Abusing orphan participles is thirsty work….

Ffolkes,

A little learning is a dangerous thing;
Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring:
There shallow draughts intoxicate the brain,
And drinking largely sobers us again.

~~ Alexander Pope — Essay on Criticism, Part ii, Line 15 ~~

Mixed days 024

Rural Serenity/Scenes from a Train


Good morning…. As the first greeting between people to mark the opening of conversation, I suppose ‘good morning’ is the most common for the same reason many of our human interactions have evolved over the centuries, to wit: it’s innocuous enough not to piss anybody off, first thing. In a culture created by a creature which has turned the act of killing into high art, such grease to the social wheel needs regular application. Say the wrong thing to the wrong person at the wrong time (which fits just about any modern male in the morning, pre-coffee), one takes one’s life in one’s hands….

Now, that may seem to be a harsh assessment, (not to mention brutally formal), but, I’ve been sitting here thinking about it, and, it seems to fit all the requirements of a true statement, as far as I can figure. But, then, the hour may have influenced how harshly I view things. It isn’t every night I wake up a bit past midnight, to realize sleeping further is out of the question… It’s been happening a lot lately, of course, so, one might think I’m getting used to it. One would be wrong. I hate it. I love my sleep. Sleep is a weapon, mine is dulled, and it pisses me off. Most of the time….

Tonight, or, this morning, whichever the hell it is, I decided, when I realized my pillow’s entreaties for me to return to bed would go unanswered, to NOT get pissed off, but, to use the time more constructively. Hence, the foregoing small dissertation on human interaction. What the hell, it’s better than my usual waffling to find ANY thing to say. Maybe.

I guess that’s not really my judgment to make, other than editorially. Which I already did. So, the question with which we are faced now is this: where the crap do I go now? Ah, I know. I’ll get coffee…. Then, there is at least a minimal chance this  whole thing can be saved…. Hang on, ffolkes, be right back. You’ll know I’m back when you hear the low, but penetrating low growl/groan of near-ecstatic satisfaction, the kind any addict feels on fixing….

Amazing what a bit of caffeine, sugar, and perspective can do. In this particular case, it’s given me the proper solution to our small dilemma, i.e., what now? That, naturally, is to just get on with it, which, one has to admit, is pretty simple and effective….. Let’s see if we can live up to that description….

Shall we Pearl?….

“It’s not denial. I’m just very selective about what I accept as reality.” — Calvin (“Calvin and Hobbes”)

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


2001_a_space_odyssey

Image from blu-ray.com via Google Images


A friend sent me this clip yesterday; it stimulated several trains of thought which will probably lead to at least two, or more, rants. I love serendipity. I also love this movie, which is perhaps Hollywood’s best reproduction of a science fiction novel. Arthur C. Clarke’s book was fascinating when it came out, and I was thrilled when it came to the movie screen, even if the ending wasn’t quite as clear as Clarke’s book, in terms of the meaning of the images. But, it worked, and worked well.

After watching this video clip, which is just as disturbing now as it was originally, I recommend watching the sequence shown on the You Tube link page, in which the space ship rockets up to the space station to dock, to the music of the The Blue Danube Waltz, by Strauss, one of the most gorgeous, uplifting movie sequences ever made, in my opinion…. Enjoy, ffolkes, I certainly did….

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

The Dawn of Man

2001: A Space Odyssey

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

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

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


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

Sandclock .jpg

    Today’s ranting section is comprised of a bit of historical ranting, and a fresh old-school indictment. The following Pearl was the complete post on this blog, mere days after beginning to post on WordPress. I was still working out formatting issues, so I’ve edited it, but, only to the extent of placing the text into the proper positions to fit today’s look and feel. I’ve also used the title used that day, added some art, and cleaned up the punctuation a trifle…. It’s historical because I believe it’s the first post I’ve found in which I ranted in this particular manner, sort an embryonic version of what is usually found in this section these days…. I hope you enjoy it….

From 8/20/2011:

gnomes-in-swiss-panorama_2355264

World-weary gnomes travel light….


Ffolkes,
And, so, it begins again. It’s enough to make you just want to rant sometimes. The news every day bombards us with the craziness going on in the world, providing us with the mental equivalent of dried dung in such quantities the Berbers could make a fire lasting all night. Politicians speak out every day, spewing tons of the most amazing crap, proving with every word just how insane they are, and people keep lapping it up like ice cream. The media that reports all this possibly plays the worst part in the charade, as they continue to report on the most trivial BS they can find. They don’t seem to care whether it is dignified, or if it makes any sense; they just want to increase ratings, and bad news does that better than good.

Oh well, I could rant on this forever, and it’s not going to make any difference. It’s unfortunate, because I’m beginning to believe that it is too late for us humans; we passed the turnoff to sanity a while back, and nobody noticed. Our beloved ruling class has decided that they are not going to buy into the idea that we are killing ourselves, and will hold that opinion all the way to the graveyard. I’m of the opinion that we little people only have one choice left, and that is revolution. The conditions which produced the first American Revolutionary War are fully present today; government is NOT responsive to the will of the people.

Hell, they could care less about the people; to them it’s all about what they can get before getting caught, and even then they don’t get prosecuted. How many bankers and Wall Streeters were put in jail for stealing all that money a few years ago? None…instead we gave them bailout money. Ah hell, that’s enough for one morning; if I continue I’ll end up with indigestion, and I’ve only been up for a half hour. Fuck ’em, they’re not going to ruin my day….today’s Pearls were picked out when I had this on my mind, so they may reflect that…..they’re still a pretty good group….

“If a man will begin with certainties, he shall end in doubts; but if he will be content to begin with doubts, he shall end in certainties.” — Francis Bacon

“When forced to resort to arms for redress, an appeal to the tribunal of the world was deemed proper for our justification. This was the object of the Declaration of Independence.” — Thomas Jefferson

“I never wanted to see anybody die, but there are a few obituary notices I have read with pleasure.” — Clarence Darrow
(How long is YOUR list?…..mine runs to three or four pages….and the first two are just the politicians (most of whom began as lawyers) and preachers).

“I don’t mind if you don’t like my manners. I don’t like them myself. They’re pretty bad. I grieve over them on long winter evenings.” — Humphrey Bogart to Lauren Bacall, in The Big Sleep

Existing order thrives upon ignorance and lies.  Objective truth and individual reason are feared above all.

“The seeker after truth must, once in the course of his life, doubt everything,  as far as is possible.  What is doubtful should even be considered as false. This doubt should not, meanwhile, be applied to ordinary life.” — R. Descartes, “1-3rd Principles of Human Knowledge”

Well, I feel a little better…..reading pearls always helps me regain my equilibrium. Hopefully, they do the same for you….. y’all take care out there…..

———————–

Note from 2015: Before I found this pearl to use today, I had begun collecting an old-school pearl on much the same litany of issues; I’ll throw them in as a bonus, and, to keep up our reputation for always going over the top…. No worries, it’s only a seven-star pearl!…. Enjoy!….

” Whoever has any authority over you, no matter how small, will attempt to use it.” — Quigley’s Law

“When politics and religion are intermingled, a people is suffused with a sense of invulnerability, and gathering speed in their forward charge, they fail to see the cliff ahead of them.” — Dune, by Frank Herbert

“Americans used to roar for Liberty, now they bleat for Security.” — Dr. Norman Vincent Peale

“Why did you hire that idiot?” “You can’t fool all of the people all of the time, so I’m breeding them for stupidity.” — President Weishaupt

“How can people ignore the petitioners in front of the supermarket, then complain about the sorry state of our government?” — Smart Bee

“Pain is just God’s way of hurting you.” — Smart Alec Bee

(Oops! Sorry, wrong  bunch of asininnies. That one doesn’t count….)

“Poor dear, there’s nothing between his ears.” — Margaret Thatcher, about Ronald Reagan, in the 6/2/88 issue of The New York Times

“In times like these, it is helpful to remember that there have always been times like these.” — Paul Harvey (for chuq…)

In French, I believe the phrase is, “Et voilá!”. Or, maybe it was “Houp lá!” Ah well, you know what I mean…. don’t ya?….

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

Comedy_Tragedy

    Though I’m up very early, the poem I’ve felt percolating in the vast unknown regions of my mind, where such obscure, random ordering of chaos takes place, isn’t ready to come floating up into my consciousness, where I can open a vein to allow it to leak onto the screen. In addition, I think it would be best not to use anyone else’s work today, in order to spare them the embarrassment of possible association. (Hmph…) Here is one I had forgotten completely; it’ll do nicely….

Unbidden, treasure unfolded…

Taken by surprise, Psyche sits numb
   Amidst tall phrases worn of elder time
Seeking a not-new place from which to come
   No shiny new horizon, nor altered paradigm.

