And another one bites the dust….

Posted on December 31, 2014 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

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

~~ Smart Bee ~~

From the London Daily Telegraph Animal Pictures of the Week 12/28/2014

The quote adorning the first line, above the most excellent picture, is a familiar idea around here; that may be why, whenever I come across it, I am also reminded of another fine statement, to which I also strongly subscribe, to wit:

“There comes a time in every man’s life when it becomes necessary to just roll up his sleeves, spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and start slitting throats.” — H. L. Mencken

Just gets me, right here (*somber expression, with hand over heart*), every time…. The picture you see, by the way, was NOT posed, reportedly…. An average guy was taking pictures in the forest back of his home (in France? I think it was France…. must have been an escaped snail….) when he noticed the frog and snail toddling along, in whatever form of interaction they may have been pursuing….. Makes one wonder what that interaction might be, doesn’t it?… Well, it does this one…. I suppose that makes me a strange one, but, if so, so be it….

Beautiful frog, isn’t it? It doesn’t seem to be in any hurry, does it?….

I thought I’d end the year on a high note…. and, no, that doesn’t mean I’m any higher than usual. Boy, tell people a secret, and ya never hear the last of it…. No, actually, I meant I was going to actually write an intro section that made sense, well-thought out and constructed, and perfectly led the way into the day’s post…. Of course, that idea is now kaput; frogs & snails will do that…. I’m not sure just how I do it, but, somehow these never seem to quite come out the way I start them….

I go off into tangents, maybe? I suppose if I knew, it wouldn’t happen, would it? Probably not, but, then, that assumes I have some sort of clue, which is patently uncertain, if not outright untrue…. Maybe it’s like my friend suggested, and I’m addicted to parenthetical remarks…. I do love my commas, semi-colons, three-and-four dot pauses, and parentheses….

Who knows? Maybe there is a purpose in all this meandering around…. Nah…. If I thought that, I’d shoot myself. No, I’d rather it be just what it is… a bad habit of spending too much time in my head, then giving myself the chance to put that stuff out for everyone to see, all without any clear idea of what it will do, or mean, or anything…. I’m just throwing it out there, and seeing what sticks, so to speak…. Plus, it gets all this crap out of my head, which helps me no end, so, y’all will just have to put up with it, no matter how silly it gets….

Well, no, actually you don’t, but, I hope you will… Some of it, at least, is worth reading, or listening to, or watching…. Plus, I guarantee, a LOT of it is worth thinking about…. and, I don’t even care, or assume, or put any pressure on anyone to do anything with what they think…. only that they do…. Or, if not think, at least laugh…. even if they don’t get it….

Of course, if I can help anyone see the light, or even point the way to the road they need to be on, I’ll feel okay with it…. If nothing else, it keeps me off the streets, which, given the way I feel these days, about people in general, and the world at large, is probably a good thing….

Enough blather….

Shall we Pearl?

“I’m a belligerent omnivore – I eat vegetarians.” — Smart Bee

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“Music is, perhaps, the most powerful form of social influence in society, when it lives up to its promise, and is used to promote change.” — gigoid

Okay, so, this will pull some covers, but, I no longer care…. Whenever I hear this song, I weep…. I can’t seem to help it….. The song was such a big part of my musical education, as well as one of the most powerful songs of the “revolution” that my generation underwent during the 60’s, that period of American history when the emerging importance of the income gap was first highlighted by the studentsn and young people of the nation, with protests taking place against almost every facet of our sick society, molding the political future of the nation in ways that are still being felt…..

This song, for me, brings back all of it…. the hope, the anguish, the sense of purpose, and the sheer hedonistic pleasure of being able to listen to such brilliant geniuses take rock music to new heights, while at the same time, bringing the message of love, and peace, to a world that sadly needed it…

I’m not sure, but, in the cut I chose, there are a number of other famous rock musicians playing along with George & Eric…. One of them, I believe, was Elton John, on the piano…. Another great cut of the same song can be found when this one ends…. when Eric played it at the Concert for George, giving his ALL to the song…. amazing guitar work….

Any who, here is George, before his passing, at the height of his musical talent, in one of our songs of revolution, the one that makes me weep….. just as I am now…. Enjoy, ffolkes…. rock music never got any better than this….

George Harrison and Eric Clapton – While my guitar gently weeps (HQ)

http://youtu.be/oDs2Bkq6UU4

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“The truth has never been of any real value to any human being- it is a symbol for mathematicians and philosophers to pursue. In human relations kindness and lies are worth a thousand truths.” — Graham Greene

I hate that this is true…. We humans are a perverse species, are we not? This next pearl strikes me the same way, with regret for its validity…

“You may either win your peace or buy it; win it by resistance to evil; buy it by compromise with evil.” — John Ruskin (1819-1900)

Damn, Sam, this is also true! Why? How have we come to this? Yes, I know asking why isn’t always productive, but, it really does bother me…. In this country, sadly, it is easy to see the how and why of it; for example….

“You need only reflect that one of the best ways to get yourself a reputation as a dangerous citizen these days is to go about repeating the very phrases which our founding fathers used in their struggle for independence.” — Charles Austin Beard, American Historian, 1874-1948

Sterling truth, as is patently obvious, merely by looking at some of the documents released by the NSA, more than one of which make it clear they use those patriotic phrases as key search elements in their paranoid quest to find ‘domestic terrorists’…. Just read them, I’m not making it up… well, read what little they’ve released; there is still a great deal more information on us they have NOT told us about, nor will they ever do so, if we allow it….

Okay, here, read this…. It has both good news, and bad news….

http://techcrunch.com/2014/12/29/latest-snowden-revelations-expose-scope-of-nsa-interceptions/

“Do not be afraid of enemies; the worst they can do is to kill you. Do not be afraid of friends; the worst they can do is betray you. Be afraid of the indifferent; they do not kill or betray. Yet only because of their silent agreement, betrayal and murder exist on earth.” — Bruno Yasienski, contemporary Soviet novelist

I only speak the truth when I say it is indifference at play here, as well…. The NSA, and the people who support their work, are completely indifferent to any of the principles upon which our country was founded, and is supposed to be run. Add to that the incredibly MASSIVE indifference of the average citizen, who cares little about anything beyond their next meal, composed of the processed, fatty almost-foods that are killing them…. but, not before they use a great deal of their time and resources to pay for the medical care to keep them alive longer, living in ignorance and fear…..

Whew! I didn’t know that was in there…. I typed so long it hurts…. If you couldn’t tell, I am just a little bit annoyed with our government, and the assholes who partake in its thievery from the citizens who trust them, and, most especially, with those parts of it which actively wage war against the very people they are sworn to defend…. The problem lies in their belief that “defending” us entitles them to invade our privacy, and make every part of our lives their business…. which, is , of course, illegal, immoral, unethical, and just plain wrong, from any virtuous viewpoint one may assume…..

I’ll say this once, and mean it…. No matter what anyone tells you, or wants you to believe, ffolkes,

THE END DOES NOT JUSTIFY THE MEANS!

Let me say that again, just in case anyone didn’t hear me when I shouted….

THE END DOES NOT JUSTIFY THE MEANS.

It really is that simple, ffolkes, and I wish more people would realize it…. But, they won’t, because there’s no money in it, and that’s all most of them care about…. It may appear as if they’re talking about your rights, and, they are, in terms of how they are going to take them away…. but, the bottom line, for almost every person of a political persuasion, is how much power, money, and control over others they can seize for their own…. That is the whole sum and extent of their concern, and anything they say otherwise is a bald-faced lie…. count on it….

I’ve ranted enough for one day…. and, I’ve made my point, I believe…. Now, it’s up to the rest of y’all, to decide how long we will allow this to be done to us, and whether or not we are going to take our rights back from those who would abrogate them… Plus, I’ve got more to do today, and this won’t get it done…. Let’s go read a poem, shall we?…. Well, naturally, AFTER an appropriate pearl….

“Never refuse to do a kindness unless the act would work great injury to yourself, and never refuse to take a drink- under any circumstances.” — Mark Twain

Oops, wait, that wasn’t the one I wanted…. Right, here it is…. I will say, there isn’t anything wrong about Mark’s observation… it just doesn’t fit the rant very well…. though there IS a slight connection, if one looks closely…. Never mind, here, this is a much better ending to this particular section, I think…. Accurate, anyway, if anyone cares to buy into the God idea….

“God is a comedian playing to an audience too afraid to laugh.” — Voltaire

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Today’s poem is one I wrote as a way of showing, not the solution to the above, but, a way to deal with its effect on us….. Enjoy!…

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 ~~

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This is one fucking amaaaazing pearl…. It was put together during a bout last night with some rather severe arthritis pain, served up with a side dish of dyskinesia, providing me with several hours of riveting entertainment….. I think, in retrospect, I’d much rather skip the show next time…. The amazing part is that I kept sitting for a moment as I paced around the house, limping and moaning, to hit the keys to go through SB for quotes, just to distract myself….. The following seven-star pearl came up, piece by piece, and damn if it didn’t end up making a point, or more accurately, a statement of belief, that is a big, big part of what I am all about…. Totally cool…

“He who endeavors to serve, to benefit, and improve the world, is like a swimmer, who struggles against a rapid current, in a river lashed into angry waves by the winds. Often they roar over his head, often they beat him back and baffle him. Most men yield to the stress of the current… Only here and there the stout, strong heart and vigorous arms struggle on toward ultimate success.” — Albert Pike (1809-1891)

“If an expert does not have some problem to vex him, he is unhappy! If a philosopher’s teaching is never attacked, he pines away! If critics have no one on whom to exercise their spite, they are unhappy. All such men are prisoners in the world of objects.” — Chuang Tzu, “The Way of Chuang Tzu” Thomas Merton, transl.

“The belief that words have a meaning of their own account is a relic of primitive word magic, and it is still a part of the air we breathe in nearly every discussion.” — Charles K. Ogden, The Meaning of Meaning

“A good word is an easy obligation, but not to speak ill, requires only our silence, which costs us nothing.” — Tillotson

“The great question of life is not the question of death but the question of life. Fear of death shames us all.” — Edward Abbey

“For my part, I had rather be the first man among these fellows than the second man in Rome.” — Plutarch (46-120 AD) — Life of Caesar

“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

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This Pearl is a testament to my own degree of dedication…. or, some would say, obsession, to get this stuff out of my head, despite everything I, and the universe, can do to stop me…. The greatest portion of YESTERDAY (it appears that way in my memory now…. that’s how bad it was….) was spent in SHEER MISERY. I was attacked, all at once, by severe arthritic pain, a side dish of dyskinesia, thanks to my ongoing battle with my HMO, and, the concomitant aggravation of reacting to all of that stress with emotional outbursts, disconnected to anything going on physically…. What a mess I was!….

But, it’s done, though I could not say exactly HOW that happened…. So be it….. I’m going to press my luck now, and post it, so, I guess I’ll see y’all tomorrow, given half a chance…. See ya, ffolkes…. and watch out for Big Brother….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Supplicants in front, mendicants to the rear….

Posted on December 18, 2014 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Intellect annuls fate. So far as a man thinks, he is free.”

~~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~~

Colliding Galaxies, picture taken by NASA’s Chandra Deep Space Telescope

It’s no use. Nothing is going to help this morning; that much is already clear. Not the opening quote, nor the most excellent photo, illustrating the sheer size of our Universe, nor any of the weird, silly, and/or just plain odd thoughts running around in my head will serve to open up today’s post…. None of it is stimulating anything in my head other than reluctance, both to start, and to make a decision about WHERE to start…. It can make a huge difference in where we end up, obviously, so I do like to at least have some input….

Today, however. it isn’t going to work, not the way it usually works, anyway. Since I have no alternative opening ready to use, we may end up wandering around, listening to me panic, until we’ve managed to fill in enough to satisfy the monitors (whoever they are….). We could also try something new, and dangerous…. what do you think? Want to try it? The danger isn’t as much as we face any other day; it’s just more specific to the section than is normal, due to the strange laws concerning such matters, none of which are on the books, or even published…. They’re the unwritten laws that control all writers, which, if they knew of them, would doubtless drive them even crazier than they are….

