Tag Archives: You Tube

Patterns of immoderate concern….

Posted on by
Reply

Ffolkes,

“All cruelty springs from weakness.” — Seneca

Inverness and Invergordon 007


Having slept, I arise. Rising, I begin to think… or, a reasonable facsimile thereof. It doesn’t help, just as expected, but, with admirable perseverance, I booted up the computer anyway…. You may thank me, either now, or later, but, have no doubt, you will do so, either for what I’ve said, or for having stopped in the telling. It will be, as always, your choice, though, I’m guessing, it won’t make the decision any simpler, or cause any less fear in your heart…. though “fear” may not be the exact word to describe the depth of your feelings about what has transpired….

There, are y’all nervous now? If not, I’ve done this wrong…. Since the intro today isn’t normal, by any means, I suppose I should try to explain. But, I won’t, because I don’t understand what is happening any more than y’all do; my fingers seem to by doing just fine without my input. I would guess it has something to do with today’s rant, which is a subject of large importance in my world…. Whatever the reason for it, it’s playing hell with this morning’s routine, which was already a bit off kilter due to yesterday’s bout of shoulder and hand pain, which reached some new highs….

Today, though, is not as bad as that, so far, but, I’d hoped to begin differently…. So much for my obviously mistaken idea of being in control of this process; my subconscious has clearly decided to assume its own degree of control, without bothering to let me know here on the conscious level, where I had THOUGHT we were to spend the day…. But, NOOOOO, there has to be a new direction, chosen without any conscious input, which is guaranteed to piss me off…. I mean, it isn’t too smart to think it could put it past me like this, without at least making a token effort to give me a head’s up…. I AM in charge of this ship, even if there is some doubt in some quarters as to the veracity of that statement…. I’ve got it in writing, so there….

Yes, yes, I know it’s getting a bit thick in here; tell it to the monitors…. I’m just trying to wrest back the steering wheel from my subconscious, which has the erroneous idea it’s going to be in charge today…. In fact, it’s being so insistent, we’re going to have to take a moment here, so I can draw it aside, to let it know, in no uncertain terms, what will happen if it doesn’t straighten up and fly right…. In fact, I’m going to do that now, as it is the perfect moment to retake control…. Hang on a moment, please, while we go into the other room to discuss this….

Okay, I’m back, and everything is squared away…. We’ll get the message out as to the rant my subconscious has in mind, but, I will be the one directing the bus, not my subconscious, which, though it believes otherwise, has no talent at all for driving a bus of this size and complexity…. Driving a toy version isn’t sufficient training, not when there are others involved, whose presence on the bus my subconscious tends to discount, or resent…. It isn’t their fault; they just don’t spend enough time in Reality to have a good grip on what is needed to survive there…. which is why they call it the SUB conscious mind, after all…

Okay, now that we’re fairly well lost, I’ll take over, and get us off this path, and back on the correct one to lead us where we need to go today…. Hopefully, it didn’t take so long we lost our morning group of Gentle Readers…. In any case, I see our opening coming up, so, let’s get on with it, okay? I need to get this slow on the road…..

Shall we Pearl?

“We who revel in nature’s diversity and feel instructed by every animal tend to brand Homo sapiens as the greatest catastrophe since the Cretaceous extinction.” — Stephen Jay Gould

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

I’m in the mood for some classic rock, and there is no better example than this album, from the glory days of that genre….. This album is considered by aficianados to be one of the best examples of a live concert album ever created…. not to mention the tour, which was considered to be one of the best all-time performances by a live band…. On the page where this is found on You Tube, there are a number of fine albums from the period, which should provide y’all with some great music for your day…. Enjoy!…..

The Grateful Dead Europe ’72 /Disc One (November 5,1972)

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

jimmy sez
In the last week, one of America’s most revered cultural icons, Bill Cosby, has been revealed as a serial rapist…. Now, there are many people out there, even some reading this, who might think it is premature to name him as such, given the lack of legal convictions, or even charges brought against him in the past…. However, I am of a mind with Abe Lincoln, one of of many who famously believed, “if it looks like a dog, it smells like a dog, barks like a dog, AND, as an added bonus, wags its tail, then it’s a pretty sure bet it IS a dog”…. Let’s be realistic, ffolkes….

Even if only one woman had come forward, or two, it would still be a charge worth investigating, since it DOES, in spite of long-term denial by most of society, comprise the single worst crime I can think of; when more than ten women all tell the same story, with little variation in spite of years between incidents, there seems to me to be little doubt they are telling the truth, given what I know to be true of human nature, and the unwillingness of society to acknowledge the depth of this problem…. (See the comment above, by Jimmy Carter….)

Having known a great many women who were raped, in my work as a psychiatric technician, I know it is all too common for those victims of rape to never report the crime, because American society, long run by men, with men’s rules, immediately begins a campaign to implicate the victim in their own crime, by implying, complete with snide accusations, the woman invited her attack…. I’ve read record after record after record, all with the same story, of a woman sexually abused, multiple times in their lives, yet never believed…. Whenever I hear a man saying a woman is responsible for being raped, in any fashion, I immediately suspect anything that man says…

If anyone out there can provide me with ANY evidence to refute the above allegations, feel free to say so in the comment section; I defy ANYONE to find proof my contention is erroneous. This society is sick, sick, sick, in the way women in general are treated…. Moreover, it is frightened, childish petulant MEN who have infested society with their ignorant, cowardly misogyny, writing their lies and rationalizations right into the fabric of the laws they claim protect the weak and innocent…. when, in fact, most laws are designed to protect ONLY the rights of men, largely regarding property, which includes, in most men’s eyes, women….

Fucking assholes…. Here are two articles, from a UK news outlet; I also perused another British organization, which also had complete coverage of the ongoing issue with Fat Albert’s alter ego, and his serial victimization of young/old/he wasn’t picky, seems like, women…. Almost every international news organization had coverage, while the American media, as you’ll see below, has, as far as they could, tried to ignore it, or play it down, for the most part…. The only article I found this morning was in the NY Times, written by a woman, and I’m thinking the only reason it made it past the editors of the Times was that it was about jokes, and the TV media coverage of the issue, which, so far, has been pretty mild, and careful not to offend Dr. Huxatable’s image….

I did see where some hack quoted one of the child stars of that show, who said he never bothered her…. but, then, predators usually don’t hunt in their own pack; they go elsewhere for their prey….

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/nov/21/bill-cosby-rape-accusers-women-stories

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/nov/20/bill-cosby-acused-sexual-assault-seventh-woman

I checked the NY Times, Time Magazine, Yahoo, and Reuters News Services, where this was the ONLY article about the subject…. It makes me think the American media is avoiding the issue altogether, while most of the cultural outrage and shock is discussed openly outside the borders of Bill’s influence….


Oops…. I should have refreshed earlier…. though I don’t back away from what I’ve already said about media coverage, I did find one more reasonable discussion of the Cosby issue, from what seems to be a reasonably rational man…. Of course, we all should remember this IS the internet, so, someone’s actual existence is not proven until we can touch them ourselves…. But. this is well written, and well-thought out, so, it is worth a read, if only to add information relevant to the discussion….

http://time.com/3599400/cosby-rape-black-icons/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+time%2Ftopstories+%28TIME%3A+Top+Stories%29

Later in the day, more updates, with the American media finally chiming in to add to the numbers (now there are *at least* 17 accusers identified in the press around the world, all of whom indicated a similar pattern of stories, and further implications of the serial nature of the offenses….)

http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/news/bill-cosby-rape-accusers-speak-out-the-publics-mind-will-be-blown-20141121?utm_source=newsletter&utm_content=daily&utm_campaign=112114_16&utm_medium=email&ea=YWxwaGFnaWdvaWRAZ21haWwuY29t

Of course, Bill isn’t the only sexual predator, or the only one in society who assumes it is normal to abuse women; society itself allows a culture to be fostered which encourages sexual abuse, such as rape, by consistent denial of the problem, made worse by official tacit approval of acts of individual oppression, by refusing to punish offenders, as well as allowing victims to suffer further abuse for speaking out…. and I am not the only one who is tired of it….

http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/news/rape-at-uva-readers-say-jackie-wasnt-alone-20141121?utm_source=newsletter&utm_content=daily&utm_campaign=112114_16&utm_medium=email&ea=YWxwaGFnaWdvaWRAZ21haWwuY29t

Our male-dominated society makes it difficult for anyone who feels differently to make themselves heard; the way it accomplishes this ties right into the same methods used to oppress women, or any other group of vulnerable individuals, with denial, ridicule, and derisive verbal attacks from the ignorant and cruel as the primary weapons used against anyone who dares to speak out against men, or politicians, or police, or any of the protected members of the Asininnies… The very laws we live by were written by men, for the benefit of men only…. women, children, animals, and the planet at large are of no concern to these selfish assholes….

The following final link is just ONE example of how they maintain the atmosphere of fear that keeps the general public in line….

