Fitted with dubious shoes at midnight….

Posted on February 25, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

Laughter is by definition healthy.

~~ Doris Lessing ~~

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

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

Ffolkes,

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

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

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

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

Shall we Pearl?….

“To speak kindly does not hurt the tongue.”

~~ Gentle Bee ~~

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

Clapton, Bruce, & Baker ~ 2005

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

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

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

Cream Reunion 2005

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

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

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

Socrates

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

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

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

From 4/12/2012:

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

~~ Matthew 7:15 ~~

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

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

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

~~ Robert Heinlein ~~

___________________________________

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

~~ Sophocles ~~

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

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

~~ Sullivan’s Observation ~~

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

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

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

~~ Smart Bee ~~

___________________________________

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

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

___________________________________

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

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

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

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

Balance

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

~~ gigoid ~~

2/24/2016

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

Naked Pearls

Observations on Life at Large ~ Redux

*********

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

~~ Helen Keller ~~

*********

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

~~ Thomas Henry Huxley “

*********

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

~~ Friedrich Nietzsche ~~

*********

“Ridicule is the best test of truth.”

~~ Lord Chesterfield ~~

*********

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

~~ Rosa Luxemburg ~~

*********

“How can you buy or sell the sky?”

~~ Chief Seattle, 1852 ~~

*********

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

~~ Plutarch ~~

*********

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

~~ Diogenes Laertius — Pyrrho, xi ~~

*********

“Chaos is but unperceived order.”

~~ attributed to Fred Hoyle ~~

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

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

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Typographic arrogance on display….

Posted on February 15, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

” The road to truth is long, and lined the entire way with annoying bastards”

~~ Alexander Jablokov, “The Place of No Shadows” ~~

Natural Symmetry/Balance

Hajime….. All of us, during our lives, must learn to live with disappointment; it’s one of our most important tasks. For example, yesterday, I said I would have a new Pearl ready, one worth reading. Well, that isn’t happening…. Oh, I’ve created a Pearl, but, as to its worth, I cannot be certain enough to say it is worth reading. I did, of course, and I’m still standing, so, we know it’s not toxic; whether it reaches the level of literature we’ve come to expect is another matter, one you may take up with your legal team, if you have one. My team says, bring it on….

Hah! I don’t have a legal team, and neither do you, since none of y’all are corporate snakeheads, to the best of my knowledge. But, it was fun to say it, so, let it be, will ya? Good. Now I can use this little device the Doctor recommended for today’s use. It’s a bit hard on the Space/Time Continuum, but, that’s getting so ragged, nobody should notice until its too late…. Hmm…. Kinda sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Oh, gosh, look at the time!…. We’re outta here, ffolkes, or the Time Lords will revoke my certificate of usage for the Tardis…. Hang on, this one is a bit bumpy in spots….

Shall we Pearl?….

“The beginning is the most important part of the work.”

~~ Plato, The Republic. Book II. 377B ~~

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

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

We are going with classical, simply to save time…. It’s what I listen to, anyway, most of the time, so, it provides a similar ambiance for reading as it does for when I write…. Enjoy!….

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

Classical Music

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

https://youtu.be/ysoi7Aw-snM

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

Time constraints, and a recalcitrant database, kept me from having a fresh rant; here is a piece from the archives to fill in the gap thus created…. Enjoy!….

From 3/24/2013:

“And here, poor fool, with all my lore
I stand no wiser than before.”

~~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe ~~

“This instant is thine; the next is in the womb of futurity, and thou knowest not what it may bring forth; maturity of the unborn is in the keeping of the Law. Each future state is that thou has created in the present.” — Akhenaton? (c. B.C. 1375)

“The question is not whether we will die, but how we will live.” — Joan Borysenko

Living life well is a subjective goal, and, as such, whether or not it we are successful in reaching the goal is purely a subjective judgment. This kind of judgment requires introspection, which makes it somewhat of a conundrum for many people, as their skills at that particular activity are severely limited from disuse. Very few people today spend much time in self-examination, from what I can see. If they did, they sure wouldn’t act the way they do, or dress the way they are, or carry on such a foolish, self-destructive course of living….

“The study of the errors into which great minds have fallen in the pursuit of truth can never be uninstructive. . . No man is so wise but that he may learn some wisdom from his past errors, either of thought or action, and no society has made such advances as to be capable of no improvement from the retrospect of its past folly and credulity.” — Charles Mackay

Introspection, however, requires both honesty and ruthlessness, in being able to recognize those things within us that are not of value, and to remove them from our persona. As such, it is what most folks would term as “hard” or “difficult”, and they will avoid it at all cost, laziness being a rather common human trait. It is much simpler, and easier, to just take what all the powers that be, (otherwise known as either the beloved ruling class, or those most heinous of criminal manipulators, preachers/priests), are selling as moral standards, and use them, regardless of whether or not they are truly moral or not…. and I assure you, mostly, they are not….

“Religion is the masterpiece of the art of animal training, for it trains people as to how they shall think.” — Arthur Schopenhauer

I often feel like Goethe, in what he stated above, as I believe myself to be one of the few who actually do use introspection on a regular basis. I believe this because, if other folks were using this process, the world would look a lot different. Women would feel safe walking the streets; old folks would feel cared for; gay, lesbian, and transgender individuals would not suffer discrimination for their orientation; racism would be dead, and religion would join mythology as a piece of mankind’s past, rather than its current status as our jailer/executioner…..

“Being good at being stupid doesn’t count.” — Smart Bee

All of these societal problems (bigotry, racism, discrimination, slavery, entitlement, misogyny, etc. )arise from the attitude of elitism held by those individuals among us who never look within, to see just how ugly their inner selves have become, from using the sick, twisted elitism as preached by the modern religious and political leaders. We, as a species, cannot afford to listen any more to the Judeo-Christian (note: add Talmudic, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Shinto, etc…. gigoid, 3/24/13) ethic as propounded by the beloved ruling class; this kind of entitlement and aggrandizement has led us to the very brink of extinction, as we continue to treat the planet as our toy, instead of as our home. We cannot keep pouring millions of tons of carbon monoxide into the atmosphere and expect nothing to happen, because what WILL happen is already happening…. our weather is changing, and not in a good way…. the planet is warming up, and when it is warm enough, the ice at the poles will melt, and everything on Earth will feel the effects….

“The faith in which I was brought up assured me that I was better than other people: I was saved, they were damned … Our hymns were loaded with arrogance–self-congratulation on how cozy we were with the Almighty and what a high opinion he had of us, what hell everybody else would catch come judgment day.” — Robert A. Heinlein

As Akhenaton pointed out over 3000 years ago, what we do in the present will determine how the future will be. What our species is doing now will guarantee that most of us won’t be around to see what happens in that future, because we will be dead within a hundred years, or less, if things don’t begin to change TODAY…. Since it is unlikely that will happen, well, we may as well take the advice given to many school children in the 50’s, in learning to deal with an atomic blast…. to wit: bend over and kiss your ass goodbye…. I hate to be so cynical, but, introspection requires honesty, so….

“You were s’posed to laugh!” — Zippy the Pinhead

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

I know I’m in the now, if only…..

Oh, there it is again, fiddle faddle;
Begone, I said, vamoose, skedaddle!
It looked at me as if I were insane:
Scoffed, it did, filled me with pain.

Where does it come from?
Where does it live?
I’d stick out my thumb,
if I had more to give.

If only, should, would, could it be?
It went away again, this time free.
It will be back again, this I know;
or I’m wrong, and it won’t show.

Who cares?
Who hears?
Such goings on wobble the sphere,
I wish it wouldn’t do that here.

I’ve been wrong before…..

~~ gigoid ~~

4/19/2013

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

Our final pearl today is a simple, seven-star old-school pearl, which speaks of a life lived well….

“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)

“Because of our routines we often forget that life is an ongoing adventure.” — Maya Angelou

“Failure to understand reality is not reality’s fault.” — Bill Henneman

“It is our choices … that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.” — Albus Dumbledore — J.K. Rowling, “Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets”

“Courage is the ladder on which all other virtues mount.” — Clare Booth Luce

“To him who is in fear, everything rustles.” Sophocles

“Therefore, be ye lamps unto yourselves, be a refuge to yourselves. Hold fast to Truth as a lamp; hold fast to the truth as a refuge. Look not for a refuge in anyone beside yourselves. And those, who shall be a lamp unto themselves, shall betake themselves to no external refuge, but holding fast to the Truth as their lamp, and holding fast to the Truth as their refuge, they shall reach the topmost height.” — Buddha

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

Okay. I have fulfilled my duty. So be it…. I shall not burden y’all with any further nonsense, or sense, but, shall take my leave forthwith, until tomorrow, when we’ll try again…. We now return to our regularly scheduled cat-pampering…..