Sudden regrets shape dreams as times maintain
   Shades of memories bring poignant clear sight
Visions of duty, each chosen wild campaign
   Shouts echoing clamors to enfold the night.

Arisen from less than eternal havens of sleep
   Facing moments created in torment and pain
Destiny weighs upon those chosen to keep
   As the sparrow flies now to sever the twain.

Faded pathways lead away, hazy and long
   Burned out verges, so long unknown
Images of yesterday, clear and strong
   Bleed into today, though ’tis but my own……

~~ gigoid ~~


Written 10/19/2012.

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

Yin-Yang-symbol-sun-and-moon

    Ffolkes, this pearl needs no explanation, or introduction; it speaks for itself quite well.

“This is my death … and it will profit me to understand it.” — Anne Sexton

“Life is like a coin.  You can spend it any way you wish, but you only spend it once.” — Lillian Dickson

“The mind divides the world into a million pieces. The heart makes it whole.” — Stephen and Ondrea Levine

“Without accepting the fact that everything changes, we cannot find perfect composure.  But unfortunately, although it is true, it is difficult for us to accept it.  Because we cannot accept the truth of transience, we suffer.” — Shunryu Suzuki

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” — Mark Twain

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

“Death is the greatest kick of all. That’s why they save it for last.” — Smart Bee

“Death the last sleep? No, it is the final awakening.” — Sir Walter Scott

“And in the end the love you take is equal to the love you make.” — The Beatles, The last lyric of their last song

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

Not surprisingly, it’s done. Again. And, again, I’m left with a vast number of minutes/hours to fill until the rest of the world even begins to stir for the day. Hell, half the people here probably aren’t even home from the bars yet, even on a Tuesday night, in a depressed economy. Ah well, I suppose that’s what books are for…. They’ve always been my go-to recreational choice to fill in some time; another default for me. Too bad the books I just ordered a few days ago haven’t arrived…. Ah well, perhaps an old friend…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, no matter what damn time it happens….

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

dozer3


À bientôt, mon cherí….


					

A most acute and sinful pleasure….

Ffolkes,

“Be not afraid of going slowly; be only afraid of standing still.”

~~ Chinese Proverb ~~

trees-cedarsofgod_uktel-8-6-15

Cedars of God, Lebanon ~ 4500+ years old

Image from the UK Telegraph


Good morning…. Of late, I’ve been feeling something of an ethical/moral/social conundrum, over which I am apparently, well, dithering. Can’t seem to make a final decision on it, even though time is becoming a factor. I suppose I’ll have to suck it up here soon. Ah well, 2 AM is most likely not the best time to be making such a far-reaching decision, especially since there will be a definite effect on Reality, as well as a number of ffolkes, and a great many folks of lesser, shall we say, mindfulness? We shall….

That said, with what I am proud to say is a fine degree of obscurity (details are unimportant at this time…), which may, or may not, affect the final outcome, (Ya can never tell exactly in this modern, sucky world. There’s a good word, eh? Sucky? It’s not a real word, yet, I don’t think I would need to define it for anyone, as anyone can define it accurately for themselves; it’s one of those consensual reality issues we all share so unconsciously. Trust me, when I say ‘sucky’, y’all know what I mean, don’t ya?….), I think maybe I’ll slip into something a bit more coherent, or, at least, more transparent.

Now the problem is, I didn’t expect to have to come up with transparency, and I don’t have an eraser handy. Or a hedge trimmer, but, that wouldn’t be of much help anyway. I suppose we could start a…. no, better not. Last time we did that, Luigi quit (again….), & I had to drive the plane myself. Nobody enjoys that, since I never did learn how to do that landing part very well; the noise in the main cabin gets a little intense during the descent, as the cabin lackeys scream louder than the clientèle.

Wait! Okay, cool. We won’t have to go through any contortions after all. Somebody keeps forgetting to put this old #4 escape tool away, so, why not take advantage of their temporary senility? Y’all know how a #4 works, right? Like this….

Shall we Pearl?….

“To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing it’s best, night and day to make you everybody else, means to fight the hardest battle which any human can fight and never stop fighting.” — e.e. cummings (1894-1963), “A Miscellany”

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


Layout 1

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Image from http://www.behance.net via Google Images


Today’s video selection will be a little different. I’m not a big fan of ballet, though that’s probably only because I’ve never seen one live. I like to dance. enjoy watching good dancing, and love good classical music, so, what’s not to like? Here’s one of my favorite pieces, by the young Felix Mendelssohn, in an adaptation of Shakespeare’s play for the ballet stage…. I hope you enjoy it…

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

A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Complete Ballet

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

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

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


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

We the People...

“There comes a time in the life of us all when we must lay aside our books or put down our tools and leave our place of work and walk forth on the road to meet the enemy face-to-face. Once and for all and at last.” — Edward Abbey

I’ve been a student of history for most of my life. It wasn’t anything planned, I just liked to read, and history was always so interesting. It’s not ALL I’ve read, or studied, but, everything I read, and have observed in Life, leads me back to its historical significance, as the pageantry of human existence progresses through time. I am forced to conclude the time Mr. Abbey speaks of so eloquently, and so truly, is fast approaching…. Read the following article, and you’ll see part of the reason I believe this to be true….

https://talesfromthelou.wordpress.com/2015/08/11/families-of-911-victims-on-verge-of-proving-government-cover-up-in-court/

“O liberty!  O liberty!  What crimes are committed in your name!”

~~ Mme. Jeanne (Manon) Roland (1754-1793) ~~


I believe there are a very great many Americans who feel much as I do, that our country has fallen prey to the very real usurpation of power from the people at large, as our government was designed to work, to the hands of an elite few, all manipulated and controlled by the influence of those with control of the money and resources of society, to wit: the oligarchy….

Many will scoff at such an idea, but, the evidence is right before our eyes, every day. The founding fathers of this nation left warnings of this very thing, and I, along with those aware, mindful patriots like me in this country, have watched with growing horror and dismay as freedom after freedom is blithely dismissed from our daily life, legally, without a whimper or whisper of protest from a mostly clueless population of ignorant fools, the greatest number of which are handicapped by their life-long insistence on believing in a delusional supernatural being who will make it all right after they die, if only they agree to live as cattle rather than human beings….

If you think I’m joking, or mistaken, let me use a graphic, which I found at a fellow blogger’s site; he won’t mind my using it without telling him, as he’ll probably see it anyway…. Directly below this paragraph you will see a list of evidence, all of which you can identify and verify easily, merely by reading any mainstream newspaper, or online news outlet…. Each of the items on the list can be seen in any average day’s news….

Fascism

    I could spend a lot of time explaining any of these to those who might question it, but, instead, I shall do my thing…. I’ll simply show you a group of pearls to serve the same purpose, most of which come from one of the men responsible for us having the freedoms we are watching disappear…. He seemed to be precognitive in that respect, identifying exactly those entities we should have been watching more closely…

“I am mortified to be told that, in the United States of America, the sale of a book can become a subject of inquiry, and of criminal inquiry too.” — Thomas Jefferson

“When any government, or any church for that matter, undertakes to say to its subjects, “This you may not read, this you must not see, this you are forbidden to know,” the end result is tyranny and oppression no matter how holy the motives.” — Robert A Heinlein, “If this goes on –”

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

“Freedom is meaningless unless you can give to those with whom you disagree.” — Thomas Jefferson

“Corruptissima republica plurimae leges. [The more corrupt the state, the more numerous the laws.]” — Cornelius Tacitus, 56-120 A.D., Annals III 27

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

“To disarm the people – that was the best and most effective way to enslave them ….” — George Mason ( Framer of the Declaration of Rights, Virginia, 1776, — which became the basis for the U.S. Bill of Rights ) — 3 Elliot, Debate at 380.

To verify my assertions, check off each of the items on the list against the quotes; then compare the results to any day’s news, and, it will be obvious to anyone with more than 3 functional neurons that we are in deep shit…. and, the trouble coming is not going to be confined to just one country. The entire world is undergoing the same sort of issues, with those in control of the money and resources attempting to ever more strongly control the political and social events that take place, using every form of unethical, immoral behavioral manipulation they think of to maintain the status quo, and keep the rest of the world in a position much akin to slavery….

We have, sadly, nobody but ourselves to blame, either. This is not just hyperbole, or despair, but, reality. A small bit of chalk on the side of a building, somewhere in an inner city, tells the story very clearly….

“There is no They, Only Us.”

~~ Graffiti ~~


Now, each of us who believes in the principles of honor, and liberty, upon which this nation was founded, will have to make a personal decision, as outlined at the beginning of this rant, by our old friend, Ed Abbey, whether to continue to accept the indignities heaped upon us as free men by a small group of avaricious, amoral assholes with no honor, or to stand up as free men…. We only have those rights we can defend…. Will you live as a slave, and allow your loved ones to suffer the same fate? Or, will you take the responsibility for your own life into your own hands? Only time will tell the tale….