Of course, that, too, is merely another figment, drawn from the depths of my insecurity, just so I could fill in a few more lines, thus, getting us further down the page…. Did they work? No? Ah, shit….

“I find myself beside a stream of empty thought.” — Smart Bee

Well, that sinks it…. Now, of course, I’m gonna have to step in, and settle this for once and all, or we could be stuck here for days…. Since the usual methods haven’t worked at all, I’m going to apply the ruthlessness which has saved us so many times already…. It’s amazing what tossing out the bullshit can do for one’s decision making abilities…. It sure is easy to make a decision when one only considers ONE set of expectations, i.e., one’s own…. It’s amazing how much more gets done…. Here, watch, it works like this….

Shall we Pearl?

“He that respects himself if safe from others; He wears a coat of mail that none can pierce.” — Henry Wordsworth Longfellow

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For some reason, when I went to find a video, I thought of this show, from my childhood; it was one of my favorites… How could it not be? Space flight, magic, and Barbara Eden, a young man’s fantasy woman…. all hit my interests right on the money…. When I went to look for episodes to watch, I was delighted to find an entire page with several seasons’ worth of shows to watch…. Yay! I know where I’ll be wasting my time for a few days….

I Dream of Jeannie Season 2 Episode 1-2

http://youtu.be/HDA3r9O_XYM

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Here is one from the archives, which fits in with some of our recent discussions quite nicely…. (I’m still saving my hands, a very good excuse to be lazy, I find…)….

From 12/12/12:

“He who proselytizes in the cause of unbelief is basically a man in need of belief.” — Eric Hoffer

This is true…. you never see an atheist going door to door, trying to convert the pious to their unbeliefs. However, I would go further on this train of thought, and add that, “He who proselytizes, in any cause, in basically a man in need of a life.” I’m sure it occurred to Mr. Hoffer, but he was too busy trying to explain this statement to somebody who didn’t understand the word ‘proselytize’…..

For my own case, I have never, ever understood why people feel compelled to go door to door to try to get other people to believe what they believe; it’s one of the most persistent delusional systems I’ve ever witnessed, to believe that anyone wants to hear what they have to say, much less they will find their beliefs palatable to others, or find anyone who believes them to be superior to their own…..

“More people would learn from their mistakes if they weren’t so busy denying they made them.” — Smart Bee

Humans seem to have an immense blind spot when it comes to their own actions and beliefs. Most of them never seem to question the things they are told, even when those things are presented with no evidence other than faith. Of course, the people who are invested in the religious system, to wit: the preachers, begin their indoctrination when their constituents are very young, when they are still prone to accept whatever an adult says as truth.

This ensures a life-long predilection for being simple to control…. or, in short, mental slavery, if you will. Unless there is some sort of rebellion of spirit, where new knowledge is injected, these poor saps will spend their entire lives believing that what they have been told is real, when, in fact, they are fitting themselves with shackles, that will forever imprison their minds, and their imagination…..

“To defend one’s self against fear is simply to insure that one will, one day, be conquered by it; fears must be faced.” — James Baldwin

In my life-long quest for the truth, I’ve come to believe that religions, while originally intended to benefit people, (by their iconic progenitors, anyway…. I’m sure Jesus was a quite nice man, and wanted the best for those to whom he preached his own philosophy of compassion….), have historically been taken over by the predators who live to control others.

To be fair, some of those who become priests, or any of the other varieties of religious fanatic that prevail in our society, may indeed believe that their beliefs are true, and act accordingly, but the majority are, as far as I can tell, only concerned with maintaining status quo, thereby benefiting themselves, while never actually allowing any REAL progress in the development of the human condition. They would have society behave as if we were still living in caves, in essence, still cowering in our meager shelter while the storms and lightning are raging outside, terrified of the power of what we do not understand, and, therefore, allow ourselves to fear….

“A universe of death, which God by curse
Created evil, for evil only good;
Where all life dies, death lives,
and Nature breeds Perverse,
all monstrous, all prodigious things,
Abominable, unutterable and worse
Than fables yet have feigned, or fear conceived,
Gorgons, and Hydras, and Chimeras dire.”

~~ Milton, Paradise Lost, Book II ~~

(Side note: I’ll bet Milton had a hard time sleeping….)

The Universe is a big place, and there is a lot to learn. Fearing that knowledge, or fearing what changes that knowing will always bring, is the act of a coward, to my mind, and should not be encouraged. Supernatural beings of unlimited power are not a required component to the understanding of Nature and the Universe; we need not fear that our lack of knowledge of how things work is unattainable. Just because we do not understand a part of reality does not mean that whatever it is, is beyond our understanding.

It is not necessary to ask for exemptions, or intervention by our own personal gods, for us to achieve happiness, or even contentment; that is completely within our own power, if we but acknowledge that part of us that is free, and connected to everything else we can perceive. The connections may not be fully understood, but they are there, and if we can only learn to recognize it, the power to change reality lies within us, all the time…. As Epictetus said, “Happiness lies in learning to accept a simple truth. There are some things you can change. And there are some things you cannot.” It’s really quite that easy, you know, once one learns to accept this fact of life…. No dogma required…..

“If brains were outlawed, nothing would change.” — Smart Bee

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Today, you are getting one of my poems, simply because I’m too lazy to go find someone else’s…. So be it…. Here is one I haven’t used for a while, first created on a Friday in 2013…

A Dubiously Soft Morning

Idiosyncratic images, clamoring for regard,
fill up the white, white screen on which I view
my life, never seeing, nor invited to sup
ambrosial remnants of anything new.

Still, yet almost in motion, allegory sails away
bobbing gently, quick and easy to find,
signs of one happy child, seriously at play,
blissfully immersed, focused joy in mind.

Formidable cries of outraged simple justice
echo plaintive relevance, in half the time.
Maladaptive infants, destined for hospice
salvage an only child, daring to sing in rhyme.

Creativity equals unquestioning farce,
often reaching for absurdity, brazenly afire.
Instead, a blow is felt that no joy will soften,
accepting the price, added to the cost of desire.

~~ gigoid ~~

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Whew! It’s a good thing I got up early today; today’s final pearl may be in the top five, on the list of pearls that took the longest time to complete…. Smart Bee appears to be in a mood… Ah well, all’s well that ends well, as we all know…. quite well… This one SEEMS abstruse, but, once you’ve finished it, you’ll see it really isn’t…. In fact, it’s quite transparent, in many respects…. Enjoy!….

“Reason is not measured by size or height, but by principle.” — Epictetus (c. 60 AD) — Discourses, Book i, Chap. xii

“Every man is guilty of all the good he didn’t do.” — Voltaire

“Everywhere the human soul stands between a hemisphere of light and another of darkness; on the confines of two everlasting hostile empires, Necessity and Freewill.” — Carlyle (1795-1881)

“The miser is as much in want of that which he has, as of that which he has not.” — Publius Syrus

“Depend not on fortune, but on conduct.” — Publius Syrus

“Cato requested old men not to add the disgrace of wickedness to old age, which was accompanied with many other evils.” — Plutarch (46-120 AD) — Roman Apophthegms, Cato the Elder

From ignorance our comfort flows.
The only wretched are the wise.

~~ Matthew Prior (1664-1721) ~~

~~ To the Hon. Charles Montague ~~

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I know, already, without having gone back over this yet, it will be okay…. It may not ever be considered as one of the best Pearls ever, but, it will definitely do for our purposes today…. Hell, a lot of it is even fresh…. or, what passes for fresh these days…. Regardless of all my rationalizations and/or excuses, it’s done…. As I’ve been reduced to saying already today…. So be it…. gigoid has spoken…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes…. most likely….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Concrete oatmeal & hockey puck biscuits…. Yum!

Posted on December 14, 2014 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Life without the courage for death is slavery.”

~~ Seneca ~~

There is a nice back story to this picture of a bear in a tree, which came from the London Daily Telegraph feature last week, the Animal Pictures of the Week…. This four year old female brown bear (don’t ask me how they know….) was observed to climb this tree, all the way to the top, where, after distributing its weight to sit comfortably, it proceeded to sit in the sun, enjoying the magnificent views of the valley in the warm sun, for about four hours before climbing down to amble off…. Just an afternoon off from whatever bears do, I guess…. She does look rather content and peaceful, doesn’t she?…. It was rather nice to see something in the news that didn’t end up depressing me….

That does, however present us with a conundrum, to wit: now what? Having spoken to the picture, it’s too late to chime in with a bit on the quote from one of our favorite ancient sages, even if it went with the picture’s theme…. which it doesn’t, somehow…. I suppose there is some slight degree of similarity in the two, which COULD be exploited to create a bit more discussion, but, what would be the point, when I’ve already said it’s beyond the pale? That’s what I get for opening my trap so quickly, I guess…. There are still some things to learn about this business, I’d say….

Of course, I only need to learn them for MY benefit; I don’t imagine y’all care one way or the other…. Hell, I can barely get y’all to comment any more; too much material I suppose, with too many quiet questions in them to pick from…. I suppose it would also help to have a few more readers come by to take in what I’ve written, but, I’m not going to get my hopes up on that event ever happening; I don’t put any effort into increasing readership, with good reason…. I’m lazy, and I’m lazy…. Oh, and did I mention, I’m lazy?….

Not really; I used to be lazy, but then I discovered the power of metaphor, and I got even lazier…. Now, I work at it assiduously, with high hopes of qualifying for the national tournament next year, in Madison Square Garden, the big one held each spring, after the winter’s beard contest, whose entrant contestants are picked from the previous year’s finalists, has been completed…. It doesn’t always take place; some years they’re too lazy to get it done…. These folks are serious about their work, I tell you….

But, now that I’m retired, I’ve got all this time to practice, so, I know I can make a good run at the top spot this year; I’ve been aided by my recent pain levels, which have helped me to NOT do much, a firm prerequisite for any serious competitor in this field of non-endeavor. Nobody is going to look twice at someone who has a job, or any such regular form of activity of any variety…. It’s just too much work…. Hah! I guess that’s the whole point, isn’t it? Yep, ’tis, indeed….

On that note, we’ve definitely slipped out of reality, and into fantasy, which means we don’t have to pay any further attention to any of the rules of engagement…. and, we can leave the intro with no further nonsense needed…. Besides, I don’t know about y’all, but, I’ve had just about enough of this silliness…. In fact, more than….

Shall we Pearl?

“Don’t try to have the last word. You might get it.” — Lazarus Long

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Today’s video is another blast from the past…. In this particular case, it’s a blast from MY past…. I was AT this concert, and, if y’all watch closely, you could see me wandering around the stadium, dressed in a tuxedo without a jacket, to go with my wife, who dressed in gold lame with a glittering gold wig…. Just getting into the spirit of the night’s events, don’t y’know?….. Enjoy, ffolkes, I did…. for sure….

Grateful Dead Oakland Stadium 7 24 87 View from the Vault 4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFpSbAzhgdg

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“Since the whole affair had become one of religion, the vanquished were of course exterminated.” — Voltaire

“Philosophy is questions that may never be answered. Religion is answers that may never be questioned.” — Smart Bee

“Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities.” — Voltaire

It has been a good long while since I ranted about religion…. It’s a big subject (which is why it takes three pearls to start us off….), which makes for big rants…. However, I try not to let them get away without at least a mention at least some of the time, especially when I’m talking about the BRC and the other Asininnies, with whom the major churches work hand in hand to keep mankind from ever reaching its true potential…. Yes, indeed, I DO see the established religions of the world as villains, though many of them are no more than unwitting fools, just more victims of their delusional belief system….. But, many more of them are just manipulative sociopaths, much like their counterparts, who infest, er, inhabit the political world….

