything.”

~~ Zen proverb ~~

I don’t know about y’all, but, I am certain I’ve never seen an airplane make the maneuver you see in the above picture, ever, unless in a movie, or perhaps a military air show…. The g-force involved in a high-speed 90º turn, without slowing at all, is tremendous; without a calculator handy, I’d guess it to be in excess of 10 gravities, which makes it unlikely to be a passenger jet…. Yet, an hour after seeing it, there is no word on the internet about a mid-air chase by one of our jets…. nor, if jets were scrambled to chase, there would have been more than one….

I’ve watched the skies above this bay for over a year from this spot, and have never seen two jets so closely aligned in path, both on a path I’ve almost never seen any planes travelling…. Nor have I EVER seen any plane, of any kind, make such a hard turn at such speed, a speed, and a turn of which only a few planes are capable…. all military fighter jets.

It will be interesting to see if anyone else noticed it, and what explanations may surface to explain the anomalous flights…. More later on this….

Interesting, if a bit disturbing…. No word at all, not that I could find via Google. I’ll take a look through the news later, but, I don’t know what to think…. I guess, for now, I’ll treat it this just like an American faced with news from the Congressional front…. In short, I’ll close my eyes, sigh, and prepare to deny, deny, deny…. Oops, that’s ranting, isn’t it? Okay, so, I’ll just roll my eyes in frustration, and get on with life, another American habitual response to anything unpleasantly similar to thinking, or taking responsibility….

Oh, gosh, I did it again, didn’t I…. Hmm… well, it seems as if I’m not going to be able to finish this intro section without a short rant…. But, rather than give in so easily, I’m going to use an old technique, still present, but little used…. It’s called ownership…. Yep. I own this blog, lock, stock, and domain name, so, that means I’m in charge, right? Right. So, if I say we’re outta here, that means, we’re outta here…. And, that’s just what I’m saying….. So, we’re outta here, ffolkes…. Remember to hang on tight, and don’t offer your hand to any of the denizens you meet while on this boat, okay? You may not get it back….

Shall we Pearl?

“It is in the character of very few men to honor without envy a friend who has prospered.” — Aeschylus

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

I shall now pull one of my covers…. I’m a Deadhead. Have been for many years. Oh, don’t worry, it doesn’t even show any more, and, it’s been years since I’ve felt the urge to wear tie-dye shirts. But, I still am a member at Dead Net, a registered user there, and still give the occasional Steal Your Face logo cup or t-shirt for gifts…. In addition, I have a large collection of live Dead cuts, taken by their fans at concerts throughout the years, all downloaded from Dead.Net, often during November, which is the month they give away a free download song, or cut (often long jams over 25 minutes….), every day during the month…. I’ve collected them now for three years, and have a wonderful collection of some of their finest shows….

Here then, instead of a video link, which I’ve provided before…. is the link to the page where you’ll find the 30 days of the Dead, with all of the free downloads available via their own link….

It may not be your type of music, but, there are songs that everyone will enjoy, Deadhead or not, so, it’s worth a look, and a listen….. Enjoy!….

http://www.dead.net/30daysofdead?eml=dead/110414/yexy

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

“Things which you do not hope happen more frequently than things which you do hope.” — Plautus (254-184 BC) — Mostellaria, Act i, Sc. 3, 40, (197.)

Yesterday, it was a Monday…. I made the mistake of updating my RSS feed reader, then compounded my error by spending some time reading the news around the Net…. I should have known better, but, I didn’t think;, before I could stop, I’d read article after article, each one more horrifyingly insane than the last, describing real events from different reporter’s viewpoints, all of which served to turn my stomach even more than the vertigo that accompanied my getting up to write…

So, I decided to collect a bunch of them, to put together a new-style pearl, complete with my own comments on the contents of the articles…. I’ll try to keep it short, but, as often happens with this kind of pearl, the size will depend on a) how much insanity is reported, and b) how much I can stomach before reaching my limit of self-abuse…. Let’s see what’s going on out there in the Big Blue Room….

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/24/nyregion/police-tactic-scrutinized-after-accidental-shooting.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

This tragic death can be charged directly to society’s refusal to acknowledge the basic flaws in how police are viewed, and trained, as well as to the failure by society to equalize opportunity for the disadvantaged, preferring, as it always has, to counter poverty with lip-service and charity to keep them quiet, and disenfranchisement of the marginalized, to keep them poor, rather than actually trying to equalize opportunities for all…. There can be no winners in such a society, unless one calls moral and ethical bankruptcy winning….

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/11/24/us-usa-missouri-shooting-idUSKCN0J80PR20141124?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews

More of the same, with the additional insanity of the Asininnies dragging it all out, making the situation more problematic for those in Ferguson; meanwhile, they are preparing the troops to handle the expected outcome when the usual denial of reality produces its inevitable dissatisfaction…. Even if charges are filed, they won’t be adequate, or just, and the public outcry, no matter what happens, will be activated, thus furthering the divisive reactions sure to envelop both sides of the issue…. In short, again, there can be no winners here….

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2014/nov/24/cleveland-fatal-shooting-fake-guns-brightly-coloured

So, what is society’s response to issues like this one, where another child is killed by a cop without the expertise to tell a real gun in the hands of a dangerous person from a child with a toy…. Why, we’ll blame the guns…. which has previously been likened to blaming wet streets for the rain…. Anything but fixing the problem, which can only be accomplished with by an application of knowledge, not ignorance…. SIGH… I despair often for the human species….