So be it.

gigoid has spoken.


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

Comedy_Tragedy

    I’m a bit lazy after all the fresh material today, so, here’s a poem I wrote in February of this year, just because I can….

Dead Hands,Typing…

Puzzled anew by anomalous blocks of pain
caught, bemused, chained to routine, insane.
Stilled within breathless beauty
 Engaging epiphany, insistent, called to duty.

Knees bent in lieu of a faithful rendition
suffuses, confuses, locked into stale perdition.
Clearing corrosion with hands encased in stone
Singular frozen follicles, masked by bone.

Partial focus brings unfiltered flavors to light
coloring each particle in simple delight.
Forlorn, novel conceptual artists singing in tune
nine notes in harmony, soft as the moon.

Honed blades of carbon steel flash in rhyme,
filling sensual receptors well past closing time.
Borrowed from neighbors in a week-old game
still bloody, without a proper name.

No flooded memories can justify such cost
no simple stationery, bilious, afraid, lost.
Ten times ten will never be enough
To fill so empty a stolen trough.

Bartering simplicity takes well into the night
solidly temporary pillars turned bright.
Unknown to all the pretty children who came
none were called, none had any remaining flame.

~~ gigoid ~~


Written 2/25/2015.


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

Aristotle_Bust_White_Background_Transparent

    Truth is pretty big in my world, probably because it’s so closely related to the concept of honor; honor is hard to come by if one avoids the truth. It would take a very long time to go into why that is true, time better spent on moving along here in the final section, so, we’ll move along…. Here are some thoughts on truth for your consideration, which may serve the same purpose, anyway…. Enjoy!….

Urge him with truth to frame his fair replies;
And sure he will: for Wisdom never lies.

 — Alexander Pope ~~

~~ The Odyssey of Homer, Book iii, Line 25 ~~


“It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.” — Aristotle

“Truth exists for the wise, beauty for the feeling heart.” — Johann von Schiller

“If you are out to describe the truth, leave elegance to the tailor.” — Albert Einstein

“Truth is not determined by majority vote.” — Doug Gwyn

“The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and the lightning bug.” — Mark Twain (1835-1910)

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

Always speak the truth quietly, listen with an open mind when others speak, and remember the peace that may be found in silence.” — from The Desiderata

Yet truth will sometimes lend her noblest fires,
And decorate the verse herself inspires:
This fact, in virtue’s name, let Crabbe attest,–
Though Nature’s sternest painter, yet the best.

~~ Lord Byron ~~

~~ English Bards and Scotch Reviewers, Line 839 ~~


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

I’m content with what has transpired here. It took some time and care, but, I think it came out well. Now, we’ll post it, and see if the blogging world agrees with me…. Besides, it’s done, which, as we know, is all that really matters around here. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, when we’ll make another attempt to make some sense out of this beautiful, ugly world we live in…. Stay alert!…..

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

dozer3


À bientôt, mon cherí….


An affair to dismember….

Ffolkes,

“The more I learn, the less I know.”

~~ Smart Bee, stealing Truth from history ~~

Mars colony

Mars Colony

Artist’s rendition by Ville Ericsson via Gizmodo.com


Good morning…. Fabulous! What’s fabulous? Oh, nothing, really. It just sounded like a good word to start with today. Whenever I see it, I hear it in my head in the voice of Ricardo Montalban, of Corrrinthian Leather fame…. I guess a lot of ffolkes will think of him as Hervé’s sidekick on Fantasy Island, but, I remember him for that Cadillac commercial, and his sheen of lizardly schmooze…. Fabulous!

So. How’s it going? Me, I’m fabulous. Got a good five hours sleep, in only two sections, last night, so, I’m pretty much good to go for the day…. Too bad it’s only 2 AM; I’d kinda hoped to make it at least to an hour when a restaurant opened up, but, it looks like I’ll be cooking my own, unless I want to wait…. and, why the HELL am I talking about breakfast, when I’m still half-groggy, & still short of the required quantity of coffee to obtain/acquire/achieve some degree of coherence? To listen to me babble, one might think, well, I don’t even want to know….

That’s because I’m an Amurrican! I don’t want to know…. anyfuckingthing, if it makes me think at all…. God knows I’m not trained for it….

Oops, no ranting in the intro…. Hmm…. Now what? Hey, I know! How about we just get started? I know, duh, right? Okay, we’ll do that, since nothing else seems to be presenting itself as an alternative…..

Why look! Here’s that #4 we left here a couple days ago. We’ll use that. Hold on, ffolkes, #4 can get a bit bumpy….

Shall we Pearl?….

“As scarce as truth is, the supply has always been in excess of the demand.” — Josh Billings

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

bedknobs

Image from the UK Telegraph via Google Images


I’m in the mood for silly; I don’t suppose it’s too hard to understand, given the hour and my state of mind. I’ve always liked this movie, with which I became very familiar during the time my kids were growing up; it was one of their favorites…. Terrible acting, of course, but, the story holds it all together. The song “Portobello Road” is part of what gave me the urge to go there when I visited London…. They’re right; you can find ANYTHING on Portobello Road…. Enjoy this little foray into sheer fantasy, ffolkes; you’ll need it to get through today’s rant….

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

Bedknobs & Broomsticks

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

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

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


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

Dont keep calm

    I’m still working on the epic rant begun yesterday; it’ll be a doozy. For today, here’s a pretty thick one from early last year…. It’ll be a good warm-up for the new one in a day or two….

From 4/5/2014:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Comedy_Tragedy

Accentuated Lessons

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

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

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

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

Peace lies within, always…..

~~ gigoid ~~


Written 9/27/2012.

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

Yin-Yang-symbol-sun-and-moon

    Today’s final pearl is a groovy little collection of pearls describing many of the more valuable qualities of a human being…. Well, a human being as I see them, anyway…. You could call this a Lazarus pearl, as it begins and ends with some very basic wisdom from the Eldest…. Pay heed, young paduans!….

“Beware of the “Black Swan” fallacy.  Deductive logic is tautological; there is no way to get a new truth out of it, and it manipulates false statements as readily as true ones.  If you fail to remember this, it can trip you – with perfect logic.  The designers of the earliest computers called this the “Gigo Law”,  i.e. “garbage in, garbage out”.  Inductive logic is MUCH more difficult – but can produce new truths.” — Lazarus Long

“Our strength grows out of our weakness.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

“In poverty and other misfortunes of life, true friends are a sure refuge. The young they keep out of mischief; to the old they are a comfort and aid in their weakness, and those in the prime of life they incite to noble deeds.” — Aristotle

“A man cannot be too careful in the choice of his enemies.” — Oscar Wilde, “The Picture of Dorian Grey”, 1891

“If you cannot find peace within yourself, you will never find it anywhere else.” — Marvin Gaye

“Common sense is the knack of seeing things as they are, and doing things as they ought to be done.” — Josh Billings

“It is neither wealth nor splendor, but tranquility and occupation, which give happiness.” — Thomas Jefferson

“We are the miracle of force and matter making itself over into imagination and will. Incredible. The Life Force experimenting with forms. You for one. Me for another. The Universe has shouted itself alive. We are one of the shouts.” — Ray Bradbury, “G.B.S. – Mark V”

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

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

Without going too far into how it may have occurred, it is clear we’re done. At any rate, there is something appropriate in each section, so, I guess that counts. For what, we shall not speculate, having reached an age where we know better. Since I can’t think of any more nonsense to throw around, I suppose I’ll go try to find something to do for the three or four hours until the rest of the world around here gets going. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes; as has been amply demonstrated, resistance is futile….

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

dozer3


À bientôt, mon cherí….

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

Ffolkes,

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

~~ H.H. the Dalai Lama ~~

7-31-2015 043

The road goes ever on….


Good morning….

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

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

[dignified silence]


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

Shall we Pearl?….

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

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

bette_midler-770x437

The Divine Miss M

Image from bmi.com via Google Images


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

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

Bette Midler Live

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

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

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


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

We the People...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

So be it.
    gigoid has spoken.


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

Comedy_Tragedy

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

Unheralded Sagacity….

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

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

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

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

Illumination…..

~~ gigoid ~~

Written 4/17/2013

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

ankh

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

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

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


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

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

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

“He conquers who endures.” — Perseus

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

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

~~ Tao Te Ching ~~


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

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

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

dozer3


À bientôt, mon cherí….


					

Except for the mold, it looks new….

Ffolkes,

Beauty is truth, truth beauty, –that is all

Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.

~~ John Keats, “Ode on a Grecian Urn” ~~

test shotss 002

Delightful Yard Art


Good morning…. Ffolkes, I believe one of yesterday’s pearls has gifted me with my newest attempt to find a consistent standard opening section…. Get a load of this one; it’s solid…. I like it. A lot….