Consider, if you will, preachers/priests/imams/rabbis, or other religious leaders, whom I tend to lump together in a group I call the Dogma Dogs, and politicians, whom I call Fools, (or, sometimes, Assholes….) of all varieties, whether elected, monarchical, tyrannical, or whatever…. These two seemingly separate, yet symbiotic groups, each of which is comprised in the main by sociopathic con artists, have been working hand in hand, quite efficiently, for millennia…. Each uses similar methods to work toward their ends, but, ultimately, their will is enforced, on the one hand, supposedly, by a distant, impartial, but all-powerful supernatural being, and, on the other hand, by their faceless police and military myrmidons, all for one simple purpose…..

That singular, shared purpose, is to maintain the status quo in re: power and control over the money, the resources, and thus, the majority of mankind, with themselves at the top of the societal heap…. The control these silent, faceless despots hold over the whole of mankind would never have lasted so long, without the help they receive from the religious brainwashing by the different churches, which is first applied to ALL the babies they can get to, an event generally occurring before people have the mental defenses to resist, or avoid it…. This mostly system of passing on an entire set of delusions to each new generation, without ever examining it for its relevance to reality, is a large part of the reason the aforementioned societal control has been in place for so many centuries, without most people ever being aware of it….

How can these people be aware of any of the truth of their beliefs? They have been told since they were small, by the people they most trusted to tell them the truth, that this supernatural being (over which they have NO influence beyond their mandatory worship, submission, and good behavior…. i.e, obedience to custom….), has decreed them to be part of the elite of the real world, thereby guaranteed to live forever, together with those others of our kind, in the world that comes after this one….

Of course, none of these claims, of immortality, of divine intervention, or, any of the other claims made, is provable by any physical means, but, these folks believe it, and pass it on to their kids, thus preparing them for the lifetime of mind control, and submission to both divine and temporal authority, just the state of mind the ruling class prefers them to have…. It makes things SO much easier for them, when the entire populace is trained to believe anyone in a position of authority….without question….

And yet, a few people manage to see through the early years of foggy thinking…. In fact, here’s one of them now….

“Whenever we read the obscene stories, the voluptuous debaucheries, the cruel and torturous executions, the unrelenting vindictiveness, with which more than half the bible is filled, it would seem more consistent that we called it the word of a demon than the Word of God. It is a history of wickedness that has served to corrupt and brutalize mankind.” — Thomas Paine — The Age of Reason

Even amongst themselves, the proponents of SOME religions, (not all, but, most..), get just a little carried away in the defense of their own particular interpretation of holy writings…. most of which are deemed holy because everybody has always said they’re holy…. That’s it…. that’s the best reason any of them will give me… Go figure…. Some of them get so carried away, I’m required by insurance law to mention that the following is a joke, but, only because I say it’s a joke….

“My god can beat up your god!” — Smart Bee

Well, okay, so it wasn’t me at all…. SB is obviously making a point, not a joke, about all the different Christian (Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist, etc.) sects, each of which seems to feel they worship a different God than all the others…. At least, that’s the way they act to each other all the time…. All of them, even when pressed to answer plain, visible evidence to the contrary, maintain their own vision over everyone else’s, even those, no, especially those, who profess not to believe any of it…. For example….

“Why, when no honest man will deny in private that every ultimate problem is wrapped in the profoundest mystery, do honest men proclaim in pulpits that unhesitating certainty is the duty of the most foolish and ignorant? Is it not a spectacle to make the angels laugh?We are a company of ignorant beings, feeling our way through mists and darkness, learning only be incessantly repeated blunders, obtaining a glimmering of truth by falling into every conceivable error, dimly discerning light enough for our daily needs, but hopelessly differing whenever we attempt to describe the ultimate origin or end of our paths; and yet, when one of us ventures to declare that we don’t know the map of the universe as well as the map of our infinitesimal parish, he is hooted, reviled, and perhaps told that he will be damned to all eternity for his faithlessness…” — Leslie Stephen (1832-1904), “An agnostic’s Apology”, — Fortnightly Review, 1876

Rants about religion can get away from me; trust me, I’ve got priors…. Since I’ve already gone well past my comfort zone to accomplish this much, I’ll leave it here, sans any firm conclusions, or, for that matter, any real answers to the problems implied…. I don’t know the answers, anyway…. How does one go about changing human nature, which seems to be willing to allow this sort of degrading behavior without the blink of an outraged eye…. Ah well, all I can do is keep my own counsel, and avoid all the crap that tends to splash around whenever these idiots are spewing their bile…. Oh, and, I can rant every once in a while, if only to give myself some relief from having to watch this sad story unfold…. I think we’ll move on, after one appropriate pearl to seal the deal…..

Here we go…. Here is an alternate version of the first chapter of Genesis, which makes as much sense as the one currently in vogue throughout the Christian world….

In the beginning, God created the Earth and he said, “Let there be mud.”
And there was mud.
And God said, “Let Us make living creatures out of mud,
so the mud can see what we have done.”
And God created every living creature that now moveth,
and one was man.
Mud-as-man alone could speak.
“What is the purpose of all this?” man asked politely.
“Everything must have a purpose?” asked God.
“Certainly,” said man.
“Then I leave it to you to think of one for all of this,” said God.
And He went away.

~~ Kurt Vonnegut, Between Time and Timbuktu ~~

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

Since today’s rant is on the perils of religion, here is a poem that fits right in with the theme….

Rejection

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

~~ gigoid ~~

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

LAW, n.

Once Law was sitting on the bench,
And Mercy knelt a-weeping.
“Clear out!” he cried, “disordered wench!
Nor come before me creeping.
Upon your knees if you appear,
‘Tis plain your have no standing here.”

Then Justice came. His Honor cried:
“_Your_ status?–devil seize you!”
“_Amica curiae,_” she replied–
“Friend of the court, so please you.”
“Begone!” he shouted–“there’s the door–
I never saw your face before!”

G.J.

~~ Ambrose Bierce, The Devil’s Dictionary ~~

All of us, I think, have our favorite lawyer joke. Mine has always been the one that goes,

“Q: How do you tell the difference between a dead snake, and a dead lawyer on the road? A: There are skid marks leading up to the snake….”

There is good reason for all those jokes, you know; you see, they’re NOT jokes…. They’re all true…. Don’t believe me? Let’s ask Smart Bee to see what it can find on the subject….

“Cato instigated the magistrates to punish all offenders, saying that they that did not prevent crimes when they might, encouraged them.” — Plutarch (46-120 AD) — Roman Apophthegms, Cato the Elder

Hmm… No, no SB… the OTHER direction…. sheesh…

“Lawyer: only person in whom ignorance of the law is not punished.” — Smart Bee

Okay, right you are…. Now, THAT’s better… Okay, the rest, please… and, no worries as to the #; we’ve got time….

“One lawyer can steal more than a hundred men with guns.” — The Godfather

“It could probably be shown by facts and figures that there is no distinctly native American criminal class except Congress.” — Mark Twain Following the Equator (1897)

Half, or more, of Congress, of course, is composed of lawyers; the other half never acts without consulting one of their own…. Most of the rest of them work in the Judicial Branch of the federal government….

“We could do that, but it would be wrong, that’s for sure.” — from the best-loved quotes of Richard Milhouse Nixon (Yes, he was…. Duke University School of Law, 1937)

“If it weren’t for lawyers we wouldn’t need lawyers.” — Smart Bee

LAWYER, n. One skilled in circumvention of the law. — Ambrose Bierce, The Devil’s Dictionary

— How many lawyers does it take to change a light bulb? — None, he’ll have the paralegal do it. But, you’ll get the following bill:

Item                            Light bulb
Charge                           $2185
(Itemization of bill charges)
Lawyer’s time (1 hr. minimum) $ 400
Connectivity charge            $ 100
Staff charge                   $ 250
Secretary prepared bill        $   2
Research fee                   $ 422
Consulting fee                 $ 431
Paralegal processing fees      $ 25
Specialized equipment          $ 122
Bought bulb                    $   5
Overnight express delivery     $ 34
Rule 453.957(B)(1) charge      $ 394

The thing that has always bothered me the most, about lawyers at large, is this; they CHOOSE the kind of lawyer to be, remember…. 99% of them turn out to be corrupt, at least partially because of what Mark observed in human nature, (and, our final pearl for today), when he noted, to wit:

“A man cannot be comfortable without his own approval.” — Mark Twain

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

Given the state of my hands today, it’s a good thing this went swiftly…. It also helped that much of it was done yesterday, between bouts of agony…. Ah yes, cheating… the American way…. It’s now 0435, and, once again, I’m done…. Now, I get to wait for the rest of the world to wake up, so I can sit around and watch it sink a little further into insanity’s fatal dream…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, if Fate is kind….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Numerous system monitors attended in mufti….

Posted on December 6, 2014 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“A wise player ought to accept his throws and score them, not bewail his luck.”

~~ Sophocles (496-406 BC) ~~ Phaedra, Frag. 862 ~~

For the last 10 days or so, we’ve had some weather here in NorCal, mostly of the rainy variety. While the resultant water levels in our reservoirs, miniscule though they may be, are welcome, it’s been something of an ordeal for me, as I have reached a stage in my life where all those old wives tales, and cultural truisms about aging are coming home to roost, right here in my own skeleton. We hear all our lives how old ffolkes can predict the weather, due to feeling pain in the joints prior to any changes…. I’ve always assumed it was a myth, but, since my own joints have started to complain whenever the weather gets wet, I can see how it may eventually become precognitive….

While it may be convenient to know when rain is coming, I can’t see why we have to use pain as our gauge….. but, then, nobody asked me, did they? Nope…. In fact, I’d wager NONE of us got asked; it’s just the way it is, and we can like it, or lump it…. Me, I’m trying to figure out how to either ignore it (the pain), or bury it in an avalanche of heavy drugs; the former is better for my liver, but the latter is more efficient in dealing with the pain…. so, I’ll take the risk… At this end of my life, it seems like a better deal, as my days are numbered, anyway…. I’d rather be comfortable, which, I’ll admit, is awfully human of me….

But, though that is a perfect lead-in for a rant on human nature, I’m not in the mood to rant…. It does happen, even though it still may force its way into the forefront of my consciousness, should any stimulus catch my attention, such as a random headline about the BRC, or another of our current crop of Asininnies…. There are a lot of opportunities just now for obtaining rantable material; the issues now in the public eye are perfect examples, to wit: the recent spate of injustices by police and grand juries, or the immigration mess going on in Congress…. But, none of it inspires me today; I’m still recovering from the last ten days of misery and drug-induced mental fog, I suppose; even my emotional responses are blunted right now, due to energy levels at rock bottom….

Due to the pain I’ve had, I’ve been filling in parts of these Pearls whenever I can, at times when my hands are more flexible, without the constant ache…. So, they seem a bit choppy to me, even though the finished product may not reflect that. S’okay, though, as I don’t believe it has caused much of an actual loss of quality; that has already been determined to be little affected by whatever method I choose…. probably something to do with the overall averages, which don’t seem to reflect all the methodology differences. Whatever it is. it works for me, especially since the process of describing the issues has brought us to the jumping off point, once again without our cooperation, or our notice….

I’m going to take advantage of that, right here, right now…. As you may have guessed, for y’all, that means just one thing, to wit: it’s time for y’all to tighten up those belts, put down your adult beverages, and hang on, because we’re goin’ in hot and hard…. Well, perhaps not so hot, but, hard, for sure…. We’ll be okay; we just upgraded the bumpers…. See how shiny they are now?…..

Shall we Pearl?

“If you are patient in a moment of anger, you will escape a hundred days of sorrow.” — Chinese Proverb

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

Here is a classic Sherlock tale, A Scandal in Bohemia… In this episode, Holmes comes up against the only woman, in his eyes, who ever bested him in a case, the beautiful Irene Adler…. These You Tube versions of the old BBC shows are, in my mind, excellent interludes of pure entertainment, made even more enjoyable for the lack of commercials…. Enjoy….

