Kindly inform the sublime Pasha his hot dog is done….

Posted on July 29, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“How could the drops of water know themselves to be a river?

Yet the river flows on.”

~~ Antoine de Saint-Exupery ~~

Europa’s Ice Wolf watching Pluto from Charon

https://europasicewolf.wordpress.com/2015/07/26/smashing-the-final-planetary-frontier/

Good morning…. The odds on that have improved a bit, thankfully…. Mind and body yearn for more sleep; five hours, though welcome, doesn’t quite make up for the weeks of 2-3/day I’ve just gone through. I have to admit, though, more, in this case, is better. Not that I’m a bundle of energy, by any means, but, it is nice to not have to summon my courage just to stand up….

Today’s Pearl promises to be something of an anomaly, though why that should be is still unclear…. It’s a sort of background hum with which we are familiar, from the identical phenomenon in my nervous system; when it’s there, tension reigns, though the underlying reason seems hidden…. It is only when it stops we note we’ve been so tense; the relief is immense. Sadly, there isn’t much that relieves it for my nervous system; for Pearls, I have yet to even identify the root cause, much less figure out how to get it to stop…. So, we end up with weird, which may not seem all that odd, but, trust me, it will be…

Since I can’t seem to find much of anything to say here, and don’t want to completely bore anyone in the intro section, we’ll take this slow on the road…. Luigi! Fire that sucker up, & let’s hit it! Time’s a wastin’…..

Shall we Pearl?….

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

~~ Robert A. Heinlein ~~

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A few days ago, a friend sent me a link to a You Tube video, which I enjoyed so much I’m including it here today. It’s a verbal performance of a W.B. Yeats poem, The Stolen Child, one of the most famous poems in all of English literature. The accompanying original video and music are the perfect enhancement to the poem’s beauty, and though short, one of the most intense doses of beauty I’ve ever been fortunate to experience…. I hope you enjoy it….

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The Stolen Child – W.B. Yeats

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https://youtu.be/g9hnUYV06t4

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“Justice is incidental to law and order.” — J. Edgar Hoover

For someone of my ilk, such a statement, with its inherent arrogance and sense of entitlement, is an obvious invitation to rant; one might say, metaphorically, it’s a red flag to my bullish intellect…. But, that would leave me open to too many bad puns on referring to myself as a bull, or with bovine qualities to my thought processes… I certainly hope NOT…. Nonetheless, whichever metaphor we end up with, if any, I’m going to rant…. J. Edgar is just too much of an asshole to pass up the chance to chew on him. He was SUCH an asshole, I am prompted to pearl….

“He has no enemies, but is intensely disliked by his friends.” — Oscar Wilde

I’m sure Oscar must have been thinking of J. Ed; I think he met him as a child…. I mean, J. Edgar was a child…. Oscar was already nearly dead at the time…. In fact, it’s a little known historical fact the sight of J. Edgar’s face at the age of three, was the event which actually kicked Oscar over the edge…. (Little known = I made it up…. But, imagine it. Remember J. Edgar’s face when he was at the FBI? At three he must have been a truly scary sight; probably never had to buy a Halloween mask in his life….)

Okay, I’ll stop picking on the dead FBI guy. We’ll get back to what he said above, which, as far as I can tell, is just about as far removed, philosophically, ethically, and morally, from the ideas and concepts involved in the US Constitution, as it can possibly get. I don’t believe the framers of the Constitution had that sort of brutal single-mindedness in mind when they drafted the document; it’s completely foreign to the same view of, well, everything…. The intent of Mason, Franklin, Jefferson, Paine, and the rest was to secure Justice for the people, not place it in the hands of the faceless myrmidons who have taken over the police forces, not to mention the courts, of this country.

“All I kin say is when you finds yo’self wanderin’ in a peach orchard, ya don’t go lookin’ for rutabagas.” — Kingfish

Yesterday, when I began this rant, I had the firm intention of dissecting Hoover, and the ridiculous, self-centered attitudes he espoused, which have, sadly, become the modus operandi of almost every police force in this country…. The more I think on it, however, the greater is my feeling of futility, as I so often feel as if I’m preaching to the choir when I rant; the people who NEED to see, and think about this material, almost never do see it, as they’re not interested in changing their minds. Hell, most of them aren’t even aware they HAVE a mind….

So, I’m gonna sublimate, to please myself. We’ll find some statements, about politicians, dogma dogs, snakeheads, myrmidons, pimps, and all the other assholes who are dragging us all down to Hell with them…. Let’s see what SB can come up with today to poke a few holes in their misguided sense of adequacy…. Ah, what the hell; we’ll poke a LOT of holes today…. How about, say, oh, 13 holes?…. Hope they bleed a lot…

Was there a time when dancers with their fiddles
In children’s circuses could stay their troubles?
There was a time they could cry over books,
But time has set its maggot on their track.
Under the arc of the sky they are unsafe.
What’s never known is safest in this life.
Under the skysigns they who have no arms
Have cleanest hands, and, as the heartless ghost
Alone’s unhurt, so the blind man sees best.

~~ Dylan Thomas (1914-1953), “Was There A Time” ~~

“I like the way ONLY their mouths move…. They look like DYING OYSTERS” — Zippy the Pinhead

“The public demands certainties; it must be told definitely and a bit raucously that this is true and that is false. But there are no certainties.” — H. L. Mencken (1880-1956), “Prejudice”

“Our “neoconservatives” are neither new nor conservative, but old as Babylon and evil as Hell.” — Edward Abbey

“If men will not be governed by the Ten Commandments, they shall be governed by the ten thousand commandments.” — G.K. Chesterton

“Be entirely tolerant or not at all; follow the good path or the evil one. To stand at the crossroads requires more strength than you possess.” — Heinrich Heine (1797-1856)

“With rank goeth privileges- so it ever shall be. But also with it go responsibility and obligations, always more onerous than the privileges are pleasant.” — Robert A. Heinlein

“I am as firmly convinced that religions do harm as I am that they are untrue” — Bertrand Russell

“Fine words and an insinuating appearance are seldom associated with true virtue.” — Confucius

“I’m going to have you wrapped in a U.S. flag and burned personally by the President, in high octane American gasoline!” — The Firesign Theatre movie, J-Men Forever

“Ignorance is Strength.” — George Orwell’s 1984

“Remember: there’s a big difference between kneeling down and bending over.” — Frank Zappa, “He’s got 20 million dollars in his heavenly bank account.”

Ye shall know the” truth, and the truth shall make you mad.”

~~ Aldous Huxley ~~

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Here is a poem I haven’t re-posted since first written… Don’t know why, as it may be one of my best, such as they are…. I hope you enjoy it…

Dreaming, I wait….

In the most patient moments of rationality
kindness flows smoothly in a special milieu,
fallow thoughts speed first from equality
to give no anxious fever, anger to eschew.

Indignant mothers and step-sons in-law
shall fade simply from brilliant to grey,
intoning ritual dogma, fresh, avid, and raw,
falling, falling, in massive pastoral disarray.

Safety lives not, save brightly in ignorant bliss,
it follows us all, silent and infinitely frail,
foremost too often, soft as a virgin kiss,
alive, always eager, willing, and pale.

Intimate knowledge finds only the bold few
with courage and virtue to gift, unbidden.
No solemn royal version may pass in review,
true love for man, never to remain unhidden.

Sweet feathers of Emily’s hope uplift,
calm, drowsy episodes bursting with light,
With final glad cries we set ourselves adrift,
swimming in the oceans of natural delight.

When sorrow is banished, in ages yet to come,
roots solidly anchored, cold and remote,
Ample supplies of kindness sit silent and dumb,
and the old stranger shrugs on his faded coat.

Dreaming, then, I wait with shadows in the night
aspiring to inspire, a message from the muse’s heart
Never forgotten images, framed in color bright,
tempt me only, grieving, steeped in serenity’s arcane art.

~~ gigoid ~~

Written 9/18/2013.

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Our final pearl is, apparently, a small, if significant part of what makes today’s effort such an anomaly…. Created in only two sessions at the computer, it came together quite easily, which is the first sign of possible oddity. After a bit of rearrangement, I realized it’s actually a pretty good pearl, for a certain type of mind…. The others who read it may find it a bit hard to penetrate, but, s’okay, not everyone likes peanut butter, even the chunky kind…. Enjoy, ffolkes; I think you can figure it out from here….

“It is not necessary that whilst I live I live happily; but it is necessary that so long as I live I should live honourably.” — Immanuel Kant

“Remember what the dormouse said… FEED YOUR HEAD…” — Grace Slick

“A good reputation is more valuable than money.’ — Publius Syrus — Maxim 108

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

“The worst deluded are the self-deluded.” — Christian Nevell Bovee

“Without courage, wisdom bears no fruit.” — Baltasar Gracian

“The happiness and unhappiness of the rational, social animal depends not on what he feels but on what he does; just as his virtue and vice consist not in feeling but in doing.” — Marcus Aurelius Antoninus — Meditations, ix, 16

“Convictions are more dangerous enemies of truth than lies.” — Friedrich Nietzsche

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

At this point in the process, you may ask, what the hell was that all about? I have only one response….

[dignified silence]

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Y’know? Maybe I’ll make that last line my standard response to ALL queries…. Yeah! That’s the ticket!….

Then, again, that might tend to stifle any potential dialogue…. Okay, we’ll continue to use it only when appropriate…. Now we have that settled, I’m outta here, with energy, a bit of the ready in me pocket, and time on me hands. It’s a big world out there in the Big Blue Room outside the place where my computer lives…. I think I’m going to go see what kind of trouble I can create today…. Not get INTO, mind you, just create…. I’ll try not to involve any innocents, but, they would probably be better off staying off the streets, anyway…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, if I don’t run into anyone faster than me….

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….

Pigeons, smidgeons…. we’re going in hatless!

Posted on June 30, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“It may be that our role on this planet is not to worship God but to create him.”

~~ Arthur C. Clarke ~~

Scenes from a train….

Good morning…. In the still, peaceful quiet of early morn, sleepy birds sing, suggesting the presence of intimate time, filled to bursting, formal and replete. No cats, no rats frighten the flock, yet, they stop, to listen as the spirit of the hunt passes by. No one cries out for safety, no one speaks to the night. Only as the last bird flies away does the last child drop back into the lap of sleep, quickly, before the mast, not after….

Hmm… A bit of fanciful meandering, as it were, through the back corridors of a dark mind, still sleepy after a half-cup of the blood of life, yet determined to complete a fresh Pearl, come what may…. even if I have to…. well, I won’t go there just now, to save us all losing our breakfasts…. Instead, I believe I see an opportunity to set out for the oyster beds right over there, so, we’ll snatch it up, and use it…. Some days, ya just gotta take what presents itself, ya know?….

Shall we Pearl?

“Bodily exercise, when compulsory, does no harm to the body; but knowledge which is acquired under compulsion obtains no hold on the mind.” — Plato, The Republic. Book VII. 536

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Image from fansshare.com via Google Images

Everybody knows Betty, but, not everybody knows Betty got banned for being naughty…. Today’s video is a compilation of a number of the cartoons which led to her being put on the list of entertainment thought to be TOO immoral for the American people…. and, no, I don’t know who the hell they thought they were…. But, I enjoyed the cartoons, and so will you….

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Betty Boop

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https://youtu.be/VkG9c1yy2lg

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“Everything you know is wrong.”

~~ The Firesign Theater ~~

I’m fairly certain the above quote from the ffolkes at TFT is one of the most cogent, accurate summarizations of this section I’ve come across in my reading. It’s a perfect description of the mental status of almost everyone on this planet over the age of 4 years (right about the time we begin serious interactions with the world outside our immediate family….), based on the assumption the parents of any four year old were slaves to begin with, thus passing on many of their own misguided assumptions about Reality.

Now, I could spend a long time sharing the incontrovertible evidence I’ve accumulated to support such an assumption; in fact, I’ve done so. For the past 3.8 years I’ve posted here on a daily basis, with about 60% of those posts including some sort of rant against the machine, whether of a political, religious, or philosophical nature. I’ve done my best to share what I know to be true, to give those who come to read a chance to compare what I present against their own thoughts and experience…. In all that time, nobody, and that means nobody, has ever presented any arguments suggesting any of the evidence is wrong. None.