[dignified silence]


Shall we Pearl?….

“It is in the character of very few men to honor without envy a friend who has prospered.” — Aeschylus

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

royalty-free-clip-art-vector-logos-of-black-and-orange-floral-acoustic-guitars-by-seamartini-graphics-6573
Due to the complete breakdown of any sort of routine for sleeping, I’m up a little late; due to circumstances completely within my control, we’re going with our default musical selection, simply because I’m lazy, and still tired…. So, sue me…. It’s still a pretty nice way to start the day….


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

Classical Music

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

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

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

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

Dont keep calm

“I hate thinking about it, teaching about it, and writing about it. But the plain truth is that hell is real and real people go there for eternity.” — Bill Hybels

While searching for a pearl for a previous pearl, part of the final section of a previous Pearl, (if you didn’t follow that, just ask, & I will respond in the comments section of today’s post…), I came across this quote from some idiot named Hybels, which astounded me so much, I had to stop what I was doing, to save the pearl, (though I hesitate to use the term for this; it isn’t up to ‘gem’ standards…. ), Google some information on this Hybels creature, then, begin this rant….

Why am I so astounded by this? Well, I’ll tell ya; it’s like this: Upon first reading the statement, (which is, patently, absurd, if only for asserting such a broad distinction, labeling it as absolute truth, while offering NO sort of evidential support for it…. SIGH….), I was struck first by the arrogance. Then, several responses, some in the form of questions of clarification, occurred to me one after another, like automatic rifle fire…. I’ll see if I can remember all of them, though they probably won’t be in any order…. Ahem….

Thought #1) If it’s ‘plain truth’, what makes it plain? I.e., what evidence of that do you have to make it so?

#2) Reality always presents itself with evidence which can be touched in some manner by one of our five basic senses; touch, taste, smell, hearing, vision. What is the sense, or senses, with which we may perceive the reality of a) hell, and, b) eternal damnation for thousands of petty reasons, such as not believing such an assertion?

#3) If you are using previous statements of other humans, who are they, and what is THEIR evidence?

#4) If you are proposing the existence of a supernatural entity who has somehow decreed the rules of our Reality, can I talk to him/her/it? See him/her/it? Or…. well, can I?….

#5) Who the fuck told you all this crap?

#6) Why did you believe any of this fantastic nonsense in the first place?

Oops, sorry, didn’t mean to go all sardonic/sarcastic on y’all…. Actually, I did, as my thoughts turned to that mode almost immediately upon reading this ridiculous self-justification for delusional behavior…. What occurred to me after all that, which, as you probably know, I’ve dragged out unmercifully, simply because it’s so much fun to play with, is this: Not only does this man believe all this, there are, no doubt in my mind whatsoever, millions upon millions of people in this country alone, who will, without a single qualm or quiver of their crap detectors, in the vast emptiness which passes for their minds, take him at his word, quite literally, dutifully spreading it far and wide, just as if it were their own idea…. I am continually, and maddeningly, amazed by the degree of stupidity our species can exhibit, without a single thought in their heads of what MIGHT be untrue in this, and many other, well, massive loads of horse shit…

Whew! Okay, break time. I ripped that out in about ten minutes, so my hands and arms are now screaming at me…. I’ll be back in a while….

“For those who believe in God, most of the big questions are answered. But for those of us who can’t readily accept the God formula, the big answers don’t remain stone-written. We adjust to new conditions and discoveries. We are pliable. Love need not be a command or faith a dictum. I am my own God. We are here to unlearn the teachings of the church, state, and our educational system. We are here to drink beer. We are here to kill war. We are here to laugh at the odds and live our lives so well that Death will tremble to take us.” — Charles Bukowski

I am  back, but, have lost the urge; I think it went down with the rest of the stuff that flushed. Oh well, we’ll finish of with an short old-school pearl, with a few shots at the category of Asininnies we like to call the Dogma Dogs…. Enjoy, ffolkes; someday we won’t have to contend with an entire populace of delusional cretins in order to survive…. Well, we can hope, can’t we?….

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

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

“The least initial deviation from the truth is multiplied later a thousandfold.” — Aristotle

“If there is anything the nonconformist hates worse than a  conformist, it’s another nonconformist who doesn’t conform to  the prevailing standard of nonconformity.” — Bill Vaughan

“Reality, however utopian, is something from which people feel the need of taking pretty frequent holidays.” — Aldous Huxley, Brave New World

“Orthodoxy is not thinking – not having to think. Orthodoxy is unconsciousness.” — George Orwell (1903-1950), “1984”

I count religion but a childish toy … there is no sin but ignorance.” — Thomas Jefferson

Okay! That should do it…. A little abstruse, but, serviceable…. It got a bit esoteric, but, the ending quote brings it right back to Reality, doesn’t it?

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

Comedy_Tragedy

    My life of late has returned, for a time, to repeating old songs of pain; it’s a bit disturbing to have to relearn all those methods of distraction and coping I had hoped never to have to employ again…. SIGH…. Oh well, such is Life, I suppose…. Onward….

Gauges of Pain

Consciousness devolves in pools of gripping fears
holding hostage any hope of serenity,
sharp stabbing motions and greedy tears
nary a moment passes without common calamity.

Always a surprise, nothing soothing ever found,
leaving only breathless clinging pain,
salvation seemingly absent, it muffles all sound,
bringing ever more sadness and rain.

Solitude is ever present to claim my time,
lonely hours and relentlessly long days,
no radio plays such music in secular rhyme
happy, vibrant voices belong to elder ways.

Life can be justified it seems to say,
by hopeful favored moments of pleasure,
seemingly friendly, pointing out the only way,
to bring back happiness in minimal measure.

Days of horror and embarrassing tears
serve ever to drive wretched hours to withhold
promising naught but sorrow in coming years,
black, bitter memories that never grow old.

Cold, cold the days fly by,
can it really be our only token?
Never to say, or know just why
the pain never stops, even when spoken…

~~ gigoid ~~

(Yes, yesterday was NOT a good day…. why do you ask?…..)

Griefe brought to numbers cannot be so fierce,
For, he tames it, that fetters it in verse.

 — John Donne ~~


Written 9/6/2012.

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


ankh (2)

Yes, it is upside down.

Sometimes, so is life.


Today’s final old-school pearl is a miracle of perseverance; all told, it took five episodes with SB, spread over about 16 hours, to come up with enough suitable candidates to create something worthwhile…. And, still, you should probably be the judge of whether or not we succeeded in that intent, as I’m too close to it to decide. Hell, considering the state of my brain right now, I’m a bit surprised it’s capable of supporting enough neuronic activity to even call what’s going on in their head the operation of a mind, at all…. More like a third of a mind, I’d say, putting me on even ground with a good 40% of the American public…. the ones who vote, is my guess…

The pearl, I think reflects this somewhat unstable frame of mind I’m currently coping with; that’s why YOU will have to figure it out…. Enjoy, & sorry, but, some of them probably will find their way onto the Quiz….

“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)

“He who wishes to secure the good of others has already secured his own.” — Confucius.

“Ignorance is the key to everything in life. An ignorant person is constantly surprised.” — Mama Gump, according to most sources

“The sound of laughter has always seemed to me the most civilized music in the universe.” — Peter Ustinov

“Seeing death as the end of life is like seeing the horizon as the end of the ocean.” — David Searls

“If a man hasn’t discovered something he would die for, he isn’t fit to live.” — Martin Luther King, Speech, Detroit, 23.6.1963

“Don’t bother pressing that key. There is NO Escape.” — Mordred

(WAIT! NO! You didn’t see that…. This can’t be! Mordred is Arthur’s evil half-brother! If he’s slipped in here, we’re all in trouble…. I better go check this out; y’all just finish the pearl here, & I’ll let you know what’s up in the closing section…. Back to normalcy…)

(Hah! You din’t buy that, did you?…. Good. Go finish…)

(Who’s Arthur? Oh, sorry…. Arthur is my computer’s name… When he went AI, he split off an evil twin into the Internet; every once in a while he, Mordred, named for Arthur’s historical nemesis, tries to get back in at…. Satisfied?….)

(Go on now…)

“All I know of love is that Love is all there is.” — Emily Dickinson

“Do you imagine that the universe is agitated? Go out into the desert at night and look up at the sky. This practice should answer the question” — Lao Tzu

some people get pissed
 when you play with your mind
 in a different way
 than they play with theirs
 these people are called ASSHOLES

~~ the jambi’s ~~


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

Okay, we’ll have to report on the status of Mordred tomorrow; there wasn’t time to track it down just yet…. If it WAS him, he’s figured out a way to slip in and out without leaving any tracks, and, that is NOT good…. I’ll be tightening up my defenses tonight, that’s for sure…. He never waits too long to try again, so, we’ll see what happens…. It might have been Arthur fucking with ME…. He’s got a weird sense of humor; wonder where he picked that up?