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/nov/20/police-legal-action-snooping-journalists

“There’s a tendency today to absolve individuals from moral responsibility and treat them as victims of social circumstance.  You buy that, you pay with your soul.  It’s not men who limit women, it’s not straights who limit gays, it’s not whites who limit blacks.  What limits people is lack of character.  What limits people is that they don’t have the fucking nerve or imagination to star in their own movie, let alone direct it.” — Bernard Mickey Wrangle

I see this rant has become a bit disorganized; this is partially due to the ubiquitous nature of the problem, which infests every level of society. It is such an infuriating subject for me, I tend to devolve into verbal abuse myself, though aimed at the perpetrators of these offenses, rather than the usual targets, the victims…. I get so angry, the only response I can come up with to resolve my anger at men in general is to go out, buy a weapon, and start the process of removing the culprits from this plane of existence, one by one…. It probably wouldn’t work very well, for very long, but, I’d sure feel a lot better for having relieved some of my anger against those who deserve it the most….

For now, though, I’ll let y’all get on with your day…. But, I’ll ask that you at least think about this, and try to see how the tacit approval of the problem by those who will not speak out is the basis of how the problem might be solved…. which will NOT happen until all those who now remain silent begin to speak up in defense of the weak and vulnerable among us…. In short, YOU, and I will have to make the changes, for those in power will never change, until they are made to do so by the rest of us….

Albert E & true sin

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

Here is a poem of mine that goes perfectly with the above rant; it was written with the subject matter firmly in mind….

Rhyming is better than lying….

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

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

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

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

~~ gigoid ~~


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

I’ve been so involved this morning in completing the rant, I feel like I need to shower before continuing to write…. Instead, I’ll sublimate by asking SB to find some pearls that are somewhat more optimistic about Life, and show human nature in a somewhat more attractive light…. There has to be SOME kind of redeeming quality to our nature, else why would we have all this potential goodness within us?…. Let’s see what we can see….

“Food, sleep, fear, propagation; each is the common property of men with brutes. Virtue is really their additional distinction; devoid of virtue, they are equal with brutes.” — The Hitopadesa (600?-1100? A.D.)

“It is an unhappy lot which finds no enemies.” — Publius Syrus (42 BC) — Maxim 499

“If a man has talent and cannot use it, he has failed.” — Thomas Wolfe

“Remember what Simonides said,–that he never repented that he had held his tongue, but often that he had spoken.” — Plutarch (46-120 AD)
— Rules for the Preservation of Health, 7

“A dreamer is one who can only find his way by moonlight, and his punishment is that he sees the dawn before the rest of the world.” — Oscar Wilde (1854-1900)

“One man with courage is a majority.” — Thomas Jefferson

“[Freedom is] the power to live as you will.  Who then lives as he wills?” — Marcus Tullius Cicero (106-43 B.C.)

“Have in readiness this saying of Solon, “But we will not give up our virtue in exchange for their wealth.”” — Plutarch (46-120 AD) — How to profit by our Enemies

“I must stand up in search of the truth, if I don’t I only roll with the flow of the lie and make it stronger.” — Sovereign

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

I’ve procrastinated to the limit allowed by law; being thus constrained, I shall yield to the demands of reality, to bring this to a close, ready or not…. I suppose, given what I’ve already done today, it is enough. I’ll 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.

Kowabunga!


À bientôt, mon cherí….


					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Just for fun, let’s watch it fester….

			
						

				Posted on   by  			

			
						

				3			

					


				

			
Ffolkes,




“A generation which ignores history has no past and no future.”


~~ Robert Heinlein, The Notebooks of Lazarus Long ~~


Mari's Island


     Today’s picture is one that gives me a feeling of peace. I found it on the blog of one of my favorite artist/poets, one Mari Sanchez Cayuso, whose bloody brilliant poetry can be found on her own blog site, StarsRainSunMoon…. This image, along with a bilingual poem of hers in accompaniment can be found here: http://starsrainsunmoon.com/2014/11/10/imagine-we-feel/  I like to think this picture is one she took looking out of her back yard, and that she walks over to the small island, for solitude, and to write her poems…. Perhaps it’s a bit fanciful, but, once you read some of her very personal, powerful poetry, you’ll see why she inspires the imagination….


Now, the quote from R. A. Heinlein is, of course, patently true as the day, and really needs no comment, nor any support from me, as it is a statement long accepted by society as truth…. Not that anyone appears to pay any attention…. The way our BRC loves to try to legislate morality, and the way they keep doing the same old shit we’ve seen throughout our checkered past, it’s obvious they aren’t paying any real attention to our history, but, hey, you can’t say they aren’t aware of it…. they’re just too greedy, and stupid, to care….


I am beginning to believe that simple fact; nobody with any real intelligence could do, or say, the idiotic shit our current crop of elected idiots has been displaying of late…. In my mind, nobody could BE that stupid, yet, there it all is, in black and white, on the front of every news paper and digital outlet on the net…. Egregiously stupid, repetitive, nonsensical crap keeps popping up on the screen, and each time, another blazing fool opens his/her mouth, and puts there foot right in it, seemingly with relish for the shitty taste…. At least, by their insane smiles and crazy eyes, they appear to be enjoying themselves, if with a bit of intensity not usual in people having actual fun….


Or, maybe that’s just me, seeing them with clearer eyes than many do…. It often seems to me that some folks just don’t WANT to hear anything that is contrary to the beliefs they hold in their tiny, mostly empty heads, so, they just don’t listen most of the time…. and, I get the feeling also that when they DO hear something, anything, that is at all complex, or scary, or contains the word terrorism, they stuff their fingers right into their ears, start singing “la la la” at the top of their lungs, and desperately remove themselves from the area where they’re hearing it…. fucking cowards, every damn one of them….


Oh well, since I started ranting here in the intro again, despite opening with such a lovely picture, I guess I should at least keep it short, and to the point…. Of course, it’s already too late for THAT, too, but, what the hell, I’ve got the reins, even if the horses are out of control…. and, I have NO IDEA what that means….. You know what THAT means, don’t you? Yep…. I’ve once again lost control of this mess, and will now be forced to dump it all right here, with no further attempts to save any of it, whilst we take our immediate leave, right through this little opening right HERE…..


Shall we Pearl?


“I have a feeling that at any time about three million Americans can be had for any militant reaction against law, decency, the Constitution, the Supreme Court, compassion and the rule of reason.” — John Kenneth Galbraith


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


Here is another concert from the past, from an old favorite of mine, the Righteous Brothers…. but, what I really like is what I found at the bottom of the page on You Tube where this one resides, which is a link to another suggested concert, this one from my first ever heart-throb…. There is a link to a concert by Miss Connie Francis…. which I’ll definitely be including here in a future post…. For now, enjoy the fine harmonies and powerful voices of another set of cultural icons from our past…..






The Righteous Brothers – Legends In Concert





































 


 


 




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


In these past couple of weeks, my life has been more settled, and I’ve spent more time in company than has been the case for close to four years…. This seems to have had an effect on my angst, to the point it isn’t as easy to work up the outrage necessary for a proper rant…. But, since I’ve been ranting for several years now, it isn’t too hard to find an appropriate discussion for the day, which I’ve done today by going back into the 2012 archives…. for this section, and for the old school pearl in the final section… It’s a combo-rant, covering more than one group of Asininnies…. If you’ve read it before, feel free to skip down to the poem….


From 8/7/2012:


“The evidence of the emotions, save in cases where it has strong objective support, is really no evidence at all, for every recognizable emotion has its opposite, and if one points one way then another points the other way. Thus the familiar argument that there is an instinctive desire for immortality, and that this desire proves it to be a fact, becomes puerile when it is recalled that there is also a powerful and widespread fear of annihilation, and that this fear, on the same principle proves that there is nothing beyond the grave. Such childish proofs are typically theological, and they remain theological even when they are adduced by men who like to flatter themselves by believing that they are scientific gents…” — H. L. Mencken


“One of the proofs of the immortality of the soul is that myriads have believed it–they also believed the world was flat.” — Mark Twain


“Convincing yourself doesn’t win an argument.” — Robert Half


Here is an old school Pearl, in a manner of speaking…. These three quotations all say pretty much the same thing, with varying types of expression. Each, to me, seems to express that same idea more succinctly than the one before, leaving out more and more words until the final statement gives the bottom line… which is one that is heavily argued by those to whom it most applies….


It’s funny (ironic funny) to me to hear some of the arguments proposed by the priestly hierarchies in support of their beliefs. Some are couched in formal robes, all dressed up so they appear as reasoned logic, rather than the unwarranted assumptions that they really are. Mr. Mencken’s expression above would be the most effective in engaging these wordy individuals, as it would appeal to the side of them that pretends to being a scientist. They might reject the arguments, since their own arguments are, in the final analysis, subjectively formulated, not based on observations but on induction, as the platform of their entire argument is all based on an imaginary entity’s theoretical wishes…..