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/nov/23/suicide-bomber-kills-at-least-40-volleyball-match-afghanistan

Do I even need to comment on the degree of ignorance, particularly deliberate ignorance, plainly evident in every aspect of this story…. It is ALL a fucking demonstration of how dangerous such insanity can become if untreated, or left to its own devices by the tacit approval implied by denial of its existence…. Another huge SIGH escapes me, as I contemplate the depths of human perversity, and simple stupidity….

“In the part of this universe that we know there is great injustice, and often the good suffer, and often the wicked prosper, and one hardly knows which of those is the more annoying.” — Bertrand Russell

In a separate issue, here is a discussion of a problem I addressed in a rant some few days ago, to wit: Bill Cosby and the societal-wide denial of misogynist behavior in society, including the failure of the media to report accusations against celebrities….

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/25/business/media/calling-out-bill-cosbys-media-enablers-including-myself.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&_r=0

“A wise fellow who is also worthless always charms the rabble.” — Euripides, Hippolytus 428 BC

Gee, I hate to say it, but, I did mention the media bias against reporting bad news against celebrities, long ago…. But, then, not many folks read this blog, do they? S’okay, I’ll keep mentioning it, until it changes (not likely to happen soon, in other words….)….

There is a SOME good news, regarding some parts of society who are paying attention to how women get treated as a matter of course in this world…. to wit: abusively, especially for naming their abusers…. as this situation demonstrates clearly….

http://thinkprogress.org/health/2014/11/24/3596159/oklahoma-high-schoolers-protest/

According to the author of the following article, there remains some hope of overcoming the flaws in human nature that have led us, and continue to lead us today, into ever deeper levels of depravity and insanity as a society…. He talks a good talk, but, I am not sure his conclusions are completely valid, given the stranglehold on reality held by those in the seats of power and wealth…. They will not give up their supremacy without a struggle…. nor do I see them changing their nature at this late date…. But, he (the author….) is young, and not yet worn down as much as I from having observed this circus for so much longer….

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/nov/24/grotesque-inequality-greed-human-nature-capitalism

“Most people in this society who aren’t actively mad are, at best, reformed or potential lunatics.” — Susan Sontag

Now, to finish this mess (what else can we call it by now?….), here is an article that, quite simply, proves positively the world we live in has gone stark, raving nutters…. I kid you not, there is nothing you could possibly tell me to convince me otherwise, when our society blithely accepts the validity of a public discussion of vaginal odors….

If you can stop laughing long enough, feel free to comment…. I’m not sure I’m able to say anything profound at all in the face of such….. hell, I can’t even think of a word for how fucking stupid this is…. See for yourself…. I’ll confess, I gave up reading in paragraph four, as I had to pause for a rush to the commode, just in case I lost my breakfast….

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/nov/24/sweet-peach-vagina-smell-like-fruit-taste-diet-coke-probiotic

In light of such proof of insanity, I leave you with the following, an old observation from one of history’s acknowledged sages, a thought it would do us all well to remember in these trying times….

“No human thing is of serious importance.” — Plato

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Since everything so far included today is fresh, we are compelled to go with one of my poems, again, to avoid any backsplash onto anyone else’s reputation…. Here is the latest poem I wrote, just a couple of months ago, that seems to fit in with today’s efforts….

A dream, weeping….

“Never a dull moment to spare”, he said
with a crooked grin, and a broad wink.
“Can’t keep Reality hanging by a thread….
what would Chaos, or Entropy think?”

So, we plucked up our dreams of old,
to carry us on, in dutiful, strong arms,
stuffed a candle in the remaining fold,
for luck, and perfect proof against charms.

Storms follow the sun, but, never stay;
lessons round every corner, all free.
Past fleeting doubts, in a sad disarray,
the journey becomes the reason to be.

Simple kindness manifests untold riches,
in defiance of common cause’s demise.
Bold courage, hanging in stitches,
mends wounds that come as no surprise.

Still, waters run deep, ’tis said by many.
Too much pain cannot apprehend
the salient, sharp points of epiphany,
nor, plainly, to wisdom aspire to pretend.

Folly dogs even the simplest truth,
fumes of toxic ignorance and bile,
alienated as a loose rotten tooth;
it often hides itself, for a long while.

Sought after eons ago, we cried out,
to believe, to suffer no more doubt.
But found instead good reason,
for love, and truth, from season, to season.

~~ gigoid ~~

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

Below you’ll find a pearl that can only be described as “strange, but, wonderful”…. I am completely clueless as to its provenance; SB picked them out. Nor do I have any idea what it may mean, but, hey, it all SOUNDS good, so, we’re letting it fly solo…. Enjoy, or not, as you wish…

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

“I know! I’ll transcribe the conversations between the voices in my head and send them to you!!!” — David Borenstein

“Sorry, but my karma just ran over your dogma.” — Smart Bee

“I hear the madness comes slower in the light…” — Killian

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

“As men, we are all equal in the presence of death.” — Publius Syrus (42 BC) — Maxim 1

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

~~ Basho ~~

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

So be it…. gigoid has spoken.

Moreover, he’s done so quite enough for one day…. To continue in that vein, we’ll see y’all tomorrow, ffolkes….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Just for fun, let’s watch it fester….