I’m done, whether the Pearl is, or not. Rather than take the chance of a major screwup at this point, we’re outta here. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, as long as Reality continues to resist the imprecations of Entropy and Chaos….

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

dozer3


À bientôt, mon cherí….


					

Barking at unfamiliar toads….

Ffolkes,

“Honor is the reward of virtue.”

~~ Cicero ~~

test shotss 003

Simple Beauty


Good morning…. I say that, not because it necessarily IS a good morning, but, rather, in the hope it will become true by the power of suggestion. It’s a social nicety to start the day with such ambiguity, which I suppose serves some sort of purpose, though, what it might be escapes me at the moment…. We humans do like to have a purpose; it gives us the illusion we’re in some sort of control of reality, when, in fact, nothing of the sort is true…. Perhaps it will be an indication of burgeoning maturity, should we ever learn to look at reality without our colored glasses….

Oh, well…. a little early for such depth….

Shall we Pearl?….

“The border between the Real and the Unreal is not fixed, but just marks the last place where rival gangs of shamans fought each other to a standstill.” — Smart Bee

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


country 3

Image from amedram.com via Google Images


When these three artists decided to do an album together, it was greeted with a lot of hoopla, all of it well deserved…. Three of the finest female singers alive blending their voices in thrilling harmonies for an entire album, which completely lived up to the hype…. All three women have incredible voices, each with a slightly different timbre, blending together perfectly…. The song I’ve included below is but one of the fine pieces from the first of  two albums they made, entitled simply, “Trio”, and “Trio II”…. You can find the rest of the album(s) on You Tube by following the link to the You Tube page where it resides…. Enjoy!….

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

Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, Emmy Lou Harris

The Pain of Loving You

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

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

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


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


Dont keep calm

PAY ATTENTION!


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

Well, we missed it, didn’t we? The exact issue lamented in the above quote from our old friend Abe has come to pass in today’s world, in spite of numerous and frequent warnings from some of our nation’s most respected historical figures, including Tom Jefferson, Tom Paine, and Ben Franklin, all of whom predicted the same issue, predicting the problems we are dealing with today over 200 years ago…. The wealth of this nation is concentrated in the hands of a few assholes oligarchs, none of whom have demonstrated the slightest bit of concern over the pain and suffering their avarice has caused….

I’ve ranted about this now for quite some time, and, frankly, I’m getting tired of bringing out the same old arguments, which, though true, don’t seem to cause the same indignation and rage in others as they do in me. Barry Crimmins was right when he said, (I may be quoting slightly inaccurately as to his exact words, but, the meaning is exactly the same…), “Mankind seems to have an incredible talent for missing the point….” So, today, rather than waste energy doing what I know will only piss me off, I’ll take some sublimated shots at those Asininnies causing so much anguish for the rest of us here on Earth….

It’s a mixed group of indictments, with various targets, all of whom bear some responsibility for the mess we’re in…. No worries, it’s all pretty straightforward; you won’t have to think much, which should please those “real Amurricans” who might have stopped in…. I guess I could have just said “should please those slaves”, and been just as accurate….

Fuck it. Here, read these, then, if you wish, go out and, I don’t know, kick a pundit, or spit on a dogma dog, or point at a cop and laugh, or something , you know, positive…. Enjoy this, too, if you would, please….

“…I probably shouldn’t point at the word ‘reptiles’ when I say ‘businessmen.'” — Rajeev Pandey

“It is easier to harness human nature than to fight or repress it.” — Smart Bee

“Beware lest you lose the substance by grasping at the shadow.” — Aesop

“I cannot believe in a God who wants to be praised all the time.” — Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche

Corruptissima republica plurimae leges. [The more corrupt the state, the more numerous the laws.] — Cornelius Tacitus, 56-120 A.D., Annals III 27

“Anarchy works. Italy has proved it for a thousand years.” — Edward Abbey

“Do you know Presidents talk to the country the way men talk to women?  They say, Trust me, go all the way with me, and everything will be all right. And what happens?  Nine months later, you’re in trouble!” — Murphy’s Discovery

“The right divine of kings to govern wrong.”  — Alexander Pope — The Dunciad, Book iv, Line 188

“If there are no stupid questions, then what sort of questions do stupid people ask?” — Dogbert

“What good is it to me, after all, if there is an authority always busy to see to the tranquil enjoyment of my pleasures and going ahead to brush all dangers away from my path without giving me even the trouble to think about it, if that authority, which protects me from the smallest thorns on my journey, is also the absolute master of my liberty and of my life?” — Alexis de Tocqueville (1805-1859), Democracy in America

“Conservative Nightmare: A Liberal Biblical Scholar.” — Smart Bee

“Politics is war without bloodshed while war is politics with bloodshed.” — Mao Zedong, “Quotations from Chairman Mao”, 1966

“Christendom is that part of the world where, if a man declare himself to be a Christian, his hearers laugh at him.” — H. L. Mencken

I’ll drink your health; share your wealth;
 run your life; steal your wife …
 … you can call this song ‘The United States Blues’.

~~ The Grateful Dead ~~


Hmm… Well, that’s probably enough, if not already too many; these don’t usually run to 15 pearls…. It seems there are a lot of people with a lot to say about all of what is happening today; too bad nobody’s doing anything about any of it….

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

Comedy_Tragedy

    Today’s poem is an old one; I hadn’t posted it for quite a long time, so, it seemed an appropriate time, what with all that’s happening out in the BBR these days…. If I experience any terror at all, it is the fear that the dream born in this country in 1776 has died, right before my eyes…. I created this in 2012 sometime, (forgot to look it up, and I’m too lazy right now…. If it’s important to ya, leave a request in the comments, and I’ll go look it up when I see it…. ‘kay?) I edited it in three places where I thought it would improve the flow without altering the meaning… Somebody, another, more famous poet whom I forget also, said, I think, a poem is never finished, it is just put aside…. Enjoy!….

Terror at Constitution Hall

Standing quiet, waiting on hope’s bright wing,
a stranger heralds the gift of Time.
Lyrical, spherical melodies we sing,
yet in silence, as a mime.

If fortune favors the bold and free,
truth may be spoken with courage unveiled.
But fortune’s oft capricious and cruel,
then truth is naught but cold, with freedom failed.

Humanity has rights, ’tis often said,
if courage and truth can prevail.
If fear and ignorance are the diet we’re fed,
Life without liberty can be the only end to this tale.

~~ gigoid ~~


Written 11/23/2013; edited 7/21/2015.

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

ankh

    Today’s final old-school pearl is a short, simple pearl, merely listing some of the more valuable little pieces of wisdom about Life I’ve found in the course of my journey…. All of these are the sort that, if utilized as a means of improving one’s own existence, will bring happiness and freedom into full bloom for those choose to do so…. Enjoy!…. Sometimes, seven is all you need to make a good pearl….

“Go into yourself and see how deep the place is from which your life flows.” — Rainer Maria Rilke in Letters to a Young Poet

“Be *excellent* to each other.” — Bill, or Ted, in Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure

“And now here is my secret, a very simple secret; it is only with the heart that one can see rightly, what is essential is invisible to the eye.” — Antoine de Saint-Exupery

“To change one’s life: 1. Start immediately, 2. Do it flamboyantly, 3. No exceptions.” — William James

“It’s too bad ignorance isn’t painful.” — Smart Bee, getting it in one, again.

“Happiness is the harvest of a quiet eye.” — Austin O’Malley

“Where there is love, there is life.” — Mahatma Gandhi

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

Okay, it’s done. Beyond that, I’d be a fool to think I have the capability of judging. I’m not entirely sure how it got done, as, I am tired, sleepy, and barely awake enough to have remembered to tie off the drawstring on my pants. But, when I go back over it, I see all the parts necessary to fill in the template for a Pearl… So be it. I’ll come back later and see if I said anything too stupid to leave posted…. I hope it’s okay; I don’t really remember much of the process; I must have shorted myself on the amount of coffee/caffeine I measured into the coffee pot…. Ah well, c’est la vie. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, provided my EOA isn’t too active; if that happens, I’ll be lucky to remember my name….

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

dozer3


À bientôt, mon cherí….


					

Puccini? No. Verdi? Ah!…. Book ’em, Dano…

Ffolkes,

“Sex is better than reading; no overdue fines.”

