Orgiastic impulses neatly excised….

Posted on March 29, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

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

~~ Miguel de Unamuno ~~

The warrior rests….

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

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

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

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

Shall we Pearl?

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

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

~~ Stephen Schwartz, Colors of the Wind ~~

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

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

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Eric Clapton
Unplugged

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https://youtu.be/xGavzOvTMjY

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

From 2/3/2013:

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

~~ Merle P. Martin ~~

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

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

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

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

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

“Intelligence has nothing to do with politics.”

~~ Londo Molari ~~

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

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

~~ Elbert Hubbard ~~

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

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

“I know everything about everything, except that.”

~~ Smart Bee ~~

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Premises, premises….

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

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

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

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

~~ gigoid ~~

12/19/2014

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

From 2/4/2013:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Doubtful dreams, dubiously delivered….

Posted on March 22, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.”

~~ Anais Nin ~~

Beauty can be found even in ugliness…

Hajime…. I am empty of words. Those five you see in the previous sentence are the best beginning I could think to write, which goes to show just how empty I am at this moment. In spite of the unexpected sleep that I got, I’m tired, and grumpy, and just not in the mood. For anything.

Since there is nothing to say, I suppose I’ll go with the flow, and try to get a Pearl done without any sort of input from any sort of creative force. Talk about trusting the process…. Now we will see just how reliable the process has become, or, we’ll see an even greater mess than usual. The only fair way to judge it will be from the other end, so, we’ll go there, as quickly as possible. In fact we’re leaving now….

Shall we Pearl?

“Those who really deserve praise are the people who, while human enough to enjoy power, nevertheless pay more attention to justice than they are compelled to do by their situation.” — Thucydides

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Today I feel like hearing from a revolutionary artist. This man’s music is the best example I can think of, for he lived, and made his music, for the people…. He was Jamaican, but, his attitude about humanity was perfectly Irish, for he believed implicitly in their belief, to wit: It is in the shelter of each other that people live….. Enjoy, ffolkes; and, live up to the lyrics….

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Bob Marley
Legend

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https://youtu.be/LMIKy9Orl80

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Since I’ve nothing fresh to say, here is a discussion of morality & ethics from the archives; it will do just fine for the mood I’m in….

From 2/12/13:

I am an asshole. A jerk. A prick. A foul-mouthed, misbegotten excuse for a human being…. I, as is true of virtually all seven billion of my peers on this planet, am nothing more than a hypocrite, deserving of eternal residence in the lowest pits of hell for my perfidy….. What, you might ask, prompted this viciously personal outburst of self-denigration? Well, let me tell you….

Most of us, at some point or another, sit down from time to time to think about our actions, those we are considering, and those we have acted out in the past, to get some perspective on how those actions have conformed to our ethical and moral beliefs. In other words, we sit in self-judgment; whether we do so to praise or to chastise doesn’t matter, ultimately, as long as it is an honest appraisal, and we do not flinch from owning up to our baseness where it is found…..

This is why I am forced to curse myself…. Because I’m not a Catholic, or any other faith that espouses such mummery, (I don’t mean to pick on Catholics…. some of my best friends, etc….. 😆 ….. They’re just an example everyone recognizes, and can relate to as similar to their own….)…. Any who, because I’m not of that Tribe, I don’t have the luxury of confessing to a priest, who would then reassure me that I am still one of the Chosen Ones, and send me on my way having learned nothing but a false sense of entitlement.

I can’t just pass off what I may have done in my life to some faceless butthead in a dress, who, no doubt, has a great laugh at the expense of the penitent, when he and the other priests get together in the rectory for a few drinks, passing around all the latest tall tales and outtakes from the confessional booth…..

I consider myself to be a morally upright person, and hope that my actions reflect that. But, I know for certain that, like every other human being who ever lived, I don’t always live up to those moral beliefs, and fall from grace on occasion…. If I were a less honest man, I’d say that there were mitigating, or at least explanatory reasons for my failures to hold to my own standards, but, if I tried that, my Dad would kick my ass from now until Thursday the next time I see him, so I’m not going to take that chance…. I take full responsibility for my actions, base and cruel as they were, and no one can hold me in lower regard than I do….

I had considered using this venue as a confessional, to air out my transgressions on the stage of reality, but, I don’t think that would be any more ethical than confessing to a priest…. Confession may make a difference to the penitent, by absolving him/her from any lingering guilt that could adversely affect them (i.e., they feel better about themselves after receiving absolution…), but, in truth, it doesn’t mean a damn thing, as nothing is done to balance the scale, in a karmic sense, especially for whatever creature or person that was the victim of the cruelty. The only act that would mean anything would be for the perpetrator to use the experience to motivate them to two things….

One, to try to repair whatever hurt or pain they have caused another creature…. man, animal, doesn’t matter…. They don’t deserve to be victimized, no matter their form, and ALL one can do, to fix any harm they have caused, is the least they should do…. Second, use the experience as motivation to make a change in themselves, to act with greater understanding, greater compassion, and greater control over themselves and their feelings…. which is what guilt is all about, right?…. The difference is that, when one confesses to a priest, and receives absolution, there is no motivation to make any changes in their actions…. They know none is necessary, since they can relieve themselves of any guilt they may feel by confessing…. so, why bother?

On the other hand, when one assumes the responsibility for their own actions, the guilt doesn’t go away…. I will never forgive myself for some of the things that I’ve done in my life (nor will I share them in any attempt to gain forgiveness from anyone else…. it’s none of their fucking business….)(Besides, that whole confessional thing just sounds too much like a blackmail scheme…. the people who confess are sure putting their fate trustingly into the hands of those priests, aren’t they?). That simple fact is what keeps me from falling into the same ethical trap I did when I lost my cool, and acted without thinking, or took my feelings out on innocent bystanders….. Not going to happen again, a sentiment which, I’m sure, is NOT what you can expect from any religicos after confession….

You will note that there are no pearls associated with this discussion…. That’s because I am such an asshole, none were needed to stimulate me into spilling my guts, so to speak…. Besides, I couldn’t find a proper pearl for the beginning of such a somber subject by the time I was ready to write about it…. But, Murphy must have liked the way I dissed myself, because, hunting for an appropriate closer, afterward, I found these two, which, together, make a grand finishing touch for this subject…. Think of them as bookends….

“Character is doing the right thing when nobody’s looking. There are too many people who think that the only thing that’s right is to get by, and the only thing that’s wrong is to get caught.” — J. C. Watts

Boy, that hits the nail on the head, doesn’t it?….. I’ve got these two quotes reversed in the order in which they make the most sense, but, given the state of things here, that isn’t surprising, is it…. This is the one that probably should go at the front of this piece, so, just put it there in your mind, okay? Thanks….. (Note from 2014: Actually, you may, or even should, ignore all of these final comments about pearls, as they are currently out of context, given the fact the pearl that now graces the front of this discussion is so perfectly suitable….)

“We tell lies when we are afraid, . . . afraid of what we don’t know, afraid of what others will think, afraid of what will be found out about us. But every time we tell a lie, the thing that we fear grows stronger.” — Tad Williams, Spoken by Dr. Morgenes, To Green Angel Tower (part of — Memory, Sorrow and Thorn)

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This is an older poem of mine, about an old friend of mine, my constant companion, pain…. It’s one of many, I’m afraid….

Denial of Comfort

Baleful chairs become the enemy, heralded in red
seemingly welcome softness beckons with a smile,
waiting, content with slaughter, they are finally led
screaming in agony, deluged in venom all the while.

Desperate distraction becomes such a friendless fire
for all the patterns of autumn’s pale dismay,
leaving sincerely latent trails in spirals of twisted wire,
while memory insists, again, upon failure, palpably evil, and fey.