“Jesus loves  me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so”…. Such an innocent sounding piece of doggerel…. one would scarcely believe it is one of the most insidious examples of blatant propaganda in existence. The proponents of the “Old man in the sky” group start drumming this into the minds of children as soon as they are able to talk, and, as they well know, before they learn to doubt what their elders tell them. Children naturally accept what their parents tell them, almost exclusively for the first few years of life.


This home-schooling form of brainwashing continues once they are of an age to start looking outside their family for knowledge of the world, with teachers, preachers, and kindly old aunts who continue to inundate the young minds with stories of Bible heroes and villains, drilling into the malleable minds the sense of entitlement and elitism that will provide them with the impetus for bigotry later in life. In addition, this period strengthens the brainwashing given earlier, teaching the kids that they should only trust certain people to tell them the truth, and that all the other religions in the world are not only not saved, but are not eligible for saving, due to their own beliefs, which are characterized as villainous, and as enemies, to be reviled and persecuted because they are different….


“The books that the world calls immoral are the books that show the world its own shame.” — Oscar Wilde


This entire process, this systematic, deliberate mental conditioning, is, to my mind, pretty despicable. It denies its proponents any possible way of examining the information that other systems may possess, by convincing them that all other forms of knowledge are not only wrong, but blasphemous in nature, and should be cast aside whenever encountered, without ever examining the information for its relevance, or its accuracy.


Education is learning that you did not even know what you did not even know you did not even know. — Smart Bee


The whole system is designed to continue the delusional system into the future, while keeping the congregation in the dark of ignorance. It has no other purpose…. it is not in place to help or sustain the members of the congregation, but rather to control that population’s thoughts and behavior, ensuring the power and influence of the priests, pastors, preachers, or whatever name they choose to call themselves…..


I can only count myself as fortunate, to have been raised without the brainwashing on a regular basis. We attended a Presbyterian church, probably an offshoot of the old Church of England, where the adage about “cake, or death?” was originated…. The net result of this was that I was able to include other systems in my education, and found the entire construct to be a house of invisible cards, easily knocked down with a single bite of the Apple….


“How come you never see a politician (or a preacher) laugh? Because they know what they’re getting away with, and if they started laughing, they’d never stop.” — Smart Bee


And you know what else?…. I always thought Satan got a pretty raw deal, all for exercising the free will he was given…. and so did Adam and Eve…. Even as a child of five, I always wondered why God had set them up to fail like that…. it’s like, “Here’s the apple…. don’t taste it….” and then making sure we, as humans, had a sense of wonder and curiosity strong enough to disregard the admonition…. Even then, it looked like a set-up, and I could never reconcile the image in my head of a God, supposedly with infinite knowledge, setting up his own creation like that…. it just didn’t seem very God-like, or even fair…. and I still don’t get it, even today…..


With a subject such as this, it’s hard to know when to stop…. the issue has been one that has held Mankind back for two millennia now, preventing us from achieving our real potential as a species. All the progress we, as a species, have made in the last 3,000 years or so has been in spite of the efforts of the priestly hierarchies to keep us as ignorant as possible; at every turn of the wheel of science, the powers that be have thrown sand in the works, to try to slow down the acquisition of knowledge.


“Neither do the ignorant seek after wisdom.  For herein is the evil of ignorance, that he who is neither good nor wise is nevertheless satisfied with himself; he has no desire for that of which he feels no want.” — Plato (428-348? B.C.)


They know that an educated populace, capable of reasoning beyond the limitations placed on the human mind by religious dogma, is the greatest threat to their continued existence as the leaders of Mankind. They know that once people are exposed to knowledge (the flesh of the Apple, remember?), the less they will submit to the brainwashing that is the lot of the common man…. and it scares them to death…..


Doubt. Question authority. Ask the next, deeper question. And never, ever, give up the right to make up your own mind…. In the final analysis, that power is the only one we all have, and the only one that cannot be taken away from us without our consent…. Viva la raza!…..


Oh, and won’t it be nice when you don’t have to give tithes anymore?…..




Though old the thought and oft exprest,

‘T is his at last who says it best.


 — James Russell Lowell (1819-1891) ~~


~~For an Autograph ~~




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


Here is another of my poems, from 2012, when my long hiatus at writing poetry ended…. I hope you enjoy it; it’s one of my better poems…. Well, I think so….






Intelligent Crimes


The value of wit is often said to cause harm,

for those who think, such is its greatest charm.

The new and the bold cannot be fulfilled

if innovation and change are left unwilled.


Society behaves at its base as a mob

conformity and submission its primary job.

Any sign of rebellion against the mob’s rule

is met with resentment, naming such rebel the fool.


Intellect and talent are looked at askance,

expressing artistry stands nary a chance.

To stand out from the rest of mankind

is fraught with danger, for body and mind.


Often I stand to watch in solemn dismay

as beauty and joy are left by the way,

ignored and reviled by the unwashed masses

who prefer darkness, and acting like asses.


With shouts of derision the normals make known

their fear of intelligence, greater than their own.

They hope to stop all semblance of progress;

for thoughts and ideas, they couldn’t care less.


The world struggles on in spite of all opposition, 

managing to maintain its advanced position.

Pulling the foolish along in spite of reluctance,

helping each to learn the survival dance.


Hard though it may be to keep up with the future

genius manages its plans to develop and nurture.

In the final analysis, those who live by reason

enjoy life the most, season to season.


~~ gigoid ~~




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


I’m a bit lazy today, so here is a pearl from a couple years ago, just for fun…. It’s a good one, too…. When they only have five stars, they’re usually more pointed, thus more effective in making the point….


From 8/6/2012:


It’s time again for an old-school pearl…. these statements all lead to one cogent thought, one that can completely change your life, and how you look at that life…. just let your mind float freely, holding each thought, then adding the next one in, until all have been mixed together thoroughly, to a smooth consistency…. and you will SEE!…..


“Always store beer in a dark place.” — Lazarus Long


Be a hero! Teach your children to think for THEMSELVES! — Smart Bee


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


“You’re not supposed to be so blind with patriotism that you can’t face reality. Wrong is wrong, no matter who says it.” — Malcolm X


“Once you can accept the universe as being something expanding  into an infinite nothing which is something, wearing stripes  with plaid is easy.” — Albert Einstein (1879-1955)


And, as it has been said for centuries in the alleyways and hidden streets of the world’s greatest cities,….. there you go. You may now consider yourself a yogini of highest rank…..  or was that yogurt?  No matter, don’t you feel enlightened? I know I do….. with a nice blueberry aftertaste….


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


Such as it is, there it is…. I can’t say I put the most effort into this one; I don’t seem to have the urge to write as strongly as most days….. Ah well, this has gone on long enough, I know it will change again tomorrow…. It always does, one way or another…. So, there will be more fresh material coming soon…. For now, we’re done here, so, I’ll accept my fate without complaint, and take myself off to contemplate my sins…. (Sure I will….) 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.


Kowabunga!






À bientôt, mon cherí….







		
	
					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Nuke those gum drops before they’re served, please….

			
						

				Posted on   by  			

			
						

				3			

					


				

			
Ffolkes,




“No falsehood lingers into old age.”


~~ Sophocles (406 BC) ~~


rosetta-spacecraft-comet-landing-release


     In response to the quote, from Sophocles, I would say, “except, perhaps, those we tell to ourselves.” That simple fact may be part of the problem, wouldn’t you think?….. Ah well….


In coming centuries, should we survive to see them, the Philae lander, (which you see above in an artist’s rendering of its descent to the comet on which it tried to land, taken from Space.com’s coverage of the event), may become the subject of a number of jokes, described as “Philae, the Bouncing Bot”, or other such inane nicknames, a result of the comical way it managed to complete its landing sequence…. Thanks to the unknown physical demands of the landing, onto a comet moving at great speed, the silly thing managed to bounce three times before coming to a complete rest on the surface, a sequence of events not realized until the pictures from the mother-ship had been analyzed….


What a ride, eh? Zooming along through space, trying to land on a rock, only to find itself on a make-shift carnival ride…. Too bad it didn’t have any human riders to give us a play-by-play description of how it felt to be bouncing over the surface of a speeding rock through the depths of space… As it was, we were barely able to find the poor wee ‘bot where it ended up on the surface, finally spotting it shortly before its batteries gave out. The information it was able to transmit to the scientists at the EU Space Center, of the single drilling sample it was able to perform, was sent to the center just before it said “Nighty night”, and went to sleep, perhaps never to wake again….


Since there is only a small chance of it ever doing so, we’ll leave our species’ latest technological wonder to rest in peace, and hope it passes through enough sunlight on its trip around the Sun to be able to wake up & reestablish contact with Earth. Until then, we’ll just tell it, “Well done, little ‘bot!”, and get on with today’s Pearl…. Hey, we’ve got to get started some time, right? Right…. Now seems like a good time….