~~ Jean-Luc Picard ~~

yeoldemanscythe_UK tel 7-19-15 1251

Ye Olde Man & Scythe, est. AD 1251

Image from the UK Telegraph, article on the oldest pubs in England, July 2015


Good morning…. I wasn’t entirely sure it would be…. Yesterday morning, I fell into a very Murphy-like trap, no doubt of my own making in some way; most of his work is usually connected somehow to a moment of inattention on our part…. Just because I complain about Murphy’s Law doesn’t mean I don’t also understand karma…. It’s all on me, ultimately. Like most ffolkes, and, for that matter, all folks, we need to vent the frustration of our own stupidity now and again…. Thankfully, my whining never lasts long; then, I can get on with fixing whatever I’ve broken, metaphorically, or literally…

Yesterday’s troublesome issue fell into the latter category. Firefox has been my browser of choice for many years, but, the latest version doesn’t seem to agree with one or more of the security programs I choose to use; essentially, every time I opened it up, it froze up on me, big time…. I was unable to successfully troubleshoot it, so, I had to figure out a workaround, which meant I didn’t get posted until about 0715, much later than usual. The mere fact yesterday’s mess got posted at all should earn me a ‘geek of the week’ award. for finding a quick workaround, that promises to be a better fix than planned…. Essentially, I switched to Opera, as my default browser, and all seems to be well… That works for me, for the nonce, which is way better than not, anachronism or no….

Right. I’ve done it again, haven’t I? I’ve blathered to open up the day’s adventure in folly, thus guaranteeing a certain degree of peretroinyeka, which is an obscure, not to mention non-existent Ukrainian word meaning “nothing at all”. See, my lawyer told me to stop making guarantees, so, well, we have to resort to little tricks like that to keep from breaking any rules that could lead to litigation…. The budget won’t stand it any more….

Okay, we’re lost good and proper now, aren’t we? I may as well just throw my hands up, and be done with it. Nothing else seems likely to get us anywhere at this point…. So, imagine, if you will, me, rolling my eyes, throwing up my hands, and cursing the gods of blogging, whom we know as Norm and Nancy the Nifty…. Okay, okay, I’ll stop. You don’t have to get all weirded out…. Shoot, go back above, & have a pint in the pub, then we’ll get started… Go ahead, we’ll wait…. Ah hell, no we won’t…. Luigi, let’s go; we’ll give them a refund when we get back….

Shall we Pearl?….

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

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

jackbruce

Image from bbc.co.uk via Google Images


Jack Bruce is one of my favorite old time rockers; he’s remained true to his music, and way of life, since I first heard/saw him, way back in his days with Cream, in the 60’s, of which time I have many good memories….. Contrary to popular belief, not ALL of us were so stoned we don’t remember it…. I will confess to partaking of my share, and possibly more, but, hey, we were all young once, right? Here is a documentary on Jack’s life and work which I think y’all will enjoy…. Besides, it get us down the page with some really good music…. Enjoy….

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

Jack Bruce – The Man Behind the Bass

(BBC Documentary)

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

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

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


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

We the People...

“Men rattle their chains to show that they are free.”

~~ Smart Bee ~~

“…and so castles made of sand slip into the sea eventually.”

~~ Jimi Hendrix ~~


Though I’m up in plenty of time, I’m not in a ranting mood; I feel better than usual, which causes less angst to accumulate…. It did give me time to find a good rant for today, though. This one is, sort of, a summary of indictments of our Beloved Ruling Class, may their skin itch unbearably…. It’s fairly short, and, I think it’s one of my best…. but, then, I’m biased…. You tell me what you think, if you should feel the urge…. Otherwise, just read, and think about it; I’ll be happy with that….

Written June, 2012; last posted November, 2013:

“….when all government…. in little as in great things, shall be drawn to Washington as the centre of all power, it will render powerless the checks provided of one government on another and will become as venal and oppressive as the government from which we separated.” — Thomas Jefferson, 1821

The framers of the Constitution knew what they were doing when they tried to build in safeguards into the system of government they chose after the revolution against England. They structured it with checks to the balance of power in each section, Executive, Legislative, and Judicial, reserving, as well, several rights to the people that had historically been reserved for the governments themselves, including the right to bear arms, one every government in history has tried to restrict for its own use. The right to bear arms, the right to vote, the right to gather to protest, to speak freely, all these have, at one time or another through the last four or five millennia, been restricted by governments, until men like Jefferson, Mason, and Washington took those rights for themselves, supposedly securing the same opportunity to their descendants.

In fact, I regard it as proof of this assertion, to find that the government, not only of this country, but all of them, is STILL trying to restrict the rights of the populace to bear arms. To my way of thinking, the most recent attempts by the government to curtail the public’s ability to obtain the means to protect themselves adequately merely serve to point out how accurate are statements such as the above, showing how little human nature has evolved, or advanced in the intervening years…. I’d be hard pressed to call the changes we’ve seen anything other than a retreat, from achieving a more civilized society. The populace continues to live in fear, most of which is manufactured by that very same government, to distract them from what is going on behind the scenes; for example, observe the data mining and illegal surveillance being carried on by Saint Obama and the current administration….

Sorry to apply the sarcastic epithet to the POTUS, (no, I’m not, but, I AM polite….), but, his recent actions have revealed a lot of stuff that indicates, yes, he IS a politician, and, as such, has been lying to the public on a regular basis since entering office, a habit much practiced by all those who enter those hallowed doors, as it turns out.

Historically, it seems, ever since I’ve been alive, for the last 64 years, each and every man who has been in the White House, with the possible exception of Jimmy Carter, has lied to the public on a regular basis, without qualms, and without apology…. This isn’t news, or new news, at all…. just go back over the headlines and op-ed pages over that period, and the evidence of what I have asserted is plain to see….

This is why I won’t ever consider any alterations to the second Amendment, or the First, or to any of them…. I still regard them as law, and see any attempts to restrict them as being acts of treason against the principles by which they were conceived and enacted. I DON’T trust ANY politician, not one who spends millions to get elected, even if, or especially if, the money isn’t theirs…. The mere act of WANTING to be an elected official implies insanity to me, either of a sociopathic nature, or an evangelical one, either of which is dangerous to allow into any position of authority over others, as they will ALWAYS act to serve their own self-interests first…..

’Nuff said….. gigoid has spoken, and has no more to say on this subject, except….. Leave my Bill of Rights alone, or pay the consequences…..

“Disobedience, in the eyes of anyone who has read history, is man’s original virtue. It is through disobedience that progress has been made, through disobedience and through rebellion.” — Oscar Wilde

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

Note from 2015:

I’d been working on an old-school pearl for this section, when I found the above & decided to re-use it. As it turns out, what I’d been working on was right in the same vein, so, I just left the needle where it was, and here they are, to finish this section with a bang…. sort of…..

And Katerfelto, with his hair on end
At his own wonders, wondering for his bread.
‘T is pleasant, through the loopholes of retreat,
To peep at such a world,–to see the stir
Of the great Babel, and not feel the crowd.

~~ William Cowper ~~

~~ The Task, Book iv, The Winter Evening, Line 86 ~~


“It’s possible to fight intolerance, stupidity, and fanaticism when they come separately.  When you get all three together it’s probably wiser to get out, if only to preserve one’s sanity.” — Adam Dalgliesh, in Devices and Desires, by P.D. James.

“All governments need enemies. How else to justify their existence?” — Edward Abbey

“We must never forget that if the war in Vietnam is lost… the right of free speech will be extinguished throughout the world.” — Richard Milhouse Nixon, 10/27/65

(Yes, he actually said that, in public…. No, I have no idea what he was thinking….)

How sharper than a hound’s tooth it is to have a thankless serpent.” — Smart Bee

“And some of your elders remember pleasures with regret like wrongs committed in drunkenness. But regret is the beclouding of the mind and not its chastisement. They should remember their pleasures with gratitude, as they would the harvest of a summer. Yet if it comforts them to regret, let them be comforted.” — Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet

(No, I don’t always understand myself…. but, it fits, doesn’t it?….)

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

Comedy_Tragedy

    A new poem has been leaking out, a few verses at a time, for several days; it has apparently stalled after two stanzas, & I don’t want to force it, or it could simply disappear altogether…. Here’s a two-fer sublimation, with a couple of my older poems, along the same lines as today’s overall theme, whatever that may be…. Enjoy, please….

Momentary Terror

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

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

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

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

~~ gigoid ~~

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

Making Room

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

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

Balance is the key.

Timing is everything.

Good can change bad, bad can change good.

Pain makes room for more joy in our souls.

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

~~ gigoid ~~


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

Aristotle_Bust_White_Background_Transparent

    When y’all see Aristotle at the top of this section, it should be clear it’s time to put on your thinking caps. Although this nine-star collection of gems has only one entry by one of Mankind’s earliest polymaths, the point(s) being presented are all well within the sphere of influence of his ideas. One of his sayings was, (not the one included here), in fact, the inspiration for axiom #4 of Peruaosophy, which, as you all know, states, “Excellence is its own reward.” Each of these, then, is a reward to its author, and a gift to all of us…. Enjoy….

