Off with their Keds!….

Posted on February 13, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Education is the best provision for old age.”

~~ Aristotle ~~

Supermoon over Germany, January 2015 (UK Guardian POTD Feature)

It’s nice to know I was already following Aristotle’s advice before I even read his quote. Sometimes, we get lucky…. In this case, I think what happened with me is the best, and most important piece of luck we humans can encounter in our lives, for it takes place before we have any real chance of understanding the bet, or the nature of the risk in gambling, much less the name of the game in which we are already involved…

Like all of us, we start out in the game without any idea of the rules, or who the banker/dealer might be, or exactly how we got into the game. We are playing a game with our very lives as the only currency, in a dark room, in a game with hidden rules, and a dealer who just sits there with his marked deck of cards, and most of the bank, smiling, smiling, smiling…. The game is rigged ffolkes, and most of us don’t know how to play anything more complex than 52 pick-up….. Even if we learn to play by whatever rules we can discover, the deck is marked, and the dealer has a mirror behind your chair. The odds are not good….

Cute, I suppose, but, hardly the way to life anyone’s spirits right off the bat, is it? It’s getting harder, each day, to keep from ranting here in the introductory section; the world has gone mad, mad, mad. I pride myself, generally, on being phlegmatic, when it comes to END GAME scenarios. An old scientific saying comes to mind a lot these days, as conspiracy theories abound; there is so much believable evidence of conspiracy, by the same group of people, over and over again, it’s hard not to bring to mind, to wit: “Never ascribe to evil what can be attributed to stupidity.” There are other variations, but, it is a concept that must be considered when coming to any conclusions.

Even that paragraph is probably too much for an intro, and, all it did was try to explain the paragraph before. SIGH, this sure can get out of hand quickly, can’t it? I’m not sure why; it must have something to do with writing left to right, and down… I think the “down” part influences reality in such a way that the first section of any piece tends to droop, as gravity pulls it down the page…. I don’t know for sure. but, that SOUNDS like it might be true, so that’s what we’re going with…. See, it’s not my fault!…. It’s gravity!

Okay, I apologize. That much pure, unadulterated silly is probably also too much. I guess I’ll give up again, and use #4 to get us out of here, before this goes somewhere we can’t get back from…. In fact, we’re bailing, NOW….

Shall we Pearl?

“In specifications, Murphy’s Law supersedes Ohm’s.” — Klipstein’s Law of Specification

Oh. No wonder, then….

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I found this video the other day when I used the one about the Pool Party, with all the Labradors having a ball in the water…. This one is even cuter, if possible….. and very relaxing, to boot…. We all need plenty of that these days….

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One Hour of Funny Dogs

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http://youtu.be/Vi8VKaOi2nc

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“Democracy is, by the nature of it, a self-canceling business: and gives in the long run a net result of zero.” — Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881) Scottish historian — Chartism (1839)

“I do not believe in the collective wisdom of individual ignorance.” — Thomas Carlyle

“Three elements of modern civilization: Gunpowder, Printing, and the Protestant Religion.” — Thomas Carlyle

At first, when I first heard the latter quote, (literally heard; I first encountered it in a BBC mystery movie, quoted by characters in Gaudy Night), I thought Mr. Carlyle was being completely straight-faced and serious, marking him as one of those who partake in all three, which are the tools, and the means by which the elite ruling class has achieved practically complete domination of the entire world. However, given the first two quotes, also attributed to the learned gentleman, it may be he was speaking in a rather more critical vein, as it should be.

Those three elements provide all that is needed to control almost every person in the world, in one respect or another. For those who subscribe to the philosophy of those in power, with their ability to rationalize any action to suit their own needs, regardless of the effect on ANY other entity, no act of cruelty, manipulation, or abuse of trust is unthinkable. In point of fact, all three of those qualities are rewarded; the more one is able to assume, and collect resources and power by lying, cheating, or otherwise breaking trust with others, the higher in the echelons of court sycophants they rise, becoming ever more removed from other people, and their own humanity.

Gunpowder to provide the physical means to intimidate, to abuse, to kill, in the name of the state, or a religion, or other principle which serves the purposes of those who make the money by keeping the world in conflict. The more wars that occur, the richer they become, because the own or control the armories, the manufacturing plants, the marketing to buyers of weapons of mass destruction. One small statistic: the US spent $750,000,000 per day to bomb the ISIS group in the middle east. That is the amount for ONE day, in ONE war, by ONE country to wage war, which sounds like a fair number to use as a base line cost for a day of war between nations, UN recognized, or not….

First, who got the money our taxes were spent on to buy guns, bombs, etc.? Why, the arms dealers, and bankers, of course. Second, multiply that huge, insane number of dollars by the number of days in the year, and the number of wars happening around the world, to get a number that will astound you…. That’s just ONE year….., and ONE day’s take. If more than one war is going on at once, well, that might add up even faster, now, wouldn’t it? Or, is my math off somehow? I was always pretty good at basic arithmetic, which is all this is…

Printing has helped the predators in our species without limit. You see, they know the power of a lie, and they know how gullible the average human is…. so, printing allows them to spread their lies farther and faster than they had ever been able to do before, in all of recorded history. Now, with the advent of computers, the misinformation and obfuscation of which they are capable becomes literally incalculable… In this process, their most favored, and most efficient, AND effective cadre of supporters, sycophants, and, quite simply, snake-oil salesmen, and shills have always come in the form of religion, of which the Protestant Religion has done more to enslave mankind than any previous organization of that nature, except perhaps the Catholic Church….

Need some proof? Hell, one of them gave us a pretty clear example of how they do it, about a couple hundred years ago. It is a statement almost everyone has read, in school, yet, nobody ever seems to remember it as it keeps happening, over, and over, and over, and over, and, well, you get the picture…. This asshole, the highest ranking member of the Church of his time, after the Pope, said once:

“If you give me six lines written by the most honest man,

I will find something in them to hang him.”

~~ Cardinal de Richelieu ~~

Uh oh…. I think I just heresied on several important religions. Oh well, such is Life. Onward….

The Protestants, though, were the strong right arm of the elite during the Dark Ages, then, continued their complete over-mastery of the public mind in the Renaissance, into the modern era; no church has ever been so strongly allied with the governments of the time, save the aforementioned Catholics… but, the Catholic Church concentrates on robbing the poor, in such a way they remain such their entire lives, all for the promise of Heaven in the next life. The Protestants do the same for the middle classes, as well as for those of the upper classes, who are directly under the spell of those actually in charge, who manipulate them all…

I saw an interesting graphic picture the other day on my buddy Lou’s site, (https://talesfromthelou.wordpress.com/2015/02/10/impressive-vs-very-impressive-gates-and-rothschild/) showing the real story behind the story of the income gap we are hearing so much about these days; the monied classes, having secured as much power as they feel they need to secure THEIR future, are not hiding their machinations quite so much, (it has become a bit harder to do with the Internet available to so many people now, which can expose those pieces of clear evidence which indicate the true state of affairs).

Check out a rather scary piece of reality, ffolkes….

Click to enlarge, to read the fine print. You need to read it all.

I don’t know, what do you think? Is that obscene? Or nauseating? Maybe… No, most certainly, it must be BOTH obscene, and nauseating. As well as nauseatingly obscene. Obscenely nauseating also fits…. I swear, if either one of these assholes ever showed their face in my immediate vicinity, well, there wouldn’t be as MUCH of a problem left to deal with… except, I’m sure, the Baron, no doubt, has a relative or two that will also need to be evacuated from the gene pool…. The sooner, the better, if you ask me….

Enough for one day.Ta then, ffolkes….

“If it should become necessary to fight,

could you locate me some rocks to throw at them?”

~~ Riker, “Contagion”, stardate 42609.1 ~~

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This isn’t a poem, in the traditional sense. But, knowing something about the Hopi, I would imagine the message is intended to be sung, in a ceremony over a course of time, with attendant sobriety and dignity. So, it probably SOUNDS like a poem, even if it isn’t exactly what we would think of in that way…. Of course, those of us who read this blog are, if not exactly all lily-white, we ARE English speaking; that does give us a handicap in understanding reality, from the Hopi/Anasazi/Aleuts/Apache/Chiricawa/Cheyenne/Cherokee, okay… a LOT of other tribes’. point(s) of view, which tend to be quite dissimilar to any Western European, or any other cultural point of view, from ANYWHERE else in the world….

Message from A Hopi Elder

Oraibi,Arizona

“You have been telling people that this is the eleventh hour.

Now you must go back and tell people that this is the hour!

And there are things to be considered:

Where are you living?
What are you doing?
What are your relationships?
Are you in right relation?
Where is your water?
Know your Garden.

It is time to speak your truth.

Create your community.

Be good to yourself.

And not look outside of yourself for a leader.

This could be a good time!

There is a river flowing very fast.

It is so great and fast that there are those who will be afraid.

They will hold on to the shore.

They will feel that they are being torn apart, and they will suffer greatly.

Know that the river has its destination.

The elders say that we must let go of the shore,

push off into the middle of the river,

keep our eyes open,

and our heads above the water.

See who is in there with you and celebrate.

At this time we are to take nothing personally,

least of all, ourselves.

For the moment that we do,

our spiritual growth comes to a halt.

The time of the lone wolf is over.

Gather yourselves!

Banish the word struggle from your attitude and your vocabulary.

All that we do now must be done in a sacred manner and in celebration.

We are the ones that we have been waiting for.”

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Strange. Very strange, indeed. I’m not even going to comment on this one, at all…. Just play it as it lies; don’t work too hard at deciphering the meaning, and, all will be well…..

“It is more than a crime; it is a political fault,” — Joseph Fouche (1763-1820) — Memoirs of Fouche

“Get off the cross, Bob. Somebody else needs the wood!” — Smart Bee

“A myth is a religion in which no one any longer believes.” — James Feibleman, “Understanding Philosophy”, 1973

“Rejoice, rejoice, we have no choice but to carry on.” — Steven Stills

“If you learn something by watching the mistakes of others, it just seems fair to make some effort to return the favor.” — Smart Bee

“Accomplishment is its own reward. Pride obscures it.” — Major Briggs, from Twin Peaks

“Every institution I’ve ever been associated with has tried to screw me.” — Stephen Wolfram

“I have found some of the best reasons I ever had for remaining at the bottom simply by looking at the men at the top.” — Frank Moore Colby

“Healthy mindedness is inadequate as a philosophical doctrine, because the evil facts which it refuses positively to account for are a genuine portion of reality; and they may after all be the best key to life’s significance..” — William James

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One of my blogging friends sometimes laughs at me, calling me the champ of parenthetical remarks. Whenever she does, I think of this line:

“Parenthetical remarks (however relevant) are unnecessary.” — Frank L. Visco, How to Write Good

I tell her, though, I’m not listening to someone who mangles English grammar & vocabulary so powerfully, (especially in ONE line), no matter how true the remark…. Also, I’m stubborn, (pretty damn serious about it, too….), so, no doubt, I’ll ignore it, and just plan on keeping her in stitches every time she stops by to read… So there…. Take THAT, milady!….

Now that I’ve completed the childish portion of the program, I’d best take my leave, before anything sillier comes over me. Y’all know how much Murphy enjoys spoiling my day. Before I become truly paranoid, let us be off, even further than we started the day…. Let us carpe that old diem!….. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Bathing in a babbling brook….

Posted on February 7, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

There were the Scots
Who kept the Sabbath
And everything else they could lay their hands on.
Then there were the Welsh
Who prayed on their knees and their neighbors.
Thirdly there were the Irish
Who never knew what they wanted
But were willing to fight for it anyway.
Lastly there were the English
Who considered themselves a self-made nation
Thus relieving the Almighty of a dreadful responsibility.

~~ Unix file, /usr/local/bin/fortune ~~

Steal Your Face, Grateful Dead logo

I don’t care what anyone else may tell you, but, I am here to testify, there is little in this world more frustrating to a writer than a mind emptier than the page at which we are blankly staring. Especially when it tells us it has this great idea, then, when the time comes to begin typing, it’s nowhere to be found; moreover, there is no evidence at all it ever actually existed. In short, it lied to me… My own mind, lying to me, just so I would leave it be…. It occurs to me to bite myself.

Rather than do so, I’ll just mention what also just occurred to me, to wit: Y’know, ffolkes, in today’s world, we are now in the unenviable position, historically speaking, of having placed ourselves right in front of the fan, and the shit is about to hit it, if it hasn’t already started flying through the air, along with all the OTHER CRAP we have poured into it in the last 150 years…. and, we don’t have a change of clothing to put on, even IF we can clean it off after it’s done filling our eyes, ears, and random orifices….

Ah well, at least it got us this far down the page, without the obviously superfluous concept of having something intelligent, or even amusing, to say to y’all about today’s Pearl. I suppose I could give y’all a few hints, but, then there’d be no surprises, and the surprises may be ALL we have to offer today. Hard to tell at this point, when I haven’t even looked to see what is done, and what isn’t. I had already decided, before sitting down, not to worry about that part until done with this. Of course, that was before I knew I wouldn’t have a bloody thing worth saying in my head, probably until after eating something, so there is at least some material inside me from which to create a bit of energy…. Or, not. At this point, who cares?

Okay, so, I’ll use this tool here to fix this. It’s our only hope, I think, of getting out of here without my having to resort to some rather drastic measures, which the insurance company has warned me to stop using, as they cause us to use up the deductibles too fast. Today, sadly, I don’t think I’m going to have much of a choice, not if we intend to get anywhere close to finishing this before lunch. I shall reluctantly use the most efficacious of the emergency methods, #4, which is the fastest, and most popular, of all our methods of extrication…. Here’s how it works….

Shall we Pearl?

“Courage is the complement of fear. A man who is fearless cannot be courageous. (He is also a fool.)” — Lazarus Long

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After having studied Judo, some Karate, both Korean and Japanese styles, some Jujitsu, a bit of Aikido, and Tai Chi, I moved on to the oldest and most complete of the Arts, Kung Fu, finally settling in a school whose sifu taught the Praying Mantis style of Shaolin Kung Fu, as practiced by the monks of the Taoist temple in Shaolin. When my kids were 12, and 10, I enrolled them in the classes, to give them the discipline and knowledge that give the gift of removing one’s fear of violence from life, a gift of nearly incalculable value. Both of them have benefited enormously for gaining the skills which bring us confidence, and the ability to think when others are frozen in fear….

Today’s video is one of the more advanced forms to be learned; there are a great many of them. Master Wu Nanfang, one of the two fourth generation Shaolin Chan Wu Yi Kung Fu Masters from the Wugulun lineage, does a Dragon Form in the grounds of the famous Shaolin temple in Dengfeng City, Henan Province, China.

