Overt simplicity: Bane, or Boon?….

Posted on August 8, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“The world is a book, and those who do not travel, read only a page.”

~~ Saint Augustine ~~

The Baddest Raccoon in the World

Image from the UK Telegraph 8/5/2015

Good morning…. I think. The odds have improved a bit; without going into boring detail, suffice it to say I’m up, and have slept adequately for the purposes for which we had hoped to so obtain. Boy, that got a little convoluted, didn’t it? Let’s try to stay within the loose parameters set by our nearly nonsensical title today, by keeping it simple. In fact, let’s keep it simple as pie…

Cool picture today, eh? That is one BAD ASS raccoon, boy howdy! If he’s bad enough to have a croc for a limo, can you imagine who he’s got for a bodyguard? Definitely somebody you wouldn’t want to mess with, I should guess…. Okay, enough about me….

Shall we Pearl?….

“If you can’t speak softly, just use the stick.”

~~ Smart Bee ~~

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I might have mentioned the laziness I feel today; if not, well, I am. I don’t even feel like expending the energy to go look for a video, so, instead, here are a few really cool pictures, from the same article where I found our Bad Ass Raccoon for today’s opening picture, a photo spread in the UK Telegraph on 8/5/2015. You can find the rest of the pictures by simply Googling the date and newspaper name…. Enjoy!….

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Today’s rant will be from the archives…. It’s not that I don’t have anything to rant about; in this crazy world full of assholes and butt wipes of all kinds, finding material is not a problem at all. No, it’s merely my own laziness, combined with a serendipitous find of an old rant on a currently hot-butto subject, to wit: gun control, a term which has a number of different meanings, depending on whether you’re speaking to someone from the NRA fanatics, or from the AABH Gumbies (American Association of Bleeding Hearts). My own opinion is…. well, don’t worry, it’ll be clear in a few moments….
Enjoy!….

From 7/24/2012:

Gun Control – the belief that government, with its great wisdom and moral superiority, can be trusted with a monopoly on deadly force. — Smart Bee

This short statement, which I sadly found unattributed, states perfectly why I resist all the efforts that people make to change my feelings about guns, and how society should deal with them. In 61+ years, I have never, ever seen one convincing argument that can even tempt me to believe that the government of this country is either morally superior or possesses great wisdom. In fact, all of the evidence I can find tells me the exact opposite.

If any of these people advocating that all guns should be made illegal to possess by a common citizen can provide me with ANYTHING, just one thing, that indicates that I am wrong in this matter, then let them show it. I’ve seen NOTHING that tells me that the government has ANY morals or ANY wisdom…. and I’m supposed to trust them with guns? I would as soon turn my back on a hungry leopard…..

I’m serious about this, as most of us are when speaking of deadly force and weaponry. But what I meant is, I am serious in my invitation to the people who advocate gun control,which I happen to believe in; my definition is just a bit different than the common conception. But, if they could provide me with even one piece of information to support their belief, then I’m willing to listen to it, and consider its validity, or lack of same. I’m fairly certain they cannot, or will not, do so, but I try to keep my mind open to new information. They have not provided any….

I don’t think that common citizens NEED to own automatic assault rifles, or bazookas, or tanks. But, access to these types of weapons CAN be regulated, in such a way, and firmly enough, that number of people who obtain them for nefarious purpose, such as what happened in Aurora, Colorado recently. (And in Orange county…. you just didn’t notice that near massacre because it was the police doing the shooting…. at scared women and children….) I can see requiring that a person wishing to obtain such weapons undergo psychiatric testing, and registering the guns so the police know where they are, and how many. Regulation is possible, and in the case of weapons capable of mass mayhem, desirable.

But, I DO NOT believe, for even one second, that any government in the world, including this one, can be trusted with a monopoly on deadly force… from that point to tyranny and slavery is one short step, as has been amply demonstrated throughout our bloody, violent history. “Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” We have all heard this, from the time we were small. It is a truism that nobody even bothers to try to disprove, as it has been proven to be true so many, many times, and it is so widely accepted as truth no one even knows anymore who said it first.

So, when I hear the outcry that always comes after an incident like the one in Colorado, shouting that “guns are bad”, and “get rid of the guns”, I sigh, and shake my head, and wonder at the naivete of the people who believe that the government could be trusted with that kind of power. But, I guess it’s no more naive than the folks who believe that Mitt the Twitt wants to help make their life better…. and no less dangerous a belie to hold…..

“Remember kids, if there’s a loaded gun in the room, be sure that you’re the one holding it.” — Captain Combat

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In the recent past, I’ve been too lazy to even go look for any new poems by anyone else. While cruising old Pearls for material, I found a good one, which I haven’t posted for three years, which ought to be long enough for a recycle job…. Enjoy!….

A Last Confession

What lively lad most pleasured me
Of all that with me lay?
I answer that I gave my soul
And loved in misery,
But had great pleasure with a lad
That I loved bodily.

Flinging from his arms I laughed
To think his passion such
He fancied that I gave a soul
Did but our bodies touch,
And laughed upon his breast to think
Beast gave beast as much.

I gave what other women gave
That stepped out of their clothes.
But when this soul, its body off,
Naked to naked goes,
He it has found shall find therein
What none other knows,

And give his own and take his own
And rule in his own right;
And though it loved in misery
Close and cling so tight,
There’s not a bird of day that dare
Extinguish that delight.

~~ William Butler Yeats ~~

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It took a bit of persuasion, but, SB came through in the end. This is what I’d call a typical Taoist pearl, with some pretty standard, not to mention excellent, thoughts on how to live one’s life in harmony with the universe…. Using these concepts as a guide can most certainly allow on to achieve, at the very least, a reasonable facsimile to harmony, which is, needless to say, better than the alternative, n’est pa?…..

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

“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

“Rotten wood cannot be carved.” — Confucius (Analects, Book 5, Ch. 9)

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

“Democritus said, words are but the shadows of actions.” — Plutarch — Of the Training of Children

“Great tranquility of heart is his who cares for neither praise nor blame.” — Thomas A. Kempis

“One who knows that enough is enough will always have enough.” — Lao-tzu, _Tao Te Ching_

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As is perfectly normal, a bit of a struggle ensued when I attempted to keep this process moving; SB always has something to contribute, and usually, it’s got a lot to do with whatever Murphy’s been whispering when I’m not paying attention…. Brute force and threats worked just fine today, though, meaning we saved a bit on bribes, always a good thing. I think it would probably be best now if we go, before I say something subject to litigation. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes; Mom says I have to….

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….

No, thanks, it’s already limp…

Posted on August 6, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Nothing is more dangerous than an idea…. if it’s the only one you’ve got.”

~~ Smart Bee ~~

Whither bound, mariner?

West by west, against the tide…

Good morning…. Welcome to ECR, and, the creation of today’s Pearl…. Bolstered as we are by the boon of an appreciable period of time in the arms of Morpheus, big plans have been formulated, none of which, naturally, will ever see the light of day. We’re up, though, and reasonably well-rested, having had almost enough sleep to require TWO hands on which to count the hours…. Almost….

It will have to do, though, and, we are grateful for what we were blessed to receive…. Hell, it only took three hours of chewing, swallowing, pacing, and twitching, along with about $200 worth of marginally illegal drugs to get it, but, hey, who’s counting, right? Not us…. Just kidding, of course; we’d never consider using illegal drugs for anything….. Well, anything other than emergency backup, anyway. One can never be sure one is getting what is promised on the street…. Of course, the very same can be said of what we get from pharmaceutical companies, can’t it? I don’t think I trust their good intentions any more than I do my local street dealer…. At least I know where to find him if I have an issue….

Too snarky? No? Good. We wouldn’t want to get stuck in snarky-mode this early, though, it’s not a bad idea sometimes. A bit of erudite caricature, combined with some snide realism, can make for a funny segment…. But, since we’re already dealing with being stuck in the royal “we”, perhaps we’ll not go into any of that…. Obviously, we are already confused. We have no clue why we are stuck here, but, we’re doing as well as we can…. Perhaps if,…. No, better not. Never mind.

Clearly, the process of putting together a fresh Pearl is going to be a bit of a struggle, given the apparent handicaps under which we are obviously ~~struggling~~ operating…. A mind too clear, a perceptive-mode tilted about 20º off plumb, and, a daunting view of vast vistas of blank white space, may just be more than we are prepared to cope with; we can do no less than try our best, though, for it is our chosen duty…. SIGH….

That being the case, perhaps we’d best be on our way…. Luigi, if you please…. You know what to do….

Shall we Pearl?….

When the dream came, I held my breath with my eyes closed.
I went insane, like a smoke ring day when the wind blows.

~~ Neil Young ~~

~~ “On My Way Home”, Buffalo Springfield ~~

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One of the very first videos I chose to post here, once I figured out how to do it on WP, is/was this one. It is also one of the best concerts, ever, in my opinion, offering a joyous blend of music from East and West, with some of the finest musicians alive, playing their hearts out in memory of one of their friends…. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do…..

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Concert for George

Royal Albert Hall ~ 2002

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https://youtu.be/LG5EdoxBVt0

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Before beginning this blog on WordPress, in August of 2011, I wrote for a site called GoodBlogs. The rant below is one I wrote for them; technically it’s theirs, but, I wrote it, so I figure I can use it when I want, law be damned. I’m an American, and, damn it, I can make decisions according to selfish expediency if I want; everyone else does it, because it’s been a valid excuse for humans since cave days…. Besides, I’m lazy, and didn’t feel like ranting today…. Enjoy, it’s a precursor of a lot of what I’ve written here on WP…. sort of an embryo rant, so to speak….

Written 7/17/2011:

How Seriously Twisted People Stole Your Votes

“It’s said that ‘power corrupts’, but, actually, it’s more true to say power attracts the corruptible. The sane are usually attracted by other things than power. When they do act, they think of it as service, which has limits. The tyrant, though, seeks mastery, for which he is insatiable, implacable.” — David Brin, The Postman

Is it just me, or does anyone else out there feel this country is being hijacked toward a future we never contemplated, one in which we have increasingly fewer and fewer rights? Since the advent of the Patriot Act back in 2001, we, the American people, have had a significant percentage of our liberties curtailed by the backlash of fear that gripped the country at that time. Without a whimper or any sound of protest, we have allowed the government to abrogate several of the freedoms that the founding fathers attempted to secure for us, including rights guaranteed to us by the Constitution. Ironically, it is purportedly done all in the name of “homeland security”. I thought “homeland security” was guaranteed for us by the Bill of Rights, which gave us the right bear arms. A 12-gauge over-and-under Winchester is all the “homeland security” I need.

Now, I know some folks will ask, “well, but what about terrorists?” My answer would be, one can only be terrorized if they give control over their emotions to someone else. When I first heard about the attacks taking place on 9/11, I too felt a moment of fear, along with the anguish and sadness that came with the reports of casualties. But fear passes, always, whereupon, reflection allowed my reason to re-assert control. When we allow our fears to dictate our actions, we are acting out of weakness, not strength. Acting out of fear can only exacerbate what is already an unstable situation.