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….

Montezuma’s second mistake….

Posted on January 22, 2016 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Ignorance of one’s misfortunes is clear gain.”

~~ Euripides ~~

By any other name….

Hajime…. I kinda like this getting done ahead stuff; sure makes this part easier, not having to do it under the pressure of deadline. It takes a bit of creative scheduling, to get it done in between bouts of cat training & being trained by a cat, but, it seems to be working okay. As long as I can keep from talking to bureaucrats too often on the phone, it may even prove to be a workable routine altogether…. Bonus for me, and for Leelu, as she likes status quo, to a certain extent….

Today’s Pearl is a good one, even with an archived rant in the middle section…. The music makes all of it more palatable, believe me…. Just let it play while you read, and it will go down nice and smooth. Trust me. Have I ever failed you? No, of course not. After all, I do get to proof this before it goes out; I find that to be very useful for sticking to the truth, as it gives me time to find & have available any evidence for my assertions. Always handy to have the truth on one’s side, isn’t it?

Not that I’m not human; I’d lie to you for good reason. But, my concept of good, and that of most, differ widely, and, I also provide the opportunity to challenge. As a habit, I will also usually tell you when something is suspect, usually accompanied by a disclaimer, such as “fair warning”…. Then, of course, there’s the nonsense which trips so elegantly from my mind onto the screen for your perverse entertainment, but, we won’t worry about applying any standards to that…. Willie Wonka wouldn’t approve….

Okay, we’ve touched enough bases to have completely stalled the game, so, let’s be off to the oyster beds…. I think we’ll use this old-fashioned method to get us down the page, which looks like this…..

Shall we Pearl?….

“War would end if the dead could return.”

~~ Stanley Baldwin ~~

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

Joan Baez in 2014

Image from YouTube.com via Google Images

My musical preferences, as well as my political and cultural perceptions, were influenced greatly by this woman, as is most likely true of many people my age. Her voice, always regarded as one of the purest vocal instruments ever heard, can move from range to range, and melody to melody, with the ease of a slow-moving river, taking the listener’s emotions along for the ride, just from the power of what is heard…. Often, the words don’t matter, though, to be sure, she sang songs that made a big difference in the culture of the time, songs which continue to influence music today…. A legend for good reason, she is, simply, one of the very best singers ever to have raised voice….

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

Joan Baez Live

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

https://youtu.be/prv-jMSQ3cs

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

A new piece is in the works, sort of, but, nowhere near being ready. Hence, the following politirant from the archives, simply because I can, and it bears repeating…. Enjoy, ffolkes, this is one of my better pieces, if only for the tone…. Plus, it kinda goes with the music selection for the day….

From 3/2/2013:

“He who imitates evil always goes beyond the limits of the example, whereas he who imitates what is good, always falls short.” — Confucius

Perfect! If ever a quote could be applied to fit one group of people, this one would; it fits the folks who occupy elected office in this country like the proverbial glove. Ooh! Ooh! Here’s another one…

“Ignorance: When you don’t know something and somebody finds it out.” — Jethro Burns

Okay, that’s a good start…. Now, we all know that politicians lie to us…. It’s what we’ve taught them to do, by our calm acceptance of all the other lies they’ve told, from the very beginning. We expect them to lie… then, when we catch them at it, there is this huge public outcry, as if it had never happened before. Sometimes, the behavior of the American public toward the political beast reminds me of a shark…. to wit: no memory of the past to slow down their willingness to rush into dangerous situations….. For millions of years, sharks and dolphins have lived together in the oceans. For just about all that time, whenever a shark attacks a dolphin, it gets killed, unless the dolphin is injured in some way, or, it is a baby inadvertently left alone. Always, if things are even, the shark dies, because the dolphins are smarter, and faster swimmers.

After millions of years, you would think the sharks might learn to let them alone, but, they don’t, which is evidence of their lack of ability to learn. The American voting public has the same problem…. they never learn to expect to be lied to, and always seem surprised to learn that their elected officials are, shall we say, less than perfectly honest? It, quite frankly, drives me nuts…. What is it about people that does that to them? Why are they so unwilling to use the mind that sits between their ears, rather than just carrying it around from toilet to toilet, which is all most folks seem to do with it? (Almost forgot it was a question….) I wish I knew….

“There is one way to find out if a man is honest–ask him. If he says yes, you know he is crooked.” — Groucho Marx

I’m starting to feel a bit of anger, actually, and I have a hard time not letting it out on the voting public, the idiots. But, it really isn’t all their fault, as the people who run for office are the ones who are actively imitating evil, and, obviously, exceeding the limits of their example. And the voting public can’t help never being able to quite reach the good for which they reach. This is why I get angry about it…. The folks who run for office tell the public they are going to work for the people when they are elected; we all know they are lying, but we elect them anyway. Now, how stupid is that? Pretty stupid, in my book…..

On the one hand, the stupidity displayed by the politicians is deliberate, in its adherence to principles of theft and prevarication; on the other hand, the stupidity displayed by the voting public is, perhaps, not deliberate, but at minimum, misguided, and, ultimately, just as evil, in placing its trust in evil people. In the dispassionate view held by the universe, stupid is as stupid does, and the sentence of death is the same for both types of stupidity, deliberate and unconscious. It doesn’t care about why, it only looks at results….

What can be done about this? Not a damn thing…. Not only do I find that most people are unconsciously stupid, but they are stubborn about it, even when it is clear how being stupid is hurting them. Rather than use their minds to find a new way of dealing with these issues, they retreat into platitudes and dogma, and run right back out to vote for another idiot who promises them manna from heaven, or, more accurately, from Washington D.C. If confronted with their idiocy, they become even more stubborn, as they are unwilling to accept they might be wrong, and refuse to either examine any evidence of being wrong, or, will deny its existence altogether.

The politicians, who choose to live in stupidity, by lying and cheating and stealing from their own people, don’t even WANT to choose otherwise. Why should they? They’ve got it easy, with a ready supply of host bodies on which to practice their symbiotic parasitism, a body that not only accepts all their lies, but encourages them to even further depredations with their complete acquiescence with whatever the politicos want. All the politicians have to say is that the public is in danger, from this, that, or the other, and the public will allow them to do whatever they choose, as long as they feel safe from whatever fictional fantasy they have been told is dangerous…..

“The intuitive mind is a sacred gift; the rational mind is faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift.” — Albert Einstein

It’s an interesting spectacle to observe from the sidelines, but it arouses in me a strong feeling of sadness, with the anger underlying, as I watch, day after day, as so many millions of foolish people get taken advantage of by a few assholes. It definitely makes me want to buy a gun, even though I would only use it if pressed; I have a feeling I may get pressed some day, if I continue to make noise about all this.

I’m fairly well protected thus far by a lack of notoriety; the BRC and the PTB aren’t going to worry about me until I have an audience a lot larger than a couple of hundred folks, of which perhaps fifty regularly read my work. If what I am saying began to gain popularity, and was being read by millions, I’d be in danger; until then, I’m as safe as I can make myself with the tools at hand… which, if I say so myself, are not entirely inconsequential…. If I said any more, I’d be giving away my precautions, and that wouldn’t do, so, just rest assured… I am ready to deal with anything short of assault weapons, with what I have on hand…..

“Many, if not all, of my presidential opponents are certifiable idiots.” — Miriam Defensor Santiago — The World Almanac and Book of Facts, 1993

See? I’m not completely alone! Actually, if you pay close attention, you will note this was uttered by a politician, about their peers, so it really doesn’t count as support of what I’m saying here. What, exactly am I saying here? Hmm, okay, since I’ve already written about 1200 words or so on this, it’s a good place to wind it up…. so, here goes…

Ffolkes, you are being lied to, daily, and hourly, by those who have been elected to office to look out for your interests. I hate to tell you, but those folks never intended to do anything of the sort. So, it would be a good thing if everybody in this country would OPEN THEIR FUCKING EYES AND GET A DAMN CLUE!!!!!….. I don’t think I can say it any clearer than that….. That’s all, for now…..

“Ignorance kills daily. “

~~ Smart Bee ~~

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

Raging at Aging

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

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

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

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

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

~~ gigoid ~~

10/17/2012

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

Today’s final pearl is a nine-star classic style, speaking in the usual obscure way of how to look at, and approach, the complex issue of living in a complex universe as humans…. whatever THAT means…. Enjoy, ffolkes; this one, if used correctly, will end up making you feel okay about it all….

“Look round the habitable world: how few
Know their own good, or knowing it, pursue.”