Since we’ve already come down the page a ways, I think we’ll take what we’ve been given, and run to the bank to deposit what may be left by the time we get there…. Not that we’re going to sweat much over an imaginary deposit in an imaginary bank, but, it deserves a mention, if only to fill in just a few more lines…. Pretty cool the way I slipped those in there, isn’t it? I’m getting fairly adept at this, I think…. Other times, I’m sure I’m deluding myself, and, since I haven’t a clue as to how to figure out which is true, we’ll pretend I never said anything about it, and take the opening into the rest of the Pearl that is looming just ahead….  In fact, DUCK!….


Whew, almost hit the overhead lights on that pass…. Oh well, we made it, and we’re here, so, lets’ get on with it…..


Shall we Pearl?


“In all life one should comfort the afflicted, but verily, also, one should afflict the comfortable, and especially when they are comfortably, contentedly, even happily wrong.” — John Kenneth Galbraith, Guardian (London, 28 July 1989)


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


I don’t know about y’all, but, I love Van Morrison’s music, always have…. Here’s a bunch of it…. Enjoy this little trip through the past, ffolkes, or else….




Van Morrison- BBC Four Sessions 2008







































 


 




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


I’m not late, but, the news is currently pretty boring, and, more importantly, I AM quite lazy…. Hence, another blast from the past…. This one isn’t a rant, per se, though it shows some rant-like qualities…. I think we’ll label this one a ‘discussion’….


From 10/22/2012:


“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.” — Lazarus Long, from Time Enough For Love, by Robert Heinlein


As with many important truths, this one does not comfort one to know it; a common attribute of remarks by Lazarus, who has a tendency to voice the truth regardless of its potential, or even certain, effect on the audience. And, damn it, it is just so much simpler to let all the bad stuff hold sway on our attention, and give in to the depressive urge to berate and chastise the universe for its lack of tact and consideration for human sensibilities. It never listens, anyway….


My semi-rant in section one today is a perfect example of this principle at work; I do try to maintain some optimism in the face of reality; I even have learned to try to explain away all the weird stuff, as being outside the statistical universe under consideration. It’s a lie, but it’s my lie, so I usually can buy into it, long enough to allow denial to set in, and thus preventing the otherwise inevitable depression over how bad things have gotten…..


Actually, right now, it’s fairly simple to stay completely distracted, as we always have the election, and all the shenanigans taking place on that stage, to draw our attention away from the imminent demise we face as a species, or even, more importantly, our personal concerns of everyday living. It’s easy to deny the inevitability of carbon monoxide pollution when we have Mitt the Twitt’s lies to chase down, or Biden’s latest zinger to admire, or Lyin’ Ryan’s latest example of elitism to watch with dropped jaw….. It’s a veritable circus, and the clowns are in full swing….


(Note from 2014: This was written during the 2012 campaign leading to the national election, with Mitt, the Twit, Romney, cluelessly running against Barry the Obama, who was seeking his second term at the helm….)


It’s not just the candidates providing the entertainment, either…. every Tom, Dickwad, and Mary is chiming in with their two cents, on TV, radio, and, most prodigiously, on the Internet, all trying to get SOMEONE to listen to them during the run-up to the election. Those two cents can get very, very strange, as each commenter tries to make the most outrageous statements and/or claims/accusations about all the actors on stage, providing a whole new package of entertainment for us, each one vying for our attention at the top of their lungs, figuratively speaking…..


This is where the metaphor of the circus gains its credibility, although, more accurately, I am reminded by this, most emphatically, of just about any carnival at the County Fairs I’ve been to….. Disheveled, sinister-looking barkers, complete with suspenders and a cigar in their mouth, yelling out the prizes they promise, each one grander than the next, and easy as pie to win: exotic visions that promise endless satisfaction of desires, enormously valuable jewels and objet’s d’art for virtually nothing, and endless illusions to draw the eye away from the seediness and underlying, almost frenetic despair permeating the air….


Yes, indeed, the political scene here in America has always reminded me of a carnival, and the events and activities that prompt my impression of the election as an illusionary device, designed to fool the public into thinking that things will change if they vote, has never been stronger than it is now. I have hope that by voting against the obviously evil side of the campaign, the overall effect on the immediate future will be mitigated to some degree. But, I can find within me very little hope that the eventual outcome is in doubt, and that outcome is not one that anyone is going to like…. at all.


My optimism is fairly natural to me; I’ve always been a hopeful kind of person, and I continue to hold hope that mankind’s future will extend beyond this century, groundless as it may be. My pessimism, unfortunately, has the advantage of having the most evidence in it’s favor right now, even if Obama wins the election, as I expect he will. He is only one man, and the course of human events is very difficult to change once it is headed in a particular direction. My hope is based on the wish that more than just he will learn to make the inner changes needed for us all to survive the storms that are coming…. A slim hope, yes, but hey, it happens to be all we’ve got…..


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


Here is a piece of my own poetry, written during a period of contemplation of current events, (of that time, of course….), of the most personal kind, in which I managed to include much of my own philosophy, truncated into verse, right in the very last stanza…. Go figure….




Raging at Aging


As old as you feel, we are told, is old as you are,

custom assures such vision will carry us far.

Reality begs to differ, may it be so bold

it’s really quite painful, and very, very cold.


The power and strength felt in our halcyon youth

desert us with age, yet another unwelcome truth.

Irony rules our time here on this bountiful earth

as we reflect the changes over time since our birth.


As physical powers fade from this fragile shell, 

we learn our mind can serve us quite as well.

The strength that once filled our bones and hearts

is now applied by our will, to more arcane arts.


Life’s greatest gift is our freedom of choice

no matter how often we forget, we still get a voice.

Energy, or apathy, by our will we may choose,

failing to do so, our only way to lose.


Each of us lives in the grip of time and space,

always seeking our balance, our own chosen place.

One must accept reality, for it’s true at the core,

all we can do, is all we can do, and nothing more.


~~ gigoid ~~




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


As I begin to write this section, I have no clue as to what I’ll find today in SB…. In fact, that may be the way to go…. Right, we’ll do it…. This pearl will be ALL Smart Bee’s choices, on any subject it cares to pick, as long as it makes a point of some kind…. Let’s see what happens with such a loose set of parameters….


“In everything one must consider the end.” — J. de La Fontaine (1621-1695) — The Fox and the Gnat, Book iii, Fable 5


“A multiple personality is in a certain sense normal.” — George H. Mead


“Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson


“Better be ignorant of a matter than half know it.” — Publius Syrus (42 BC) — Maxim 865


“It is not love of self, but hatred of self which is at the root of the troubles that afflict the world.” — Eric Hoffer


“The world will never starve for want of wonders; but only for want of wonder.” — G. K. Chesterton, TREMENDOUS TRIFLES


A soldier told Pelopidas, “We are fallen among the enemies.” Said he, “How are we fallen among them more than they among us?” — Plutarch (46-120 AD) — Pelopidas


“Even while a thing is in the act of coming into existence, some part of it has already ceased to be.” — Marcus Aurelius


“This and a great deal more like it I have had to put up with.” — Terence (185-159 BC) — Act iv, Sc. 6, 8, (746.)


Hmm…. Well, I’m not entirely sure what it means, but, I like it. It’s done, too, making it perfect….


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


Whew! That went fairly well, all things considered…. Today’s Pearl has been brought to you by the number 2, by the letter J, and by those generous folks three houses down whose internet service I’ve been stealing for weeks…. Just kidding, but. hey, it isn’t unusual for me to be a bit giddy when I’m finished…. Perhaps this would be a good time to make my break for freedom…. Say goodnight, Gracie….


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.


Kowabunga!






À bientôt, mon cherí….





					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
We never thought of corn flakes….

			
						

				Posted on   by  			

			
						

				Reply			

					


				

			
Ffolkes,




“The reward of a thing well done, is to have done it.”


~~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~~


11-15-2014 001 (2)


     The tree you see above is a gorgeous old black pepper tree a few blocks from where I live…. Its massive trunk is of a width that indicates it MUST be over a hundred years old, yet it still drips with the small red colored peppercorns that furnish us with such a basic element of quality to our food…. I for one would NOT like to think of a world without black pepper, to bring perfect balance to the salt our bodies need, and crave, an essential ingredient to make our food taste so much better, there is literally no comparison to food without such enhancement…


Looking at such a beautiful old tree makes me sad, to think about how long it has graced that corner, and its coming death from climate change issues…. which is a perfect lead-in statement for a rant, but, doesn’t promise good things for this introduction. Shoot, I’d been hoping to avoid any such ranting in this section; I’m not dressed for it, for one thing, and for another, I’m still half-bloody-asleep…. the coffee doesn’t seem to be quite doing the trick this morning…. It must be the shoes…


Well, perhaps not…. More likely, it’s just the way it is, on these mornings when my blood sugar is a bit slow to level out…. Hmm, I wonder if that has anything to do with the new diabetic control medicine I’m taking; sometimes it can take a while to see all the effects from a new medication. I doubt it, though… it’s supposed to help regulate the way my body processes sugar, so, it shouldn’t make it take that process too far…. What would be the point of that, when the whole purpose is to stabilize, not send it careening up and down like a roller coaster? None, as far as I can see….