Fat, jaded tears would have fallen in good time,
if only the suitable suitor had scaled the garden’s wall.
Credence for discounted prices luckily in their prime
bring only fascinated eyes into such a hallowed hall.

Searching for answers is ever a clever portrayal
with studious accouterments to fulfill each common rule.
Arguably patient pictures of science and honest betrayal
shall evermore languish, in light of passion so elegantly cruel.

~~ gigoid ~~

9/6/2012

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I don’t know, so, please, don’t ask. It’s just the way it came out, so, deal with it as if it were actually a real pearl…. It’s all I can suggest….

`The time has come,’ the walrus said, `to talk of many things.
Of shoes – of ships – of sealing wax, of cabbages and kings.
And why the sea is boiling hot, and whether pigs have wings.’

~~ Lewis Carroll ~~

~~ The Walrus and the Carpenter, from Alice Through the Looking Glass ~~

“By space the universe encompasses and swallows me up like a dot; by thought I encompass the Universe.” — Pascal, Pensees, n. 265

“Certainly the game is rigged. Don’t let that stop you; if you don’t bet, you can’t win.” — Lazarus Long

“A wise man first determines what is within his control; all else is then irrelevant.” — Epictetus

“You should hammer your iron when it is glowing hot.” — Publius Syrus — Maxim 262

“The great consolation in life is to say precisely what one thinks.” — Voltaire

“And that’s the way it is…” — Walter Cronkite

“‘Scuze me while I kiss the sky…” — Jimi Hendrix, Purple Haze

“Bert? Are you awake Bert?” — Ernie

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Well, it’s done, and that’s the best I can say of it. Moreover, I won’t try to make any excuses or apologies. I’ll just go now, and try to do better tomorrow, should that prove possible, or even imaginable. So be it. See y’all then, should I live through the day & night…. Odds are good….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Soliciting for abrupt renovation….

Posted on March 20, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“I am the shadow my words cast.”

~~ Octavio Paz ~~

Giving new meaning to the word “relaxed”….

Hajime…. ‘If’ is a big word, for having so few letters. We’d all have a tough time explaining options to each other without it, for it is a word indicating the presence of imagination at work, imagining things which might be, but, are not yet real…. It helps us to describe possibilities, and gives us the power to create solutions from out of that imagination…. How many times have you said to someone, “If we do this….”? Or, the very powerful, “What if…:” If you’re anything like me, you’ve said that a lot….

At this point, I imagine y’all are asking yourselves, “What the hell is this about?”, but, I’m afraid you’d be asking the wrong person, if you expect a coherent answer, because I don’t have a clue. As I sat this morning to begin, I found myself completely at a loss as to how to start; no muse, no inspiration, and very little will power, all lacking for unknown, but, no doubt, compelling reason, which will occur to me some years hence. So, I just began to type what was in there, and, what you see is what I had. (Ha! Y’all thought I was going to use wysiwyg again, didn’t you?….) As the beginning of a discussion/rant, it’s not bad. For an intro, it’s a sure invitation to get lost, fast.

In order to regain some sort of integrity, of purpose if not delivery, I think I should probably cut this part short again today. Wandering around, looking for an opening doesn’t seem to be working very well, does it? No, it doesn’t, and, since I do try to be realistic whenever possible, I’ll submit to necessity, again, and leave this to die an unnatural death, on its own. Requiesce in pace.

Now we’ve concluded this portion of today’s program, there is nothing to keep us here, but our own incompetence, which has been amply demonstrated in the past. I have a new method, called the Sandbag, and it works like this….

Shall we Pearl?

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

~~ Friedrich Nietzsche ~~

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As usual when we go with our default choice for music, the mix you’ll hear is the one which had a picture I enjoyed…. I hope you enjoy it, too….

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Classical Music

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https://youtu.be/qgHNOtQT-aU

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“It’s the RINSE CYCLE!! They’ve ALL IGNORED the RINSE CYCLE!!”

~~ Zippy the Pinhead ~~

As I cruised around my collection/database of aphorisms/quotes, etc., I came across this from our old friend Zippy. Now, to look at it, one might think it is just nonsense; one might be wrong about that. To my eye, it’s a deeply metaphorical lament about modern society, and that part of human nature about which I rant here on all-too-frequent occasions, to wit: the human inability to understand themselves, or to use the gift of intelligence and imagination with which they are born. This, of course, confirms your previously held opinion as to my insanity, I’m sure, but, wait a moment or two, and I might just convince you I’m saner than anyone you know.

You see, I’ve read a LOT of Zippy, and you must understand his metaphorical language use in order to comprehend his meaning. Of course, his next statement could very well veer off into yet another dimension, either figuratively, or literally, but, that’s Zippy for ya. Nonetheless, it doesn’t take away from his compassion, it merely highlights his somewhat stubborn refusal to consider any sort of consistency of focus. He prefers to take it as it comes, so to speak. But, if we examine his words above, we can see it relates, in a purely logical way, to where I left off in our last rant, to wit:

“Is consciousness just a special form of hallucination?”

~~ Frank Herbert ~~

I had intended to finish out this rant with a discussion of the issues involved in the impending environmental and societal crises I see coming in the near future. But, I happened to stop in at a friend’s blog, where she had written a poem introducing the video you see below. The video turns out to be a rather excellent discussion of exactly what I had intended to say; moreover, it comes with graphics to support all the arguments, which is a much more effective way to get the points across; it’s all perfectly clear, and shows exactly how we all have allowed ourselves to be trapped…. I think it will do just fine as a finish to this discussion, thus saving me a bundle of time…. Here then, is The Lie We Live, which I found at: https://ladybluerose.wordpress.com/2016/03/19/8358/

The Lie We Live

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https://youtu.be/ipe6CMvW0Dg

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Accentuated Lessons

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

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

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

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

Peace lies within, always…..

~~ gigoid ~~

9/27/2012

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Naked Pearls

Random Thoughts on Life

*********

You live and learn. Or you don’t live long.

~~ Lazarus Long ~~

*********

You may be capable of great things,
But life consists of small things.

~~ Deng Ming-Dao ~~

*********

To lead the people, walk behind them.

~~ Lao-Tzu ~~

*********

“Given the choice between the experience of pain and nothing,
I would choose pain.”

~~ William Faulkner ~~

*********

“Let us endeavour to live that when we come to die
even the undertaker will be sorry.”

~~ Mark Twain, from Pudd’nhead Wilson’s Calendar (1894) ~~

*********

“We have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night.”

~~ Tombstone epitaph of two astronomers ~~

*********

“An it harm none,
Do what ye will.”

~~ Wiccan Credo ~~

*********

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There are days when creating a Pearl of Virtual Wisdom makes me wonder just what the hell I’m doing here; today has been one of those. However, it’s done, so, I’ll forgo any further waffling over purpose, and get it posted. I’m a firm believer in “better out than in”, as you may know. In any case, I can’t think of any more ways to torture either of us, so, I’ll give it up for today. I will, regardless of whether or not I wish to do so, be back again tomorrow, simply because I’m one stubborn son of a bitch (sorry, Mom…). See ya….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Bombastic echoes in a lovely hat….

Posted on March 19, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

Around existence twine,
(Oh, bridge that hangs across the gorge!)
ropes of twisted vine.

~~ Basho ~~

Cross-eyed? Sez who?….

Hajime…. Well, here we are again, ever so happy to be at our desk, bereft of mind, broken of body, and ready to rumble. I know I said I’d have a fully fresh Pearl, but…. reality intervened, so to speak. So, what you get is more wysiwyg, after a fashion. Oh, it’s all relatively fresh, but, completing it all became a bit of a chore when SB decided to portion out pearls at a miserly rate. So, we’ll go to the archives for a rant, and, a poem. Other than that, it’s fresh. Not up to snuff, but, it meets the minimum standard, our default.