~~John Dryden — Juvenal, Satire x ~~

“Words form the thread on which we string our experiences.” — Aldous Huxley, The Olive Tree

“The weather-cock on the church spire, though made of iron, would soon be broken by the storm wind if it did not understand the noble art of turning to every wind.” — Heinrich Heine

“One must learn by doing the thing; for though you think you know it, you have no certainty until you try.” — Sophocles

“The bow too tensely strung is easily broken.” — Publius Syrus (42 BC) — Maxim 388

“Honesty isn’t any policy at all; it’s a state of mind or it isn’t honesty.” — Eugene L’Hote

“All life is a conjugation of the verb “to eat”” — Subtle Bee

“If the name is not correct, the words will not ring true.” — Confucius

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

~~ The Beatles ~~

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

Well, that went well. But, then, it had little choice, given the smooth way it came together. Not your usual Pearl, to say the least, but, then, we do try for a lack of consistency, which we often succeed at avoiding…. In fact, I think we’ll stop there, before I get myself into a hole I can’t get out of without falling back in…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes. Fair warning….

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….

Incidents of random iridescence….

Posted on December 30, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“We are confronted with insurmountable opportunities.”

~~ Walt Kelly, “Pogo” ~~

A Graceful Death

Hajime…. Not sure why, but, woke up today in a crusty mood; it must be the shoes. Who knows, &, moreover, who cares? I don’t, not today. In fact, it may not be possible to describe just how little a fuck I give today, so I won’t try. I’ll merely refer you to the previous sentence for an example, & be done with it. In point of fact, I’m in such a place right now to be done with this intro; being retired, I can damn well do what I please, so, I say, without caring at all about repeating myself, fuck it. I declare this intro section complete….

So be it….

Shall we Pearl?….

“We hope that, when the insects take over the world, they will remember with gratitude how we took them along on all our picnics.” — Bill Vaughan

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

No intro needed, ffolkes. Y’all have been in this section before, when it reset to default…. Enjoy, if you please….

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

Classical Music

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

https://youtu.be/jgpJVI3tDbY

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

Le Penseur ~~ August Rodin

I’m taking a break from ranting; the piece posted recently, on the Plague of Evil, used up quite a bit of the angst I’d collected for a while…. Here, then, is an excellent discussion of Reality and Life, from 2013…. It’s a lot shorter than y’all are used to, believe me….

From 3/26/2013:

“Commonly, physicians, like beer, are best when they are old, and lawyers, like bread, when they are young and new.” — Fuller

“As to Jesus of Nazareth…. I think the system of Morals and his Religion, as he left them to us, the best the World ever saw or is likely to see; but I apprehend it has received various corrupting Changes, and I have, with most of the present Dissenters in England, some doubts as to his divinity.” — Benjamin Franklin

Well, as you can see, Smart Bee is being a bit recalcitrant, an event which, though usually not a good thing, did give me the opportunity to use the word “recalcitrant”; that doesn’t often happen…. Any who, I’m having a bit of trouble finding a pearl, or a group of pearls, that would be suitable for either a rant, or an old-school quest; the two above are the best I can find, in over an hour of searching. Though not too bad, they aren’t quite right for either process, and not strong enough to stand alone, in my opinion. So, I’ll cheat again, with another blast from the past…. this one will be a random choice, the first one I come across that will fit physically into this space, so I have no idea what it will be like….

From 4/10/12:

“We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails.”

~~ Proverb ~~

This sort of pearl is much, much deeper than it appears at first glance. (Note: It seems common to find the most complex and deep issues most often described or related in very short sentences. Hmm…. probably something to do with K.I.S.S., in which the universe believes, strongly….) Applied as a metaphor for human interactions with reality, it assumes an even greater degree of relevance, as it implies both choice and hope. Both are always present, but not always in view; such aphorisms as this can help one to find where they are standing, hidden in plain sight….

It is eminently clear to most people, by now, reality does not adjust to our desires; any adjustments made must be on our part, as we have absolutely no power to change any aspect of reality other than our response to it. A hard lesson, one many never learn, or come to terms with; such a failure almost guarantees they will find life to be one long struggle, as their days are spent futilely trying to make what is, into what they wish it to be. To use the analogy provided, they never learn to trim the sails of their vessel, thus, find themselves constantly fighting with, and cursing, the wind, never realizing their own lack of understanding is what sends them scuttling off in confusion, into uncharted waters, or, into the metaphorical rocks.

Thus, from simplicity does great wisdom arise; to reach one’s desired destination in life, one must learn to trim and adjust the sails of our vessel, to make the best use of the wind the universe sends in our direction. Or, more plainly, we can only make changes to ourselves, not reality. Learning this one simple lesson can turn a life out of balance completely around, giving it the direction and stability it has ever sought, allowing the most troubled soul to sail into the light, and out of the darkness that engulfs those who argue with reality….

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

Pensive early and late…

Endings aren’t always a new beginning
I’m sad to say.
Sometimes it’s just an ending
there’s always a price to pay.

Still, it’s only money, he said
watching it piss away
Did everything ‘cept meet Fred
‘n had a good time the whole way.

Even the bad stuff turned out well,
life lessons are just that way.
Knowing what’s right, you can’t always tell,
we don’t always know the right things to say.

I’ll take all the hard times, without complaint,
learning isn’t always easy to take.
Kindness, patience, and compassion without restraint,
are still the best decisions we can make.

~~ gigoid ~~

4/26/2013

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

Naked Pearls

Know Thy Self

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

“Be what you is,
’cause if you is what you ain’t,
then you ain’t what you is.”

~~ Satchel Paige ~~

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

“Know the enemy and know yourself;
in a hundred battles you will never be in peril.
When you are ignorant of the enemy but know yourself,
your chances of winning or losing are equal.
If ignorant both of your enemy and of yourself,
you are certain in every battle to be in peril.

~~ Sun Tzu (fl. c. B.C. 500) ~~

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

“What’s earth with all its art, verse, music, worth
compared with love, found, gained and kept?”

~~ Robert Browning ~~

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

“Life is more important than art;
that’s what makes art important.

— James Baldwin

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

“A lie never lives to be old.”

— Sophocles — Acrisius, Frag. 59

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

No teacher I of boys or smaller fry,
No teacher I of teachers, no, not I.
Mine was the distant aim, the longer reach,
To teach men how to teach men how to teach.

— A B Ramsay

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

Drop the question what tomorrow may bring,
and count as profit every day that fate allows you.

— Horace

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

“Do I look like someone who cares about what God thinks?”

— Zippy the Pinhead

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

“The Journey is the Reward,
Not the Destination.”

~~ Zen Koan ~~

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

That’s it, ffolkes. That’s all I got today. I’m pretty sure I’ve figured out the issue making me so grumpy, & will deal with it as best I may through the day. Hopefully, by tomorrow, it will, at least, not give me such a deep case of the grumps…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, with a bit of luck & perseverance…

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….

Too late for palliative measures….

Posted on November 11, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Misfortune shows those who are not friends.”

~~ Aristotle ~~

Leaving Galway on a Train

Hajime…. There are times, such as today, when I wonder why I push myself to do this. Then, I just do it. That’s what we will have to do today, ffolkes, thanks to some physical issues demanding attention, and, the realization that Reality is about to step on me, big time. I’ll let y’all know if I live through it.

In the meantime, I got most of this done last night during one of my insomniac periods during the night; even so, some of it is rather truncated, due to well, taking on more than I was prepared to handle. So be it. I have no more to say, until the end, so, let’s start working our way down to that end….

Shall we Pearl?….

“Fallacies do not cease to be fallacies because they become fashions.” — G. K. Chesterton, ILN, 4/19/30

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

Out on the town in Bedrock

Image from free-extras.com via Google Images

Yesterday, I made a slip of the fingers, typing ‘Fred and Wilma’, when I meant to type ‘Fred and Ethel’, referring to the Mertzes, of course. Since it reminded me of this show, which I had not used previously, I figured it would work today, which, oddly enough, it does. Enjoy!….

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

The Flintstones

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

https://youtu.be/tDHDGAJu7FI?list=PLQzuPQmNCoFaohiJt-XUD66qfsSgunV2m

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

“The misuse of language induces evil in the soul.”

~~ Socrates ~~

Today’s rant will be more of an ‘exploration’ of an idea than our usual ‘explanation’ of how an idea functions, and the resultant angst that function creates in me. If you think about it, a rant is more of the latter, and thinking is what I’d like to encourage with this particular piece, in myself, and in the Gentle Reader, if you acquiesce. Otherwise, it may get a bit boring, or, at least, uninteresting, two related, yet, not equal states. The second is not necessarily a choice, the first always is…. but, once again, I digress. The idea Socrates brings up in the above quote is our focus, so, let’s examine it while I have the wherewithal, and the urge….