Not that the American medical society would pay much heed to that, if the stats could be manipulated to show the pills work the way they want it to; how many times have we seen the pharmacy companies rush a new drug into production, only to find it has bad side effects? I’m not sure of the exact number, but, let me assure you, they don’t much care if a medicine is dangerous, as long as they can make a nice profit from it before they have to pull it from the shelves…. SIGH…. There I go again, don’t I?….


Perhaps it would be best to just get out of the intro, and get on with the rest of today’s mess, before this turns yet again toward one of the groups of assholes who plague us in our daily lives, and are slowly, steadily, killing us all with their intransigent avarice, greed, and lust for power…. They’re just such a good target, it’s hard to resist…. Well, that, plus their all-too-regular acts of idiocy, and their massively stupid proclamations of intent, have a tendency to bury us, daily, if not more often, in a flood of bullshit, lies, and manipulations, designed to keep us distracted, and too busy being afraid to look too closely at what they are actually doing….


For now, though, my hands are getting numb, and my shoulder is killing me…. so, I’m going to take a short break, while the necessary elements of style, and requisite degree of angst and passion are cultivated, stoked, and harvested, all of which takes some time, as well as concentration…. In short, I’m taking us outta here, now…. Hang on, we’re goin’ in!….


Shall we Pearl?


“When you have secured an area, don’t forget to tell the enemy.” — Murphy’s Military Laws, #19


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


I’ve always enjoyed Rod Stewart’s music, ever since first hearing his breakout hit, Maggie Mae, sometime back in the late sixties or early seventies….. So, here is a concert of his for today’s video entertainment…. I like to go to the You Tube pages for the shows I find, to see what other groups or artists they have in the suggested videos on the side of the pages…. It’s like an endless list of artists from my past, and I never know who I might see over there…. For example, just on this page, you will find other shows by artists such as Do Wop groups from the sixties, seventies, and beyond, Cher, Adele, Lionel Ritchie, Elton John, and a number of others…. Any who, y’all enjoy the show….







Rod Stewart One Night Only full concert Live at Royal Albert Hall 2004


































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


Ooh, ooh! I found a perfect opening quote for a rant on politics, especially if either our beloved Barry the Obama, or, even better, if the most visible member of the evil empire, the senator from that bastion of ignorance, Kentucky’s own Mitch the Clueless, last of the Dickless Ones, whose last name forever escapes me, (oh, right, it’s McConnell, I think… something like that….) have been living up to their usual level of asininity….


“This ASEXUAL PIG really BOILS my BLOOD…  He’s so..so…..URGENT!!” — Zippy the Pinhead


Isn’t that just deliciously vicious? And, so vaguely insulting, the pig to whom one might apply it might not, at first, even realize they’ve been insulted…. I can see it now, with some chic reporter from an overseas bureau commenting on some idiotic statement, by asking them why they must be so ‘urgent’ in all their acts of stupidity…. to which either of them may or may not reply…


Right after finding Zippy’s cogent exclamation, I found this great lead-in quote for a nice little rant against those hypocritical manipulators of the public’s fears, our old friends, the dogma dogs….


You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.

You cannot help the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer.

You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich.

You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves.


— Rev. John William Henry Boetcker


Have you ever seen a more egregiously sycophantic statement as this?… It very nearly stumbles over into pandering, and, if truth be told, serves to remind me of nothing so much as a mental image I’ve had before…. I envision a priest, or preacher, or, as I like to call them, a dogma dog, kneeling in front of a pundit/talking head (or, alternately, kneeling under the desk in front of the talking head), mouth firmly clamped around their private member, head bobbing, with an adoring look in their eyes, chanting “use me, hurt me, make me eat dirt!”….  Meanwhile, the talking head smiles at a camera, & waves politely to the unwashed masses looking on in horror….


To my mind, it’s a perfect representation of the reality our culture presents, with the BRC, owned and manipulated by the corporate snakeheads, blindly propped up in power by fawning religious sycophants, who preach salvation to the great unwashed masses, in solemn trade for obedience to temporal authority, augmented in their efforts by their myrmidons, the police and military, who are ever ready to supply any amount of violence needed to keep the animals in their pens, slaving away at their masters’ behest….


“Power, like the diamond, dazzles the beholder, and also the wearer; it dignifies meanness; to what is contemptible, it gives authority; to what is low, exaltation.” — Smart Bee


Bah, humbug! My urge to rant is strong, and my anger is great….  Unfortunately for me, (though probably good for y’all….), my hands are giving out rapidly again, making the composition of an adequately large number of epithets and specific curses somewhat problematic, from a physical standpoint…. This is, perhaps, lucky for y’all, as I felt a really BIG rant in there…. Instead, I’ll sublimate the urge into putting together an old school indictment of the assholes under discussion….


Here then are the best Smart Bee can find today, all intended to draw metaphorical blood from talking heads, dogma dogs, and/or faceless myrmidons, as they exist in the wilds of Washington D.C., and the larger urban centers in Amurrica….


“Stupidity is not a handicap … ask a Conservative!” — Smart Bee


“Delay is the deadliest form of denial.” — Parkinson’s Law of Delay


“The Founding Fathers warned us about this!” — Smart Bee


“The Texas Legislature, God forbid, will be with us again shortly, thus depriving many a village of its idiot.” — Molly Ivins


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


“1) Don’t cheat.   2) If you do cheat, don’t get caught.” — Opening lines, US Senate Orientation Manual


“CONGRATULATIONS!  Now should I make thinly veiled comments about  DIGNITY, self-esteem, and finding TRUE FUN in your RIGHT VENTRICLE??”

— Zippy the Pinhead


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


For two days now, my hands and shoulders have been informing me of their disapproval of the recent temperature and weather changes; in spite of all the medications I take, which includes magic cream, they tend to ache, and ache, and ache some more, much of the day…. This, as you may guess, makes typing somewhat of a challenge…. This, in turn, makes me use my archived material more often, a habit which, while convenient, does little to relieve the pressure inside my head…. It also makes what happens here less than amenable to outside influences… In short, I don’t want to place any of the blame for all of this on anyone else…. Today’s blast is from the relatively recent past,  a poem that describes well how this works for me…. or not, depending on how one listens to its message…. It seems long, but, it really isn’t; it’s just long….




Retrospective, defined in folly….


Yesterday

I wrote a poem.


It bled out of my head,

like I’d been struck with

an axe,

right through the artery, 

in the neck,

spraying blood around

everywhere,

like a pulsing garden hose….


It hurt, at first,

then came the feeling,


of quick relief,

of timeless beauty,

 

of pain avenged,

of lust aroused,


of outrage aflame,

of deep compassion,


of endless empathy,

of truest love….


Now it’s gone, cast away

like pearls before twine.


(Grin…)


You thought

I was going to call you

a pig,

didn’t you?


Hah!


Well, you’re not.

You’re a person.


I know, because

you’re reading this poem…

if that’s what it is.

I think it is, 

so,

maybe it is. 


Or, maybe,

it will be,

someday, when it

grows up, 

and learns to rhyme.

Whew…

Just in time…..


That’s all.

Reality often sucks wind,

y’know?


S’okay, though….

It keeps us busy,

and out of some of the

mischief,

so much part

of our 

nature.


We all can do

only what we

do.


Or, don’t.


Two sides, one coin.


~~ gigoid ~~




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


Today’s old school pearl will be random, harlequin style, with parameters picked out by Smart Bee…. Honest, I had very little to do with this, so, you can’t blame me for it…. Well, not entirely, anyway…..


FOOL, n.  A person who pervades the domain of intellectual speculation and diffuses himself through the channels of moral activity.  He is omnific, omniform, omnipercipient, omniscient, omnipotent.  He it was who invented letters, printing, the railroad, the steamboat, the telegraph, the platitude and the circle of the sciences.  He created patriotism and taught the nations war — founded theology, philosophy, law, medicine and Chicago.  He established monarchical and republican government.  He is from everlasting to everlasting — such as creation’s dawn beheld he fooleth now.  In the morning of time he sang upon primitive hills, and in the noonday of existence headed the procession of being.  His grandmotherly hand was warmly tucked-in the set sun of civilization, and in the twilight he prepares Man’s evening meal of milk-and-morality and turns down the covers of the universal grave.  And after the rest of us shall have retired for the night of eternal oblivion he will sit up to write a history of human civilization.” — Ambrose Bierce, “The Devil’s Dictionary”


“If you can spend a perfectly useless afternoon in a perfectly useless manner, you have learned how to live.” — Lin Yutang


“Who does not trust enough will not be trusted.” — Lao Tzu


“I have recently been examining all the known superstitions of the world, and do not find in our particular superstition (Christianity) one redeeming feature.  They are all alike founded on fables and mythology.” — Thomas Jefferson


“George Washington, as a boy, was ignorant of the commonest accomplishments of youth.  He could not even lie.” — Mark Twain


“To the intelligent man or woman, life appears infinitely mysterious. But the stupid have an answer for every question.” — Edward Abbey


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


Hmm…. It seems Smart Bee had a few comments to make on Life at Large….. Not bad, all in all…. it can stay….