This could mean I’m right; it could also mean nobody who disagrees ever comes to read…. My own guess is the truth lies between those two points; mostly I preach to the choir, and those who aren’t convinced to sing aren’t brave enough to argue the point…. or, some combination of factors…. It remains true, however, that what I’ve said is all true, to the best of my knowledge, so, there’s something in that, for what it’s worth….

All that being said, I’m not going to rant today, merely to give us all a break from all the bad/evil shit with which we are surrounded every day on the news…. Instead, I’ll just throw together an old-school pearl, with some random thoughts about those members of the species upon whom I heap all of my disdain and vitriol, our Beloved Ruling Class and Friends…. those silly, yet dangerous humans who prey upon their own kind…. Yes, it’s the Asininnies, all of them…. The Bankers (aka Corporate Snakeheads), Pimps (aka Human Traffickers, aka Scumbags), Politicians (aka Congenital Liars…), Preachers (aka shamans, priests, imams, etc….), Faceless Myrmidons (Police, military, spies, and wannabes…), and, of course, Mrs. Grundy ( aka Everybody’s Nosy, Bigoted, Racist, Fat-headed neighbor….).

Enjoy…. I intend to enjoy putting it together, so, y’all may as well join in the fun….

Who love too much, hate in the like extreme,
And both the golden mean alike condemn.

~~ Alexander Pope ~~

~~ The Odyssey of Homer, Book xv, Line 79 ~~

“Not every soil can bear all things.” — Virgil (19 BC)

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

“It is better for a city to be governed by a good man than by good laws.” — Aristotle

“You have to realize that the government, any government, is insane. You have to treat it the way pagans treated their gods: As an irrational, capricious,
and powerful entity which will mete out total destruction if not sacrificed to or otherwise placated.” — Mike Long (future Libertarian revolutionary)

“Any priest or shaman must be presumed guilty until proved innocent.” — Lazarus Long, from Robert A. Heinlein’s “Time Enough For Love”

“Of a rich man who was niggardly he said, “That man does not own his estate, but his estate owns him.” — Diogenes Laertius — Bion, iii

“Our own age is not likely to be distinguished in history for the large numbers of people who insisted on finding the time to think. Plainly, this is not the Age of Meditative Man… Substitutes for repose are a billion dollar business. Almost daily, new antidotes for contemplation spring into being and leap out from store counters. Silence, already the world’s most critical shortage, is in danger of becoming a nasty word. Modern man may or may not be obsolete, but he is certainly wired for sound and he twitches as naturally as he breathes.” — Norman Cousins

Your face, my thane, is as a book where men
May read strange matters. To beguile the time,
Look like the time; bear welcome in your eye,
Your hand, your tongue: look like the innocent flower,
But be the serpent under ‘t.

~~ William Shakespeare ~~

~~ Macbeth — Act i, Sc. 5 ~~

To conclude, let us turn to one of the masters of metaphor, The Kwisatz Haderach (aka, Frank Herbert, author of “Dune”):

“Arrakis teaches the attitude of the knife – chopping off what’s incomplete and saying: “Now it’s complete because it’s ended here.” — Muad’dib

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Future Shocked:

Weeping, I wake;
waking, I weep, I weep.
I weep for the ages to be lost,
for the children never to be born.

Time comes calling, strident and spare,
nudging us toward the future with bony hands.
No pausing, no waiting, always away,
Frantic hearts unseen, unheard.

Spirits are dark, afraid.
And the Beast hunts, hungry and cruel,
seeking out the weak, and the foolish.

We all weep now…..

~~ gigoid ~~

Written 7/22/2013.

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Today’s final old-school pearl is…. well, I’m sorry, it just IS. Beyond that, deponent sayeth naught….

On a huge hill,
Cragged & steep, Truth stands, and hee that will Reach her, about must, and
about must goe;
And what the hill’s suddenness resists, winne so.

~~ John Donne ~~

Conventional wisdom, isn’t.” — Smart Bee

“No man can purchase his virtue too dear, for it is the only thing whose value must ever increase with the price it has cost us. Our integrity is never worth so much as when we have parted with our all to keep it.” — Colton (1780-1832)

“Death, the most dreaded of evils, is therefore of no concern to us; for while we exist death is not present, and when death is present we no longer exist.” — Epicurus

“Adapt or perish, now as ever, is nature’s inexorable imperative.” — H. G. Wells

“Excess on occasion is exhilarating. It prevents moderation from acquiring the deadening effect of a habit.” — W. Somerset Maugham

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

See what I mean? No word, or words, I could come up with would suffice to explain such an event. But, I digress…. I hope nobody got seriously injured on that last turn; more than three would get my insurance canceled…. Oh well, it’s fresh, and it’s all in the “for sure & for certain” category, so….

So be it.

gigoid has spoken.

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Done. All fresh, too. Not bad for an old phart with phlat pheet and phrequent phlatulence, eh? Oops…. By the looks of the last sentence, I think it’s time to get us the hell out of here…. Next, I’ll break out in an old show tune…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, if I can continue to find the rhythm…. Could be tough; the rhythm method is a particularly unreliable resource, in many respects…. or, so I’m told….

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….

Richter or no Richter, that’s no earthquake…

Posted on May 28, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Don’t overestimate the decency of the human race.”

~~ H.L. Mencken ~~

The La Gonda Has Launched

Screenshot capture from the BBC Movie, “Have His Carcase”

Good morning…. As we join our protagonist, he sits at his computer, madly typing, as if the demons of hell had him on deadline. The early morning light throws his face into sharp relief, revealing the tight, tense features of a man in dire stress…. Not for nothing have we come to this juncture; no, that’s not correct. We ARE here for nothing, for that’s what we do…. nothing.

Well, I suppose that’s not accurate. This isn’t nothing. It’s something, even if exactly what kind of something has never been made clear. Not that it has ever BEEN clear. But, I digress…. In fact, I dither. And blather. And piffle…. In fact, I do that on demand, but, since there’s no particular demand for it, I think maybe we ought to try to find something a bit more constructive, before the Relevance Police come to haul us away for massive crimes against literature…. Instead, let’s try this….

Shall we Pearl?

“The question was put to him, what hope is; and his answer was, “The dream of a waking man.” — Diogenes Laertius (c. 200 AD) — Aristotle, xi

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The Firesign Theater

In 1970, I heard this improvisational comedy group for the first time, laughing myself breathless many times during my initiation to their madcap comedy. The album I’ve included for your pleasure today is the album I heard then, their fourth as a group…. Brilliantly funny, and fast moving, you’ll need your funny bone to keep up… Enjoy!…. and, please, don’t break the precedent….

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The Firesign Theater

I Think We’re All Bozos On This Bus

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https://youtu.be/lmWFrMq3qNY

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Although this is the ranting section, I don’t have a fresh rant to give today; too much sleep, I suppose…. I did find an article which stimulated my dubiousity, though in a good way. We recently observed Memorial Day, a day set aside to honor the fallen heroes in our nation’s armies, who fell in battles to protect the country. It’s been observed since the mid-nineteenth century, and has lost much of its meaning, since we have been in numerous, almost numberless wars, police actions, or “engagements” where some of our soldiers have died…. not always in a place or way that was particularly heroic, or even moral….

One man, identified in the article you will see, and hopefully read, wondered what day we had set aside to honor all the fallen VICTIMS of war; the innocent children, women, and men who were not involved in the fighting, yet got their homes destroyed, or their families killed, or their cities bombed, dying in countless droves, all for the glory of war…. He thinks we should set aside a day to honor those people, who far outnumber the so-called ‘heroes’, by a factor of A LOT…. and I agree with him…. In fact, I’d be willing to forget the original, and replace it with this one, which shows a much more civilized set of beliefs than honoring men tricked into killing for their country’s capitalist agenda….

Read the article, ffolkes, it makes a lot of sense….. Since what you see above is the extent of my rant for today, we’ll fill in afterward with an old-school pearl, with some comments on the issues under the scope today…. Okay, go cogitate now….

When is Memorial Day for the Innocent Victims of War?

http://www.wakingtimes.com/2015/05/26/when-is-memorial-day-for-the-innocent-victims-of-war/

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He that will not reason is a bigot.
He that cannot reason is a fool.
He that dares not reason is a slave.

~~ William Drummond, “Academical Questions” ~~

“All national institutions of churches, whether Jewish, Christian, or Turkish, appear to me no other than human inventions, set up to terrify and enslave mankind, and monopolize power and profit.” — Thomas Paine

“A pacifist who calls the police isn’t one; hired violence is still violence.” — Clayton E. Cramer

“The cure for capitalism’s failing would require that a government would have to rise above the interests of one class alone.” — Robert L. Heilbroner

“Conservative Definition of Compassion: I got mine, Jack.” — Smart Bee

“He didn’t say that. He was reading what was given to him in a speech.” — Richard Darman, director of OMB, explaining why President Bush wasn’t following up on his campaign pledge that there would be no loss of wetlands

“A nation’s advance as a civilized society can be properly gauged by the manner in which it treats the poor and the elderly – often the same people.” — Smart Bee

“A society that lacks the patience to read, and loses the ability to do so, is rendered defenseless against its most profound stupidities. As an example, consider the ease with which Americans came to regard a president known for his inaccuracy and imprecision as the great communicator, and by the tendency of American elections to give victory to the candidate who can afford the greatest number of 30-second TV spots.” — Mike Schmoker

“It is courage the world needs, not infallibility… courage is always the surest wisdom.” — Sir Wilfred Grenfell

“Nuff said…. That’s all you get today, ffolkes…. gigoid has spoken. So be it….

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I’m lazy, as you know. Hence, yet another poem from the archives, this one written with tongue planted firmly in cheek….

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 ~~

Written 3/23/2013.

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Today’s final old-school pearl is another concerned with our favorite subject, being, naturally, the closest to our hearts, the ever-popular Life at Large…. I suppose it’s what Smart Bee knows best; me, too, for that matter. In this particular case, the group our joint efforts gave us is a bit eclectic, in terms of the historical spread, over time, of the various authors, ranging over a span of approximately 2500 years, from about 600 BC to somewhere in the early- to mid-twentieth century…. They also cover quite a bit of ground in terms of the variety of issues upon which they would like to encourage y’all to ponder… So, go on, now, think about it…. and, enjoy the process. Once thinking becomes a joy, you’ll want to do more of it…. See? Where else can you find free lessons?….

“Do you have the patience to wait till your mud settles and the water is clear?

Can you remain unmoving till the right action arises by itself?

~~ Lao Tzu ~~

“The hour which gives us life begins to take it away” — Seneca

“How much pain have cost us the evils which have never happened.” — Thomas Jefferson, “Writings” Vol. XVI

“Death is all in the mind. Once you’re dead you forget all about it.” — Jack Storey

“”He means well” is useless unless he does well.” — Plautus

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

“It is in the shelter of each other that people live.” — Irish proverb

“Consistency is contrary to nature, contrary to life. The only completely consistent people are dead.” — Aldous Huxley

I slept and dreamt that life was joy.
I awoke and saw that life was duty.
I acted and beheld that duty was joy.

~~ Rabindranath Tagore ~~

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Whatever degree of quality may exist in the above is purely a matter of chance, and can be ascribed to the power of routine, and the ever-present, ever-fruitful power of the Metaphorse. Me, I just channeled it. Now I’ve done so, we can get on with our day… Ain’t Life grand? See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, if’n the feds don’t catch me….

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….

Bowled over by a Boston Brahmin….

Posted on March 29, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Reality is not a constant.”

~~ Smart Bee ~~

Image from Space.com Pictures of the Day, 3/23/2015

“Nobody knows the troubles I’ve seen…” Imagine you’re hearing that on the radio, standing in the shower, thinking about the past…. Then, imagine, for just a moment, you are not naked. What the hell are you doing in the shower fully clothed? Are you nuts? What possessed you to…. Oh, never mind…..