In this assertion, Socrates echoes an opinion I’ve seen expressed by other sages, to wit: the language we choose to use in our speech influences our thinking, thus affecting our behavior, equally as much as the process works the other direction, with our thoughts influencing speech. When we choose, as we often do, we humans, to allow our feelings to guide what we say, rather than what we may think, it tends to roughen our language; it becomes simpler, perhaps, and plainly expressive, but, with such feeling attached, often negative, it becomes vulgar. This can lead to allowing feelings to dictate behavior as well, so, the common use of vulgarity tends to encourage that indulgence. To maintain a rational level of sustainability for all in our interactions, upon which our behavior is such a vital factor in the outcome, we must learn to detach ourselves from the feelings involved, and that is best encouraged by using language that does not retreat into either excessive passion, or vulgarity.

Not to say vulgarity doesn’t have its place in language; anyone who DOESN’T cut loose with some serious vulgarity when a carbon-steel hammer comes down unexpectedly on their finger is missing out on the best way to release the frustration, if not the pain. And, if they HAVEN’T done so, well, quite frankly, I’d put down serious money to bet they’re lying about that…. We all have our secrets, especially those who deny ever having evil thoughts, or having never made a moral or ethical mistake i.e., a bad choice, of words perhaps most often…. Since much of the language I hear in the mainstream culture to which I’m exposed is pretty vulgar, as a whole, when not merely perverse and ignorant, I would say Socrates’ point has been made rather graphically.

So, now we know evil is rampant in the world, as evidenced by the language you can hear any/every day, in the news, movies, on TV, on the radio, on the net, all of it together makes up a picture of culture, and, by all I can tell, this one is pretty well fucked. I mean, just look at religion, and the stranglehold it has, and has had on society for practically forfuckingever…. I’m not the only one to have noticed you know; just read some of the lesser known passages in the Bible, describing the victories the ancient tribes had in their wars to spread the word of Yahweh, the bloodthirsty asshole… Oops, sorry, didn’t mean to get vulgar…. Let’s see what somebody else has/had to say on the subject….

“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’m afraid this rant has gone a bit south on me; I keep finding pearls which, though they fit in with the overall theme, exploring how society has gone wrong over time, also seem to want to go all over the map to find those responsible for much of it…. For example, while thinking of how to next demonstrate the principle we’re dealing with, i.e. how our language reflects our attitudes, and thus, our reality, Smart Bee gave me the following pearl, defining another class of people who have caused more than their fair share of damage to others…. our old friends (NOT!…), solicitors/counsel/officers of the court, to wit: lawyers, or as most of us here on the streets call them, fuckheads in suits…..

Q: What do you call 5000 dead lawyers at the bottom of the ocean? A: A good start! — Smart Alec Bee

Lawyers, of course, once they have rotted on the vine for a while, generally become politicians, so, Smart Bee came up with the following pearl to show his diverse talents….

“Anyone can make mistakes, but only an idiot persists in his error.” — Cicero

Gee, does this remind y’all of anything you may have seen/heard before about the post-larval lawyer class? For example, in the news lately, we see how the US government, at the behest of, and in collusion with the Big Pharmacy companies, have conspired to keep the knowledge of how powerful a cancer drug cannabis is, for more than 40 years. The FACT that cannabis cures cancer has been withheld from the American people and the world for all that time, the secret held by a few traitorous politicians and their pet scientists. In short, all of the more than 20 million people in this country who died from cancer since 1976, when the research was classified, have been, essentially, murdered by their own government….

http://www.naturalnews.com/051881_cannabis_oil_cancer_treatment_Big_Pharma.html

Okay, I’m sick of talking about those assholes, the scum of our species, the oligarchs, politicians, preachers, pimps, police myrmidons, professional military assholes, and especially lawyers, who prey upon their fellow man… To finish off this now epic diatribe, let’s go 180º, and find some pearls to show us how things COULD be, if we just kicked their asses to the curb….

“A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.” — Greek Proverb

“The difference between a moral man and a man of honor is that the latter regrets a discreditable act, even when it has worked and he has not been caught.” — Henry L. Mencken

“It is our duty to make the best of our misfortunes, and not to suffer passion to interfere with our interest and public good.” — George Washington

“Let us face a pluralistic world in which there are no universal churches, no single remedy for all diseases, no one way to teach or write or sing, no magic diet, no world poets, and no chosen races, but only the wretched and wonderfully diversified human race.” — Jacques Barzun

That’s all, ffolkes. I’m done, having bitten off more than I can chew. At least I spit it out….

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

Fine and Good, Good and Fine

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

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

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

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

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

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

‘Nuff said….

~~ gigoid, tongue firmly in cheek….

Written 3/23/2013.

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

It’s a pearl, and that’s about all I have to say at this point. It does have a meaning; I’m just not up to explaining it. Enjoy, anyway, please….

“Some people are, through no fault of their own, sane.” — Smart Bee, talking about gigoid again

“A dead man cannot bite.” — Gnaeus Pompeius (Pompey)

“Fortune is unstable, while our will is free.” — Diogenes Laertius (c. 200 AD) — Epicurus, xxvii

“Don’t underestimate the value of Doing Nothing, of just going along, listening to all the things you can’t hear, and not bothering.” — Pooh’s Little Instruction Book, inspired by A. A. Milne

“Wisdom is the reward you get for a lifetime of listening when you’d have preferred to talk.” — Doug Larson

“A man makes no noise over a good deed, but passes on to another as a vine to bear grapes again in season.” — Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, Meditations, v, 6

“Think not that thy word and thine alone must be right.” — Sophocles (496-406 BC) — Antigone, 706

“It’s not what we don’t know that gets us into trouble, it’s what we know that ain’t so.’ — Will Rogers

“Dreaming permits each and everyone of us to be quietly and safely insane every night of our lives.” — Charles William Dement

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

It’s done, and that’s the best I can say of it. Moreover, it’s all I SHALL say, for I am, for once, out of words. See y’all tomorrow…. I hope.

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

We’ve used all the available penguins…

Posted on October 30, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“If you’re going to walk on thin ice, you might as well dance.”

~~ Whimsical Fatalist Bee ~~

By any other name….

Konichiwa, gospodin, a phrase which makes more sense than is apparent, not to mention combining two languages from two countries, neither of which is the one I currently inhabit…. Not too shabby for relatively early morning, what? After all, it DOES, technically, mean “Good morning, ffolkes”, (Japanese/Russian, for those curious enough to care….); as such, it fulfills the obligatory initial greeting for the day, thereby freeing us to proceed, onward, to more lucrative, if less structured, and, thus, less debilitating to creativity, activities of the literary process, known as ‘blogging’. Otherwise, there’d be no excuse for such a display of chutzpah, sans shame, or any overt evidence of conscience….

The good news is, I will have internet service again at home as of the coming Tuesday, the 3rd. The bad news, AT&T is taking over the ISP business, which shouldn’t come as a surprise. The only service I could find ends up having to use AT&T lines, and is busily trying to assume the same corporate persona and practices of that behemoth. Ah, well, food for more ranting, I suppose, but, I should no doubt, cease my introductory bitching, and get on with the pearl for today, since I still must go find a place to post it…. Probably lose fewer readers that way.

In fact, it sounds like a plan. Luigi, take it away, and don’t spare the horses…. I’m in a strange, unpredictable mood, and don’t wish to begin the killing too early in the day. Too much clean-up that way…. Off we go, then….

Shall we Pearl?….

“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

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

Image from Google Free Images

I don’t think this artist requires an introduction; just enjoy….

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

Bob Marley

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

https://youtu.be/OKpxuHLUzuA

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

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

Six mistakes mankind keeps making century after century:

Believing that personal gain is made by crushing others;
Worrying about things that cannot be changed or corrected;
Insisting that a thing is impossible because we cannot accomplish it;
Refusing to set aside trivial preferences;
Neglecting development and refinement of the mind;
Attempting to compel others to believe and live as we do.

~~ Cicero ~~

I’m often amazed at how wise our ancient ancestors were, compared to the current age. It seems to me there are any number of ancient sages, whose words, like Cicero’s, above, have showed us how to avoid making the same mistakes mankind has been engaged in making for, oh, about the last 10,000 years or so. From all I can gather, by record and by deduction, we haven’t made a single millimeter of progress over the civilizations which existed 4 to 5,000 years in our past. We continue to make ALL of the above mistakes, and have learned to make even more of our own…. Now, with the aid of computers, we can make them faster than ever….