In my estimation, this loss of liberties can, unfortunately, be laid right in our own laps. The American public, over the last century, and into this one, has consistently voted for people (men and women) who lie to us without remorse. Every president we’ve had since 1950 has lied to the American public; this is a documented fact, not a supposition. Eisenhower, Kennedy, Nixon, Johnson, Reagan, Clinton, Bush I, Bush II, Obama; all of them have been caught in lies, reported in the news (you’ll note Mr. Carter was not included; he may be the best man we’ve ever had in that position. It’s too bad that the rest of our government was made to look bad in comparison; his integrity was unforgivable to them, so, naturally, they sabotaged all his attempts at reform). Not one of them has ever admitted to these lies, though there is ample documented proof of them.

As long as the American public refuses to admit their own complicity in re-electing all these “tyrants” (see quote, above), then we will continue to have to combat further degradation of our rights, because the way the politicians see it, they can continue doing exactly as they wish, because nobody is ever going to take them to task for it.

We need to stop electing people who want the job. They want the job because they know it gives them free license to steal from the American public, which is not a bad gig, if you can get it. I can’t see how we can keep our freedom, when we keep electing people who want to take it away. Think about it! Is it sane to want such power over others? No, it is not. It is insane, and insane people should not be allowed to control our destiny.

“No man who needs a monument ever ought to have one.”

~~ Nathaniel Hawthorne ~~

End of rant…..thanks for listening…..

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In keeping with the theme as presented in the ranting section, here’s a poem I wrote in January of this year, in much the same/sane vein….

gigoid’s lament

Not a bit of all the pain I feel
is worse than all I see;
all worldly truth, solid and real,
has faded away, never to be free.

Honor stripped of all regard,
while compassion simply fails;
Ignorance , powerful, hard,
crows as reason wails.

Crushing resistance, mandating the vote,
selling illusion, smiling all the while.
Pundits, speaking purely by rote,
arrange all the lies in a tidy pile.

Stupidity ’tis said, is a risky choice;
the price is always the same.
Reality has no pity, no warning ever voiced,
only a gravestone, carved with, our name.
,
~~ gigoid ~~

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Today’s final pearl promises to be a bit strange… If you’ve been around here for long, you’ll know, that’s saying something….. When I sat down to begin searching for pearls, I left it open, allowing SB to set the pace…. The very first pearl shown was this:

“This mind intentionally left blank.”

Well!…. You can see I why I was initially taken aback…. But, then I decided to let SB have its head for once, so, what we get is what we get…. Let’s see how it goes, shall we?…

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

(Oops! I knew this was a mistake…. Oh, well, too late to turn back now….)

“I prefer to remain anomalous.” — Smart Bee

“Bow to no patron’s insolence. Rely on no frail hopes; in freedom live and die.” — Seneca

“It is ridiculous to lay the blame of our wrong actions upon external causes, rather than on the facility with which we ourselves are caught by such causes.” — Aristotle

“Time carves all. Let yourself be carved to attain your true nature.” — Master Po

“Life is not separate from death. It only looks that way.” — Native American Proverb (Blackfoot)

“What you see is from outside yourself, and may come, or not, but is beyond your control. But your fear is yours, and yours alone, like your voice, or your fingers, or your memory, and therefore yours to control. If you feel powerless over your fear, you have not yet admitted that it is yours, to do with as you will.” — Marion Zimmer Bradley, “Stormqueen”

“He sleeps well who knows not that he sleeps ill.” — Publius Syrus — Maxim 77

“All things considered, insanity may be the only reasonable alternative.” — Smart Bee

I’m not going to comment on how it turned out. I will say, we’ll think twice about doing this again….

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As suspected, it came out with a few wrinkles; I don’t believe any of them will detract from the overall view, though, so, we’ll let them be, in the interests of compassion for our still fragile condition…. Let me merely add, DAMN!…. I’m sure glad that’s done! I think I may have strained my brain….. Fortunately, I have a full 24 hours to recover, before starting this process all over again…. And people say I’m not consistent!….

See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes. There doesn’t seem to be anything logical, rational, or compellingly threatening enough to stop me, so…. what the hell? Why not?….. Ta, then…. Oh, and, remember to be excellent to each other….

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….

Anecdotal scenes from the Ugly Bug Ball….

Posted on August 5, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“The secret of man’s being is not only to live but to have something to live for.”

~~ Fyodor Dostoyevsky ~~

Rorschach Rock

What do YOU see?

Some of y’all may note today’s opening looks slightly different than it has been lately. Good eye….. Not that it means much, there’s no prize or anything, but, hey, credit where credit’s due, I always say. What may not be as apparent is the reason for the change, but, I doubt you’re going to want to spend a long time trying to figure it out, as I’m not going to say, and, we have to go on almost immediately, so, no time for questions…. How ’bout that? Funny how that works, eh?….

S’okay, we’re all used to being ignored, or abused, & expected to just swallow it; our society finds a way to do that to each and every one of us each and every day…. But, I digress…. Ranting in the intro is no longer allowed, as we know, yet, somehow, the rage I’m feeling right now has grown past my ability to sublimate, or repress, or even understand…. I’m very close, emotionally, at least, to my limit. I’m a tough old coot, but, even I must have a limit to how long I can keep myself from firing back at the assholes who make our lives so difficult, in a way that gets their attention….

“I am grim… and harsh… and ripe with fury! I fight and kill and howl and get *all bloody*! I go bowling whenever I want!” — The Carrot’s statements on life…

I promised myself (during the FIRST time I was up last night…) I wouldn’t whine, no matter what. So, instead I’ll be aggressively vituperative, in a figurative sense, toward all things asinine, a word which, as we know, forms the basis of our name for our Beloved Ruling Class, and their Masters, those premier assholes of humanity, those servants of evil….. Yes, it’s the Asininnies, those small-spirited, egotistic, misogynistic, buttheads we know and love so little…. I suppose merely verbal, or, in this case, written vitriol won’t really kill the urge, (or, them, sadly…), but, it will help by not spilling it on anything or anyone undeserving of such honors, and help me keep my word to myself, thus abusing y’all less…. It can’t lose, as long as I can keep myself under control….

To assist myself in that task, it would be best to get on with the rest of today’s mess….

This introduction has been brought to you by the makers of tardive dyskinesia, medical science’s most annoying side effect, and, by Insomniacs International…. They’re ALWAYS up, for something or other…. All insults, accusations, indictments, assertions, founded, or unfounded, and, of course, all ridicule, is intentional, and, patently, well-deserved.

No spitting allowed without a permit; limit of three victims, all must be of different category…. snakehead, pundit, dogma dog, or myrmidon, which regulations require be clearly marked on the identification-toe-tags included in your kit. Please provide the caliber of your weapon to the stewardess, and ammunition will be provided….

Let’s do this….

Shall we Pearl?….

“Laugh, and the world ignores you. Crying doesn’t help either.”

~~ Smart Bee, the Realist ~~

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At the risk of being accused of living in the past, I’m going there anyway, for a specific reason…. I’m in the mood, as mentioned, for some serious ass-kicking. This is the kind of music one should have playing, at full volume, (the level should threaten eardrums for a quarter-mile….), while laying about with one’s weapon of choice…. Mine is a katana, or, perhaps, a staff…. Hell, a bag of rocks will do in a pinch….

As the old mountain-man hard-ass, (Brian Keith, in a BRILLIANT cameo appearance), in “Young Guns”, who rode slowly, sleepily up to the group of gunslingers on his donkey, stepped down, grinned, and, said, as he opened fire with both guns,

“Let’s dance!”….

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Boston Live 7/29/2014

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https://youtu.be/G0UU4yyKmyI

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“If any man have an ear, let him hear.”

~~ Revelations 13:9 ~~

Today’s rant will be of a slightly different format, simply because it’s all I could handle at 0330, (the SECOND time I got up last night…). I’ve got a lot of angst (translation: RAGE) built up in me, thanks to insomnia, dramatically increased pain level, and the living hell of tardive dyskinesia q4h like fucking clockwork, all thanks to the kind ministrations and completely asshole nature of my doctors, thank you very much. Assholes.

That said, my need to blame is assuaged, but, the rage is not. I’m not sure I could produce a coherent rant in this state; too many conflicting images of a homicidal nature keep intruding whenever I think about any of the issues I normally choose as the outlet for my dreaded outbursts (dreaded by me, for the adrenalin rush…. I don’t mind the energy, or the anger so much; it’s the hours of coming down that is an ordeal…. almost as bad as the TD….). So, we’ll go with a method I developed a couple years ago, but, never used much. It will work today; the comments I make are shorter….

Here then is the result of my attempt to get all the dross and drivel out of my head, and onto the screen, where it doesn’t cause so much trouble for me….

“Whenever, therefore, the profession of arms becomes a distinct order in the state….the end of the social compact is defeated… No free government was ever founded, or ever preserved its liberty without uniting the characters of the citizen and soldier in those destined for the defense of the state…Such are a well regulated militia, composed of the freeholders, citizen and husbandman, who take up arms to preserve their property, as individuals, and their rights as freemen.” — Richard Henry Lee

Can there be any doubt, in any reasonable mind, our social contract has been dissolved?…. Not only have our armed forces become organizations of professionals, run by hereditary families of warriors, and career students of War, loyal only to their sworn superior officers, not to the people of this country…. Even the National Guard has become a tool of government against the people; remember Kent State, back in the 60’s?

In addition, this professional militarism has spread to the no-longer-civilian police forces in every state, county, and town in this country, even going so far as having the government armed forces share equipment of war with those police forces, spreading their older, unused weaponry and accessories around to those departments, which now view the public as their enemies, not their neighbors…. The people now fear the government, rather than the other way around, as our system was designed to work….

“Deceit in the conduct of war outweighs valor and is worthy of merit.” — Niccolo Machiavelli

Can you think of a better example of how the political mind works differently than that of the public? This, to me, demonstrates perfectly how little the needs of the common man concern those who seek power; it doesn’t even enter into their calculations at all. Why would it, when their ethical/moral model of reality is the exact opposite of that espoused by our most revered scholars and sages, who regard Truth as an inviolable habit for the honorable man….

“Unfortunately, the people of Louisiana are not racists.” — Vice President Dan Quayle, regarding David Duke’s candidacy, 10/12/90, (reported in Esquire, 8/92)

No need for much comment here; Dan speaks for himself. This is included primarily for a bit of comic relief, much needed, I assure you…. Gad! He was/is SO stupid! It makes me cringe, every time I think of how close he was at times to being the President of this country…. I mean, what if the Junior Shrub had choked on some broccoli, or something? Wouldn’t THAT have been perfect irony?…

“Those who voluntarily put power into the hands of a tyrant or an enemy, must not wonder if it be at last turned against themselves.” — Aesop

Another way of reminding ourselves we only have ourselves to blame for all of this…. Sad, hard to swallow, but, true….

“The truest wild beasts live in the most populous places.” — Baltasar Gracian, “The Art of Worldly Wisdom” 1647

I would suppose it’s becoming more than clear I’m feeling a bit snarky today…. All I can say is, so fucking what? Whenever I think of all of the SHIT that flows out of Washington D.C., the truer the above statement becomes to me. I regard all politicians at the national level to be psychopaths, clinically insane, as proven by the mere act of running for an office at that level. Only insane persons WANT that sort of power over others, so, I regard their ambition as concrete proof of their lack of morality, ethics, or standard levels or intelligence, for that matter, all of which goes along perfectly with their incredibly delusional view of Reality….

Damn! I got so hyped up typing that last paragraph, my left hand fell asleep, from typing too fast for too long, as all that vitriol poured out without pause. I’d hoped to carry on for a bit longer, to at least seven pearls, but, it looks like five will have to do….

I’m pissed, ffolkes, if it wasn’t made clear. Just thought you should know…. I guess I’m done for now. I know I didn’t accomplish much, but, I think I got enough crap cleared out to at least get something done today along more constructive lines…. If nothing else, having thus completed this ugly, but, necessary self-imposed duty, it gives me the wherewithal, and the authority, to finish this pearl in the approved manner, with a short statement in summary….

“I came, I saw, I went back into the house.”

~~ gigoid ~~

~~ Wednesday 2015 ~~

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Here is one of the first poems I wrote back in 2012, during the period of time my 35 year hiatus at writing in verse came to an end…. Even now, I still think it’s one of my best…. It’s certainly one of the most personal….

Raging at Aging

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

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

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

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

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

~~ gigoid ~~

Written 10/17/2012.

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Relatively Consensual Reality

Image from 123rf.com via Google Images

This pearl came together in a rather odd fashion; in the end, it’s a pretty good range of concepts, all of which have to do with some of the more important parts of Life as we know it…. Well, I guess a qualifier is called for…. That would be Life as we dubioids know it; don’t worry, if you are one, you’d know (the big, round, honking nose is a dead giveaway). If you don’t, (know, that is…), that’s fine, too, because, hey, you’re a dubioid, and, thus, protected from the worst vicissitudes of Life by your very nature….

See how that works? No? Ah, well….

“If you shut up truth, and bury it underground, it will but grow.” — Emile Zola

“The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it.” — George Bernard Shaw

“Fear is the main source of superstition, and one of the main sources of cruelty. To conquer fear is the beginning of wisdom, in the pursuit of truth as in the endeavour after a worthy manner of life.” — Bertrand Russell, “An Outline of Intellectual Rubbish”

“The laugh of a child will make the holiest day more sacred still.” — Robert G. Ingersoll

“Weakness of attitude becomes weakness of character.” — Albert Einstein

“Courage conquers all things.” — Ovid

“To teach is to learn.” — Japanese Proverb

“The deed is everything, the glory is naught.” — Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

“Surely every human being ought to attain to the dignity of the unit. Surely it is worth while to be one, and to feel that the census of the universe would be incomplete without counting you. Surely there is grandeur in knowing that in the realm of thought you are without a chain; that you have the right to explore all heights and all depths; that there are no walls or fences, or prohibited places, or sacred corners in all the vast expanse of thought; that your intellect owes no allegiance to any being, human or divine; that you hold all in fee, and upon no condition, and by no tenure, whatsoever; that in the world of mind you are relieved from all personal dictation, and from the ignorant tyranny of majorities. Surely it is worth something to feel that there are no priests, no popes, no parties, no governments, no kings, no gods, to whom your intellect can be compelled to pay a reluctant homage. Surely it is a joy to know that all the cruel ingenuity of bigotry can devise no prison, no dungeon, no cell in which for one instant to confine a thought; that ideas cannot be dislocated by racks, nor crushed in iron boots, nor burned with fire. Surely it is sublime to think that the brain is a castle, and that within its curious bastions and winding halls the soul, in spite of all worlds and all beings, is the supreme sovereign of itself.” — Robert Green Ingersoll, “The Free Soul”

There you go…. I’m pretty sure I can’t make it any clearer than that, which is too bad, because that’s pretty obscure, isn’t it? Oh, well, c’est la vie, as they say in Paris…. That’s in France, which is why…. oh, never mind…..

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

Difficult as it may be to believe, I’m done. For a bit there, it looked as if I might never get enough out to save my ass from another f’d up day in paradise; fortunately for all of us, I did. Y’know what? I’m gonna go buy some champagne, bring it home, pour it in a glass, and toss it down the sink… I HATE champagne! Hmm, maybe I won’t. Maybe, instead, I’ll just go on with the day, and see what happens…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes; I don’t seem to be able to find a way to keep it from happening….

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….

Simply salivating would have been sufficient….

Posted on August 4, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“If you can’t think for yerself, you shouldn’t think at all.”

~~ Smart Bee ~~

Oh, really?

Image from the UK Telegraph Animal Pictures of the Week, June, 2015

Good morning…. While recognizing the complete lack of a pattern to the sleep I’ve managed to find of late, I’ve noted one characteristic that seems common; I’m up at least two hours, at least once per night, dealing with the drama of tardive dyskinesia, which is merely fancy terminology for the twitches, or, as we not fond of calling them, the true heebee jeebees…. If you haven’t had the dubious pleasure of experiencing this condition, allow me to congratulate you on having missed out on one of Life’s LEAST pleasurable events…. Quite frankly, it sucks….

If I’m able to sleep after the shakes have passed, all is fairly well; often, that doesn’t happen, as the process of finding ways to distract myself from the jitters, plus distractions from the pain that’s always nearby, will often wake me up so I can’t return to the arms of Morpheus…. who wouldn’t hold me, anyway, as I’m too shaky & grumpy….

Which is where y’all have the dubious distinction of finding me today…. I’m going to issue a warning, to have a care today. I’m in a really rotten mood, and I can’t seem to find any reason in me to be nice…. If I did, I’d toss it in somebody’s face. In fact, I’m going to have Luigi take y’all on to the oyster beds, while I go consume some marginally legal drugs, to see if I can find a bit of peace inside somewhere…. I’ll meet y’all down the road apiece, if I can shake this off…… If not, well, too fucking bad….. Get ’em outta here, Lou, while there’s still time….

Shall we Pearl?….

“There’s no easy quick way out, we’re gonna have to live through our whole lives, win, lose, or draw.” — Walt Kelly

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

I don’t think I have to explain why I chose this music today; if you don’t get it, go back & read the intro again, you will….

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

Classical Music for Sleep

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

https://youtu.be/vAqLStH6E6s

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“Why doesn’t everybody leave everybody else the hell alone?” — Jimmy Durante

Oh, what a perfect opening line for a rant…. Too bad I’m in such a snarky mood; I’m even too pissed off at the world at large to rant well…. Oh, there’s plenty of emotion available…. So much, I can’t afford to let it out, lest it shoot the wounded, and attack the white flag; I’m afraid any ranting I do today would leave too many open wounds and dead bodies to make it practical. Here’s one from the archives that will have to do…..

From 4/13/2013:

“Custom does often reason overrule and only serves for reason to the fool.” — John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester

This aphorism is one that I think most people would accept as true, at least part of the time. It also points up what I see as a basic flaw in human nature, a characteristic that everyone possesses, and few overmaster. It has to do with our core beliefs, and the attitude we assume as our method of perception, the orientation of our world-view, as it were. We all perceive what is out there in the universe, but we are not capable, at this time, of understanding, or even noting, all that is there to be perceived, as we are limited to what we can see, hear, feel, touch, taste, or deduce, in our immediate vicinity…. We don’t yet know how to include the input of anything not in our physical presence, other than vicariously (via TV, radio, books, etc…..).

We do, however perceive what we are near, and what we do with those perceptions is what determines how the events of our lives will proceed. What is more, each one of us perceives all of this IN A DIFFERENT WAY….. Two people can look at the same article, or event, and see two entirely different things; just ask them….. We use the same senses, the same KIND of brains to process the data, at the same time to observe the same event, yet the interpretation of those events will vary, by as many degrees as there are people perceiving them. This unique ability, to process data in a completely new and different way from anyone else’s method, is, as might be guessed, both a blessing, and a curse….. It is the latter that concerns me today…..

In order to coexist in the same place and time, people have learned to accept certain perceptions as being identical, for the purposes of communication, e.g., everyone knows what “fire” is, and knows not to touch it barehanded…. (Note: in a way, this blog is all about the process of such communications…. we explore the reality that is consensual, that we all agree to deal with as being the same for all of us…..) This is the blessing it gives, the opportunity to increase understanding, to allow people to work in tandem, making both much more capable, making two more than just one plus one….. This is a very useful tool in the real world, and has helped our species achieve the degree of civilization we now enjoy….

But, the other side of this characteristic has an equal part in our destiny, and may in fact be the more important of the two, in the ultimate sense….. You see, we are all herd animals, and desire the approval and company of our peers; without it, we suffer, much more than we even know. It is not “human” to remain alone too long…. Oh, there is nothing wrong with solitude, and much great thought is achieved when one is not distracted by others….. On the other hand, a human who is alone for too long becomes a pale imitation of his/her true self, without the presence of other minds to test his/her theories, to discuss and share their feelings and accomplishments, to vent their frustrations, to experience love….. Without these things, our spirits become small, and lose their moral compass, leaving us adrift in a reality that seems dark, and dangerous….

This dependence on custom (which I define as the total construct of human society, the set of rules and regulations, all unwritten, by which all of us shape our behavior in respect to each other…..) is so strong that, as the aphorism states, one becomes willing to set reason aside, in order to keep and maintain our feeling of having a place in society. We will assume whatever mask that society demands, at times, in order to not have to wear a mask of our own devising, one that we do not find comfortable…. This is the curse of which I spoke….

You see, there are a number of people who have no compunctions whatsoever in using this human characteristic to their own ends….. They don’t believe in any of the crap they spew, but will say or do anything to make sure that others do, because this is how they control the general populace… They spread their lies, fast and often, until they are believed…. these lies promulgate fear amongst the uneducated and timid, who then demand that “something be done!” by those in charge…. which is exactly what those people wanted, for they can now proceed to further fan the flames of fear, while surreptitiously looting the public treasury to make it seem as if they are doing something constructive…. “Hey, they’re stealing our oil! Let’s spend a few billion to bomb the crap out of them so we can keep driving SUV’s, with great cup holders!”

Oh well, I guess that’s all the rant I’ve got in me today…. It’s kind of mild I know, but I was trying to be scholarly, rather than controversial and accusatory…. I think I’ve succeeded in that, but, it doesn’t quite give the same thrill and/or release as a good, nasty rant, with some great name-calling… Well, I can always call them assholes, because, hey, it fits, and it’s easy to type…. Any who, I’ll stop now, right on the edge of illumination, and allow the Gentle Reader to follow the train of my thought to its obvious conclusion…. For those too busy, or too lazy to do so, I’ll summarize….

Don’t listen to what anyone else says, not about YOUR perceptions. And, for sure, kick the asses of anyone who tries to convince you of their integrity in an elected capacity, or any position of authority…. A lot of people, on every level of society, are just trying to control you for their own purposes, and deserve any ass-kicking that comes their way…. Be like a cat…. cats don’t give a SHIT what anybody thinks, they just are….. No apologies, no fuss, just leave me alone, because I’m busy being a cat….. This is good advice, so, listen up, I’m trying to do you a favor….. 😆

“We need very strong ears to hear ourselves judged frankly, and because there are few who can endure frank criticism without being stung by it, those who venture to criticize us perform a remarkable act of friendship, for to undertake to wound or offend a man for his own good is to have a healthy love for him.” — Michel Eyquem de Montaigne _Essays_, bk. III, ch. 11 [1595]

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Savory

Blown across steppes of imagination, a spore
finds a niche, takes root,
tries to live longer than now, before
chaos/peace descends, and desire is moot.

Feathered into fecundity, another possibility
builds a nest, hatches kin,
aims at immortality, sans responsibility,
chance manifests, as it does, again.

Leading toward peril, entropy saves creativity,
making tools, and lazy time;
solid signs imply such simple nativity,
as another snitch drops his dime.

Subtle compassion billows, passion to unfold,
covering hearts bloodied by time,
burning flesh made valid, unwaveringly bold,
turning love to brilliant rhyme.

Years weigh lightly, supported by youth,
gaining weight with each year,
only the old men know the actual truth,
peace comes only by losing our fear.

~~ gigoid ~~

Written 4/9/2013.

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

Again from the archives…. Enjoy!….

From 4/12/2013:

Time now for an old school pearl, harlequin style…. Don’t fret if that makes no sense to you, it’s just the way things go around here….. Today’s group of pearls all have something in common, but, it really doesn’t matter, because the point of it all is too weird to even vocalize. Just enjoy them for their relevance in a world gone mad….

“One is not idle because one is absorbed. There is both visible and invisible labor. To contemplate is to toil. To think is to do.” — Victor Hugo

“Forget the cake, go for the icing.” — from Observations on Life From Children

“.. bleakness…. desolation…. plastic forks…” — Zippy the Pinhead

Go, Soul, the body’s guest,
Upon a thankless arrant:
Fear not to touch the best,
The truth shall be thy warrant:
Go, since I needs must die,
And give the world the lie.

~~ Sir Walter Raleigh (1552-1618) — The Lie ~~

“Don’t try this at home, kids. This should only be done by trained, professional idiots.” — Plucky Duck

“and what i want to know is how do you like your blueeyed boy Mister Death” — ee cummings, Buffalo Bill

“When I was five years old, my mother used to tell me that happiness was the key to Life. When I went to school, they asked me to write down what I would like to be when I grew up. I wrote down, “happy”. They told me I didn’t understand the assignment. I told them they didn’t understand Life.” — John Lennon

Just so you know, the above is one of the finest seven star pearls I’ve ever created, I think….. Mark it down…. you were here when it was first made…. fresh from the wilds of inner space…..

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

I did it. It’s done, and I don’t care at all what it looks like, feels like, or hell, I don’t care if it shimmies like my sister Kate. It’s done, so, it stays…. I’m outta here, too, before I say something I’ll later regret….. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, if I’m still free of incarceration….

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….

In the absence of Time, use this Space….

Posted on August 3, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Friends are the flowers in the garden of life.”

~~ Smart Bee ~~

This new NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image shows the Lagoon Nebula, an object with a deceptively tranquil name. The region is filled with intense winds from hot stars, churning funnels of gas, and energetic star formation, all embedded within an intricate haze of gas and pitch-dark dust.

The Lagoon Nebula

Image by the ESA/NASA Hubble Deep Space Telescope

Good morning…. Thanks to the machinations I’m compelled to use in order to get any sleep at all, I was up for almost three hours last night, (in the middle of the damn thing, at that!), then fell out so hard I overslept my usual time for posting…. SIGH…. So much for the best laid plans, eh? Ah well, it’s a good thing I had some time yesterday, & got the rant done then…. That saves almost half the available time, right there….

So, I’ll use my newest grand technique to explain myself, thus,

[dignified silence]

There, we have now regained at least a modicum of our dignity, while simultaneously saving a bunch of time…. It also, to my intense relief, reestablished to some degree my aplomb, without which I feel naked in public…. Ah, that’s better…. Okay, Luigi, hit it!….

Shall we Pearl?….

“Education is the best provision for old age.”

~~ Aristotle ~~

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babies-photos-wallpapers-free-download-25

Image from melauspartners.com via Google Images

To find a different mix for y’all, I went back several pages in the You Tube search, and found a perfect batch…. It’s advertised as over 3 hours of classical music for babies…. Probably better for them than anything but mother’s milk…. If the expression on that babies face is any indication, it’s pretty damn good, for sure….That would be my guess, anyway…. Enjoy!…

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Classical Music for Babies

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https://youtu.be/I6Y33MaTGsk

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

Morning Muse

“In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth.”

~~ Genesis 1:1 ~~

See, now, THERE! Right there! The very first time I heard that, as a child, I remember thinking to myself, “The beginning of what?” My second thought was, “Did anybody SEE that? Must’ve been cool.” Well, okay, the second one I just made up. But, the first one is still clear in my mind, and, still pretty thoroughly unanswered in any meaningful way, by anybody I know, or have heard about. Since then, of course, a number of other thoughts and comments have occurred to me at various moments, but, they’re mostly sarcastic, sardonic, or downright cruel, so, we’ll just go on…

The absolute uncertainty I perceived as inherent in the statement, clearly obvious to me even at that age, at that precise moment, was thus established in my mind as the prevailing tenor of all such proclamations, before those telling it to me could reinforce it as something I was supposed to accept as true…. I believe this revelation, which occurred at the age of about 4 or 5, if I recall correctly, is primarily responsible for having saved me from so much of the anguish and trouble I observe in so many of my peers…. In short, it set off my crap detector, and, I listened…

In the intervening 60 years, I’ve made a fairly wide, thorough study of religion(s), as much as possible for an overly literate layman. Whether my conclusions based on my studies are correct, or not, is for me to decide; y’all can make up your own, if you’ve a mind to (Little joke there….) I guess it’s obvious by now, I’m going to tell you some of those conclusions…. See how sharp y’all are?….

It seems to me, from all my studies, the only reasonable conclusion I can make, basing my reason on my extensive reading, is this: all the major religions were created…. They are all just fabulous stories, thought up by unscrupulous sociopaths, more interested in other people’s morals than their own (or, possessing an even greater measure of fear of Life than the average insane person…), who wished to manipulate the others of our species, who were also too afraid of life to face it directly.

All they saw around them, this large, terrifying, UNKNOWN universe, full of strange noises and powerful elements they did not comprehend, caused them to retreat in fear into their own minds, rather than screwing up their courage to go out into the world, to try to find out what it all meant, or how it worked, and, most importantly, to understand, and to see what else there was to see…. It’s easy to give in to fear like that; I know it, you know it. We’ve all felt fear at the unknown… But, one has to make a choice, to face it like a human, with curiosity, and courage, or, like a sub-human, running for his mama back in the cave….

Rather than THINK about what they heard, and about what they saw, these unfortunates, many of whom were brainwashed before they had a real chance to learn how to reason, accepted the first thing they heard to explain what they feared, the first one to offer surcease, most often hearing this from a person who had been brainwashed the same way at the same age, never questioning what they were told, thus removing from them any responsibility to ever make up their own minds about anything.

It’s a harsh reality about Reality; once one gives away their right, or willingness to make their own personal decisions about what to believe, one may as well fasten a slave’s collar around their own neck, willingly…. Better yet, through the nose, for that is how they’ll be led around for the rest of their lives. The saddest part of this is that such people will never break free, for, to do so, they would have to give up believing what they’ve always held to be true…. and, we already know how they feel about facing their fears. They’d have to first admit they were wrong, then decide to do what they’ve NEVER done…. which is to have the courage to take responsibility for their own actions….

It’s a tough world out there; I think it’s really too bad so many ffolkes have such a hard time with a) understanding what they perceive, and b) understanding themselves…. I find it sad, that so many people miss out on most of the real beauty in life, which comes from connecting with that understanding, and making it connect yet again to the real world…. Believe me, the rewards are much greater, and much more tangible than promises of immortality one cannot help but disdain; immortality is not just an Illusion, it is also Reality…. Two sides, one coin, ffolkes…. No God needed…. Actually, I just thought of a way you can see God, right now…. Go into the bathroom, turn on the light, and, look in the mirror…. There you go….

Hah! Gotcha! The funny thing is… you think it was a joke, when, in fact, it’s the absolute gospel truth…. Dig it.

Gosh, look, ffolkes! It’s a pearl, without any pearls…. I guess we’ll have to fix that before we get to today’s poetry section, which I think you’ll find says much the same as I just spouted off, but, in a slightly different scansion….

First, let’s see what SB has to say about this subject…. Usually, when I ask for this, I have to be picky…. we’ll see….

“Let’s leave religion to the televangelists. After all, they’re the professionals.” — Smart Bee

“John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he temporarily died to save it from himself. But none of that really matters because most people will be tortured for eternity anyways.” — Matt Miller

“If you follow the flock, you step in shit!” — Darkwisdom

“Anyone who can’t laugh at himself is taking life too seriously for my taste.” — Smart Bee

“Things don’t bug you if you don’t think about them.” — Calvin

(Think about it….)

“The common dogma [of fundamentalists] is fear of modern knowledge, inability to cope with the fast change in a scientific-technological society, and the real breakdown in apparent moral order in recent years That is why hate is the major fuel, fear is the cement of the movement, and superstitious ignorance is the best defence against the dangerous new knowledge. When you bring up arguments that cast serious doubts on their cherished beliefs you are not simply making a rhetorical point, you are threatening their whole Universe and their immortality. That provokes anger and quite frequently violence.” — G. Gaia

“It is amusing that a virtue is made of the vice of chastity; and it’s a pretty odd sort of chastity at that, which leads men straight into the sin of Onan, and girls to the waning of their color.” — Voltaire

“The disappearance of a sense of responsibility is the most far-reaching consequence of submission to authority.” — Stanley Milgram

“Maybe Jesus was right when he said that the meek shall inherit the earth — but they inherit very small plots, about six feet by three.” — Lazarus Long, from Robert A. Heinlein’s “Time Enough For Love”

Okay, nine is probably enough…. However, I couldn’t resist two last thoughts provided by SB’s largess in this subject; one is a question I’m fond of asking priests/preachers, the other is my usual response to those twenty-two year old ‘elders’ the LDS bozos send around to my door…. I promise, then, I’m done with this…. for today.

For the priests, when they ask me if I believe in God….

“Is being an idiot like being high all the time?”

~~ Janeane Garofolo ~~

And, for the traveling side-show carnies, when they ask me, “Have you been saved?”….

“Bite off, dirtball.”

~~ Richard Sexton, richard@gryphon.COM ~~

Naturally, as soon as I considered this done, Smart Bee presents me with the absolutely perfect pearl to finish off this religirant….

Calvin: “Do you believe our destinies are determined by the stars?”
Hobbes: “Nah.”
Calvin: “Oh, I do.”
Hobbes: “Really? How come?”
Calvin: “Life’s a lot more fun when you’re not responsible for your actions.”

— “Calvin and Hobbes,” Bill Watterson

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

Rejection

“Jesus loves me, this I know,
For the Bible tells me so…”
I’d be crying a river, I thought
if ever such crap I bought.

Sorry if it hurts your sense of style,
but, hypocrisy always gives me bile.
Being lied to accidentally is okay,
but, deliberate lies make me angry, and fey.

Oh, God, hear what I pray!
Keep me from your followers today.
Having to listen to so much that is wrong
makes me puke, before it makes me strong.

I don’t know why it isn’t clear to other folks,
which is alright, you know, different strokes.
But, why should that mean that they must
force me to believe, or fail in trust?

Spare me the lies, and the make-believe,
fairy tales are easier to hear, and to weave.
They give us a lesson which we can feel
but don’t pretend at all to be real.

Reality can scare us, that’s a given fact,
still, met with care it will leave us mostly intact.
Met without fear, standing tall and alone
Life will allow us to make it our own.

Folly beckons, and so many follow
mass delusions seem to me most hollow.
I’ll have to stick to my own chosen way
while so many go so sadly astray.

It’s lonely at times, it may seem sad,
but really isn’t, and I’m quite glad,
that knowledge is always stronger than fear,
year after year, tear after tear…..

~~ gigoid ~~

Written 3/18/2013.

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

Today’s final old-school pearl is a true nine-star gem, with some really good ideas of how to live Life, not just in a way that brings honor, and peace of mind, but, with also with Love, and respect for Life’s other side…. Death…. Enjoy!….

“When eating bamboo sprouts, remember the man who planted them.” — Chinese Proverb

“Love is that condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own.” — Robert A. Heinlein

“A good friend who points out mistakes and imperfections and rebukes evil is to be respected as if he reveals a secret of hidden treasure.” — Buddha

“After the verb “to love,” “to help” is the most beautiful verb in the world.” — Baroness Bertha von Suttner

“One kind word can warm three winter months.” — Japanese proverb

“When you are content to be simply yourself and don’t compare or compete, everybody will respect you.” — Lao-Tzu

“Don’t SAY things. What you ARE stands over you the while, and thunders so that I cannot hear what you say to the contrary.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson
— Social Aims

“After all, to the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure.” — Albus Dumbledore, in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

“There’s this to say for blood and breath,
They give a man a taste for death.”

~~ Housman ~~

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

Not too shabby for panic mode… I hate being late, as I’ve related previously, so, I’m happy to have (apparently) saved this Pearl from the shit pile… Oh, sorry, too gross for this early…. Ah well, chalk it up to a bit of left-over curmudgeonry, from arising late…. Hey, nobody’s bleeding, or missing any major body parts, right? All is well, then. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, as long as I continue to elude the authorities….

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….

Typewriters, elevators, and beer; heaven on Earth….

Posted on August 2, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

This is my simple religion.
There is no need for temples;
no need for complicated philosophy.
Our own brain, our own heart is our temple;
the philosophy is kindness.

~~ H.H. the Dalai Lama ~~

The road goes ever on….

Good morning….

As I put my eye to the scope, it occurred to me I had neglected to blacken the barrel of the long sniper’s rifle before leaving base; hoping no random glare would give me away, I centered the cross-hairs on the head of the Minister of Defense, now striding out of the restaurant across the street. As he paused to wait for his car at the curb, I gently tightened my finger around the trigger, until a quiet “whoosh” sent the tiny needle, soaked in a mixture of atropine and cyanide, speeding through the air, embedding itself in the exposed neck just below the ear. Instantly, as he dropped to the sidewalk, dead, I was moving out of the room, down the hall, down the stairs, and out the door, easing through the shadows of the dark alleyway, to the next assignment, far away in a distant city….

We’ll let that die a natural death right there, I think…. It ain’t Ian Fleming, but, it’ll do for a Sunday blog, I guess. It got us this far, where we’re now, again, stuck for anything worthwhile to talk about. I was going to discuss a bit of philosophy, but, decided to go with the random fictional opening instead…. Now, I’m not sure that was the correct thing to do; I DO have a delete button, but I hate to throw away a good ten minutes of relatively sweaty writing, just because it’s bad…. I mean, that’s never stopped me before, has it? No, indeed…. But, I think, maybe, it would be best to fall back on what I probably should have done in the first place, which is best demonstrated by a moment of….

[dignified silence]

There…. That should keep the intro-nazis out of my hair…. and, yours, too. Perhaps, in the interest of sanity, and the preservation thereof in our customer base, we should go…. Luigi, do your thing…. The rest of you, look busy….

Shall we Pearl?….

“And I asked myself about the present: how wide it was, how deep it was, how much was mine to keep.” — Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

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The Divine Miss M

Image from bmi.com via Google Images

It took a while, but, I finally found a good video selection for today. The Divine Miss M has been one of my favorites since she burst onto the music scene back in the 70’s. Brash, funny, with a voice like a laser, and a heart as big as the Moon, she is indeed, one of the divas of my generation…. Enjoy, ffolkes; this is a live show, so, it’ll be hard NOT to do so….

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Bette Midler Live

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https://youtu.be/aF_1qH4B_W0

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“I believe the moral losses of expediency always far outweigh the temporary gains.” — Wendell L. Willkie

I am repeatedly reminded of the usefulness of aphorisms, particularly to demonstrate a point much larger than what the words actually say…. This statement by Mr. Wilkie is an excellent, honorable, ethical statement, and, if true, explains in one short sentence why he was never able to get elected to the Presidency. With those sort of ethical standards, he was completely and obviously over-qualified. It also implies, once again, if true, he doesn’t lie, for such is the natural way of the who choose such a self-indulgent path, and he who only speaks truth is no match in a political contest with one who has no such compunctions. This much has been proven, 47 of 49 times in the past 240 years…. (The two exceptions? J. Carter, by direct observation, and George Washington, by tradition….)

As all of us are aware, our world has a great many problems facing us, many of which are a result of our own inability to get along with each other. We live in an increasingly dangerous world, where men of no honor, and no compassion, follow their agendas of avarice for power, in a mad rush to enslave the rest of humanity…. This group is historically ensconced in the halls of government, and in the halls of finance, where those shadowy corporate predators plot to control every drop of resources and currency in the world to sate their insane need for absolute power, while, at the opposite end of the ethical scale we find the small group of people who understand what is going on, and works to mitigate the pain and misery caused amongst the mass of ignorant, malleable slaves comprising 98% of the world’s population, people who have very little say over how their lives will proceed….

A bit over 200 years ago, a small group of such intellectuals banded together to form a nation, dedicated to principles which were actively in opposition to historical forces, placing the bulk of political power in the hands of the populace, rather than in the hands of the landed aristocracy, or professional political pundits and bureaucrats…. They had a dream, one they KNEW would be actively opposed by those who would prey on their fellow man…. They all left us warnings, to try to make us all aware of what might happen, should we fall victim to their subtle manipulations….

Each of our founding fathers, in writings they made to each other, and to the public in essays, and other publications, such as the Almanac, gave warning against big business and those who would usurp the halls of government for their own purposes. Rather than preach to the choir for what could easily turn out to be several thousand words, I’ve collected some of those statements of warning, to help us to remember the liberties we have been given, and, hopefully, provide the impetus to stand up, to speak up, to defend those rights…. for, as it has been said, with perfect clarity and truth, we only have those rights we can defend…..

Here are some of what our founding fathers said to sound the warning, as best they could…..

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

“A monied aristocracy in our country … has already set the government at defiance.” — Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826)

“Banking establishments are more dangerous than standing armies.” — Thomas Jefferson

“To disarm the people – that was the best and most effective way to enslave them ….” — George Mason

“Nothing can now be believed which is seen in a newspaper.” — Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826)

“Liberty cannot be preserved without a general knowledge among the people, who have …a right, an indisputable, unalienable, indefeasible, divine right to that most dreaded and envied kind of knowledge, I mean the character and conduct of their rulers.” — John Adams

“A society that will trade a little liberty for a little order will lose both, and deserve neither.” — Thomas Jefferson

“Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it.” — Thomas Paine

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

Using Winston Churchill’s method of making a point, we will now proceed to whack it good, a third time….

Every one of the above warnings made by one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence has been shown to be a valid danger, for every single issue mentioned has come to pass in our society today. The wealth gap between the richest and poorest has grown to a point never before reached in history. Banks and corporations have bought and paid for the courts of this country, with the resultant laws protecting business and the pillaging of the poor. A constant barrage of news articles, from a media fully controlled by those in power, detail shootings and incidents of violence to frighten the ignorant, legislating more and more regulations preventing private citizens from adequately arming themselves for protection.

The police have become an arm of the corporations, and feel a sense of separation from the very public they are supposed to serve, treating them as criminals and “potential terrorists”. Our students can’t even find their own state on a map of their own country, and cannot state more than two of the 10 entries in the US Bill of Rights….

And they wonder why life is so hard….. Well, ffolkes, apparently, not enough of us listened to our forefathers, and y’all know what they say about history, right? Those who do not study it are doomed to repeat it…. As far as I can see, the history of our race is little more than a constant fight against our own nature, with the predators among us winning out far more often than the rest…. I guess we like it that way….

So be it.

gigoid has spoken.

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One poem that was percolating got deleted; fortunately, I can feel another one in there, swirling and circling, waiting to coalesce into rhyme…. For the nonce, we’ll retreat once again to the archives….. I hope you enjoy it…

Unheralded Sagacity….

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

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

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

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

Illumination…..

~~ gigoid ~~

Written 4/17/2013

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Our final entry today is another random pearl speaking about Life at Large…. Life can be a formidable proposition, and it behooves all of us to gather to our bosoms as much wisdom regarding the living of it as we can find…. Not that the answers aren’t all right there inside us, but, we humans have a tendency to look outside ourselves for those things we forget we already possess, such as peace, courage, compassion, and, well, everything we need…

He took his vorpal sword in hand
Long time the manxom foe he sought
Till rested he by the tumtum tree
And stood awhile in thought

~~ Jabberwocky, by Lewis Carroll (Charles Dodgson) ~~

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

“A person is not given integrity. It results from the relentless pursuit of honesty at all times.” — Anonymous, most ancient human sage

“Life without music would be an intolerable insult.” — Edward Abbey

“He conquers who endures.” — Perseus

“Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear – not absence of fear.” — Mark Twain

Fill your bowl to the brim and it will spill.
Keep sharpening your knife and it will blunt.
Chase after money and security and your heart will never unclench.
Care about p eople’s approval and you will be their prisoner.
Do your work, then step back.
The only path to serenity.

~~ Tao Te Ching ~~

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Well, if nothing else, insomnia sure does make it easy to get stuff done…. Now it IS done, I’m unsure of what to do until the rest of the world wakes up…. I think I’ll go find some shit to disturb today…. In the meantime, I suppose it’s time to close this down for another day. I’ll see y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, provided the implacable forces of history don’t reach a crisis point, and, the unavoidable, imminent revolution toward which our society is rushing, headlong, holds off a little while longer….

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….

No discounts for Pug Dogs…. Huskies, maybe….

Posted on August 1, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Ward, I’m worried about the Beaver.”

~~ June Cleaver ~~

Foxy Stump

Good morning…. Wait! Scratch that…. Reverse it….

Morning. Good…. I guess. Perhaps, if it hadn’t begun at 0133, my greeting wouldn’t sound as grumpy; since it did, we’ll all have to deal with it. Not that such an event is out of the ordinary….. No, sir, around here, the hour we get up is what we call a Mystery of Life, not susceptible to prediction, or, for that matter, to any sort of consistency, beyond the simple fact we hope it will happen at all….

Now, for some, that might be considered just a little snarky; for us, it’s high hopes. I have decided to give up sleeping altogether, I think. It doesn’t seem to be working out well, so, I may as well be constructive, & try to get something done…

I know. I’ll make a Pearl!. Yeah, that’s the ticket…. Okay, let’s do this thing, before I get any more radical ideas…. Or, would that be, ideas more radical? Ah, hell, who cares? Get us outta here, Luigi….

Shall we Pearl?….

“The simple step of a courageous individual is not to take part in the falsehood. One word of truth outweighs the world.” — Alexander Solzhenitsyn

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Although Raul Julia was also more than perfect in the role, in my mind, John Austin, WAS Gomez Addams…. He had the proper crazy look in his eyes, whenever he talked of anything gruesome or horrifying, just as Gomez should look…. Although, it must be admitted, Raul’s delivery of certain lines is destined to be legendary…. Who can deny the sheer genius of his expression, and tone, in his line, “Two, ten, eleven. Eyes, fingers, toes.”?….. Not I…. But. for all around goofiness, this cast was the best, in my estimation…. For your pleasure today, I’ve included a movie, a reunion of the cast from 1977, called Halloween with the Addams Family…. or something like that…. Enjoy!…..

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The Addams Family

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https://youtu.be/jlw2CFiSCgc

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I’ve got nothin’…. Nada damn thing worth writing about is to be found anywhere in my head; nor is there anything particularly compelling NOT in my head pulling me to comment upon, oddly enough. The news in any one day is liable to set me off with little problem, but, today, I’m just not in the mood…. Therefore, we’ll start this section over, now….

My first blog was posted on WordPress sometime in the first week of June in 2011; the following entry is the fifth, or sixth, post I put up, in the format style then prevalent for Pearls, which evolved as an email document first…. I’ve updated, & cleaned up, the formatting a little, to bring it into line with what has evolved over time…. It’s not a rant, but, it will do….. I hope you enjoy this little peek into the early days here at ECR….

From 6/8/2011:

Ffolkes,

The morning light pours over the far hills, warming air gone still in the night’s cold, with amber drops of dew glistening along the branches of awakening trees, gilding the edges of the day. Birdsong trills, insects hum, as a meandering brook winds through the forest, rushing along in its desperate race to the sea. The water babbles as it moves, all the voices blending together into a continuous stream of just-unheard secrets, gravid with meaning. The air begins to move, heated by the burgeoning warmth swirling up through the leaves, adding it’own thoughts, dreams to the chorus thus formed. Thus does the world turn, unheralded, implacable, real. Thus is another Pearl born; ask me not how, or why, for I no longer know. Knowing I must, is all I know, or need to know….

“If you want to know all about the sea, you go and ask a sailor, or a marine biologist, or an oceanographer, and they can tell you a lot about the sea. But if you go and ask the sea itself, what does it say? Grumble, grumble, swish swish. It is too busy being itself to know anything about itself.” — Ursula K. LeGuin

Leave the past behind;
leave the future behind;
leave the present behind.
Thou are then ready to go to the other shore.
Never more shalt thou return to a life that ends in death.

~~ The Dhamapada ~~

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

~~ Bette Midler, “The Rose” ~~

“I cannot believe that the purpose of life is to be “happy.” I think the purpose of life is to be useful, to be responsible, to be honorable, to be compassionate. It is, above all, to matter, to count, to stand for something, to have made some difference that you lived at all.” — Leo C. Rosten

It may not be Art, but it is Frank, and Earnest….. y’all take care out there…..

Note from the future: I note there are only four pearls in this entry; it must have been before I decided odd numbers worked better…. Here is one final pearl to balance the whole deal…. Hopefully, it will fit in with the above….

“One of your most ancient writers, a historian named Herodotus, tells of a thief who was to be executed. As he was taken away he made a bargain with the king: in one year he would teach the king’s favorite horse to sing hymns. The other prisoners watched the thief singing to the horse and laughed. “You will not succeed,” they told him. “No one can.” To which the thief replied, “I have a year, and who knows what might happen in that time. The king might die. The horse might die. I might die. And perhaps the horse will learn to sing.” — The Mote in God’s Eye, by Jerry Pournelle & Larry Niven

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Picture 158

Canal Image- Poem’s Inspiration

from the National Gallery of Ireland – see link below

http://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=70523

Seamus Heaney was considered the poet laureate of Ireland for much of the latter part of his life, a period of time covering most the twentieth century. I discovered his work a couple years ago, soon after he died, and have loved it ever since. The poem included today, his last published work, was sent to me by a friend, to whom I’m very thankful, and not just because it gave me an entry for this section…. It’s a beautiful poem, too….

Banks of a Canal

Say canal and there’s that final vowel

Towing silence with it, slowing time

To a walking pace, a path, a whitewashed gleam

Of dwellings at the skyline. World stands still.

The stunted concrete mocks the classical.

Water says, ‘My place here is in dream,

In quiet good standing. Like a sleeping stream,

Come rain or sullen shine I’m peaceable’.

Stretched to the horizon, placid ploughland,

The sky not truly bright or overcast:

I know that clay, the damp and dirt of it,

The coolth along the bank, the grassy zest

Of verges, the path not narrow but still straight

Where soul could mind itself or stray beyond.

~~ Seamus Heaney ~~

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This pearl, while a bit loose in association, nonetheless provides us with some pretty good ideas about how to live a life with which one might be content. I’d say that’s a pretty worthwhile goal, myself, but what do I know?…. You could do worse….

For life, with all it yields of joy and woe,
And hope and fear (believe the aged friend),
Is just our chance o’ the prize of learning love,–
How love might be, hath been indeed, and is.

~~ Robert Browning ~~
~~ A Death in the Desert ~~

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

“True merit, like a river, the deeper it is, the less noise it makes.” — Halifax (1633-1695)

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

“I grow old ever learning many things.” — Solon

“The true perfection of man lies, not in what man has, but in what man is …. Nothing should be able to harm a man but himself. Nothing should be able to rob a man at all. What a man really has is what is in him. What is outside of him should be a matter of no importance.” — Oscar Wilde

“Insist on yourself; never imitate.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

All things that pass
Are wisdom’s looking-glass.

~~ Christina Rossetti ~~

+ ————————————————- +
+ ———- Sic transit gloria mundi. ———— +
+ — “Thus passes away the glory of the world.” — +
+ ————————————————- +

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I suppose there is something to be said for serendipity in disguise, when it slaps us in the face…. Of course, it’s a little hard to think of that when your face is tingling like a big dog, but, hey, can’t have everything, right? Besides, it’s done, so, we, meaning I, officially, (it’s documented) don’t give a shit any more. In fact, I’m taking my shit on the road. Not permanently; in fact, unless someone faster, bigger, or meaner than me shows up, I’ll be back tomorrow morning, no doubt bright and early, (Why is it BRIGHT and early? It’s dark as hell outside….), since sleep seems to be a thing of the past…. As many of us who have spent time on the street would say, WAKE UP, YOU BOZOS! Or, maybe we’d say, 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….

After all, it’s only a goose….

Posted on July 28, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

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

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

This artist’s concept released April 17,…This artist’s concept released April 17, 2014 by NASA/JPL-CALTECH depicts Kepler-186f, the first validated Earth-size planet to orbit a distant star in the habitable zone. The hunt for potential life in outer space has taken a step forward — an international team of researchers has confirmed the existence of the first Earth-sized planet within the “habitable” zone of a star. The exoplanet dubbed Kepler-186f was first spotted by scientists using NASA’s Kepler telescope, according to research published Thursday in the US journal Science. == RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE / MANDATORY CREDIT: “AFP PHOTO HANDOUT-NASA/JPL-CALTECH/ T. PYLE “/ NO MARKETING – NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS NO A LA CARTE SALES / DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS ==T. Pyle/AFP/Getty Images

Earth-like exoplanet, artist’s rendition

Image created from data taken by the NASA Kepler Deep Space Telescope- @ nasa.gov

Good morning…. In the outer reaches of the galactic spiral, circling a small yellow star, on a small, blue/green planet, an old man sat, gazing in blank confusion at the screen of a computer, wondering how in the universe it had come to this…. Then, of course, I woke up, to find myself again pounding the keyboard with abandon…. One of these days, when I begin this process, I’ll actually be awake, and coherent…. I don’t suppose it will make much difference; It’s been almost four years, and I still don’t have a consistent method for opening the damn thing…

Oh well…. As they’re fond of saying out on the streets, fuck it. Let’s just pretend it isn’t 0216 AM, and we’re actually happy to be up and doing…. Maybe we can fool Murphy into thinking we got the jump on him today…. Luigi! Fire it up, and get us out of here!….

Shall we Pearl?….

“Life is like quotations. Sometimes, it makes you laugh. Sometimes, it makes you cry. Most of the time, you don’t get it.” — Smart Bee

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The Who’s Latest Tour Logo

http://thewho.com/tour/

Pictures of The Who are apparently very well protected; trying to find one that did not require some sort of major attribution took forever, and, was ultimately unsuccessful. The logo above is from the home site for the band, advertising their 50th year anniversary tour, joining The Grateful Dead, The Rolling Stones, The Beach Boys, and a number of old rock bands in celebrating a half-century of making music…. Here for your enjoyment is an older concert, from 1970….. Enjoy!….

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The Who

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

https://youtu.be/61foW5x2cmo

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Most days, in this section, if I’m not going to rant, I’ll use an older piece. Guess what?

Yep. It’s another selection from the archives, but, relax…. No ranting today. It is now 0352, & I’ve been up for over two hours, having been driven from my very comfy bed by the ache in my joints, enough to keep me from staying asleep, or, getting back to sleep after awakening…. If I attempted to rant, there is no telling what might happen; my brain is so fatigued, the defensive restraints on my deepest feelings of anger and frustration at the world are not merely weakened, they’ve been deleted. Whatever I chose to rant about probably would never be the same….

Fantasies about having any real effect on Reality aside, I really don’t trust myself today to even pick out something appropriate…. So, here is an entire Pearl from the early days here on WP, before I’d developed/evolved the current format… It will do…. Enjoy the break, ffolkes…

From 10/15/2011:

Ffolkes,

The Sun, life-giving orb of light and warmth, which dies each night, is born again each morning, gloriously aflame with potential. As the world turns in slow majesty, a scene of aching beauty is revealed; small plants and trees stretching their leaves toward the source of warmth, creatures great and small moving over the land, greeting the day with energy and purpose, colorful birds arcing and swooping through the warming air.

Casting a jubilant look at each other, the two young boys grinned; with a cry of pure joy, they took off running toward a nearby stand of trees. Legs pounding as hard and fast as their hearts, evenly matched, they ran with abandon, startling birds and small creatures, laughing in sheer exuberance. When they came to the edge of the trees, they stopped by mutual accord. Breathing hard, they gazed into the shadows, thinking about why they had come, why they were here, filling their souls with beauty at the beginning of the day……

I’m told that constant practice makes for constant improvement, and if this is so, then I should be getting damn close to competence, if not perfection. The paragraphs above are the start of yet another story, which will most likely never be told. I write them principally to keep dross from building up in my psyche, and as a sort of contrast to the reality of the rest of the piece. An introductory bridge, as it were, carrying the reader into the realms of thought, where I can then provide you with an upgrade to the DABSDS (Defense Against B___S___ Delivery System) that comes installed in your brain. It gives me a chance to limber up my typing finger, and loosen the mental muscle, which, as we all know, is an essential precursor to the use of these peripherals without sustaining injury.

Today’s group of Pearls is an eclectic one, with a diverse, compelling batch of authors. Cultural values from all over the world, and from many (well, two or three, anyway) different ages of history are represented here; I think the variety is part of its strength. It shows, metaphorically, of course, wisdom is not limited to one book. Indeed, I believe the admixture that came together today is greatly enhanced by the contrast of ideas, creating a more powerful effect upon the reasoning mind….. Hope you enjoy!….

“If I have any beliefs about immortality, it is that certain dogs I have known will go to heaven, and very, very few persons.” — James Thurber

“The only real failure in life is the failure to try.” — Smart Bee

“It is a misconception that spirituality brings everlasting happiness. There is no such thing. Sadness still comes to the wise, but, unlike most people, their clarity of mind allows them to see beyond the temporal emotionalism of the moment. They are farseeing, and so happiness and sorrow become the same to them.” — Deng Ming-Dao

Down, down, down into the darkness of the grave
Gently they go, the beautiful, the tender, the kind;
Quietly they go, the intelligent, the witty, the brave.
I know.
But I do not approve.
And I am not resigned.

~~ Edna St. Vincent Millay, “Dirge Without Music” ~~

“Writing is not necessarily something to be ashamed of–but do it in private and wash your hands afterwards.” — Lazarus Long

“We turn not older with years, but newer every day.” — Emily Dickinson

Trust yourselves, my friends, so that ye may trust one another….. Y’all take care out there…..

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

When I was in my teens and twenties, I wrote some poetry. When I look back on it, I wonder why, because it was pretty bad. I gave up trying to write any at all, aside from an occasional haiku, which I’ve always found to be rather simple to create…. When I retired, & began writing more, I still had no urge to try my hand at it again, until I started writing this blog, and reading a lot more poetry myself… In late 2012, around August, a poem burst out, and I’ve been writing more ever since…. This wasn’t the first to come out after my long hiatus, but, one of the first few, for sure…. Enjoy, please….

Piraeus calls me, silently.

Sizzle, sizzle, crash, bang, boom.
Intellect burning with subsequent doom.
Lingering long over decisive style,
Whistling up chaos all the while.

Such frozen thoughts may shatter,
Should we infer, but, no matter.
Firing blanks is children at play
Blooded sages all gasp in dismay.

Nonsense is good sense at times
Mundane objectives trip lightly in rhymes.
Fallen angels dance on a pin
Until each sinner enters within.

Fast moments with natural rain
Bring ashes, yet still must remain.
Final thoughts clamor for more
Find them only on a far distant shore.

~~ gigoid ~~

Written 9/6/2012.

Well, it’s a start….

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

If this pearl, and Pearl, had struggled any harder to NOT get done, I’m not sure what I would have had to do. Now that I look at that statement, I’m even more impressed with the strength of the resistance, as it has completely discombobulated me…. and, isn’t THAT a great word? Discombobulated. Say it out loud to yourself…. Isn’t that cool?

Anyway, this pearl tried very hard to not get posted; don’t ask me why, because I don’t even WANT to know…. In addition, it came out a little funny…. not ha, ha funny, either. In fact, I think it would be best, at this point, to just let it speak for itself, for whatever good it will do…. Enjoy, ffolkes; if nothing else, it’s a nice little trip into fantasy land…. Well, except for the fact it’s mostly talking about Life and Reality…

“I like life. It’s something to do.” — Ronnie Shakes

“A good place to start is where you are.” — Charles Wolf, Jr.

“Our own heart, and not other men’s opinions form our true honor.” — Samuel Taylor Coleridge

“Don’t teach your children what to think; just teach them to think.” — Tannenbaum

“Not all who wander are lost.” — J. R. R. Tolkien

“Except for our thoughts, there is nothing absolutely in our power.” — Descartes

“When I examine myself and my methods of thought, I come to the conclusion that the gift of fantasy has meant more to me than any talent for abstract, positive thinking.” — Albert Einstein

“Don’t worry about a thing because every little thing is gonna be alright.” — Bob Marley

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

Actually, that’s not bad… not bad at all….

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

We are unsure of just what happened here today, but, remain confident in our heart all will be well, if we only stay the course. We apologize for any inconvenience caused by your expectations of quality you would find here; it’s not our fault Reality does not respond to even our royal ministrations. You may, if you wish, apply for a refund, but, good luck. (I’m using the royal/3rd person ‘we’ to avoid full personal responsibility for the above; it’s intended to distract y’all from blaming me for this…. Did it work?….)

All that said, in place of the standard disclaimer, I think I should let this one go to it’s fate. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, when we find out the latest in the ongoing war of nerves called Life at Large…. It’s the only game in town, so we may as well learn to play.

To honor that intention, I leave you today with a final thought, which may happen now and then around here. It’s a good one to start the day….

“Despite its suffix, skepticism is not an “ism” in the sense of a belief or dogma. It is simply an approach to the problem of telling what is counterfeit and what is genuine. And a recognition of how costly it may be to fail to do so. To be a skeptic is to cultivate “street smarts” in the battle for control of one’s own mind, one’s own money, one’w own allegiances. To be a skeptic, in short, is to refuse to be a victim.” — Robert S. DeBear, “An Agenda for Reason, Realism, and Responsibility,” — New York Skeptic — (newsletter of the New York Area Skeptics, Inc.), Spring 1988

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….

We need less paleolithic data!….

Posted on July 27, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

Our subjectivity

Is a mirrored,

Spiked casket.

~~ Deng Ming-Dao ~~

Ye Olde Trip To Jerusalem

Image from the UK Telegraph, 7/18/2015

Good morning…. In sooth, I really can’t tell whether the morning is of either category today. Having lost all sense of routine in my sleep habits, it is clear I actually have no habits in that regard. Tried hard to time my lie-down to maximize the chances to fall asleep quickly, but, found myself unable to come anywhere close, as pain and twitching hit as soon as I lay down…. Up for two hours again, then down again, to arise almost an hour after expected…

SIGH… Oh well, so much for plans, eh? Let’s go throw together a really fast Pearl, so I can get on with whatever today’s particular battle with Reality may bring….

Shall we Pearl?….

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

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

Speed is of the essence today, so, we’ll go with our default selection…. Enjoy!…

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

Classical Music

Mozart – Symphony No. 40 in G minor

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

https://youtu.be/JTc1mDieQI8

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

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

C’mon! You KNEW this was coming…. Better grab some trail mix and a beverage; it’s a big one….

Originally posted in January, 2013:

“Man is a rational animal who always loses his temper when he is called upon to act in accordance with the dictates of reason.” — Oscar Wilde

One may always trust Oscar Wilde to be both elegantly witty and intelligently insightful, though, to be sure, many of his most closely held views were somewhat divergent with what was commonly held to be true, philosophically. This divergence was, I believe, mostly deliberate on his part, as he tended to mock that which he did not respect, and he never had much respect for…. well, anything to do with human nature vs. reason and rationality. He mistrusted most people to act morally, and was unafraid of saying so; this, of course, made him both famous, and infamous….. His infamy, I’m sure, ultimately was his undoing, much to society’s loss; as is said so often about our brightest minds, “only the good die young….”

I often wonder, (well, maybe not so often, as much as I’m wondering now…) what the world today would be like, if somehow, some of those bright stars in history had lived to an age where their accomplishments, in relation to the advancement of human thought, and the betterment of the human condition, had a broader, and more lasting effect than their absence has left us. What if Keats had written poetry until he was 85? How many more inventions would have come to us from Nicolas Tesla, had he lived long enough for the rest of the scientific world to catch up to him, instead of hounding him to an early grave? How much more good music, and art, and literature would be available to all of us, if not for this tendency for the best of us to live as a burning meteor, flaming brightly through the sky, until burned out and lifeless?

It is a sad commentary for society to know that it is often the very brilliance of these people that brings about their downfall, at the hands of the ignorant, and the avaricious…. What is even sadder, to me, is that this demonstrates another part of human nature that is responsible for almost every issue in human history, and current society, that causes people to suffer pain, oppression, perpetual struggle, and will most certainly ultimately lead to the extinction of our species, on this planet, at minimum, if not completely…..

That piece of our nature is the unfortunate characteristic, in a number of humans, to be able to put aside all conscience, and act solely in their own self interest. All of us, of course, possess this to some degree; it is an outgrowth of having a will to survive. To these few others, it is their primary modus operandi; they simply do not take other people, or their concerns, into account when deciding what they are going to do, and are not hampered by the consideration of any suffering they may cause other people, animals, or things.

As is patently obvious, to my mind, every elected official, every high level preacher, every corporate magnate, and a great many lawyers, are all of this ilk, and have, for nearly 230 years now, been quietly and efficiently plundering the pockets and rights of the American people (and those of every other country in the world, for that matter…. it is a HUMAN condition, not just American…. Ours are just some of the most obvious about it….), while simultaneously lying, cheating, and otherwise acting to secure their stranglehold on society.

Anyone who disagrees with this assessment, quite simply, isn’t paying enough attention to the world around them….. Sorry to be so blunt, but the facts are all laid out, right there, almost every day in the news media, if one knows how to look at the larger picture it presents, rather than the individual facets of that picture. Focusing on the little shit is just what those in power wish for people to do…. it keeps them busy not noticing other, more incriminating stuff they are carrying out, in the darkness where they mostly live….

“… change depends on individual acts of courage and commitment. Most such acts are private, invisible, and uncelebrated. But some find a place in the public spotlight; and their influence goes far beyond mere example.” — Arthur C. Clarke & Michael Kube-McDowell, The Trigger, 1999

Each and every one of us, in the face of what we know about reality, is responsible in some way, and to some degree, for both the way things are, and the way they will be in the future. If you don’t believe that, well, discussion is, for you, probably useless, and little hope remains. For anyone with moderate insight, however, this is plain, clear truth, and we all need to accept it before any significant progress can be expected against those who are sociopathic, which I define, and hereby name, as homo suicidus, those who would kill us all…. But, it is imperative that we act soon, for the damage we have done, and continue to do to our world, is at a point where the effects are nearly irreversible, and even if we manage to wrest control from the beloved ruling class,it may be too late to save our lives….

“In regard to disagreeable and formidable things, prudence does not consist in evasion, or in flight, but in courage. He who wishes to walk in the most peaceful parts of life with any serenity must screw himself up to resolution. Let him front the object of his worst apprehension, and his stoutness will commonly make his fear groundless.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson, _Essays_, Prudence

It is my hope, small and pale though it be, that we WILL speak up, that the rational among us will rise up, and take back the control of our destiny from the hands of those who would see us all die, rather than give up their own control. It will only happen when men of courage, as defined by Mr. Emerson, stand up to those who would render us all impotent, for their own benefit. The only hope that exists for the rest of us lies in enough of us showing this kind of courage, and overcoming the fear that keeps us in thrall…..

“I cannot praise a fugitive and cloistered virtue, unexercised and unbreathed, that never sallies out and sees her adversary, but slinks out of the race where that immortal garland is to be run for, not without dust and heat.” — John Milton (1608-1674) — Areopagitica

Myself, I don’t want to die ignominiously, gasping for breath, because I didn’t have the courage to speak up, and to fight back against the immoral, avaricious assholes who dominate society….. Instead, let’s create a whole new world, without a beloved ruling class, at all….. Who knows? We might just find out that anarchy works!….. Worth a try, I think….. And, if it doesn’t work, well, we can always try a technocracy, which we have yet to do in history….. With a bit of foresight and planning, it might just be what we need to survive our own foolishness… Maybe, Richard Brautigan had the truest prophetic vision, when he wrote “All watched over, by machines of loving grace….”

“Every act of creation is first of all an act of destruction.”

~~ Pablo Picasso ~~

History, despite its wrenching pain,
Cannot be unlived, but if faced
With courage, need not be lived again.

~~ Maya Angelou, “On the Pulse of Morning” ~~

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

Again with the archives, already!…. Ah, hell, what’s a poor white rabbit to do?….

Rhyming is better than lying….

It’s all too, too much, he cried
I can take no more!
It’s all crazy, my brain is fried,
battered, bloody, and sore.

Talking heads shout out hatred and fear
jam for my morning toast.
Pointing fingers far, middle, and near
enemies everywhere, almost.

Women, gays, and seniors fall prey,
easy targets, slow and weak.
Convenient fools, wanting only to play,
used, and abused, even as we speak.

It enough to drive me floridly insane,
or want to buy a gun.
I may end up in jail, or in massive pain,
but, oh, it would be fun….

~~ gigoid ~~

Written 4/1/2013.

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

Here is today’s only fresh section, outside the intro & closing statements, you will see today. Happily, it’s a good one, which speaks about Life, Love, Death, and all that cool stuff…. Enjoy!….

“There is serenity in Chaos.

Seek ye the Eye of the Hurricane.”

~~ I Ching ~~

“The worst form of inequality is to try to make unequal things equal.” — Aristotle

“Not he who has little, but he who wishes more, is poor.” — Seneca (B.C. 3-65 A.D.)

“We learn from experience that men never learn anything from experience.” — George Bernard Shaw, English playwriter

“The little girl expects no declaration of tenderness from her doll. She loves it – and that’s all. It is thus that we should love.” — DeGourmont

“I would rather live and love where death is king than have eternal life where love is not.” — Robert G. Ingersoll

“Truth never hurts the teller.” — Robert Browning

“The mind covers more ground than the heart but goes less far.” — Chinese proverb

“Death in itself is nothing; but we fear

To be we know not what, we know not where.”

~~ John Dryden — Aurengzebe, Act iv, Sc. 1 ~~

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

I’m not even going to think about what it took to get this done; if I did, I’d have to shoot myself. Since I’m not, I suppose I should close this down, so we can all get on to bigger & better things, should we have any of those on tap…. Why don’t y’all go see, while I do the same?…. See y’all tomorrow, unless you, and I, can learn to zig, instead of zag….

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….

Such a waste of appealingly bitter waffles….

Posted on July 26, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“No human thing is of serious importance.”

~~ Plato ~~

Struggling Beauty

Good morning….

“Sleep is a weapon.”

~~ Philip D’Anjou, “The Bourne Identity” by Robert Ludlum ~~

I first read the above words in the 1970’s, I think, when the book was first published. Regardless of the book’s qualities, I’d have liked it, anyway, if only for that line…. It’s such a powerful idea, and is, to my own knowledge, a very important piece of data for anyone to know, at least, if they’re the kind of person who enjoys life. It has so many applications to every part of life, it touches on all we do, and all we accomplish….. Without a sharp, strong, flexible weapon, life can be very hard, and very dangerous…. The weapon, of course, is our own mind….

Why is this relative to our purpose here today? Well, that’s simple actually…. Sleep, or rather, finding the means within myself to sleep, has become one of the more pressing issues in my life, as I am currently unable to predict at all when I’ll be able to go down for some rest…. Some days, I feel like I’m back in boot camp…. Of course, I never went to boot camp, aside from having been raised by a Master Sergeant… I guess that would count…

I’m not going to go into all the reasons for my reluctant insomnia; it’s TMI, and, no doubt, pretty boring for anyone not going through it. I will say, it’s not the kind of thing designed to make one into a happy camper, an assertion of which I possess no doubt whatsoever as to it’s truth….. In short, FUCK ME! THIS IS A PAIN IN THE BLOODY ASS!

Okay, I’m done. We can go now, to see if there is anything else in my head that might have some little entertainment value…. It may be a long search, so grab some of the trail mix before we head out; it could be a long time to lunch….

Shall we Pearl?….

“A beginning is the time for taking the most delicate care that balances are correct.” — from “Manual of Maud’Dib” by the Princess Irulan

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

Image from blu-ray.com via Google Images

Today’s video selection is a classic Science Fiction movie, long considered the definitive “First” in that genre. Shot on a minimal budget, with young stars, such as the then-unknown Leslie Nielsen, alongside fading Hollywood stars, such as Walter Pidgeon, the movie was shot as an entirely serious movie with a dramatic plot; it came out unintentionally hilarious, and campy, due to the special effects, for which the kindest word to describe would be “cheezy” ….. (Look at that robot!…. and, the alien landscape!…). I’ve included links and players for the official trailer, as well as some of the outtakes from the shooting process. To watch the entire movie, you can pay $2.99 to You Tube, or follow a link to many sites streaming old movies online…. Type “forbidden planet full movie” into the YT search bar, & it will furnish you with any number of links to the movie… Enjoy!…

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

Forbidden Planet

Trailer & Outtakes

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

https://youtu.be/AxQ9GG6hUDM

https://youtu.be/5dd-5qR5AD4

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

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

Last posted on 11/20/2013:

Below you’ll find a short, but concise, religirant, another blast from the past, as I continue to mine my archives for material I can use today, to save me a bit of time, and mental energy, which I can always use to decide where I’m going for my next trip to…. ANYWHERE!…. Any who, all personal idiosyncrasies aside, this one is pretty good, I think, so pay attention, if you please, and take heed of what it says, for it is good advice, if naught else….

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

Today’s effort is, to my chagrin, falling somewhat short of my expectations; not surprising, given the handicaps with which we began our journey today…. As I mentioned above, or, not, I’m going to cheat; this, of course means we go to the archives for our thoughts for today…. This one is pretty good, I think, but, regardless of its quality, it’s going to have to do…. Enjoy, ffolkes, it’s the best we’ve got today….

From April 27, 2012

“He that doubteth is damned.” — Romans 14:23

It took a while, but it was worth the time spent searching…. This is a perfect example of how, if we let them, all those folks who would have us believe that the Bible, (or any other sacred books inspired by alleged supernatural entities), is a direct line of information from God, will go to almost any lengths, trying to trick us into doing exactly what that book tells us to do. In this case, they apply both guilt and fear of retribution in the next life if we question any of what we are told by that book, or any of what we are taught by those who hold it as truth….

I have previously written here as to the value Doubt possesses, in the bag of tools people have to get by in this complex, confusing universe we inhabit. It is our only defense against information or events that can cause, or even intend, us harm, rather than good; such information invariably is given to us by other people, whose only intent in doing so is to achieve some sort of power or control over us. I don’t think this is a particularly hard concept to understand; its proof lies in almost every interaction we have when faced with organized religions. Anyone who has studied the psychology of humans can point out the techniques of behavioral modification used by the religious hierarchies to assert their will upon the public….

The above short little warning/threat, drawn directly from the Christian Bible, (Old Testament, if memory serves….), implies that anyone who does not bend over in submission to its decree will spend eternity in Hell. Hmm, a bit harsh, don’t you think? For merely entertaining a question regarding the accuracy of a concept presented, one with no evidence that proves its reliability? The Universe at large presents us with such false information regularly; anyone who doesn’t learn caution in such instances is liable for the consequences, which can be severe, such as in the case of being confronted by an apparently friendly, but in reality, rabid dog. Rabies is no picnic, from all reports, so, Doubt, used as a tool in such instances, is very appropriate, patently a valuable one.

However, in the minds of the folks who are selling faith-based products, Doubt is the last thing they want people to have in mind when considering what they say. It tends to cause their arguments to fall apart right in front of their eyes, and they cannot make the sale that way. If they can’t convince people to accept what they say without questioning it, their entire house of cards will come tumbling down around their ears, and they would have to give up all those nice little perks that go along with having everyone believe everything they say, like having poor people willingly give up 10% of their earnings in tithe, or getting to reside, with no rent, in a house built by the labor of others…. Did you think they would give that up easily?…. Well, then you’ve lost your strongest ally against such degradations to your sensibilities…. a healthy sense of Doubt….

“Fear not, for I have given you authority to do so.” — Smart Bee, via some random preacher’s King James version….

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

As intimated would be the case today, here’s one from the archives….

After the odyssey….

Portraits of iconic symbols, crashing, singing, forgotten;
evolving into mature innovation, as yet pale, and rotten.
Still water justly breeds, impenetrable primal verses resound;
unholy moments tarry, emotion swirls in passion unbound

Spiritual ovulation precedes each pregnant pause;
gravid, time moves on, following destiny’s cause.
Cast adrift on waves of confusion, to a final, damp landing;
salvation beckons sweetly, fed well on understanding.

Dreams directly fall, in night’s grey bower, unbidden;
lingering flavors in simple taste, lovingly, cleverly hidden.
Childish laughter sounds, joyful, bright, and clear;
no need ever to hide, no more monsters to fear.

Temper most foul arrives under unregistered mail;
forgotten taunts live on, lashed by an ancient flail.
Plain dealing delivers such lasting specks of honest hate;
savage in retrospect, never hasty, always running late.

Forever, cries an ambient lover of the pending night;
his pale, weak issue forms its own failing light.
Still, fortune favors such as those who apprehend;
Sweet love of Gaia, let it never end.

~~ gigoid ~~

Written 3/10/2013.

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

I’m not sure about this one; it’s an odd, obscure little pearl…. I like it, so, it stays…. Follow the bouncing ideas, and you’ll get to a lovely surprise…. Trust me….

“Man is the only animal that blushes. Or needs to.” — Mark Twain

“Bear, do not blame, what cannot be changed.” — Publilius Syrus

“The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it.” — Flannery O’Connor

“Virtue is its own revenge.” — E. Y. Harburg

“A dead thing can go with the stream, but only a living thing can go against it.” — G. K. Chesterton, Everlasting Man, 1925

“Before enlightenment, one carries water and chops wood. After enlightenment, one carries water and chops wood.” — Zen Proverb

“In a mad world, only the mad are sane.” — Akiro Kurosawa

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

I suppose they can’t all be gems…. Whether this came out good, or bad, or indifferent has now become irrelevant, when weighed against the fact it is done. So be it. I don’t know why, but, I’m a grump…. I guess I’ll go out into the BBR and torment some mundanes…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes; it’s the primary reason I’m not in jail yet, 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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Exploring Consensual Reality

Tag Archives: Smart Bee

No discounts for Pug Dogs…. Huskies, maybe….

After all, it’s only a goose….

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