Howdy, ffolkes. As might be noted, I’m a bit under the weather, or, is that over the top? Probably the latter. Nevertheless, this still must get done; hence, the nonsensical BS in the opening paragraph, such as it is. I have little clue as to why that popped out, actually. It just seemed to want to be a part of today’s mess, though goodness knows why. It’s bad enough for us, who HAVE to do this, or go mad; choosing to do so isn’t what I’d call showing the best sense. But, then, what can one expect from a completely imaginary figment of my imagination, but for nonsense…..

I’m late again, of course; that’s why I can’t seem to find anything to talk about here. It’s all screwed up…. or, I suppose it would be more accurate to say I have once more screwed it all up. Such incompetence isn’t my natural milieu, I swear. I used to be considered a fairly competent person, back in the day…. I guess we all fall into that hole when we get to a certain age; it sure doesn’t help to know that, I’ll tell you for sure. It does, however, offer an excuse, and, maybe, if we’re bold enough, it will get us out of this seemingly endless display of idiocy….

You may be asking yourself WHY you made the decision to stop in, today of all days, when I can’t seem to find my way out of the intro. Go ahead, ask…. it doesn’t matter, because I can’t tell you. I’m having enough trouble hooking up this emergency kit, which, if I don’t get done in the next 20 seconds, won’t work at all…. There! Got it…. Okay, ffolkes, I’ll have to ask y’all to return to your seats now. This particular little method for getting us down the page is a little rough; oh, hell, I’ll be honest. It’s a fucking disaster, but, it works. Just close your eyes, (or, put on the masks provided in your seat back in front….), hold on to your neighbor’s hand, and pray!….. We’re goin’ in……

Shall we Pearl?

“It is easy in the world to live after the world’s opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

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

Image from http://www.shoutout.com via Google stock images

It’s time for another blast from my past…. This man needs no introduction; simply, the most talented guitarist who ever lived…. Had he lived longer, the entire world would have known his name, forever. As it is, his early work remains some of the strongest, most brilliant pieces of impromptu, innovative brilliance ever heard on the guitar; the like will never be heard again…. Ladies and gentle ffolk, I give you Jimi Hendrix…..

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

The Jimi Hendrix Experience – Purple Haze

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

https://youtu.be/pjWfxhEfM6U

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

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

Ffolkes….. I first wrote this ode shortly before Noah’s passing, in 2011, posting it online at some pet-oriented website by Triond, an online posting brokerage for bloggers, or other authors wishing to post anything online… I have used it here on WP a couple times, correcting typos here and there as I find them. This time, I’ve gone through to polish up the style and errors of syntax, grammar, or just plain dumbass non-professional writer mistakes which I’ve learned to avoid, or edit. It should have more impact, and be easier to read; I hope you enjoy it. I loved this dog as much as any I’ve had in my life, if not more; he was indeed my best friend for a long time….

Noah Dog, 1994 ~ 2011

“We give them the love we can spare, the time we can spare. In return dogs have given us their absolute all. It is without a doubt the best deal man has ever made.” — Roger Caras, “A Celebration of Dogs”

An Ode to Noah

Noah came to live with us when he was about 10 months old; we rescued him from taking the long walk at the Humane Society kennel in Santa Rosa. It was my son’s fifteenth birthday; he wanted a dog, swearing up & down he would take responsibility for its’ care. Pets were always part of family life when I grew up, a policy I’d followed in my own; our last dog had been gone for a bit over a year, so it was time to expand the family once again.

As the door opened into the kennel where the dogs were held for viewing, a large variety of dogs started a welcoming cacophony of different barks; shrill tiny ones, deep booming ones, polite yips, all blended together in an almost desperate frenzied concert, as each animal, many of them almost frantic, tried to get our attention. Some pawed at the gate, some jumped up, some looked nervous, others looked friendly, and all of them, it seemed, were making noise.

When we drew near the last cage in the aisle, we saw a medium-sized, sad-eyed, black and white dog, not barking, not jumping, just sitting down, leaning against the wall by the gate. He was looking me right in the eyes, with an expression on his face that just said, “Get me out of here, please!”. What could we do? He was obviously our dog, so, we told him we’d be right back, then, went back out to the office to announce our choice, & complete the paperwork.

The attendant brought Noah in to us just as I finished. He looked a bit nervous, but, looked around with a curious, calm eye. That is, he was calm until I clasped his new collar around his neck, then hooked on his leash. All of a sudden, he realized he wasn’t going back into the kennel; instantly, he was a new dog, wagging his tail furiously, looking at us with his eyes shining, almost dancing and vibrating in his eagerness to go. As we walked back to the van, he walked proudly in front of us, looking back every few steps to make sure we were still there, tail and ears up, a very happy dog…..

Noah settled into the family immediately. He proved to be very well-mannered, both with people, as well as in his personal habits. When on walks, he would stop to sniff, and lift his leg, on every interesting bush and tree, just like any other male dog. But, when he had to do his secondary business, he made it clear he preferred to go behind a bush, or somewhere out of the way, preferably out of sight.

He’d assume a very embarrassed expression when not sufficiently hidden from sight, turning away, refusing to look up, as if he felt guilty. A very private, discreet individual, to say the least. If he had been overlong between walks, so much in a hurry he made a mistake on the sidewalk, he would act just like a cat, refusing to even look at it, pretending it had not happened. “What mess? Who, me? I don’t know what you’re talking about. C’mon, let’s GO….”

Noah was an extremely intelligent dog. I can say that, as I’ve known a great many animals in my time on this old planet; he was one of the smartest I’ve ever been around, in spite of very minimal formal training. When he came to live with us, he already knew how to sit on command (both voice and hand), to lie down, and to stay. All without needing to be reinforced, I might add….

Well, in truth, he did have a little bit (actually, a LOT) of trouble with the whole concept of stay; he didn’t like being left alone, I guess. When told to stay somewhere out in public, he would often follow after a minute or two; it’s like he just didn’t want to believe we really MEANT for him to stay. He figured he should be with us so he could do his job. As long as he could see us, he’d stay where he was; if he couldn’t, he believed it was his place to find us; in his whole life, we just couldn’t come to terms about it; on this point he was firm.

We also never had to teach Noah any tricks, as he seemed to have figured stuff out on his own, & his way was definitely cool…. The first time I ever gave him a treat (a milk bone), I showed it to him, told him to sit. He sat. I told him to speak; he gave one quick, obviously joyous howl. I held out my hand, & he offered his own to shake. I straightened up, tossed the treat in the air, for him to catch….

I then watched him not merely catch the darn thing, but, after making the in-air snag, he tossed it back up into the air. With a gleefully joyful expression, he watched it hit the floor, whereupon he dove on top of it, rolled over on his back on top of it, & began to perform a happy dance, by twisting his back and hips as if scratching his back on the floor. I swear, he looked just like Snoopy doing the Dance of Joy. When he was done dancing on his back, he rolled over, with a smug smile, proceeding to enjoy his milk bone, with a big twinkle in his eye. I always wanted to video the move to submit it for Stupid Pet Tricks on the Letterman Show, but never had a camera handy when he performed his feat, so Noah missed his chance for stardom.

Noah’s gotten old now; we just observed his 17th birthday in February of this year; in dog years, he’s going on 120 or so. He can’t hear anything but very loud noises, can’t see more than a few feet; I suspect all he sees now is mostly shadows and moving light. I’m afraid he will be passing on soon, as he can no longer get up without assistance, or fully control his bodily functions. I sometimes feel like I should have him put down, to ease his pains, but he doesn’t act as if he is hurting, and I can tell he enjoys just lying around, dozing, as long as he knows I am near.

For his entire life with us, over 17 years, Noah has been a true and loyal companion. He has observed, with honor, the pact made between man and dog, many thousands of generations ago. Thus, taking care of him in his declining years is both a privilege, and an honor. In my entire life, I have never known anyone more loyal, human, or animal, more compassionate, or more courageous in standing up to life. He is by far the best friend that any man could hope for; what’s more, he is, by far, the best person I’ve ever known……

Rest in peace, my old friend….

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

Image from Google Stock Images

Today, it is only one of mine, simply because I’m so late I didn’t have time to go look for anyone else’s…. Since I have not ranted in DAYS, this one should sublimate for me a bit….

gigoid’s lament

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

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

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

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

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

Ffolkes…. the following old school pearl is damn near perfect. I say so only because there is nothing about it I can find to indicate it is anything LESS than perfect…. Ergo, it would be a good idea for y’all to pay close attention, and use all of your reasoning abilities, both inductive, and deductive, to form the intended conclusion(s)…. There… if that wasn’t obscure enough, or confounding enough, well, I can try again…. No, okay, here you go; pay heed, this will definitely be on the Quiz we all must take to exit this life…..

What’s madness but nobility of soul
At odds with circumstance?

~~ Theodore Roethke, “In a Dark Time” ~~

“If it had been a bear it would have bit you.” — Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) — Polite Conversation, Dialogue i

“The devil does not stay where the music is.” — Smart Bee

“It’s a poor sort of memory that only works backwards,” the Queen remarked.” — Lewis Carroll, “Through the Looking-Glass”

“Each of us visits this Earth involuntarily, and without an invitation. For me, it is enough to wonder at the secrets.” — Albert Einstein

“I am he as you are he as you are me and we are all together!” — (The Beatles) I Am The Walrus

“Anything that kills you makes you…well, dead.” — Very, very Smart Bee

“Sure, understanding today’s complex world of the future is a little like having bees live in your head. But there they are . . .” — The Firesign Theater, “I Think We’re All Bozos on This Bus!”

All things must change
to something new, to something strange.~~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow ~~

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

It’s done; not without a struggle, but, done nonetheless. (I will say, this vertigo crap is getting old, fast.) In fact, so done, I’m already gone…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes….

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Set your phasers on Twinkle, troops….

Posted on January 15, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

Take me disappearing through the smoke rings of my mind
down the foggy ruins of time
far past the frozen leaves
the haunted frightened trees
out to the windy beach
far from the twisted reach of crazy sorrow.

Ah, to dance beneath the diamond sky with one hand waving free
silhouetted by the sea
circled by the circus sands
with all memory and fate
driven deep beneath the waves
let me forget about today until tomorrow.

~~ Bob Dylan ~~

The poster you see above this line is from NASA. Yep. If you click on the picture, you’ll see a larger version, which will allow you to read the small print beneath the picture. When I feel phantasmagorical (Specifically, in my case, the state of wishing for a fantasy world, wherein the human race DOESN’T become extinct….), I look at the poster, and the two others they have displayed over at the NASA web site, and dream of traveling to far-away planets…. It’s been happening a lot of late, as, here on Earth, life is becoming somewhat tenuous in nature, with a great deal of uncertainty as to how much longer our human presence will be tolerated by our abused home’s landlord, whomever that may be….

But, the intro is not the place to get into an issue of such scope…. Just click on the picture, and, if you wish, go download a copy yourself (or, download it right from the page where you see it…), and join me on the next flight to Kepler 16b…. I hear the interstellar transport ships are becoming quite luxurious, just like the old time cruise ships back on Earth, before the apocalypse….

Alright, I’m back, I think, though I don’t really want to be…. But, it’s just like that hive of bees there in my head, you know? There they are…. and, here I am….. SIGH….

Sometimes, I am more in tune with the future than I know. But, that’s a story for another time. Yesterday, the rant I wrote left me, for a while, in the dumps regarding any future for the human race…. Being a human, I was able to forget my/our doom, and get on with living, just as, eventually, I’ll get on with this Pearl. In fact, perhaps, given the fragility of my mood this recent past, we should do that now, before the risk of any unpleasantness becomes greater than my desire to avoid any such ungentlemanly behavior…. I do TRY….

Thus, if I could persuade y’all to place whatever adult beverages you chose for today’s dive, into the holders provided in your seat armrest, buckle up tight, and brace yourselves, we can be on our way. The sign re: no phone usage aboard this craft is there for a reason; please don’t make or take any calls, or we could drop from the sky like a stone…. But, no worries, the ink on the pilot’s license is fully dry; I checked…. Trust me….

Shall we Pearl?

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

(Boy, ain’t it the TRUTH! Have you listened lately to FOX news? Or, for that matter, to ANYTHING on TV, or issued as a public proclamation of almost any kind? I can’t put my finger on exactly why, but, for sure and for certain, all reason in the world has gone missing, stranding us here on the train to madness, without a return ticket….)