“Religion is a crutch, but that’s okay… humanity is a cripple.” — Moral of “The Emperor’s New Clothes”, via Smart Bee

Throughout history, most of mankind has fallen prey to the myth of religion, much like the populace of the kingdom where they needed a child to see the truth about the Emperor…. Sadly, there is also a significant portion of humanity which not only KNOWS this, but, uses it to their advantage at every opportunity, though not always in the guise of religion. The ability, or rather, the obtuseness, to fall for anything that will soothe their fear of the unknown, without the bother of actually thinking, or being brave enough to go and FIND OUT about what frightens them. Men assume, to their everlasting regret, the Universe reflects their own state of being, and MUST have been made by a supernatural being….

“Men freely believe that what they wish to desire.” — Gaius Julius Caesar (100-44 B.C.)

Sorry, folks, ‘taint so, by a long piece. There is NOTHING that actually indicates any such thing, anywhere to be found, outside our own imagination. If anyone can point any out, feel free; I’ll wait until I understand, without the need to blame it on someone else…. It’s just another way to avoid the responsibility of one’s own actions, as far as I’m concerned…. Unfortunately, there is a direct correlation between the state of the society, and humanity’s lack of courage and will, which we are now observing in action, as the weight of more than seven billion people stretch the total resources of the planet to its limits….

“The other planets are laughing at us.” — Futurist Bee

If we WERE so fortunate as to belong to a Galactic Federation, it is my firm belief they WOULD be laughing at us. ‘Hoomans’ would become a caricature of one of our OWN iconic prejudices, a product of our own bigotry, for we would be known as the “pink trash” of the infinitely diverse galactic panoply of species, all of the rest of whom will, no doubt, be free of such failures of perception of reality, pitying us for the suffering we cause each other, through our own ignorance and fear….

Unfortunately, a small portion of mankind seem to think it is perfectly acceptable to prey upon their species mates, regardless of how any such behavior affects anyone else. They believe they are entitled to any sort of resource or power they can steal or take, and are willing to resort to any means to obtain their desires…. Even our American cartoon art reflects this attitude, thereby legitimizing the lack of honor by making it laughable…. What do I mean by that? Well, take note of this, from the ’50’s….

“Consequences, Schmonsequences, as long as I’m rich.” — Daffy Duck, from Looney Tunes Ali Baba Bunny (1957, Chuck Jones)

These corporate snakeheads, bankers, businessmen, doctors, lawyers, and the ilk, don’t care at all about other people; they live completely without compassion, having no soul themselves. They deliberately lie, creating outlandish situations so they can cry “danger!” to the populace, making them believe they are unsafe, thereby turning them aside from their democratic duty to educate themselves…. Instead, the average American accepts as gospel all they read in the media (which only repeats the lies told by the leaders, as if they were true….), and all they hear from the pulpit, where their sycophantic corporate shills preach obedience to temporal authority, in exchange for a dubious promise of immortality, completely unfounded on any evidence…

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

Fuck it. Tom would be angry, almost as angry as I am. Moreover, I still believe there are a LOT of people in this country who are unhappy with the way things are going. The Powers That Be are making a big mistake by assuming their new technological toys will make the difference, and protect them from the rage that will be their only legacy, when the rest of humanity comes to realize how they’ve been duped…. It won’t matter, because it will be over seven billion to a handful, and the odds won’t be affected by any such nonsense as technology…..

Revolution is coming, ffolkes. Call it treason if you like, but, you and I both know Thomas Jefferson would have been at the head of the columns in the streets, along with Tom Paine, George Mason & Washington, and Patrick Henry, none of whom were afraid to be called traitor….. Another word for it is Patriot….

“Caesar had his Brutus; Charles the First, his Cromwell; and George the Third [“Treason!” cried the Speaker]–may profit by their example. If this be treason, make the most of it.” — Patrick Henry (1736-1799) — Speech in the Virginia Convention, 1765

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

Here is a poem I wrote back in 2013, when I still retained a small piece of hope for our nation. I have since come to some rather more harsh conclusions, but, that’s for another day, and another poem…. I hope you enjoy it….

Destiny’s Vote

It was a special day, written on tablets of stone
with fanfare, and crepe paper, a symphony of lies,
played with verve, but discordant, and alone,
never more the grand parade, no more apple pies.

Heated dialog full of prejudice, hatred, and fears,
fills up the airwaves, a cacophony of callow untruth,
playing up to ignorance, bringing anguish, and fearful tears,
while Nero’s fiddler sits down, in the only open booth.

Watchful and afraid, I see the coming conflict
clouds of ignorance and intellect, preparing to fight,
one to fight with darkness, and abject fear to depict
opposed at the base, banishing fear with truth, and light.

Seeds of anger and bigotry are planted very deep,
growing best in darkness, hiding in shame and fear,
waiting for moments of trouble, its destiny to keep,
looking for weakness, seeking to draw its victim near.

Sing not yet a funeral dirge for tolerance,
that particular die is not yet cast,
there still remains a very good and honest chance,
our common dream of freedom may yet hold fast…..

~~ gigoid ~~

Written 8/18/2013.

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

Yep, it’s another pearl about Life, in this case, with some pretty solid advice on how to do it right, or, at least, do it with some style to go with the virtue…. Enjoy!…. I particularly like the closing pearl; it’s pretty deep….

“Reality is in the mind of the beholder.” — Reality Bee

1. ” Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully. ” — Instructions for life”

“As you go the way of life you will see a great chasm. Jump. It is not as wide as you think.” — Native American advice

“Discontent is the want of self-reliance: it is infirmity of will.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Kindness is my true religion.” — The 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet

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

“Do not look for all the answers at once. A path is formed by placing stones one in front of the other.” — The Giant from Twin Peaks

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

So be it. Pearls of late have been a bit choppy, for which I apologize, and lay the blame at my own feet, for allowing the uncertainty in my Life at Large to leak over into the process. Hopefully, a greater degree of consistency of quality can be achieved once I don’t have to worry about access to the internet; it seems to have become a more important part of life today than can be abrogated. Before I get started again, let’s take our leave, and try again another day…. See y’all next time, whenever it may be….. It WILL be, I assure you….

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….

Gasp! They did this while inflated!….

Posted on October 15, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“It is surely harmful to souls to make it a heresy to believe what is proved.”

~~ Galileo Galilei ~~

Beauty at Night

Image copyright ahuha.com ~~ found at:

https://halfeatenmind.wordpress.com/2015/10/10/photo-moment-building-bridges-a-quote-by-rick-pitino/

“The opposite of Galileo’s defense is also true;
surely it is harmful to souls to make it mandatory to believe what is unprovable.
History is a long litany of absolute proof of such harm.”

~~ gigoid, the dubious ~~

Good morning…. Well, I have the proof now. After all this time, what we’ve always known to be true has now been thoroughly, scientifically tested, and found to be true, to wit: Shit happens, and there’s nothing to be done about it.

Good to know, don’t you think? I do; it’ll save us all a lot of time worrying. Myself, I plan to use a good part of today, just contemplating the simple fact of my own innocence…. I mean, I can’t do anything about it, right? That means, by logical concatenation, I can’t be held responsible for it if it goes wrong. What a bonus!

Now we’ve thoroughly, and scientifically destroyed any chance at all of having y’all take any of the following seriously, we’d best be off to the oyster beds. At least underwater your shouting at me in frustration won’t be so loud. Wait! Sit down! If y’all rush me now, we’ll never get this poor old thing off the ground! Luigi, get us outta here! Hang on, ffolkes; you can take your shots at the end….

Shall we Pearl?….

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

~~ “Calvin and Hobbes,” Bill Watterson ~~

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

I’m modeling a new version of the White Rabbit syndrome today; that means I only have time to fall back on our default musical choice…. It’s hard to feel guilty about it when I know it will be enjoyed, if only for it’s own inherent beauty and peace to be found within its space and time…. See, we can use fantasy and metaphor ANYWHERE!…. Oh, and if the choice is confusing, don’t fret; I just picked the one you see because I liked the picture the best…. Enjoy, ffolkes…..

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

Classical Music for Spring

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

https://youtu.be/4-ZU3rtWmhM

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

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

If you wish to know
Why there are disasters
Of Armies and Weapons in the world
Listen to the piteous cries
From the slaughterhouse at midnight

~~ Old Chinese Saying ~~

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

“The Meaning Of Life:
The reason that we’re all here is that
it was too crowded where we were supposed to go.”

~~ Steven Wright ~~

At last! A statement so perfectly attuned to actual Reality as to be indistinguishable from a slap in the face, which is mankind’s most favored form of testing the strength of a proposition to, and for, each other…. Sure, there are some issues in the implications, but, I’d say it fits the available evidence as well as any of our current major religious philosophies, and a damn sight better than most of them.