The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes – S01E01 – A Scandal In Bohemia

http://youtu.be/ou_CarzFiEM

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

“It’s even worse than you think…..” — Smart Bee

Here is a virgin rant…. This is one of my earliest rants against the system, as it exists in today’s world. It shows some of my more egregious writing style errors, some of which I’ve cleaned up to reflect what I’ve learned in the interim…. All the points listed herein are still valid, even though my own situation, as described at the end, has improved vastly, since I fully retired on SS disability…. Today’s rants, much more specific in terms of targeted categories, were built on the same angst as this one; now, they are simply more effective at indicting the responsible parties…. Constant practice makes for constant improvement, eh?…. Well, one may hope….

From 6/7/2012:

“Our days are happier when we give people a bit of our heart rather than a piece of our mind.” — Smart Bee

I think this is obvious to the point of becoming natural law. It’s a very close insight into human nature, and I don’t know about y’all, but it sure is true for me. Today is a perfect example of this….

I feel trapped a lot of the time. Hemmed in by the very society who is supposedly there to support me in my efforts to pursue my life’s goals and aspirations. Of course, anybody over the age of 10 realizes any support from society most often resembles a slap to the head, but, the point is, society’s purpose for existing is to aid it’s citizens in maximizing their experiences, for their own benefit, which, in the process, benefits society. I mean, that is what its purpose is MEANT to be; I don’t think it would be very beneficial to continue, if this isn’t the case. Society is supposed to work in such a way that all of its members have an equal chance to succeed in whatever they undertake in life… ostensibly, it’s sole reason for existing at all….

In reality, it doesn’t work that way, for the simple reason that some of the folks in the game have changed the rules; simply, they play by rules which suit themselves, and what they want. What they want is total control of everyone else…. They’re pretty good at it, too. For close to 8,000 years now, the beloved ruling class has set things up in our culture to favor themselves. They have lied, cheated, stolen, killed, repressed, oppressed, and generally acted in a manner that the rest of humanity considers immoral, unethical, and inhuman, at the core. They have done this right in front of our eyes. The rules and laws that are agreed to by all were written to favor those in power, not those who serve.

Though every church shouts out how moral and ethical it is, and spouts off about the virtue of faith and obedience, they do so not from spiritual surety, but from avarice and ambition. Though every government claims to have the welfare of the people as its purported goal, the only people who gain are those who are already wealthy. The rest go on welfare alright, but not the kind they should be able to expect….

And that is why it pisses me off so badly…. as humans, all we really want to do is be happy. It isn’t so much to ask. Most folks are happy when they have enough to eat, a place to sleep, and someone they love to be around. It soothes our nature to be able to share such feelings, hence the accuracy of the quote from Smart Bee above. We just feel better when we can share good feelings with others…. But, we are constantly blocked from doing so, by the society we live in.

In today’s culture, we are put in a situation where it takes all of our time and effort just to obtain the things we need; food, shelter, clothing. Gathering enough resources to ensure an ample supply of all three takes more than one person can make, thanks to the economic picture in a world where 1% of the population controls 99% of the money and resources. Unless one throws aside all of one’s humanity, becoming one of the ruthless ones, indifferent to the suffering of others, who inhabit the 1%, making enough to get by in today’s society just isn’t possible… I know, I’ve spent the last 55 years trying, and I’m a pretty talented guy….

Now, I don’t care about being rich. “If you want a life of trouble, fill your house with treasures…”, a Chinese proverb so old I don’t know who said it. But, I’ve believed it all my life; as a result, I’ve always worked only to get enough to live comfortably, and to provide stability and opportunities to succeed for my family. I’ve never given in to the urge to take advantage of others, or to cheat, or steal, or lie in order to get ahead; if I didn’t get ahead on merit, I stayed where I was.

It didn’t seem to matter much, anyway. The system is set up so that, at each step up the ladder of financial gain, the rules become more complicated, and are still set up to deny advancement. (I.E., as you make more money, they take more taxes…. In order to borrow money, you must already have money…. etc…) Lately, the government has been less creative in their lies as to why they are taking money from the average Joe….

In all three of the last raises I earned when I was still working, the extra money in my check was taken away by furloughs, a method of reducing my hours. Each time I expected to make a bit more, they would take away another day’s work, thus eliminating the advancement in pay…. The justification given was rationalization implying state employees made too much anyway, so, taking away their money was going to balance the budget… Funny how that didn’t work out that way….

Being retired from working has had two effects for me…. It gives me way too much time to be able to look at reality, to find the flaws and kinks causing all the friction and conflict in the world. Unfortunately, it has also made the task of obtaining the three necessary items for survival more difficult, by reducing my income drastically, to the poverty line, and at the same time, making it more physically difficult to accomplish what I need to do. SIGH…. Murphy is such an ASSHOLE!

Okay, I’m done. I could go on most of the day, but it’s starting to sound whiny to me. I’m not a victim. I will be alright, eventually. I will be more than alright. But, it pisses me off royally that I can’t spend more time sharing my heart with others, rather than sharing my thoughts…. My heart is much more fun to be around, mostly…. at least I’d like to think so. Now, if I can only get it to climb out of the hole of depression it has crawled into so much lately, perhaps I can find a way to cheer it up…. as long as Murphy will give me a breather now and again….

“Don’t ever become a pessimist, Ira; a pessimist is correct oftener than an optimist, but an optimist has more fun — and neither can stop the march of events.” — Robert Heinlein, Time Enough For Love

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

As many of y’all know by now, every once in a while, you’re going to see a poem, or two, by this lady…. I’ve decided more than enough time has passed since we saw her; therefore, to be as pompous as possible in two short lines, today’s choice is one of my favorites of hers…. It never fails to soothe my fevered brow….. and the pomposity soothes my sense of propriety, for whatever THAT’S worth….

A bird came down the walk:
He did not know I saw;
He bit an angle-worm in halves
And ate the fellow, raw.

And then he drank a dew
From a convenient grass,
And then hopped sidewise to the wall
To let a beetle pass.

He glanced with rapid eyes
That hurried all abroad,–
They looked like frightened beads, I thought;
He stirred his velvet head

Like one in danger; cautious,
I offered him a crumb,
And he unrolled his feathers
And rowed him softer home

Than oars divide the ocean,
Too silver for a seam,
Or butterflies, off banks of noon,
Leap, splashless, as they swim.

~~ Emily Dickinson ~~

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

Today’s final pearl is what Mary Poppins would term “PPIEW” (Practically perfect, etc….) Each one is a strong stand-alone pearl, while, together, they form a nearly perfect set of standards for anyone wishing to live an honorable life, based on reason and compassion…. Enjoy, ffolkes; even the format today will help to center your thoughts….

Virtue, dear friend, needs no defence,
The surest guard is innocence:
None knew, till guilt created fear,
What darts or poison’d arrows were.

~~ Horace (B.C. 65-8) ~~

“I don’t think it would have all got me down quite so much if just once in a while- just once in a while- there was at least some polite little perfunctory implication that knowledge should lead to wisdom, and that if it doesn’t, it’s just a disgusting waste of time.”

~~J.D. Salinger~~ Franny & Zooey ~~

“No matter how cynical you get, it’s impossible to keep up.”

~~Lily Tomlin~~

And bear unmov’d the wrongs of base mankind,
The last and hardest conquest of the mind.

~~ Alexander Pope (1688-1744) ~~The Odyssey of Homer, Book xiii, Line 353 ~~

“The only way to compel men to speak good of us is to do it.”

~~ Voltaire ~~

“It is your resistance to ‘what is’ that causes your suffering.”

~~ Buddha ~~

So live, that when thy summons comes to join
The innumerable caravan which moves
To that mysterious realm where each shall take
His chamber in the silent halls of death,
Thou go not, like the quarry-slave at night,
Scourged to his dungeon, but sustained and soothed
By an unfaltering trust, approach thy grave
Like one that wraps the drapery of his couch
About him, and lies down to pleasant dreams.

~~ William Cullen Bryant (1794-1878) ~~ Thanatopsis ~~

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

I’m not sure how it happened, but, this one came out fairly well, even without a fresh rant…. go figure…. Ah well, I’ve got enough time in at this job to be able to say, without fear of contradiction, it’s done, and that’s all there is to say about it…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes; I don’t think I’m up to pushing my luck any further….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Stereotyping promotes bigotry, it’s clear….

Posted on November 30, 2014 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Neither genius, fame, nor love show the greatness of the soul.

Only kindness can do that.”

~~ Jean Baptiste Henri Lacordaire ~~

Right on time, it seems, yet still clueless. It seems keeping to a strict schedule is no more consistent than being late, or early, for the purposes we attempt to address each morning. Of course, it would help, no doubt, had we any clue as to what KIND of consistency we need, or, for that matter, the purpose we are attempting to fulfill. There is that old saw, about “if you don’t don’t where you’re going, don’t worry, when you get there, you won’t know where you are, anyway”, or some such snarky, condescending bit of doggerel to tell us how much of an idiot we are.. Why is that? Ah well, I guess it makes people feel better to put someone else down for not knowing something basic….

Not that I care overmuch where we end up, as long as all the passengers arrive relatively safely; injury-free is good, too. The insurance guys love that. But, we aren’t always concerned with safety around here; it doesn’t go with the concept of thinking for oneself. Refusing to buy into the crap that most of the world is trying to feed us is a dangerous business; the BRC and the rest of the Asininnies really don’t like it when we do that. They spend a lot of time and money to make sure we’re all stupefied with the pressures of life, handicapped with so many issues to resolve daily we barely have the time to scratch an itch, much less spend a lot of time in wondering what might work better for us…. just the way they like it….

You will please note, at this point, I am stopping myself, deftly heading off what promises to be a rant of some proportion, in order to save the opening section from driving everyone off again…. I try to come out silly, or nonsensical, but, somehow, seem to fall right into ranting by the second paragraph in…. It’s frustrating, but, I think I’m starting to find the rhythm to keep it moving…. If I can just make this turn here, to send us closer to the path we’re supposed to be on by now, we should make it just fine…. Of course, it won’t be the same without Mickey, but, I’ll bet y’all hadn’t even missed him yet….

No, he didn’t get fired; who could fire a mouse of such a gentle nature…. No, Mickey sacrificed himself to a cause yesterday… It’s a long story, and actually, the details are gory enough, we’ll not be sharing them here this morning, lest we not only ruin breakfast, but, lunch, too…. Suffice it to say, Mickey, by allowing himself to be run through that threshing machine, saved the lives of millions of insects, not to mention the President of Disney World, and his entire entourage, who would otherwise have been wiped out completely…. Not bad for a rodent, eh?

Now, then, before anyone tumbles to the metaphor there, I’m going to make an executive decision, to take us out of here via the first available route…. which, as can be seen, is coming up just ahead…. It looks to be a fairly smooth exit this time, so, tightening your seat belts should be sufficient measure to comply with safety regs…. and, if not, well, just hang on to the arms of your seat, and you should be fine…. Hey, look at the bright side…. if anything DOES happen, you’ll be free to sue us down to our socks…. Bonus, right? Right….

Shall we Pearl?

“He who knows nothing, doubts nothing.” — Italian Proverb

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

When I was young, before the age of ten, my mother had a record of Andres Segovia playing classical music on the guitar…. I was impressed by the sounds he made, seemingly echoing an entire orchestra on one instrument…. Needless to say, it gave me an appreciation of the guitar which has been with me ever since, ever growing to include new musical venues which feature the guitar…. Brazilian music has emerged as one of the most well-known genres of modern music to do so, which makes it my pleasure to introduce any of y’all who aren’t familiar with it, to a good example of the finer aspects of human nature…. Enjoy!….

João Luiz e Douglas Lora – Brasil Guitar Duo

http://youtu.be/bw7JWO_U0V0

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

And in your dreams you can see yourself
As a prophet saving the world
The words from your lips
I just can’t believe you are such
A fool.