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


It seems a trifle strange to consider, given our opening status today, but, I do believe we’ve done it again…. It certainly LOOKS done; I’ll do a quick proof, and get back to you on that, okay?…. I love it when I’m right; since it happens so seldom in any significant arena of existence, I’ll take it. Not only that, but, I’ll take it, and run with it…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, unless somebody 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.


Kowabunga!






À bientôt, mon cherí….





					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Last train to Paducah.boarding now on track 13….

			
						

				Posted on   by  			

			
						

				1			

					


				

			
Ffolkes,




The ruling passion, be it what it will,

The ruling passion conquers reason still.


 ~~ Alexander Pope (1688-1744) ~~ 


~~ Moral Essays, Epistle iii, Line 153 ~~


11-15-2015 002


     Well…. Don’t worry, my next words won’t be “and, that’s a deep subject”….. Why not? Simply because I’m feeling more dignified than that; it’s too early to give in for the day already…. Of course, dignity is something all of us are able to do without to survive, but, survival sure feels better when we have it…. I suppose we could say that is true of a lot of things we humans feel, to wit: we feel a lot of things that don’t necessarily help us in our most important task as humans…. But, then, ask any two humans what their most important task may be, and you’ll get at least two answers, if not more….. We’re an odd species, to be sure….


That said, and since I am a member of said fickle, yet charming simian phylum, I think I may also say, we are a sorry bunch of naked apes, and will, no doubt, come to an ignominious end, most likely before most of us have a clue as to the time, let alone the ending time…. It’s a natural state when we spend most of our time in this plane of existence struggling AGAINST the basic rules of the universe, trying to overcome our inner confusion by imposing our own sense of order upon the world…. Since that NEVER works, we spend a lot of time, scratching our heads, wondering what went wrong….


Like this morning, for example…. Here I am, once more typing away madly, trying to fill in this space so we can get to the meat of the matter, but, obviously, I haven’t a clue as to how to proceed with any degree of certainty as to my final destination…. Hell, I can barely remember my name this early, but, here I am, making like a writer, just as it I were one…. And, in point of fact, I am enough of one to realize I should have gone with my initial impulse, to comment on the lions in the picture I took, above….


I mean, look how easy it would have been to talk about it, as the two guardians of the steps react to the presence of the leaf blowing across the yard…. See how they both are focused on it, with paw raised in warning, to tell it to stay away…. But, no, I had to go with my second, more dignified, but less interesting discussion of human nature, and it’s all-too-apparent flaws…. Go figure….


Nonetheless, here we are, down the page far enough to declare victory over the forces of obstruction, aka, Murphy and his myrmidons, at least for the day…. Often, if I can beat him off this early, he’ll go find someone else to fuss with; we’ll see how that goes…. In the meantime, I’m going to get started on getting the rest of this mess done, so, hang on while I use some of my vaunted skills at piloting this weird craft, and take us out of here, into the world of Virtual Wisdom, or a reasonable facsimile….


Shall we Pearl?


“I cannot believe in a God who wants to be praised all the time.” — Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (1844-1900)


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


It’s a classical day today…..




Four Seasons ~ Vivaldi






































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


In place of today’s rant, which isn’t happening, here is what I collected to give it a start, along with the pearls I found to represent the point I’m making by including the articles…. My original intent was to show how the government of this, and every country in the world, mostly, is actively engaged in oppressing the citizens of their own countries…. But, it began to appear like a subject too big for one little pearl, so, instead, I’ve put the appropriate comment from SB, or whomever it delegates, above each link….


After the links, you’ll find an old-school pearl, with some rather pointed remarks regarding those who engage in the public orgy of masturbation as displayed on a daily basis in the halls of Congress, the White House, and the Supreme Court, all of which are in varying stages of corporate enslavement, or are otherwise showing the signs of insanity common to all sociopathic personalities….


“No man’s life, liberty, or property is safe while the Legislature is in session.” — Lysander Spooner


http://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/press-freedom-new-censorship


“A free press can of course be good or bad, but, most certainly, without freedom it will never be anything but bad… . Freedom is nothing else but a chance to bet better, whereas enslavement is a certainty of the worse.” — Albert Camus, Resistance, Rebellion and Death (1960)


 http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2472148,00.asp


I could have added a number of other headlines, with the concomitant pearl to highlight its point, but, I’ll show some restraint, and confine myself to finding a balanced number of pearls of virtual wisdom, all of which will further expose the assholes for what they are, or, at minimum, take a shot at a vital spot with our barbed missiles…. The first pearl kind of sets the proper tone, with the rest adding in their own melodies, all of which will form a charming little tune, to show the fuckheads for what they are, in the space of a nine-star pearl….




The Three Stooges, the sinking ship, and the lone lifeboat:


Ronald Reagan: “Maybe we should save the women and children.”

Richard Nixon: “F**k the women and children!”

Bob Packwood: “Gee, do you really think we have time?”


~~ the Stilt Man ~~




“Keeping freedom safe from democracy” — Vision statement of the GOP, 2016


“Disbelief in magic can force a poor soul into believing in government and business.” — Tom Robbins


“A government solution to a problem is always followed by the creation of at least two additional problems, either of which was worse than the original problem which the government set out to solve.” — Smart Bee


“A leader leads from in front, by the power of example. A ruler pushes from behind, by means of the club, the whip, the power of fear.” — Edward Abbey


“Men who allow their love of power to give them a distorted view of the world are to be found in every asylum: one man will think he is the governor of the Bank of England, another will think he is the king, and yet another will think he is God.  Highly similar delusions, if expressed by educated men in obscure language, lead to professorships of philosophy, and if expressed by emotional men in eloquent language, lead to dictatorships.” — Bertrand Russell (1872-1967)


“It is more than a crime; it is a political fault,” — Joseph Fouche (1763-1820) — Memoirs of Fouche


“In a democracy you can be respected though poor, but don’t count on it.” — Charles Merrill Smith




Till their own dreams at length deceive ’em,

And oft repeating, they believe ’em.


 — Matthew Prior (1664-1721) — Alma, Canto iii, Line 13




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




“Poetry is a deal of joy and pain and wonder, with a dash of the dictionary.”


~~ Kahlil Gibran ~~


Fine and Good, Good and Fine


A pig in a poke’s got nothing on me,

cuz I’m as confused as a man can be.

This ol’ world’s got me spinnin’ around

cussin’ and spittin’, a penny for a pound.


Forty ‘leven times since I was a kid, well,

I’ve fallen in love, ‘least too close to tell.

Every damn time, it all went to crap,

Forty ‘leven times I’ve felt like a sap.


‘Course, each time it happens, I forget the last;

why not? I’m havin’ such a blast….

Livin’ in each moment, filled with joie de vivre,

’til it’s all gone away again, nothin’ left up my sleeve.


Don’t want y’all to think I’m sad or blue,

life’s full of sorrow, lots for me, and/or you..

T’other side of that coin, we can be glad,

is joyful love, and that ain’t at all bad.


My road’s been littered with parts o’my heart,

each one colored with trust, which ain’t always smart.

Yet, long as I don’t lose my connection to joy,

I’ll find my own true love, and be a happy boy.


It’s been some kinda fun, even when I’d take a fall,

and doin’ it over makes no sense at all, at all

Day after day, I keep on keepin’ on, as it’s said;

Guess I’ll keep on doin’ that ’til I’m dead.


‘Nuff said….


~~ gigoid, tongue firmly in cheek ~~




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


As I searched for the pearls found in section two today, these little gems kept popping up at random intervals… Since they all pertain to one particular subject, all having to do, at least peripherally, with an aspect of religion, or those who play with them; I like to call them “dogma dogs”, a term I coined because it gives the proper feel to how I think they should be viewed…. preferably with gloves and mask in place, to prevent any possible inhalation of their spew….. In other words, all of these take a shot at some portion of the dogs’ anatomy…. Enjoy! I did….




ARCHBISHOP, n.  An ecclesiastical dignitary one point holier than a bishop.


    If I were a jolly archbishop,

    On Fridays I’d eat all the fish up —

    Salmon and flounders and smelts;

    On other days everything else.

                                                              Jodo Rem


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




“Asked what he gained from philosophy, he answered, “To do without being commanded what others do from fear of the laws.” — Diogenes Laertius (c. 200 AD) — Aristotle, xi


“Accurate reckoning — the entrance into the knowledge of all existing things and all obscure secrets.” — Ahmes the Scribe (17th cent. B.C.)