To me, quite frankly, it makes a lot more sense than some old fart with a long beard up in the sky who gives a rat’s patootie about what the hell I’m up to here where He is supposed to have dumped me, into this shit pile of violence, mutual abuse, and, an overall atmosphere of bigotry and all-around IDIOCY that permeates every level of society, all around the world. If that shit is true, I’m supposed to THANK the butt hole? I don’t think so….

Besides,if Steven is wright, (and, of course, he is, obviously), that means everyone on this planet is somebody who failed whatever test they had to take to make it into the country club, which goes a long way toward explaining the past 10,000 years of history, filled with blood, aggression, and very little progress toward any sort of intelligent response to life at large….

“Are you sure it isn’t time for another colorful metaphor?”

~~ Spock, “The Voyage Home,” stardate 8390 ~~

I would say, in this case, Spock is correct; it’s time for a long series of colorful metaphors, which, if vulgar and distressing to the faint of heart, still offers a relief from the angst of knowledge unavailable with any other activity, such as prayer, or, kicking an unsuspecting furry creature, which, though a temporary relief, can bring both a large rise in one’s karmic account, and, if one possesses any sensitivity and compassion at all, a large dose of guilt, well-deserved. ( This, I might add, is true of the metaphoric “kicking of the cat” one commits when they take their anger out on any creature undeserving of it…. A child, a woman, a dog, a man, a cat… what’s the difference? None at all, when they are innocent…)

I would also say our entire species is deserving of any epithet applied to us by the Universe; if so, it, too, will be a metaphor, of the failure of spirit which will lead to our eventual extinction as a species…. The only possible other result, survival into the far future, will only occur if we can act to change our very nature, and quickly; the planet’s ecosystem is not going to give us much longer to make the necessary alterations in the way we treat LIFE, of which we are a much less important part than that for which we give ourselves credit. When we are gone, the Universe will barely blink; it is only our towering egos, propelled by the power of our imagination, which gives an unfortunate few of us the idea we are more important than a single grain of sand….

There are a hundred issues confronting society today, any and all of which are disruptive to our progress as a species and a culture. War, sickness, greed, abuse of all kinds, education, racism, sexism, government corruption by business…. Let’s take a moment to review some information I re-blogged yesterday here on ECR, having first noticed its publication on our old friend Lou’s site, Tales From The Conspiratum, on WordPress (here: http://talesfromtheconspiratum.com/2015/10/14/we-are-anonymous-cannabis-cures-cancer-525 )

As I said yesterday, how much truth can you handle, ffolkes…. Here is just ONE example of a rather egregious example of how our government has been corrupted by big business, and the ambition and greed of professional politicians, who do the bidding of their corporate masters, at the expense of the rest of us…. Check this out….

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

We Are Anonymous: Cannabis Cures Cancer

https://youtu.be/HaxOPEU3ecQ

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

If they would lie to us about something like this, at the same time they lied to us about Vietnam, and all the other crap they did during that shameful period of our history, why would anyone think they are, all of a sudden, now telling us the truth, about ANYTHING?…. I ask you if can believe them; if you do, I have a wonderful deal for you in a bridge…. Cash only, no credit…. And, uh, can you tell me the way to the bus station?….

I say again, ffolkes. They are lying to us; they know it, we know it. How much longer can this situation go on, before the societal version of critical mass is reached?

Not long, I’d say….

So be it.

gigoid has spoken, with the help and support of We Are Anonymous, and hundreds of millions of unhappy slaves of the corporate nightmare in which we are all entrapped…. But, only until enough wake up, & see the truth…. I have only three thoughts with which to leave you…. An observation, a reminder of what CAN happen if we don’t pay attention, and, a last bit of hope….

“Recorded history is largely an account of the crimes and disasters committed by banal little men at the levers of imperial machines.” — Edward Abbey

“All military type firearms are to be handed in immediately… The SS, SA and Stahlhelm give every respectable German man the opportunity of campaigning with them. Therefore anyone who does not belong to one of the above named organizations and who unjustifiably nevertheless keeps his weapon… must be regarded as an enemy of the national government.” — SA Oberfuhrer of Bad Tolz, March, 1933

“Though all the winds of doctrine were let loose to play upon the earth, so Truth be in the field, we do ingloriously, by licensing and prohibiting, to misdoubt her strength. Let her and Falsehood grapple: who ever knew Truth put to the worse in a free and open encounter?” — John Milton — Areopagitica

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

I have followed this poet’s blog for over four years, since first discovering her website, soon after starting my own blog here on WordPress. Each and every time I read one of her poems, I am astounded, or deeply moved, or shocked into clarity, or just plain slack-jawed in awe of the power that moves through her sometimes, when her Art, her pain, her love, and her imagination merge to make magic with words…. mostly in her second language.

In my mind, her spirit is Art, a muse come to life; in a world once painted in a story by Samuel R. Delaney, she would be called a Singer, an artist at large in the world, allowed to go anywhere, and do anything, from singing in a fountain during a fire, to acts of self-mutilation after a performance, even to murder, in the pursuit of their Art, whether it be poetry, song, sculpture, all of it, or none…. so long as the Art moves through them…. Believe me, Art moves through Mari Sanchez Cayuso…. This poem was a recent offering, a simple poem that spoke to me somehow, and can be found here:

http://starsrainsunmoon.com/2015/10/04/essays/

Essays

I don’t know what is airier

Than silence, somehow natural

Accommodating yardfuls of violet

Tens of thousands living roots

Reopening by instinct

I like it; privately wanting it

Finding satisfaction in its touch

~~ Mari Sanchez Cayuso ~~

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

This one’s pretty simple. It begins and ends with an idea presented by a Taoist master, which explains the choice of today’s icon for this section. It’s another pearl about Life at Large, and how to approach the whole ball of wax with some intelligence, dignity, and honor…. with a bit of good advice thrown in on how to nurture one’s inner garden…. Enjoy! It won’t be on the Quiz, though all of it is stuff you probably would be wise to remember….

“Every day passes whether you participate or not.” — Deng Ming-Dao

“Freedom begins between the ears.” — Edward Abbey

“Eat not thy heart; which forbids to afflict our souls, and waste them with vexatious cares.” — Plutarch — Of the Training of Children

“It is far more impressive when others discover your good qualities without your help.” — Miss Manners (Judith Martin)

“The truth is always the strongest argument.” — Sophocles — Phaedra, Frag. 737

“As long as you live, keep learning how to live.” — Seneca

“The soul is healed by being with children.” — Fyodor Dostoyevski

“You’re never too old to become younger.” — Mae West

“Use a mirror in difficult times: You will see both cause and resolution.” — Deng Ming-Dao

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

I did it…. barely, and a bit late, but, hey, it’s done, so, who cares? Not me, obviously. Nor should you, as this means you can now go do something that might actually help the situation…. I’d suggest washing up first; reading ECR can create a build-up difficult to clean off if it dries…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, provided Space and Time can hold together that long….

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….

Indolence: the immortal sin….

Posted on October 9, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“There are no speed limits on the road to excellence.”

~~- David W. Johnson ~~

The Icy Plains of Pluto

Image by NASA/New Horizons Spacecraft

Good morning…. Well, in truth, it’s not morning. It’s also not good, in a relative sense only, in that I’m at about 50/50 on the SE/OK scale…. SE is Side Effects (in caps to indicate strength; it’s miserable) vs. well, OK, which means just what it says. At this particular moment, mid-evening last night (provided this gets posted in the morning, of course), I’m trying to use this process to tire myself enough to ignore the dyskinesia enough to fall asleep. Hopefully the medication I got last night will work in a while, and I’ll be able to sleep…. Bliss!

Now I’ve gotten rid of those who get bored easily, I can tell you today’s Pearl is special to me. It speaks to three of my most passionate beliefs/opinions, with material presented mostly by others; my comments will briefly address my own thoughts on what they have to say… You’ll see, don’t worry. It isn’t complicated, structurally, but, some of it may be rather pointed and, well curmudgeonly, due to the intense nature of the subject(s) under discussion/examination…. For some, it will be new ideas; for some of our Gentle Readers, it will be preaching to the choir. S’okay, it’s all relevant….

It’s also about to be put off another day, as I feel, quite frankly, like crap, due to the ongoing physical battle in which I’m engaged. Oh well… Such is life. Whenever it is, today, or tomorrow, here it is….

Shall we Pearl?….

“A good listener is not only popular everywhere, but after a while he gets to know something.” — Wilson Mizner

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

Image from tvspeaks.com via Google Images

I would like to ask each and every one of my followers who read this post to share this video with their own group of blogging friends. This young man gives the most powerful, cogent, logical. and straight-forward summary of the issue of the abuse of women in our society I have ever heard, or seen, or read. This video NEEDS to go viral, so that everyone alive today has to think about what this young man says… As I remarked to the person who sent it to me, if it does go viral, it can be a game changer….