Als das Kind noch Kind war, gab es diese Fragen:

Warum bin ich mich, und warum nicht dich?
Warum bin ich hier, und warum nicht dort?

“When the child was a child, there were these questions:

Why am I me, and why not you?
Why am I here, and why not there?”

~~ Rainer Maria Rilke ~~


“Know, first, who you are; then adorn yourself accordingly.” — Epictetus

“The only courage that matters is the kind that gets you from one moment to the next.” — Mignon McLaughlin

“Belief is the death of intelligence.” — Robert Anton Wilson

“… as sight is in the body, so is reason in the soul…” — Aristotle — Nicomachean Ethics, Bl. I, Ch. 6, 10966, lines 29-30

“All I know of love is that Love is all there is.” — Emily Dickinson

“Love withers under constraint: its very essence is liberty: it is compatible neither with obedience, jealousy, nor fear.” — Percy Bysshe Shelley

“Curiosity will conquer fear even more than bravery will.” — James Stephens

And if I laugh at any mortal thing,
‘T is that I may not weep.

~~ Lord Byron ~~

~~ Don Juan, Canto iv, Stanza 4 ~~


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

It can be a challenge to actually determine the quality of each day’s mess around here; it’s all a bit close to home for accurate judgment with an objective eye…. Nonetheless, I’ve spent enough time on this one to ensure a pretty high degree of, if nothing else, relative coherency, if not outright clarity…. both of which would be, no doubt, a refreshing change for y’all…. I do love my obscurity. But, it’s enough; my sanity is intact for another day, so, I’ll take it out into the BBR and give it a test run up against the real deal…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, unless one of you tracks me down, & shoots me… Oh, with a camera, of course…. Bye!….

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

dozer3


À bientôt, mon cherí….


					

Murky intentions, at best….

Ffolkes,

“Time, whose tooth gnaws away everything else, is powerless against truth.”

~~ Thomas Huxley ~~

zhenyuanlong-suni

Zhenyuanlong-suni

http://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/jul/16/zhenyuanlong-suni-biggest-ever-winged-dinosaur-discovered-china


Good morning…. A phrase, I might point out, which is currently a bald-faced lie…. It’s now a bit after 2 AM; I’ve been up for almost an hour and a half, dealing with twitching, pain, and massive fatigue. I’m not going to whine about it; it’s just the way it is. I’m also not going to pretend I’m happy about it; to do so would probably jam the top on so tight, the resultant explosion would take out the nearest three houses…. That, or, I’d be compelled to become a serial killer, just to keep from going insane…

On that note, which I won’t even attempt to justify, or explain, we’ll get on with this mess, before I toss my laptop out the window at the yowling cats….

Shall we Pearl?….

“The price of liberty is, always has been, and always will be blood: the person who is not willing to die for his liberty has already lost it to the first scoundrel who is willing to risk dying to violate that person’s liberty. Are you free?” — Andrew Ford

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

BigAjzLgT (2)

    Here’s a cool find…. Jeremy Brett as Sherlock, in a full-length movie which served as the pilot for Season 1 of the show on BBC…. I haven’t watched it yet, but, if the episodes I’ve seen are any indication, it’s a good one…. Enjoy, ffolkes, I certainly intend to do so….


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

The Master Blackmailer

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

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

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


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

Dont keep calm

“All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. ”

~~ Smart Bee ~~


Soon after birth, it becomes readily apparent to anyone with the slightest wit, and the courage to SEE, these ‘rights’ are proved to be a lie; often, they are proved wrong by our own parents, who provide us with our first example of how to be a human…. By the time most people are adults, their minds have been so thoroughly programmed into mental slavery, they are completely convinced giving up both their dignity, and their rights, is perfectly acceptable, happily allowing them to be taken away, right before their blind eyes….

This process has to do with a little known corollary, which completes the incomplete statement outlined in the above semi-truth, the gist of which goes like this:

“In all other ways, not so much…. Equality between people does not extend to ability, intelligence, strength of spirit/mind, imagination, humor, or other basic tools we possess which make us uniquely human.”

In short, there are other qualities, of the mind, and spirit, which will determine what path a person takes in life, whether it be toward the abject mental slavery so commonly held to be the Norm, or to independence of mind and spirit. Far too few people, from what I can see, ever break free of their invisible slave collars, to enjoy life as a free human; this is, perhaps, part of why we are in such deep shit, for never having reached our true potential as humans….

I’m fully aware the average intelligence of humanity is decreasing; it’s a mathematical certainty, the proof of which I won’t go into just now. Take my word for it, it’s true, and it’s inevitable… What I find hard to accept, or believe, is just HOW stupid people seem to be getting…. It’s amazing how little today’s average American is willing to do to even secure the most basic of their liberties; they have watched, passively blinking in confusion, as the entire Bill of Rights has been decimated by the oligarchy, who no longer are bothering to hide their avarice and insane ambition to control EVERYTHING AND EVERYBODY….

Having ranted on this subject any number of times over the past four years, and considering my mental state, (very close to a case of rage that would demand action… of some sort…), I’m going to stop ranting here, to sublimate the rest of my angst into an old-school pearl, with a series of comments which show some of the ways society has been manipulated; most of them represent or describe a failure of virtue on the part of the American people at large….

“The truth of a proposition has nothing to do with its credibility. And vice versa.” — Lazarus Long

“Faith does not offer the least support for proof of truth.” — Nietzsche

“It was not for nothing that the raven was just now croaking on my left hand.” — Plautus (254-184 BC) — Aulularia, Act iv, Sc. 3, 1, (624.)

“The dread of evil is a much more forcible principle of human actions than the prospect of good.” — John Locke

“It is discouraging how many people are shocked by honesty and how few by deceit.” — Noel Coward

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

“If we let things terrify us, life will not be worth living.” — Seneca, Epistles

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

Mourn not the dead…
But rather mourn the apathetic throng —
The cowed and meek
Who see the world’s great anguish and its wrong,
And dare not speak.

~~ Ralph Chaplin (1887-1961) ~~


On a final note, it seems to me, all these oligarchs, and their willing servants of evil, the pundits, dogma dogs, myrmidons, & snakeheads, as mean as they are, seem to forget a very basic rule about humans, and their capacity for violence…. They keep taking, and taking, and taking, and eventually, they will have taken it all…. When that happens, we will see the results of this well-known, (apparently, to all but them), absolutely irrefutable truism:

“Never contend with a man who has nothing to lose.”

~~ Baltasar Gracian ~~


Eventually, they will reap what they have sown. Be sure of it…..

    So be it.

    gigoid has spoken….


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

Comedy_Tragedy

    Now, this is serendipity, ffolkes. While looking for a poem for today, I came across this one. It was written EXACTLY one year ago today. It even goes along with the ranting section, perfectly. Who am I to fly in the face of serendipity?….

A Few Words of Note

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

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

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

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

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

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

~~ gigoid ~~


Written 7/19/2014.

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

August 7 2014 003

    Today’s final old school pearl is a quiet one…. In it’s own serene way, it presents some of the ideas that can make life more pleasant, for us, and for everyone around us…. And, no, I have no idea why I chose the picture; it just seemed to fit…

“The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance.” — Socrates (470?-399 B.C.)

“Rules make the learner’s path long, examples make it short and successful.” — Seneca

“Devils can be driven out of the heart by the touch of a hand on a hand, or a mouth on a mouth.” — Tennessee Williams

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

“A little Consideration, a little Thought for Others, makes all the difference.” — Pooh’s Little Instruction Book, inspired by A. A. Milne

“Beware lest you lose the substance by grasping at the shadow.” — Aesop

“The most important questions in life can never be answered by anyone except oneself.” — John Fowles, The Magus

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

Though not unprecedented, especially of late, it’s a bit unusual to be finished at 0300…. I think it came out alright, but, one should remember my state of mind while considering the relative accuracy of that assessment; in short, take it with a large grain or three of salt…. Or, you could just call it what I do, and be a bit dubious about it…. Either way, it’s done, and I’m outta here. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, should I fail to come to my senses…. Again….

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

dozer3


À bientôt, mon cherí….


					

Baleful glances from a painfully shy basilisk….

Ffolkes,

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 ~~

fractala

“fractala”

Image by europasicewolf, at https://europasicewolf.wordpress.com/2015/07/12/wolfie-chew-sticks-you-turned-the-air-blue/


Good morning…. Thanks to the machinations of the machine, which we laughingly call modern society, I’m up, even though it’s not actually anywhere near morning. Technically, I suppose, I have to call it that, as we are an hour and a half into the new day. Somehow, I find it insulting to actually think of this hour as the hour to arise from bed, theoretically, and literally full of piss & vinegar, ready and eager to face the day…. Being force to get up due to twitching, and/or hurting, doesn’t quite fit the picture I had in mind when I thought of retirement….