~~ Frank Zappa, “Oh No” ~~

Politicians. Dogma dogs. Snakeheads. Myrmidons, Pimps. Sleagles. (A newly coined word, to describe sleazy legal eagles, i.e., those lawyers who end up as politicians, or living up to the latest lawyer jokes, not a single one of which I’ve ever heard that wasn’t true as the day…. for most of them, anyway….) To my way of thinking, this list names the six categories of the human species responsible for the greatest part of the misery in this world… These are the real predators of our species, who prey almost exclusively upon their fellow man…. Whether they do so out of sociopathic egotism, misogynistic ignorance and fear, or deliberate choice of evil, these people have usurped human society for their own ends….

In the past 5000 years, these Asininnies, as I call them, have brought us all to the brink of extinction, a fate we cannot escape unless we figure out how to break the hold these assholes have on the resources of the planet, for their own benefit, at the expense of everyone else…. This is not a new viewpoint of the structure of our culture; our most ancient sages speak of the self-same issues, with the same degree of cluelessness as to how to stop them… For example, here is an observation from approximately 2600 years ago:

“Written laws are like spiders’ webs, and will like them only entangle and hold the poor and weak, while the rich and powerful easily break through them.” — Anacharsis (f1. c. 600 B.C.), Scythian philosopher — Quoted in Plutarch, the Lives of the Nobel Grecians and Romans, Solon

These villainous pretenders to the name ‘human’, relatively few in number, compared to the power they wield, are aided in this predatory behavior by willing allies from within the ranks of the less bold, but, no less evil individuals, who act as their sycophants, giving service to the same ideals of selfishness, and personal gain, while pretending to serve the public good…. They do this by encouraging the less intelligent among us to buy into the delusion of their own special nature, to wit: religion, fostering the attitudes which also lead to nationalism, and the divisiveness that plagues mankind…. The weak, foolish, easily-seduced members of the public are promised they will be rewarded for their submission to authority, with the gift of eternal life, which, for some reason, they actually believe is within their grasp, despite all the obvious evidence to the contrary….

These hypocritical dogma dogs teach unwitting fools to give up their right to think for themselves, usually convincing them of this deliberate lie before they are able to think at all, in childhood, with scary tales of what will happen if they do not submit to the will of God… with more lies to describe the perils of eternal Hell, should they ever think for themselves…. If you need any proof of this assertion, well, it’s right out there where anyone can see it… to wit:

“In much wisdom is much grief; and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.” — Old Testament — Ecclesiastes i, 18

Yet people continue to fall for the same old bullshit stories, because it plays into their laziness, and their need to see themselves as ‘special’, in a universe they do not comprehend, surrounded by fearful sounds and sights, all of which is too hard, and too scary, to try to figure out on their own…. So, they buy into the elitism of being “God’s children”, whether they call God Yahweh, or Allah, or Krishna, or Guan Yin, or any of a hundred other names humans have come up with to try to explain those things they don’t understand…. They do this because it saves them from having to use their minds for anything other than thinking up ways to cheat or steal from their fellows…. which is far easier than working….

I know this sounds somewhat like sour grapes, but, believe me, I don’t miss what I see others have in their faith, at all. Nor do I wish to give up what I know to be true. I have found this truth by gathering my own evidence, upon which I have based all my conclusions; I won’t give it up in order to buy into something that, as far as all the evidence shows, has no existence in the real world; not the one in which I live, anyway…. None of it makes any sense, and never has; it just doesn’t hang together, logically, and is NOT supported by the physical evidence that exists…. But, they never let up the pressure, with sentiments such as this:

“Be not faithless, but believing.” — John 20:27

Such obvious little gems of manipulation typically remind me of how one is treated when trying to buy a car…. You know, when the salesman says something to the effect of “Trust me! Would I lie to you?” I’m often tempted to answer them (both the car salesmen, and the dogma dogs, who try to sell me nonsense…), perfectly truthfully, with a simple “No, thank you. Yes, I’m certain you would.” But, then I think of how much I need the car…. So, I tend to work the salesmen with my own manipulations, to lower the price…. Hey, turnabout’s fair play, right? Right….

Well, perhaps it isn’t exactly honorable to engage in a battle of wits with unarmed persons, but, one has to live in the world, if not of it, so, I figure it’s a wash, as they would do unto me first, unless I did unto them first…. It’s a moral dilemma, I admit, but, I’m on my side, just like everyone else…. Unlike the dogma dogs, whose every word is designed to extend their control over the minds of their constituents, I try not to make others do my will without good cause, an attitude, and a courtesy which, I assure you, is not reciprocated by most of the world’s inhabitants…. Especially if any of them have had legal training, or are heavily dependent upon catechism for their moral state….

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

I’ve delivered my indictment, and have run out of steam…. Many will say it isn’t soon enough, but, we never listen to them, anyway, so. I’ll just bring this to a close here, and hope for the best…. If nothing else, I got all the anger and angst out far enough to provide me with a bit of peace for a time…. which is the entire purpose of this exercise….

Any of y’all, or any other folks who may drop in to read, who may find this to be new information, are encouraged to follow this line of thought to its logical conclusion, whereupon, you, or they, will be ready to take up arms, and try to help the rest of us kick the assholes to the curb, so we have at least an outside chance of surviving our own idiocy…

If not, well, I suggest you take the following piece of observation to heart, and, at the very least, begin to laugh at the assholes, thus showing them the respect they deserve…. Hell, it can’t hurt, and just may help….

“You have a mongrel perception of humor, nothing more; a multitude of you possess that. This multitude see the comic side of a thousand low-grade and trivial things — broad incongruities, mainly; grotesqueries, absurdities, evokers of the horse-laugh. The ten thousand high-grade comicalities which exist in the world are sealed from their dull vision. Will a day come when the race will detect the funniness of these juvenilities and laugh at them — and by laughing at them destroy them? For your race, in its poverty, has unquestionably one really effective weapon — laughter. Power, money, persuasion, supplication, persecution — these can lift at a colossal humbug — push it a little — weaken it a little, century by century; but only laughter can blow it to rags and atoms at a blast. Against the assault of laughter nothing can stand. You are always fussing and fighting with your other weapons. Do you ever use that one? No; you leave it lying rusting. As a race, do you ever use it at all? No; you lack sense and the courage.” — Mark Twain (1835-1910), “The Mysterious Stranger”

So be it….

gigoid has spoken….

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

This poet needs no introduction… All you have to do is read, and enjoy….

Ode

Bards of Passion and of Mirth,
Ye have left your souls on earth!
Have ye souls in heaven too,
Double lived in regions new?
Yes, and those of heaven commune
With the spheres of sun and moon;
With the noise of fountains wound’rous,
And the parle of voices thund’rous;
With the whisper of heaven’s trees
And one another, in soft ease.

Seated on Elysian lawns
Brows’d by none but Dian’s fawns;
Underneath large blue-bells tented,
Where the daisies are rose-scented,
And the rose herself has got
Perfume which on earth is not;
Where the nightingale doth sing
Not a senseless, tranced thing,
But divine melodious truth;
Philosophic numbers smooth;
Tales and golden histories
Of heaven and its mysteries.

Thus ye live on high, and then
On the earth ye live again;
And the souls ye left behind you
Teach us, here, the way to find you,
Where your other souls are joying,
Never slumber’d, never cloying.
Here, your earth-born souls still speak
To mortals, of their little week;
Of their sorrows and delights;
Of their passions and their spites;
Of their glory and their shame;
What doth strengthen and what maim.
Thus ye teach us, every day,
Wisdom, though fled far away.

Bards of Passion and of Mirth,
Ye have left your souls on earth!
Ye have souls in heaven too,
Double-lived in regions new!

~~ John Keats ~~

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Here is an old-fashioned nine-star pearl, freshly picked, in the style in which they were first created. Each one will stand alone, as good advice, or a clear observation; together, they give us a blueprint for a Life, well-lived….

“I love to doubt as well as know.” — Dante

“Every day should be passed as if it were to be our last.” — Publius Syrus (42 BC) — Maxim 633

“He who is able to conquer others is powerful; he who is able to conquer himself is more powerful” — Lao Tzu

“A bone to the dog is not charity. Charity is the bone shared with the dog, when you are just as hungry as the dog.” — Jack London

“It is better not to live at all than to live disgraced.” — Sophocles (496-406 BC) — Peleus, Frag. 445

“Think for yourselves and let others enjoy the privilege to do so, too.” — Voltaire

“Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it.” — The Buddha

“The meaning of life is that it stops.” — Franz Kafka

Only when you drink from the river of silence shall you indeed sing.
And when you have reached the mountain top, then you shall begin to climb.
And when the earth shall claim your limbs, then shall you truly dance.

~~ Kahlil Gibran in Essay on Death in The Prophet ~~

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Today’s Pearl came together quite nicely…. Now, let’s see if it’s worth posting….. Well, that’s really not too shabby, I think. Of course, that is ME speaking, and I tend to be a bit loose in judging myself…. I figure that’s best, since the rest of the world tends to judge me by harsher standards, none of which make any particular sense to me…. SIGH…. Ah well, life does go on, until it doesn’t…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, as long as nobody talks me out of it….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

À bientôt, mon cherí….

It’s only a bastardized version; there’s no glaze….

Posted on October 28, 2014 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Time is like money; the less we have of it to spare, the further we make it go.”

~~ Josh Billings ~~

I love this picture; I don’t think I even need to say why, as it’s pretty self-explanatory. It was taken from the London Daily Telegraph, from their Animal Pictures of the Week feature last week. They always post a lot of good pix, so, what the hell? It gets us started right?….. Right….

That said, I had a long day yesterday, with more exercise than I am used to; my plan to diet and exercise more is going pretty well. It did, however, leave me rather tired and sore today, meaning I’ll need to go walk off the stiffness, so it conditions the muscles, rather than just collapsing, and letting the good I managed go to waste…. What that means for y’all is a shorter Pearl, and less wandering blather here in the intro section….

In fact, I am going to employ my newly developed ruthlessness in this regard, and send us on to the next section without further delay. Look, see? There is our opening, right there…. Hold on, ffolkes….

Shall we Pearl?…..

“Imagination creates reality.” — (Wilhelm) Richard Wagner

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

Picture: Colonists on Mars, from Space.com’s article on the company proposing to colonize Mars by 2026. Artist’s rendition.

“The challenge of space exploration and particularly of landing men on the moon represents the greatest challenge which has ever faced the human race. Even if there were no clear scientific or other arguments for proceeding with this task, the whole history of our civilization would still impel men toward the goal. In fact, the assembly of the scientific and military with these human arguments creates such an overwhelming case that in can be ignored only by those who are blind to the teachings of history, or who wish to suspend the development of civilization at its moment of greatest opportunity and drama.” — Sir Bernard Lovell, 1962, in “The History of Manned Space Flight”

A very astute observation; if it not for other factors, apparently unseen, or, perhaps, uncredited, by Sir Bernard, this would be true…. He forgets to mention, however, that, even should we accept the challenge of achieving manned space flight in the near future, it will have to be made on an emergency basis, with us being FORCED to retreat into space, because we have made this planet unlivable for any species with our physical requirements for life. If we DON’T make it into space, there is a very good chance we won’t survive, as a species, at all….

I have come to the conclusion lately that we have little hope of saving this planet; if we wish to survive as a species, space is our destiny. I am thinking that this whole environmental crisis that has evolved may just be a stimulus, an unconsciously directed push, by our species’ gestalt, to get us to grow the fuck up, and start doing what we were always meant to do; our real destiny lies in travelling to the stars…. The first step toward achieving that destiny is to colonize this solar system, thus removing extinction from our menu of choices, should we fail to save the planet from our foolishness over the past 5000 years….

Here then, for today’s video, an educational video from NASA, a look at this beautiful home of ours, from space…. Think of this as pictures from Home, as we travel the wormholes to the stars…. Provided,of courser, we can stop killing ourselves long enough to build the ships we need….

NASA | Vital Signs: Taking the Pulse of Our Planet

http://youtu.be/mrnBdcdM4UM

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

I’m going to be a nice guy again; it’s not natural, I know, and doesn’t fit with the image I generally try to create, but, I’ve been ranting so much, I figure y’all could use a break….. However, in keeping with the spirit of this section, today’s ranting will be provided, free of charge, by the world’s current most influential comic/social commentator, one Russell Brand, a self-made intellectual and societal critic, a self-styled revolutionary who has recently called for a world-wide revolution against our corporate masters….

The video I’ve embedded today will show you a good example of his style, and the link I’ve put in will connect you to Mr. Brand’s own You Tube page, where he posts a video almost daily, commenting, in his unique style, on the daily events of note around the world…. I enjoy the hell out of him; from all I can tell, most of what he says, minus the hyperbole, is pretty right on…. See for yourself, ffolkes…, and, enjoy, please…. perhaps tomorrow, you’ll find another of my rants here, depending, of course, upon my mood at the time… See ya…

Russell Brand Destroys MSNBC Talk Show Host – Discusses Bradley Manning And Edward Snowden

http://youtu.be/ynUjo99Gzbk

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

Here is a poem of mine; it is here simply because I haven’t been out of town farther than about 35 miles for almost a year now; I’m getting restless to be on the road…. When I do get there, one of the places I intend to go first lies to the east, across the big pond we call the Atlantic Ocean, a beautiful green island, which one may trip over on the way to London…. I speak, of course, of the home of a large number of my ancestors, the Emerald Isle…. It isn’t my best effort, but, is one of my favorites, because it’s also my most sincere pieces, for certain….

Days and Nights of Eire

Comforting, a dream creeps oft into my mind
On the elven hills of Eire lives the vision I find.
Elegant, gracious, everlastingly draped in beauty
Just payment of simple homage lives as joyous duty.

Fairies and druids walk abroad in ghostly parade
Gracing each hearth with its own welcoming shade.
Castles and heroes yet live in tale and song
Proving love for the land in each heart strong.

From cold of winter into glorious young spring
Brown, and gray, to emerald green songs to sing
Soft rains always follow winter’s great tempest
Eire dons its emerald coat from east to west.

Old and strong, connections call out in dreams
Nothing that was known remains as it seems.
Immersion in ancient runes and battle hymns
Offering sanity in place of grievous whims.

Time and place can tell a much different tale
Judgment should never be a final sale.
Yet something solid and real calls me to go see
Where dreams of loving beauty may actually be….

~~ gigoid ~~

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

This is a very special pearl, ffolkes…. I had collected a few of the included pearls before beginning this morning, but, when I sat to complete it, Smart Bee came up with the remainder in under one minute, possibly a new record, with only one rejected offering…. It is one of the finest indictments of the political AND religious beasts I’ve ever seen, bracketed with comments on human nature which explain/justify the others…. Solidly, it kicks them right in the ass, with sufficient force to drive their assholes right up onto their face…. Enjoy! I sure did…..

“Liberals, in that they are required to love entire groups, lose their rights to hate individuals within those groups. Racists, in that they are required to hate entire groups, lose their rights to love individuals within the groups they have to hate. I am neither a liberal or a racist and reserve the right to call a son of a bitch a son of a bitch regardless of race, creed or color, one son of a bitch at a time.” — Smart Bee (Google says so….)

“I’m completely in favor of the separation of Church and State. My idea is that these two institutions screw us up enough on their own, so both of them together is certain death.” — George Carlin

“God created sex. Priests created marriage.” — Voltaire

“Any government will work if authority and responsibility are equal and coordinate. This does not insure “good” government; it simply insures that it will work. But such governments are rare–most people want to run things but want no part of the blame. This used to be called the “backseat-driver syndrome.” — Lazarus Long, from Robert A. Heinlein’s “Time Enough For Love”

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

“Bourgeois morality is largely a system of making cheap virtues a cloak for expensive vices.” — George Bernard Shaw

:Whoever invented the eraser had the human race pretty well sized up.” — Smart Bee

See? If there were any politicians in the room, they would be bleeding from a dozen wounds….

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

Rather than tempt Fate any further, I’m going to do a quick proof, then get this posted, before Murphy wakes up…. I’ll see y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, provided we are all still here…..

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Buttery smooth and savory…..

Posted on October 4, 2014 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

“Poets have been mysteriously silent on the subject of cheese.”

~~ G. K. Chesterton ~~

This is a picture of the work space where Pearls of Virtual Wisdom are composed; my virtual oyster bed, so to speak…. I hope the picture was taken from enough distance, to keep from giving away too much personal information, of the sort that I have not already related at one point or another…. I do try to be discreet, to some extent, as to where I am, physically, though, for anyone with any real geek in them, it wouldn’t be difficult to run down more exact info than is apparent in this, I’m sure….

Hell, information on anybody is so ubiquitous on the internet, I no longer use Google to find information about friends, just because it tends to show TOO MUCH info… If I do, then I’d have to tell them what’s there, so they can cork their leaks, and deal with all that, so, it’s just better to leave sleeping dogs lie, in that respect…. So, I know it wouldn’t be too hard to find me, but, from the picture, I don’t think anyone can find anything to either pinpoint, or to litigate…. especially our friends over at the NSA, FBI, and/or anyone else who might be mining the data the NSA gets from Facebook, Google, Twitter, etc…. so, it makes for a good opener, yes? I think so…. If nothing else, it needs no attribution, so, bonus….

As for the poets and cheese, I don’t believe Mr. Chesterton actually cared about that; cheese has very few of the qualities upon which a good poem might expostulate. No feelings, no special place in human affairs, no compelling features to extol… boring…. But, he’s right, also, in that one would think that everything had been given at least one poetic glance, if only as a peripheral mention in a poem about something else entirely….. But, I can’t think of a single poem where cheese plays a significant part, can you?…..

Well, maybe it’s not such a big deal, anyway…. It did, however, provide us with just about enough blather to get us down the page far enough to call this legal… It will be close, but, I think, since it’s Saturday, all the monitoring agencies are closed, with nobody on duty to tell us otherwise, so, I’m pretty sure we can slide by on a technicality…. If not, we’ll just run for it, okay? So, don’t change out of your sneakers, just in case we need to book on short notice….

I know, I know, cheap…. but, also, done, so, deal with it…

Shall we Pearl?….

“You will know unexpected happiness. You will know the sorrow of seeing what is dearest to you cut down before your eyes. Accept that. That is the nature of human existence, and you have no time to buffer this fact with fairy tales and illogical explanations.” — Deng Ming-Dao

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

“Whatever power you give to the good cops, goes to the bad ones, too. Never forget that.” — Phillip J. Birmingham

I feel like ranting, but, there is so much material to choose from, I can’t seem to pick one…. I could talk about the NSA, and the latest developments on the illegal spying front…. I could talk about police militarization… I could talk about the prisoners of war our leaders are holding captive without charges, force feeding, and torturing for information…. I could talk about the latest police shooting of an innocent citizen…. All of those have a headline and/or articles in the news over the last couple of days….

But, I’m tired of ranting about all that, and never seeing any changes take place; sometimes, it seems as if nobody listens…. But, then I see other blogs with the same issues being addressed, with the same results…. The fact is, ffolkes, the government of this country no longer cares at all what the public may think, or want; they are going to carry out their agenda regardless of anything the American public thinks about it…

They will continue to wage wars without public or Congressional sanction; they will continue to torture and abuse prisoners captured during our illegal wars. They will continue to arm the police forces of this country, preparing for an armed revolt, which they seem to be deliberately provoking by their actions….

Below you’ll find some links, to articles discussing these, and other issues, none of which are related to the ONE issue we NEED to address, to wit, the imminent, catastrophic environmental crisis that is rapidly coming to a head on our planet, caused by the deliberate ignorance, and stubborn denial of those who control all the physical resources…. This issue is the only one that is going to make any difference to us, very soon…. There won’t be any time at all to worry about all the other BS going on, because we will HAVE to focus on just staying alive….

I may be a grump, and a curmudgeon, but, I am not blind, and I can see clearly how things are going, and how they’ll continue to progress…. and, it ain’t pretty…. Ah well, here are some links to highlight some of the problems we are facing, followed by a short pearl to drive home the thoughts presented today…. I hope….

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/11139023/US-government-seeks-to-stop-Apple-and-Google-encryption.html

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2014/oct/03/guantanamo-force-feeding-videos-released

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/energy/oilandgas/11140156/World-on-the-brink-of-oil-war-as-Opec-bickers-over-price.html

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/oct/03/ferguson-control-protests-st-louis-county-michael-brown

[A photo is displayed of Senator Dan Quayle holding a pumpkin to the left of his head.] “Here’s an Update Quiz: what’s the difference between these two spherical objects? The answer is: eventually, the one on the left will have a light in it.”– Dennis Miller, SNL Weekend Update

“Faith: not wanting to know what is true.” — Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche

Senate, n.: A body of elderly gentlemen charged with high duties and misdemeanors. — Ambrose Bierce, The Devil’s Dictionary

“People who have what they want are very fond of telling people who haven’t what they want that they really don’t want it.” — Ogden Nash (1902-1971)

To each his suff’rings; all are men,
Condemn’d alike to groan,–
The tender for another’s pain,
Th’ unfeeling for his own.
Yet ah! why should they know their fate,
Since sorrow never comes too late,
And happiness too swiftly flies?
Thought would destroy their paradise.
No more; where ignorance is bliss,
‘T is folly to be wise.

~~ Thomas Gray ~~

— On a Distant Prospect of Eton College, Stanza 10 —

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

Today’s video selection is a blast from the past; some of these are even before MY time…. though, it’s true, my older sister and brother listened to all of these on the radio, back in the 50’s…. Easy listening, to be sure…. Enjoy!….

20 Hits from The Everly Brothers: Platinum Collection

http://youtu.be/U5o7DP8jQiM

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

When I am this grumped, only one poet will do….

Another Day

having the low down blues and going
into a restaurant to eat.
you sit at a table.
the waitress smiles at you.
she’s dumpy. her ass is too big.
she radiates kindness and sympathy.
live with her 3 months and a man would know real agony.
o.k., you’ll tip her 15 percent.
you order a turkey sandwich and a
beer.
the man at the table across from you
has watery blue eyes and
a head like an elephant.
at a table further down are 3 men
with very tiny heads
and long necks
like ostriches.
they talk loudly of land development.
why, you think, did I ever come
in here when I have the low-down
blues?
then the the waitress comes back with the sandwich
and she asks you if there will be anything
else?
and you tell her, no no, this will be
fine.
then somebody behind you laughs.
it’s a cork laugh filled with sand and
broken glass.

you begin eating the sandwich.

it’s something.
it’s a minor, difficult,
sensible action
like composing a popular song
to make a 14-year old
weep.
you order another beer.
jesus, look at that guy
his hands hang down almost to his knees and he’s
whistling.
well, time to get out.
pick up the bill.
tip.
go to the register.
pay.
pick up a toothpick.
go out the door.
your car is still there.
and there are 3 men with heads
and necks
like ostriches all getting into one
car.
they each have a toothpick and now
they are talking about women.
they drive away first
they drive away fast.
they’re best i guess.
it’s an unbearably hot day.
there’s a first-stage smog alert.
all the birds and plants are dead
or dying.

you start the engine.

~~ Charles Bukowski ~~

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

This pearl was pre-packaged for your, and, more specifically, my convenience today…. Not that there is any real need to use the provided convenience; but, what the hell? It’s here, and it’s done, so, hey, why not? It isn’t bad, for a throw-together-in-a-few-minutes kind of deal; It takes some pretty hefty shots at the beloved ruling class, if no one else… It’s also a bit depressing, beginning and end, but, hey, life is tough…. Buck up…. Do you see, or hear, Wolverine complaining? Nope, so, whatever YOU are worried about, get real…. and toughen up…. You can’t win if you don’t fight…

“Cogito, ergo doleo. I think, therefore I am depressed.” — Smart Bee

“Waste no more time arguing what a good man should be. Be one.” — Marcus Aurelius

“Let honor be as strong to us an obligation as necessity is to others.” — Pliny the Elder

“It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong.” — Voltaire

“Taxation is theft; Conscription is slavery; War is murder.” — Smart Bee

“One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors.” — Plato

“Life must go on; I forget just why.” — Edna St. Vincent Millay, ‘Lament’, Second April (1921)

See? Get a grip, ffolkes, ’cause it’s probably not going to get much better, without some sort of diaspora to the outer solar system…. Soon, too, or it won’t matter any longer….

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

I am completely baffled as to how this came out as well as it did; the entire time I felt as if I were pushing my way through a field of brambles… and, now I’m done, it feels just as if I were bloodied and scarred from traversing the gauntlet of thorns…. Ah well, in all the words you see in that sentence, only one matters…. “done.” See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid, the dubious

PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.

À bientôt, mon cherí….

Flicking and swishing here, your grogginess….

Posted on August 4, 2014 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

Spintharus, speaking in commendation of Epaminondas, says he scarce
ever met with any man who knew more and spoke less.

~~ Plutarch (46-120 AD) ~~ Of Hearing, 6

—————————————————————————-

True is suffering; this is true cause;
this is true cessation; this is the true path.

Know the sufferings; give up they causes;
attain the cessation of the suffering; follow the true paths.

Know the sufferings although there is nothing to know;
relinquish the causes of misery although there is nothing to relinquish;
be earnest in cessation although there is nothing to cease;
practice the means of cessation although there is nothing to practice.

~~ Buddha, The Four Noble Truths ~~

In case there is ANY question as to the meaning of any of the above…. The first quote is there to set the tone…. The next quote, from the Buddha, is there to show how the Buddha understood Reality, which is to say, very well…. If you look at the picture of the three pals napping on the sidewalk, then consider the Four Noble Truths, you will see that each of these animals…. dog, cat, rat…. are all perfect examples of a creature who LIVES by those precepts…. They all know how hard life can be, but are content to have a serene moment of companionship, without becoming wrapped up in any species-oriented chauvinism…. I think it’s pretty cool myself…

It’s also a good thing it’s here, because I’m late again, and will have to rely on stuff that was either done ahead of time, or is very quick and easy to put in here, where it can do me some good…. Some bloggers would probably just re-blog an old blog, but, I like to at least put some effort into making something fresh each day, even if it is only a fresh reprint of an older piece…. I’m finding my rants from a couple of years ago are all still pretty valid, what with the crap that continues to plague us due to the shenanigans of the Asininnies, and their ilk….

Since I am so late, though, we’ll go with some of that older material, just to save the time…. At least I’m not using the old lame excuse of expediency, or doing this because of my own hidden agenda…. No, my agenda is right out there, and only has to do with getting done with this with a bit of dignity intact, not with ripping y’all off, or making sure I’m in control of your life…. which is what you can count on from your local politicians, and their myrmidons….

In that vein, I believe I may have reached a point where I can put an end to this intro section…. or, if that isn’t feasible, I can usually use one of the methods we’ve developed to help us in these moments of uncertainty…. Why, look, here’s one of them now! I believe it’s actually the method we call #4, the old standby…. It works like this….

Shall we Pearl?….

“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

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

Since I am not going to rant this morning, I’m going to sublimate, in order to relieve some of the built-up angst, from the last couple of days of headline reading without producing a rant to release the worst of the pressure, I will create an old-school pearl, fresh and sharp, to poke some holes in the blanket of wool that the Asininnies are forever trying to pull over our eyes….

“If turkeys could fly Congress would be an airport…!” — Smart Bee

“As Mankind becomes more liberal, they will be more apt to allow that all those who conduct themselves as worthy members of the community are equally entitled to the protections of civil government. I hope ever to see America among the foremost nations of justice and liberality.” — George Washington

(Well…. So much for THAT idea!…..)

“The release of atom power has changed everything except our way of thinking…the solution to this problem lies in the heart of mankind. If only I had known, I should have become a watchmaker.” — Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

“I don’t care what is written about me so long as it isn’t true.” — Dorothy Parker

(A little known fact about this quote…. Dorothy was quoting Howard Taft….)

(That, of course, is a lie; I made it up…. but, it SOUNDS true, doesn’t it?…. By which, we see it may be defined as a “political truth”….)

“It is hard to free fools from the chains they revere.” — Voltaire

“If you have a weak candidate and a weak platform, wrap yourself up in the American flag and talk about the Constitution.” — Matthew S. Quay

“The reason that poverty and homelessness exist is not because capitalism is not working properly, but because that is the way it works.” — Smart Bee

Not bad, not bad at all for what it is…. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did….. I’m going to go clean up now…. Wait, first, I’ll try to make up for this, with one more pearl, that should help you feel a little better…. If not, well, there’s always aspirin in the first-aid kit if you want one….

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

I’m going with mine, to save time, and blame…. I hope you enjoy this one; it’s from December of 2012…..

Dreaming of Calliope

La belle dame sans merci speaks aloud through endless night,
torturing dreams, with powerful words and stentorian phrases.
Manifest visions bathed in unbearable grace and light,
destroying all direction, standing lost, in unfathomable mazes.

Fate plays a part, one that will never face denial,
as fear and courage eternally vie for ascendancy.
Conflict becomes valid, gifting strength in open trial,
but honest emotion wears no costume so fancy.

Blood, sweat, and tears stroll on avenues of gold,
unlikely heroines heralding as in ancient lore;
Sharp, competent knives cut through tales untold,
eternally shifting reality past the naked shore.

Drifting toward origin, bereft of mandate or cause,
finished, nay, abandoned, tied with a figurative bow.
No simple gift from muses to give comfort or pause,
save that all we need to know, we already know…..

~~ gigoid ~~

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

The following older pearl is one I’ve probably used many times, as it contains much of the wisdom I use personally to guide my actions through life…. It’s all stuff I learned, one way or another, from my Dad, the Master Sergeant…. All of this could be considered to be ACTUAL wisdom, I think; it’s much more valid, and useful, than most of what you’ll find masquerading as such, and is certainly more than merely virtual wisdom…. because it’s all been tested by time, and found to be true….

From 9/30/2012:

Here are some true pearls of virtual wisdom from the acknowledged Grand Master of Science Fiction…… arrogantly solipsistic, delightfully honest, absolutely moral according to whim, and eminently useful in pursuing a full life of honor and joy…..

“The only real sin is hurting others unnecessarily. All other sins are made up nonsense…. (Hurting yourself is not sinful, just stupid.)” — Robert Heinlein

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

“Don’t store garlic near other victuals.” — from The Notebooks of Lazarus Long

“The two highest achievements of the human mind are the twin concepts of “loyalty” and “duty.” Whenever these twin concepts fall into disrepute — get out of there fast! You may possibly save yourself, but it is too late to save that society. It is doomed.” — from The Notebooks of Lazarus Long

“There is no conclusive evidence of life after death. But there is no evidence of any sort against it. Soon enough you will know. So why fret about it?” — Robert Heinlein

“The more you love, the more you can love — and the more intensely you love. Nor is there any limit on how many you can love. If a person had time enough, he could love all of that majority who are decent and just.” — Robert Heinlein

Lastly….. a statement that serves as an adjunct to Peruaosophy; indeed, it’s more that that, as it forms a critical part of the basic premises, upon which that philosophy was created…..

“Do not confuse “duty” with what other people expect of you; they are utterly different. Duty is a debt you owe to yourself to fulfill obligations you have assumed voluntarily. Paying that debt can entail anything from years of patient work to instant willingness to die. Difficult it may be, but the reward is self-respect.
But there is no reward at all for doing what other people expect of you, and to do so is not merely difficult, but impossible. It is easier to deal with a footpad than it is with the leech who wants “just a few minutes of your time, please — this won’t take long.” Time is your total capital, and the minutes of your life are painfully few. If you allow yourself to fall into the vice of agreeing to such requests, they quickly snowball to the point where these parasites will use up 100 percent of your time — and squawk for more!
So learn to say No – and to be rude about it when necessary. Otherwise you will not have time to carry out your duty, or to do your own work, and certainly no time for love and happiness. The termites will nibble away your life and leave none of it for you. (This rule does not mean that you must not do a favor for a friend, or even a stranger. But let the choice be yours. Don’t do it because it is “expected” of you.) ” — Robert Heinlein

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

Today, as is sometimes the case when I arise late, and push a bit to get this done on time, I feel a bit scattered at the end…. which, I suppose, isn’t all that surprising, given the nature of what I’m doing….. It’s okay, really, because it means I’ve been focused, so the results should meet any of the loose standards to which I hold these Pearls…. If not, well, too bad, so sad, because, hey, it’s done, and we’re NOT going to do it over…. On that note, I should follow my own advice, and take my leave before it gets any riskier…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, provided the NSA leaves me be….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid the dubious

A cornucopia of digital abundance….

Posted on July 2, 2014 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

Some days are tougher than others…. we all know this….. However, the knowledge of this doesn’t seem, somehow, to make it any less hard to get up on those tougher days. It’s supposed to do so, but, it doesn’t…. Also, I have to say, I am still somewhat disgruntled over being disabled; having been athletically active most of my life, up to the age of 45 or so, it’s tough to swallow having to maintain the policy of spending my time, virtually ALL of it, thinking of ways to AVOID making my pain worse than it always is…. It’s lowering, less than dignified, and, worst of all, makes me grumpy….

That being said, today may be classified as one of the tough ones…. As I type, my pain level is slowly rising from where it was when I awoke, at about 5 or 6 on the usual scale of 10….. I keep shifting, as I can, to relieve it, and get up every couple minutes to stretch a bit…. but, I don’t think it will matter much today; it’s just going to hurt. So, I’m going to try to concentrate long enough to do this, while consuming all the extra drugs I can tolerate without killing myself…. By the time I’m done with this, I should be fairly oblivious, or, even better, unconscious….

Ah well, such is life…. thankfully, axiom # 2 of Peruaosophy, (“The Nature of the Universe is Change, etc…..”), provides me with sufficient reason to keep from falling all the way into despair; this WILL change, as the Universe moves along its path to wherever it is going…. The pain, if I can keep from doing anything to make it worse, WILL get better after a while, and life will go on, perhaps with a bit more aplomb than I’m able to appreciate just now. All I have to do is hang on to that little fact, and all will be well, in the end…..

With that in mind, I’m ending this here, well before I usually do, so I can get on with the meat of the matter…. Also, I can’t think of anything else to say for this, other than, enjoy whatever comes today, ffolkes… it cost me a lot to post it….

Shall we Pearl?….

“I can read your mind, and you should be ashamed of yourself.” — Smart Bee

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

Ranting today, while indubitably going on uninterrupted in my mind, as long as I am awake today, is pretty much out of the question; sitting long enough to type a thousand words in a row isn’t going to happen…. This means today you’ll have to settle for old-school pearls…. I’m going so far as to make them random, harlequin style, to make it faster yet….. Let’s see if Smart Bee is in a good mood today….

(I know, it’s software, but, like everything in this universe made by the hand of Man, software tends to display a number of humanity’s more obvious characteristics, such as random emotional outbursts, occasional serenity, unpredictable responses to given stimuli, and a whole lot of nonsense…. After all, the code is written by people who refer to the planet Earth as the Big Blue Room…. which is defined as everything on the other side of the door where their computer lives…..) Enjoy!