Watch it. Think about it. And, share it….

gigoid has spoken.

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

strolling | ep 7 | male feminists

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

https://youtu.be/D7aAIAhHH1U

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

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

Today’s ranting section will begin with an excellent video, one of many put out by the crew of this HBO show. It speaks about our society’s response to mental illness, exploring some of the statistics, and how society’s response, especially by the police, is completely at odds with the avowed message given by those in authority. It’s very good, and very complete.

As a retired mental healthcare professional, and an advocate of the 2nd Amendment to the US Constitution, I can fully agree with John’s assessment of the issue; I have followed that assessment with my own thoughts on gun control, in a mini-rant…. Enjoy! And, think about it too… Can’t hurt….

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

Last Week w/John Oliver
Mental Illness

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

https://youtu.be/NGY6DqB1HX8

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

This is a bit old, in a relative way, though it’s all still true. However, things have deteriorated from the point at which this was written, as made obvious in the video above…. Just extrapolate up to today for the full, chilling effect of the implications for all of us….

From 3/29/2012:

“By calling attention to ‘a well regulated militia’, the ‘security’ of the nation, and the right of each citizen ‘to keep and bear arms’, our founding fathers recognized the essentially civilian nature of our economy. Although it is extremely unlikely that the fears of governmental tyranny which gave rise to the Second Amendment will ever be a major danger to our nation, the Amendment still remains an important declaration of our basic civilian-military relationships, in which every citizen must be ready to participate in the defense of his country. For that reason, I believe the Second Amendment will always be important.” — April, 1960 (Then) Senator John Fitzgerald Kennedy (1917-1963)

President Kennedy was a pretty smart guy; not exactly the most ethical bulb in the box, but he had his head screwed on his shoulders fairly solidly, and had the unusual political stance of actually wanting the American people to have a chance at what they deserve, and are promised by our form of government, i.e., a shot at “the pursuit of happiness”….. However, in this statement, he makes an unwarranted and dangerous assumption, to wit: “it is extremely unlikely that the fears of governmental tyranny which gave rise to the Second Amendment will ever be a major danger to our nation.” Jack was an optimist…. and as is often the case, the pessimists were closer to right on this one…..

Our rights are in imminent and clear danger of being abrogated, permanently. This is an indisputable fact. This kind of fact is provided with partial proof of its truth by the reaction of those responsible for this subtle attack on our legacy of freedom, who, when confronted with knowledge of their intent, immediately accuse the confronting entity of “spreading communist propaganda”, or “attacking the principles of freedom” or my favorite complete lie, “you’re threatening our national security.” It’s would be somewhat amusing, if it weren’t so dangerously disgusting…. I mean, do they really expect the American people to sit around and do NOTHING? I kind of hope they do believe that…. it will be then a bigger surprise to them, when the American people stand up, point their gun at the head of these idiots, and take their rights back….. call me treasonous if you will; I call it patriotism, of the first water…..

“Caesar had his Brutus; Charles the First, his Cromwell; and George the Third [“Treason!” cried the Speaker]–may profit by their example.
If this be treason, make the most of it.” — Patrick Henry (1736-1799) — Speech in the Virginia Convention, 1765

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

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

Accentuated Lessons

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

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

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

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

Peace lies within, always…..

~~ gigoid ~~

Written 1/26/2013.

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

This is a good one…. You should pay attention, and think hard about these, and what they mean together…. Yep. You should do that….

“Failure to understand reality is not reality’s fault.” — Bill Henneman

“One does what one is; one becomes what one does.” — Robert Musil, c. 1930

“The keenest sorrow is to recognize ourselves as the sole cause of all our adversities.” — Sophocles

“We are more sensible of what is done against custom than against Nature.” — Plutarch — Of Eating of Flesh, Tract 1

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

“It is a good thing to be rich and strong, but it is a better thing to be loved.” — Euripides

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

“In reality the soul is not mortal, but if the soul believes in mortality it is just like being mortal.” — Hazrat Inayat Khan (Sufi writer)

“You can’t change the music of your soul.” — Kathrine Hepburn

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

This one was a tough row to hoe; must have to do with everything else going on. (DUH!!!….) But, it’s done, and, if I can do it, it’ll be posted. I won’t make any promises beyond that, other than to back, eventually…. See y’all, later, ffolkes, given a fair wind and a rising tide….

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….

Epiphany for sale: affordable rates….

Posted on August 21, 2015 by gigoid

☬

Ffolkes,

=-0 * * *

~~ The Enterprise firing photon torpedoes, at a cloaked Klingon Warbird ~~

=-O ~~~~~ =۞≫

~~ The Enterprise firing phasers at an uncloaked Klingon Warbird ~~

This rich view of a tapestry of colourful stars was captured by the Wide Field Imager (WFI) camera, on the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope at ESO’s La Silla Observatory in Chile. It shows a open cluster of stars known as IC 4651, a stellar grouping that lies at in the constellation of Ara (The Altar).

Star Cluster IC-4651

Image by European Southern Observatory via Space.com

Good morning…. Boy, what a ride! Life can be pretty unpredictable, especially when you’re awake. Sleep, having been hard to come by of late, has apparently returned to stay for a while; I’m up late (for me; it’s damn near 6 AM….), having again slept more than 6 hours. Yay for me. Now, once again, I’ll have to rush to get posted before my automatic sense of duty kicks in to REALLY send me into panic mode. To forestall any such event, we shall now head out directly to the oyster beds, with no further fooling around…. Watch this!….

Shall we Pearl?….

“Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them.” — James Baldwin (1867-1947)

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

☬

You guessed it. Default music…. This one called itself a mix to improve Brain Power, and gives you about 10 hours to do so…..

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

Classical Music

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

https://youtu.be/EWDwa5ToY3o

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

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

☬

The Dawn of Man

https://youtu.be/ypEaGQb6dJk

As you observe the opening lines of this section, I’d like you to note a couple of details, which were deliberately added for the purpose of directing this discussion. First, I would request you watch the video, either by clicking on the embedded player, or using the link to watch it on You Tube…. Particularly note the development of the habit of violence in the human tribe of simians, with the not unexpected eventual response of stimulating the curiosity and violence in the nature of those abused by that new habitual behavior, thus, perpetuating it as part of the developing embryonic cultures.

Then, note I put the title just below a picture of the part of the film which shows humanity’s progress, with the Blue Danube waltz playing in the background, to highlight the pinnacle of achievement thus represented by the station, the flight, and the music, combined to show what is possible for us as humans. The title, to me, shows the TRUE dawn of Man.

We aren’t quite as far along yet, as shown in the film, (directly attributable, it seems clear to me, to the effect our violent nature has had in slowing that progress..); however, to me, our ascent from this planet into space is the only hope we have to get away from that violence, sublimating the power of the emotional content that drives it, by channeling our curiosity, into exploring a Universe large enough to provide us with an unending pursuit of knowledge, and more complex and powerful methods of getting along with the races we encounter out there, rather than into more complex and powerful weaponry, while simultaneously giving us the necessary physical protection of knowing HOW to fight.

The irony of putting the title at that point is this: we are NOT going to get there. Not at the rate we’re going. There is too much instability in the world today to ever believe we won’t end up destroying ourselves, either by consuming conflagration of nuclear war, or by continuing to poison the air we breathe, the food we eat, the plants and animals that support the ecosystem, and, most of all, by our ignorance and lack of courage/virtue….. The signs are too clear to ignore, ffolkes, so, it would behoove all of us to figure out exactly what we’re going to do…. quickly, too, for there are certain issues of physics/biology/chemistry/ecology which will NOT wait until we get around to it….

“As soon as you are willing to discard observational data because it conflicts with religion, you are giving up any hope of ever really understanding the universe. As soon as you pick religion as the touchstone of reality, then we have to start discussing how one can demonstrate the correctness of one religion over another when different *religions* disagree.” — Wilson Heydt

“The answer is simple: kill the heretics. History shows us that this is the actual solution that competing religions apply — trial by combat or trial by ordeal. God is the final arbiter. What a sad waste of human potential it has proven to be.” — Paul Hager

The two quotes above, taken together, give a graphic example of how this irony manifests itself in today’s world. The oligarchs control the politicians and the religions, and the politicians and religions try to control the masses of humanity, playing out their drama of good vs. evil on a global scale, at such a complex, mind-numbing number of times, places, and on so many fronts, the average person is buried in the details and stresses of life, never even realizing how deeply their thoughts and behavior are being influenced by others.