I suppose I could chat a bit about my day off, but, as it turns out, it was little more than a period of rest, it seems, as I got little done of a productive nature other than sleep, which, for some unknown reason, came quickly and easily last night. Go figure. At any rate, I have some energy, which I will now proceed to waste shamelessly to get this done. That doesn’t make me a hero, though there are those who might think it does; they’d be off the mark, as there was no altruism or selflessness involved. Just rest and recovery for me; since it seems to have worked, we’ll call it a draw, and move on.

Now we’ve completed the obligatory meaningless drivel for the day, perhaps we should think about getting the slow on the toad for the day. I know I always enjoy life better when it’s in the bag, so, we’ll find a bag, and get in. Why, look! Here’s a nice, reusable shopping bag right here! Funny how that works, eh? We’ll take advantage of the handy prop, which we placed there earlier for just this purpose, so we can say we have lived up to the hype seen in all the ads. Not that we wrote, or even asked for the ads, but, like a hive of bees in your head, there they are. So be it.

That’s quite enough of that, I think. Ffolkes, we’re going on now, before this gets any further out of hand…. Luigi, wake the hell up & get us out of here, now!…. Hang on, ffolkes, Luigi’s still more than just a little hung over….

Shall we Pearl?

“Contrariwise”, continued Tweedledee,
“If it was so, it might be;
and if it were so, it would be;
but as it isn’t, it ain’t.
That’s logic.”

~~ Lewis Carroll, “Alice in Wonderland” ~~

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

Fred Neil

Image from thatsallfolk.free.fr via Google Images

It’s been a while since I listened to this man’s music; too long. He has one of the finest voices, ever, and is, quite simply, a powerful songwriter. He’s not very well known, though there are tunes he wrote which everyone alive has heard, and loved…. For example, “Everybody’s Talkin’ At Me”….. Enjoy, ffolkes…

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

Fred Neil

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

https://youtu.be/NPDGjzhGutU

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

As noted, here is a piece that should fit the bill for today; light, but with a touch of wit, not to mention a stiff dose of inanity… or, maybe that was insanity…. Ah, well, so be it….. Enjoy!….

From 6/14/2014:

In this section, we have been running a new style pearl, (there’s that royal ‘we’ again….), with pictures to go along with whatever quotes and/or comments I come up with…. The latest incarnation involves a new subject of interest, the Wise Old Pine Cone, who has been kind enough to allow me to photograph his wanderings around town, to record his interactions with people, and the environment, as he wends his way around the town….. Yesterday, I posted the photos of when I accompanied him to the local ball team’s night game, which came out fairly well….

Sadly, the Wise Old Pine Cone, by the time we left the ball park, had consumed WAY too many brewskis, and has yet to get out of bed…. He’s pretty small, and a few beers really do a number on him; I’ve seen him stay in bed for three days after a bad session with wine, and beer isn’t any better for him…. He’ll be alright, but, he’ll be out of action for a day or two, so, we’ll have to find something else for this section….. Let me think….

Okay, you’ve convinced me…. I’ll rant….

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

Well, perhaps I won’t rant today; it doesn’t mean I’m giving up, but…. I just went to look for a rantable headline from the news…. Of the eleven headlines on the world news page, eight were about various bombings, battles, or other war activities, mostly in the middle east, where the Islamic sects are all fighting to see who will become the sole arbiter of the Muslim future….. never realizing how silly and counter-productive they are being, in terms of survival…. But, then, most people engaged in war are not in a very intelligent frame of mind, anyway….

(And, how can a Muslim extremist group name themselves after an Egyptian goddess over seven thousand years old {Isis}? I thought they hated ANY other religion…. Ah well, stupid is as stupid does…)

The point is, I couldn’t decide WHICH subject to rant about…. There are plenty of wars being fought, none of which make any sense…. There are governments still robbing the people, or oppressing them unmercifully; the churches are still butting into everything, as is their habit…. I see where the Pope is trying to be a mediator between Israel & Palestine (good luck with that!….), and now, the Presbyterian Church is doing SOMETHING over in Iraq, or Iran, to get involved with that whole mess…. what a bunch of idiots!…

Cars and factories are still streaming carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide into the air by the hundreds of millions of tons, every day, so pollution continues unabated, and climate change keeps changing, so, we can kiss our asses goodbye, once we figure out how long we have…. Religious fanatics and fundies of all varieties continue to wage their holy wars, blaming all that is wrong in the world on anything but their own actions…. Bankers and politicians continue to work together to steal everything that isn’t nailed down from the public, all enforced by paramilitary police forces, blindly obedient myrmidons with guns, and really bad attitudes, due to their completely unwarranted sense of entitlement regarding their psycho/sociopathic need to be seen as authority figures….

All of the insanity I’ve previously commented upon here continues, relatively unabated, as the world skips merrily down what it BELIEVES is the garden path, completely oblivious, calmly seated in a handbasket, never even wondering why it is getting so bloody hot…. And people wonder why I rant….

I found no particular headline to get me started, but, as can be seen by the above, none are really necessary for me to find my anger about the state of the world…. My anger is based in the realization that NONE of it is necessary; if people would take responsibility for themselves, and stand up to the assholes who are oppressing everyone who puts up with it, we could fix this broken puppy….

I’m a realist, though, and, as far as I can see, realistically, it ain’t gonna happen…. so, I’ll pick a few pearls, to make how I feel about it clear, and be done with it for today…. I’m mad, but, so mad, I don’t even want to talk about it any more….. Here, take these…. No worries, you’ll live; there are only five of them….

“I have always thought the actions of men the best interpreters of their thoughts.” — John Locke

“All I know is just what I read in the Congressional Record. They have had some awful funny articles in there lately. As our government deteriorates, our humor increases.” — Will Rogers

“I have never found, in a long experience of politics, that criticism is ever inhibited by ignorance.” — Harold MacMillan

“Look for a tough wedge for a tough log.” — Publius Syrus (42 BC) — Maxim 723

“You know how dumb the average guy is? Well, by definition, half of them are even dumber than THAT.” — J.R. “Bob” Dobbs, ripping off George Carlin, who made that point YEARS before Bob finished puberty….

There you go, ffolkes…. a pointed, bitchy, but accurate, five-star pearl….. Let’s go on, shall we?….

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

Some days, only this poet will do…..

I measure every grief I meet
With analytic eyes;
I wonder if it weighs like mine,
Or has an easier size.

I wonder if they bore it long,
Or did it just begin?
I could not tell the date of mine,
It feels so old a pain.

I wonder if it hurts to live,
And if they have to try,
And whether, could they choose between,
They would not rather die.

I wonder if when years have piled–
Some thousands–on the cause
Of early hurt, if such a lapse
Could give them any pause;

Or would they go on aching still
Through centuries above,
Enlightened to a larger pain
By contrast with the love.

The grieved are many, I am told;
The reason deeper lies,–
Death is but one and comes but once
And only nails the eyes.

There’s grief of want, and grief of cold,–
A sort they call ‘despair,’
There’s banishment from native eyes,
In sight of native air.

And though I may not guess the kind
Correctly yet to me
A piercing comfort it affords
In passing Calvary,

To note the fashions of the cross
Of those that stand alone
Still fascinated to presume
That some are like my own.

~~ Emily Dickinson ~~

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

Naked Pearls

Beginning to End

*********

“When you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced.
Live your life so that when you die,
the world cries and you rejoice.”

~~ Old Indian saying

*********

“Belief gets in the way of learning.”