“Dionysius the Elder, being asked whether he was at leisure, he replied, “God forbid that it should ever befall me!”” — Plutarch (46-120 AD) — Dionysius

“Those who cling to the untrue doctrine that violence never settles anything would be advised to conjure up the ghosts of Napoleon Bonaparte and of the Duke of Wellington and let them debate it. The ghost of Hitler could referee, and the jury might well be the Dodo, the Great Auk, and the Passenger Pigeon. Violence, naked force, has settled more issues in history than has any other factor, and the contrary opinion is wishful thinking at its worst. Nations and peoples who forget this basic truth have always paid for it with their lives and freedoms.” — R.A. Heinlein

“Truth is a river that is always splitting up into arms that reunite. Islanded between the arms the inhabitants argue for a lifetime as to which is the main river.” — Cyril Connolly, “The Unquiet Grave” 1945

Start with what is right rather than what is acceptable.” — Peter Drucker, American business philosopher and author

“What would happen if the President, the Supreme Court, and all members of both houses of Congress were stoned out of their gourds twenty-four hours a day? The chilling truth is, it might be an improvement.” — Allan Sherman

“For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin — real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way. Something to be got through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life.” — Fr. Alfred D’Souza

“It is hard to free fools from the chains they revere.” — Voltaire

Well, it’s a bit choppy, but, it works…. Onward….

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

Today, you get one of my old poems, simply because I don’t have to go look for it anywhere else, so it’s faster…. I hope you enjoy it….

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 ~~

That went so quickly, I’m going to be really egotistical, and do it again…. Here is another one of mine, that seemed appropriate, somehow…. Okay, full disclosure…. I couldn’t make up my mind between these two, and THAT is why you are being subjected to them both…. Hah! As if poetry is a burden to you, or anyone…. Enjoy, please….

When life calls, ready or not….

Memories are all we have sometimes
to keep our sanity intact,
with learned phrases and subtle rhymes
lessening life’s vicious, vibrant impact.

Presently all seems composed and intent
in stark contrast to hollow day,
forlorn patchwork emotions of unheralded bent,
fill up night’s bower, leaving hell to pay.

Such vigorous and elevated temper
brings us rare moments to ponder,
filled with lessons all need to remember
lest base perception lose valued wonder.

Laugh loud when entropy sticks fast
leaving shameless anger in its wake.
Let bygones pass quietly into the past
reaping only what is left to take.

Final words of wise imagination
tell us living well’s the best revenge, it appears
ever eluding choirs and congregations
finally finding home, never buried in tears.

~~ gigoid ~~

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

This is another time saver, with the added message that I hope to be able to pin down the Wise Old Pine Cone today for a photo session; he did commit, but, has been a bit flaky of late…. funny how that works, eh? Any who, here is an article from the London Daily Telegraph you really should read, not to be informed about something wrong in the world, but, something right…. It’s a report about a man who, after a life of self-induced trouble and pain, found his way to an inner peace that is a beacon of hope for all of us….. In other words, in contrast to the usual fare here, and in most media venues, it’s a happy tale…. I’ll follow with the document I found on Facebook one time, that defines the parameters of the place this gentleman inhabits within himself….

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/thinking-man/10875975/The-train-dispatcher-who-defines-what-it-means-to-be-a-gentleman.html

To my mind, the most critical characteristic, and the one the gentleman in the article obviously knows, is number 5, to wit: “A Gentleman is one who puts more into the world than he takes out.” It is one I hope will be said of me when I’m gone…..

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

In the movie Robin Hood; Prince of Thieves, Morgan Fairchild, as the Moorish warrior Hasim, kills the evil witch during the final, climactic battle, by heaving his scimitar at her across a room, just in time to save Kevin Costner, playing Robin. His line, as he stands there, feeling much as I do, on his wounded, bleeding leg, is, “I have fulfilled my vow.” That is exactly how I feel at this moment…. I’m going to hurry now, to send and post this, as I want to go deal with my pain, with the application of hot, pulsating water beating on it for a time…. I’ll be back tomorrow, which is not intended so much as a threat, as it is an informational bulletin, of note only to those who have any interest…. On that note, which has a certain bureaucratic ‘look and feel’ to it, I take my leave….. See y’all around the campus, ffolkes….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid the dubious

He shrugged his sunburned shoulders in reply….

Posted on June 30, 2014 by gigoid

Ffolkes,

Winding ever upward, the road grew steep. Trudging along the roadside, next to the cliff falling away toward a glistening ribbon of water, thousands of feet below, an old man, grey hair falling down his back to his hips, leaned heavily on the staff he is using to push himself each weary step up the mountain’s eastern flank. Worn and bent, he struggles slowly, the small pack on his back seemingly bending him into submission, hour after hour, making slow but steady progress toward the pass, a thousand feet higher yet….

As the sun moved over the mountain to the west, the road, switching back as it climbed, came into shadow, which seemed to energize the old man; his steps became longer and stronger, increasing his pace incrementally, until he no longer paced the snails, but, strode up the mountain as if on level ground….. By the time he reached the pass, he had completely changed appearance; no longer bent, or seemingly weary, he stopped at the summit, to peer into the valley below, now fully erect, glowing with strength…. As he stood gazing into the distance, the sun sunk below the far horizon, throwing the entire world into dusk….

Well, ffolkes, there you have my version of the opening of a vampire story…. I can tell you now, it will never be written, not beyond where it is now, as I really have NO interest in writing about vampires…. Not that I am prejudiced against that genre of literature (yes I am….), but, really, who cares about some insane living dead person, or how they get along trying to deal with immortality, living nocturnally, and the whole blood-sucking issue…. I know it is a classic, lending itself naturally to plots involving morality, ethics, religion, and all the other mystical trappings that go along with such mythical creatures….. and is immensely popular among the weak-minded….

Myself, I never saw that much in it, or was impressed by their so-called powers…. Okay, so they can’t die, again, in the normal sense…. but, I’ll bet, if they take a shotgun blast to the head, maybe a couple of times, I don’t think they’re going to want to do much…. Hell, separating that head from their torso, say, with a katana…. (That is a Japanese samurai sword, razor sharp, able to perform beheadings with one stroke…. in the right hands…) Well, I’d like to see one of them regenerate THAT, once the head and body are a few meters apart…. Okay, so, not the nicest visual image to go along with breakfast…. what were you thinking, anyway? Runny eggs and floppy bacon…. I shudder to think about it….

Any who, undercooked pig meat and chicken embryos aside, the above, though not necessarily my cup of coffee (I updated that phrase to suit my preferences….), could conceivably become part of my skill set…. But, that would happen only if I chose to develop those chops, and that just isn’t going to take place, not in this century, and, unless medical science takes a leap forward pretty soon, my chances of seeing the next one aren’t too good…. Long odds, for sure; not impossible, given some of the advances I’ve heard about (the research going on with stem cells, and nanotechnology, is incredibly encouraging in re: increasing the human life span….), but, definitely not a sure bet.

More likely, I’ll be gone by the time this century reaches the half-way marker, as that will mark my 100th birthday. I’m pretty sure I’m stubborn enough to make it that far, but I’m also smart enough to realize that, unless some medical magic happens, I probably won’t last much longer than that…. If my current condition is any indicator, getting to 100 will be a definite challenge…. That’s okay, I’ve tried to live my life with the American Indian point of view, to wit: “Today is a good day to die”…. I’ve always liked that phrase; it implies a life lived with passion, and ethics, and strength of character, all of which I hope to continue to hold as the driving forces in my life….

Okay, that’s pretty pompous, but, hey, that doesn’t make it any less true…. It also, by golly, takes us far enough from our opening lines to call this an intro, and a damn decent one at that…. Well, maybe it DID wander a bit, but, it never got completely off the rails, and that is a good sign…. It’s also, as I see, a bit long, but, what else is new? My ability to blather without cease is a finely honed skill by now, so, that’s only to be expected when I get going like this….

I had intended to lament my new routine morning-mind, which seems to require at least 45 minutes, minimum, before it will even consider composition, or creative imagery…. but, then I got caught up in the story line, and lost track of my initial plan in the ~~thrill~~ struggle involved in creating a new story line… Since serendipity has forced its way into the room, let’s let her sit down, and have a cup of coffee…. I always make plenty….

Shall we Pearl?….

A few can touch the magic string,
And noisy Fame is proud to win them;
Alas for those that never sing,
But die with all their music in them!

— Oliver Wendell Holmes (1809-1894) — The Voiceless

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

I first read the Desiderata when I was in college, at UC Berkeley in the late 1960’s. It underwent a revival then, as much of it fit into the philosophy of peace that most of the “hippies” of the era took as their own, including myself. I’ve heard arguments that it is too positive, too fanciful about the beauty in life, and doesn’t fit in with a realistic outlook on life…. Well, bullshit….

Yes, it’s positive, but, it’s meant to be. I’ve gone through it, and set apart with bold, italic lettering a few of the most influential phrases from the treatise. Below that, I’ve put the same phrases, as I would if they were pearls, to demonstrate the power of what they have to say. These five statements, or pieces of advice, if you will, have been the pillars upon which much of my philosophy of life rests. I’ve used them countless times in my life, to encourage myself, to admonish myself, and, in general, to provide me with a blueprint for acting rightly, out of right thinking, and compassion…. So, screw the curmudgeonry, that CAN be detrimental, and live your life with this sort of outlook; you’ll find yourself more content than, perhaps, you have ever been… Enjoy!….

Desiderata

Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and ignorant; they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time. Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism. Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass. Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be. And whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace with your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy.

— Max Ehrman (1872-1945) – “Desiderata” (1927)

Listen to others, even to the dull and ignorant; they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit.

Speak your truth quietly and clearly.

Be yourself.

Whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world.

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

A little change of tempo, without losing quality at all….

Drinking Alone

I take my wine jug out among the flowers
to drink alone, without friends.

I raise my cup to entice the moon.
That, and my shadow, makes us three.

But the moon doesn’t drink,
and my shadow silently follows.

I will travel with moon and shadow,
happy to the end of spring.

When I sing, the moon dances.
When I dance, my shadow dances, too.

We share life’s joys when sober.
Drunk, each goes a separate way.

Constant friends, although we wander,
we’ll meet again in the Milky Way.

~~ Li T’ai-po ~~

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

I had promised to put another episode of the adventures of Wise Old Pine Cone, but, once again, I got usurped by his schedule, which, apparently, blew up…. I’ll get some pictures of him and his paduan as soon as I can, but, he won’t give me a solid commitment on a day yet, so, I can’t say when that will happen…. In the meantime, here is an old-school pearl, fresh as a daisy, though not as cute…. We’ll go with random, harlequin style, no set parameters, and no paradigms…

“I want everything to be explained to me or nothing…. The absurd springs from this confrontation between the human call and the unreasonable silence of the world.” — Albert Camus (1913-1960), The Myth of Sisyphus (1955)

“Dust is an armor of poor quality.” — Smart Bee

“Ambiguity is invariant.” — Hartz’ Uncertainty Principle

“Who sees all beings in his own Self, and his own Self in all beings, loses all fear.” — Isa Upanishad

” — Bother! said Pooh, as he stomped Barney’s butt to Jello.” — Smart Bee

“Each player must accept the cards life deals him or her. But once they are in hand, he or she alone must decide how to play the cards in order to win the game.” — Voltaire

“Do I look like someone who cares about what God thinks?” — Zippy the Pinhead

Any time a pearl comes with Camus, the Upanishads, and both evil Pooh and Zippy, it can’t go wrong; I offer the above as certifiable verification of that…. This is a special pearl, ffolkes…. Not only is it powerful, erudite, and funny as hell, it took maybe a minute and a half to collect; Smart Bee obviously had been prepping for this, as I looked at a total of 17 pearls to collect this seven…. that’s an INCREDIBLE percentage, compared to normal reality’s output…. This one will, no doubt, be useful to read again in the future; I guarantee that each time you read it, you will get something new from it…..

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

Well, that went a lot better than I’d hoped, or expected. I’m not even going to look in the horse’s mouth; I’m just going to bid thee adieu, until tomorrow, given just a bit of luck…. See ya, ffolkes….

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

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

Which is Why….

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

gigoid the dubious

gigoid

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

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gigoid

Exploring Consensual Reality

Tag Archives: Voltaire

Concrete oatmeal & hockey puck biscuits…. Yum!

Buttery smooth and savory…..

Flicking and swishing here, your grogginess….

A cornucopia of digital abundance….

He shrugged his sunburned shoulders in reply….

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