Posted on November 19, 2014 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“A generation which ignores history has no past and no future.”

~~ Robert Heinlein, The Notebooks of Lazarus Long ~~

Today’s picture is one that gives me a feeling of peace. I found it on the blog of one of my favorite artist/poets, one Mari Sanchez Cayuso, whose bloody brilliant poetry can be found on her own blog site, StarsRainSunMoon…. This image, along with a bilingual poem of hers in accompaniment can be found here: http://starsrainsunmoon.com/2014/11/10/imagine-we-feel/ I like to think this picture is one she took looking out of her back yard, and that she walks over to the small island, for solitude, and to write her poems…. Perhaps it’s a bit fanciful, but, once you read some of her very personal, powerful poetry, you’ll see why she inspires the imagination….

Now, the quote from R. A. Heinlein is, of course, patently true as the day, and really needs no comment, nor any support from me, as it is a statement long accepted by society as truth…. Not that anyone appears to pay any attention…. The way our BRC loves to try to legislate morality, and the way they keep doing the same old shit we’ve seen throughout our checkered past, it’s obvious they aren’t paying any real attention to our history, but, hey, you can’t say they aren’t aware of it…. they’re just too greedy, and stupid, to care….

I am beginning to believe that simple fact; nobody with any real intelligence could do, or say, the idiotic shit our current crop of elected idiots has been displaying of late…. In my mind, nobody could BE that stupid, yet, there it all is, in black and white, on the front of every news paper and digital outlet on the net…. Egregiously stupid, repetitive, nonsensical crap keeps popping up on the screen, and each time, another blazing fool opens his/her mouth, and puts there foot right in it, seemingly with relish for the shitty taste…. At least, by their insane smiles and crazy eyes, they appear to be enjoying themselves, if with a bit of intensity not usual in people having actual fun….

Or, maybe that’s just me, seeing them with clearer eyes than many do…. It often seems to me that some folks just don’t WANT to hear anything that is contrary to the beliefs they hold in their tiny, mostly empty heads, so, they just don’t listen most of the time…. and, I get the feeling also that when they DO hear something, anything, that is at all complex, or scary, or contains the word terrorism, they stuff their fingers right into their ears, start singing “la la la” at the top of their lungs, and desperately remove themselves from the area where they’re hearing it…. fucking cowards, every damn one of them….

Oh well, since I started ranting here in the intro again, despite opening with such a lovely picture, I guess I should at least keep it short, and to the point…. Of course, it’s already too late for THAT, too, but, what the hell, I’ve got the reins, even if the horses are out of control…. and, I have NO IDEA what that means….. You know what THAT means, don’t you? Yep…. I’ve once again lost control of this mess, and will now be forced to dump it all right here, with no further attempts to save any of it, whilst we take our immediate leave, right through this little opening right HERE…..

Shall we Pearl?

“I have a feeling that at any time about three million Americans can be had for any militant reaction against law, decency, the Constitution, the Supreme Court, compassion and the rule of reason.” — John Kenneth Galbraith

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

Here is another concert from the past, from an old favorite of mine, the Righteous Brothers…. but, what I really like is what I found at the bottom of the page on You Tube where this one resides, which is a link to another suggested concert, this one from my first ever heart-throb…. There is a link to a concert by Miss Connie Francis…. which I’ll definitely be including here in a future post…. For now, enjoy the fine harmonies and powerful voices of another set of cultural icons from our past…..

The Righteous Brothers – Legends In Concert

http://youtu.be/5pPlTSAV89o

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

In these past couple of weeks, my life has been more settled, and I’ve spent more time in company than has been the case for close to four years…. This seems to have had an effect on my angst, to the point it isn’t as easy to work up the outrage necessary for a proper rant…. But, since I’ve been ranting for several years now, it isn’t too hard to find an appropriate discussion for the day, which I’ve done today by going back into the 2012 archives…. for this section, and for the old school pearl in the final section… It’s a combo-rant, covering more than one group of Asininnies…. If you’ve read it before, feel free to skip down to the poem….

From 8/7/2012:

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

“One of the proofs of the immortality of the soul is that myriads have believed it–they also believed the world was flat.” — Mark Twain

“Convincing yourself doesn’t win an argument.” — Robert Half

Here is an old school Pearl, in a manner of speaking…. These three quotations all say pretty much the same thing, with varying types of expression. Each, to me, seems to express that same idea more succinctly than the one before, leaving out more and more words until the final statement gives the bottom line… which is one that is heavily argued by those to whom it most applies….

It’s funny (ironic funny) to me to hear some of the arguments proposed by the priestly hierarchies in support of their beliefs. Some are couched in formal robes, all dressed up so they appear as reasoned logic, rather than the unwarranted assumptions that they really are. Mr. Mencken’s expression above would be the most effective in engaging these wordy individuals, as it would appeal to the side of them that pretends to being a scientist. They might reject the arguments, since their own arguments are, in the final analysis, subjectively formulated, not based on observations but on induction, as the platform of their entire argument is all based on an imaginary entity’s theoretical wishes…..

“Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so”…. Such an innocent sounding piece of doggerel…. one would scarcely believe it is one of the most insidious examples of blatant propaganda in existence. The proponents of the “Old man in the sky” group start drumming this into the minds of children as soon as they are able to talk, and, as they well know, before they learn to doubt what their elders tell them. Children naturally accept what their parents tell them, almost exclusively for the first few years of life.

This home-schooling form of brainwashing continues once they are of an age to start looking outside their family for knowledge of the world, with teachers, preachers, and kindly old aunts who continue to inundate the young minds with stories of Bible heroes and villains, drilling into the malleable minds the sense of entitlement and elitism that will provide them with the impetus for bigotry later in life. In addition, this period strengthens the brainwashing given earlier, teaching the kids that they should only trust certain people to tell them the truth, and that all the other religions in the world are not only not saved, but are not eligible for saving, due to their own beliefs, which are characterized as villainous, and as enemies, to be reviled and persecuted because they are different….

“The books that the world calls immoral are the books that show the world its own shame.” — Oscar Wilde

This entire process, this systematic, deliberate mental conditioning, is, to my mind, pretty despicable. It denies its proponents any possible way of examining the information that other systems may possess, by convincing them that all other forms of knowledge are not only wrong, but blasphemous in nature, and should be cast aside whenever encountered, without ever examining the information for its relevance, or its accuracy.

Education is learning that you did not even know what you did not even know you did not even know. — Smart Bee

The whole system is designed to continue the delusional system into the future, while keeping the congregation in the dark of ignorance. It has no other purpose…. it is not in place to help or sustain the members of the congregation, but rather to control that population’s thoughts and behavior, ensuring the power and influence of the priests, pastors, preachers, or whatever name they choose to call themselves…..

I can only count myself as fortunate, to have been raised without the brainwashing on a regular basis. We attended a Presbyterian church, probably an offshoot of the old Church of England, where the adage about “cake, or death?” was originated…. The net result of this was that I was able to include other systems in my education, and found the entire construct to be a house of invisible cards, easily knocked down with a single bite of the Apple….

“How come you never see a politician (or a preacher) laugh? Because they know what they’re getting away with, and if they started laughing, they’d never stop.” — Smart Bee

And you know what else?…. I always thought Satan got a pretty raw deal, all for exercising the free will he was given…. and so did Adam and Eve…. Even as a child of five, I always wondered why God had set them up to fail like that…. it’s like, “Here’s the apple…. don’t taste it….” and then making sure we, as humans, had a sense of wonder and curiosity strong enough to disregard the admonition…. Even then, it looked like a set-up, and I could never reconcile the image in my head of a God, supposedly with infinite knowledge, setting up his own creation like that…. it just didn’t seem very God-like, or even fair…. and I still don’t get it, even today…..

With a subject such as this, it’s hard to know when to stop…. the issue has been one that has held Mankind back for two millennia now, preventing us from achieving our real potential as a species. All the progress we, as a species, have made in the last 3,000 years or so has been in spite of the efforts of the priestly hierarchies to keep us as ignorant as possible; at every turn of the wheel of science, the powers that be have thrown sand in the works, to try to slow down the acquisition of knowledge.

“Neither do the ignorant seek after wisdom. For herein is the evil of ignorance, that he who is neither good nor wise is nevertheless satisfied with himself; he has no desire for that of which he feels no want.” — Plato (428-348? B.C.)

They know that an educated populace, capable of reasoning beyond the limitations placed on the human mind by religious dogma, is the greatest threat to their continued existence as the leaders of Mankind. They know that once people are exposed to knowledge (the flesh of the Apple, remember?), the less they will submit to the brainwashing that is the lot of the common man…. and it scares them to death…..

Doubt. Question authority. Ask the next, deeper question. And never, ever, give up the right to make up your own mind…. In the final analysis, that power is the only one we all have, and the only one that cannot be taken away from us without our consent…. Viva la raza!…..

Oh, and won’t it be nice when you don’t have to give tithes anymore?…..

Though old the thought and oft exprest,
‘T is his at last who says it best.

— James Russell Lowell (1819-1891) ~~

~~For an Autograph ~~

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

Here is another of my poems, from 2012, when my long hiatus at writing poetry ended…. I hope you enjoy it; it’s one of my better poems…. Well, I think so….

Intelligent Crimes

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

~~ gigoid ~~

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

I’m a bit lazy today, so here is a pearl from a couple years ago, just for fun…. It’s a good one, too…. When they only have five stars, they’re usually more pointed, thus more effective in making the point….

From 8/6/2012:

It’s time again for an old-school pearl…. these statements all lead to one cogent thought, one that can completely change your life, and how you look at that life…. just let your mind float freely, holding each thought, then adding the next one in, until all have been mixed together thoroughly, to a smooth consistency…. and you will SEE!…..

“Always store beer in a dark place.” — Lazarus Long

Be a hero! Teach your children to think for THEMSELVES! — Smart Bee

“A man who does not think for himself does not think at all.” — Oscar Wilde, “Oscariana”

“You’re not supposed to be so blind with patriotism that you can’t face reality. Wrong is wrong, no matter who says it.” — Malcolm X

“Once you can accept the universe as being something expanding into an infinite nothing which is something, wearing stripes with plaid is easy.” — Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

And, as it has been said for centuries in the alleyways and hidden streets of the world’s greatest cities,….. there you go. You may now consider yourself a yogini of highest rank….. or was that yogurt? No matter, don’t you feel enlightened? I know I do….. with a nice blueberry aftertaste….

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

Such as it is, there it is…. I can’t say I put the most effort into this one; I don’t seem to have the urge to write as strongly as most days….. Ah well, this has gone on long enough, I know it will change again tomorrow…. It always does, one way or another…. So, there will be more fresh material coming soon…. For now, we’re done here, so, I’ll accept my fate without complaint, and take myself off to contemplate my sins…. (Sure I will….) See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Nuke those gum drops before they’re served, please….

Posted on November 18, 2014 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“No falsehood lingers into old age.”

~~ Sophocles (406 BC) ~~

In response to the quote, from Sophocles, I would say, “except, perhaps, those we tell to ourselves.” That simple fact may be part of the problem, wouldn’t you think?….. Ah well….

In coming centuries, should we survive to see them, the Philae lander, (which you see above in an artist’s rendering of its descent to the comet on which it tried to land, taken from Space.com’s coverage of the event), may become the subject of a number of jokes, described as “Philae, the Bouncing Bot”, or other such inane nicknames, a result of the comical way it managed to complete its landing sequence…. Thanks to the unknown physical demands of the landing, onto a comet moving at great speed, the silly thing managed to bounce three times before coming to a complete rest on the surface, a sequence of events not realized until the pictures from the mother-ship had been analyzed….

What a ride, eh? Zooming along through space, trying to land on a rock, only to find itself on a make-shift carnival ride…. Too bad it didn’t have any human riders to give us a play-by-play description of how it felt to be bouncing over the surface of a speeding rock through the depths of space… As it was, we were barely able to find the poor wee ‘bot where it ended up on the surface, finally spotting it shortly before its batteries gave out. The information it was able to transmit to the scientists at the EU Space Center, of the single drilling sample it was able to perform, was sent to the center just before it said “Nighty night”, and went to sleep, perhaps never to wake again….

Since there is only a small chance of it ever doing so, we’ll leave our species’ latest technological wonder to rest in peace, and hope it passes through enough sunlight on its trip around the Sun to be able to wake up & reestablish contact with Earth. Until then, we’ll just tell it, “Well done, little ‘bot!”, and get on with today’s Pearl…. Hey, we’ve got to get started some time, right? Right…. Now seems like a good time….

Since we’ve already come down the page a ways, I think we’ll take what we’ve been given, and run to the bank to deposit what may be left by the time we get there…. Not that we’re going to sweat much over an imaginary deposit in an imaginary bank, but, it deserves a mention, if only to fill in just a few more lines…. Pretty cool the way I slipped those in there, isn’t it? I’m getting fairly adept at this, I think…. Other times, I’m sure I’m deluding myself, and, since I haven’t a clue as to how to figure out which is true, we’ll pretend I never said anything about it, and take the opening into the rest of the Pearl that is looming just ahead…. In fact, DUCK!….

Whew, almost hit the overhead lights on that pass…. Oh well, we made it, and we’re here, so, lets’ get on with it…..

Shall we Pearl?

“In all life one should comfort the afflicted, but verily, also, one should afflict the comfortable, and especially when they are comfortably, contentedly, even happily wrong.” — John Kenneth Galbraith, Guardian (London, 28 July 1989)

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

I don’t know about y’all, but, I love Van Morrison’s music, always have…. Here’s a bunch of it…. Enjoy this little trip through the past, ffolkes, or else….

Van Morrison- BBC Four Sessions 2008

http://youtu.be/p-lOyh5wBEk

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

I’m not late, but, the news is currently pretty boring, and, more importantly, I AM quite lazy…. Hence, another blast from the past…. This one isn’t a rant, per se, though it shows some rant-like qualities…. I think we’ll label this one a ‘discussion’….

From 10/22/2012:

“Don’t ever become a pessimist, Ira; a pessimist is correct oftener than an optimist, but an optimist has more fun — and neither can stop the march of events.” — Lazarus Long, from Time Enough For Love, by Robert Heinlein

As with many important truths, this one does not comfort one to know it; a common attribute of remarks by Lazarus, who has a tendency to voice the truth regardless of its potential, or even certain, effect on the audience. And, damn it, it is just so much simpler to let all the bad stuff hold sway on our attention, and give in to the depressive urge to berate and chastise the universe for its lack of tact and consideration for human sensibilities. It never listens, anyway….

My semi-rant in section one today is a perfect example of this principle at work; I do try to maintain some optimism in the face of reality; I even have learned to try to explain away all the weird stuff, as being outside the statistical universe under consideration. It’s a lie, but it’s my lie, so I usually can buy into it, long enough to allow denial to set in, and thus preventing the otherwise inevitable depression over how bad things have gotten…..

Actually, right now, it’s fairly simple to stay completely distracted, as we always have the election, and all the shenanigans taking place on that stage, to draw our attention away from the imminent demise we face as a species, or even, more importantly, our personal concerns of everyday living. It’s easy to deny the inevitability of carbon monoxide pollution when we have Mitt the Twitt’s lies to chase down, or Biden’s latest zinger to admire, or Lyin’ Ryan’s latest example of elitism to watch with dropped jaw….. It’s a veritable circus, and the clowns are in full swing….

(Note from 2014: This was written during the 2012 campaign leading to the national election, with Mitt, the Twit, Romney, cluelessly running against Barry the Obama, who was seeking his second term at the helm….)

It’s not just the candidates providing the entertainment, either…. every Tom, Dickwad, and Mary is chiming in with their two cents, on TV, radio, and, most prodigiously, on the Internet, all trying to get SOMEONE to listen to them during the run-up to the election. Those two cents can get very, very strange, as each commenter tries to make the most outrageous statements and/or claims/accusations about all the actors on stage, providing a whole new package of entertainment for us, each one vying for our attention at the top of their lungs, figuratively speaking…..

This is where the metaphor of the circus gains its credibility, although, more accurately, I am reminded by this, most emphatically, of just about any carnival at the County Fairs I’ve been to….. Disheveled, sinister-looking barkers, complete with suspenders and a cigar in their mouth, yelling out the prizes they promise, each one grander than the next, and easy as pie to win: exotic visions that promise endless satisfaction of desires, enormously valuable jewels and objet’s d’art for virtually nothing, and endless illusions to draw the eye away from the seediness and underlying, almost frenetic despair permeating the air….

Yes, indeed, the political scene here in America has always reminded me of a carnival, and the events and activities that prompt my impression of the election as an illusionary device, designed to fool the public into thinking that things will change if they vote, has never been stronger than it is now. I have hope that by voting against the obviously evil side of the campaign, the overall effect on the immediate future will be mitigated to some degree. But, I can find within me very little hope that the eventual outcome is in doubt, and that outcome is not one that anyone is going to like…. at all.

My optimism is fairly natural to me; I’ve always been a hopeful kind of person, and I continue to hold hope that mankind’s future will extend beyond this century, groundless as it may be. My pessimism, unfortunately, has the advantage of having the most evidence in it’s favor right now, even if Obama wins the election, as I expect he will. He is only one man, and the course of human events is very difficult to change once it is headed in a particular direction. My hope is based on the wish that more than just he will learn to make the inner changes needed for us all to survive the storms that are coming…. A slim hope, yes, but hey, it happens to be all we’ve got…..

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

Here is a piece of my own poetry, written during a period of contemplation of current events, (of that time, of course….), of the most personal kind, in which I managed to include much of my own philosophy, truncated into verse, right in the very last stanza…. Go figure….

Raging at Aging

As old as you feel, we are told, is old as you are,
custom assures such vision will carry us far.
Reality begs to differ, may it be so bold
it’s really quite painful, and very, very cold.

The power and strength felt in our halcyon youth
desert us with age, yet another unwelcome truth.
Irony rules our time here on this bountiful earth
as we reflect the changes over time since our birth.

As physical powers fade from this fragile shell,
we learn our mind can serve us quite as well.
The strength that once filled our bones and hearts
is now applied by our will, to more arcane arts.

Life’s greatest gift is our freedom of choice
no matter how often we forget, we still get a voice.
Energy, or apathy, by our will we may choose,
failing to do so, our only way to lose.

Each of us lives in the grip of time and space,
always seeking our balance, our own chosen place.
One must accept reality, for it’s true at the core,
all we can do, is all we can do, and nothing more.

~~ gigoid ~~

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

As I begin to write this section, I have no clue as to what I’ll find today in SB…. In fact, that may be the way to go…. Right, we’ll do it…. This pearl will be ALL Smart Bee’s choices, on any subject it cares to pick, as long as it makes a point of some kind…. Let’s see what happens with such a loose set of parameters….

“In everything one must consider the end.” — J. de La Fontaine (1621-1695) — The Fox and the Gnat, Book iii, Fable 5

“A multiple personality is in a certain sense normal.” — George H. Mead

“Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Better be ignorant of a matter than half know it.” — Publius Syrus (42 BC) — Maxim 865

“It is not love of self, but hatred of self which is at the root of the troubles that afflict the world.” — Eric Hoffer

“The world will never starve for want of wonders; but only for want of wonder.” — G. K. Chesterton, TREMENDOUS TRIFLES

A soldier told Pelopidas, “We are fallen among the enemies.” Said he, “How are we fallen among them more than they among us?” — Plutarch (46-120 AD) — Pelopidas

“Even while a thing is in the act of coming into existence, some part of it has already ceased to be.” — Marcus Aurelius

“This and a great deal more like it I have had to put up with.” — Terence (185-159 BC) — Act iv, Sc. 6, 8, (746.)

Hmm…. Well, I’m not entirely sure what it means, but, I like it. It’s done, too, making it perfect….

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

Whew! That went fairly well, all things considered…. Today’s Pearl has been brought to you by the number 2, by the letter J, and by those generous folks three houses down whose internet service I’ve been stealing for weeks…. Just kidding, but. hey, it isn’t unusual for me to be a bit giddy when I’m finished…. Perhaps this would be a good time to make my break for freedom…. Say goodnight, Gracie….

See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

À bientôt, mon cherí….

We never thought of corn flakes….

Posted on November 17, 2014 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“The reward of a thing well done, is to have done it.”

~~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~~

The tree you see above is a gorgeous old black pepper tree a few blocks from where I live…. Its massive trunk is of a width that indicates it MUST be over a hundred years old, yet it still drips with the small red colored peppercorns that furnish us with such a basic element of quality to our food…. I for one would NOT like to think of a world without black pepper, to bring perfect balance to the salt our bodies need, and crave, an essential ingredient to make our food taste so much better, there is literally no comparison to food without such enhancement…

Looking at such a beautiful old tree makes me sad, to think about how long it has graced that corner, and its coming death from climate change issues…. which is a perfect lead-in statement for a rant, but, doesn’t promise good things for this introduction. Shoot, I’d been hoping to avoid any such ranting in this section; I’m not dressed for it, for one thing, and for another, I’m still half-bloody-asleep…. the coffee doesn’t seem to be quite doing the trick this morning…. It must be the shoes…

Well, perhaps not…. More likely, it’s just the way it is, on these mornings when my blood sugar is a bit slow to level out…. Hmm, I wonder if that has anything to do with the new diabetic control medicine I’m taking; sometimes it can take a while to see all the effects from a new medication. I doubt it, though… it’s supposed to help regulate the way my body processes sugar, so, it shouldn’t make it take that process too far…. What would be the point of that, when the whole purpose is to stabilize, not send it careening up and down like a roller coaster? None, as far as I can see….

Not that the American medical society would pay much heed to that, if the stats could be manipulated to show the pills work the way they want it to; how many times have we seen the pharmacy companies rush a new drug into production, only to find it has bad side effects? I’m not sure of the exact number, but, let me assure you, they don’t much care if a medicine is dangerous, as long as they can make a nice profit from it before they have to pull it from the shelves…. SIGH…. There I go again, don’t I?….

Perhaps it would be best to just get out of the intro, and get on with the rest of today’s mess, before this turns yet again toward one of the groups of assholes who plague us in our daily lives, and are slowly, steadily, killing us all with their intransigent avarice, greed, and lust for power…. They’re just such a good target, it’s hard to resist…. Well, that, plus their all-too-regular acts of idiocy, and their massively stupid proclamations of intent, have a tendency to bury us, daily, if not more often, in a flood of bullshit, lies, and manipulations, designed to keep us distracted, and too busy being afraid to look too closely at what they are actually doing….

For now, though, my hands are getting numb, and my shoulder is killing me…. so, I’m going to take a short break, while the necessary elements of style, and requisite degree of angst and passion are cultivated, stoked, and harvested, all of which takes some time, as well as concentration…. In short, I’m taking us outta here, now…. Hang on, we’re goin’ in!….

Shall we Pearl?

“When you have secured an area, don’t forget to tell the enemy.” — Murphy’s Military Laws, #19

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

I’ve always enjoyed Rod Stewart’s music, ever since first hearing his breakout hit, Maggie Mae, sometime back in the late sixties or early seventies….. So, here is a concert of his for today’s video entertainment…. I like to go to the You Tube pages for the shows I find, to see what other groups or artists they have in the suggested videos on the side of the pages…. It’s like an endless list of artists from my past, and I never know who I might see over there…. For example, just on this page, you will find other shows by artists such as Do Wop groups from the sixties, seventies, and beyond, Cher, Adele, Lionel Ritchie, Elton John, and a number of others…. Any who, y’all enjoy the show….

Rod Stewart One Night Only full concert Live at Royal Albert Hall 2004

http://youtu.be/aVnfZMTUB7Q

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Ooh, ooh! I found a perfect opening quote for a rant on politics, especially if either our beloved Barry the Obama, or, even better, if the most visible member of the evil empire, the senator from that bastion of ignorance, Kentucky’s own Mitch the Clueless, last of the Dickless Ones, whose last name forever escapes me, (oh, right, it’s McConnell, I think… something like that….) have been living up to their usual level of asininity….

“This ASEXUAL PIG really BOILS my BLOOD… He’s so..so…..URGENT!!” — Zippy the Pinhead

Isn’t that just deliciously vicious? And, so vaguely insulting, the pig to whom one might apply it might not, at first, even realize they’ve been insulted…. I can see it now, with some chic reporter from an overseas bureau commenting on some idiotic statement, by asking them why they must be so ‘urgent’ in all their acts of stupidity…. to which either of them may or may not reply…

Right after finding Zippy’s cogent exclamation, I found this great lead-in quote for a nice little rant against those hypocritical manipulators of the public’s fears, our old friends, the dogma dogs….

You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.
You cannot help the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer.
You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich.
You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves.

— Rev. John William Henry Boetcker

Have you ever seen a more egregiously sycophantic statement as this?… It very nearly stumbles over into pandering, and, if truth be told, serves to remind me of nothing so much as a mental image I’ve had before…. I envision a priest, or preacher, or, as I like to call them, a dogma dog, kneeling in front of a pundit/talking head (or, alternately, kneeling under the desk in front of the talking head), mouth firmly clamped around their private member, head bobbing, with an adoring look in their eyes, chanting “use me, hurt me, make me eat dirt!”…. Meanwhile, the talking head smiles at a camera, & waves politely to the unwashed masses looking on in horror….

To my mind, it’s a perfect representation of the reality our culture presents, with the BRC, owned and manipulated by the corporate snakeheads, blindly propped up in power by fawning religious sycophants, who preach salvation to the great unwashed masses, in solemn trade for obedience to temporal authority, augmented in their efforts by their myrmidons, the police and military, who are ever ready to supply any amount of violence needed to keep the animals in their pens, slaving away at their masters’ behest….

“Power, like the diamond, dazzles the beholder, and also the wearer; it dignifies meanness; to what is contemptible, it gives authority; to what is low, exaltation.” — Smart Bee

Bah, humbug! My urge to rant is strong, and my anger is great…. Unfortunately for me, (though probably good for y’all….), my hands are giving out rapidly again, making the composition of an adequately large number of epithets and specific curses somewhat problematic, from a physical standpoint…. This is, perhaps, lucky for y’all, as I felt a really BIG rant in there…. Instead, I’ll sublimate the urge into putting together an old school indictment of the assholes under discussion….

Here then are the best Smart Bee can find today, all intended to draw metaphorical blood from talking heads, dogma dogs, and/or faceless myrmidons, as they exist in the wilds of Washington D.C., and the larger urban centers in Amurrica….

“Stupidity is not a handicap … ask a Conservative!” — Smart Bee

“Delay is the deadliest form of denial.” — Parkinson’s Law of Delay

“The Founding Fathers warned us about this!” — Smart Bee

“The Texas Legislature, God forbid, will be with us again shortly, thus depriving many a village of its idiot.” — Molly Ivins

“Some writers have so confounded society with government, as to leave little or no distinction between them; whereas they are not only different, but have different origins. Society is produced by our wants, and government by our wickedness; the former promotes our happiness *positively*, by uniting our affections, the latter *negatively*, by restraining our vices. The one encourages intercourse, the other creates distinctions. The first is a patron, the last is a punisher. Society in every state is a blessing, but government even in its best state is but a necessary evil; in its worst state an intolerable one….” — Thomas Paine, opening lines of _Common Sense_ 1776 — *asterisks denote Paine’s use of italics*

“1) Don’t cheat. 2) If you do cheat, don’t get caught.” — Opening lines, US Senate Orientation Manual

“CONGRATULATIONS! Now should I make thinly veiled comments about DIGNITY, self-esteem, and finding TRUE FUN in your RIGHT VENTRICLE??”
— Zippy the Pinhead

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For two days now, my hands and shoulders have been informing me of their disapproval of the recent temperature and weather changes; in spite of all the medications I take, which includes magic cream, they tend to ache, and ache, and ache some more, much of the day…. This, as you may guess, makes typing somewhat of a challenge…. This, in turn, makes me use my archived material more often, a habit which, while convenient, does little to relieve the pressure inside my head…. It also makes what happens here less than amenable to outside influences… In short, I don’t want to place any of the blame for all of this on anyone else…. Today’s blast is from the relatively recent past, a poem that describes well how this works for me…. or not, depending on how one listens to its message…. It seems long, but, it really isn’t; it’s just long….

Retrospective, defined in folly….

Yesterday
I wrote a poem.

It bled out of my head,
like I’d been struck with
an axe,
right through the artery,
in the neck,
spraying blood around
everywhere,
like a pulsing garden hose….

It hurt, at first,
then came the feeling,

of quick relief,
of timeless beauty,

of pain avenged,
of lust aroused,

of outrage aflame,
of deep compassion,

of endless empathy,
of truest love….

Now it’s gone, cast away
like pearls before twine.

(Grin…)

You thought
I was going to call you
a pig,
didn’t you?

Hah!

Well, you’re not.
You’re a person.

I know, because
you’re reading this poem…
if that’s what it is.
I think it is,
so,
maybe it is.

Or, maybe,
it will be,
someday, when it
grows up,
and learns to rhyme.
Whew…
Just in time…..

That’s all.
Reality often sucks wind,
y’know?

S’okay, though….
It keeps us busy,
and out of some of the
mischief,
so much part
of our
nature.

We all can do
only what we
do.

Or, don’t.

Two sides, one coin.

~~ gigoid ~~

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

Today’s old school pearl will be random, harlequin style, with parameters picked out by Smart Bee…. Honest, I had very little to do with this, so, you can’t blame me for it…. Well, not entirely, anyway…..

FOOL, n. A person who pervades the domain of intellectual speculation and diffuses himself through the channels of moral activity. He is omnific, omniform, omnipercipient, omniscient, omnipotent. He it was who invented letters, printing, the railroad, the steamboat, the telegraph, the platitude and the circle of the sciences. He created patriotism and taught the nations war — founded theology, philosophy, law, medicine and Chicago. He established monarchical and republican government. He is from everlasting to everlasting — such as creation’s dawn beheld he fooleth now. In the morning of time he sang upon primitive hills, and in the noonday of existence headed the procession of being. His grandmotherly hand was warmly tucked-in the set sun of civilization, and in the twilight he prepares Man’s evening meal of milk-and-morality and turns down the covers of the universal grave. And after the rest of us shall have retired for the night of eternal oblivion he will sit up to write a history of human civilization.” — Ambrose Bierce, “The Devil’s Dictionary”

“If you can spend a perfectly useless afternoon in a perfectly useless manner, you have learned how to live.” — Lin Yutang

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

“I have recently been examining all the known superstitions of the world, and do not find in our particular superstition (Christianity) one redeeming feature. They are all alike founded on fables and mythology.” — Thomas Jefferson

“George Washington, as a boy, was ignorant of the commonest accomplishments of youth. He could not even lie.” — Mark Twain

“To the intelligent man or woman, life appears infinitely mysterious. But the stupid have an answer for every question.” — Edward Abbey

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

Hmm…. It seems Smart Bee had a few comments to make on Life at Large….. Not bad, all in all…. it can stay….

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

It seems a trifle strange to consider, given our opening status today, but, I do believe we’ve done it again…. It certainly LOOKS done; I’ll do a quick proof, and get back to you on that, okay?…. I love it when I’m right; since it happens so seldom in any significant arena of existence, I’ll take it. Not only that, but, I’ll take it, and run with it…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, unless somebody talks me out of it….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

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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