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

One advantage of the internet over previous times, in at least one respect, is this: if one should wish, or need, some GOOD news, it’s a bit easier to find…. For example: I found this in a link to the ABC network channel web site you see below, , referred by an article on Rolling Stone’s web site I received in a daily email summary…. Believe me, this one makes it hard to find any reason to feel bad, if only for a moment or two….

Meet Eclipse, the dog who figured out how to ride the bus all by herself

http://abc13.com/472964/

http://abc13.com/video/embed/?pid=472964

~~~~~~~~~

Here is another video, along the same lines, found at the same web site, abc13.com….

British bulldog hates bottle of water

http://youtu.be/vnqywtFJUw8

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

I am currently so involved with affairs in the Big Blue Room, there is little room in my head to spare for collecting angst, at least while awake…. No telling what my unconscious mind throws out there while I’m sawing logs, as far as I do so…. One of the referrals to the archives that Word Press makes each day, as one of the suggested Pearls at the bottom of the post, held the following religirant, one of my better treatises on the subject of humanity’s oldest scam…. Enjoy, please, or, at least, don’t take it personally….

From 9/7/2012:

“Sin lies only in hurting other people unnecessarily. All other “sins” are invented nonsense. (Hurting yourself is NOT a sin–just stupid.)” — Lazarus Long, from Robert A. Heinlein’s “Time Enough For Love”

It would be foolish to try to claim that there is NOT a part of me that wishes there was a God, as described by most of the Christian sects, or the Islamic, or Jewish, or any other of the major and/or minor religions in the history of Man. Who wouldn’t want to have all the responsibility for thinking, or for acting within reason, taken out of their hands? It would be wonderful, but as it’s pretty unlikely, to all appearances, that part of me will have to remain unfulfilled….. I’d rather adopt and set the above moral standard as my own, as I happen to agree with it wholeheartedly. It forms the root, the base, the touchstone of all of my morality, the basic raison d’etre for my every decision of whether or not to act, and how to react, from an ethical standpoint of my own choice, without thinking about whether or not it is according to dogma.

I first came across this particular quote from Lazarus when I was about 15 or 16 years old, right when I was taking classes at my parent’s church to fulfill the requirements for admission as an official, saved member of the church (Presbyterian, if it matters….), and wondering how I was going to break it to all of them that I couldn’t do it…. It was a hard decision, but, since the teachers couldn’t answer my questions about Bible incidents that puzzled me (not part of what we studied, but from different chapters I had read…), I stopped attending any services, because I didn’t want to be a hypocrite…. I could even rationalize my decision, as having been made out of concern for the safety of my family and friends, since now the church could conceivably fall down on them if they were with me when I came in…..

“Anybody who wants religion is welcome to it, as far as I’m concerned — I support your right to enjoy it. However, I would appreciate it if you exhibited more respect for the rights of those people who do not wish to share your dogma, rapture or necrodestination.” — Frank Zappa, “The Real Frank Zappa Book”

I also happen to agree with Frank on this one. What I do believe about religion, and the concept of God, or god, or Dog, is my own business, and begins with not pressing it on others, unless they ask; in such cases I will discuss the subject superficially, without expressing any preferences one way or another….. Unless, of course, they begin to proselytize. In THOSE cases, I will use every bit of shock value pop psychology I know of to lead them down some primrose path, messing with their heads until I get bored with them…. That usually doesn’t take long; they’re generally fairly uninteresting people. I tend to prefer people who have a bit of salt to their personality, just a touch of insanity somewhere in their blood…. Such ffolkes are much more fun to be around than folks who spend their time feeling bad about wanting to feel good….. and they annoy me far less often, as a rule…..

If God is omnipotent, why does he need my money? — Smart Bee

“The human condition is such that pain and effort are not just symptoms which can be removed without changing life itself; they are rather the modes in which life itself, together with the necessity to which it is bound, makes itself felt. For mortals, the ‘easy life of the gods’ would be a lifeless life.” — Hannah Arendt

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

In the same post with the rant in the section immediately above, I also found this poem, which I believe I may have not used since…. I don’t remember, and I’m certainly not going to go look…. It will do for today, certainly…. I hope you enjoy it….

Vague Glimpses of a Rainbow

All the sad notions of propriety had fled,
Screaming their anger for pausing in song,
Until late came the rabid fog, colored in red,
As serenity cried, unafraid to live so strong.

Fallow fields in faithful patience set free,
Dragged from birth, by their own nature cast
Saving each moment against fear yet to be,
Carved into silence, by ignorance held fast.

Historical forces plod slowly ’tis often said
Anxieties streaming stiffly, one epoch to the next.
Cultural mania stands nonchalant in its stead
No sadder epitaph has such bittersweet context.

Patterned bags of forgotten virtue lie in wait
Blessed by reminders whose souls value affinity
Frozen webs surround the fields in gravid state
Grasping passionately within obvious opportunity.

Passage to future realities isn’t guaranteed
Small favors for deities was left off the menu
No roses, nor manna, nor gallant aerial steed
Left traces of fatal, yet originally gracious venue.

~~ gigoid ~~

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

SIGH…. After almost an hour, the following pearl is the best I could coax out of SB…. Look at this….

“Anaximander says that men were first produced in fishes, and when they were grown up and able to help themselves were thrown up, and so lived upon the land.” — Plutarch (46-120 AD) — Symposiacs, Book viii, Question viii

?!?!?!?! In the modern vernacular, WTF!

That, I have to say, is downright scary, it’s so…. weird. It’s probably deeper than it seems; much of what Plutarch said comes out that way. But, I think, with this one serving as the best we can find, it would be well to go back to the archives again, and call it a day…. Why, look! It seems the same Pearl I posted way back when, the same one wherein we found today’s rant, and poem, also had a very fine closing pearl, so…. It’s almost like Fate, isn’t it?…. Planning? No way….

Also from 9/7/2012:

Having just spent three hours (okay, I exaggerated…. only two….) searching in vain for a pearl with which to finish, I became incensed with frustration, and rather than scare my new neighbors with a verbal outburst, I calmly set a parameter, and collected the following pearls on one subject, to wit: human nature…. As far as I can tell, all of them rate a solid 10 on the truth scale….. As always, just follow the bouncing thought as it explores your own inner self….

“The world always makes the assumption that the exposure of an error is identical with the discovery of truth–that the error and truth are simply opposite. They are nothing of the sort. What the world turns to, when it is cured on one error, is usually simply another error, and maybe one worse than the first one.” — H. L. Mencken

“The ultimate evil is the weakness, cowardice, that is one of the constituents of so much human nature. When, rarely, unalloyed nobility does occur, its chances of prevailing are slim. Yet it exists, and its mere existence is reason enough for not wiping the name of mankind off the slate.” — John Simon

“We are all terrible little creatures.” — Martin Amis

“The tragedy and the magnificence of Homo sapiens together rise from the same smoky truth that we alone among the animal species refuse to acknowledge natural law.” — Robert Ardrey, _The Social Contract_

“Man, were he not corrupted by Governments, is naturally the friend of Man, and that human nature is not of itself vicious.” — Thomas Paine

“I think we’re all Bozos on this Bus!” — Firesign Theater

Now I feel better….. and, you do, as well….

Note from 2015:

Okay, I’ll confess. I also used a bit of hyperbole for THIS pearl…. I did find TWO pearls before giving up, but, when you see this one, you’ll realize why I went back to the past, rather than staying in the future, or the present, or whenever the hell we are now…. It’s gotten a bit confusing in here today…. SIGH…. Here, see what I mean? This is what SB gave me before I gave up…. It’s very poignant, for some of us, but, very, very naughty, in some respects, in a way that isn’t quite, well, healthy… Oh, hell, you’ll see….

“You are not permitted to kill a woman who has wronged you, but nothing forbids you to reflect that she is growing older every minute. You are avenged fourteen hundred and forty times a day.” — Ambrose Bierce “The Devil’s Dictionary”

See? True enough, but, a bit cruel, thus making it hard to appreciate the humor, or the irony, without a touch of guilt… Oh well, at least I’m done now….

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

And, thank God for that! Wait…. Can they arrest me for saying that? In the same post as a religirant? Hmm…. Maybe I should take it back….. Nah. That would be like, hypocrisy, man…. If I don’t believe it, why should I worry about blasphemy? Blasphemy, by definition, has no basis in reality, so, nobody can, in reality, punish me for saying it….

Well, that’s logical anyway, but, since most of the proponents of those who follow such beliefs tend to react so violently when someone doesn’t believe the same way, I think I’ll put on my Kevlar vest for a while…. Better safe than sorry, right?…. Right….

On that cheerful note, I bid thee adieu for another day. Provided none of those I’ve insulted today find me before then, I’ll see y’all tomorrow…. If they do, it’s possible I could be involved in a bit of a firefight; don’t worry about me, though, I recently upgraded my weaponry, and am now capable of withstanding an entire military platoon, as long as they are not equipped with anything more dangerous than, oh, say, a tank….

I could handle a tank, or two…. If they call for air support, I could have to retreat to my hidden compound, but, other than that, it shouldn’t be a problem…. When the Ground-To-Air SAM’s I ordered arrive next week, I’ll be all set to deal with any sort of conflict on my territory.

Okay, all of the rental time for our fantasies has now expired; it’s all been put returned to the vendor, and we may take our leave…. (Don’t tell the vendor, but, I kept the bazookas….) Again, ffolkes, I bid thee a fond farewell, until tomorrow…. Maybe I’ll find a touch of sobriety by then…. you never can tell, can 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

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Paradox, paradise, or paranoia? You decide….

Posted on January 11, 2015 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Sure, understanding today’s complex world of the future

is a little like having bees live in your head.

But, there they are . . . ”

~~ The Firesign Theater ~~

~~ “I Think We’re All Bozos On This Bus!” ~~

I found this absolutely adorable picture on the blog site of my friend Lou, at http://talesfromtheconspiratum.com/2015/01/06/ridiculously-photogenic-moments/; he had reblogged it from another site. You can find it, and others like it, at http://www.ebaumsworld.com/pictures/view/84408138/ The blog post is entitled 23 Ridiculously Photogenic Moments, and has some great shots of unlikely subjects, all looking good doing ridiculous stuff, like this goofy-looking pit but with the bemused smile…. Put the picture together with the great quote above it, which is from my all-time favorite comedy album, and you’ve got something…. The exact nature of what we have is, of course, left as an exercise for the gentle reader….

Now we have the housekeeping out of the way, what shall we say about this Pearl? It did not come to bury Caesar, but to praise him. Or something like that; I forget how it goes. It really didn’t apply, anyway, did it? I thought not. Just another failed attempt at early humor, when I know better. I should stick to either straight fantasy, or nonsense. Given the relevance of the opening lines today, by the Firesign Theater, perhaps it would be best if we made some effort to return there, to what we know best…. Let’s see what I can come up with along those lines…

Strangely enough, no strange, or funny, or even neutral fluff seems to be available for use today. That may be due to the spasms and level 6 pain I’ve had for the last, oh, 22-plus hours, much of which was spent in a supine position, with knees up on a bolster, and the music loud to drown out my groans…. I used a massive dose of several substances to get a couple hours sleep (making the average over the last three nights a total of about 8 or 9 hours…. yay. Every little bit helps, they say…. They’re wrong, but, that’s what they say…), but I can see now it’s a good thing most of this Pearl was already done before I got up today.

In fact, I’m dropping all pretense, and getting on with it, so I can go lay down again, until my lower back decides to stop complaining…. I don’t like to be a complainer, and find myself in that position far too often for my own comfort… Fuck it, let’s go find something else to think about….

Shall we Pearl?

“I read the news today, Oh boy…” — John Lennon

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

In the upcoming weeks, you may see a number of videos like this one; the news of late out in the Big Blue Room is enough to make anybody want to relax, and take themselves to a happy place… Enjoy!

Celtic Music – Relaxing And Beautiful Mix

http://youtu.be/qoktesLkHy8

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

On December 6 of 2012, the Pearl I wrote turned out pretty well, with two pretty good mini-rants on two subjects. Given the recent spate of killings by police, in this country alone, this outburst is particularly relevant. I don’t think it’s necessary to reiterate my belief the world is over-militarized, whether by local police, or large national police organizations, or military institutions on a national level….

But, then, it is well to remember, the making and selling of arms, and all of the other weapons of war and destruction, IS the oldest, largest, most lucrative business on this planet, a fact of which all governments, all large religious institutions, and all multi-national corporations are fully aware, as evidenced by their uniform complicity, in allowing it to continue to furnish the means by which Man’s insane avarice for power is expressed, endlessly….