“– How many PRESBYTERIANS does it take to change a light bulb?  None. Lights will go on and off at predestined times.” — Smart Bee


“What is a church? Our honest sexton tells, ‘Tis a tall building, with a tower and bells.” — Crabbe




God’s plan made a hopeful beginning

But man spoiled his chances by sinning.

We trust that the story

Will end in God’s glory,

But at present the other side’s winning.


~~ Smart Bee ~~




“There is not enough love and kindness in the world to permit us to give any of it to imaginary beings.” — Nietzsche


“Writing science fiction for about a penny a word is no way to make a living, If you really want to make a million, the quickest way is to start your own religion.” — L. Ron Hubbard


“Concentrate on th’cute, li’l CARTOON GUYS! Remember the SERIAL NUMBERS!!  Follow the WHIPPLE AVE EXIT!! Have a FREE PEPSI!!  Turn LEFT at th’HOLIDAY INN!! JOIN the CREDIT WORLD!!  MAKE me an OFFER!!!” — Zippy the Pinhead


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


Well…. What? Did you really believe that of me? That I would end this the same way it began? Okay, busted…. But, having caught myself in time, I’m able to plead not guilty, and use the opportunity to make my escape…. Besides, it’s done, or, as done as it is going to be, so, there’s little point in dragging this out any further…. On that note…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes…. Stay alert, the world needs all the lerts we can find….




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.


Kowabunga!






À bientôt, mon cherí….





					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
We’ll bathe it in linseed oil and mint….

			
						

				Posted on   by  			

			
						

				Reply			

					


				

			
Ffolkes,




“When the fox gnaws — smile.” 


~~ Lazarus Long ~~ 


~~ Robert A. Heinlein, Time Enough For Love ~~


11-8-2014 001 (2)


     The picture, one I took a few days ago at the bus stop down the street, is a perfect metaphor for the lies told to us by our beloved ruling class, and by the perpetrators of public slavery, perpetually the BRC’s most ardent supporters, the preachers, imams, and dogma dogs who spout off about religion, to whomever will listen…. 


In a quite beautiful setting, we are reminded of how ‘they’ offer us ONE choice to salvation, but, god forbid you should be able to park while making your choice…. Perfect alignment, don’t you think? One Way/No Parking…. What better metaphor/euphemism for how the mass of humanity is treated by those who would control their very lives….


Oh, good grief, stop shouting!…. Control yourselves…. Put down that stick, you’ll hurt yourself with it…. For goodness’ sake, did you think I was going to rant at you in the first paragraph? Shoot, not even I am that cruel, though, if anyone has any comments to the contrary, with evidence, of course, I’d welcome them, as it’s been a long time since I found anyone willing to challenge my conclusions…. It must come from basing them on evidence, instead of faith…. Oops, sorry, didn’t mean to take another shot, this one aimed at those who buy into the delusions they’re offered at every turn….


Okay, you’re right, I’m busted…. Yes, I did mean it…. The people to whom I refer, those who embrace the dark side of human nature, quite simply, are assholes…. As I see them, they deserve every vile curse, every vituperative description, every fucking expletive we can think of to apply to them, in recognition of the thousands of years of deliberate theft, deliberate lies, and deliberate cruelty, to those whom they claim to love, or whom they claim mandate to lead, for their own good…. What a crock of shit THAT is!….


Sorry, I guess I did start ranting, didn’t I? It’s just so damn easy, when every frigging word out of the mouths, of preachers, or politicians, or business moguls, or police chiefs, or any of the other societal “leaders” who purport to work FOR the people, is a bald-faced lie…. In truth, they are busily at work doing every fucking thing they possibly can think of to screw the people over, in a myriad of ways…. Or, even scarier, they are as stupid as those they purport to lead, being brainwashed themselves into believing their own lies….


Every where I turn, every time I turn, I’m presented with new evidence of how often, and how deeply they screw those who trust them, and it just pisses me off anew, each and every time, making me wish I wasn’t so damn ethical/moral myself, and could feel less conflict over treating them the same way they treat us….


If I did that, I’m afraid they’d start dying at a much more rapid pace, which would be just about the length of time it takes me to re-load, then, focus in on another target…. With a well-concealed stand, and a crowd where I can acquire targets quickly, I could make some significant headway in a relatively short amount of time before having to become smoke…


However, those who engage in preying on others, for religious reasons, for political reasons, or whatever their personal justification may be, all believe the same tired old lie, which claims the end justifies the means…. I reject that notion categorically; to abrogate honor and responsibility for the sake of expediency, no matter how compelling the reason, removes any positive moral value such acts may otherwise be due. To do right, for the wrong reason, is to do wrong, in my world. To do wrong, for ANY reason, no matter how well rationalized, deserves nothing from me but disdain, and active resistance….


Well…. where did THAT come from? As I’m not sure just now, I think we’ll just take this opportunity to go on, and see what else may pop up today…..


Shall we Pearl?


“We learn wisdom from failure much more than from success; We often discover what will do, by finding out what will not do; and probably he who never made a mistake never made a discovery.” — Samuel Smiles


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


Pearls of Virtual Wisdom, like all fields of human endeavor, are subject to Sturgeon’s Law, which states: “90% of everything is crap.” This physical law has been tested repeatedly by scientists, sociologists, and psychologists, with the same results every time…. It is the absolute truth…. Hence, my reluctance to committing perjury, or displaying undue arrogance, by calling the Pearls I create anything but what they are, to wit: occasionally brilliant, but, mostly just acceptable, as entertainment for the strong of stomach…. If they were in the newspaper, they’d be suitable to line birdcages, for sure….


But, as I said, some can be pretty good, because I, too, with due diligence, and a bit of work, can jump into that 10% of human output that actually helps improve life by its presence…. The same is true of all fields in which humans put forth effort, so, naturally, it’s true of TV shows, and literary works…. I guess I’m just saying, some stuff is better than other stuff…..  This Sherlock Holmes story, to me, falls into the latter category of stuff….




Sherlock Holmes – Season 5 – The Problem Of Thor Bridge



































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


You may have noted my initial outburst, up in the intro section…. It was a rant, a sharp stick to the eye of religion, mostly, though there was quite a bit of angst left over to take some pokes at the rest of the Asininnies, too, such as politicians, police myrmidons, corporate snakeheads, human traffickers, and any of those ilk, who prey upon their own species, with the full support and tacit approval of those dogma dogs who keep the general populace under control, softening their minds with bilge water, so they are easier to corrupt and manipulate….


It has been a while since I took aim at those delusional buttheads, a group for whom I hold absolutely no respect whatsoever….. They take the words of one of the world’s greatest social reformers, and twist them until they are practically unrecognizable, but, mold the minds of the people who buy into those twists into shapes more amenable to control by others…. 


‘Tis a natural result of putting one’s faith in ideas that have no visible proof in reality, but are based on blind faith; it leaves the one holding the belief in a vulnerable state of mind, ready to believe all kinds of nonsense, as long as it’s told to them by one of those they have learned to believe, without the benefit of examination for truth….


But, that is what they all count on… all those preachers, and priests, and the others mentioned above…. They all count on the gullibility of the average person to believe what they’re told by authority figures…. And, they are justified in that, as my compatriots around the world seem to fall for their bloody bullshit every time….. SIGH…. I sometimes wonder how mankind even developed the idea of their own mental superiority, when they continuously act as if they haven’t two spare neurons to rub together at all….


However…. Today, I am feeling generous, or, at least, sympathetic to your pain…. So, I shall cease ranting about those assholes, and compose a seven-, or nine-star pearl, which will serve the same purpose, but, with a bit less sobriety, and a lot more tongue-in-cheek fun…. Let’s see what SB can come up with for us, to jab some sharp sticks in the eyes of a few dogma dogs….


“Ignorance is the soil in which belief in miracles grows.” — Robert Green Ingersoll (1833-1899)


“History does not record anywhere at any time a religion that has any rational basis. Religion is a crutch for people not strong enough to stand up to the unknown without help. But, like dandruff, most people do have a religion and spend time and money on it and seem to derive considerable pleasure from fiddling with it.” — Lazarus Long, The Notebooks of Lazarus Long, by Robert A. Heinlein


“The territory behind rhetoric is too often mined with equivocation.”– Dunne’s Law


“It is an open question whether any behavior based on fear of eternal punishment can be regarded as ethical or should be regarded as merely cowardly.” — Margaret Mead


“A Sunday school is a prison in which children do penance for the evil conscience of their parents.” — H.L. Mencken (1880-1956)


“The mind of the bigot is like the pupil of the eye.  The more light you pour upon it, the more it will contract.” — Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes (1809-1894)


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


“Religions change; beer and wine remain.” — Harvey Allen


“O imitators, you slavish herd!” — Quintus Horatius Flaccus (Horace) (65-8 B.C.)