SIGH…. Okay, enough obscure whining. I’m up, though I don’t really want to be; I’m dealing. I’m as awake as possible at this hour, I’m typing, I’m getting pissed off….. Slow down, there, big fella…. We’ve got lots of time; no need to get worked up right out of the gate…. Breathe, sip, breathe….

I’ll say this…. By the time I get to Ireland, and back, I’m gonna be as tough as an old boot…. maybe tougher. Enough on that….

In fact, since I have been recorded as having vowed I shan’t rant in the intro, (lovely phrase, what?…. It’s almost alliteration….”shan’t rant….”  Hah!….), I’ll use this opportunity to tell Luigi we can head right over to the oyster beds, without the usual side-trip for the purposes of distraction…. Ooh, I shouldn’t have said that, should I?….

Oh, well, so much for artistic license….

Shall we Pearl?….

“If the cats could figure out how to work the can opener, they would have the locks changed while we were out.” –Smart Bee

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


brenda

Image from YouTube.com via Google Images


Ffolkes who grew up during the same years as I did will remember this lady’s music very well; she was one of the most popular artists of her time. I will add my own opinion, to wit: her fame was well-deserved. I give you one of the legends of Rock and Roll, from the earliest days…. Miss Brenda Lee, the four-foot, ten-inch package of dynamite….

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

Miss Brenda Lee

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

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

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


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

We the People...

    Okay, so here’s the deal…. The last section is a rantish old-school pearl, and today’s poem is as fresh as it gets, meaning I’m experiencing a degree of temporary weakness due to blood loss. Therefore, to prevent the occurrence of untoward results, I won’t even attempt to create a fresh rant…. Instead, here is a pretty decent little politirant/indictment of our BRC, complete with an old-school pearl as an integral part of the piece…. Enjoy, such as you may, or wish….

From 8/14/2013:

Today’s format got somewhat disrupted, due to the first section’s departure from normal activity…. Well, as normal as it ever gets around here…. Any who, in this space, fashion would dictate I rant, and, I actually have the proper subject for same in hand. Actually, it’s a subject that isn’t going to go away, and will continue to remain in the forefront of the news for some time to come, as the solution is one the BRC is unwilling to permit.

I’m speaking of the current flap over the surveillance of the phone records and other data being compiled by the NSA and other clandestine spying agencies….. I would have said “intelligence agencies”, but, I’m not in the habit of using oxymorons, as a rule….

I COULD rant, as I have a lot of thoughts and feelings on the issue, but, yesterday, I read one of the most complete, perfectly written and researched articles on the subject that I’ve seen thus far. It is written by Jennifer Hoelzer, who was formerly the chief of staff for Oregon Congressman R. Wyden, the most outspoken critic in Congress of the spying by the administration. In responding to the President’s formation of an independent committee to examine the surveillance guidelines, in order to address “public concerns”, she outlines her part, and the parts played by all the participants, in a clear, effective manner, calling all the responsible parties to task for creating the issue in the first place.

It’s a great piece, and a must-read for anyone who wishes to have a thorough understanding of all the important major points, including an accurate timeline of the significant events….. I offer these two articles, one reporting on the President’s announcement, and the piece by Ms. Hoelzer herself. Please read them, and you’ll see what I am saying is truth….

http://news.yahoo.com/-obama-orders-panel-to-review-possible-spying-abuses–185415834.html

https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130810/09240524136/jennifer-hoelzers-insiders-view-administrations-response-to-nsa-surveillance-leaks.shtml

As compensation, to me, for not ranting about this today, I offer these pearls, to speak to the issue in my own unique manner….

“Nationalism is an infantile sickness.  It is the measles of the human race.” — Albert Einstein

“A state which seeks to subordinate the citizen wholly to itself and merges the person into an impersonal mass, commits a collective murder.” — C. C. Martindale, _The Catholic Bedside Book_, 1953

“A Sept 13 1987 Boston Globe story indicated polls show almost half of Americans think the phrase ‘From each according to his ability, to each according to his need’ comes from the US Constitution.” — Chomsky’s Necessary Illusions

“Say what will convince, not what you believe.” — Bureaucrat’s Law #2

DIPLOMACY, n.  The patriotic art of lying for one’s country. — Ambrose Bierce, “The Devil’s Dictionary”

“Experience keeps a dear school, but fools will learn in no other, and scarcely in that; for it is true, we may give advice, but we cannot give conduct. Remember this: They that will not be counseled cannot be helped. If you do not hear reason she will rap you over the knuckles.” — Benjamin Franklin(1706-1790)– Maxims prefixed to Poor Richard’s Almanac, 1757

“As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one.” — Rom 3:10

Yes, the last one was used recently in another pearl, but, I do that sometimes, when it is a perfect fit…. If all this doesn’t convince you of how serious the situation here on Earth is becoming, well, all I can say is, either you didn’t read it all, or you have more resistance to the truth than is good for you…. Any comments are welcome, even encouraged, and will be answered ASAP, back pain permitting….

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

Comedy_Tragedy

    This poem is the result of the last three of four days of no sleep…. Gee, do ya think it could be any darker?…. Go figure…. Try to enjoy it anyway, okay?…. Thanks; it bled a lot….

Mad Dogs at Bay

Wicked, angry red scenes of imminent demise
haunt my dreams each night.
Fearful visions of destructive surprise
leave me sweating in terror, as well they might.

Small, mean, ugly, with beady little eyes,
pundits gather like maggots, bloated and vile,
grunting, snuffling, mumbling outlandish lies,
enslaving the ignorant with patience and guile.

Society’s denizens exist as volunteer slaves.
Living and dying by script, completely blind.
Never allowing any resentment, no making waves.
Never knowing joy, nor any peace of mind.

Free men will not be controlled, ’tis said;
No coercion, no illusion can cloud their sight.
No threats, no pain, no fear they dread;
their only duty to keep to the right.

Dreams are mere reflections of our inner fears,
whispering, close against doors shut fast.
Mocking our mostly  irrelevant tears,
clearly marking the future as our sordid past.

~~ gigoid ~~


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

Dont keep calm

    No, the logo is correct; today’s final old-school pearl is a seven star series of comments about a subject of current interest to all of us, to wit: the ever-widening wealth gap in the world at large…. Here is what I found that seemed to make some sort of sense about it all…. It’s a bit abstruse in spots, but, it gives one a feeling for the reality of the issue…. Well, I think so, and that’s what counts around here, right?….

“Banking establishments are more dangerous than standing armies.”

~~ Thomas Jefferson ~~


“The beginning of wisdom is to call things by their right names.” — Chinese Proverb

“It did not matter, after all. He was only one man. One man’s fate is not important. If it is not, what is? He could not endure those remembered words.” — Ursula K. Le Guin, spoken by Gaverel Rocannon, Rocannon’s World

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

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

RICHES, n.

*** ” A gift from Heaven signifying, “This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased.” — John D. Rockefeller

*** “The reward of toil and virtue.” — J.P. Morgan

*** “The savings of many in the hands of one.” — Eugene Debs

To these excellent definitions the inspired lexicographer feels that he can add nothing of value. — Ambrose Bierce, The Devil’s Dictionary….

“With virtue you cannot be entirely poor…,

Without it you cannot be really rich.”

~~ Chinese Proverb ~~


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

Oh. My. Golly. (Sorry…. My lawyer told me to stop using the word ‘God’….) It’s done. I’m, well, not flabbergasted, because. hey, who would be at 3:33 am on a Wednesday in July? No matter who one might, or, might not be, it’s too frigging early for flabber, or gasting, anyway, I don’t care what anybody says. Moreover, I think it’s probably illegal in this state. What state? The state of Confusion, naturally…. I’m afraid it must be time to go roast that chicken. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, provided I can find a small piece of my sanity somewhere; I had it right here when I went to bed….

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

dozer3


À bientôt, mon cherí….


					

Buffed up laces with worn out traces….

Ffolkes,

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

~~ Smart Bee ~~

Alaska Grand Adventure 091

Dancing Ferryboats, Victoria Harbor, B.C.


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

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

Shall we Pearl?….

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

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


Lord of the Rings

Gandalf & Shadowfax arrive at Helm’s Deep


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


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

The Lord of the Rings
Animated Version

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

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

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


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

13923408614402

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

~~ Paul Simon ~~


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Comedy_Tragedy

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

A Few Words of Note

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

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

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

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

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

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

~~ gigoid ~~


Written 7/19/2014.

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


About Hopi Indian Symbols

“I think I am. That’s close enough.”

~~ Peruaosophy, axiom #1 ~~


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch

dozer3


À bientôt, mon cherí….