From 12/6/2012:

“Who will protect the public when the police violate the law?” — Ramsey Clark

Here is a question that is particularly relevant in today’s society. In my time on this sad little ball of mud, I have studied the various parts that make up our culture, and the police, due to their ubiquitous nature, have always been right there at the forefront of my observations. We all have our stories of how we have had to deal with police in various circumstances, not all of which show them in their best light. In fact, next to lawyers, police officers are probably the most reviled members of society, as well as one of the most admired. There are good reasons to support both views…..

I cannot say that my knowledge of ALL policemen is complete; I don’t know them all. But my observations over the years have indicated that at least half of those who enter the field do so out of a desire to have power over others, rather than an impulse to be of service. It is easy to spot these folks…. They’re the ones who never signal a turn in their cars, and are always moving at a speed greater than the posted limit. They assume that the laws that govern the populace are not applicable to them, and act accordingly. They enter any situation with the attitude that “might is right”, and attempt to intimidate anyone who tries to usurp or question their authority. They don’t serve as policemen to keep the peace, but to control the beasts….. two entirely different goals.

I find myself at this point to be in the beginning stages of a rant; this subject is one that frustrates me a lot, as I believe that the police should be offering themselves as an example of honorable, lawful behavior. Many of them do so, but a large number are no more concerned with serving and protecting than they are in consuming donuts without sprinkles. Due to circumstances well within my control, I’m not in the mood for ranting this morning, so I’m going to let this go without further comment.

Suffice it to say that society needs to consider the question asked above by Mr. Clark, and take a hard, realistic look at the requirements needed to procure police officers who are of the proper frame of mind to assume the responsibilities involved in public protection. It seems to me that psychological testing of potential officers would be a good place to start; perhaps some of those who go into the field for their own purposes might not be given such power, if they could be winnowed out in the testing process…… Perhaps then we would begin to see the police set the example for the rest of society, rather than proving to be one of the problems we need to solve…..

“The superior man is the providence of the inferior. He is eyes for the blind, strength for the weak, and a shield for the defenseless. He stands erect by bending above the fallen. He rises by lifting others.” — Robert Green Ingersoll (1833-1899)

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

First written in September of 2012, this is a poem that arose out of my time spent waiting for Social Security to grind through its bureaucratic machinations to grant my retirement…. As I read it now, I can see the marks of depression I struggled with then, fighting to stay positive, while my mind waged war with itself, using every trick at its disposal to stay sane enough to survive, as well as to challenge my own will to do so… I hope you enjoy it….

Visible life

Forty-two days of pressure and internal rain,
leave marks of salvation, often in pain.
Such sharp reminders of yesterday’s remorse
fight heavily to keep a straight course.
Rash moments, bright, and routinely immense
Give us pleasure, bereft of common sense.

Still the night comes soft and eternally dear
to bring out wishful dreams so vitally clear.
Life’s myrmidons give freely in protest
lifting with skill, soul pieces first to infest,
Loudly brash, with no such voices to remain
Sealed in infamy, branded ugliness all too plain.

Now come brave signs of chapter and verse
Shielded by ignorance, irritable and terse.
Gravid portions of in-between retaliation
leave only pale marks of initial gestation
With hope even pallid warriors grow brave
Leading all humanity, to a warm, stale grave.

Hope never falters, nor leaves any trace
Yet lingers forever in a welcoming space.
Cheerful faces yet shine out of time
for tricking and fumbling sweet melody sublime.
Fill in the spaces with a long, strong retort
life is ever visible, if only as last resort.

~~ gigoid ~~

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

(Note from gigoid: This was written ahead of time, and does not reflect current conditions. It is, however, done, which makes it perfect for today…. I’m just not feeling as silly as indicated….)

I’m feeling a bit silly today, along with the normal (!!!…) degree of angst over the news; Smart Bee was sympathetic enough to find the perfect group of pearls with which to address both emotional states at once…. Go figure, eh? This one is both fun, and quite pointed, with some sharp thorns adorning the roses…. There were a lot of them, so, brace yourselves, and for goodness sake, put down your adult beverages so you don’t spew on the keyboard….

“I drank what?” — Socrates

“The avoidance of taxes is the only intellectual pursuit that still carries any reward.” — John Maynard Keynes

“We have had no good comic operas of late, because the real world has been more comic than any possible opera.” — G. K. Chesterton, The Quotable Chesterton

“Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.” — Hanlon’s Razor

“Good God,” said Arthur, “it looks just like the sea front at Southend.”
“I’m relieved to hear you say that,” said Ford.
“Why”
“Because I thought I must be going mad.”
“Perhaps you are. Perhaps you only thought I said it.”
Ford thought about this.
“Well, did you say it, or didn’t you?” he asked.
“I think so,” said Arthur.
“Well, perhaps we’re both going mad.”
“Yes,” said Arthur, “we’d be mad, all things considered, to think this was Southend.”
“Well, do you think this is Southend?”
“Oh, yes”
“So do I.”
“Therefore we must be mad.”
“Nice day for it.”
“Yes,” said a passing maniac.
“Who was that?” asked Arthur.
“Who–the man with the five heads and the elderberry bush full of kippers?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t know. Just someone.”
“Ah.”

— From The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

“It is an interesting question how far men would retain their relative rank if they were divested of their clothes.” — Henry David Thoreau

“If you ever reach total enlightenment while you’re drinking a beer, I bet it makes beer shoot out your nose.” — Deep Thoughts, by Jack Handey

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

“When something irritates you, think of this: How else would we get pearls?” — Smart Bee

“For to err in opinion, though it be not the part of wise men, is at least human.” — Plutarch (46-120 AD) — Against Colotes

Finally, to finish off this nonsense, we move on to what good ol’ Socrates said, immediately after voicing his surprise, as related in the opening line of this pearl….

“Sure, everyone always said ‘Socrates what is the meaning of life?’ or ‘Socrates how can I find happiness?’…. Did anyone ever say ‘Socrates, hemlock is poison.’???????” — Socrates, minutes before death

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

If I were the religious sort, I’d say ‘Thank God that’s done!”. Since I am not anything of the sort, I’ll just say, it’s done, and be done with it. That seems to fit in with my current state of mind better, anyway…. Right now, if God were here, I’d spit in his face, for being a butthead…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, 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

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Baggy pants and a wrinkled silk shirt….

Posted on September 17, 2014 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.” — Albert Einstein

Having used the above quote from Albert a number of times, I can attest to its relevance, both in general and specific terms. The persistence that reality displays at times is the issue for me; my own perceptions tend to question the signals received, cautioning me regularly to not put all my faith into one basket, lest, in my folly, reality changes on me, before I can adjust…. It will do that, you know, just to fuss with us. But, as Albert warns us, it WILL have its way, no matter what we believe…..

Philip K. Dick showed us, with his own definition of the slippery slope I call reality, (well, for me, it is….), when he said, “Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn’t go away”, which, you can see, fits right in with Albert’s contention….. All of this, of course, merely means that WE are responsible for what happens, both in re: what we do, and, not so clearly, but, just as fully, for whatever happens TO us. This is a point of karma many people find it hard to accept; it is natural for humans to try to blame something outside themselves when things go wrong. To admit their own failure is not something they do well, so, they tend to try to find somewhere else to put it, and reality is always right there….

So, what brings on such an abstruse, obscure discussion first thing in the morning? Well, I’m not sure I should tell y’all; it might sound like more whining…. but, it’s a direct result of my own issues, so, it’s not as if I’m trying to dodge my own part in what is going on in my life… I fully understand that the actions I took in the past have, one way or another, led me to where I am today; I also understand I may not always be able to tell exactly what it was in my past that is causing me difficulty now. By not understanding fully the principle of moderation in all we do, I overdid it on using, and abusing, my body, conditioning it BEYOND what is good for it, for too long….

Now, I’m paying the price, and it seems as if the price is higher than I anticipated, and almost too high for me to afford…. or, more than I’d like to pay, anyway….. For going on three days now, I’ve been suffering vertigo, whenever I move my head off an upright line, enough to cause me to hide in bed for much of the last two days, to avoid the subsequent nausea and malaise that goes with the condition…. Supposedly, it will pass before long; I sure hope so, because the medication that one may take to control the dizziness is one I cannot take, due to side effects…. So, I have to deal with it by not moving, as far as possible, and that’s all I can do…

C’est la vie…. I’m hoping it’s gone soon; if not, I may just go back to bed entirely until it is….. But, this mildly whiny discussion has gotten me far enough down the page I can call it an intro, and move on…. Since much of this Pearl was done in my spare moments yesterday, when I was up, and felt okay for a bit, it should be possible to get it done in a reasonably timely fashion… and, if not, screw it, I don’t care…. It will be done, and that is the only goal I have today… In fact, I see my chance, so, we’re bailing out, right here, and right now….. Hold on, please, this will be a sharp turn….

Shall we Pearl?…..

“And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music.” — Nietzsche

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

“I think I just heresied on several important religions.” — Smart Bee, this time, parroting gigoid

No, but, I DO have priors…. Of late, I’ve been working ahead, at times; this is one of those times…..

From May 15, 2012:

However many holy words you read,
However many you speak,
What good will they do you
If you do not act on upon them?

— Buddha

My religious upbringing was pretty casual, since my parents weren’t particularly devout, at least outwardly. Most of my life we attended Presbyterian churches, but were never heavily involved. The whole story behind Christianity always seemed pretty improbable to me, even at the tender age of four or five when it was first introduced in Sunday School, where the kids in Presbyterian churches were sent during services to keep from either distracting the minister during his sermon, or to distract their parents from their nap during said sermon. (You can’t fool a four-year old about motivation….)

As I grew older, the things about church that first bothered me continued to grow in number, fueled most heavily by the actions of the church-goers. It always seemed to me that what was said in church on Sunday, and what actually happened out in the real world had nothing to do with each other. Nobody I could see was acting in a Christian manner anywhere but in church, and even then, it seemed pretty self-serving, as if the folks who were discussing morality were showing off for the preacher, more than they were invested in the morals themselves. (You can’t fool a teenager about hypocrisy….)

As my reading list expanded, I found that my suspicions and objections to Christian churches intensified, as I became more aware of what actually went on out in the real world, and was exposed to more religions and philosophies. It seemed, at least on the surface, that the proponents of the other big religions in the world were no less hypocritical in their actions than were the Christian, and further evidence of the accuracy of that observation has been in the news daily for a long time.

Nobody in the entire world, as far as I can see, really buys into any of the religions, unless they are so poor that they grasp onto the charitable aspects of their respective creeds in order to survive. I can find no religion, anywhere in the world, that has significantly advanced the cause of morality in humans; it generally has a negative effect instead, providing their constituents with reasons to practice immorality, as long as it is directed against those in other sects.

So, I continue to wage my own personal battle against the ignorance of reality that all churches demand of their followers, and promote rationality and reason as an approach to life, rather than encouraging people to submit to what, to me, is just another lie disguised as something supposedly “good for me”…. and I find the following statement to be extremely accurate, not only in the context of when it was written, but today as well….

“The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult, and left untried.” — Gilbert K. Chesterton (1874-1936), “What’’s Wrong with the World

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

Not only don’t I feel well, again, but, I feel poorly enough to keep from searching for a poem by someone else…. Hence, you get one of mine, and I know just the right one….

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 ~~

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

The pearl you see below is one that falls into the “odd” category. Smart Bee took over, picking out all seven of these, even dictating to me where each should be placed, as you see, with the two quotes from one source as brackets…. the other five, holding down the center of the pearl, are just what I was directed to put there. I had little to do with it, other than providing the opposable thumbs to work with…. In fact, SB also chose the two quotes you will see in the closing section, having decided, I guess, that what I was doing wasn’t cutting it…. SIGH…. Now, my software is abusing me…. I guess I’ll go eat some worms, since that seems to be all I’m good for just now…… But, please, enjoy the pearl, whatever it means….