Dragon Form

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http://youtu.be/YZE8-M65ZT8

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“A faith-holder puts himself below his faith and lets it guide his actions. The fanatic puts himself above it and uses it as an excuse for his actions.” — Gordon Dickson, Chantry Guild

At long last! I’ve finally found the pearl which gives me the springboard to present an EXACT explanation of the fatal flaw in human nature, responsible for so much of the misery and pain in this sad old world we inhabit. Here is the perfect pearl for it; it shows the exact relationship which turns every human endeavor from whatever good intent it followed, to take it on a path which has no other end but self-destruction. I know, elegantly obscure, is it not? Lovely use of logic to cloud the issue….

Still, with the proper treatment, this will do just fine, to give me the metaphoric example I’ve looked for, which can be used as a benchmark to measure a related, but, separate issue, with similar parameters. Both of these methods attempting to discern WHY many of the more egregiously insane events we have seen all throughout our crazy, violent history take place; to explain, as it were, why so many people die for no good reason…. Easy, and quite obvious to me.

Part of being human is to have a choice, at birth, with our first perception of reality in this state of consciousness, of whether to approach the universe with open eyes and hearts, admitting our willingness to learn, or to react to what we feel and see with fear, turning away from that which frightens us, learning to accept a consensus given by others, perverting imagination into cunning, and the tendency to ignore the urgings of the heart, and the mind….

Those who choose a path of knowledge and reason, versus one of fear, faith, and ignorance, by opening their minds and hearts, learn to use the power of imagination to create beauty and harmony in a universe of wonderful complexity, with the very entertaining characteristic of Entropy, and Chaos, as equal parts of what is here to be perceived, right alongside their opposite, yet complementary qualities of Order, and Will.

Destruction is a part of Reality, to balance Creativity; Compassion is balanced by Indifference; all the universe exists in duality, explaining the reason our senses operate as they do…. by registering and decoding the sensory perceptions present in reality with eyes which see by the presence or absence of light, ears which hear the silence between the notes, and other senses which offer their own interpretation of energy manifesting in other forms, yet still, in duality….

“Either God exists or He doesn’t. Either I believe in God or I don’t. Of the four possibilities, only one is to my disadvantage. To avoid that possibility, I believe in god.” — Pascal

In these blog posts, I often sound, no doubt, as if I have no doubt, particularly when speaking of those who rely on faith-based reasoning to decide how to live their lives. I cannot respect such a decision, as it is the kind that cannot possibly be made if using the most simple standards of truth, and reason. No person willing to look at the evidence with an open mind could make such a decision, for it is possibly the most unbelievable set of delusions one could come up with; yet, for thousands of years, the modern version of snake-oil salesmen have passed off this unreasonable story as if it was truth, insisting each and every individual who believes otherwise to be wrong, no matter how compelling the evidence of their arguments.

Now, I can’t claim to be the most ethical, or moral, or most virtuous of men; I am much more accurately described as the above Warrior of Light, full of self-doubts, unsure, in my darker moments, of my own worth. Yet, I am able to say with some objectivity, I find myself also to be much more honest, and truthful, than perhaps 75% of the people in the world. (I would add, of the remaining 25%, approximately 98% of them are wrong; in effect, lying to themselves, through ignorance or innocence, most of the time, thus, not always their fault, or choice…. Very few of the people I’ve met in the world are very concerned with truth at all, other than as a vague concept they have heard about, but seldom consider either objectively, or, as regards themselves….)

My own claim to virtue, partial as it may be, is based on an advantage I enjoy over most people I have known, (aside from my siblings, of course), of having Master Sgt. Robert H. Moore always standing behind me, monitoring all such issues as they occur in my life…. Since I was a teenager, and before, whenever I couldn’t figure out, or didn’t know what was the RIGHT thing to do in a difficult situation, I would simply imagine my dad, standing nearby, watching.

Somehow, I’d usually be able to find the correct, most ethical, most honest way to deal with whatever it may have been; it wasn’t always the easiest, or most efficient way, (in fact, easy seldom entered the picture…), but, it always seems to work out best, for ALL the concerned parties…. Perhaps it’s merely a fantasy of my own making, but, it has always worked for me….

In fact, my dad was pretty good at teaching me, and my siblings, the most important lessons I learned, without needing to actually speak directly about them very often at all. Not that he was taciturn, or silent; just not very voluble, unless stimulated by intense emotion. Instead, he just lived his own way, so that as we watched, the right way to do things was perfectly clear. This meant that, with merely a look, he could tell us whether our behavior met his approval; if you did well, he said so. If you didn’t, he didn’t need to speak at all.

To me, that’s a very big advantage over whatever other people’s families may have done for them in this respect; I can use my own mind to make decisions, as long as I do that in a way that my dad would approve of; otherwise, I find, nothing comes out as well as when I live according to the following list of rules, which could easily have been dictated by my father, the aforementioned Sgt. Moore…..

So, though I am not perfect, or holy, or Superman, or in any other way more special than anyone else, other than, perhaps, in my unique mindset, I feel confident that my opinions on human nature are valid, based on evidence, not faith. This, if nothing else, satisfies me, in terms of having lived up to my chosen duty, and have not added to the weight of oppression and darkness that so afflicts our world, because of that oh-so-human nature, and its incredibly powerful negative effects on our planet, and other forms of life, including, sadly, our fellow men…. Ah well, karma exists, if only as a metaphor for reality, so, time will tell the final story….

“All you can do, is all you can do.”

~~ gigoid ~~

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Here is another great poem from my poetess/friend, Maggie Mae, a still-young artist I believe will one day be known to the entire English speaking world…. Seriously, you will see what I mean when you’ve seen some of her work. I often get a feeling of dejá vu after reading her poems, similar to the reaction I get at times to Miss Emily Dickinson, though their styles are, if not worlds apart, are in different rooms in the same palace of Art….

I suppose it may have something to do with both women seeming to find the concept of overt rhyming to be superfluous to their poetry; when a rhyme is needed, it is there. Most of the time, the content, rhythm, and imagery they use is sufficient to create the intended message, without requiring them to stay within the boundaries of convention.

Maggie Mae sees the world with the same KIND of vision as did Emily, but, with her own eyes and mind to interpret what she sees, in striking images of great metaphorical power, images which go straight to the inner brain, swirling there, bringing a message from the universe for us to learn…. Enjoy, ffolkes… I’ve included a link to her site after the poem, so you may see exactly what I mean….

A Theory of Rubies

because we find them in solids
gripping to thousands of pasts

because we find them under ground,
where muscles swell
for obligation rather than
inclination

because there is this one girl
who carries them in her eyes,
who can make every drop of rain
fall at once
and, in the desert, naked on
black tar, can
bring the cool moon breeze
home

because if I follow her
behind echo’s and become her reverse,
I will go way of all flesh,
dive back into my former
rutile inclusions

because she seems like a solid

because we are the color of wine

because the theory of rubies is
they are imperfect,
impure,
naturally-occurring
stars

https://maggiemaeijustsaythis.wordpress.com/2015/02/04/a-theory-of-rubies/

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Ffolkes…. The following pearl showed up on SB, in virtually the order you see, with only minor shifts needed to finalize the process. I can’t explain it, nor will I try. I suggest you just allow your mind to follow along, to wherever it may lead you…..

There is an enormous oyster here with its shell tightly closed.

Interesting. Interesting.

There seems to be something written on the underside of the oyster.

Picture and text stolen from Lou

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For ’twas not into my ear you whispered but into my heart.

‘Twas not my lips you kissed, but my soul.

~~ Judy Garland ~~

“Diligence increaseth the fruit of toil. A dilatory man wrestles with losses.” — Hesiod (c. 700 BC) — Works and Days, Line 412

“If fear alters behavior, you’re already defeated.” — Brenda Hammond

“He had that rare weird electricity about him — that extremely wild and heavy presence that you only see in a person who has abandoned all hope of ever behaving “normally.” — Hunter S. Thompson (b. 1939), journalist — Fear and Loathing ’72

“Discussions of morality must inevitably lead to immoral statements.” — Bradshaw

“Suppose that a great commotion arises in the street about something, let us say a lamp post, which many influential persons desire to pull down. A grey-clad monk, who is the spirit of the Middle Ages, is approached upon the matter, and begins to say, in the arid manner of the Schoolmen, “Let us first of all consider, my brethren, the value of Light. If Light be in itself good…” At this point he is somewhat excusably knocked down. All the people make a rush for the lamp post, the lamp post is down in ten minutes, and they go about congratulating each other on their unmedieval practicality. But as things go on they do not work out so easily. Some people have puled the lamp post down because they wanted the electric light; some because they wanted old iron; some because they wanted darkness, because their deeds were evil. Some thought it not enough of a lamp post, some too much; some acted because they wanted to smash municipal machinery; some because they wanted to smash something. And there is war in the night, no man knowing whom he strikes. So, gradually and inevitably, today, tomorrow, or the next day, there comes back the conviction that the monk was right after all, and that all depends on what is the philosophy of Light. Only what we might have discussed under the gas lamp, we now must discuss in the dark.” — G. K. Chesterton, _Heretics_, 1905

“Diogenes struck the father when the son swore.” — Robert Burton (1577-1640) — The Anatomy of Melancholy, Part iii, Sect. 2, Memb. 2, Subsect. 5

“He was born with a gift of laughter and a sense that the world was mad.” — Rafael Sabatini

“Gone, glimmering through the dream of things that were.”

~~ Lord Byron (1788-1824) ~~

~~ Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage, Canto ii, Stanza 2 ~~

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Fortunately for me, I had a lot of this Pearl done before starting today; I’m up pretty late, having again slept better than has been my habit of late…. Not that it seems to be of great value as yet; I still feel tired, from the constant stress I’ve been under, thanks to my HMO. Ah well, getting one of these done, in spite of that, is quite satisfying, and, since that feeling is rather rare these days, I’ll take it, and be on my way into the day. See y’all on the rebound, ffolkes….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Pete thinks it shouldn’t do that….

Posted on February 4, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Belief is the death of intelligence.”

~~ Robert Anton Wilson ~~

London Daily Telegraph ~ Darek Siustra

I’ve come to learn, over the past three years, there will be days like this. In my world, such days tend to defy description, even for me; I seem to have no issues whatsoever with spouting off on virtually any subject, logical, realistic, or otherwise…. Of course, part of that is due simply to my nature, which is rather crusty from the outset. When one is the middle child of five, it happens. We middle kids get the brunt of the other four siblings’ attempts at manipulation, which took the form of violence, or crying, as we are the perfect target. One can’t beat up the bigger ones because, well, they’re bigger, and can’t beat up the little ones because a) it isn’t fair, and, b) Mom & Dad would paddle ME.

So, we learn our own methods of coping, often having to do with learning stealth, with a healthy dose of our own forms of manipulation. One must, after all, maintain a certain degree of dignity in life…. Naturally, this dignity lasts only as long as we are at home; the world at large tends to alter or adjust whatever attitudes we may take on during our early years, teaching an entirely different set of lessons in how to deal with what life throws in our path. SIGH…. Sometimes, I think it really WOULD be nice if there were some supernatural entity up there somewhere in the sky, taking all the responsibility for all that happens to us; it would be more comfortable than the way the universe is actually constructed; in the real world, reality couldn’t care less what we do, or what happens to us….

I guess that’s too scary for most folks, so, they latch onto whatever religion or set of beliefs that allows them to blame the universe for all the crappy stuff that happens, completely ignoring the fact of their own culpability, or to acknowledge any such concept as Karma, which presupposes we are completely responsible for both…. we bear the responsibility for what we do, and we bear equal responsibility for what happens to us. Most folks can’t accept that responsibility, so, they give up the right to think for themselves, allowing a bunch of manipulative liars to decide for them what they should believe, even though it is one of the most unbelievable stories I’ve ever heard….

Ah well…. I’ve already come far too close to ranting mode here, without intending to do so; I think I’ll show a bit of restraint, by stopping here, so we can try to get something else done before it’s too late to get anywhere worthwhile…. Of course, we have yet to ever get to any such place, but, we do try…. Maybe this time it will work…. All we can do is all we can do….

Shall we Pearl?

“And then, last but the reverse of least, there plunged in all the people who think they can solve a problem they cannot understand by abolishing everything that has contributed to it. We all know these people. If a barber has cut his customer’s throat because the girl has changed her partner for a dance or donkey-ride on Hampstead Heath, there are always people to protest against the mere institutions that led up to it. This would not have happened if barbers were abolished, or if cutlery were abolished, or if the objection felt by girls to imperfectly grown beards were abolished, or if the girls were abolished, or if heaths and open spaces were abolished, or if dancing were abolished, or if donkeys were abolished. But donkeys, I fear, will never be abolished.” — G. K. Chesterton, The Flying Inn

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I’m in the mood for some smooth, easy listening…. here is a mix with four hours worth of that very thing…. Enjoy, ffolkes….

*4 HOURS* of Classical Music

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

http://youtu.be/n_0Qix6qf5g

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

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

“Sigh… Every day I thank my statuette of Wilma Flintstone that I was born normal.” — Zippy the pinhead

Due to circumstances completely within my control, there won’t be a fresh rant today; I’m not even going to tell you why. I will, however, supply y’all with a short discussion from the archives, just a quick indictment, and a reminder what we see happening in the world today is merely more proof of the old saying…. same shit, different day….

From 2/14/2012:

“I worry about my child and the Internet all the time, even though she’s too young to have logged on yet. Here’s what I worry about. I worry that 10 or 15 years from now, she will come to me and say ‘Daddy, where were you when they took freedom of the press away from the Internet?'” — Mike Godwin

This is something all of us should be thinking about, now that the Bill of Rights, which ostensibly assures us of freedom of speech, has been nullified by another homeland insecurity authorization, approved by our beloved ruling class, including the great Hope, Obama, who stealthily signed it on New Year’s Eve, when he knew nobody was watching too closely. Effective the next day, all of our protections as citizens against being unjustly accused or held in jail without cause or review, free speech, the right to assemble to protest grievances, all of those rights are now null and void. Any American citizen can now be arrested without warrant, taken to undisclosed locations, and tortured (yes, I said tortured; if you don’t believe me go read the damn thing yourself), all because they are SUSPECTED of being in, or aiding a terrorist organization. No evidence, no proof required, merely suspicion.

In addition, the authorities who are authorized to carry out these unconstitutional actions are not required to tell anyone, and there is no judicial or any other oversight; no warrants needed for any of this, and they don’t even have to tell anyone they have done so. It’s enough to make me go out and buy a gun….and prepare to use it. I guarantee that anyone who tries to do this to me will have bitten off more than they can chew; I’m not a pacifist, and I am a free man; I will protect my own rights, thank you, and I will do that until either they give it up, or they’re dead, or I’m dead. No compromises here, folks. I have no intention of being a victim of these assholes, and I suggest to all truly free Americans that they keep their weapons handy, and their powder dry…..

“….secrecy is the keystone of all tyranny. When any government, or any church for that matter, undertakes to say to its subjects, “This you may not read, this you may not see, this you are forbidden to know,” the end result is tyranny and oppression, no matter how holy the motives. Mighty little force is needed to control a man whose mind has been hoodwinked; contrarily, no amount of force can control a free man, a man whose mind is free. No, not the rack, not fission bombs, not anything–you can’t control a free man, the most you can do is kill him.” — Robert Heinlein, Revolt in 2100, “….If this goes on….”

Note from 2015: There you go: short and sweet. Naturally, I could expand on all of that, but, I’ll be nice…. We’ll go on to our next stop…

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

Here is a poem I wrote in response to one of those school shootings we see every now and again, so the BRC and the Asininnies have a chance to try again to curb our right to own guns…. It’s much easier to work people up into a frenzy when they have incidents of insanity like those to point to; I only wish people would remember those in charge only use those incidents to manipulate the public into doing what they want them to do, which is to be afraid…. of nothing much….

Modest sounds of impatient concern….

Crowds converge at the raw and grisly scene,
comatose to compassion, curiosity tugging at the hem
with sharp, oh, sharp tools made obscene,
filing the essence of future hopes in spite of them.

Yet who has won the keys to the treasure,
who whipped up the fear of another brother?
Who spent the dreams of the old in selfish measure,
with such arrogant blindness grave issues to smother?

Fateful decisions may prompt still another pause,
to catch and release collective images of insanity.
Surely legitimate anger arises with ample cause
wallowing in self-made entrepreneurs, fluent in profanity.

A quartet of eternities must pass to guarantee change,
regardless of need, or desire, or autonomous manipulation.
Ancient rules and modern aggression is only passing strange
when golden delusion grasps futilely at its related illusory station.

~~ gigoid ~~

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

If I were compelled to classify this pearl as to type, I don’t think I’d be able to do so; it defies explanation pretty thoroughly, from what I can tell… As far as I CAN tell, it’s merely observations of reality, with a slight twist toward how to cope with it, in whatever form it assumes…. Or not. Who cares? I’m done now…. No worries, ffolkes, they make excellent operational notes…. The last one is particularly cogent, I think….

“A rolling stone gathers momentum.” — Smart Bee

“Much may be known of a man’s character by what excites his laughter.” — Goethe

“When a man is wrong and won’t admit it, he always gets angry.” — Thomas Chandler Haliburton

“If a man insisted always on being serious, and never allowed himself a bit of fun and relaxation, he would go mad or become unstable without knowing it.” — Herodotus

“A bee is not a busier animal than a blockhead.” — Alexander Pope

What we leave behind is not as important as the way we lived.” — Smart Bee

“You only live once — but if you work it right, once is enough.” — Joe E. Lewis

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

As I said in the previous section, I’m done. More than done, actually; I blew past done & went straight into bail mode. That, of course, is why you see this ending right here, and right now, rather than later. We do try to at least pay lip service to some sort of routine, even if it’s all an illusion. Y’all should be used to that by now…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, and thanks for dropping by….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

I’ll take that last glazed pineal gland, please….

Posted on February 3, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Admission of ignorance is often the first step in our education.”

~~ Stephen Covey ~~

Chacalacascape — Gregory Basco

Mr. Covey, in his opening line, makes a valiant attempt here; sadly, he comes up slightly short of creating a truism. While what he notes IS true, he apparently lacked full confidence in his convictions, causing him to hedge his bet a little in his statement. A more correct word, with much more scope and perspective, is available to use to increase the accuracy of the concept; that word, which fills the lack in his original quote, would more accurately be as follows:

“Admission of ignorance is ALWAYS the first step in our education.”

Socrates, perhaps mankind’s most revered sage, knew this quite well, making the admission of his own ignorance freely, and frequently….. Perhaps the most famous story we have demonstrating his sagacity, out of many examples of his wisdom preserved throughout history, is the story of his lesson to a potential student, wherein he pushed the lad into deep water, telling him to come back to learn, when he wanted knowledge as much as he wanted air to breathe…. Simple, yet, effective lesson, wouldn’t you say?

I’ve always thought so, since first hearing it, in elementary school, but, then, I suppose one could say I started out a bit strange, a pink monkey, don’t y’know? Ah well, I’m good with it; I never could understand wanting to be like everybody else. It always puzzled me why anyone would want to be someone else; if I was, who the hell would I be? And, why am I asking you? You probably don’t have any more idea than do I, which puts both of us up that proverbial creek, sans a paddle, wouldn’t you say? I think, given the number of question marks in this paragraph, we’d best get on with something of a different nature, or color, or, well, anything at all but more of this silliness…

Can’t think of what I was trying to do there. Oh, wait….. Okay, I know what’s happening now. It’s my subconscious again, fussing around with the routine, probably has an issue to work out. It always does this to me when it’s trying to get my attention somehow….. I guess it does make communication difficult, when the two parties involved are separated by the veil of consciousness…. Every time it wants something, it has to work out some metaphorical code, to grab my conscious mind’s attention, directing it toward whatever has been chosen as a means of getting its point across…. It even SOUNDS complicated…..

Today, though, I think we’ll just wait until after we’re done, then I’ll figure out what it wants…. For now, I think I’ve blathered uselessly for long enough. Other than the initial short discussion of the classic lesson from Socrates, we’ve managed to make our way to a legal cut-off point, without having paid the slightest attention; no bridge tolls paid, either. Of course, we didn’t cross any bridges, but, you know those stat monkeys; they want us to keep track of EVERYTHING…. Bozos, every one of ’em…

Okay, I’m done. We’ll go on to the rest of today’s effort, leaving this right here, in this lonely, deserted area, with the nearest phone two miles away at a strip mall. I hope y’all brought your survival kits; we may need them, if we can’t find our way back here to the vehicle…. Besides, it’s questionable whether we’d be able to find it anyway, as the automatic camouflage utility will cover it in a holographic image of the surrounding trees, making it virtually impossible to find, anyway. If that happens, we’ll be late getting back, for sure, as Luigi will then have to fire up the swamp buggy to come get us…. Oh well…. such is life….

Shall we Pearl?

Pearls of Virtual Wisdom, August, 2011 to February, 2015 = Slightly less than 2.5 million words (Precisely, 2,478,983, according to Open Source Software’s Word Count utility….). — gigoid, showing off his addition skills, thus, clearly demonstrating the keen appreciation of the trivial which characterizes the prototypical bozoid personality….

To a Bozo, trivial statistics are not merely food for thought; they are Meat, Potatoes, AND, a Vegetable!…. Note the number of words used to talk about one simple stat…. Now, we can spend an inordinate number of otherwise fruitful hours, trying to calculate if the number of words written, as shown above, to wit: 2,278,983, is a Prime Number! It sure looks like one…. What fun we’re going to have!

Oh, heck…. Never mind. It’s a complicated calculation, which I’m not prepared to pursue just now. I guess we can just go on to the rest of today’s post, which, if the intro section is any indication, could prove to be an experience none of us have experienced in our lives…. I’m a little nervous, but, let’s go on, shall we?…..

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Each year, the Grateful Dead web site organizes what they call the Dead Covers Project. Fans are encouraged to make a video wherein they play and/or sing a version of one of the Dead’s songs. They then upload the videos to a You Tube page dedicated to the “covers”, so all the fans can enjoy them, with prizes awarded to those voted the best by the viewers…. It’s a great way to get new music from America’s most dedicated fans, by some very good musical artists…. The link below will take you to the page where one of the fans has compiled 114 of the videos from 2014, for your listening and viewing pleasure…. and mine…. Enjoy, ffolkes, there’s some good shit here…..

Dead Covers Project 2014

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http://youtu.be/gGZUSrj3dko?list=PLAxT_DkSwQLsxDqEgOm-dAigF13pEy2n8

***********

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“The rights you have are the rights given you by this Committee [the House Un-American Activities Committee]. We will determine what rights you have and what rights you have not got.” — J. Parnell Thomas

Hmm…. I’m not entirely certain of exactly when this statement went into the Congressional Record; the HU-AAC operated in the early 1950’s, during the era of McCarthyism, that black period of US history when the number of insane Senators elected to seats in Congress approached numbers paralleled only by the numbers we see today, when the world, and this country, have been inundated in the effects of long-term insanity, now being displayed so prominently in legislative and governmental facilities all over the world. But, I do know the statement fits in perfectly with the obvious sense of entitlement the current crop of pundits displays toward the public…

The infestation of vermin in Washington D. C. has reached epidemic level; soon the only solution will be to fumigate the whole town, moving the government to Topeka, or somewhere, until the smell is gone. Then we can send everybody left back to their jobs, minus the most egregiously stupid that were eliminated in the pogrom…. It shouldn’t take more than a week or two to treat the infestation; we’ve got some pretty good pest control chemicals available to us these days…. I’ve seen some even cockroaches don’t like….

Almost any the current products on the market should take care of a hundred Senators, a pack of Representatives, and a building or two filled with bureaucrats such as the Supreme Court and the President, etc…. They’re nastier looking than cockroaches, & definitely make a bigger mess, but, generally, they’re not as tough, or efficient at resisting chemical attacks…. Well, those obese pigs who walk around with basketballs under their suits, who eat a lot at McDonald’s, might be more poison-resistant than a cockroach, due to their diet, but, a bit of old-fashioned strychnine should deal with them just fine….

Hmm…. I detect some vitriol and resentment in my tone; I wonder where that came from? No telling, really; the number of different ways these assholes annoy me every day is something I gave up trying to count, or keep track of, long ago. It happens so often, I’ll make myself crazier than I already am if I keep counting them, & reacting every time. They fuck someone over so often, it gets hard to fit any more resentment in my craw, every time I hear of their latest act of infamy. They’re like the frigging Energizer bunny; when it comes to dirty tricks, lies, theft, massive stupidity, and greed, they just keep going, and going, and going…. You’d think they’d at least take a break to change batteries once in a while, but, it never seems as if the shit stops flowing, ever….

Have you heard the latest BS they’re lying to the public about? Check out the picture below, noting the highlighted text….

Yep. That’s right. The words you read are not an illusion. They are printed on the drug information sheet included in the box with each vial of vaccine, as required by law…. Of course, the big pharmacy and HMO corporations aren’t allowing patients receiving the vaccine to SEE this, or to read it before receiving the shot; in fact, they will mostly refuse to show it at all, disposing of them before allowing the vaccine near a patient. The copy you see was stolen by an activist…. And, yes, it DOES say exactly what it means…. NO clinical trials performed, IF any actually occurred, showed ANY effectiveness AT ALL in preventing the disease. NONE. ZERO. ZILCH. In short, it’s useless, and probably dangerous….

This means, of course there are millions and millions of Americans receiving vaccinations, which contain trace amounts of mercury, and other harmful substances not commonly known to the public, that do not serve any purpose at all…. Or, at least, no purpose that bodes well for the public. They are deliberately selling this lie for unknown purposes, that obviously have nothing to do with any sort of benefit to those being vaccinated. Who KNOWS what crap they’re injecting along with the vaccines?

They’re not telling us much, that’s for sure; their silence on this issue indicates to me there is a lot more they’re not telling the public…. That, ffolkes, is simple logic…. Paranoia is justified when it becomes clear one is being persecuted and oppressed; the need for change then becomes clear, as does the need for clarity of mind, which will create in us a real thirst for justice.

I’ve made a tactical error in this rant…. I began with a good premise, & ran with it a good long way; the direction took a bit of a side-trip into a related subject, then turned again; now, I’m not sure how to connect it all back together. I think I’ll just bail for today, & let an old-school do the work to bring it to a close…. Here s a group that comments on, well, stuff…. you’ll see… It’s all related, if a bit tenuously in spots…

“Democracy is the art and science of running the circus from the monkey cage.” — H. L. Mencken (1880-1956)

“RIP: The U.S. Constitution–one amendment at a time.” — Smart Bee

“Food will be scarce; you will have to scavenge. Learn to recognize foods that will be available after the bomb: mashed potatoes, shredded wheat, tossed salad, ground beef, etc.” — Safety Tips for the Post-Nuclear Existence

“We need excellence in public education and if the teachers can’t do it, we’ll send in a couple of policemen.” — Frank Rizzo, Philadelphia Bulletin, Oct 19, 1973

“They are cold-blooded. They are completely ruthless about protecting what they have. The only thing they connect to is the money aspect of life. Let’s face it: That’s the American way.” — Jeffery M. Johnson, regional chairman of the District of Columbia United Way, speaking of drug dealers.

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

“I’ve been vaccinated against rabies. *snarl*” — Random flu vaccination recipient

“Annual drug deaths: tobacco: 395,000, alcohol: 125,000, ‘legal’ drugs: 38,000, illegal drug overdoses: 5,200, marijuana: 0. Considering government subsidies of tobacco, just what is our government protecting us from in the drug war?” — William A. Turnbow

“A guilty conscience never feels secure.” — Publius Syrus (42 BC) — Maxim 617

Well…. If we consider the last pearl to be true, there are a great many uncomfortable people in our nation’s capital…. Evidence of it’s truth can be found in one simple fact of note: it is still being used in everyday conversation, still considered as wisdom, more than 2000 years after Citizen Syrus made the original observation….

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

I’ve shared poems from this young lady previously; in my opinion, humble or not, she will someday be considered one of the world’s greatest. Perhaps it is the powerful obscurity of her metaphor, highlighted by the stark realism of the images she creates, often violently graphic, yet never offensive, that attracts me; I do love my metaphorse.

It could also be just the way it feels to read her work, as if she is speaking a deeper truth, from a connection to the universe she alone feels so strongly, in a language that is just on the edge of comprehension, though completely unknown…. Though you may not understand exactly what she is saying, you will know how it feels to see what she sees…. Read this, then follow the link, which will take you to her web site; besides this poem, you can find links to much of her past work, including her book, recently published…. Pay attention, ffolkes, THIS is genius at work/play….

Pecan

Of all the parts I could choose of you, I need only two;
The round, full seed inside and
the strong bulge that protects you.
I know your shell, hard as a pecan, hanging on ripe roots underground,
sipping on the end of the season.
You rip fingerprints from the
skin of the persistent, leaving your mark for the rest of winter.
I am careless, like you. A vulture
hovering overhead. Unease grows soft inside you; brown fruit meant for the ambitious.
I wait for destruction, for decay, for the cycle to recycle, again and again.
But during the wave of high desert winds, in the middle of
God and all of his plans,
I perch on a branch where your life begins and pray for your pain to dissolve with the land.

~~ Maggie Mae ~~

https://maggiemaeijustsaythis.wordpress.com/2015/02/02/pecan-2/#comment-47186

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Life at Large. We all spend time here on Earth, born to a life of physical and spiritual challenges, all of which are made more complex by the intricate patterns of atoms and molecules which, when touched by the spark of life, speak in DNA, the code of effectively infinite variety which determines the configuration of the life for which it forms the pattern. We humans are ONE of the more complex forms on this planet, rivaled, perhaps, only by the dolphins and whales, whose DNA is, in some ways, related to our own; the dolphins, it is clear, have the most complex brains of all the creatures here on Earth.

This is shown clearly in research, and by simple observation and deduction…. For example, I observe that dolphins pay no taxes, nor do they suffer the pains of commuting to work through a fog of air cluttered with particulate matter; that seems pretty intelligent to me. I also deduce their advanced intelligence, from the simple fact they can learn our languages easily (so far, any of them we’ve attempted to teach them, they can learn….); we have only learned a small part of their language, not even enough to know yet if they possess & use more than one…. Their brains, when compared to ours, are larger on average, in sheer size, and in relation to body size.

So, since I can’t tell you how dolphins talk, or share with you any of the wisdom their greater intelligence must have given them, I’ll have to settle for some of humanity’s finest pieces of advice, to those who wish to lead a life filled with dignity, purpose, and peace…. Well, we try, anyway. A lot of ffolkes in history seem to have worked out some pretty good stuff to help us learn to cope with life; it isn’t their fault if not enough people have paid enough attention to them…. Below you find a nine-star pearl full of that wisdom; Smart Bee and I both think these are some of the finest lessons of all we’ve learned….

“If you don’t know, say so.”

~~ Mom’s Hint #012 ~~

“The wailing of the newborn infant is mingled with the dirge for the dead.” — Lucretius

“…to emphasize the afterlife is to deny life. To concentrate on Heaven is to create hell. In their desperate longing to transcend the disorderliness, friction, and unpredictability that pesters life; in their desire for a fresh start in a tidy habitat, germ-free and secured by angels, religious multitudes are gambling the only life they may ever have on a dark horse in a race that has no finish line.” — Tom Robbins, _Skinny Legs and All_, 1990, p. 305.

“Honor is the reward of virtue.” — Cicero (B.C. 106-43)

“Know how to listen, and you will profit even from those who talk badly.” — Plutarch

“I like that moment central to danger… when you become so thoroughly concerned with acting deftly, in order to be safe, that only reaction is possible, not analysis. You shed the centuries, and feel creatural. Of course you do have to scan, assess, and make constant minute decisions. But there is nothing like thinking in the usual methodical way. What takes place is more akin to informed instinct. For a compulsively pensive person, to be fully alert but free of thought is a form of ecstasy.” — Diane Ackerman

“Anyone who imagines that all fruits ripen at the same time as the strawberries, knows nothing about grapes.” — Philippus Paracelsus

“Place your clothes and weapons where you can find them in the dark.” — Lazarus Long, from Robert A. Heinlein’s “Time Enough For Love”‘

“What a man has, so much he is sure of.” — Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616) — Don Quixote, Part ii, Book iv, Chap. xliii

“Don’t take life too serious. It ain’t no ways permanent.”

~~ Pogo, by Walt Kelly ~~

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Well, it’s done. Again. What a let down…. No, not a let down, a bummer. No, wait. That’s not right, either. Oh, hell, I don’t know, and, what’s more, don’t care any longer, simply because we ARE done. Go figure…. Gosh, ffolkes, I have no idea what happened here, but, it does LOOK done, so, I’m going to trust my instincts, such as they are, and let if fly without even going over it for typos…. Today, in that respect, y’all are on your own. I think I’m going to go look for my mind, which seems to have taken a powder….. I’ll let y’all know tomorrow where I had to haul it home from…. See ya, ffolkes….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Can you spell ‘balderdash’ boys & girls?….

Posted on January 29, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Not life, but good life, is to be chiefly valued.”

~~ Socrates ~~

Euro-Union Mars Science Lab, Artist’s rendition of post-landing configuration.– from Space.com

I’m wondering, if the folks over at Kaiser are feeling a little premonition, a small niggling at the back of the neck, or a vague feeling of uneasiness. If not, they probably should, because I guarantee, they are about to become engulfed in a shit storm. Having reached the end of my patience with the issue they’ve forced upon me, I have consulted the proper authority (Sun Tzu, The Art of War), determined a plan of battle and engaged the first scouts to gather intelligence. Small events have been set in motion, which, combined with the other facets of the plan, will come down on their heads in an avalanche of legal and marginally legal manipulations and court appointments to keep their wolf-pack full of lawyers busy for years to come.

They poked into the wrong beehive this time, picking on a target well able to protect himself from their feeble attempts to control my life, to force me to live according to their perverted version of reality. They will find that to be a decision they will come to regret. I have previously stated my reluctance to suffer the machinations of fools; this is no exception. My father would be disappointed in me if I allowed a soulless corporation to dictate to me how I should live; I have no intention of allowing that to continue, to their everlasting regret.

That being said, perhaps y’all will understand why I am so FUCKING TIRED, of pain, of side effects that bring nothing but misery, of the unending stress; most of all, I’m tired of not sleeping…. go figure. Since Kaiser, along with a group of brainwashed, cowardly physicians, who have surrendered their dignity, and their souls, to keep their jobs, afraid to buck the insane demands of the corporation, lest they lose their place in the insane race to achieve the American Dream, long proven to be an illusion, fostered by the elitists who control the world to maintain the status quo, which favors only them, have decided to fuck with me….. Well, let me just say, I am the wrong choice for them to pull this on….

Whoops…. I’ve done it again, haven’t I? Oh well, chalk it up to being preoccupied with pain, and the cause of the pain. My anger is so large, the universe is full; it’s got to go somewhere, or I will explode, at which time a large number of assholes will begin to disappear from the face of the Earth, continuing to do so as long as I can evade their clutches. I’ve taken all I intend to take, of being treated like a slave, who has no rights, and no power…. I may not have the resources of a world behind me, but, I think they’ll find I am quite able to gather the necessary elements to create more trouble than they’ve ever encountered, and, I am quite familiar with the arts of warfare, having been born a warrior….

I hope against hope it won’t come to pass; unfortunately, it may already be too late. We’ll see how the next day or two goes, then decide, Meanwhile, I’ve completely screwed the pooch with this intro, so, I’ll just use the ever-popular emergency method #4, to ease us down into the next section…. That one goes like this….

Shall we Pearl?

“I’ve learned to accept birth and death… but sometimes I still worry about what lies between.” — Smart Bee

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Over the past two days, I’ve been reliving my youth, with cartoons from the Saturday morning lineup I was fond of watching every week. Here is another old friend, Yogi Bear, with his old friends, Boo Boo, and the Park Ranger…. Enjoy!

The New Yogi Bear Show – Grin & Bear It

http://youtu.be/UhqHtxGLt68?list=PL_4hXCUn-FQCnjStEjFb2961a6Ff5xvvj

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

“A power has risen up in the government greater than the people themselves, consisting of many and various and powerful interests, combined into one mass, and held together by the cohesive power of the vast surplus in the banks.” — Johann L. Uhland (1787-1862) — Speech, May 27, 1836

Zowie! Eureka! I knew I’d heard this somewhere before, but, couldn’t remember the author’s name. In stating this observation, made not long after the US government was formed, the author takes the hand of Thomas Jefferson, who expressed his fear of exactly this happenstance, in numerous letters to friends before, and after, the signing of the Constitution. He recognized the overpowering ambition and thirst for power so obvious in those who embrace it, attempting to warn his fellow citizens, many times….

As is plain to see, nobody paid the slightest attention, whereupon the bankers, in close conjunction with their myrmidons, i.e., the pundits and lawyers, continued to pursue their evil intent, to secure their hold over government, and, thus, society…. They’ve been so successful, we see in today’s world, they control every level of the national scene; witness the number of Republican presidential candidates who have been sucking up to the Koch brothers, and the Citizens United PAC, with their unlimited pile of money, in use in today’s world buying the loyalty of every single politician they can pervert to their insane desire to make the world over in their own image…. It doesn’t seem to matter at all to them that image is a clear, crisp photograph of the worst HELL imaginable, or that it would entail oppressing 99% of the human race….

Why are many scientists using lawyers for medical experiments instead of rats?

a) There are more lawyers than rats.

b) The scientist’s don’t become as emotionally attached to them.

c) There are some things that even rats won’t do for money.

~~ Smart Bee ~~

Gee, do ya think I’ve lost some of my respect for lawyers, and their second-slimiest clients, the bankers? (First place in my hell is reserved for pimps, and those who abuse women, children, or animals…. which, of course, lawyers and bankers do by proxy, with their usual complete indifference to the suffering of others….) Why no, of course not. I’ve lost ALL of it, with what I consider damn good reason, based on 64 years of observing the human drama, along with my own personal experience with both categories of asshole…. The only respect for any of them I have, is for those who actually HELP people, without considering what they can get out of it, other than their own satisfaction for helping people find justice, and a reasonable fee for that help, whether the fee is taken in pies & chickens, eternal gratitude, or simply cash….

In keeping with today’s theme of picking on lawyers and bankers, and, to save energy for my upcoming battle, I decided to pick out an old school pearl, aimed at the former, as they’re an easier target, all in all…. They’re just SO…… weaselly! Well, there are some are exceptions, sure, but, the others infest the world so prominently, the good ones are hard to find…. Ah well, here are some observations about them, from Smart Bee, and a number of other people who feel the same as most everybody else, about those lawyers who use their skills to benefit themselves, showing complete indifference as to whether it benefits anyone else….

Liar, n.: A lawyer with a roving commission. — Ambrose Bierce, “The Devil’s Dictionary”

“A group of white South Africans recently killed a black lawyer because he was black. That was wrong. They should have killed him because he was a lawyer.” — A. Whitney Brown

“Always take a lawyer with you, and bring another lawyer to watch him.” — Bo Diddly’s Observation on the Law

“Fleas can be taught nearly everything a lawyer can.” — Smart Bee

“Here’s an amazing story. A man in Orlando, Florida, was hit by eight cars in a row and only one stopped. The first seven drivers thought he was a lawyer. The eighth was a lawyer.” — Jay Leno

“If a lawyer and an IRS agent were both drowning, and you could only save one of them, would you go to lunch or read the paper?” — Smart Bee

“In a man’s world…simian aptitudes are rated high, and so not too many women get in. To succeed as a lawyer, for example, a woman would have to throttle two of her chief attributes: her disdain for the petty accumulations of useless knowledge, and her sharp feeling for the truth. What men in their imbecility consistently mistake for a deficiency of intelligence in women is merely an incapacity for mastering small and trivial tricks.” — H. L. Mencken, Chicago _Sunday Tribune_, January 8, 1928

“In the Norse mythology Loki originally was on the side of the rest of the gods, helping them once or twice using particularly nasty forms of trickery. He was a cunning negotiator with a talent for technicalities. He was sort of the Norse equivalent of a lawyer, no doubt the reason they tied him down in a pit dripping acidic venom on him.” — Martin Terman

“How many lawyers does it take to change a light bulb? You won’t find a lawyer who can change a light bulb. Now, if you’re looking for a lawyer to screw a light bulb… ” — Smart Bee

LAWYER: A professional advocate hired to bend the law on behalf of a paying client; for this reason considered the most suitable background for entry into politics. — Definition from “THE CYNIC’S DICTIONARY”

Needless to say, I could do this forever, no sweat, or guilt; there are already nine pearls, and I’ve only used three of the ten pages of quotes I’ve collected on the subject. But, I suppose there ARE more productive things we could all be doing. This is pretty cool, but, as with all good things, it can’t last forever…. Onward, into the day….

Oh, hell…. Naturally, AFTER I’ve finished, I find the PERFECT pearl for this group. Since we’ve already completed it, I’ll just tack it here on the end, where it will enjoy its highlighted position; I call it perfect because it takes a shot at two categories at once, both of which are current players in my personal drama…. This one tells it like it is, for sure and for certain….

“Doctors are the same as lawyers; the only difference is that lawyers merely rob you, whereas doctors rob you and kill you too.” — Anton Chekhov

gigoid has spoken…. So be it.

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

“But groundless hope, like unconditional love, is the only kind worth having.” — EFF co-founder John Perry Barlow, “Cynthia Horner’s Eulogy”, Apr. 1994

Unsolicited Gratitude

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

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

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

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

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

~~ gigoid ~~

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

I managed to get a bit more sleep than usual last night; no idea why, as I was mostly uncomfortable all day, & didn’t expect to sleep much at all. Ah well, gift horses, and all that….. I’ll see now if Smart Bee is awake and aware enough to cough up a few pearls; if not, I’ll find a good one in the archives to take up the slack. Let’s see what happens if I give SB a set of weird parameters, eh? See if you can figure out what they were, why don’t you? If naught else, it will get us down the page to the closing section…..

” Never use your thumb for a rule. You’ll either hit it with a hammer or get a splinter in it.” — Uncle Ed’s Rule of Thumb

“It is no use to blame the looking glass if your face is awry.” — Nikolai Gogol _The Inspector-General_ [1836]

“The laugh of a child will make the holiest day more sacred still.” — Robert G. Ingersoll (American lawyer and orator 1833-1899)

“I exist as I am, that is enough.” — Walt Whitman

“One can endure sorrow alone, but it takes two to be glad.” — Elbert Hubbard

“All men are created unequal.” — Lazarus Long

“Awright, which one of you hid my PENIS ENVY?” — Zippy the Pinhead

Well. Hmm. I think, perhaps, I’ll not comment at all on this one…. We’re done, ffolkes; looking at this pearl tells me, we’re just in time, too….

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

I did it, against all odds…. not that anyone would have put any money down, anyway. Hell, I wouldn’t have bet on me this morning, and it’s my blog. Oh well, I suppose they can’t all be perfectly okay; with this one, I think I’ll avoid any attempts to categorize or label it, all for the better, I think. In fact, I think I should go now, before I lose it any further….. I’ll see y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, given a rising tide and a bit of luck…..

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

First, we kill all the bankers….

Posted on January 28, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Hello again, Peabody here…”

~~ Mister Peabody ~~

Yes, Will, all the lawyers, too… Now, normally, I would not claim any relationship with the title of these Pearls, but, this one was too perfect to pass up…. Given my opinion of the Asininnies, particularly those most guilty parties, the bankers, and the lawyers, both of whom describe a segment of humans who, to the average of about 90%, are complicit in the ongoing oppression and suffering so prevalent in our society. I’d wager, of the 1%, or less, of the world’s population who control 99% of the money and resources, well over half are lawyers and/or bankers, often both at once….

Any more, I am not using the word “maybe”, or “someday” to refer to the possibility of world-wide revolution against those snakeheads who hold power over the masses, wielded in secrecy from the hidden compounds, and anonymous corporate estates, surrounded by high walls and an army of mercenaries to protect them, where they hide from the world, to protect themselves from those on whom they prey. These ‘people’, and I use the term loosely, are well aware, if the rest of the world ever finds out A) who they are, and/or B) where they live, connecting that with their implicit responsibility for the state of the world, well, they wouldn’t stand a chance in hell of surviving the next five minutes….

Hey, we all have our dreams, right? That’s one of mine, but, the intro probably isn’t the best place to start in on persuading the rest of humanity to rise up to throw the assholes into the pit they deserve. Not that such a probability ever stopped me before, but, I do try to show SOME discretion, when I remember…. Hmm, let’s see how else we can screw it up…

Maybe I should…. no. I tried that yesterday, and the day before. Not only didn’t it work, but, I was forced to go through all sorts of contortions, just to remove it, so y’all wouldn’t even know I had tried. I managed to do so, but, it was a pain, so, we’ll forgo that little side trip today. Perhaps we should…. no. That won’t do at all; it doesn’t even float, and we end up in the water on a daily basis, so, not a good idea…. Well, that shoots it, right in the brisket…

My left hand is now numb, demanding I finish this, to take a break, so we have at least a minimal chance of getting done today. In order to do so with some degree of aplomb, I’ll merely point out the upcoming entry portal, ask y’all to finish your cocktails, and, return rapidly to your seats. (Yes, it’s still okay to throw the glass into the fireplace…just be quick about it….) We’re going in, right now…. Duck, please…. Okay, here we are. Please exit the amphibious vehicle in an orderly fashion; you’ll find your flippers and masks on the dock….

Shall we Pearl?

“Impartiality is a pompous name for indifference, which is an elegant name for ignorance.” — G. K. Chesterton, The Speaker, 12/15/00

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

I enjoyed yesterday’s journey into my past, specifically to those Saturday mornings when the real world held no sway, no power to charm, until AFTER the Saturday morning cartoons were done. Even baseball had to wait on cartoons….. Here is a favorite show; the page to which I’ve linked has a good compilation/collection of this pair’s shows, with links to other pages with even more…. Enjoy, ffolkes; the eternal chase is on…..

Road Runner & Wile E Coyote

http://youtu.be/qWdFIXn2Mdo?list=PL2Jqkt6lP3Y3bQDGZXFLejgsgEP_8Aroz

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

The man that lays his hand upon a woman,
Save in the way of kindness, is a wretch
Whom ‘t were gross flattery to name a coward.

~~ John Tobin (1770-1804) — The Honeymoon, Act ii, Sc. 1 ~~

In my mind, the worst part of reading such a poem, related to the harsh reality it describes, is the mere existence of the issue it addresses, to wit: violence against women, not only in individual acts, but, in the overall treatment of women by men in society. Such acts generally indicate a deeper lack of human compassion than just how the man treats women; such cowards usually treat children, animals, or any creature weaker than they with abusive aggression and violence, if only verbal, as in emotional abuse, or the passive-aggressive violence of neglect. I cannot say I even care how such attitudes are first promulgated in any individual, but, I can say I abhor the degree of frequency with which it appears to manifest.

Our entire culture is infected with this sort of elitist, gender-oriented entitlement, based, almost always, on fear of their own inner feelings of inadequacy. In short, most men are cowardly dogs, not fit for wiping their own ass, and certainly without any understanding of what existing as a man of honor and integrity might mean. Since I do know what it means, in intent, if not perfectly so in practice, I can say without any pride, merely shame, one time in my life I lost control of my emotions, to the point of raising my hand to a woman; no justification is either claimed nor blamed on any provocation I may have had, so I take full responsibility, and am glad I stopped myself before actually harming her, slapping at her once without hitting her, then realizing my mistake…. I consider it one of three events in my life of which I am truly ashamed, and wish I had chosen other alternatives to what I actually did.

None of the vituperation poured on me, nor the accusations of non-existent grievances, none of the deliberate bumps, or pushes, or slaps, nor the shoe thrown in my face, taken singly, or all as one, none of it is an excuse for my loss of control, however temporary. In retrospect, I saw a number of times I could have walked away to disengage from the altercation; hindsight is always accurate. It still doesn’t make me feel any better to know I broke my own standards of behavior, or, worse, to know my father would be disappointed in me.

This event also had the salutary effect of strengthening my own set of standards for relationships with anyone, not merely women, for whom I’ve never had anything but deep respect and love. (Well, some frustration, too, at times, but, that will happen when two consciousnesses, of any kind, cross paths, due to the inherent differences in perception… Lack of understanding doesn’t have to create fear, or resentment; it can stimulate curiosity and affection as well…) I realized anew what I’d always known, thanks to my father, which can be most simply stated as the concept of personal responsibility, in relation to the related concept of Duty. One cannot exist without the other….

Most men in today’s world do not know this, about themselves, or in general, at all, for, they were not ever taught about honor, or duty, or respect by their own fathers. I know I am fortunate in that respect…. so, I hold myself responsible for the events I can control, and don’t, or didn’t, without shirking that responsibility. I may not always be capable of fixing whatever it was, as it happened in the past. I can, and certainly do, make sure it never happens again, as well as attempting to atone in the present, by making it a self-appointed task to make some noise about the treatment of women in the world of today, which is so completely corrupted by the insanity of a powerful, cowardly men…. and, as the original quote above maintains, ’tis being kind to name them cowards….

You see, it is only fear which makes these men the way they are; they fear their own weakness, they fear their own sexuality, they fear the control that women can have over them, assuming that unless they dominate them, oppressing them in every way, to keep them from ever threatening their cowardly little egos, they cannot truly be men. The truth is, they never will be real men, for real men are not afraid…. especially not of women, who are our complement in nature, not our enemy….

When viewed from a less unnaturally fearful perspective, one of common cause as members of the same species, it is simple to see those qualities in women which are the perfect complement to the qualities possessed by men, by virtue of the differences in each gender’s native physiological and biochemical makeup. Each and every person, male or female, is different from the other, mentally and physically; these differences, between male and female, do not make us adversaries, but, rather, two individuals on the same path, each with naturally complementary qualities that enhance the survival chances of each one, as well as the species.

The same pattern of two genders, each complementary to the other in their functional differences, exists in every species with the same type of reproductive makeup, possessing the same biological imperatives. Other species besides ours are not naturally monogamous, any more than are we, though there are exceptions in every species, but, every other earthly species’ genders show each other the respect of common cause, not a pattern of consistent abuse and/or oppression, simply because of cowardly fear….

For millennia, the male of our species has consistently chosen to ignore the reality of existence as it has evolved, perverting society and culture to reflect their own weaknesses, adding fuel to the fire of insanity which has been consuming mankind for thousands of years…. It is exactly as Jimmy Carter, former US President, and one of the rarest of people, one who actually lives by the precepts of Jesus Christ, that great reformer whose ideals have been corrupted since shortly after his death….

Their intransigent cowardice of men who refuse to acknowledge their own ignorance in this issue, or, who through that ignorance, merely accept and go along with what they’ve always been taught, is a large contributor factor to the issues which threaten our survival; moreover, the threat is not only to our species, but, very real for many others along with us….. By ignoring the signs of pervasive abuse, or by simply doing nothing, most men are tacitly giving their approval to the cowardice being displayed, manifesting in real life as persistent abuse and oppression of women, children, or anything weaker, simply because it is unnatural for the species to behave this way, contrary to the forces of nature which have dictated our own inner nature…. This sort of apathy of spirit, this attitude of indifference to the injustice done to women is, unfortunately, not confined to women…. As Albert Einstein observed, and this picture so clearly illustrates,

This all-too-commonly male attitude of indifference, of divisive elitism, bigotry, chauvinism, or other kind of deliberate ignorance based on cowardice and fear, should be repellent to every man…. just as it is repellent to its victims, i.e., every man, woman, child, and animal to whom it is displayed…. These ignoramae perpetuate their ignorance by belittling women, turning them into objects, which can then be despised without guilt, using such shop-worn divisiveness as implied in statements such as “Men and women are two different species, descended from different animals.”, pretending it is a joke. Or, they make women the object of vulgarity, thus ensuring they can feel superior, with disgusting, idiotic nonsense, such as the ever popular “What do you call useless flesh around a pussy? Woman….” I can think of no better term for such idiots than “fucking assholes”, or, in its more elegant faux-Latin form, “assholios supremos”…..

Sadly, most men never consider those who suffer because of their inaction…. They figure as long as they personally don’t make a habit of hitting women, or abusing animals, or children, or discriminating against the gender-different, or even other races of humans, in an active way, they’re not a part of the problem….

They are dead wrong…. and, I am as ashamed of them, as I am ashamed of myself, for those times in my life I have either acted in such a way, (once, as noted), or failed to act when I should, (twice, irrelevant to this discussion, but, the lesson I learned is intact). I will never forgive myself, for there is no such thing as forgiveness for such crimes in my world; there is only acceptance of responsibility, and enduring any consequences that may justly come to pass. I will also never forgive any man who acts in such a manner, actively, or passively, or, who fails to act when he should…. Nor should he ever consider forgiving himself…

If I did, I couldn’t look myself in the eye each morning in the mirror…. could you?….

True to my tendency toward loquaciousness, I will leave this discussion with the following three thoughts, which I feel are appropriate to the moment….

“Every person is an individual; we all have a set of designer genes.”

~~ Smart Bee ~~

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

“He is the freeman whom the truth makes free.”

~ William Cowper — The Task, Book v, The Winter Morning Walk, Line 733 ~~

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

Injustice, swift, erect, and unconfin’d,

Sweeps the wide earth, and tramples o’er mankind.

~~ Alexander Pope — The Iliad of Homer, Book ix, Line 628 ~~

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

Let there be an end to this madness!

gigoid has spoken….

So be it.

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

Here is another old one of mine, used for the reasons given yesterday, to wit: no blame for anyone else….. Enjoy, please

Unheralded Sagacity…

To many, who will not see beyond their nose
the world becomes a dangerous place,
a bullet in every gun, a thorn with every rose,
no magic comes to save us, reality leaves no trace.

Minds closed, wrapped tight in manufactured fears,
men become clay, easily molded into complacent form.
No chains needed, held in thrall for years,
lies become gospel, when dishonesty is the norm.

Shed the chains you wear in durance, in kind;
Oh, ye of little faith, and much doubt
Strength is found in an unfettered mind,
Cry “freedom” with a great shout.

No help from any gods can hinder so much
as our own lack of confidence;
finding the light within, knowing it as such
confirms us, becoming consequence.

Illumination…..

~~ gigoid ~~

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

“I’m worried that the universe will soon need replacing. It’s not holding a charge.” — Edward Chilton

I know exactly how Mr. Chilton feels; I’ve felt the same at frequent moments in my life, quite frequently of late, it seems. Since I have observed reality for some time, I am convinced our time here on this planet is limited, so, I thought it would be helpful, perhaps, to pass along a few of the lessons I’ve learned in my life, about living life, about how to approach life, about, oh, everything we need to know, as far as I have been able to figure out, and, can still remember…. Yes, I could have been more vague, but, I figured this would be confusing enough….

I hope you enjoy this little grouping, and please, no comments from the gallery re: smarm, or re: sap, or, most importantly, re: bozoid tendencies…. Each of these is something I’ve learned about living, and really is a group y’all should pay some close attention to, if for no other reason than to give you ammunition for the expected jeering…. I’d rather have cheers, but, we take what we can get, as long as a response is stimulated….

“Beware of that person who is slow to anger. For when it is long in coming, it stays longer and is warmer and dies not so easily. Abused patience is a very strong fuel for a fire not easily put out by any known means.” — Smart Bee

“How difficult it is to save the bark of reputation from the rocks of ignorance.” — Petrarch

Shame is an improper emotion invented by pietists to oppress the human race.” — Robert Preston [Toddy], “Victor/Victoria”

“Men rarely (if ever) manage to dream up a god superior to themselves. Most gods have the manners and morals of a spoiled child.” — Lazarus Long, from Robert A. Heinlein’s “Time Enough For Love”

If a person deceives you once, shame on that person. If a person deceives you twice, shame on you! For of all hard things to bear and grin, the hardest is being taken in. — Smart Bee

“The most wasted of all days is one without laughter.” — E. E. Cummings

“Do not be intimidated by reality.” — Master Sergeant R.H. Moore

The last pearl, by the way, is one my Dad taught me, (to wit: Msgt. Moore). He never actually SAID this; it’s just the way he lived, thus, teaching me by example….

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Having completed much of this yesterday, between ranting to myself about the soulless indifference of corporate assholes, currently so ubiquitous in my life, and suffering silently, completing today’s Pearl really didn’t take long, for which I’m thankful, as the long weeks of battle are starting to wear on me…. But, we’re done for now, and, it’s good. I’ll see y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, if I wake up in time….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Come, now, Malcolm….. budgies?…..

Posted on January 27, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Fear: False Expectations About Reality.”

~~ Smart Bee ~~

Image by Cheryl Johnson

http://twistedsifter.com/2015/01/cheryl-johnson-captures-soap-bubbles-in-freezing-cold-weather/

“Don’t lie to me, Billy.”
“Honest, Boss, I’d never do that! It’s what I saw!”
“You’re positive?”
“Yessir. I saw them, just like I told you!”
“Hmm. This could be serious. Send in my secretary on your way out.” As Billy turned to leave, a light lit up on one of the three telephones. The Boss snatched it up, barking into the mouthpiece, “What!”. As he listened, all the color drained from his face, with sweat appearing on his bald head. His secretary, entering with a steno pad, stopped to stare; the Boss was scared! She’d never seen such stark terror on a human face. As she paused, confused, he spoke again into the phone, in a voice dripping with fear, “Call my lawyer, and send a car around!” He turned to the secretary, with a face frozen in terror, to say, “Miss Freestone, bring me my monkey….”

Well, I think that will be quite enough of that…. I thought at first it might get somewhere, but, it sort of petered out there in the middle, not to mention the odd left turn at the end…. Oh well, it’s as good a way as any to test my typing, and, hell, it’s not totally useless; it got us started, right? Well, if one has no particular standards, it works, so, it’ll do just fine for this blog. We are justifiably proud of our amorphous nature, and wouldn’t have it any other way…..

Unless, of course, it would give me a method of introducing each day’s post, without straining what little creativity is lodged in my grey matter. It’s (my creativity) hard enough to find, much less persuade it to actually function normally, or even abnormally, a which is, at least, minimally possible. Asking it to do so on a daily basis would, no doubt, send it right into therapy, or a coma, whichever came first…. I’ve seen it happen, and, though it’s not actually painless, it’s not something I like to experience often….

Now I’ve slipped into the mire, in a manner of speaking, we’ll take our leave of the initial section, gladly, as always. I don’t know why, but, this section seems to give me more trouble than any other…. Even the video section doesn’t hassle me like this…. Ah well, such is life, and we’re trying to live up to our resolution to whine less often…. Let’s just take the opening now coming into view ahead, and be done with it. If y’all would kindly put down your beverages, buckle up, and smile into the camera, we’ll ease through the rather narrow opening, and be ready for our dive….. One, two, jump!….

Shall we Pearl?

“Reality is a sandwich I did not order.” — Zippy the Pinhead

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

The condition of the world today calls for a bit of light entertainment today, as contrast to the huge load of CRAP we are being subjected to in the daily news…. Here is another blast from our cultural past, with a cartoon that shaped the minds of millions of American children…. I give you, season 1 of our old companions, who taught us so well how to be Americans…. in a manner of speaking….

Rocky & Bullwinkle & Friends

http://youtu.be/TEPfrlDx3Ws?list=PLLiiUM_otCJutsrJ_96ovG0nXWw6bIVhD

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

“A multitude of laws in a country is like a great number of physicians, a sign of weakness and malady.”

~~ Voltaire ~~

“Whether you have an abortion, what you put in your own body, with whom you have sex – these are not the affairs of the state. A government does not exist to control the citizens. When it does, it is a tyranny, and must be fought. The tree of liberty, Jefferson warned us, must be refreshed with the blood of tyrants and patriots.” — Gore Vidal

Personally, I think it’s time to clean house: I think Tom would agree, don’t you? Else, the Tree, which we have been entrusted to nourish, by rote of legacy, is under continual attack by tyrants, who would have us believe they are patriots. Those who inhabit the top echelons of our country’s government, the 555 people who get elected to be the responsible parties for our liberties, are completely out of touch with the average citizen, who has not the slightest clue they are being lied to at every turn.

“Ninety-eight percent of the adults in this country are decent, hard-working, honest Americans. It’s the other lousy two percent that get all the publicity. But then–we elected them.” — Lily Tomlin

Consider this well: more than 525 of the above mentioned government officials have a yearly income exceeding a million dollars. The average American’s yearly income is well under one hundred thousand dollars, with the greatest majority making less than 25 thousand a year. Anyone who believes that a group of old, rich, white men (98% of the 555 mentioned…) can possibly have the same agenda as that of the average American is living in a fantasy world, probably without the proper medication…. Or, they have been brainwashed to believe they are SUPPOSED to believe any lies told to them…. I don’t see a lot of middle ground here, ffolkes, it’s a pretty clear situation…. How else to explain 55 MILLION votes for Mitt Romney in 2012, when it was common knowledge, even in his own camp, more than 50% of what he claimed during the campaign was completely false, proven to be a lie….

“For “ignorance is the mother of devotion,” as all the world knows.” — Robert Burton (1577-1640) — The Anatomy of Melancholy, Part iii, Sect. 4, Memb. 1, Subsect. 2

Yet, he came pretty close to being elected; only a few million popular votes separated the winner from the loser…. But, then, it has also been proven that Barry isn’t a slacker when it comes to “shading the truth”, aka, lying…. I would point out his staunch defense of the NSA, wherein numerous statements he’s made re: their activities have been shown to be false. He promised to have the most transparent administration in history; in matter of fact, the only historical record he’s broken in that respect is to have prosecuted more journalists for publishing leaked information than any other administration in history, reportedly by a factor of ten…. His administration has created a fear of publishing the truth among journalists that is frightening to consider….

“Amazing how mad some people get when someone makes them think.” — Smart Bee

Yet when any of the above is pointed out to the average voter, they become righteously offended, not wishing to admit, to themselves, or anyone else, the depths of their own foolish gullibility; so, they remain silent, thus giving their tacit approval, while perpetuating the covert mind control applied so skillfully by those who manipulate the media even more than they do the public….. It is hard to make coherent, competent decisions when one cannot trust ANY of the sources of information one is supposed to trust…. The natural result? People simply don’t question any of it very often; it’s much too hard to think about the humiliation of being a slave, when one is busy BEING a slave…. just the way the rich old assholes want them to be….

“The history of most countries has been that of majorities – mounted majorities, clad in iron, armed with death, treading down the tenfold more numerous minorities.” — Oliver Wendell Holmes poet, novelist, physician 1809-1894

In today’s world, the “majorities” of whom Dr. Holmes speaks wear badges, or camouflage clothing, can be identified easily, marked as they are by a martial attitude of aggression in place of compassion, or even diplomacy, adopting the role of prison guard in lieu of that of a public servant. The military is used as an arm of the business interests of the elite, sent around the world wherever money needs protection, under the guise of “spreading democracy to the unenlightened”, or, “fighting injustice and terror at its roots, protecting those at home”. There is no mention of the terror and injustice our troops are consistently guilty of bringing with them, or any acknowledgment of our government’s habit of bombing the crap out of innocent bystanders to enforce its political ends, is one of the worst examples of terrorism the world has ever seen…

At home, the police, armed with the excess military armor and weaponry so conveniently “over-stocked” by their comrades in the military, seemingly prepares for revolution among the masses, with draconian legislatures passing laws making protest a crime, (specifically prohibited in the Constitution, but, apparently, there are ways around that silly old document…. the Homeland Security Act being one of them….), enjoying immunity for violations of the rights of citizens, protected by the laws passed by their masters, the legislators and monied classes, whose property they are sworn to protect from the depredations of vandals, er, unpropertied citizens. Is it any wonder the monied elite are showing their teeth more? I have a feeling they’re getting a bit worried they might have gone too far….

I hope so, because a revolution, which, after all, merely means “change”, is WAY overdue in this country…. Tom Jefferson stated on more than one occasion his belief no nation should be long without one, lest it become complacent, which he knew to be a sure path to the loss of those freedoms he and his compatriots fought so hard to secure…. We, as American citizens, owe it to Tom, and George, (both of them, Washington and Mason), Tom Paine, Patrick Henry, and all the others who gave their all for you, and me, to educate ourselves, to know our rights, to fight for them….

It is the duty of every American citizen, to speak out against those who would in any way try to harm the Tree of Liberty, whether by direct attack, or, the way it has been done, slyly, patiently, cowardly, from within, using lies and money to corrupt…. until today, when virtually every one of those freedoms listed in the original Bill of Rights has been “amended”, or “suspended”, “for the good of the nation”…. It is time to stand up for this country, & take it back from the bankers, the pundits, the preachers, the gangsters, and the myrmidons, none of whom have any interest at all in anything but securing their own power over others, no matter who gets in their way….

gigoid has spoken…..

“What experience and history teach is this – that nations and governments have never learned anything from history, or acted upon any lessons they might have drawn from it.” — Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, “Philosophy and History”

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

Some might think I am an egotist, for using my own poetry so often…. Nope, though I will admit to having an ego; I’ll also admit it’s not tiny. But, most of the time, I put one of mine here just because I’m A) lazy, B) late, or C) trying to be polite, by not bringing any one else’s name and reputation into play where there is a chance of a poor reception… In short, to save them from being blamed for any of what goes on here, by association….. This one is also one I’m proud of, if only for the last line…. Besides, how many writers do you know who can cram the word “stentorian” into a poem, eh?….

Dreaming of Calliope

La belle dame sans merci speaks aloud through endless night,
torturing dreams, with powerful words and stentorian phrases.
Manifest visions bathed in unbearable grace and light,
destroying all direction, standing lost, in unfathomable mazes.

Fate plays a part, one that will never face denial,
as fear and courage eternally vie for ascendancy.
Conflict becomes valid, gifting strength in open trial,
but honest emotion wears no costume so fancy.

Blood, sweat, and tears stroll on avenues of gold,
unlikely heroines heralding as in ancient lore;
Sharp, competent knives cut through tales untold,
eternally shifting reality past the naked shore.

Drifting toward origin, bereft of mandate or cause,
finished, nay, abandoned, tied with a figurative bow.
No simple gift from muses to give comfort or pause,
save that all we need to know, we already know…..

~~ gigoid ~~

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

My sleep pattern is once again on the fritz, so, we’re going to the archives for today’s old school pearl…. I don’t often do so, but, today, we’re settling, inasmuch as it is the most expedient method of achieving our ends…. truly, an American thing to do, wouldn’t you agree?….

From 10/28/2013:

Without even having to look, I know this is already nearing the point of the largest Pearl ever created on this blog; I must have buried more material in my brain while I was off cruising than I had imagined, because it’s all spilling out now,,, Ah well, it’s all been quite cathartic, so I’ll just make a last, quick, old-school group of pearls to make up the last pearl for today…. Enjoy, as we see what comes up on the Wheel of Philosophy, as interpreted by gigoid’s complex set of non-rules….

“No man is happy who does not think himself so.” — Publius Syrus (42 BC) — Maxim 584

“Humans hardly ever learn from the experience of others. They learn – when they do, which isn’t often – on their own, the hard way.” — Robert Heinlein, Time Enough for Love

“Heisenberg may have slept here.” — Smart Bee

“War loves to seek its victims in the young.” — Sophocles (496-406 BC) — Scyrii, Frag. 507

“Beginnings and endings are, for the most part, artificial constructs. You say you begin when you are born, but what of those months spent growing in the womb? Endings are hazier still, for further things may occur that extend and enlarge the earlier story. And that is my final sentence on the subject. Or perhaps this one is the final sentence. No, most assuredly what I write now is the final word on the matter. But now that I think upon it, perhaps this….” — The Teachings of Ebenezum, Vol. LVII (Abridged)

20. When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it. — Instructions for life

“I know things about TROY DONAHUE that can’t even be PRINTED!!” — Zippy the Pinhead

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

Well, that’s that. I don’t even have the time, or the inclination, to do much proofing, so, if there are errors, so be it. I’ll see y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, provided my mood improves…. feeling a bit curmudgeonly today….. Ta, then….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Mildred, leave the toilet seat where it is….

Posted on January 25, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

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

~~ Malcolm Forbes ~~

From the London Daily Telegraph, Animal Pictures of the Year, 2014

Reality, having assumed a configuration untenable to my sanity, has retreated from my perception, leaving me stranded, forlornly seeking a fantasy world in which to spend my time. Of course, there are many from which to choose, making the process of making a choice that much more intimidating. The feeling of doom, with its concomitant companion, depression, lies in wait behind a number of them, always ready to kick me to the curb with its melancholy insistence on dwelling upon that which cannot be changed…. Others are more friendly, yet, contain their own demons, certain to devour even more of my soul than even Reality can consume…. All of them, from the first to the last, are certain to make things worse, for any retreat from what is Real only worsens the issues one has in that state….

Wow…. now THAT is a bummer of a way to start the day, isn’t it? I think, maybe, given how downright depressing nature of the above paragraph, the proctors will allow me to begin again. The authorities who regulate this process are aware of the problems that can ensue when such material is spread around; the damn stuff grows like weeds, given half a chance….. So…. I think we should start over, don’t you? Well, too bad, because we are…. Here, let’s try this….

What was that? Who’s there? Did I say something? Oh, I see, alright…. Good morning, L & G, I see you all have your boarding passes correctly stapled to your foreheads, so, the scanners should be able to get us all on board shortly. Allow me to welcome you to ECR Airlines, your friendly first-class carrier to Reality, and back. We hope you enjoyed the visit to our waiting room by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Old Maid Division, who treated us all to a rendition of John Sebastian Bock’s Ode to Fish. To enhance your vacation experience, and to give you an opportunity to regain your hearing, no on-board entertainment will be provided…. If you’d all take your seats, and buckle yourselves in, we can be on our way….

There, is that a bit better? No? Well, shit. Oh well, fuck it, I’m done. We’ll just have to go with what we’ve got, and trust to our luck to see us to the other end of the Pearl…. I’m tired of this nonsense, so, as I have already mentioned at least once, fuck it…. Let’s dive….

Shall we Pearl?

“‘If everybody minded their own business,’ the Duchess said, in a hoarse growl, ‘the world would go round a deal faster than it does.'” — Lewis Carroll, “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”

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

“Life is full of surprises when you’re up th’ stream of consciousness without a paddle…”

~~ Zippy the Pinhead ~~

There is a great deal I could say about this man; his words, and books, have had a strong influence on my life. More importantly, that influence has been one I can truthfully say has brought me nothing but good results, for having embraced the knowledge, and the mindfulness, Mr. Watts shared with the world for much of his life. He was truly one of the most important philosophical minds we, as humans, have ever seen; his presence is missed sorely in these troubled times, but, his words of wisdom and reason remain, showing us the way to reach our true potential, if we choose to listen…

Alan Watts: Full TV series

http://youtu.be/0gyTymQobR8?list=PL02D3110151849463

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

“Never create by law what can be accomplished by morality.”

~~ Charles-Louis Secondat Baron de Montesquieu ~~

We begin today’s section devoted to venting the frustration and angst created in me, by the state of our society/world, with yet another ironic statement of advice from a reliable social critic, giving voice to a warning, one which has been repeated often throughout history. Sadly, it is also a warning never, ever remembered by those who MAKE laws, to the everlasting regret of everyone alive. Even today, in our computerized world, fueled by the availability of universal access to ALL of mankind’s accumulated wisdom, nothing seems to prevent modern fanatics and/or ignoramae from continuing their efforts to force their own morality upon everyone else, by passing laws intended to shape the societal norms….

Even considering the wide array of sources of information I try to use, to maintain an even balance from all sides of the issues at hand, everything in the world seems to be, quite simply, turning to shit, right before our eyes…. Nothing any of the great sages of history have said, warning mankind of the danger of unreasoning stupidity, generally involving some sort of delusional, or self-serving institutional system of thought, has altered the overall prevalence of deliberate ignorance in shaping society’s approach to Life at Large. In short, nothing we’ve ever had told to us, by those among us smart enough to see the Truth, has ever been of use in keeping our inherent tendency to look for the easy way…. or, to prevent the more ruthless and immoral among us from taking advantage of those who allow fear to rule their existence.

“Never underestimate the power of human stupidity.” — Lazarus Long, from Time Enough For Love, by Robert A. Heinlein

I first read this when I was about 12 or 13 years old; every day since that time has provided me with evidence in support of its ongoing relevance, reinforcing my decision to adopt it as a proven theorem, suitable for everyday wear as armor against the worst effects of such ubiquity…. Every day I witness people performing acts of incredible stupidity, not just on TV, but, everywhere I look; on the streets, in the stores, in churches, in businesses, homes, and, most especially, in Congress….

Calm down, you knew we had to come to this point, didn’t you? You should have known, as soon as the quote from Lazarus showed up, talk of the public humiliation embodied by the US House of Representatives, along with the US Senate…. Hell, ffolkes you MUST have known such talk couldn’t be far behind…. Both of those houses, by their actions over the past 50 years, for all of which I’ve steadily observed their antics, showed, to the world, as well as me, a consistent, practical demonstration of the very definition of the word “stupid”….. Anyone who disagrees is free to do so, but, obviously, they must have been living on another planet since before 1950…. Tough to do, since we humans didn’t even get to our own Moon until 1969….

“Imagine, if you will, that I am an idiot. Then, imagine that I am also a Congressman. But, alas, I repeat myself.” — Mark Twain

As is apparent, our generation is not the first in this country to suffer from the asinine goings on in Washington D.C. In the less-than-glorious past of our country, more than one Senator, and/or Representative of the House, have acted as role models, prompting Twain to hold them up as examples of idiocy, one of his finer talents. In fact, one of his most telling insults, in my mind, is one I’m positive was made in reference to a politician of his era, though I couldn’t say which one it might have been…. If his work, and that of Ambrose Bierce, who wrote a bit earlier than Twain, are any indication of the public perception of typical politicians, then the following pearl makes a perfect statement of that view during most of the 19th century….

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

Unfortunately, the description also can be, and must be, applied to far too many of the human race; the sheer, ever-increasing number of mundanes in the world, each one determined to maintain the status quo, imparts to society so great an inertia, any changes needed require herculean effort by large numbers of people, before any real reform, or even negative progress, can show any effect on society as a whole…. Only massive outpouring of human energy, over long periods of time, can cause society to alter the slightest custom….

This is why I like to say humanity’s bus is driven by, and, maintained by, those of whom the most charitable description of their relative intelligence might be considered to be derogatory….. In short, our fate as a species is being decided by folks who have trouble out-thinking rocks, who serve chiefly as a means for transporting their own ass from chair to toilet, while demonstrating, on a consistent basis, the emotional range of a button-hole.

In case it isn’t apparent, I’m not a big fan of politicians…. preachers either. Nor anyone whose primary goal in life is in any way involved in controlling other people for their own gain…. To me, that includes far too many of those who are in positions of authority in our world, in which sociopathy has become the most valuable and efficient means of gaining power and influence, not merely in what used to be termed the underworld, but, in government, churches, business, academia, the medical community, police and military…. All these powerful entities are all under the spell of the cult of self-love, what my uncle called ‘Me-Firsterism’, but, which I simply call ‘Evil’, borne out of a deep laziness, lack of compassion, and amorality….

But, then, that’s me…. Most of the world doesn’t even think about much of this sort of issue; they’re too busy trying to get by, to make the rent, or the car payment, or the food bill, to spend much mental energy on wondering why their lives are so hard…. S’okay, one of the most critical lessons my years on this sad old ball o’mud taught me is a simple one, which tells us, “Stupidity is its own reward”…. To me, ignoring, or accepting, those who would enslave us all is, quite simply, stupid….. I refuse to countenance such indifference of spirit, in me, or in my life….

I’ll leave you now a relatively short group of pearls, with some advice on the proper attitude to take when dealing with members of several of the categories mentioned above, all of which, by association, are applicable any time we are forced to deal with representatives of those we here at ECR call, the Asininnies….

“There is one sure way of telling when politicians aren’t telling the truth — their lips move.” — Felicity Kendall

“Never believe anything until it has been officially denied.” — Claud Cockburn

“I have an understanding with my local police–I have them outgunned, but they have me outnumbered” — gigoid

“For your penance, say five Hail Marys and one loud BLAH!” — Smart Bee

“All them surgeons – they’re highway robbers. Why do you think they wear masks when they work on you?” — Archie Bunker — All in the Family

“If idiots could fly, Congress would be an airport.” — Smart Bee

“Secrecy is the beginning of tyranny.” — Lazarus Long

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

Well…. the poem I’ve been percolating decided to leak out of the vein I opened this morning…. I’m really not sure what I think of it yet; it’s still too close to my nose, so to speak…. I hope you enjoy it, such as it is….

Sundown, Sunrise

Feel the bones, watch them burn
allow the rage
accept the wage
seek out the page
waiting in vain, never to turn.

Craving only simple signs of justice
compelling each social act
cancels all critical impact
no virtue to be left intact
falling swiftly out of practice.

Simple acts of sincere compassion
nothing left to pretend
no stone, no able friend
only the pain to amend
ably fulfilling current fashion.

Memories help alleviate pain
no youth so callow
no field so fallow
no spirit so shallow
convince each inmate to remain insane.

Reality offers no pathetic amnesty
no contract with indemnity
no party to suffer serenity
shall stimulate dishonest pity
nor bring back Truth, or Honesty.

~~ gigoid ~~

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

Weird…. I asked SB to make up a pearl, without giving any parameters, or any clue at all as to what might work…. When I came back to see the results, this is what I found; it seems to be SB’s interpretation of my life, as it currently exists…. Since it also seems to be pretty damn accurate, speaking, of course, metaphorically, we’ll let it fly, trusting to luck to see no deleterious side effects come into play …. You may want to take notes; this one could end up on the Quiz….

” The road to truth is long, and lined the entire way with annoying bastards” — Alexander Jablokov, “The Place of No Shadows”

“If a cat spoke, it would say things like “Hey, I don’t see a problem here.”” — Smart Bee

“Nothing takes the taste out of peanut butter quite like unrequited love.” — Charles Schulz, Charlie Brown

“Is consciousness just a special form of hallucination?” — Frank Herbert

“And when the physician said, “Sir, you are an old man,” “That happens,” replied Pausanias, “because you never were my doctor.” — Plutarch (46-120 AD) — Of Pausanias the Son of Phistoanax

“To use words but rarely is to be natural.” — Lao Tzu

“Not for me” — gigoid, the dubious

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

“Just think of the tragedy of teaching children not to doubt.”

~~ Clarence Darrow ~~

Just before I wrote the poem you see in the poetry section, above, I found this most excellent pearl, without any good place to put it…. So, since it fits into our whole concept so well, I thought I’d use it today as a closing thought, to highlight the importance of teaching our children how to think, how to learn, rather than just how to obey…. On that singularly coherent note, I shall take my leave. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Reality’s version of twisted flaws….

Posted on January 23, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

A man so various, that he seem’d to be
Not one, but all mankind’s epitome;
Stiff in opinions, always in the wrong,
Was everything by starts, and nothing long;
But in the course of one revolving moon
Was chymist, fiddler, statesman, and buffoon.

~~ John Dryden ~~

~~ Absalom and Achitophel, Part i, Line 545 ~~

Mars Rocks ~~ NASA

Have y’all figured out the mystery of dejá vu, mentioned in yesterday’s Pearl? If any attention at all has being paid, you’d be able to answer in the affirmative, because the feeling is directly tied to the opening sights here at ECR, as well as the stimulus for the discomfort we feel at finding out we aren’t as attentive as we supposed…. Perhaps, it is more accurately described as a feeling the Universe is fucking with us in some unknown way…. which, in this case, is perfectly true…. Look again at today’s title, then compare it to yesterday’s title, and the title from the day before…. Then, you may groan, and groan again, before congratulating me on a good trick….

End of quiz…. Now we’ve settled the question of just how silly and desperate I am, we can go on, though, frankly, I haven’t a clue as to where we might go. Naturally, thanks to my large, red, round proboscis, I forgot to figure out what to do AFTER explaining about the titles…. Now, I’m at a loss for anything to do, a sensation, which, however familiar it may be, isn’t one of my favorite emotions, by any means. I’ve been stuck here so often in the past 3 years, I’ve PROVED the old saw about familiarity, and contempt.

Aha! Got it! I’ll talk about the photo, above, at the top of the page…. It’s one of the latest photos from Mars, taken by the Curiosity Rover, as it trundles its way across the Red Planet to its ultimate goal, Mount Somethingorother, chosen years ago on Earth. This particular picture is significant, but, only for the effect it has produced among some of humanity’s fringe elements. The pile of rocks in the center of the photo has some oddly shaped rocks, a couple of which lend themselves to the human brain’s tendency to “fill in” details not actually present, in shapes that are somewhat amorphous in Reality, such as when we see the shapes of animals, or other objects, in the clouds in the sky….

A number of our more susceptible minds back here on Earth believe the shapes indicate the presence of life on Mars, because they resemble carved animals, such as made by ancient civilizations here…. The close-up pictures do, indeed, resemble such carvings, but, not so much as to assume, from several MILLION miles away, we can tell whether they are the product of intelligence. But, these folks are convinced, and proceeded to trumpet the news all over the Internet, so the rest of the world could share their delusion….

In the interests of saving your ass from any such indignity so early in the day, I will NOT use this silliness as a comparison to OTHER delusions, rather more familiar to all of us…. That sort of comment could easily lead to a rant, which is already taken care of for the day, as you will see below…. No need to drive y’all off before we even get started, is there? Nope….

I notice I have distracted myself long enough to finish the intro; what we see above is definitely a sufficient supply of relatively sober discussion, all pointed at moving us along to where we are scheduled to be at this point in time. (Please remember, there is no legal requirement it has to make any sense at all….) As usual, the process to bring us to this point here was, by all evidence, fully unconscious, thus protecting us from claims of evil intent, if not from the odd accusation of deliberate emotional abuse of the unwitting, or, as we call it down at the Philosopher’s Club, screwing with the natives…. All of that, being moot, can be ignored, at which, as is patently obvious, we are VERY good….

Look! It’s our opening! Let’s all brace ourselves, bring our masks into position, grab your partner’s hand….. We’re all going to jump together, okay? At the count of one….. Wait for it…. There! ONE!…. Jump, quick, or we’re all dead meat!….

Shall we Pearl?

“A man should never be ashamed to own he has been in the wrong, which is but saying, in other words, that he is wiser to-day than he was yesterday.” — Alexander Pope

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

Today’s video is one I’ve seen, which shows an animated play-by-play description of how the Curiosity Rover landed on Mars, about a year or two past…. It is an incredible feat of engineering; just think of the problems that could have kept it from working! Brilliant! And, a small piece of hope among all the terrible news we have to contemplate, here on Earth…. It’s pretty cool….

NASA Rover Curiosity Landing on Mars

http://youtu.be/LiEoGUHEobo

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

“One Galileo in two thousand years is enough.”

~~ Pope Pius XII ~~

“The abundance of things engendereth disdainfulness.” — Proverb

It’s almost too easy. Both of the first two pearls, one text, one text/graphic, are both rather incontrovertible, in terms of their relative Truth. Both are documented statements, since Popes, right from the start of the tradition, have always kept immaculate records, which often don’t show much sense about their desire for secrecy, as most of it tells the absolute truth, without embellishment, in spite of its origin. In short, they’ve pulled their own covers innumerable times throughout history, with statements such as these two, always with corroboration in other documents from the same period….

Thus, the importance of the third pearl climbs to new heights, for it sounds like it is a mere observation; in light of the words of Leo and Pius, the assholes, it becomes nothing less than an indictment, and a very pointed one, at that. The very corruption so blatantly spoken, and displayed by these predators of the Middle Ages, shows its effect on the populace it has oppressed, in the mildness, and simplicity of the language, in direct contrast to the opulence the Church has espoused from its beginnings… thus showing their arrogance and true natures were not going completely unnoticed….

The Catholic Church, whose public face has often belonged to folks like those two above, not merely in the Middle Ages, touts itself as the champion and protector of the poor, in such hypocritical tones of unctuous sanctimony, I often consider just slapping one of them. It enrages me when they get started spouting off about “Christian Charity”, thinking nothing of making such statements on TV, in elegant, rich robes lined with actual gold thread, standing on the steps of a palace, in which the treasures and riches collected in two hundred centuries of outright thievery from those same poor people, collected in one ten-penny per pound tithe at a time, from people who cannot buy the ingredients for stone soup.

(Now, don’t think I was raised Catholic, and have a bone to pick with them; I extend my disdain to ALL religions based on a deliberately fostered delusional belief in a powerful, supernatural imaginary friend, whose love for me is limitless, just because…. That makes up just about the whole list, as far as I can tell… still checking, so I’ll let you know if and/or when I find one…. I use the Catholics mainly because the Popes, like those above, have been so fucking obvious, and often, stupider than even those they enslave, about their disdain for the poor and downtrodden they purport to care about… I KNOW they love them: without the poor, and ignorant, where would they be?…. Dead and buried, most likely…)

The delusional system built up by the Church educators is designed to prevent any real original thinking; as any logician knows, it is not possible to reach a correct conclusion when the data is skewed in a particular direction, for a basic reason, to wit: any results of using the data will have no corresponding corroboration in Reality, anywhere…. In short, you can’t make Real out of Unreal…. no matter how often one repeats the assertion that it can, and has been done…. Honest, trust me, and you, too, can live forever!….

Pretty good grand prize, eh? Take the worst fear anyone has, fan it with stories of a burning, eternal pit of suffering for not believing, promise them it won’t happen to them if they never again think for themselves, and they will be able to live happily forever, surrounded by all those they love, in peace and everlasting harmony, by the grace of…. who? Oh, that guy nobody has ever been able to show any real proof of seeing, touching, or anything, other than by sloppy reasoning, or assumption of magic signs and portents, telling only those who can see how God’s existence is proven by the way the wind is blowing today…. Even though it has blown the same way every day of their life, without ever offering anything other than “ipse dixit” for proof of its relevance….

When I first learned the stories and justifications given by preachers, and adults, back before my fifth birthday, it all seemed rather improbable to me, not to mention downright vicious and petty, in terms of the scariness of the lessons about certain things…. Plus, death, and living forever aren’t concepts kids like to think on for long, so, when I did, it just didn’t make sense…. I couldn’t figure out why God wanted Adam and Eve to get kicked out of Eden like that; it was obvious to me he did, or why would he put the tree there, then tell them to leave it alone? I sort of felt like Calvin, when he said, to, I think, his Sunday School teacher after hearing one of the kid’s Bible tales, when she asked him if he liked the story….

“Hard to say, Ma’am. I think my cerebellum just fused.” — Calvin, Bill Watterson’s Calvin & Hobbes

Yet, people buy it, mostly because they are taught to believe it at a very young age, before they actually possess any power of reasoning for themselves…. So, those people they want to spend eternity with, who are alo victims of a millennia-old scam, based on belief in a supernatural best friend of great power, and limitless authority over all of us, because WE ARE SUCH GULLIBLE FOOLS, in their turn, pass on the very same set of delusions, using the same techniques now used by the spies, and governments, who train their agents to brainwash prisoners, or those they wish to control…. Repetition, rote, behavioral modification, based on key basic functional fears works every time…. except, it seems to a lucky few….

But, hey, to each their own, I say…. Just don’t ask me to buy into it; it leaves me cold….

“A doctrine insulates the devout not only against the realities around them but also against their own selves. The fanatical believer is not conscious of his envy, malice, pettiness and dishonesty. There is a wall of words between his consciousness and his real self.” — Eric Hoffer

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

I’m working on a new poem, which, oddly enough, came to me yesterday while watching the opening of an old video…. Since it isn’t ready to share itself with the world yet, we’ll go with the work of a poet needing no introduction, whose work always hits the mark, for me…. I give you, Emily….

A clock stopped — not the mantel’s
Geneva’s farthest skill
Can’t put the puppet bowing
That just now dangled still.

An awe came on the trinket!
The figures hunched with pain,
Then quivered out of decimals
Into degreeless noon.

It will not stir for doctors,
This pendulum of snow;
The shopman importunes it,
While cool, concernless No

Nods from the gilded pointers,
Nods from seconds slim,
Decades of arrogance between
The dial life and him.

~~ Emily Dickinson ~~

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

Today’s old school pearl came together quite nicely, without much interference on my part. I didn’t even have to rearrange the order in which they appeared, which is unusual. There were no parameters given, but, it seems to be a rather obvious comment on Life at Large, one of our default categories….. Enjoy!….

“If entropy is increasing, where is it coming from?” — Smart Bee

“You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. ” — Lazarus Long

“Don’t count on ever having both at once; they’re mutually incompatible in practice.” — gigoid’s corollary to Lazarus Long’s Observation

“Consider well the proportions of things. It is better to be a young June-bug than an old bird of paradise.” — Mark Twain

“How many Bodhisattvas does it take to change a light bulb? One – “If the thunder don’t get you, then the lightning will” — Smart Bee

“Do what you love. Know your own bone; gnaw at it, bury it, unearth it, and gnaw it still.” — Thoreau

“Forward, as occasion offers. Never look round to see whether any shall note it…. Be satisfied with success in even the smallest matter, and think that even such a result is no trifle.” — Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (121-180 AD) — Meditations, ix, 29

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

— Bette Midler, The Rose

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

I don’t want to even THINK about what it took to get this done…. It’s all sort of a blur, so, bear with me if the resulting Pearl is a bit off the norm…. whatever meaning THAT word has for us…. I’m outta here. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, hopefully with less sawdust in my brain….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Flawed versions of twisted Reality….

Posted on January 22, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Disobedience is the true foundation of liberty.

The obedient must be slaves.”

~~ Henry David Thoreau ~~

Those of my Gentle Readers who stop by regularly will, perhaps, at this moment, experience a feeling of dejá vu, as they begin today’s post. DO NOT ADJUST YOUR BRAIN! There is good reason for your discomfort. Unfortunately, for y’all, I’m not going to tell you why; you’re on your own…. No worries, though, it’s not toxic, merely odd, and there won’t be any side-, or, after-effects. (Well, the label SAID there wouldn’t be, anyway….) If no one figures it out, it will become plain by tomorrow’s post….

As I said, not to worry, ffolkes. It’s merely a pop quiz, to see which of y’all are paying attention, as well as a means of establishing a pecking order, in terms of who will receive the Grand Prize, which we will be awarding at the end of this blogging year. We’ve been fortunate, in that our sponsor, Reality, has gifted us with a really elegant trophy, to be awarded to the Gentle Reader who visits most often, and makes the most comments…. Easy enough, as long as you can plow through the nearly a million words I write each year….. and the prize is well worth it, too…

What, you may ask, is it? Well, I’d like to be able to tell you, but, Smart Bee was given the task of picking it out, and hasn’t reported back yet regarding the choice it made, from the prizes offered by Reality’s liaison, some dude named Loki….. I’m hoping we end up giving away the car, but, some of the other staff prefer the yacht….. I don’t know, the yacht, to me, seems a bit over the top, but, to each his/her/its own, I suppose….

Now we have left all sense in the dust, perhaps we should go on, to the rest of today’s Pearl. We don’t often get a morning like this, where the intro actually flowed right out, with a proper subject for a beginning discussion. No doubt, Murphy is biding his time, waiting for just the right moment to present me with today’s bit of tom foolery. I really HATE when he does that, but, whattyagonnado with an iconic force of nature who insists on never growing up? Nothing, that’s what, but slap him down when we can, and clean up after the latest episode of his childish need to fuck around with people….

Since we seem to be removing ourselves further away from Reality with each paragraph, I think this one should be the last for today, at least, in this section…. Besides, my hands are now done with typing for the time being, and would just as soon I shut the hell up, and got on with it…. So, we’ll do as they are insisting, as we could start seeing nothing but gibberish, if the lk oijo;lnili;lnz;lknadf;oinvad;nd;ihbz;kjna;oihads ertp9jd’fg;okjapro a;Dhmg AZPdogkb sdpgf]hns:oemhg ;a[odmgp[apkr

Uh oh. I believe we have just been told to leave this area, by the only entities which can enforce their demands…. Unless I want the rest of this to resemble graffiti, we’d best go now….. Buckle up, and I’ll tell the pilot to get us out of here, quickly…..

Shall we Pearl?

“Most people can’t think, most of the remainder won’t think, the small fraction who do think mostly can’t do it very well.” — Robert Heinlein, Time Enough for Love

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

Yesterday, we saw this man in some of the funniest moments they had together…. Here is an example of Robin Williams, doing what he always did best…. improvise…. Enjoy, ffolkes, it’s hard to feel down after a show like this….

Robin Williams – Live At The Met

http://youtu.be/ueDu_gZ_1ZA

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

“Since we cannot know all that is to be known of everything, we ought to know a little about everything.” — Blaise Pascal

I do try, but, today, I got nothin’…. My brain is fagged out, simply exhausted from fighting pain, EPS, and a large, soulless corporation’s intransigent idiocy for the past five weeks, since having my medication forcibly reduced. As is obvious from that sentence, I have plenty of energetic angst, and sheer anger, to rant for quite a while…. but, my body won’t cooperate by allowing me the peace to do so…. the typing today is making my hands go numb every couple minutes, making this process, shall we say, difficult? Yes, that will do nicely, as it doesn’t give away any of the absolute RAGE I am actually keeping buried, so it doesn’t explode on somebody, including me….

This, of course, means we will be going to the archives, to pick out something suitable for today….. I think I’ll let it be a surprise, as much as I can make it so…. Enjoy, ffolkes, and think of this…. at least it isn’t 1500 fresh words about stuff that just depresses us all…. It’s almost that many, on an equally dark subject, but, the patina of age it shows should make it a bit more palatable, or, at least, a bit easier to chew….

From 7/28/2013:

“A heart is not judged by how much you love but by how much you are loved by others.” — The Wizard of Oz

I spend a lot of time addressing what I call a flaw in human nature, without ever completely putting my finger exactly on the point I’m seeking to grasp, or to have y’all grasp, whatever… The point is, this flaw is one of choice, one that each person must decide within themselves, about how they will view life, and how they will approach living, especially concerning how they live with others, including animals, and our planet at large, which needs to be considered in any question of survival as a species. I see the flaw as most obvious in those people who end up in positions of authority, but it is a flaw that all of us have, to some degree, that concerns me, because it is the one that will ultimately seal our fate, as individuals, and as a species….

The above quote can be considered as the diametric opposite of the flaw, as it manifests in us. If one holds the above as true, then acting in a manner that will cause any loss or pain to another would be acting against that belief. In order to take advantage of another person, or thing, a human must first view that person, or thing, as being less important than they themselves consider themselves to be, by whatever standards are applied. By doing so, it objectifies the person, or animal, making it easier to detach emotions from anything done to them… In short, these people, who exhibit the flaw of choosing self over not-self, in all situations, consciously and deliberately decide to cause harm to others in order to achieve their own ends, and don’t feel any compunction, or guilt, about doing so, as they feel justified, by whatever rationalizations they have adopted….

This ability to disconnect from others is one of the most common features one observes in those people who make politics a career…. It is also commonly seen in certain professions, which, because of the key importance to people who need their services, tend to attract this type of personality, as such jobs offer many opportunities to take advantage of other people’s misery and trouble…. professions such as lawyer, preacher, doctor, judge, or any other areas that provide key services to people, that deal with situations that affect their lives and well-being…. These professions all provide sociopathic personalities with ample opportunities to carry out their agendas in life, which are focused on increasing their own control of resources, and power over other people….

Over time, these folks have gotten very good at what they do, and the whole world is now organized in such a way that almost everyone accepts the idea that there is no other better way to do things than the way they are being done… Any ideas to the contrary are either buried by those in positions of authority, or are ignored, or made superfluous by the construction of imaginary enemies…. Every time I hear from a government official that I should be afraid of someone who wants to kill us, or take away our rights and homes, I start to wonder just what it is they are trying to distract me from thinking about, or paying attention to….

You see, I make the automatic assumption, when ANY government source speaks, whether an elected official, or an official spokesperson, that that person is lying to me…. If the lies are not directly untrue material, then the lie is in what is NOT said, or in what is behind whatever they are speaking of, which, I always assume, means little or nothing beyond its intent to distract or befuddle me. Once that assumption is made, that the truth is not being told, then it becomes much easier to determine just what it is they are trying to do…. and, I find that what I see is never to the advantage of the public….

“DON’T STEAL – The government hates competition.” — Smart Bee

Actually, this sounds as if George Carlin might have said it; I know he had a short comment on why one couldn’t have the Ten Commandments displayed in courthouses; he believed it was because you couldn’t have all those exhortations against lying, cheating, and stealing around so many politicians and lawyers, as it would make for an uncomfortable work environment…. He saw exactly what I am talking about in society, and pointed it out clearly, and with sublime sarcasm, for all of us to see…..

Unfortunately, most folks don’t realize how close to the truth all of his assertions were, any more than most people know that the government lies to them on a regular basis, often, it seems, just to keep in practice. For those of us who DO see what is going on, it gets to be a challenge not to go around just slapping people left and right…. but, that doesn’t make any friends, and can lead to jail time if one isn’t careful…. Besides, nobody listens anyway, and even a two-by-four won’t make someone listen, if they don’t want to…..

I guess the Firesign Theater had it right, when they claimed we are all Bozos on this Bus….. It’s too bad that only clowns and comedians are the ones who seem to know what is going on in the world, because nobody votes for the clowns…. Hmm…. maybe we could get some of the comedians to run for office?…. It’s worth a shot…..

“He who laughs, lasts.” — Mary Pettibone Poole

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

In searching out the material for the above section, I came across this old poetry section, from a couple days after the above was posted…. It’s a good one, so, rather than waste a lot of time with something else, that may not be as good, here is one I know I, if nobody else, will enjoy…. You can try, though…. it’s not too shabby, if I do say so meself….

“Poets have been mysteriously silent on the subject of cheese.” — G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936)

This observation, fortunately, includes myself…. as will be seen by the following two poems of mine. The haiku was written during the poetry challenge earlier this year, in April; the other is from sometime in 2012…..

Haiku II

An inner light glows
shining out of open eyes;
madness or wisdom?

~~ gigoid ~~

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

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 is 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 is true at the core,
all we can do, is all we can do, and nothing more.

~~ gigoid ~~

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

Hmm…. Perhaps it would be to my advantage to create old school pearls this way from now on…. Yesterday, in a moment of peace (pain level 4-5, golf ball quiescent, if present, no cramps, and my leg isn’t pounding the bass drum to Bolero….) I sat to compose a pearl for today’s post. I had no notion at all of what I might want, but, Smart Bee apparently has a direct connection to my unconscious mind, for the following pearls, in a different order you see here, all appeared in the space of about eight minutes. It took a couple of minutes to format them, then, shuffle them into the order that makes the most sense to me…. The following is the result, which seems to be a somewhat harsh, but fair assessment of my life and times thus far…. in a manner of speaking, one could say…. Enjoy, ffolkes, if naught else, it’s a nice little side trip….

“I often have long conversations all by myself, and I am so clever that sometimes I don’t understand a single word I am saying.” — Oscar Wilde

“He used to define justice as “a virtue of the soul distributing that which each person deserved.” — Diogenes Laertius (c. 200 AD) — Aristotle, xi

“Who is ever secure? Every one of us searches for security. We seek it from our family, from our friends, from our pets, from strangers and from “God.” Once in a while we experience it, only to discover that it was merely an illusion. And yet we never learn that security is an impossibility. For we are only human beings.” — Chen-It Ong

“To be innocent is to be not guilty; but to be virtuous is to overcome our evil inclinations.” — William Penn (1614-1718)

“Among what he called his precepts were such as these: Do not stir the fire with a sword. Do not sit down on a bushel. Do not devour thy heart.” — Diogenes Laertius (c. 200 AD) — Pythagoras, xvii

“1) You can’t win; 2) You can’t break even; 3) You can’t even quit the game.” — Ginsberg’s Theorems

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

Get it? Good…. it’s good practice, even if it won’t be on the Final Quiz….

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

In the wonderful words of Hazim, the character in the movie Robin Hood, played my Morgan Freeman, “I have fulfilled my vow.” Plus, it’s done. That means I can go do something to try to mitigate the deleterious effects of my ongoing battle with the forces of CORPORATE EVIL, preferably something in the way of traveling to somewhere I’ve never been before…. Wherever I end up, I’ll have my computer, so, I’ll see y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, for as long as civilization keeps producing electricity, and my hands allow me to type….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

gigoid

Ned Moore, aka gigoid, is a 70 year-old, (!!!… When did that happen?….), retired dilettante, who would rather read than eat, most days. His first blog, "gigoid’s folly", has been emailed out to folks he knows for about 18 years now. He still considers it his best defense against angst, and the ever-present specter of sheer insanity..... Due to rigorous curmudgeon training requirements, he has discontinued his Facebook presence, but still indulges in the occasional Twitter session... In essence, he's socialized, but, not overly sociable; all labels and stereotypes are forbidden in his presence... and he doesn't care what anyone thinks about that..... In fact, he doesn't want to talk anymore.... If you feel you MUST contact gigoid, his email address is: alphagigoid@gmail.com You can go read now.... Go on, beat it.... gigoid, the dubious

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Exploring Consensual Reality

Tag Archives: Robert Heinlein

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