~~ Robert Heinlein, Time Enough for Love ~~

*********

“There’s an alternative.
There’s always a third way,
and it’s not a combination of the other two ways,
it’s a different way.”

~~ David Carradine ~~

*********

“It is sometimes expedient to forget who we are.”

~~ Publius Syrus — Maxim 233 ~~

*********

“A ship in harbor is safe — but that is not what ships are for.”

~~ John A. Shedd ~~

*********

“If you come to a fork in the road, take it.”

~~ Yogi Berra ~~

*********

“There are places I remember all my life,
though some have changed,
some forever, not for better,
some have gone and some remain.
All these places had their moments
with lovers and friends I still can recall.
Some are dead and some are living.
In my life I’ve loved them all.”

~~ the Beatles ~~

*********

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

Having completed my vow, I’ll take my leave with less than the usual to-do. I will, however, issue the usual caveat, to wit: I’ll be back tomorrow. I figure that’s fair warning, and, I know for sure it’s the best you’re gonna get. See ya, ffolkes; the odds are running in our favor….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Will Robinson was never IN danger….

Posted on March 15, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Toes, knees, NIPPLES. Toes, knees, nipples, KNUCKLES…
Nipples, dimples, knuckles, NICKLES, wrinkles, pimples!!”~~ Zippy the Pinhead ~~

Sunrise/Sunset in Florida

Image from http://katiemiafrederick.com/2016/03/09/womens-day-love/

Hajime…. Should this particular Pearl get posted today, it will be a testament to both indulgence and persistence, an odd pairing, if I’ve ever seen one. Nonetheless, ’tis true as the day. Last night, having consumed a rather larger portion of sleep aid in the form of a Toklas brownie of massive strength, (most ffolkes would sleep for days if they ate such a dose), which had the most excellently delightful effect of tumbling me into sleep, hard and fast, & keeping me there for seven straight. Yay, me!…. However, when I awoke, I was still foggy, and in new pain from not moving so long. As I sat with coffee to write today’s Pearl, I was struck by a wave of fatigue so great, I simply got up, & went back to bed…. Hence. the indulgence.

Two hours later, I’m up, and feeling almost real. Now comes the persistence part, for I will try to get this done today, & get it posted in a reasonable time, disappointing, perhaps, a few early readers, but, with the confidence given by getting the damn thing done at all. So be it. I’m not offering any apologies, or any pleas for patience; it all is what it is, and we’ll all just have to deal with the results. Some of your disappointment will, I hope, be mitigated by the most excellent poem I found for today, sent to me by a friend. You’ll like it; if you don’t, well, you don’t know diddly about poetry, so, it’s your loss….

There, I’ve shown my curmudgeonly side, so I suppose that means we should be off to get this done. I do hope y’all enjoy whatever has happened. If nothing else, it’s unique, if in no other way than for the perseverance needed to get it done. Since I can’t think of any tricks, or magic, we’ll simply leave it at that. If you would kindly fasten your belts, we’ll be off…..

Shall we Pearl?

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

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

Yep. We’re going default, because I’m in a hurry, and because it always hits the mark. As usual, this compilation was chosen simply for the picture it displays when I see it…. Enjoy!….

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

Classical Music

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

https://youtu.be/1Cp0ypTnu-8

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

Time constraints mean we’re going to the archives, as I didn’t have time to finish the piece upon which I’m working…. Here’s one from a while back; I hope you enjoy it….

From 2/25/2014:

From 12/12/12:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Yesterday, I received an email from a friend, a regular visitor to the blog, who knows I enjoy poetry. She sent me this poem, which she found in her own wanderings around the world of reading. My initial reaction was simply, WOW! My second was to go follow the link to find more of his work, and look forward to seeing more of it. The link is provided below…

Alienation

In the good old days
Before rock and roll
Heroin
The velvet underground
Cocaine
Sid vicious
And assorted bad men
And bad women,
In the good old days

No man and never a woman
Would profess their alienation from society
As society was a god society
And if you were alienated from society
You were in effect alienated from god
Which made you a sinner
An outcast
A candidate for purgatory, hell or if unborn or unbaptised,
Limbo.

Thus a man or woman
Would confess their sins
On the first Friday of each month
In the local church to the priest
Who knew them intimately
Despite the darkness
And the little grilled window
And the closeness of voice to ear

And on the first Saturday
All of society
Would be full again
Of forgiven sinners
And the good old days
Would continue

There are of course flaws in this.
In the new days
You can be alienated
From yourself
Your wife
Your mother
Your father
Your sister
Your whole shit gang bang of people you know
You don’t know

And you listen
To sid vicious
Nirvana
Rammstein
The voices in your head
The dreams of your nightmares
The girls of the canal bank leafy walks
The boys throwing cars at each other in the boreens
The men
The women
The whole gee bang sheebang hee bangs

There are flaws in this

And what you project is no longer god
And so no man or woman is god

Cranky tin pan alleyway of a universe
Cluttered with suffering silence once more
As no one knows the unknown language
Of the unknowable when all you can
Know if the echo chamber of the mind and soul and two pence
Mind we rig up with lights and flashing noise
Known as the modern
Keeps mouthing nonsense on top of nonsense
Without due regard to that fucking boat
That brought us here,

Echos of hades, charon, siren siren siren siren

This morning I watched as crows
Grabbed black pudding left out by my girls
On a small wooden bench

And over the hand made wall of dry stone
A thousand bodies kept each other warm
In that other place, no place, some place, where place, what place,
Marked by lichen crusted stone crosses and then some,

Discord they cawed, discord, discord, as they swooped
And watched with eyes sliding magnetically open and closed
Revealing milky white spectral analysis
Of this small earth ball of mucky matter
Which on closer inspection
Reveals much space between
And the nothing inbetween which makes us more of what we are
Much more so than believing we are flesh or bone or even water

The nothing in between, between, the start of and end of the sentence
That begins I am insert whatever the fuck twixt the blanks,
And no amount of miraculous sonerous beautous melodifications
About blooming effing flower petals nor soulful dirges
Can be the blank in the between

Is it a scream, a whooping holler, a mouth rounded beneath
Roundier eyes miracling a confrontation with all of space
And
Maria Callas does not end on that note, ever.

I told the crows to fuck off. I ate the pudding. It is only fair.
My feathers are darker and more spectacular

Though my girls
Whooped and hollered
As I flew away

A space in space.

~~Brendan McCormack ~~

Dublin, Ireland 1970 –
Irish Poet. Two collections published, ‘Selling Heaven'(2013) and ‘Phuckle – Irish Auf English’, (2014). Both available on Amazon.co.uk.

http://hellopoetry.com/brendan-mccormack/

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

Our final old-school pearl today is…. Hmm. Well, it is what it is. It’s somewhat eclectic, though, not really. It’s also rather subtle, but, only in defense of its point, which is, as always, left as an exercise for the Gentle Reader…. Hint: it’s about Life.

“At birth we woke to dream in this world between.” — Kan’ami Kiyotsugu

“If ever I become entirely respectable I shall be quite sure that I have outlived myself.” — Eugene V. Debs

“It is not length of life, but depth of life.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

“A wise man first determines what is within his control; all else is then irrelevant.” — Epictetus

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

“Fear nothing, for every renewed effort raises all former failures into lessons, all sins into experiences.” — Katherine Tingley

“Life has no other discipline to impose, if we would but realize it, than to accept life unquestioningly. Everything we shut our eyes to, everything we run away from, everything we deny, denigrate, or despise, serves to defeat us in the end. What seems nasty, painful, evil, can become a source of beauty, joy, and strength, if faced with an open mind. Every moment is a golden one for him who has the vision to recognize it as such.” — Henry Miller

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

I did it. Moreover, in some ways, I did it well, though that may only be my sense of accomplishment talking. Y’all will, of course, make the final judgment on that. Me, I’m gonna go start another Pearl while I’m hot, while simultaneously attempting to distract and entertain my resident familiar, Leelu the Annoyed Magicat. Wish me luck, because I’ll need it. Her routine has been seriously disrupted today, and cats don’t like that much…. Ah, well, I can do it. And, I’ll do it well enough to make another attempt tomorrow…. See y’all then, like it or not….

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Ladders climbing themselves….

Posted on February 29, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Learning isn’t a means to an end; it is an end in itself.”

~~ Robert A. Heinlein ~~

But, I SWEAR I saw a mouse in here…

Hajime….. Okay, so here’s the deal today. I’m tired, having spent a long, if not particularly onerous night, attempting to garner enough sleep to warrant getting up, Abandoning the battle at about 4:44, according to my little bedside time monitor, I arose, only to remember I had forgotten to get sugar while at the store, and would be seriously short for my first cuppa this morning. SIGH…. Getting old’s a pain, y’know?

So be it. Life’s full of disappointment, and this one doesn’t rank too high on the scale, so, we’ll just ignore the pain (everything’s relative, y’know…. When I’m low on caffeine & sugar, thing can get, for me, a bit strange…), and get on with the slow. Of course, it means we’ll be shortcutting where I didn’t get this done yesterday, (which also had its share of time-altering issues….), so, y’all may as well be prepared for a bumpy road. Can’t be helped, & you’ll get the usual apology note in your email, if you provided it.

All that said, to our common regret, I am sure, we’ll get on with this, before my courage fails. I suppose this means I either have to use one of the Tardis devices, or just fake it, to get us on the toad. Ah, I know, I’ll use my extensive knowledge of cosmic judo, and use a hip-throw….. Or, maybe a leg-sweep…. It won’t matter, they’re expecting Jell-o…. See ya at the oyster beds….

Shall we Pearl?….

“Civilization is fun! Anyway, it keeps me busy!!”

~~ Zippy the Pinhead ~~

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

Those familiar with routine here will recognize the logo, and know we’ll be having classical music today. As usual, the mix chosen was picked because it had the picture that grabbed my attention…. Enjoy!….

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

Classical Music

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

https://youtu.be/BTCd6h_uQt4

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

As noted in the intro, the archives are to play their part today. Here is a relatively short discussion of one of our favorite delusions, religion, and the tendency of humans to indulge in such nonsense…. Enjoy!…. I did.

From 12/28/2012:

“A desire not to butt into other people’s business is at least eighty percent of all human wisdom… and the other twenty percent isn’t very important.” “You butt into other people’s business. All the time.” “Who said I was wise? I’m a professional bad example. You can learn a lot by watching me.” — Jubal Harshaw, in Stranger in a Strange Land, by Robert A. Heinlein

I would guesstimate that more than 90% of everything I believe about life and the world has its roots in this book by Robert Heinlein, based on the comments of Jubal Harshaw, one of the book’s main characters. Jubal managed to have something to say about just about everything in human culture, and had his own distinct opinion on all of it. Of course, these reflected Heinlein’s own beliefs, but we weren’t supposed to think about that at the time, and had no real effect on anything other than Bob and his friends. The rest of us just appreciated his ironic sense of humor, and the common sense he displayed in such an entertaining fashion.

Medicine, psychology, memory, society, culture, custom, religion and theosophy, politics and political theory, philosophy, military history and structure, strategy, tactics, literature, writing, circuses, carnivals, astronomy, space travel, telepathy, telekinesis, teleportation, weaponry, and a host of other subjects…… Every one of these subjects is part of the story Heinlein weaves, as he creates a figure who embraces the entirety of human culture and history, and attempts to change mankind in a way that can help us to overcome those parts of our nature that are giving us problems, and eventually will lead to our demise as a species. This book, Heinlein’s magnus opus, is his attempt to show humanity the way to save ourselves from our own stupidity and ignorance…..

Sadly, Heinlein is aware also that our fatal flaw is just that…. fatal. His protagonist, Michael Valentine Smith, who offers humanity the salvation of personal revelation, and of personal responsibility, is, in the end, killed by a mob of unbelievers, becoming the same sort of religious martyr as Jesus Christ, with, as Heinlein so aptly shows, the same probable chances of success, i.e., none…. Nothing of what Jesus taught humanity has been incorporated into society; anyone who says it has is delusional. Humanity not only has NOT adopted the philosophy of that great Jewish reformist, but has utterly rejected it, and belittled it, by perverting its precepts, twisting them to suit their own agenda, and acting in ways that are diametrically opposite to what Jesus was teaching.

I defy anyone to provide evidence that what I just said is not true, and invite them to present it here, so it can be discussed. The teachings of Jesus Christ have been corrupted by preachers and priests, politicians, corporate masters, and every other human who desires power over others. The rules of flexibility and love for fellow men that he taught have been turned into obedience to authority, and submission to temporal rulers, as those who wish to control society twist the words, and mangle the concepts that were intended to help in another way.

“Jesus only told half the story. The truth *will* set you free. But, first it’s going to piss you off.” — Solomon Short

I don’t know about y’all, but I think, even if it does piss me off, I’ll take the truth…..

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

Haiku

All my poetry
seems to be gone walkabout.
An original.

~~ gigoid ~~

2/28/2016

Fine and Good, Good and Fine

A pig in a poke’s got nothing on me,
cuz I’m as confused as a man can be.
This ol’ world’s got me spinnin’ around
cussin’ and spittin’, a penny for a pound.

Forty ‘leven times since I was a kid, well,
I’ve fallen in love, ‘least too close to tell.
Every damn time, it all went to crap,
Forty ‘leven times I’ve felt like a sap.

‘Course, each time it happens, I forget the last;
why not? I’m havin’ such a blast….
Livin’ in each moment, filled with joie de vivre,
’til it’s all gone away again, nothin’ left up my sleeve.

Don’t want y’all to think I’m sad or blue,
life’s full of sorrow, lots for me, and/or you..
T’other side of that coin, we can be glad,
is joyful love, and that ain’t at all bad.

My road’s been littered with parts o’my heart,
each one colored with trust, which ain’t always smart.
Yet, long as I don’t lose my connection to joy,
I’ll find my own true love, and be a happy boy.

It’s been some kinda fun, even when I’d take a fall,
and doin’ it over makes no sense at all, at all
Day after day, I keep on keepin’ on, as it’s said;
Guess I’ll keep on doin’ that ’til I’m dead.

‘Nuff said….

~~ gigoid, tongue firmly in cheek ~~

3/23/2013

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

Naked Pearls

*********

“What are fears but voices airy?
Whispering harm where harm is not,
And deluding the unwary
Till the fatal bolt is shot!”

~~ William Wordsworth ~~

*********

“I have found power in the mysteries of thought.”

~~ Euripides ~~

*********

“9. Love deeply and passionately.
You might get hurt but it’s the only way to live life completely.”

~~ Instructions for life ~~

*********

“Our minds possess by nature an insatiable desire to know the truth.”

~~ Marcus Tullius Cicero ~~

*********

“Keep the juices going by jangling around gently as you move.”

~~ Satchel Paige ~~

*********

“If you bring forth what is within you,
what you bring forth will save you.
If you do not bring forth what is within you,
what you do not bring forth will destroy you.”

~~ Jesus Christ (Gnostic Gospel Of Thomas, Saying 70) ~~

*********

“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 ~~

*********

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

~~ Albert Einstein ~~

*********

“O to be self-balanced for contingencies!
O to confront night, storms,
hunger, ridicule, accidents, rebuffs
as trees and animals do!”

~~ Walt Whitman ~~

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

Having thus completed my duty, to my surprise and delight, I shall forthwith take my leave, stage virtual. But, don’t worry, I’ll be back tomorrow. The universe, it seems, leaves me little choice in the matter, and, who am I to argue with an entire universe? See ya….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Inculcating indefatigable purposes for fun and potential profit….

Posted on February 28, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Don’t get hit.”

~~ First rule of fighting ~~

Spring breaking free of winter’s prison….

Hajime….. Wait! What’s that? OMG! It’s morning! That’s the sun, bringing light and warmth to our winter’s day, and, here I am, barely awake, sans coffee (still brewing), making the probable mistake of trying to type before having any. Actually, that’s a lie; I AM human, you know, and lies trip off my tongue with the same facility all us humans can bring to the task, just like a politician, who practices more, but, has not a corner on the chutzpah, or, lack of integrity market…. We ALL, at times, use lies to make ourselves more comfortable with reality; it’s our fatal flaw, and will probably kill us, eventually. But, I digress…

Sorry, didn’t mean to fall into ranting mode; it’s the lack of caffeine, I’m sure…. Since I hear the coffee going off, I’ll go get some and see if, maybe, this might get a bit easier, or, at least, more coherently organized. Hang tight, order your own adult beverage, whatever; I’ll be right back….

Ahhh….. now, that’s how I spell good morning!…. Okay, brain switched on, in just a moment or two, we should be ready to take this puppy to the limits of reality, and back, no sweat. Well, not much, anyway; we don’t like to sweat TOO early in the day; we use cheap deodorants. But, maybe that could change, if the plan in place works the way it’s designed to work…. Don’t want to spill the beans too early, but, it it works, things should improve around here quite a bit…. or, not. In essence, who cares, right? Only me, and, I’m stuck with it. So be it. On that cryptic, yet obscure note, I think I’ll use this button over here, to do this…. Pay close attention, now, or, you’ll miss the transition….

Shall we Pearl?….

The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up.

~~ Mark Twain ~~

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

For many of us who lived during/through the 60’s, memories of the time can, in some cases, be rather untenable as to accuracy. But, every minute I spent listening to live music is embedded in my memory, as the best, most fulfilling times of my life. Today’s video is a jam, with Chuck Berry, Eric Clapton, and Keith Richards all playing off and with each other, in one of the happiest times I’ve ever seen…. Chuck was on fire, having the time of his life, playing rock & roll with some of the best, and the others couldn’t fail to feel the joy, and put it into their music….. On the page where you may find and watch it, there are a number of great jams by artists who don’t usually play together… all worth a listen…. Enjoy!….

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

Super Jams

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

https://youtu.be/wzKd0aiaK4c

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

I have made no secret of my opinion of the insubstantiality, not to mention the veracity, of those institutions/concepts upon which our human society is founded…. Or, perhaps, is foundering would be a more accurate phraseology, for, due to what I can only consider a firm belief in a trio of delusions to be the basic, defining characteristic of that society, and, in the end, will be the root cause of how the question of whether or not we will survive as a species will be answered. If we, as a species, cannot recognize the ultimate end of the path we are on, and choose another direction, it is my belief the Earth will soon be rid of us… Moreover, by ‘soon’ I mean, damn near immediately, cosmically speaking….

I have ranted in the past, some might say interminably, about this trio of delusions, to wit: government, money, and religion. Our society’s basic beliefs are founded upon these three ideas, all of which, in my mind, are merely ideas of little worth, all demeaning to the human spirit, and, all of which attempt to control people by the power of their lies and illusions, none of which have any evidential basis in Reality. Each of them, in conjunction with the others, have been used to manipulate the ignorant and weak-minded for thousands of years, to the benefit of a very small portion of the species, and, to the detriment of the rest of us.

As far as I am concerned, until a significant percentage of humanity learns to put these ideas aside, we will continue on the path chosen by the few, all the way to its logical end, in the extinction of the entire species; moreover, in the process of killing ourselves, it seems we will, in our ignorance, be killing off a great many other species, as well, simply because we do not understand either our own nature, or our place in the overall scheme of things as they exist in this Universe.

However, to save y’all from having to listen to me expound on this any further, I’ll switch to an old-school indictment, with some pearls highlighting some of the issues, and, some of the possible solutions…. sort of. You’ll see…. Hey, it’s better than listening to yet another two-thousand word diatribe from me, right? Right… Enjoy, ffolkes…. for as long as we may….

“During my eighty-seven years I have witnessed a whole succession of technological revolutions. But none of them has done away with the need for character in the individual or for the ability to think.” — Bernard M. Baruch

“When a place gets crowded enough to require ID’s, social collapse is not far away. It is time to go elsewhere. The best thing about space travel is that it made it possible to go elsewhere.” — Robert A. Heinlein, “Time Enough For Love”

“Man is quite insane. He wouldn’t know how to create a maggot, and he creates gods by the dozen.” — Montaigne

“The entire world is being driven insane by this single phrase: ‘My religion alone is true.'” — Ramakrishna, Hindu saint & reformer

“Justice and liberty die quietly, because men first learn to ignore injustice and then no longer recognize it.” — Charles Morgan

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

“Give me health and a day, and I will make ridiculous the pomp of emperors.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

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

“Universe: All-purpose poem.”

~~ Ray Hand ~~

Accentuated Lessons

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

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

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

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

Peace lies within, always…..

~~ gigoid ~~

9/27/2012

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

Naked Pearls

Hodgepodge of Life

*********

“As knowledge increases, wonder deepens.””

~~Charles Morgan ~~

*********

“He who picks up one end of a stick picks up the other.
He who chooses the beginning of a road
chooses the place it leads to.
It is the means that determine the end.”

~~ Harry Emerson Fosdick ~~

*********

“Real glory springs from the silent conquest of ourselves.”

~~ Joseph P. Thompson ~~

*********

“After all there is but one race – humanity.”

~~ George Moore ~~

*********

“Kindness it is that brings forth kindness always.”

~~ Sophocles ~~

*********

“Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others,
can not keep it from themselves.”

~~ Irish blessing ~~

*********

“There’s no reality except the one contained within us.
That’s why so many people live an unreal life.
They take images outside them for reality
and never allow the world within them to assert itself.”

~~ Hermann Hesse ~~

*********

“There are souls in this world which have the gift
of finding joy everywhere
and of leaving it behind them when they go.”

~~ Frederick Faber ~~

*********

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

~~ Albert Einstein ~~

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

Well, it’s done. I’ve annoyed the cat no end, for, in my haste to finish, her cuddle time was put off; now I must deal with a grumpy cat. C’est la vie; sacrifices must be made, at times, to fulfill duty. She’s young; she’ll learn. For now, we shall take our leave, with the usual warning and disclaimer…. I’ll be back, even if somebody tries to stop me…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes; it’s inevitable….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Defined by overt self-interest…

Posted on February 26, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

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

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

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

Catnap while gigoid works…

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

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

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

Shall we Pearl?….

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

~~ Edward Abbey ~~

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

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

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

Classical Music

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

https://youtu.be/tAkHdB77u2c

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

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

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

From 4/18/2013:

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

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

— Ambrose Bierce, “The Devil’s Dictionary”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Haiku VIIA

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

~~ gigoid ~~

4/18/2013

Unsolicited Gratitude

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

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

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

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

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

~~ gigoid ~~

9/12/2012

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

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

From 4/19/2013:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Fitted with dubious shoes at midnight….

Posted on February 25, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

Laughter is by definition healthy.

~~ Doris Lessing ~~

Whew! This writing gig isn’t as easy as it looks…

Hajime….. While perusing the suggested Pearls at the bottom of yesterday’s post, I came across what is possibly the best Pearl I did in 2012…. The whole thing was, if I say so myself, well-done, succinct, and cogently written. I’m rather proud of it, having forgotten it completely, so, I intend to use parts of it shamelessly today… Since the rant section runs a bit long, we’ll go with a new, very short poem today…. We’ll begin right in the intro, which went like this….

Ffolkes,

Can you say pusillanimous? No? Nor can I….. pity…..

Now that the facts in the matter have been established beyond all doubt, we may turn to more important questions, such as why is he talking like that? Or perhaps, why DOES Murphy have to stick his big nose into my business every damn day? Now, these are meaty subjects, and well worth our undivided attention. Of course, should we provide that, I’m afraid that it may send the entire Roman and Greek pantheons into hysterics. They’re SO prudish since being de-deified….. I suppose conservatism is a natural reaction to bad news and cowardice combined; it certainly seems to be the case in this country amongst the, shall we say, non-cognoscenti…..

There, that’s out…. better out than in, I always say (just ask anybody…). I’m not going to apologize for that bit of phantasm; ’twas necessary to my health for it to come out. I will say that I hope I didn’t startle the horses, or make the babies cry; such was not, I assure you, my intent. No, sheer unbridled relief was the intent, and that has been achieved, so, what say we NOT press our luck, and go straight on into today’s dive, hmm? I think that would be best, for all concerned….. let us Pearl…

Well, I like it. In fact, we’ll take it. Onward, fellow cognoscenti….

Shall we Pearl?….

“To speak kindly does not hurt the tongue.”

~~ Gentle Bee ~~

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

Clapton, Bruce, & Baker ~ 2005

Image from http://www.mirror.co.uk via Google Images

When I went to look for music for today, I was feeling in the mood for something raucous & driving. I can’t think of a better concert for just that combination of music, with three of the legendary best musicians in all of rock & roll, coming together nearly 40 years after breaking up their original group. Enjoy, ffolkes; this concert is, literally, one of the best ever seen, or performed….

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

Cream Reunion 2005

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

https://youtu.be/iF-pMingp6A?list=PL72C23EF77CEADE68

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

Socrates

    I feel like one
    Who treads alone
Some banquet-hall deserted,
    Whose lights are fled,
    Whose garlands dead,
And all but he departed.

~~ Thomas Moore — Oft in the Stilly Night ~~

As promised in the intro…. shameless…. I have altered some of the formatting to make it look better, reflecting our current look. None of the words themselves were altered, at all…. Oh, for those who wonder why the verse from Tom is above this section…. All I can say is, think about it, and, all you’ve learned here at ECR…. This piece turned out to be fairly lengthy, taken together as it was; so be it. I think it’s worth it….

From 4/12/2012:

Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing,
but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

~~ Matthew 7:15 ~~

Why look! There’s one of them now!….. Gosh, if it wasn’t for Matthew, we’d have never even noticed him…… thank God! No telling how much he traumatized those sheep…. C’mon grab your rifle, we’ll take him out before he goes rabid or something….

The above short piece of conversation was not me…. would I be that sarcastic? What? Well, I resemble that remark!….. Shame on you! Pulling covers like that! How will these folks who wear blinders all the damn time ever save themselves, if they can’t even see through what a preacher tells them? I’m afraid there isn’t much hope for them…. they’re doomed to a lifetime of ignorance, and its just rewards….. ah, well, such a pity…. The rest of mankind was hoping they’d get a clue, and try to come with us down the road of reason, and on toward survival, but, I suppose that folks are entitled to their own opinions, no matter how grossly ignorant, and bigoted. Well, as long as they don’t try to drag anyone else along with them to perdition; that would be a real shame…..

“Being intelligent is not a felony.
But most societies evaluate it as at least a misdemeanor.”

~~ Robert Heinlein ~~

___________________________________

“If you are out of trouble, watch for danger.”

~~ Sophocles ~~

Sophocles states one of mankind’s earliest attempts to make people aware of Murphy’s law, to prepare them, as it were, to deal with its unpredictable tendency to manifest at the most inopportune times. I can personally attest to the continuing relevance of this statement in reality, having encountered such danger on numerous occasions, and always when distracted by the absence of any other problems. It’s kind of like figuring out your taxes, finding out you will get a big refund, then having the car eat a piston on the way to mail the tax return forms….

“If you rely on Murphy’s law, everything will go as planned
(but don’t count on it.)”

~~ Sullivan’s Observation ~~

I just have to say, if you will pardon my French, Murphy is an asshole. Of course, my no doubt bad habit of calling a spade a spade (even if it is obviously a shovel) is probably the main reason he bothers me so much. But, knowing that doesn’t alter his stink, nor does it give him the right to fuck with people who haven’t done a damn thing to deserve it. I think that is what annoys me so much about him; he is so damnably inefficient in his application of his power over reality. No sense to his choices at all, at times.

Oh sure, occasionally, he’ll get one right, and one of the beloved ruling class, or one of humanity’s ever-present number of true assholes will get what they so justly deserve at his hands. But, more often, it is the little guy just struggling along, trying to make his way through a life that offers no breaks, and no bonuses, who is the butt of his adolescent humor. It’s really a pain in the arse, if you know what I mean….

“This isn’t hell.
This is where you get sent when you’ve been bad in hell.”

~~ Smart Bee ~~

___________________________________

BRAIN, n. An apparatus with which we think what we think. That which distinguishes the man who is content to _be_ something from the man who wishes to _do_ something. A man of great wealth, or one who has been pitchforked into high station, has commonly such a head full of brain that his neighbors cannot keep their hats on. In our civilization, and under our republican form of government, brain is so highly honored that it is rewarded by exemption from the cares of office.” — Ambrose Bierce, “The Devil’s Dictionary”

Once I stopped chuckling over the wit, and then got over the sadness engendered by its truth, this little gem came directly to today’s lineup. Not because it will cause a good discussion, or even that it is either egregiously wrong, or demonstrably correct, though it is certainly the latter. No, I am impressed more by the fact that this was included in the original version of The Dictionary by Mr. Bierce, which was published sometime in the mid-nineteenth century, over 150 years ago. Truly a vision of the future, as well as a stunningly life-like representation of the present….. and well worth including here, all by its lonesome…..

___________________________________

“Everything I have said and done in these last years is relativism by intuition… If relativism signifies contempt for fixed categories and men who claim to be the bearers of an objective, immortal truth… then there is nothing more relativistic than fascistic attitudes and activity… From the fact than all ideologies are of equal value, that all ideologies are mere fictions, the modern relativist infers that everybody have the right to create for himself his own ideology and to attempt to enforce it with all the energy of which he is capable.” — Benito Mussolini, _Diuturna_

As I read through this, I at first thought it was a parody, that someone was having us on, as it were. But then I realized that this person was perfectly serious, and was astonished at the arrogance, the narcissism, and the sheer unbridled effrontery of the author, if such he may be called. Then I saw the author’s name, and my mind went, “Aha! That explains it….” It is hard to know where to begin to perform a logical critique of so much nonsense, but once begun, it practically tears itself apart, displaying the inconsistencies that are inherent in any such ambition and greed thinly disguised as logical justification.

Benito starts off by using words which, according to their definitions, do not apply to the subject at hand; he gets around this little fillip by redefining the meaning of the words, thus allowing him to use them as assumptions that justify the pseudo-logical arguments that follow. He then finishes it off with a conclusion that is a complete 180 degrees from the actual truth of his assertions, thus turning an apparent discussion of ideologies and philosophy into a stand-up comedy routine, one that isn’t funny in the slightest…… And we all know where he ended up…. swinging slowly from a rope around his obese neck (at least figuratively, if not literally), applied by his fellow countrymen in just compensation for his evil…. and regardless of his obviously insane state of mind…..

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

Balance

Practicing being
mindful, always present now,
we learn how to flow.

~~ gigoid ~~

2/24/2016

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

Naked Pearls

Observations on Life at Large ~ Redux

*********

“We could never learn to be brave and patient,
if there were only joy in the world.”

~~ Helen Keller ~~

*********

“”Every great advance in natural knowledge
has involved the absolute rejection of authority.”

~~ Thomas Henry Huxley “

*********

“Whatever occurs from love is always beyond good and evil.”

~~ Friedrich Nietzsche ~~

*********

“Ridicule is the best test of truth.”

~~ Lord Chesterfield ~~

*********

“Freedom is always and exclusively
freedom for the one who thinks differently.”

~~ Rosa Luxemburg ~~

*********

“How can you buy or sell the sky?”

~~ Chief Seattle, 1852 ~~

*********

“It was the saying of Bion,
that though the boys throw stones at frogs in sport,
yet the frogs do not die in sport but in earnest.”

~~ Plutarch ~~

*********

“The chief good is the suspension of the judgment,
which tranquility of mind follows like its shadow.”

~~ Diogenes Laertius — Pyrrho, xi ~~

*********

“Chaos is but unperceived order.”

~~ attributed to Fred Hoyle ~~

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

Having thus completed my vow, I shall take my leave, until tomorrow, when I’ll make yet another effort at attaining some sort of literary competence… Fat chance, right? Ah, well, so be it. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, as long as the ol’ pump keeps pumpin’….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Synchronous statements of bald intent….

Posted on February 24, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“How we deal with death is at least as important
as how we deal with life, wouldn’t you say?”

~~ James T. Kirk, “The Wrath of Khan,” stardate 8130.3. ~~

Thinking it over….aka, plotting.

Hajime….. As time passes since Leelu came to live with me, I am reminded forcefully of two aphorisms which speak to the nature of Cat. First is one from our old friend Lazarus, who noted: Anyone who doesn’t believe in protocol has never dealt with a cat.” In a cat’s world, protocol is VERY important, for they are great believers in maintaining the status quo in their home life. They DON’T like changes made to the way things are…. The other statement has to do with their reaction when something is not to their liking, and goes like this: “You haven’t really been ignored until you’ve been ignored by a cat.” It’s often hilarious how effectively they can remove what they do not approve of from their awareness; it is total obliteration.

All that said, the perks are well worth the effort of learning to live with a picky, opinionated, small fur-bearing extortionist, especially, as now, when she comes to where I am sitting, gazes lovingly into my face, and purrs loudly to be picked up & cuddled for a morning session of bonding…. Time out for cat…. I’ll be back in a bit….

Okay…. She went off to eat & monitor the morning bird traffic in the back yard, so, I’ll try to slip in the rest of this post, & get it online before it’s play/training time. This chatty, informal approach to the intro worked pretty well, don’t you think? Good, because it was, literally, a pain in the ass to do. How do people be so damn nice? It’ wearing, to say the least, on us old curmudgeons. Not to mention what it could do to my rep. Ah, well, so be it. We’re far enough down the page I can ignore any ethical considerations, and just be done with it. And, that is what we’re going to do, right here, right now…. Watch THIS!….

Shall we Pearl?….

“If God is omnipotent, why does he need my money?”

~~ Curious Bee ~~

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

Playing For Change

Logo from email by P4C

It’s time for another great mix of the world’s best street music. This time, it’s a jam, and it’s awesome…. I don’t often use that word, so, you may wish to pay heed, as this is some special music, ffolkes…. Enjoy! It will be hard NOT to….

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

Groove in G

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

https://youtu.be/6LQhamwJcVY

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

Originally, I had intended to put a relatively short discussion here, on political issues, but, it isn’t ready. Instead, here is a relatively short, seven-star pearl on both politics, and religion, the twin delusions upon which our sick society is based…. No worries, just a few observations that are not what might be called main-stream, by any means…. I hope you enjoy this little indictment of those who would be Kings… or, Dogma Dogs….

“Democracy is more cruel than wars or tyrants.” — Seneca, Epistulae morales ad Lucilium CIV, c. 63

“Man is a religious Animal. He is the only Religious Animal. He is the only animal that has the True Religion – several of them. He is the only animal that loves his neighbor as himself and cuts his throat if his theology isn’t straight” — Mark Twain — The Damned Human Race

“Representative government has broken down. Our politicians represent not the people who vote for them but the commercial interests who finance their
election campaigns. We have the best politicians that money can buy.” — Edward Abbey

“The enemy is fear. We think it is hate; but, it is fear.’ — Mohandas K. Gandhi

“I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of my country…. Corporations have been enthroned, an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money-power of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until the wealth is aggregated in a few hands and the Republic is destroyed.” — Former US President Abraham Lincoln, Nov. 21, 1864 — letter to Col. William F. Elkins, printed in “The Lincoln Encyclopedia”, ed. Archer H. Shaw, Macmillan, 1950, NY

“THEOSOPHY, n. An ancient faith having all the certitude of religion and all the mystery of science. The modern Theosophist holds, with the Buddhists, that we live an incalculable number of times on this earth, in as many several bodies, because one life is not long enough for our complete spiritual development; that is, a single lifetime does not suffice for us to become as wise and good as we choose to wish to become. To be absolutely wise and good — that is perfection; and the Theosophist is so keen-sighted as to have observed that everything desirous of improvement eventually attains perfection. Less competent observers are disposed to except cats, which seem neither wiser nor better than they were last year. The greatest and fattest of recent Theosophists was the late Madame Blavatsky, who had no cat.” — Ambrose Bierce, “The Devil’s Dictionary”

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

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

Making Room

Our souls, they say, are like shapeless, infinite bags
in which we put all our pain, all our joyous wonder.
Broken hearts and thrilling love, riches to rags,
endless perceptions of serenity, and thunder.

‘Tisn’t simple, this spiritual journey to peace
memory is fickle, easily led astray;
darkness, ever lurking, without surcease
turning innocence to harm, from simple play.

Balance is the key.

Timing is everything.

Good can change bad, bad can change good.

Pain makes room for more joy in our souls.

The only power we need is the power to change ourselves.

~~ gigoid ~~

12/15/2013

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

As advertised, a classic, seven-star. old-school pearl, of the random, harlequin variety, with a few words on Life’s lesser known lessons worth learning…. Enjoy! Trust me, there’s a message at the end…..

“It has long been known that one horse can run faster than another – but which one? Differences are crucial.” — Lazarus Long

“He who should teach men to die would at the same time teach them to live.” — Michael de Montaigne, Essays, Book i, Chap. xviii, “That Men are not to judge of our Happiness till after Death”

“There’s always a bigger fish.” — Qui-Gon Jinn, Star Wars Episode I

“All time in all time. It does not change. It does not lend itself to warnings or explanations. It simply is. Take it moment by moment, and you will find that we are all bugs in amber.” — Kurt Vonnegut Jr., Slaughter-House 5

“Respect cannot be learned, purchased, or acquired…. it can only be earned.” — Gentle Bee

“The enemy is fear. We think it is hate; but, it is fear.” — Mohandas K. Gandhi

“Love means loving the unlovable – or it is no virtue at all.” — G. K. Chesterton, Heretics, 1905

Suitably interpreted, this is an exact value.” — Precise Bee

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

Well, it’s done. I’m completely in the dark as to how it will look, but, will trust the process once more, in order to get posted in a timely manner. We humans, it is well known, will go to many great lengths for the sake of expediency, and, I am nothing if not human. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, unless somebody provides me with a damn good reason not to do so…..

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

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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Tag Archives: Robert Heinlein

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