There was once a programmer who was attached to the court of the warlord of Wu. The warlord asked the programmer: “Which is easier to design: an accounting package or an operating system?”
“An operating system,” replied the programmer.
The warlord uttered an exclamation of disbelief. “Surely an accounting package is trivial next to the complexity of an operating system,” he said.
“Not so,” said the programmer, “when designing an accounting package, the programmer operates as a mediator between people having different ideas:
how it must operate, how its reports must appear, and how it must conform to the tax laws. By contrast, an operating system is not limited my outside appearances. When designing an operating system, the programmer seeks the simplest harmony between machine and ideas. This is why an operating system is easier to design.”
The warlord of Wu nodded and smiled. “That is all good and well, but which is easier to debug?”
The programmer made no reply.

— Geoffrey James, “The Tao of Programming”

“Man grows cold faster than the planet he inhabits.” — Albert Einstein

“To lead the people, walk behind them.” — Lao-Tzu

“All things come round to him who will but wait.” — Henry W. Longfellow (1807-1882) — Tales of a Wayside Inn, The Student’s Tale

“Everything you know is wrong.” — The Firesign Theater

“Now I’ve learned, the hard way, that some poems don’t rhyme, and some stories don’t have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what’s going to happen next. Delicious ambiguity.” — Gilda Radner

“When managers hold endless meetings, the programmers write games. When accountants talk of quarterly profits, the development budget is about to be cut. When senior scientists talk blue sky, the clouds are about to roll in.

Truly, this is not the Tao of Programming.

When managers make commitments, game programs are ignored. When accountants make long-range plans, harmony and order are about to be restored.
When senior scientists address the problems at hand, the problems will soon be solved.

Truly, this is the Tao of Programming.”

— Geoffrey James, “The Tao of Programming”

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

Aha! I got it! The pearl, that is… Not bad, either; good job, SB….. I also figured out these two aphorisms…. The first is an addendum to the discussion in yesterday’s opening remarks, regarding animals in zoos…. It’s a quote I have seen, and had hoped to find to include yesterday; Smart Bee obviously was trying to be nice, by finding it, and giving it to me ONLY a day late….. which means thanks are in order, I suppose….. So, thanks again, SB…. I couldn’t do this without you…..

“Animals, whom we have made our slaves, we do not like to consider our equal.” — Charles Darwin

Boy, ain’t that the truth!…. So, here is the last one, which I like a lot, and am considering it as the closing line to use on a daily basis, as it expresses how I feel after catching these pearls, and bringing them up for us to use…. as if I’d been out hunting all day, & hauled a 300 lb. carcase home over the mountains…. Well, maybe not EVERY day, but, the last few, for sure…. If y’all have a thought on this one, let me know…. You may see it again, unless it doesn’t work, so, your opinion counts…. well, a little bit, anyway…. Google didn’t know who said it; it’s apparently been floating around the Net for some time…. so, I’ll just leave it as is, for the full effect…. This is the closing line, ffolkes, so, see y’all tomorrow….

“Here ya are pilgrim. Skin that ‘un, and I’ll go getcha another’n.”

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

À bientôt, mon cherí.

Sober reflection is due, to underscore the value of former mushrooms….

Posted on August 28, 2014 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“So live that you can look any man in the eye and tell him to go to hell.” — Smart Bee

Is that not the very face of utter devotion? Is he not completely focused on the next words coming from the person at whom he is gazing with such adoration, and hopeful expectation? This is, to me, the very best way to teach children about the joy and power of love, and the duty that comes with it, duty owed to the one who loves with such loyalty and steadfast purpose. Very few humans, in my experience, ever reach the same level of absolute trust and/or sheer devotion, motivated only by a heart innocent of deceit, or deliberate cruelty… I find most humans can rationalize almost any sort of ethical or moral failure, many do so without any sort of guilt or remorse…. But, not a dog, or any other so-called “lower” creatures in the entire animal kingdom….

Oh sure, there are some who are dangerous, or even, seemingly, harshly violent toward other creatures; but, none of them ever kills for pleasure, none of them ever make a habit of fouling their own nest, and none of them ever CHOOSE to be deliberately immoral. When they do act in a way that seems connected to a dark purpose, it is a learned behavior, and not natural to their innate nature; in fact, when they do act out of character with their inner spirits, most animals tend to display all the signs of illness, or even insanity. It is as if acting against their nature is instinctively proscribed for them…. It makes one wonder about which of the animals is really at the top of the chain of life…. Well, I wonder, anyway….

I’m not sure why I got so far into that, especially this early; I love animals, though, and regard them as better company, most of the time, than almost any human, but, that doesn’t explain how, or why, such an emotionally-charged, yet completely off-the-wall, less-than-earth-shattering subject escaped out of wherever it’s been hiding in my head, & found its way out onto the screen…. Apparently, that face, that wonderful, loving face, got to me, before I was prepared for it, with some thoughts I’d already washed clean of any sappy romanticism…. I suppose it’s just one of those things we closet romantics have to expect now and again, when we let our guard down, or temporarily put aside our training in curmudgeonry….

“But” he whined, ” now what?” After that start, ffolkes, your guess is probably as good as mine, and I have no clue…. I’ll have to put a team on that, & have them get back to me on a rush basis, okay? Let me just text over to my admin, so he can do that….. Shouldn’t take long, so, relax, grab a beer, or whatever is there, and hang for a few…. we’ll be right back with something new to ~~drag~~ ~~lure~~, um, bring, that’s it,to bring you back to your seats, and back into the grip of our will…. Bwwaaahaahahaha!….

Okay, I’m out of jail now; it only cost me about $5000 in bail, part of which I’ll get back when I show up for the hearing…. That’ll be after the lawyers take their insane percentage for whatever they do…. I once got one of their bills, in which I was charged one quarter hour of the hourly rate, which was, as it turns out, $250.00; the charge, then, for a quarter of that hour’s assigned value, was $62.50, for the difficult, complex, incredibly complicated procedure, known as, and listed as, “opening a new file”…..

Really; that’s exactly what it said….. I asked the lawyer if that meant that they charged me more than $50, for calling their secretary, having them walk to the cabinet to obtain a fresh manila folder, then making a label for it with my name on it? Or, I continued, was there something I’m missing here about how complex it is to open a file?…. I was really kind of hurt when he didn’t smile, or answer the question….

But, then, I’ve found that MOST lawyers I’ve met, at least the ones without scruples, don’t have one… a sense of humor, that is… Me, I’m a Bozo, and I don’t have any choice in the matter….funny crap follows me around….

In fact, I see some now…. let’s go see if we can make it blow water out its nose, okay?

Shall we Pearl?…..

“Hello seeker! Now don’t feel alone here in the New Age, because there’s a seeker born every minute.” — The Firesign Theater

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

Yesterday I walked…. a lot more than is usual for me of late, though not enough to put me down…. In fact, my recent forays seem to have had a beneficial effect on my stamina, as I slept, and now feel pretty okay…. not bad for this time of day, when massive quantities of magic cream find its way onto my body, to help the morning background of pain from hips and shoulders…. the back waits until they’re done, so that helps some, but, this writing helps as much, to distract me from the worst of it….

I am, though, a bit tired still, so, here is a discussion from a long time ago, on this blog, anyway, back in the early days, before Pearls assumed their current manifestation…. The angst was there, but, it looked different….

From 12/17/2011:

“If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy.” — James Madison

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

The Homeland Security Act, passed shortly after the 9/11/01 terrorist attacks, is, to my way of thinking, the first time in our history that the American people have voluntarily allowed abridgments to our personal liberties to be enacted. The way I see it, quote #1, by James Madison, called that one perfectly. Our beloved ruling class, having decided we have “too many rights” (a direct quote from the junior Shrub, btw) in the Bill of Rights, carefully orchestrated events to provoke an attack on our home shores, knowing they could then fool the public into accepting their abridgments on our freedoms. And, to proceed to Mr. Jefferson’s comment, WE LET THEM DO IT! Anyone who rose up to speak against this vile, manipulative legislation was immediately shouted down as being unpatriotic.

For most of my life, I have avoided guns. Being a fairly smart guy, I noticed at a young age that most of the folks who get shot were carrying guns; it makes sense to me to reduce the chances of becoming a target in this most simple way, i.e., never carrying this kind of weapon (though it would be a very big mistake to assume that I carry NO weapons; in fact I carry four at all times, all of different kinds, none of which are guns). However, since the PTB (powers that be) have begun to try to take away my rights, I figure I’d better grab myself a bunch more firepower, before I no longer am allowed to do so.

If worse comes to worst, I WILL fight, if they come for any more of my rights. I will not let the blood and sacrifice of my countrymen and forefathers, and my own father, for that matter, be in vain. I’m about done with putting up with these kinds of issues, and am drawing near the point of acting on my feelings. In one sense, I hope they stop and reconsider trying to further reduce our liberties, because if they don’t, I’m going to REALLY get mad, and they will find themselves with a whole new issue to deal with……I’m a Scorpio, a triple Scorpio, for that matter; I was born under the sign of the God of War. You do NOT want to make me into an enemy…..

The vultures are circling…they have the faces of presidential candidates and carry bowling balls in their buttered claws….

Note from 2014: Apparently, even back then, I was a trifle upset with the Beloved Ruling Class; these days, the same issues arise on an almost daily basis, as the second incarnation of the Homeland Insecurity Act was signed on New Year’s Eve in 2011, by our “transparent” president, who apparently didn’t want any crap from the public or the media about doing so….

Why else do it while the entire country is out drinking away the feelings of fear whipped up by the fanning of the public’s rage over the terrorist acts of that infamous day?….Which, in truth, was an act which entirely ignores our response to that terrorist act, wherein we have killed, many times more than 10 times the number of Americans who died that day, in revenge upon people who had no part in it…. In truth, our country’s response strongly resembled an enraged bull in a china shop, without the dignity of having a valid reason to be there….

I’m done now…. Obviously, this is a mini-rant, which I’ve turned into a full out, extra long rant on numerous occasions…. So, I’ll give y’all a break this time…. Next time we are supposed to go vote, you can return the favor, and don’t…. It only encourages the assholes when we do…..

“We need a president who’s fluent in at least one language.” — Buck Henry, comedian, 1992

“The bad thing about experience is that it teaches you the stuff you don’t want to know.” — Smart Bee

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

Today, only one poem will do to follow that section, and it’s one of mine, from a couple years back…. It speaks directly to the relevant issues discussed above…. Enjoy!….

Geezer to Congress, with Love

Politicos don’t care much ’bout seniors and their ilk,
except for their money, I thinks;
Though they talk as if they’d cozen them in silk,
what they actually do, it stinks.

“The banks are failing, we can’t allow that!”,
steal from the aged, that’s their plan.
“Their life’s ending, that’s plainly where they’re at,”
lie shamelessly, because they can.

Maybe just once, if we all act together,
it couldn’t miss.
Right on their shoes, no matter the weather,
we’ll take careful aim, and piss.

Why the hell not?
It’s worth a shot!

~~ gigoid ~~

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

The following pearl, made up of randomly chosen pearls, is, sort of, unique….. Now, you may wonder how the hell something can be “sort of” unique… according to the definition of the word, things either are unique, or they are not unique, period. But, then Daniel Webster had never heard of the concept of diving for pearls of virtual wisdom, or for that matter, even cared…. which goes a long way toward explaining why he might not be the best one to make any final decisions about “connotations”, as his entire persona was hardwired to focus on the “denotation” of words….

Also, in this case, it has no real bearing one way or another, because it’s just a trick, to get you to forget about anything that has gone before….. just in case you might be thinking about a civil suit for damages…. Of course, now I’ve descended into plain silliness, and am once again wasting time and words galore in the pursuit of nonsense…. S’okay, I’m used to it, and, by now, y’all should be as well…. Regardless, we were talking about this pearl…. All of the quotes you see, all nine of them, were spit out by Smart Bee in the order you see, one right after another…..

I’ve witnessed the million monkeys, ffolkes….. they have produced the works of Shakespeare, in its entirety, right here on this blog….. The odds of what you see approach the same level as the odds of the Earth falling out of its orbit in the next five minutes…. they are astronomically small…. That said, I’m going to let them speak for themselves, especially since I know the perfect pearl awaits you at the end, in the final entry, to make it all clear….. Enjoy!…. It isn’t often you’ll see a nine-star pearl, especially one that essentially was gifted to us by the Universe…..

I’m Nobody! Who are you?
Are you- Nobody- Too?
Then there’s a pair of us?
Don’t tell! they’d advertise-you know!
How dreary-to be- Somebody!
How public-like a Frog-
To tell one’s name-the livelong June-
To an admiring Bog!

~~ Emily Dickinson ~~

“Adversity makes a man wise, not rich.” — Romanian proverb

“I don’t think math is a science. I think it’s a religion.” — Calvin

“Be on your guard against a silent dog and still water.” — Latin proverb

“Almost all reformers, however strict their social conscience, live in houses just as big as they can pay for.” — Logan Pearsall Smith (1865-1946)

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

All nature is but art, unknown to thee;
All chance, direction, which thou canst not see;
All discord, harmony not understood;
All partial evil, universal good;
And spite of pride, in erring reason’s spite,
One truth is clear, Whatever is, is right.

~~ Alexander Pope ~~
(1688-1744)
— Essay on Man, Epistle i, Line 289 —

“MERYL STREEP is my obstetrician!” — Zippy the Pinhead

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

Well, that was something…. I’ll try hard to figure out what, but, later; for now, it will do….. Since that is the case, I really have no excuse to hang around any longer, so, I’ll submit to the demands of reality, this time, and be on my way into the day…. Should be a good one, I think, it it doesn’t get too hot…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

I didn’t realize it would be so…. bulbous….

Posted on August 7, 2014 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Have the courage to live. Anyone can die.” — Robert Cody

After taking this picture, I stood looking at this little display on the street near where I live, attempting to deduce the reason for its being there… You have to admit, it isn’t the usual type of thing one sees walking down a street in a quiet neighborhood. Whatever these are, they don’t appear to be bowling balls, though they are the correct size, and colors… I could not, however, find any finger holes, unless they are on the underside, where I couldn’t see them…. I was thinking maybe they were seeds for planets, but, who’d have those in their front yard? And wouldn’t they need to be refrigerated?

All good questions, none of which were susceptible to answer, since nobody was around to ask, so, I took my speculations and guesses, and went home…. One of these days, I’ll go by again, & see if anyone is around to explain why they’re using planetary seeds for an art display in their yard…. and, what idiot in the government sold him the seeds, which, as far as I know, are not available on the open market (they were only developed successfully in the past year, and are not fully tested out yet…. To my knowledge, very few people even know they exist yet, so the next question that strikes me is…. are they safe, sitting there in the sunlight? Won’t they start growing?…. Interested parties wish to know….)

I’m done now, at least for the moment…. I couldn’t figure out why these colorful balls were sitting on the wall as I walked by, and, truthfully, no one was around, or I would have asked…. It wasn’t any big deal to me, but, I was curious…. then, when I looked again at the picture, I figured it would work for an intro, so, here we are, engaging in fruitless, imaginary speculation about nothing at all, save some random human’s urge to express some vague artistic impulse…. So, there is no need to sit there, wondering what the hell I’m going with this, as we’re not going anywhere…. at least, not on THIS bus!

Ah hell, ffolkes, I’m lost again…. I thought I had a good one going there, and it just sort of fell apart on me…. I guess that is what happens when one bases the material on nothing much; it requires some “punching up” to make it worthwhile for us to use, and, apparently, I just don’t have the power in my punches that would make it work…. Not surprising, given my state, which, rather than whine and complain about, I’m ignoring…. It doesn’t do me any good to fret and whine about pain like this, nor is it helpful to wake up the neighborhood with the groans and moans that escape me as I move about, pouring the coffee that will save lives….

Without going into TMI, we’ll just relate that my arthritic joints have decided to make today a day of celebration, so they are singing….. Typing is such wonderful fun, and so stimulating, it makes me want to bite….. Instead, I’m going to take a short break, then come back to try to finish this….

Well, so much for that idea…. I suppose we’ll just continue our policy of staying out of the way of anyone who might get bitten, consuming massive quantities of powerful pharmaceuticals, until they work, and generally just typing whatever comes to mind, such as THAT may be…. It’s not necessarily Art, but, it works for me…. I can see now, though, I’m going to have to get us out of here rather abruptly, or we won’t get out of here at all…. Hang on, ffolkes…

Shall we Pearl?….

“With the pride of an artist, you must blow against the walls of every power that exists, the small trumpet of your defiance.” — Norman Mailer

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

Today, since I’m not in a state where any kind of rational arguments are likely to be generated in support of a rant, I’ll use a trick I know…. Here are a couple of links to articles that I expected to rant about today…. The first one is yet another example of how the police forces in this country have become so para-military in their attitudes, they assume they can do whatever they want, and only admit to what they are up to when exposed…. After the article, and an excerpt showing the need for worry, I’ll provide a couple of pearls to drive home the point I wish to make…. then we’ll go on to the next link after that…. Let’s see how this works, shall we?….

“Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated, but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end, for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.” — C. S. Lewis

http://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/San-Jose-police-We-regret-secrecy-about-drone-5670183.php?cmpid=hp-hc-bayarea

“The purchase was approved by the City Council with no public debate and was not publicized until Vice’s Motherboard and MuckRock obtained public records on the drone.

“Another possible use would be for situations that threaten public safety,” the statement reads. “These could include dangers such as active shooters, hostage-taking, or other such tactical situations where lives might be in immediate danger.”

That troubled Nicole Ozer, an attorney who heads the American Civil Liberties Union’s Technology and Civil Liberties Project. “The City Council had been told it was approving a drone for hazardous material,” she said. “Now, in this statement, the SJPD says it wants to use it for any situation that will threaten public safety. As you can imagine, that can be very broad scenarios.” Ozer said the drone was “only approved because community members were kept in the dark. There hasn’t been any public debate about whether there should be drone use at all.”

— excerpted from the article

“Any excuse will serve a tyrant.” — Aesop (620-560 B.C.

“The superior man acts before he speaks, and afterwards speaks according to his action.” — Confucius

(Note: By this definition, none of the SJPD can make any claim to superiority, can they?…. They acted, but, then didn’t bother to speak; when caught out, they sheepishly spoke, but, once again, lied about their motivation…. thus, removing any attempt they might make at justification for their acts from the realm of possibility….)

“Habit is the nursery of errors.” — Victor Hugo

“We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.” — Plato

(Did you ever wonder why cops all wear those mirror shades now, or some other kind of eye covering? It seems like you never see a cop’s real eyes any more; they’re all wearing “safety” glasses of some sort or another…. which, as we see by Plato’s astute observation, is a dead giveaway as to their real personal world-views…. Remember of whom we speak, now….

Do you think, even for a minute, the average cop is some altruistic, gentlemanly, heroic figure who went into public service because of their huge heart and wish to be socially useful? Don’t make me laugh, ffolkes…. Most of them NEED the authority and entitlement provided by the job to feel as if they are in control of their life, which is reinforced by their successful use of intimidation and aggressiveness to accomplish their ends, to feel as if they have that control, which they so desperately seek….)

“A thing either is what it appears to be; or it is not, but yet appears to be; or it is, but does not appear to be; or it is not, and does not appear to be.” — Epictetus

(I hardly need to point out that this applies perfectly to the SJPD statement regarding their alleged drone… because it is what it appears to be…. pure bullshit….)

(Okay, I’m done commenting now…. sure is an easier way to rant, though, I must say….)

Next, we have an article that celebrates the current crop of comedians who are poking fun at the Asininnies, on a larger stage than I can ever hope to find here at WP…. Jon Stewart, Russell Brand, Steven (Stephen? I dunno….) Colbert, and a number of others, all of whom continue the good works of society’s masters of critical humor, as epitomized by George Carlin, who was so adept at putting the truth out there for people to see, while at the same time exposing the lies, and the lying liars who tell them, as they spread their slime from every podium in front of a TV camera, anywhere in the world….

This one isn’t so much a diatribe as a thank-you note to all these young societal gadflies, with some good links to some hilarious take-downs of some of today’s most ridiculous pundits…. This is one you can enjoy, guilt free… After, I’ll throw in a couple pearls to drive the points home, then we’ll be off to another section, just like we had some sort of routine….

http://blog.sfgate.com/morford/2014/08/05/fierce-comics-at-the-end-of-the-world/

“Politics, like religion, hold up the torches of martyrdom to the reformers of error.” — Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826)

“An experienced, industrious, ambitious, and often quite often picturesque liar.” — Mark Twain

“Nothing is more admirable than the fortitude with which millionaires tolerate the disadvantages of their wealth.” — Nero Wolfe, Rex Stout (1866-1975)

“Intelligence has nothing to do with politics.” — Londo Molari

Yes, many primitive people still believe this myth…But in today’s technical vastness of the future, we can guess that surely things were much different.” — The Firesign Theater

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

Here is a poem of mine, from , that goes fairly well with today’s apparent theme…..

Rhyming is better than lying….

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

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

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

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

~~ gigoid ~~

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

Having explained above the justification for any cheating I may do today, I won’t bother to repeat it here…. Suffice it to say, I’m using an archived pearl, one from a little over two years ago, a specialty format pearl that works quite well, I think…. I hope you enjoy it….

From 8/1/2012:

What we have here is a failure to…. wait, that’s been done…. Okay, here, I found it in the script…. What we have below is an old-school Sesame Street style pearl…. Taken together, in the order given, and with a relatively open mind, these quotes will lead one to the Thought For Today. If they don’t, well, that’s okay, too…. Once again, as we are going old-school, this will not be on the test….

“But a short time elapsed after the death of the great reformer of the Jewish religion, before his principles were departed from by those who professed to be his special servants, and perverted into an engine for enslaving mankind, and aggrandizing their oppressors in Church and State.” — Thomas Jefferson, [letter?] To S. Kercheval, 1810

“One sure way to determine the social conscience of a Government is to examine the way taxes are collected and how they are spent. And one sure way to determine the social conscience of an individual is to get his tax-reaction. Taxes, after all, are the dues that we pay for the privileges of membership in an organized society.” — Franklin Delano Roosevelt, campaign address, — Worcester, Mass., Oct. 21, 1936.

“The measure of a man’s real character is what he would do if he knew he never would be found out.” — Thomas Babington Macaulay

“When I was made presidential press secretary my father sent me a telegram: “Always tell the truth. If you can’t always tell the truth, don’t lie.” — Bill Moyers

“What is left when honour is lost?” — Publius Syrus (42 BC) — Maxim 265

What, indeed….. on that note, onward…..

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

I have done my duty; enough is enough…. On that note, I will take my leave, sans the usual crap…. I’m in too much pain to worry about that, at all…. I’m gonna go somewhere and whimper a while…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, if I manage to keep from getting arrested for biting someone…. Hey, wait a minute, I just had a thought…. Now, where’s that cat?…..

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

Alice, in a fit of pique, beheads the Cheshire Cat….

Posted on May 5, 2014 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

Well, hell…. Now what do I do? Here it is, 0430 AM, I’m up, coffee in hand, ready to start trying to figure out if there is anything in my semi-conscious mind that would serve to begin today’s Pearl, & what do I find? This…. This is a completed Pearl, dammit! When I found the material below, and gave in to the urge to rant it stimulated, I didn’t realize that I would be usurping this morning’s time slot, thus effectively giving myself nothing at all to do now, except, possibly, proof/edit this, punching it up where it’s soft, & generally tinkering with it until it screams at me to stop….

But, if I do that, what do I do with this intro, that I so conveniently wrote, AFTER completing all of the stuff you’ll see below, including the poem,and the archived piece?….Though, I see now, I DID leave the closing section undone, so, I guess that’s something…. Big of me, wouldn’t you say?

Well, I would, given that I’m playing a practical joke on myself…. I USED to be pretty good at them, during my university days, but, like many of the skills I picked up at Berkeley, not all of them translated into something useful in later life; practical jokes lose a lot of their luster after having a couple of them turn bad, or, worse, ending up as the butt of one…. Payback’s a bitch, isn’t it?