All this sad, yet, somehow glorious and fascinating panorama of human existence in today’s world, is observed by a relatively small group of people, smart enough to understand, and see, the big picture, but, who have never wished to control anything but their own lives. Since we don’t really WANT to have to do so, or to have to take part in any of the other delusional behaviors most of society is pursuing, it becomes a challenge, to find others who see the same, and have the wherewithal to organize, to make some kind of difference, if by nothing else than speaking up to educate the ignorant….

So, that’s what I do…. I seem to have done it enough for today, so, we’ll get on with the remainder of our lives now…..

gigoid has spoken.

So be it.

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

☬

Roses for Noses

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

~~ gigoid ~~

Written 1/27/2013.

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

☬

This one was a little rushed at the end, but, I’m pretty sure it came out alright. You tell me….

“A short saying oft contains much wisdom.”

~~ Sophocles (496-406 BC) — Aletes, Frag. 99 ~~

“I know but one freedom, and that is the freedom of the mind.” — Antoine de Saint Exupery

“Wonder is the feeling of a philosopher, and philosophy begins in wonder.” — Socrates (470?-399 B.C.), [quoting Plato]

“Profound Truth differs from simple truth in that the negation of a simple truth is a simple falsehood, while the negation of a Profound Truth may be another Profound Truth. E.g. a button with “Life is just as simple as it seems” on one side and “Life is not as simple as it seems” on the other.” — Smart Bee

“It is… nothing short of a miracle that the modern methods of instruction have not yet entirely strangled the holy curiosity of inquiry; for this delicate little plant, aside from stimulation, stands mainly in need of freedom; without this it goes to wreak and ruin. It is a very grave mistake to think that the enjoyment of seeing and searching can be promoted by means of coercion and a sense of duty.” — Albert Einstein, “Autobiographical Notes”

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

“I am a man, and nothing that concerns a man do I deem a matter of indifference to me.” — Terence — Heautontimoroumenos, Act i, Sc. 1, 25, (77.)

“Your actions prove what you think of yourself.” — Will Limon

“And never think about the past. No regrets, ever.” — Lazarus Long

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

☬

Some of y’all may have noticed a new piece of ASCII-art added to the pearls today. If it wasn’t obvious before, it really ought to be now, for it is sitting right above this paragraph, staring at you as if you are some sort of pond slime for not noticing. It’s a sensitive icon, you see. It will be a part of every pearl henceforth, for as long as I remember to put it there, or, until I figure out the correct way to get it into the template…. So be it.

Now the housekeeping is done, (as Tommy Toilet recommended so aptly to us all, so may years ago….), I note the Pearl for today is as well. Done, that is. Or, at least, I hope it is; I promised it would be. I can’t be sure, as I’m actually writing this yesterday, and leaving it to the Tardis, to put it where it belongs, at the proper time. Handy, that. On that semi-plausible, –in-another-universe–, note, I shall take my leave, with the usual caveat regarding the instability of the Space/Time Continuum, and, of course, the forces of Entropy, which can be whimsical, at best…. I’m gonna go post now…..

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….

Pish weighs more than tosh….

Posted on July 2, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Because I have loved life, I shall have no sorrow to die.”

~~ Amelia Burr ~~

Scenes from a train II….

Good morning…. To aid in the attempt to make that official, we’re diving right in, straight out of the clubhouse, & right off the dock…. Luigi had the day off, anyway, so, it’s all good…. With no further adon’t, much less any ado….

Shall we Pearl?….

“Indecency, vulgarity, obscenity – these are strictly confined to man; he invented them. Among higher animals there is no trace of them. they hide nothing. They are not ashamed.” — Mark Twain — Letters from the Earth (1905-1909)

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

As a long-time Deadhead, I wanted to take part in the 50 year Anniversary of the band’s inception; unfortunately, the timing was wrong, and tickets went too fast…. As I expected, however, the Deadheads who DID get to go to the first two concerts have already posted parts of it on You Tube for the rest of us to enjoy…. Here is the second set from the performance on 6/28/2015…. Enjoy!….

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

Grateful Dead 50th Anniversary
Fare Thee Well Tour
6/28/15

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

https://youtu.be/n6fc_Cxe0dE

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

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

Every now and then, I find it’s a good idea to reprint the following; it’s my version of housekeeping, or full disclosure, or something like that. Any who, it’s pretty self-explanatory, so, you can dive right in…. No rant today; lucky you….

From 11/11/2012:

“An Irishman is not drunk as long as he can hang onto a single blade of grass and not fall off the face of the earth.” — Smart Bee

Makes me glad to be at least part Irish…. 🙂 Actually, I just like it because it made me grin when I read it, and because the visual image is so wonderful…. I can just see myself, or, Oscar Wilde, or George Shaw, lying on the ground somewhere, fearfully clutching at the grass to keep from going into orbit….. brilliant!…. Just thought I’d share…..

Any who, in looking for a last pearl for this section, I realized that the above section, regarding God, and human nature, could have been condensed into a shorter, more succinct expression. Actually, I realized that I had already written that shorter version, many years ago, (about 33 of them…. I was 29 or so….) when I formulated my own philosophy, Peruaosophy…. (Perua = pearl, osophy = the study of, in Greek…). None of the other philosophies I had explored had matched my own experience, precisely, and I was still searching for one that did so, when I decided, hey, if Descartes and Socrates could have their own, why can’t I? Hence, the following, which I haven’t posted in some months…. I find it to be a good thing to review periodically, as it is chock full of everything I hold to be true, and important in life…. Feel free to comment on any axiom you wish to discuss, and…. enjoy!

Peruaosophy

The wisdom of pearls…
(The world is my oyster; which way to the pearls?)

Axioms

1) I think I am; that’s close enough.

2) The nature of the Universe is Change. Unpredictable, innovative transformation of Reality is the Norm. If you have a problem with this, you’re in for a rough ride in Life.

3) Thou art God, you know. Let’s do lunch.

4) Excellence is its own reward.

5) Girls think differently. So do boys. Don’t fight it.

6) Axiom #2 X axiom #5 = And God so loved the world, He said, “Quit whining!”

7) Do your Duty. Respect Life. Honor the Truth. Share your Love.

8) Go back. Everything you need to know is in the first seven axioms.

~~ gigoid ~~

And, there you have it…. this is what I’m all about, ffolkes….. 😉

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

Some poets need no introduction….

Gold Mouths Cry

Gold mouths cry with the green young
certainty of the bronze boy
remembering a thousand autumns
and how a hundred thousand leaves
came sliding down his shoulder blades
persuaded by his bronze heroic reason.
We ignore the coming doom of gold
and we are glad in this bright metal season.
Even the dead laugh among the goldenrod.

The bronze boy stands kneedeep in centuries,
and never grieves,
remembering a thousand autumns,
with sunlight of a thousand years upon his lips
and his eyes gone blind with leaves.

~~ Sylvia Plath ~~

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

This pearl is a classic, old-school pearl, in more ways than one. I won’t bother to detail all of the ways it metaphorically applies to the subject of Life, at Large, and, at Small (such as real-time…). However, allow me to assure you, you couldn’t go very far wrong by just taking it all in, & absorbing the ideas, thereby making all of it a part of your internal structure of beliefs…. This one will, without a single doubt, be on the Quiz….

“As many men, so many minds; every one his own way.” — Terence (185-159 BC) — Phormio, Act ii, Sc. 4, 14, (454.)

“In his own soul a man bears the source from which he draws all his sorrows and his joys.” — Sophocles.

“Nothing is too high for the daring of mortals: we storm heaven itself in our folly.” — Horace (65-8 B.C.)

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

“Three things in human life are important: The first is to be kind. The second is to be kind. And the third is to be kind.” — Henry James

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

we can never be born enough.
We are human beings;
for whom birth is a supremely welcome mystery,
the mystery of growing:
the mystery that happens only and whenever
we are faithful to ourselves.

~~ e. e. cummings. ~~

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

Today’s Pearl will join a host of others as one whose actual construction went completely unnoticed by me; where this all came from is as much a mystery to me as it must be for you…. SIGH…. Some mornings, I guess, the nose grows faster than others…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, unless I can come up with a good reason not to do so….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

gigoid

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

View Full Profile →

	katiemiafrederick on Are those Foster Grants to blo…
	katiemiafrederick on Funk-o-matic accessories are o…
	katiemiafrederick on Dodge those taxes with dignity…
	katiemiafrederick on Dodge those taxes with dignity…
	katiemiafrederick on But…. but…. what a…

gigoid

Exploring Consensual Reality

Tag Archives: Sophocles

Pish weighs more than tosh….

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: