Oh, swell. Oatmeal fritters again….

Posted on July 12, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

How he lies in his rights of a man!
Death has done all death can.
And absorbed in the new life he leads,
He recks not, he heeds
Nor his wrong nor my vengeance; both strike
On his senses alike,
And are lost in the solemn and strange
Surprise of the change.

~~ Robert Browning ~~

~~ After ~~

International Space Station crossing the Moon’s face

Image by amateur astronomer Dylan O’Donnell

Good morning, I suppose…. could have fooled me. But, then, 3 AM isn’t my favorite time of day, even if being awake is more comfortable than being asleep just now….

In thinking that over, it’s just sad. Having to claim a preference for being up, twitchy and sleepy, with aggravated pain in several spots, rather than being in bed, twitching, WISHING to be able to fall back asleep…. well, it’s just sad, because neither one is anything I can claim to enjoy, or even want to tolerate….

Yesterday was a wash, mostly, as has most of the past two weeks, in some ways. Others, not so bad. Not enough to bring balance, but, not as bad as it might have been, had I still been carrying around that extra 60 lbs. I’ve lost. And, now I’ve bored y’all to the brink of madness, detailing my own sad issues with the aging process, I think we can call this an intro, and get on with the rest of this mess…. It’s bound to be a bit of a cheat, but, it can’t be helped…..

Besides, at this point, I really don’t give a shit….

Shall we Pearl?….

“From the errors of others a wise man corrects his own.” — Publius Syrus

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15112676-wolfgang-amadeus-mozart-1756-1791-on-engraving-from-1908-one-of-the-most-significant-and-influential

To bring balance to my world, nothing works like the music of this man. In fact, his music is not only proven to lift spirits, it has been scientifically proven that listening to his music can increase one’s intelligence, at least for the time it is being enjoyed. People who hear his music score better on tests, consistently, than those who have no music, or listen to any other type… I believe it, especially considering how it can make one feel when one is in the dumps…. Enjoy, ffolkes….

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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

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https://youtu.be/gTEn6SRVAE4

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I had originally intended to rant today, using a rather fine entry from the Devil’s Dictionary as a base. However, due to circumstances completely within my control, I decided to use one from the archives, simply because I’m feeling particularly lazy today. Go figure, right?…. Ah well, soon, I’ll have enough angst built up to bleed out some fresh rants; until then, the archives are full of stuff, all of which is still relevant, sadly….

From 4/4/2014:

When I read the following articles in yesterday’s news, about the government’s abortive attempt to destabilize Cuba using a social networking platform they built, I fully intended to rant about it, as it clearly indicates the administration’s continued demonstration of their contempt and disregard for the American citizen’s right to privacy, as well as the complete debunking of our civil rights as outlined in the Bill of Rights…. It pisses me off royally, especially now that the White House is trying to defend its clandestine activities with more lies, even when confronted about them…. How can anyone think they can explain a lie with another lie?….

I am SO angry about this one, I can’t rant right now…. I’m going to have to let this percolate for a while, to organize my thoughts on the matter; right now it would come out as a threat of violence, which I won’t be ready to carry out for another little while…. Instead, I’ll again use an old-school pearl to vent what I’m feeling, and take some shots at the pundits who are making me crazy with their asinine contortions in the public arena over this spying issue….

It all makes me want to buy a gun; moreover, it makes me want to use it….. Instead, following the links, are a group of pearls, with the specific purpose of making me feel better, by striking out at the fucking assholes who keep showing how much they hate Americans…. even though we keep electing them…. I suppose it’s natural for bullies to disrespect their victims, isn’t it?….

“The reasons which any man offers to you for his own conduct betray his opinion of your character.” — Sir Arthur Helps

http://www.sfgate.com/business/technology/article/US-secretly-built-Cuban-Twitter-to-stir-unrest-5372422.php

http://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/White-House-defends-Cuban-Twitter-to-stir-unrest-5374712.php?cmpid=hp-hc-nationworld

How oft the sight of means to do ill deeds

Make deeds ill done!

~~ William Shakespeare, King John — Act iv, Sc. 2 ~~

“An hour’s perusal of our national charter makes it hard to understand what the argle-bargle is about. The First Amendment forbids infringements of the freedom of speech “except for commercials on children’s television” or “unless somebody says ‘****’ in a rap song or ‘chick’ on a college campus.” The Second Amendment states that “the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed,” period. There is no mention of magazine size, rate of fire, or to what extent those arms may resemble assault rifles.” — P. J. O’Rourke

“The fact that Hitler was a political genius unmasks the nature of politics in general as no other can.” — Wilhelm Reich

“All lawyers should be shot.” — William Shakespeare

(Policy note: Did you ever wonder why so many politicians were lawyers first? I did, but, then, I went, “Oh, right…. Follow the money.”)

BOUNDARY, n. In political geography, an imaginary line between two nations, separating the imaginary rights of one from the imaginary rights of the other. — Ambrose Bierce, “The Devil’s Dictionary”

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

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

Okay, I feel better….. Now, if only we can get them to rinse!….

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Penance, Made Simple

After all the dross is sent away
a celebration can begin,
time will face up to space, to stay
willing, to shine from within.

Anger and confusion come in to share
brushing reason aside,
eager to welcome all that is fair,
alert to danger, eyes wide.

Re-gift the wicked with their own pain
stand with the just;
fail to partake of the ill-gotten gain,
living in honor, the only must.

Standing fast in the face of wrong
is its own prize and reward.
Holding on to truth makes us strong,
well worth working toward.

Little is left to chance by fate
our lessons are never free of cost.
Seldom does reality make us wait
only when alone, are we lost.

~~ gigoid ~~

Written 10/23/2012.

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Smart Bee continues to give me fits when I ask it to provide some appropriate pearls for this section; today’s group took six distinct episodes to gather a sufficient number to make the point….. which wasn’t all that deep a hole to dig. But, it’s done, so, we’ll take it, and run…. Enjoy ffolkes, this one has some good advice on how to approach life with some style….

Do not stop to ask what is it;

let us go and make our visit.

~~ T. S. Eliot, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock ~~

“Let everyone sweep in front of his own door, and the whole world will be clean.” — Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

“Character is that which reveals moral purpose, exposing the class of things a man chooses or avoids.” — Aristotle

25. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer. — Instructions for life

“Let him that would move the world, first move himself.” — Socrates (B.C. 469-399)

“If you get confused, listen to the music play.” — Robert Hunter

“Do not confuse ‘duty’ with what other people expect of you; they are utterly different. Duty is a debt you owe to yourself to fulfill obligations you have assumed voluntarily. Paying that debt can entail anything from years of patient work to instant willingness to die. Difficult it may be, but the reward is self-respect.” — Lazarus Long

“Don’t take anything seriously except happiness.” — Albert Camus

Because right is right, to follow right

Were wisdom in the scorn of consequence.

~~ Alfred Tennyson, “Oenone” ~~

See? Easy money….

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Well…. I can’t say we got down to the bone, but, I do think that bled out very nicely, don’t you? Such a pretty pattern develops as the bright, red blood seeps into the pale grey carpet (nobody ever accused my landlord of good taste….), as the now oxygenated blood mixes with the dirt and tiny livestock inhabiting the depths of the rug…. Lovely!

Okay, sorry…. You’ll find barf-bags in the seat back in front of you…. Oh, wait, we’re out of barf bags…. Ah, well, maybe next trip…. Feel free to use the showers on the way out today…. For sure, though, I’ll see y’all tomorrow, with a full complement of brand new barf bags….

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….

Honorable thieves of Time….

Posted on July 11, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“I respect your right to make an idiot of yourself.

Please respect mine.”

~~ Smart Bee, speaking for gigoid ~~

Main Street, Skagway, Alaska

Good morning…. That’s what it says on the label, anyway, though, from my viewpoint, I think I’d want a second opinion before committing myself too far. We’ll go with the odds, though, and just get on with today’s mess, for lack of a better idea….

Shall we Pearl?….

“Well, I’ve wrestled with reality for 35 years, Doctor, and I’m happy to state I finally won out over it.” — Elwood P. Dowd, “Harvey”

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NASA Hubble Deep Space Telescope Anniversary Image

Rather than a video today, I’m including some artwork which demonstrates the extent of humanity’s exploration of our own Solar System. NASA, with some newer entries into the space exploration circle, has a number of projects taking place around the system, of which we will look at three…. The first is an article on the subject of asteroid mining, which I personally believe to be the next goal our species should take on…. Also included are videos, at the Space.com web site, showing some details of the mission to photograph Pluto and its companion bodies, Charon, Nix, etc., and a video compilation showing the journey of the Mars Rover Curiosity, in a time lapse video made of pictures from each day’s journey…. Those two are in reverse order from how the appear here…

Space is Mankind’s destiny; there is no other answer to the question of why our species exists…. It is our fate to either explore to the ends of the Universe, or kill ourselves trying….

So be it…..

gigoid has spoken.

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Moving a mineral rich asteroid to Mars.

http://www.space.com/29864-asteroid-mining-space-exploration-podcast.html?cmpid=NL_SP_weekly_2015-07-08

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NASA Rover Curiosity photo of a sunset on Mars

http://www.space.com/29868-11+-years-of-mars-roving-in-8-minutes-time-lapse-video.html

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Artist’s rendition of the New Horizons spacecraft

http://www.space.com/29856-pluto-grows-in-new-horizon-s-color-lens-time-lapse-video.html

Pluto’s Heart

Pluto, Charon, & New Horizons

Pluto’s Irregular Moon, Nix, as it tumbles around its orbit

New Horizons Path to Pluto, 2011-2015

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I’d planned a fresh rant for today, but, circumstances have prevented it from getting written just now…. This, of course, means a trip to the archives…. Today, we’ll discuss our world’s Plague of Evil, a term I use to describe the most viciously evil practice our species exhibits, to wit: the trafficking of humans, women, children, and men, for the purposes of sexual exploitation…. If I ever do reach a point where I no longer care about society’s rules, pimps, snakeheads, and other participants in this evil trade would be my very first targets…. And, I wouldn’t/won’t stop until I run out of targets, for nothing, to me, is more dishonorable, or more disgusting, than to take part in such abuse….

From 9/6/2012:

Miss, n.: A title with which we brand unmarried women to indicate that they are in the market. — Ambrose Bierce, “The Devil’s Dictionary”

While this quote is intended to be funny, it actually perpetuates the discriminatory, proprietary labeling of women in our society, exactly the way this says it does. By using such terms, we “brand” women according to their eligibility to be possessed by a man, to serve as his property, and think nothing of it. Indeed, a person is considered polite and well-mannered when he or she uses these societal forms of address, never even considering the implications of what they are saying.

Men are either Mister, or, as boys, Master. That’s pretty indicative of the mind-set that using these terms puts the speaker in; men are assumed superior, merely for being male. Women are either Miss, Mistress, or Missus (Mrs., probably a shortened form of Master’s Mistress… or some such….. ), automatically placing them in the subordinate position to the males.

In the last part of the 20th century, society began to use the term Ms., pronounce mizz, to indicate a woman not married, and not to be automatically considered as a candidate for marriage, in an attempt to mitigate somewhat the restrictive mental attitudes that accompany such terminology, and it has had a fairly positive effect, though in no way complete or enough.

This small change is merely one step in the direction society needs to go, and the journey is not a short one; these attitudes have been part of society for thousands of years. It will take a concerted, sustained effort to change the way people think, even partially. But none of us, men or women, can consider ourselves truly free , free to be, and free to become who we CAN be…. which makes the effort the only rational choice…..

All of this does not even touch upon how these attitudes open the way for the trafficking in human beings that continues to take place all over the world. Because of the assumed male superiority, it becomes a very short step to assuming that men may do whatever they please with women. This includes the rape and abduction of young girls and women, taking them to far away cities where they are forced to work as sex slaves by unprincipled men, who hide behind the laws that protect them; laws also written by men.

This has been going on for centuries, and continues right here in this supposedly advanced country. The public does not pay any attention to the sex trade, as long as it isn’t right in their faces; the unscrupulous, misogynistic men, and women, who run these businesses talk of “victimless crimes” as if the women involved were willing participants, while in reality, most of the women are trapped there by abusive, terrorist men who rape them repeatedly until their will to live is gone, thus making them pliable and docile.

These men, and the women who sometimes join them in their depredations, are sick, disgusting scum, and society needs to excise them from the tree of life. To my way of thinking, a long, drawn out period of torture and pain before death is what they deserve, but I am willing to settle just for death. This trade in sex and the slavery that supports it are a scourge upon society, and should be dealt with just as if it were any other type of threat against the species, with swift and complete justice, and no mercy…..

Free our sisters, free ourselves….

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Momentary Terror

Absently casual, memories pester endlessly
leaving only bleeding remnants, amiable and loving.
Coming awake, I cry to still the pain, shamelessly.

Elsewhen, time gives surcease, if only to live,
shoring broken pilings, worn and gray.
Passing on, I laugh at the pain, accept all it will give.

Time will build a shelter, warm and ever safe
save for Fate’s busy hands.
Enduring, I follow the pain, knowing it will chafe.

Fixed against a darkened sky of starry black
such beauty brings us to our knees.
Entranced, I welcome the pain, ’tis all I lack…..

~~ gigoid ~~

Written 2/4/2013.

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The Dalai Lama

Image from boingboing.com via Google Images

Today’s final old school pearl sees us taking a look at some of the ways we can all improve our lives, if only to make ourselves more comfortable about all that happens around us, by showing us how to change ourselves from within, the only true change we can make in this Reality…. If that wasn’t clear, perhaps the words of some of history’s most beloved sages will help, as they have done for thousands of years…. Enjoy!….

“My teachings are very easy to understand and very easy to practice. But no one can understand them and no one can practice them. In my words there is a principle. In the affairs of men there is a system.” — Lao-Tzu

“We must always change, renew, rejuvenate ourselves; otherwise we harden.” — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

“Maturity is a bitter disappointment for which no remedy exists, unless laughter can be said to remedy anything.” — Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

“Even if you don’t follow a formal meditation program, it is good to sit quietly for a little while every day.” — Deng Ming-Dao

“Glimpses do ye seem to see of that mortally intolerable truth; that all deep, earnest thinking is but the intrepid effort of the soul to keep the open independence of her sea; while the wildest winds of heaven and earth conspire to cast her on the treacherous, slavish shore?” — Herman Melville, Moby Dick

“Life is not a matter of holding good cards, but of playing a poor hand well.” — Robert Louis Stevenson

“Ours is a strange world, in which the vast majority do not know what it is they want, but are willing to go through hell to get it, and once they’ve got it, they don’t know what to do with it because it was supposed to make them happy and didn’t.” — Don Marquis

“Dope will get you through times of no money better that money will get you through times of no dope.” — Freewheelin’ Franklin, “The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers”

If you want others to be happy, practice compassion.

If you want to be happy, practice compassion.

~~ The Dalai Lama ~~

(Note: If the most modern example of common wisdom seems out of place, stop a minute to consider what it actually means, by replacing the offensive, yet perfectly apt word, with almost any other object of human need/desire, to obtain an example of the universal quality of the concept… Try the word, “love”, or, “air”, or, “food”, for example, to see the meaning remains valid…. )

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It’s done. Thank goodness, too. Rather than fuss with it, I’m gonna post it, and be done with it. Jeez, one would think I was organized, if one didn’t know better. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, attitude adjusted, or not….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

A regimen of exfoliation is hardly a cure….

Posted on July 10, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Dying is a wild night and a new road.”

~~ Emily Dickinson ~~

Mankind’s Salvation: artist’s rendition of asteroid mining ship

Image from Space.com

Good morning…. Chuft-meister Schulz informs me the troops have gathered for morning reveille, so we’ll have to make this quick. Today’s Pearl is brought to you by the delightfully delirious depths of human insanity, and, by a grant from a large, soulless corporation, who really couldn’t give a shit about you, but, wants you to think they care. Any resemblance to real events is purely intentional. Of absolutely primary importance, no refunds will be issued in the case of fire, earthquake, or personal whimsy.

Since there is now no hope of any sort of coherence, or any assurances of freedom from prosecution for the events which may or may not transpire, we’d best get this slow on the road….

Shall we Pearl?….

“A friend is one who knows the song in your heart and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words.” — Bernard Meltzer

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Image from tmdb.com via Google Images

Okay, so…. Today’s video selection is a tongue-firmly-in-cheek selection, to add to the list of weirdness pursued at various times here on ECR…. To go along with the German version of the movie’s title poster I found to use as the art work, we have for your viewing pleasure, perhaps, the world’s worst actor in a title roll, an Italian body-builder from the Bronx, with the century’s worst perm, playing the svelte Sinbad… I swear, ffolkes, it’s really, really bad…. So bad, I had to pause the film, & stop watching the first time Lou came on screen, as I was busy trying not to shoot coffee out my nose from laughing so hard!…. Enjoy!….

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Sinbad of The Seven Seas

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https://youtu.be/37aE8QbWyVo

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Though I’m up quite early, I don’t quite feel up to a fresh rant; two weeks of disrupted sleep will do that, I suppose. To sublimate the urge, which is always present and, sadly, accounted for, we’ll use this fine politirant from a couple of years ago….. As with many of my rants, it’s all still pretty valid, as not much changes in the political scene these days…. Only the masks are different….

From 7/24/2013:

“One of the merits of democracy is quite obvious: it is perhaps the most charming form of government ever devised by man. The reason is not far to seek. It is based on propositions that are palpably not true — and what is not true, as everyone knows, is always immensely more fascinating and satisfying to the vast majority of men than what is true.” — H. L. Mencken

With this statement, Mr. Mencken has put his finger on the pulse of America, that is for certain. It goes a long way toward explaining why so many people in this country are so willing to believe the outright, egregious lies that are told to them every single day by the officials they elect every year at the polls that characterize our republic…. They do lie, you know, with almost every statement that comes out of their mouths…. They begin with the most important lie they tell, from which all the others spring, and that is the lie they tell when they tell you that they want to be elected so they can work for YOU! Each and every politician learns early in their career, if they are at all to be successful, they MUST portray themselves as a public-spirited, honest, and tireless worker whose only purpose is to make life better for their constituents….

Of course, nothing could be further from the truth…. NONE of them are at all concerned with any of that nonsense; they are there to carry out their own agenda, which has very little to do with what is good for the general run of mankind…. No, they are there to serve the interests of the men and women who pay them, those lobbyists and special interest representatives who run the businesses of the corporate masters. The people on the street cannot provide them with the perks, or the cash, that the clandestine rulers are able to come up with, other than peripherally, by electing them in the first place…. Once elected, their true colors come out into the light of day, and it can be easily seen how their actions are never congruent with what they have promised to the people who elected them….

It’s all about power and money to these folks, not service. In my entire life of observing politics around the world, I have yet to see a single elected official who could be shown to be honest, not at the national level. The one who came the closest was Jimmy Carter, and his presidency was marked by how little got done, because he was so honest that the true politicians in Congress blocked every reform he tried to institute during his time in office. His actions during that time showed him to be the exception to the usual rule for politicians, which is why, I believe, he was so ineffective as a legislator….

“Invest in America — Buy Japan!”– Smart Bee

Other than Carter, I have seen concrete proof that EVERY President of this country has lied to the American people, not just once or twice, but continuously, about nearly everything. Time and time again, public outcries are heard or seen in the news about some new revelation regarding something some politician lied about, just like it is breaking news or something, when it is actually the normal state of affairs…. I don’t know why it is, but if a man on a TV set, wearing a suit and tie, makes a statement to the public, the general public will believe it, sometimes fanatically, without ever examining it for whether or not it is true… Then, when it turns out they were lied to, they get all upset and vocalize their displeasure, never once admitting it was their own cupidity that allowed the lie to occur in the first place…. It makes me wonder what happened to people in this country, to make them go soft in the head….

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

Did you ever notice how many politicians were lawyers, first? Most of them, as it turns out, for the simple reason that learning to be a lawyer gives a politician two advantageous types of training… One advantage is that law school teaches the student how to lie in every imaginable way, in order to ascertain which kinds of lies are legal…. The other advantage is their primary motivation…. If asked, a very large percentage of lawyers will tell you their reason for becoming a barrister in the first place is that it is a good way to get rich, ( without mentioning, of course, that this is true only as long as one doesn’t give a shit about other people, and what that might do to them)…. In other words they make their money by taking advantage of people’s misery, holding them as hostages against their own destiny, in order to gain resources, i.e. money, and its sidekick, power…..

Then the lawyers realize that their training is perfect for politics…. The ability to lie with facility comes in very handy to anyone who wants to be in the public eye, as that is how one gets elected in the first place…. Tell people what they want to hear, and they will vote for you, every time, coming back to the same trough to eat, even though they get screwed, time after time…. Having the facility to ignore what happens to others, due to their own actions, is the other skill so important to the political set, and the training one receives as a lawyer fits right into that category….

“Watching the democratic party in a presidential contest is like watching a washing machine with a defective bearing: It starts up smoothly enough, but soon, it begins to wobble and shake, jumping violently from place to place, until it tears itself to pieces, spewing dirty laundry all over the room.” –Smart Bee

Some people will say that there ARE some good lawyers out there, and I won’t argue that…. but, they’re still lawyers, not politicians, aren’t they? They’re doing what they can to help ffolkes find their way through the morass of our legal system to get what they need, even occasionally finding some justice…. But, they aren’t going further, and going into public service, are they? They’re still in place, where they can help, but, they are so few and far between, they are hard to find, and so are very busy, seldom having the time or resources to work against their less honest colleagues. Plus, they really are very few in number, as altruists seldom become lawyers in the first place….

I can see this has evolved into a full scale rant; we’ve just begun the day, so I’ll call a halt here. I often feel as if I’m preaching to the choir, anyway, when I go through this stuff again…. It’s all familiar material around here, so it isn’t as if I’m presenting new ideas for your examination…. No, this is all old stuff, and, sadly, doesn’t seem to ever create the outrage that I feel in very many other ffolkes… which is too bad….. I forget who said that “if you keep on doing things the same ways as you always have, things will always be the way they’ve always been….”, but, they were absolutely correct…. We are on a path to our own destruction, clearly, but, nobody seems to care…

Nobody, that is, who seems able to DO anything about it, and they are the ones who will need to make the changes….. The people in authority over the rest of us are wearing blinders in this respect…. The idea that what they are doing is wrong, and will eventually kill us all, doesn’t fit into their world-view, so they won’t believe it, and will continue to refuse to make any of the changes needed to re-direct our steps onto a path less dangerous. It is up to the rest of us to get it done, and that may entail overthrowing the current crop of rulers, either by the vote, or by the less agreeable option of using the necessary force, while making sure the new crop will act in OUR best interests, rather than their own…. If it does happen, it will be the first time in history, which is fine with me…. just as long as it is not the LAST time in history….

“… democracy is not something you believe in, or a place you hang your hat, but it’s something you do. You participate. If you stop doing it, democracy crumbles and falls apart.” — Abby Hoffman

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A Failure to Germinate

Marking the days in elements of sad disarray
only holds me thrall, as I laugh while I may.
With cold, hard hands so impatient and cruel
pulling me to this vale of tears, a pathetic old fool.

Feelings sit silent, cast in shadows and light
breaking forth to implicate such vengeful might.
Just below the surface they patiently hide
to sally forth bravely, colors bright as they ride.

Tears and pain transform valued assets in hand
while comfort and serenity retreat to a far land.
Bold, bright patterns of hope garnish my ruinous state
until reality enters, full of disdainful portions of hate.

I sort out the illustrious measures of vision gone mild
only to find them transformed, now vicious and wild.
In my deepest desires I find myself calloused and cold
with faithless advocates whose souls have been sold.

My search finds little to support any hope of relief
far too much time has passed to bolster such belief.
The sad becomes real, and real becomes unfounded
until flights of such fancy are all dead, and grounded.

Nature has informed me of the newly hatched crime
of which reality boasted proudly, time after time.
The last answer we think of is always the best
as we come to terms with fate, our hope at rest.

~~ gigoid ~~

Written 9/27/2012.

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Aristotle_Bust_White_Background_Transparent

Today we celebrate the return of Smart Bee, who has decided to quit screwing with me…. For now, anyway…. Here is a very nice little pearl, speaking to the subject of Reason as a way of Life…. sort of…. Just listen to what Aristotle and friends have to say on the matter, and all will be well….

Emancipate yourself from mental slavery,

None but ourselves can free our minds.

~~ Bob Marley ~~

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

“knowledge is a polite word for dead but unburied imagination….think twice before thinking.” — e.e. cummings

“Seek the wisdom of the ages, but look at the world through the eyes of a child.” — Ron Wild

“Old places and old persons in their turn, when spirit dwells in them, have an intrinsic vitality of which youth is incapable, precisely, the balance and wisdom that come from long perspectives and broad foundations.” — George Santayana

“All our knowledge has its origins in our perceptions.” — Leonardo da Vinci

“One’s mind is like a knife. If you don’t sharpen it, it gets rusty.” — Nien Cheng

“Two rules we should always have ready,–that there is nothing good or evil save in the will; and that we are not to lead events, but to follow them.” — Epictetus — In what Manner we ought to bear Sickness, — Discourses, Book iii, Chap. x

“The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet.”

~~ Aristotle ~~

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

I cannot say starting early has had any particularly significant effect on the quality of today’s effort; I think any advantage gained by the early start is mitigated by the very earliness of the hour, as it indicates a less than complete night’s rest…. or something…. I guess I just have to trust the process, once again, knowing the routines built in will suffice to bring it to a satisfactory conclusion (meaning, there’s something in each section….). That said, to little or no purpose beyond filling in space, I will take my leave…. You may now resume your regularly scheduled program of insanity, and/or terror…. Or, not…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, no matter what anyone says….

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….

Buffed up laces with worn out traces….

Posted on July 9, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“If at first you doubt, doubt again, and again …”

~~ Smart Bee ~~

Dancing Ferryboats, Victoria Harbor, B.C.

Good morning…. Or, actually, wait! I was wrong. The meter doesn’t read “good” morning; it says “frood” morning! I should have known, as the ambient atmospheric pressure is obviously way far away from anything approaching “good”. I can’t say just what “frood” means, but, it’s clearly not what we expected…. Ah well, given the presence of dancing ferry boats, I think we can give the universe a break, & just go along with whatever it has to say…. Otherwise, we’ll never get out of this intro….. Trust me, I’ve been here before…

Since that’s the case, I’m making an executive decision, to take us onward, in spite of our lack of any clue as to destination. I guess, when it comes down to it, that is true of every day here at ECR. And, that’s fine with me; the journey is much more valuable to me than the final destination…. Okay, let’s do this, ffolkes….

Shall we Pearl?….

“A new broom sweeps clean, but the old brush knows the corners.” — Ancient Human Proverb

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

Gandalf & Shadowfax arrive at Helm’s Deep

Today’s video selection will be appreciated by all those with an imagination… Oh, right…. Okay, enjoy, ffolkes….

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

The Lord of the Rings
Animated Version

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

https://youtu.be/2WH1fxl3iAg

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

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

And the people bowed and prayed, to the neon Gods they’d made.

~~ Paul Simon ~~

No, it’s not the wrong icon; it’s deliberate. Today’s ranting section will consist of an old-school pearl with a group of comments, thoughts, and observations on the subject of religion, which, as I’m sure you have guessed by now, is one we here at ECR reserve primarily for those occasions when we are feeling a bit snarky, with a side dish of smirk. Some of them may be offensive to those who hold faith as more valuable than reason; too bad, so sad, move on…. The rest of us shall enjoy the fun….

“They [the clergy] believe that any portion of power confided to me will be exerted in opposition to their schemes. And they believe rightly: for I have sworn upon the altar of God eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man.” — Thomas Jefferson to Dr. Benjamin Rush, September 23, 1800

“Say what you will about the sweet miracle of unquestioning faith, I consider a capacity for it terrifying and absolutely vile!” — Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

“No man ever believes that the Bible means what it says; he is always convinced that it says what he means.” — George Bernard Shaw

“Ridicule is the best test of truth.” — Lord Chesterfield

“It would be well, if some who have taken upon themselves the ministry of the Gospel, that they would first preach to themselves, then afterwards to others.” — Cardinal Pole

“To be an atheist requires an infinitely greater measure of faith than to receive all the great truths which atheism would deny.” — Joseph Addison

“No one who accepts the sovereignty of truth can be a foot soldier in a party or movement. He will always find himself out of step.” — Sidney Hook

DEVIL: A popular character in mythology, commonly blamed by Christians for everything from plagues to burnt toast. Of course, if the devil ever actually appeared, it would scare these people shitless.” — Daniel Bowen’s TOXIC CUSTARPEDIA

“Cats are intended to teach us that not everything in nature has a purpose.” — Garrison Keillor

See? Relatively painless, as long as one chooses not to wear blinders…. Onward, ever onward we go….

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

Being the compassionate, kindly sort, I wouldn’t wish for the other categories of Asininnies to feel left out of the fun today, so, here, to go with our persecution of the faithful, we’ll have a bit of fun at the expense of the Talking Heads, those pompous, avaricious gobshites who compose the elitists of our Beloved Ruling Class, the Politicians and Pundits!…. And, we’ll do so without involving the delicate reputation of any other of our society’s poets, by using one of my own outbursts…. Enjoy!….

A Few Words of Note

In place of ranting and raving about assholes every day
maybe I’ll try something more fun.
Rather than throwing words at all the assholes on public pay
I’ll switch to shooting at them, with a gun….

Should I actually hit one, purely by mistake,
maybe it would wake them up.
Maybe, if they had to think, or actually cut us a break,
we’d see a chance to win at life, to take a step up.

Our nation, such as it is today, was founded by men who told the truth;
that morality disappeared long ago.
Simple ethical strength so bright, so prevalent in our country’s youth
was soon corrupted, corporate interests now run the show.

Nothing would please me more than to fire off some rounds,
if only to gain their attention.
But, I can no longer run, I’ve gained too many pounds;
so, my keyboard and intellect must serve to fulfill my intention.

I won’t stop, of that you may be sure
I love my freedoms, and the philosophy from which it springs.
Tom, and Ben, and John, and Pat, those patriots pure
gave me their example, and the inner peace it brings.

If bullets won’t persuade our elected liars to toe the ethical line,
I’ll throw my most powerful words…..
If nothing else, it will make them wriggle to escape, or voice their pitiful whine,
thus exposing themselves for what they are…. plain and simple turds.

~~ gigoid ~~

Written 7/19/2014.

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

“I think I am. That’s close enough.”

~~ Peruaosophy, axiom #1 ~~

Okay, ffolkes…. I have no excuses today. I was up early, but, somehow, just couldn’t seem to pull it together (SB wasn’t much help at first, but, came through in the end). The parameters for this old-school pearl were set to find quotes on ‘reason vs. faith’. I have no idea how it came out the way it did, but, I could probably figure it out, if I bothered to think about it…. It just seems easier to let it all work on the underside of your consciousness, in a semi-subliminal fashion…. Oh, right; you might want to hide your credit cards; ya never know what might happen when subliminal suggestions start affecting your brain….

Stupidity is no excuse for not thinking.” — Smart Bee

“Do the thing you fear most and the death of fear is certain.” — Mark Twain

“If error is corrected whenever it is recognized as such, the path of error is the path of truth.” — Hans Reichenbach

“By a tranquil mind I mean nothing else than a mind well ordered.” — Marcus Aurelius Antoninus — Meditations, iv, 3

“Any fool can know. The point is to understand.” — Albert Einstein

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

“Only a brave person is willing honestly to admit, and fearlessly to face, what a sincere and logical mind discovers.” — Rodan of Alexandria

“True myth may serve for thousands of years as an inexhaustible source of intellectual speculation, religious joy, ethical inquiry, and artistic renewal. The real mystery is not destroyed by reason. The fake one is. You look at it and it vanishes. You look at the Blonde Hero–really look–and he turns into a gerbil. But you look at Apollo, and he looks back at you. The poet Rilke looked at a statue of Apollo about fifty years ago, and Apollo spoke to him. ‘You must change your life,’ he said. When the true myth rises into consciousness, that is always its message. You must change your life.” — Ursula K. LeGuin

“Yeah, but you’re taking the universe out of context.” — Hacker wisdom

Time and again, example proves the best teacher; I reiterate, it’s all in the wrist….

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

Well…. that was…. something. I’m going to let it fly, simply because, in spite of the casual nature of the above, putting it together seems to have exhausted me…. Go figure. Ah well, it has the very attractive quality of being ‘done’, so, I’ll take it. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, if the past nearly four years are any indication to go by…..

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

As endings go, it mostly sucks….

Posted on July 8, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Be afraid. Be very afraid.”

~~ Yakko/Wakko/Dot ~~

Beacon Hill Park, Victoria, B.C.

Good morning…. In spite of nearly six straight hours of sleep, and a cup of blood, I can’t seem to find anything worthwhile to begin today’s effort. This, of course, is nothing new, or particularly unusual; it is, however a pain in the ass. Rather than whine about it, or fight it, we’ll just perform a most excellent piece of cosmic judo, allowing the process to fix itself…. It’s been going so long now, it pretty much runs itself, once I get it started…. We can hope that’s true, if naught else….

Shall we Pearl?….

“When did rules ever stop a determined feline?” — Smart Bee

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

I had a hard time deciding on a video, so, you ended up with one of my favorites, to wit: Sherlock. Here is a movie with Jeremy Brett as the great detective, one I haven’t seen yet…. Enjoy!….

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

Sherlock Holmes
The Master Blackmailer

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

https://youtu.be/cT4MR4tP47Q

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

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

“Strange, because they are so frankly and hysterically insane — like all dreams: a God who could make good children as easily as bad, yet preferred to make bad ones; who could have made every one of them happy, yet never made a single happy one; who made them prize their bitter life, yet stingily cut it short; who gave his angels eternal happiness unearned, yet required his other children to earn it; who gave his angels painless lives, yet cursed his other children with biting miseries and maladies of mind and body; who mouths justice and invented hell — mouths mercy and invented hell — mouths Golden Rules, and forgiveness multiplied by seventy times seven, and invented hell; who frowns upon crimes, yet commits them all; who created man without invitation, then tries to shuffle the responsibility for man’s acts upon man, instead of honorably placing it where it belongs, upon himself; and finally, with altogether divine obtuseness, invites this poor, abused slave to worship him!” — Mark Twain, _The Mysterious Stranger_

I’ve always loved that passage from Twain; it’s so damn sharp! My own brain today resembles an old, used sponge more than anything else, so, we’ll pick out a rant from the archives to sublimate…. Enjoy!….

From 4/5/2014:

“In God We Trust.” I don’t believe it would sound any better if it were true.” — Mark Twain

Boy, it sure wouldn’t, would it? But, you can add that particular phrase (“In God….”, etc.) to all the others coined by the snakeheads, and the BRC, to justify their social interactions, all of which serve THEIR ends, not yours…. Having the populace believe the above makes for a very easily manipulated group of people, all of whom are primed to believe whatever they’re told, by someone on TV wearing a suit with a flag pin, or up in the pulpit…. Now we’re supposed to believe them when they talk to us about spying, and lying, and generally being the assholes they cannot help but be…. ( Hmm, a bit awkwardly phrased, but you get my drift, right?…)

http://www.sfgate.com/news/politics/article/Senate-committee-OKs-release-of-CIA-torture-report-5375716.php

Following this line, in summary of the most critical of the information contained therein, I have copied an excerpt from the above article, a brilliantly obscure statement of compliance (?), kinda sorta, from some guy who works at the CIA. That critical excerpt, taken directly from the above, is this:

“CIA spokesman Dean Boyd said his agency would “carry out the review expeditiously,” but suggested the process may be difficult.”We owe it to the men and women directed to carry out this program to try and ensure that any historical account of it is accurate,” Boyd said….”

That’s right, that’s what he said, right out there in public, where it was recorded by numerous reporters…. This person, this… Boyd person, is the mouthpiece spokesman for the CIA, an agency whose very existence, (its raison d’etre, its excuse for being part of our world at all), is to provide intelligence (in the form of information, a task that does not necessarily require significant levels of IQ in its operatives…. Flexible morality, yes, but, not IQ points….) from outside the borders of the USA, by inhabiting, and exploiting, the world of shadow, the battlefield of covert operations in other countries, using techniques and methods of operation based on illusion, misdirection, misinformation, and lies…. This is common knowledge, and not subject to debate…. look it up in their charter documents….

This Boyd person, and I use the term loosely, by making this statement, obviously expects us to believe that his agency, whose very existence is rooted in lies and the spread of misinformation, is ready, and willing to give us, or anyone else, an ACCURATE picture of what they’ve been up to? I don’t know about y’all, but, I’m insulted….

In fact, I can’t recall at the moment anything more egregiously untrue, or as insulting, since Nixon’s “I am not a crook!” back in the 70’s…. Or, maybe, Shrub, Senior’s “Read my lips… no new taxes.”….. Since the sheer illegitimacy of both of those statements has long been a forgone conclusion, no longer a matter of debate, I’d say it’s a fair assessment to make of this particular little piece of verbal bullshit…

http://www.sfgate.com/news/politics/article/Cuban-Twitter-heads-to-hearings-in-Congress-5375669.php

Then, searching further among the headlines of BS we are supposed to buy into, we come to the LATEST of the clandestine shenanigans our beloved Barry, and his “transparent administration” has been up to in the last few years…. Without bothering to actually TELL anyone, some government lackeys, encouraged by the “Arab Dawn” phenomenon in the Middle East, an event whose roots were nourished by the social networking capabilities of Twitter and Instant Messaging technology, decided to attempt to foment rebellion in Cuba among the youth of that country, by deliberately setting up a social network of their own, using it to not only encourage dissent, but, also, (they like to multi-task…) to gather information about the users in Cuba…

Well, I’m shocked…. just shocked, I tell you…. What a surprise, eh? To think that our Beloved Ruling Class here in America, land of the FREE (white Christian minority) would stoop to such egregiously deceitful and deliberate influencing of public sentiment to further their own interests, why it just makes me feel so…. slimed…. Which is how the Cubans must have felt when they found out it was all a sham…

Boy, there’s sure nothing like going around the world making new friends and influencing people, right?…. Christ on a crutch, what the fuck were they thinking? Have these assholes become so blinded by their own sense of entitlement they can’t see just how STUPID that is? Apparently not, which is what will come out, I think, in these hearings…. More stupidity, that is….

It’s all a big clusterfuck, just another example of entitlement gone wild and crazy, making the pundits and elected assholes at every level believe they can be as stupidly obvious about their self-serving avarice as they wish, and nobody will ever care, or catch them at it…. which is a concept, given today’s world, that is not only easily seen as more than just a little stupid, it approaches the level of severe mental retardation…. Having spent a lot of time, (3+ years), taking care of people whose average IQ hovered around 4, I can testify that this sort of belief is about the only sort of which they are capable…..

They’re all a bunch of smarmy, self-serving, avaricious assholes…. and THAT, my friends, is me being NICE!….. I merely used a bit of vitriol, with only one questionably unwarranted word of insult…. I COULD have been extremely nasty, turning viciously vulgar, without breaking a sweat, or becoming at all disconcerted…. Yep, I could have said, fuck them all, really hard, right in the ass, (unless, of course, they LIKE that….); then, kick their sorry asses right down to the lowest levels of the hell they so richly deserve…. but, I won’t say that….

gigoid, the dubious, has spoken. So be it….

“…. I’m IMAGINING a sensuous GIRAFFE, CAVORTING in the BACK ROOM of a KOSHER DELI –” — Zippy the Pinhead

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

Elemental, dear Watson….

Don’t worry,
it’s not
me
you hear
screaming.

It is
only
my bones,
giving in,
to
cowardly,
pathologically,
repetitive,
fucking,’
complaints
of
past abuse,
and
all the fun
we had.
playing,
hard.

I don’t mind
too much;
I can spend my
TIME
in another space
in my head,
pretending
my bones
don’t
exist….

It
is,
indeed,
a shame
they
always
come
back….

Fuck.

It
hurts.

More proof,
I guess,
either
God isn’t,
or,
He is.

He isn’t?
Oh,
Well….

Ante up.
Deal.

He is?
Then,
I don’t fucking care
who
doesn’t like it,

I say,

He
is
a bully,
a coward,
a hypocrite,
and,
truly,
an enormous asshole.

I suppose,
God
is
what comes,
to,
and
from,
People,

because

they
feel
a need,
for
someone
to
blame,
for
a
Universe
they
cannot
understand
or
accept.

I
will
take the complaints.

After all,
they
are
my bones.

~~ gigoid ~~

Written 9/13/2014.

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

Aristotle graces the top of today’s final section, as the primary inspirational figure in the following group of pearls…. It’s a good one…. You might even want to take notes, as it’s all stuff you’ll be able to use later….

“There’s only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that’s your own self.” — Aldous Huxley, Time Must Have a Stop

“In the words of Shankarachaya, “All impossible things can be made possible save the bringing of the fool’s mind to the point of truth.” — Hazrat Inayat Khan (Sufi writer)

“The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free your very existence becomes an act of rebellion.” — Albert Camus

“What is the hardest task in the world? To think.” — Emerson

“For him who has conquered the mind, the mind is the best of friends; but for one who has failed to do so, his mind will be the greatest enemy.” — Bhagavad Gita (c. B.C. 400)

“One who is plenteously provided for from within needs but little from without.” — Goethe

“The greatest homage we can pay to truth is to use it.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” — Aristotle

“Don’t take life too serious. It ain’t no ways permanent.” — Pogo, by Walt Kelly

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

Well, it’s done. I’ve been doing this long enough now to realize it’s just going to have to go out the way it is; I’m not in the mood to fuss with it. Hell, I’m not in the mood to do much but chew on innocent bystanders; I’m thinking I’ll stay in today, & avoid any jail time…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, as long as the alarm goes off….

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….

Look, Ma! Jalapeño Pop Tarts!…

Posted on July 7, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Where pain predominates, agony can be a valued teacher.”

~~ Frank Herbert ~~

Scenes from a train VI….

Good morning…. Naturally, we don’t expect you to believe us; it’s a social nicety we are unwilling to forgo, merely for the sake of modern expediency. That would be unthinkable. Inconceivable! Pretty rude, too, I should think.

Now we have the obligatory nonsense out of the way, I think it would be best to get on with this, before I slip back into the royal we again, and can’t find my way out….

Shall we Pearl?….

“Trouble rather the tiger in his lair than the sage amongst his books. For to you Kingdoms and their armies are things mighty and enduring, but to him they are but toys of the moment, to be overturned by the flicking of a finger.” — Chinese proverb

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

Image from fandango.com via Google Images

In 1968, I went to a midnight matinee in Berkeley, where a newly made film was making the rounds of the universities in the US. It was a student-made film, with perhaps the greatest visual joke ever produced, in a hand-drawn, frame-by-frame film produced for a class…. Here is one of several sequels made. By following the link to the You Tube page, you can see the original, as well… Enjoy, ffolkes, this be some funny shit….

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

Son of Bambi Meets Godzilla

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

https://youtu.be/VujzyznQ4eE

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

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

To alleviate the possibility of this becoming a bore, we’ll refrain from a full out rant today, to go with a modified old-school pearl. In this style of pearl, there are a number of quotes from various entities, having to do, for the most part, with some part of the Asininny Group, aka our Beloved Ruling Class, or their sycophants, the Dogma Dogs, or their zombie-like enforcers, the Faceless Myrmidons who inhabit our police and military. It can get a bit chaotic, but, it sure is fun for me…. Enjoy, ffolkes. even if it’s hard to follow in spots….

“Find out just what any people will submit to, and you have found out the exact amount of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them; … The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress.” — Frederick Douglass, U.S Marshal, son of a slave, 1857

Fred Douglass was a smart man, obviously…. In this particular observation, he makes a veiled reference to not only the corruption already present in government, by implying oppression, but, also by implication, identifies the culprits, as this is a clear restatement a basic law of economics, by which human society is ruled. In short, he merely restates the old adage which says, and means, “whatever the market will bear”….. As it turns out, it’s true, as well, always a good thing in a point of philosophy….

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

In 2001, in the last weeks of August, in the US, you’ll find news articles in several major mainstream news outlets regarding accusations of election fixing by the Bush campaign in the Presidential election the previous year, when George Bush was again elected, under suspicious circumstances, though losing the popular vote in both 1996 and 2000. The articles spoke of suspiciously sabotaged voting machines in key voting districts of swing states. which gave the vote to Bush, rather than Gore; there was talk of forming an investigation by the Attorney General’s office into the allegations, which was printed on 9/9/2001…. Two days later, the attacks on the WTC and Pentagon took place, taking the entire world’s attention off the election, and onto the egregiously ill-timed attacks….

Since then, we have watched every one of the Bill of Rights abrogated…. You decide; CIA plot? (Remember G. Bush Senior’s first job? CIA director….) Or circumstance? (Hah!…. sure it was….)

Either way, the American people gave up their liberty for the illusion of safety…. Believe it.

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

Pretty clear warning, ya think? Did anyone listen? Nope….

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

Didn’t take long, did it? Not long after this statement, a corrupt federal judge made the first decision, as scripted by his employers advisers in the banking industry, which gave the rights of personhood to corporations, thus paving the way for the usurpation of the entire banking industry, embedding it into the government, so it could formulate the laws to suit its own needs and desires, to loot the US Treasury….

“If you started a business when Christ was borne and lost $1 million a day, it would still take another 700 years before you lost $1 trillion.” — Representative Phil Crane

I wonder if Phil realizes the government does this on a consistent basis; they typically use/lose about $1 trillion in one MONTH, or so, just by invading another country….Hell, it’s been reported to cost about $750,000,000 a DAY to bomb ISIS. The trillions add up quickly at that rate…. and, it’s a wonderful method of laundering all that beautiful money….

“Maybe if you could comprehend how most people can be unconcerned about the loss of hundreds of millions of animal lives for greed you would be able to understand why some Nazis were unconcerned about the lives lost in the holocaust.” — barry@garion.it.com.au (Barry O’Grady)

This one seems crystal clear to me; it’s a short step from killing animals to killing people…. But, then, people are pretty nasty, vicious creatures, all in all…. If you don’t believe me, just go read the Bible….

“Americans are so enamored of equality they would rather be equal in slavery than unequal in freedom.” — Alexis de Tocqueville

“It makes no difference who you vote for– the two parties are really one party representing 4 percent of the people.” — Gore Vidal

These last two have been left together to demonstrate the breadth of the issue, and the primary cause…. Americans tend to think in platitudes, as far as most of them think at all. This makes them easily fooled, and easily led, for they choose to believe all the lies they’re told by those in authority, despite constant demonstrations of being lied to at every turn…. It’s enough to make a patriot cry…. and frequently does….

Bah, humbug. That’s enough…. If y’all don’t get the picture by now, well, too bad…. I have the distinct feeling it’s already too late to do anything about it, anyway…. Not without a return to the attitudes and beliefs implied in our final pearls for this section, and our final word on this for today…. The only way we’ll get our freedoms back, is to take the following statements to heart…..

“The spirit of resistance to government is so valuable on certain occasions that I wish it to be always kept alive.” — Thomas Jefferson, Letter to Abigail Adams, Paris, Feb. 22, 1787

“The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is it’s natural manure.” — Thomas Jefferson, Letter to William S. Smith, Paris, Nov. 13, 1787

gigoid has spoken.

So be it.

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

Lamenting Empathy, No Grace

Strange, strong, passions burn from within
Selling nothing short, nor out
Consumed, loudly, failing to mark the spin
Sad, resigned, in singular redoubt.

Fallow grounds for twisted seed
Become fated, grow, and die.
Experience never fills critical need
Save perhaps once, in ages gone by.

Shouting in severe, dulcet tone
Brittle, flaking, destiny floats away
Making noise, rattling the bone
Simply ageless fears held at bay.

We mask our illusions in faux belief
Tied to reality by matter of rote,
Send them postcards, without relief
Consecrated time, forever remote.

~~ gigoid ~~

Written sometime prior to 12/14/2014, when it was re-discovered & added to the archive. I think it was in 2013…. Doesn’t matter much now, does it?…. All grist for the mill, is what it is….

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

This one is a little hard to categorize. It speaks of being human, and about Life, but, it’s more than either of those…. It’s a breakthrough pearl, a nine-star wonder fresh from Smart Bee’s hidden treasure pile…. Enjoy!…

All that is gold does not glitter,

All those that wander are not lost.

~~ J.R.R. Tolkein — Lord of the Rings ~~

“Learning is not compulsory… neither is survival.” — W. Edwards Deming

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

“It is the ability to choose which makes us human.” — Madeleine L’Engle (Walking on Water)

“A little learning is a dangerous thing but a lot of ignorance is just as bad.” — Bob Edwards

“Most of the trouble in the world is caused by people wanting to be important.” — T. S. Eliot

Learn to think for a living.” — Smart Bee

“A man is a very small thing, and the night is very large and full of wonders.” — Lord Dunsany, The Laughter of the Gods

History, with all her volumes vast,

Hath but one page.

~~ Lord Byron — Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage, Canto iv, Stanza 108 ~~

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Who says beggars can’t be choosers? My ability to sleep has gone begging, yet, I choose to be awake, anyway, in defiance of the absolute NEED to collapse in exhaustion…. Oh well, such is life in senior citizenville, I suppose…. I guess, since this went so well (hah!), I’d best do it again; until tomorrow, then, I shall bid thee a fond farewell, with hopes the rest of your day is a bit more coherent, if less interesting to observe in action…. Ta ta, then, luvs….

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….

Rambling for rubles….

Posted on July 5, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

Euripides says,–

Who knows but that this life is really death,

And whether death is not what men call life?

~~ Diogenes Laertius — Pyrrho, viii ~~

Scenes from a train V….

Good morning…. But, then, you knew that, or you wouldn’t be here, reading this nonsense, would you? Of course not…. If nothing else, we here at ECR have respect for our Gentle Readers, such as they are. On that you may depend, if naught else…. It won’t pay the rent, or feed very many people, but, it’s got to feel better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick, I would say…. Having said that, to no good purpose other than to fill in a bit more space between the front and rear of this paragraph, I believe I will take this opportunity to get the hell out of this seemingly never-ending initial blurb, so we can actually get started…. Here’s how we’ll do that….

Shall we Pearl?….

“If only there were evil people somewhere, insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?” — Alexander Solzhenitsyn

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

Rather than spend a long time agonizing over our selection today, I decided to just go with our default choice for this section, to wit: classical music. Here is another mix of artists and composers to chill out your morning reading….

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Classical Pearls

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https://youtu.be/pdUOtJLHGQQ

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“My nose feels like a bad Ronald Reagan movie…” — Zippy the Pinhead

Yesterday was July 4th, our holiday to celebrate the birth of the nation. For much of my life, I was one who could be called patriotic; having observed history now for over 60 years, my patriotism has turned mostly to sorrow, for promises unkept, and a dream that died…. The warnings given by our founding fathers, to watch out for professional politicians and corporate influence in government, were mostly ignored during the last century, and we are now paying the price for our lack of attention…..

I intended to comment copiously about all the events and issues that have soured my patriotism, but, find myself unwilling to even go there today. I’ve been in pretty severe pain for days now, and feel I would become too worked up to do it justice…. It’s such a great opening line, I hate to let it go, so, I’ve found an older politirant from the days before my second retirement kicked in, and my sense of outrage was pretty much left in the “ON” position for a couple of years…. It’s all still completely valid, so it will do…. Think about the events of yesterday, in light of Zippy’s comment, and you’ll see what I’m talking about…. We’ve all been stuck in a bad B movie, since the days of Reaganomics, and the final assault on the Bill of Rights….

From 3/7/2013:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Blackberrying

Nobody in the lane, and nothing, nothing but blackberries,
Blackberries on either side, though on the right mainly,
A blackberry alley, going down in hooks, and a sea
Somewhere at the end of it, heaving. Blackberries
Big as the ball of my thumb, and dumb as eyes
Ebon in the hedges, fat
With blue-red juices. These they squander on my fingers.
I had not asked for such a blood sisterhood; they must love me.
They accommodate themselves to my milkbottle, flattening their sides.

Overhead go the choughs in black, cacophonous flocks —
Bits of burnt paper wheeling in a blown sky.
Theirs is the only voice, protesting, protesting.
I do not think the sea will appear at all.
The high, green meadows are glowing, as if lit from within.
I come to one bush of berries so ripe it is a bush of flies,
Hanging their bluegreen bellies and their wing panes in a Chinese screen.
The honey-feast of the berries has stunned them; they believe in heaven.
One more hook, and the berries and bushes end.

The only thing to come now is the sea.
From between two hills a sudden wind funnels at me,
Slapping its phantom laundry in my face.
These hills are too green and sweet to have tasted salt.
I follow the sheep path between them. A last hook brings me
To the hills’ northern face, and the face is orange rock
That looks out on nothing, nothing but a great space
Of white and pewter lights, and a din like silversmiths
Beating and beating at an intractable metal.

~~ Sylvia Plath ~~

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SB decided to take the day off, so, I had to go to the archives for this section’s pearl; it’s not bad, all things considered…. Of course, I probably forgot something, but, hey, it’s the last section, so, who cares?….

From 9/5/2012:

“The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents. We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far. The sciences, each straining in its own direction, have hitherto harmed us little; but some day the piecing together of dissociated knowledge will open up such terrifying vistas of reality, and of our frightful position therein, that we shall either go mad from the revelation or flee from the deadly light into the peace and safety of a new dark age.” — H.P. Lovecraft, The Call of Cthulhu

Sometimes, I think we have already arrived at this point in time….. but, if not, then we are not far away…… with this firmly in mind, please find the following, all of which lead one gently to an idea that may, or may not, make you feel better. Which, of course, is NOT the purpose…. nonetheless, the conclusion framed by these quotes is one you NEED to know……

“It has been said that man is a rational animal. All my life I have been searching for evidence which could support this.” — Bertrand Russell

“Where ignorance is our master, there is no possibility of real peace.” — Dalai Lama

As a man can drink water from any side of a full tank, so the skilled theologian (politician’s too!) can wrest from any scripture that which will serve his purpose. — Bhagavad Gita

“Discourse on virtue and they pass by in droves. Whistle and dance the shimmy, and you’ve got an audience.” — Diogenes

“Anyone who isn’t confused doesn’t really know what’s going on.” — Edward R. Murrow

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

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Sometimes, by the end of the day’s effort, I’m destroyed; today is one of those days…. The process of deciding, and writing, and formatting all of the above, due, no doubt to the underlying angst involved in the subject matter to which we tend to gravitate, has left me grumpy, and damn glad to be done…. Perhaps tomorrow will be better…. It’s our only hope, Obi-wan!…. See ya, ffolkes, like it or not….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Look! It’s a roly-poly, wholly holy jellyroll!…

Posted on July 4, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

The path is the way.

The way is the truth.

It is found, but not held;

walked on, but not followed.

~~ Tao Teh Ching ~~

Scenes from a train IV….

Good morning…. Making such a grandiose statement so early, before actually seeing any of the day, is, perhaps, somewhat optimistic, but, I figured a bit of positive attitude can’t hurt…. We’ll see how that goes…. Given the hour (0200), my physical status, (shaky, with pain at about level 7 much of the time), and the state of my mind (sleepy, grumpy, and other dwarfish adjectives… to wit: funky…), a lot of the optimism may be unwarranted, but, hey, life’s tough, and then you die. So, how else to react, than to shake our heads, sip, breathe, sip, and trundle on?….

All you can do is all you can do…. Therefore, that’s what we’ll do….

Shall we Pearl?….

“Before he became a hermit, Zarathud was a young Priest, and took great delight in making fools of his opponents in front of his followers. One day Zarathud took his students to a pleasant pasture and there he confronted The Sacred Chao while She was contentedly grazing. “Tell me, you dumb beast,” demanded the Priest in his commanding voice, “why don’t you do something worthwhile? What is your Purpose in Life, anyway?” Munching the tasty grass, The Sacred Chao replied “MU”. (The Chinese ideogram for No-Thing.) Upon hearing this, absolutely nobody was enlightened. Primarily because nobody understood Chinese.” — Camden Benares, “Zen Without Zen Masters”

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Today is a national holiday, designed to celebrate nationalism, a subject I tend to avoid/ignore as much as possible…. However, it does give me the opportunity to include an iconic American band for your listening pleasure…. Today’s choice is one of the finest acoustic performances, ever…. Enjoy!….

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Crosby,Stills,Nash,& Young

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https://youtu.be/Mjbq6K2ziDQ

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“Silence can be the biggest lie of all. We have a responsibility to speak up; and whenever the occasion calls for it, we have a responsibility to raise bloody hell.” — Herbert Block

“… so long as the people do not care to exercise their freedom, those who wish to tyrannize will do so; for tyrants are active and ardent, and will devote themselves in the name of any number of gods, religious and otherwise, to put shackles upon sleeping men.” — Voltarine de Cleyre

One might think, being up so early, I’d be able to rant; however, such an event requires a delicate balance of energy and angst. A lack of either one can sink a rant before it begins. Such is the case today; I got so little sleep, I’m too tired to think clearly… THAT is why you get an archived discussion today…. It is on a subject near and dear to my curmudgeonly heart, and, not to shabby, all things considered…. Enjoy, ffolkes, for what it’s worth….

From 3/15/2013:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Relative Cynicism, with Caramel Sauce

Absolute stillness follows violent movement,
it can happen during a downhill race,
as an immovable piece of asphalt pavement
meets the once handsome racer’s face.

Yuk, yuk, yuk, said that asshole Moe,
after poking both of Larry’s eyes,
bashing face, head, & crotch of Curly Joe
and only ever got hit with pies.

Lonely moments never really come along
when Murphy’s got us in his sights.
Not for money, love, or siren’s song
will he abrogate his natural rights.

All we can do is sigh, or laugh in pain,
as Life portions out our ration of shit.
Silver linings melt in the slightest rain,
so we may as well learn to live with it.

~~ gigoid ~~

Written 4/7/2013.

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

As it turns out, it’s a good thing I was up so early; SB decided to go on strike again…. I managed to pull out a decent nine-star pearl, commenting on Life at Large, but, I have to say, it was much like pulling tree stumps…. I can testify, it ain’t easy…. Enjoy, ffolkes; these are probably, if not actually on the Quiz, required prerequisites….

“We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.” — Anais Nin

“The believer is happy. The doubter is wise.” — Hungarian proverb

“He does not seem to me to be a free man who does not sometimes do nothing.” — Cicero

“They say dogs ignore their reflections in mirrors because they can’t smell them. Dogs, unlike people, are not fooled by what they see.” — Theodore Sturgeon

“Clay is moulded to make a vessel, but the utility of the vessel lies in the space where there is nothing. … Thus, taking advantage of what is, we recognize the utility of what is not.” — Lao Tzu
“Do not fear death so much, but rather the inadequate life.” — Bertold Brecht

“I have realized that the past and future are real illusions, that they exist in the present, which is what there is and all there is.” — Alan Watts

“And forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair.” — Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet

“For it is the doom of men that they forget.” — Merlin

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Well…. I suppose, since I’m done, I can say this: fucking assholes!. There. I feel better now…. To whom do I refer? I refer to those assholes who call themselves doctors, that’s who. It’s too late to explain right now, but, take it from me, they’re assholes…. Regardless of that, I’ll be back tomorrow, provided nobody in a uniform gets in my way…. I’m NOT in the mood to fuss with them, and might get a bit testy…. See you then, ffolkes, as long as my computer boots up….

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….

Thereby hangs a pail on a nail….

Posted on July 3, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

My imagination makes me human and makes me a fool;

it gives me all the world and exiles me from it.

~~ Ursula K. Le Guin ~~

Interior scenes from a train….

Good morning…. I got nothin’. Nothing at all, at all…. Not only can I think of nothing to write about, I can’t seem to even work up any angst about not being able to do so. this is going to make it a hard row to hoe today, for sure and for certain…. I suppose, that being the case, I’ll just issue the usual warning about keeping your hands inside the vehicle, and get on with it…. Try not to expect too much today, alright? I hate to disappoint people, & it looks as if we’ll be having a special on that today….

Shall we Pearl?….

“.. I wonder if I ought to tell them about my PREVIOUS LIFE as a COMPLETE STRANGER?” — Zippy the Pinhead

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

It’s time to head back to our roots…. Here is a collection of cartoons starring the clown who started it all…. Enjoy, ffolkes….

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

Bozo The Clown

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

https://youtu.be/ayV2JD2AwT8?list=PLZs0gQed9tMR4V8_eLxr_b1Vuhm8a8hIF

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

“And it does matter. An honest man or woman is an honest man or woman more because he or she is honest in the small, everyday things that “don’t matter” individually, but which make up a well-lived life, than because of some single great temptation that was passed. A person who is concerned about individual rights or about individual dignity makes his or her difference not because of any sweeping great statement or action, but because of the accretion of small, individually seemingly insignificant acts that spread that dignity and confirm those rights through every action they take. It matters because every action you take, and every action I take is an expression of the human spirit.” — William Oliver (oliver@uncmed.med.unc.edu)

What a fine beginning quote for a rant; it fits right in with our usual theme, and provides a good jumping off point for a discussion of current events…. Since a rant, or even a discussion is pretty much out of the question today, I’ll fill in with some rather good pearls from SB, before it went into its current snit…. Here for your morning enjoyment are some comments on modern life, as seen here on ECR…. The first one will give y’all an idea of exactly how far humanity has advanced over the last 4800 years…..

“The Earth is degenerating these days. Bribery and corruption abound. Children no longer mind their parents, every man wants to write a book, and it is evident that the end of the world is fast approaching.” — Assyrian Stone Tablet, c.2800BC

“The gods can either take away evil from the world and will not, or, being willing to do so cannot; or they neither can nor will, or lastly, they are both able and willing. If they have the will to remove evil and cannot, then they are not omnipotent. If they can, but will not, then they are not benevolent. If they are neither able nor willing, then they are neither omnipotent nor benevolent. Lastly, if they are both able and willing to annihilate evil, how does it exist?” — Epicurus — Aphorisms, c. 300 B.C.

“Heaven does not choose its elect from among the great and wealthy.” — William Makepeace Thackeray, The Virginians (1857-59). Chapter 5

“The remedy in the United States is not less liberty but real liberty — an end to the brutal intolerance of churchly hooligans and flag-waving corporations and all the rest of the small but bloody despots who have made the word Americanism a synonym for coercion and legal crime.” — Archibald MacLeash (b. 1892)

“Acquittal of the guilty damns the judge.” — Horace

“From the standpoint of any sane person, the present problem of capitalist concentration is not only a question of law, but of criminal law, not to mention criminal lunacy.” — G. K. Chesterton, A Case In Point, The Outline of Sanity

“Americans like to talk about (or be told about) Democracy but, when put to the test, usually find it to be an ‘inconvenience.’ We have opted instead for an authoritarian system *disguised* as a Democracy. We pay through the nose for an enormous joke-of-a-government, let it push us around, and then wonder how all those assholes got in there.” — Frank Zappa

“There are some politicians who, if their constituents were cannibals, would promise them missionaries for dinner.” — H.L. Mencken

“Food for thought is no substitute for the real thing.” — Walt Kelly, Potluck Pogo

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

Well, of COURSE it’s one of mine; I told y’all I had nothin’ new…. Ah well, sometimes old is better….

Random Exposure

If I only knew what I was doing here,
I could give others a clue.
Reality gets stranger every year,
and I’m not sure what I should do.

Singing happy old tunes, in an old, gravely voice,
gives me a lot of pleasure.
I’m only glad I can still make a choice,
to look at life, to take its measure.

Memorable moments keep passing by
gilded, framed in precious emotion.
I never have to ask anyone why,
no need for a stronger potion.

Everything in life is clear, to me
there is no doubt, no misunderstanding.
We’re all good, as you can see,
members of Life, in good standing.

Life can be hard, or it can be great fun;
the right path is there for each of us to take.
That choice is often a difficult one;
pay close attention to the choice you make.

~~ gigoid ~~

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

As noted in the intro section, I’ve got nada…. This, of course, means you get another archived pearl for the final section…. The pearl I found to fill in today is a pretty good one, from a pretty good year…. Enjoy!…

From 5/5/2013:

Today has turned into a traditional Pearl… though the intro is shorter than usual, the rest of it follows format perfectly, with a rant in section one, a classic poet, and poem, in section two, and a third section, which obviously is supposed to be an old-school grouping of pearls…. I confess that I keep a stash of quotes from Smart be, to the tune of about eighty-seven pages of a document, so I’m not as short of quotes as I’d thought to be. I’m going to use it for a couple days, & let the real Smart Bee have a vacation, to see if that will fix the corruption in the file….

I know, wishful thinking, but, it’s worth a shot… If it works, it will piss Murphy off, so I’d do it that way anyway, for just that reason…. Any who, today’s group will be VERY random, so bear with me…. Buckle up, please, we can’t proceed until all seat-belts are fastened securely…. insurance rules…

But the sunshine aye shall light the sky,
As round and round we run;
And the truth shall ever come uppermost,
And justice shall be done.

~~ Charles Mackay — Eternal Justice, Stanza 4 ~~

“A competent and self-confident person is incapable of jealousy in anything. Jealousy is invariably a symptom of neurotic insecurity.” — Robert Heinlein

“Life is a long lesson in humility.” — James M. Barrie

“Ridicule is the best test of truth. — Lord Chesterfield

“If you hate a person, you hate something in him that is part of yourself. What isn’t part of ourselves doesn’t disturb us.” — Hermann Hesse, _Damian_, 1919

“There are two sentences inscribed upon the Delphic oracle, hugely accommodated to the usages of man’s life: “Know thyself”, and “Nothing too much”; and upon these all other precepts depend.” — Plutarch (46-120 AD) — Consolation to Apollonius

“Now and then it’s good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy.” — Smart Bee

Now, that’s not bad at all…. a very cogent grouping, I think…. Let yourself flow with it, and you’ll end up in a place you will like, I guarantee… If not, well, that’s okay too…. some of us need to let things stir around a while before consuming it… or something…. Ah hell, just listen to the last one, and all will be well….

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

It’s done. Since that is the BEST I can say of it, we’ll let it die a peaceful death, moving on to the next item on today’s agenda, which happens to be missing…. Oh well, I didn’t feel up to much, anyway…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, should there be no other option….

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….

Sales of knave Ulysses….

Posted on July 1, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

Virtues are acquired through endeavor,

Which rests wholly upon yourself.

So, to praise others for their virtues

Can but encourage one’s own efforts.

~~ Nagarjuna (c. 100-200 AD) ~~

Rest Stop

Good morrow…. ‘Tis another day, it seems. Ah, and, another month. as well… So be it…. I can deal with it; can you?

Of course, I do have an advantage; the powers of a Time Lord come in quite handy, several times (hah!) a day. But, naturally, those are only a small matter of invested time (hah!) to acquire, right? Anyone with the correct time (hah!), and the available time (hah!), with a natural curiosity, and the strong flexibility of mind necessary to handle the ambiguity involved, can learn the necessary skills and techniques. Believe me, if you’d met some of the other Time Lords, you wouldn’t feel so impressed with the ability, or as reluctant to believe in your own powers….

You see, it’s all revolves around one simple factor, one everyone knows, yet, doesn’t really believe. Most simply put, Thou Art God…. Or, if you prefer, God Thou Art…. Heck, even Art, you’re God, too…. all same same. That’s it. You see, we all have the power of imagination, (almost) every single one of us; this is something no one will deny…. I say ‘almost’, of course, to indicate there are SOME people who choose to demonstrate a complete unwillingness to use it, or respect it, or acknowledge its true power, but, hey, to each their own….

Whether those folks, or you, believe it or not, your imagination gives you the same power as any god you can think of…. (The proof thereof is reserved for a discussion later on, at another time (hah!)…. Until such time (hah!), it may also be used as an exercise for the Gentle Reader….). Time, therefore, becomes, like memory, a matter of volition; it only exists in our consciousness so everything doesn’t happen at once. Sort of a filing system for the limited physical envelopes we inhabit, the actual machine (biologically expressed) in which our minds and consciousness are housed; it makes it easier to find what we need at any given moment of time (hah!)….

Okay, I’ll have pity now (hah!)…. Obviously, I could do this all day (hah!) (okay, that’s the last one…); what else are powers for, if not to use? Especially when I get to mess about with somebody’s sense of reality…. Makes it all worthwhile somehow….. Maybe I need an ethical tuneup?….. Nah! I just need to get on with this whatever-it-is, which, since I’ve begun, I have to finish… You start, you finish, that’s it….

Shall we Pearl?….

“Anger a dragon not, as you are tasty & go well with Brie.” — Elvish Dragon humor

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

Today is a default musical choice…. I feel like some Mozart, so, here, for your listening enjoyment, and for the raising of your IQ (a scientifically proven result of listening to Mozart’s music….), I give you his Symphonies No. 40, and No. 41….

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

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

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

https://youtu.be/X5ZS8jCrnh4

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

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

“The majority is never right.”

~~ L. Long (1912-) ~~

I had originally intended to compose a fresh rant today. However, in perusing old Pearls yesterday, I found this, which not only suits my mood perfectly, but, also the quote I had chosen. Hey, look at it this way; there’s no NEW bad news to rant about, for the moment, at least…. Enjoy, ffolkes, this was a GOOD one…

From 11/11/2012:

“Whoever undertakes to set himself up as a judge of Truth and Knowledge is shipwrecked by the laughter of the gods.” — Albert Einstein

It may have come to your attention I tend to speak, or write, in a manner that indicates I know what is Truth, and what is Knowledge, and my opinion is certain. And, in this, you’d be correct; my self-confidence is pretty healthy…. I would like to point out, however, the laughter of the gods rings in my ears a lot….. just like it does almost every second that a politician speaks. I, however, can hear the laughter, and make adjustments accordingly, per the dictates of reality. They don’t hear it at all….. Of course, they already know that what they are saying is a lie (they are, after all, politicians; it’s what they do….), and, thus, wouldn’t admit it if they did hear it…..

One reason for my confidence, aside from a perfectly normal, loving set of parents (can’t stress enough how important that is in allowing kids to grow up feeling good about themselves….), is that I am smarter than your average bear, AND, can prove it. See, almost everyone feels like they are better than average; it amazes me how some of them can come to that conclusion, but it’s true. Ask any number of people you like to tell you if they are average, or above average, or below…. I will bet you serious money that almost every one of the ones you ask will say they are above average. Yet, arithmetic will deny that assertion, as it is purely impossible for ALL of them to be so endowed….. Those of us who ARE above average usually will question our own level of expertise, if only to verify our own position on the scale, because we know for a FACT that AT LEAST half of the people are below average. That is, after all, the definition of average….

It is an unfortunate fact that being below average tends to cause resentment toward those who are not; this is a root cause of may of our society’s ills, though not one easily considered, by those above, or below the line. None of us, gifted, average, or mundane, are comfortable with the differences between is in our perceptive abilities; it doesn’t seem fair, and part of our nature rebels at that, silly as it is, considering the nature of reality. But, it is so, and there is naught to be done about the simple fact that some ffolkes are smarter than others. It doesn’t mean they are better, nor does it mean they are stronger, or more fit to survive. As one great philosopher, whose name escapes me right now, has said, “There is no evidence yet to be seen that intelligence has any survival value.” (I THINK it was Arthur C. Clarke…. but might have been someone else…. I’ll let you know when it comes to me, or Smart Bee shows it to me again…. it doesn’t really matter, it’s still the truth…..)

“To a Europe exhausted by nearly two centuries of religious wars, [Isaac] Newton’s works were first and foremost a message about God; that He did not behave in a capricious or arbitrary fashion, in response to either His will or human prayer, but in accordance with absolute, unwavering, and humanly discoverable laws of nature which governed him and all his works. He had become the infinitely perfect Clock-Maker, his works fathomable by the human mind.” — Forrest MacDonald

As I’ve made abundantly clear previously, I don’t believe in God…. well, that isn’t entirely accurate. Let’s just say that the God that religions all describe seems to me to be too much like a cranky, dyspeptic old man, and not enough like a god, to suit my perceptions of reality. But, let us suppose that a God did create Man, and ask ourselves why He would create such a nature, giving us such variable characteristics, knowing the problems to which it would inevitably lead? I’ve spent a great deal of my life having to hide my intelligence from most of those I meet, since revealing it always produces the aforementioned resentment. This has given me an idea of the answer to that question…. at least, a possible one.

“Be content with your lot; one cannot be first in everything.” — Aesop (620-560 B.C.)

We exist, in the mind of God, as a species. Individuals are less important in defining the nature of Man than is the entire species, yet it is our individuality that makes us each what we are. So, it suggests to me that there is some purpose to this bell curve on which all of our abilities can be shown to exist. That purpose, to my mind, is this; none of us, quick of mind, or slow-witted, is very well suited to survive on this planet. Other animals are faster, stronger, more dangerous, and show a greater ability to deal with their environment than do we. So, why are we given intelligence, since it doesn’t seem to serve much purpose, in any manner that will help to ensure our survival as a species?

Well, it seems to me that a God, one with the kind of sense of humor and irony that I would think would be well-developed in such an entity, would think it a grand jest to make us learn to depend on each other. In order for mankind to survive, we will ALL need to be involved…. and that means that the resentments we each may engender in the others must be set aside, and we must learn to appreciate the qualities we have as individuals in order to achieve the kind of harmony that such a God would insist upon in a creature of His devising. What a grand joke it is, too! The smarts can’t make it without the dumbs, and vice-versa, and the necessary changes in attitude to achieve such harmony are essential, if we are to achieve our potential as a species….

“How often have I said to you that when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth?” — Sherlock Holmes (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle), Sign of Four

Just an idea, but, I think it makes sense…. it certainly makes more sense than the divisive, elitist crap that most religions serve up. People aren’t special just because they believe in a particular version of God, or a particular church, or anything. They only become special when they put aside all that sort of disharmonious claptrap, and try to understand, and learn to appreciate, those qualities in others that really count, such as loyalty, honesty, bravery, tolerance, and a willingness to see the best in our fellow man….

When someone comes up with a vision of a God who makes loving our fellows MORE important than loving Him, or for goodness sake, worshiping Him, then maybe I’ll consider adopting it as part of my world-view. Alas, the men who run the churches (and they’re all men, too…. what’s up with that? Sounds like another subject to explore some day…..) only want us to agree with them, because it gives them power over us. You see, preachers are merely politicians in the larval stage…. and we all know what THEY want, don’t we? Yep……

“I think he’s a few pipes short of a church organ.” — Smart Bee

Note from 2015: As to the final pearl, maybe, maybe not…. It could be his organ has extra pipes, which allows him to joyously play complex melodies most folks can’t/don’t want to hear…. As a friend is fond of saying, “odds are good”…..

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

Since sleeping last night didn’t seem to work, I got up, opened a vein, and, well…. this is what came out…. I hope you enjoy it; it seems to have been prompted by the above rant, in conjunction with some of my more recent rants… Sort of…. Any who, onward…

Weeping Softly

Relative cost seldom turns an ignorant mind
from dogma blindly chosen to heed
Taking responsibility is a terrible mental grind;
atrophy of perception more simply fills the need.

Just another cattle farm, grazing unknowing slaves,
yet two-legged leather coats are all the rage.
Hustle, how they bustle, chasing the newest caves,
Disposing of income, never turning a page.

Blind consumers led by fat pallid leeches,
painfully obvious liars, grimacing in joy.
Fortune and future ensured, lounging on beaches,
served by lackeys, aka the healthy pool boy.

Dogma dogs are as bad as a sore tooth,
in fact, they’re conceivably much worse.
Encouraging slavery, sharing delusions, even knowing the truth;
they know they’re lying, chapter and verse.

Why, I ask; why does it still strip me bare?
Stupidity is its own reward, I keep telling myself.
But, no matter how often I try not to care,
I can’t put people back on the shelf.

~~ gigoid ~~

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

Imagine my astonishment, when I began to go through Smart Bee for today’s old-school pearl; rather than the usual recalcitrance, I found the following pearls all together in a group, as if they’d been sitting there, poised & waiting, impatiently, at that, for me to find them…. All eleven gems presented themselves to me, in slightly different order, mixed in among only eight other pearls, all of which were obviously thrown in just to confuse me, or, as a test to see if I was awake….

Fortunately, I was, because it turned out to be one of the finest 11 star pearls I’ve ever put together. It’s got some new quotes, some old quotes, and one from SB, all of which together make one damn fine recipe for a good life, well lived…. Well, I think so….

To see the world in a grain of sand,

And a heaven in a wild flower,

Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,

And eternity in an hour.

~~ William Blake, “Auguries of Innocence” ~~

“You must understand the whole of life, not just one little part of it. That is why you must read, that is why you must look at the skies, that is why you must sing, and dance, and write poems, and suffer, and understand, for all that is life.” — Krishnamurti, “Think On These Things”

“The sound of a kiss is not so loud as that of a cannon, but its echo lasts a great deal longer.” — Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. The Professor at the Breakfast-Table

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

“From the errors of others a wise man corrects his own.” — Publius Syrus

“Those who talk about the future are scoundrels. It is the present that matters.” — Smart Bee

“The universe is not required to be in perfect harmony with human ambition.” — Carl Sagan

“Merely having an open mind is nothing. The object of opening the mind as of opening the mouth is to close it again on something solid.” — G. K. Chesterton

“Am I not destroying my enemies when I make friends of them?” — Abraham Lincoln

“How you do anything is how you do everything. — Zen proverb

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I —

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

~~ Robert Frost, “The Road Not Taken” ~~

Be glad I put aside my glee in section one; I see, at least, four places in the above pearl where the insertion of a (hah!) would have been, if not appropriate, unsurprising and logically placed to maintain consistency of the ironic tone we ended up with today…. I didn’t, though, so, whew!…. Now do you get an idea of why I NEED the powers of a Time Lord?…. An entire completely purposeless paragraph talking about how lucky we are because something DIDN’T happen….

Well, it’s pretty clear to me, and I’m glad I figured it out…. You are too, you just don’t know it…. I suggest you don’t think too much about that; it could cause undue stress to our relationship….

Yes, it’s sardonicism… so, sue me. I think it’s hilarious, but, then, the joke’s on me, isn’t it?…. That part shouldn’t require any thought….

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

Whenever a new poem leaks out, it’s a good day, regardless of any other events which may or may not have taken place…. To ensure leaving on a high note, we’ll accomplish that little chore right here, and, right now…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes. Wild horses, ya know?….

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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