But, I DO have some pretty good memories of decorating certain fraternity and sorority buildings in Davis, on the night prior to their yearly homecoming, “Picnic Day”, a gently nostalgic, pandering title, designed to pull money from the alumni and the rich parents of students, who came to relive their own wild youth once a year, while pretending NOT to be envious of all the students by which they’re surrounded…. I lived in a cooperative dormitory, so as representatives of the bourgeoisie, the Greek brothers and sisters made perfect targets for a bit of ridicule….

Oh, not to worry, we didn’t do anything terribly terrorist, or frightening; just some minor breaking and entering, leaving notes and posters, complete with appropriate art work, (no graffiti, just tacked up stuff….) to show we’d been there, or running a few jock straps and brassieres out on the clothes lines between the dorms…. highlighting the huge, long, signs stating, in two-foot tall letters, they’d been pranked by UCB’s “Society of the Green Hand” (The Society’s formation is a tale for another time; I believe the statute of limitations runs out in another couple of years on that….) Needless to say, we were lucky not to end up dealing with the local law….

Actually, that was close, because, as we were finishing up with the very last tree’s decor, of colored toilet paper, a campus police car drew up under the tree, shined their light on one of us, up in the tree, & queried, “What’s going on up there?”…. With admirable quick thinking, Jeff, the one in the tree, gave them a huge smile, and just said, “It’s Picnic Day!”…. The cop just shook his head and drove away, while we waited breathlessly for them to get far enough away we could breathe, and burst into nearly hysterical laughter… We then piled in our vehicle, drove back to Berkeley, and spent the day sleeping off the adventure….

Gee…. It looks as if I found a perfect introduction for today’s Pearl, at least in terms of being of regulation size and placement…. How this morning’s retrospective will fit in with what goes on afterward remains to be seen, as it does each and every day I put myself, and y’all, through this somewhat torturous process….

Ah well, it never gets bad enough to actually cause bleeding, unless, of course, some of you aren’t telling me when you leave the cabin, to go bang your forehead against the nearest wall, in reaction to some of the stuff that I say, and/or do…. But, then, that’s a personal problem, isn’t it? So shame on you for trying to make me feel guilty about it…

Wouldn’t work anyway; I gave up guilt, over stuff I say or do, quite some time back, and have never felt better…. On that egocentric note, I think we’ll go now, and find something productive to do with today, since the only thing I have to write this morning is the closing section….

Shall we Pearl?…..

“I have discovered the art of deceiving diplomats. I speak the truth, and they never believe me.” — Conte Camillo Benso di Cavour

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

I found these two articles yesterday, after posting the Pearl…. As you’ll see, they provide the perfect jumping point for what follows…. I suppose that, as always, ‘perfect’ is a question-begging word to use, but, hey, I calls ’em as I sees ’em…. when I can find my glasses….

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/may/03/everyone-is-under-surveillance-now-says-whistleblower-edward-snowden

I had originally intended to have some words regarding this article, as it speaks to some rather important points…. but, then, I saw the following article, and my angst went right through the roof, stimulating the rest…. Now, read this one…. & just include it all together; it’s all of a piece, anyway….

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/18/cia-torture-architect-enhanced-interrogation

Here, then, is an excellent example of the definition of ‘gigo’, (garbage in-garbage out), from the psychologist responsible for the design and codification of many of the torture methods, including “water boarding”, used by the CIA at Guantanamo Bay, and elsewhere around the world….. His comments, which I will examine below, are so egregiously INSANE, I had to read the article in pieces, as I found myself shouting at him, every time he opened his mouth to make one of the reported statements…

I cannot BELIEVE this man was found to be an adequate psychologist, passing his tests and arguing his doctoral thesis, without having at least the basic innate ability to display even an ounce of compassion; I also don’t understand, at all, how he could be considered anything other than the US’s version of the Nazi scientist, the one at Auschwitz, who sent the Jews into the ovens….

Ah, yes, Josef Mengele…. the infamous, iconic mad doctor, the real version, the model for what all the comics use as the ultimate villain so often, whose insanity threatens the entire world, and everyone in it…. I tell you, ffolkes, those people in Washington, D.C. are totally out of control…. I’m not kidding; the current crop of elected officials, as well as the appointees put in place by those (I stared at this point for a long time, and still cannot, for the life of me, think of an expletive that it harsh enough…, so we’ll go with a classic….) assholes, all exhibit every single symptom of the violently insane, who believe their own twisted version of reality is the only real one, who hold on to their paranoid delusions so tightly, nothing, and nobody, can tell them differently….

Hell, I don’t even need, in this case, to resort to my special knowledge and experience, of working with the violently insane as a therapist for over 20 years…. These guys lay it out so clearly, right out in public, there’s no need for me to have to explain…. Their own words convict them whenever they condescend to open their mouths about what they truly believe….

Here, let me show you a couple of examples from the second article listed… The comments in quotes are by the protagonist in this drama, James Mitchell, (Piled High and Deep), Ph.D., formerly of the CIA, the psychologist regarded as the architect of the CIA’s “enhanced interrogation” program…. a description taken straight from the article…. You’ll be able to recognize my comments by the anger and vulgarity the statements produce in me….

“The people on the ground did the best they could with the way they understood the law at the time,” he said. “You can’t ask someone to put their life on the line and think and make a decision without the benefit of hindsight and then eviscerate them in the press 10 years later.”

You can’t? Why not? These people were in no danger; there is no danger, no life on the line, when someone tortures another; only the one being tortured is in danger. And if you do something so obviously WRONG, it doesn’t fucking matter a bit how long it is, you SHOULD be vilified in the press. There is no reason on this Earth why anyone shouldn’t KNOW torturing another human being, for ANY FUCKING REASON AT ALL, is NOT morally defensible. This principle is true even in cases where the ultimate goal is considered good; you’ve no doubt heard the saying, “the end does not justify the means.”

If they didn’t know it was wrong, why didn’t they do it out in the open, where everyone could see what they were doing? Fucking assholes think that their own parafuckingnoia should excuse anything they do….

“Everything you know is wrong.” — The Firesign Theater

“I’m skeptical about the Senate report, because I do not believe that every analyst whose jobs and promotions depended upon it, who were professional intelligence experts, all them lied to protect a program? All of them were wrong? All of these [CIA] directors were wrong? All of the people who were using the intel to go get people were wrong? And 10 years later a Senate staffer was able to put it together and finally there’s clarity? I am just highly skeptical that that’s the truth.”

This one’s easy….and so obvious, I again shouted this at the screen, hoping the asshole would hear me, “Why, yes, you bloody idiot, they CAN, and WERE, all wrong…. and every damn one of them WOULD lie to protect a program, which, in their minds, equals money, or influence….”

Then, of course, I realized I was shouting at my computer, so, I sat, tried to calm down, & began to type, to try to release some of the venom and bile that collected so quickly in the face of such evil insanity…. It started when the assbite used the phrase, “Senate staffer”, with the sneeringly obvious implication that position was only held only by persons of dubious character, and less than average intelligence, when compared to the noble men under his command….

When you start from a premise that is wrong, there is no way to make it come out right; every damn one of those directors started with the idea that whatever they did, right or wrong, shouldn’t be made public knowledge, and that such clandestine prevarication is justified by their goal (which, because it is their goal, they refuse to consider as anything other than right…. perfect “ipse dixit” logic….)

“If you get the first one in the wrong hole, you’ll never get all buttoned up right.” — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

This, of course, is completely contrary to the values upon which our nation was supposedly founded; thus, any acts that indulge in that sort of paranoia, which were made on the basis of that idea, are, from the start, WRONG…. It really is that simple ffolkes, and I don’t understand quite WHY the public doesn’t get that, when listening to these lying, insane fools who pursue their delusional fantasies at the expense of the rest of us….

I reiterate…. “Everything you know is wrong.” — The Firesign Theater

Bloody fucking assholes, every damn one of them…..

“If I had a large amount of money I should found a hospital for those whose grip upon the world is so tenuous that they can be severely offended by words and phrases yet remain all unoffended by the injustice, violence and oppression that howls daily about our ears.” — Stephen Fry

I’d say the good doctor Mitchell would be one of the first admissions…. I’ll leave you to consider the following, which pretty much sums up what I see happening in the world today, just about everywhere I look…..

“It is okay to be ignorant in some areas, but some people abuse the privilege.” — Smart Bee

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

Here is a poignant little poem, from a poet with whom I’m not very familiar… At first, I was going to pass over it, but, it grows as it settles, becoming more than it appears to be at first….. You’ll see what I mean if you give it a chance….

The Dreams of My Heart

The dreams of my heart and my mind pass,
Nothing stays with me long,
But I have had from a child
The deep solace of song;

If that should ever leave me,
Let me find death and stay
With things whose tunes are played out and forgotten
Like the rain of yesterday.

~~ Sara Teasdale ~~

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

Given the theme in section one today, this is a perfect piece from the archives, to finish out the day….

From 7/15/2012:

“I observe that there are two entirely different theories according to which individual men seek to get on in the world. One theory leads a man to pull down everyone around him in order to climb on them to a higher place. The other leads a man to help everybody around him in order that he may go up with them.” — Elihu Root

I’ve also heard it observed that there are only two kinds of people in the world…. Those who make lists about the types of people in the world, and those who are bored to tears by that…..

🙂

Sorry, couldn’t resist, even for such an obviously true aphorism, one that is completely worthy of pearl status…..

I like to think that I act from the latter motivational base, that of working with my peers rather than against them, with my only thought of reward the good feeling that serving others gives me.

One piece of evidence that I’ve been successful at that, can be seen in my own place near the bottom of what most would consider the social scale. If I had been leaving bloody corpses behind me, I think I’d be enjoying a few more physical comforts than I do, and would have bodies buried somewhere that could be used against me, if they were publicized. When one has nothing, there is nothing to steal, is there?

“If you wish a life of trouble, fill your house with treasures.” — ancient Chinese proverb

I think the morality implied by the original pearl above is obvious, and is one that neither side of the issue would argue. But then, those who climb on the bodies of their peers to advance would never admit to such behavior; rationalization is one of mankind’s greatest skills. But, rationalized or not, they DO know that what they do is immoral; they have merely learned the art of lying to themselves as readily as they do to others.

To my way of thinking, it’s sad, as well as stupid, for far too many reasons to list here; relating one will do. It’s sad because these people will never even see any need to change, until it is too late for them to do anything that might help them. And it is stupid, well, just because it is…. No, sorry, just kidding… it is stupid because, a life that is built on lies, is no life at all…..

Joshu asked the teacher Nansen, “What is the True Way?”
Nansen answered, “Every way is the true Way.”
Joshu asked, “Can I study it?”
Nansen answered, “The more you study, the further from the Way.”
Joshu asked, “If I don’t study it, how can I know it?”
Nansen answered, “The Way does not belong to things seen: nor to things unseen. It does not belong to things known: nor to things unknown. Do not seek it, study it, or name it. To find yourself on it, open yourself as wide as the sky.”

I can see the Way, but cannot point to it, and this makes me pessimistic, for it (the Way) is possibly our last hope for redemption as a species, and the people who most need to find it are not even looking. I am optimistic because I see great promise in Man, even if I am not certain that promise will be kept….

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

The aforementioned edit/proof session took only about 30 minutes, which makes this one of the fastest Pearls to ever get completed, unless, of course, you’re going to be a stickler, and count the two or three hours spent yesterday in putting it together…. I, personally, don’t have a stick jammed far enough up my ass to feel like that, so, I’m just going to ignore the entire issue, before I say or do something to completely eradicate any dignity or aplomb I may have previously displayed today…. In other words, I’m outta here, before I get caught…. See ya, ffolkes….

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

gigoid

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

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gigoid

Exploring Consensual Reality

Tag Archives: The Firesign Theater

Bowled over by a Boston Brahmin….

Baggy pants and a wrinkled silk shirt….

Sober reflection is due, to underscore the value of former mushrooms….

I didn’t realize it would be so…. bulbous….

Alice, in a fit of pique, beheads the Cheshire Cat….

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