“There is no sin but ignorance.” — Christopher Marlowe (1564-1593)


Okay, so, it kept growing; Smart Bee is on a roll today…. To use Winnie Churchill’s method of making a point, I’ll give it a good whack with my sledge hammer, with one final piece of proof, of how the dogma dogs attempt to establish their mind-control, with entries such as the following, in that book they use as their most effective manipulative tool….


“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” — Proverbs 3:5,6


Sure, do that…. put your faith in what you cannot see, or touch, or hear, or otherwise prove exists…. That’s a good idea…. NOT!


So be it.


gigoid has spoken…. a lot…..


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


There is so much of my stuff today, with some deep help from SB, I’d best go with my own poetry, to avoid getting any of this on anyone else…. I know, we’ll go with an old favorite….






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 ~~




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


Today’s final pearl is a perfect adjunct to the ranting section…. This group gives us some pretty good observations about being human, at the other end of the scale from those who are unable to find the means to USE the intelligence with which they are endowed…. Reflect upon these, and you’ll find them a map to a rich, fulfilling life….


“Over my mask is your mask of me.” — Mitsuye Yamada


“Once when Bion was at sea in the company of some wicked men, he fell into the hands of pirates; and when the rest said, “We are undone if we are known,”–“But I,” said he, “am undone if we are not known.”  — Diogenes Laertius (c. 200 AD) — Bion, iii


“A child is a person who can’t understand why someone would give away a perfectly good kitten.” — Doug Larson


“If water derives lucidity from stillness, how much more the faculties of the mind!  The mind of the sage, being in repose, becomes the mirror of the universe, the speculum of all creation.” — Chuang Tzu


“I believe that part of what propels science is the thirst for wonder.  It’s a very powerful emotion.  All children feel it.  In a first grade classroom everybody feels it; in a twelfth grade classroom almost nobody feels it, or at least acknowledges it.  Something happens between first and twelfth grade, and it’s not just puberty.  Not only do the schools and the media not teach much skepticism, there is also little encouragement of this stirring sense of wonder.  Science and pseudoscience both arouse that feeling.  Poor popularizations of science establish an ecological niche for pseudoscience.” — Carl Sagan, The Burden Of Skepticism, The Skeptical Inquirer, — Vol. 12, Fall 87


“When you arise in the morning, think of what a privilege it is to be alive–to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love….” — Marcus Aurelius


“An intelligent mind is a mind which is not satisfied with explanations, with conclusions; nor is it a mind that believes, because belief is again another form of conclusion. An intelligent mind is an inquiring mind, a mind that is watching, learning, studying.” — J. Krishnamuti


“There are many things worth living for, few things worth dying for, nothing worth killing for.” — from Tom Robbins’ “Even Cowgirls Get The Blues”


“Now my own suspicion is that the universe is not only queerer than we suppose, but queerer than we *can* suppose. I have read and heard many attempts at a systematic account of it, from materialism and theosophy to the Christian systems or that of Kant, and I have always felt that they were too simple. I suspect that there are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamed of, or can be dreamed of, in any philosophy. That is the reason why I have no philosophy myself, and must be my excuse for dreaming.” — J. B. S. Haldane, British geneticist (1856-1928) — from “Possible Worlds”, in “Possible Worlds and other essays”, — Chatto & Windus, London, 1927. p286


Smart Bee was in a very generous mood today, eh, what?…..


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


‘Tis a good thing much of this was begun yesterday…. I’m up a bit late, but, it’s all good, as it’s done, and in good time…. If the proofing isn’t too horrendously complicated, I may even get another hour’s sleep before the day can begin out in the BBR, where I’ve several tasks to complete…. Since I do, we’ll leave it at that, and be on our way, royal ‘we’ syndrome notwithstanding…. 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.


Kowabunga!






À bientôt, mon cherí….





					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Twelve reasons to spit, rather than swallow….

			
						

				Posted on   by  			

			
						

				Reply			

					


				

			
Ffolkes,




“Look beneath the surface; let not the several quality of a thing nor its worth escape thee.” 


~~ Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (121-180 AD) — Meditations, vi, 3 ~~


11-8-2014 002 (2)


     To look at this piece of furniture, you wouldn’t believe it to have any particularly extraordinary qualities, beyond a simple functionality and inoffensive appearance…. By using Marcus Aurelius’ advice, however, we find a peculiar aspect of its existence which may not be explainable by any normal means…. I got the chair at a thrift store, as part of my thus-far-never-ending quest to find a chair that is suitable to sit in for the time I need to be in front of this computer, to compose, to read, and to otherwise multi-task, in short bursts when I can sit for a while without having to squirm, or get stiff… In trying it out in the store, it seemed to be a bit low, but, otherwise might work well for a time….


Well, as it turns out, it IS too low to type comfortably, but, is quite comfortable for watching a video, such as one of my Sherlock Holmes stories, or for reading the news, if no great amount of mouse work is needed…. Unfortunately, the chair also seems to be so comfortable, whenever I’ve sat in it for more than 5 minutes, I start falling asleep, sitting up, which will always give me a stiff neck, from dropping my head forward when I drowse…. This has happened five times now, without fail…. It’s getting to the point I’m beginning to believe the chair has been infused with some kind of magic cannabis cream, or just plain magic, to cause it to turn into a sleep chair, rather than an office chair…


It’s okay, though, I don’t mind having one spot where I know I can get drowsy; the way my sleep pattern goes, I can use all the spots like that I can find…. It’s also given me another intro section, without the need to go off on anyone’s religion, or take a side trip to the land of Odd, (which isn’t far away, in my head…), or even find some actual introductory remarks of a literary nature…. All I had to do is engage in some minor hyperbole, with a dash of stretching the truth of its effect on me, and there we were, two paragraphs down, and running strong….


Of course, right about HERE, we will start to see it fall apart, as my imagination begins to tire, having not yet consumed sufficient coffee, or sugar, to fuel such a complicated, stressful task as this has turned out to be…. I also suspect, if I want to be able to finish this out, without resorting to marginally legal acrobatics, I’m going to have to end it now, before it grows any hair…. The fuzz is already too thick for scissors, and my lopping shears are all dull from using them on my cacti….


It is, no doubt, a good thing the opening to the real world is right over there; we seem to have made good time…. This is what happens when we are lucky enough to start with a decent run at the wall; it doesn’t draw any blood, and we get where we need to go with less fuss, and less chance of litigation, which always pleases my lawyers….. Oops, sorry, got to talking and almost missed the turn…. Hold on ffolkes…. today’s missive could be a bit of a tough roe to hoe…. not to mention the possibility of cloning that is always a risk on Sundays…. (bet you didn’t expect me to remember, did ya?….)


For now, though, it is enough to know, we’re on our way, and nothing the government can do will stop us now….


Shall we Pearl?


“I was contemplating the immortal words of Socrates, who said… I drank what?” —  Shared by Chris Knight (Val Kilmer), Real Genius


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


Today’s video is a political cartoon from Mark Fiore, who makes brilliant short animated videos commenting on current world and national events…. I could not figure out how to embed the video, without joining a web streaming site, which I didn’t wish to join…. But, just follow the link below, and you can see this one, which is another outstanding observation regarding the recent midterm elections…. I won’t ask you to enjoy it, but, I will ask you to watch, and reflect on the information it has to impart….







Oh, heck…. Here, here’s a video for your morning laugh….




Adults Taste Baby Food



































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


“For some reason the little Senators make us laugh.” — Smart Bee


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









Oops…. It seems there is a bit of snark going on between the delusional leaders of one of the more delusional religious organizations, and the political representative their particular group managed to land in the Senate…. It all makes a pretty good example, for me, of how the separation of church and state has been quietly eroded to the point the religious group feels comfortable in making public their influence over their flock members who inhabit the halls of government, using the blackmail of guilt and threat of excommunication to try to force their desires to the forefront of the political agenda.


Now, the bishop of the church, in this case, is in trouble, for bringing it all into the light of day, more than any other reason…. I doubt very much the other church elders had intended for their influence to be outed in that manner, so, they will publicly chastise him, but, in the end, won’t really do much to him, other than muzzling his mouth by moving him to some position not accessible to the media for comment…. Having the Senate majority leader as a church member is a position those leaders will NOT jeopardize for any minor bishop’s cluelessness…. They’ll sacrifice him faster than Pontius Pilate gave up Jesus…


“I have short-term memory loss, though I like to think of it as Presidential eligibility.” — Paula Poundstone







I think I’ve become more angry at this president than any other since, well, I guess the Junior shrub made me maddest, but, then, Bill Clinton was a Bozoid of major proportion, too…. In fact, I think, in my entire life, there is only one man who was elected to the presidency who managed to garner my respect, without making me angry for having to listen to constant, unrelieved lying, or plain stupidity…. and that President (the ONLY one for whom I will capitalize the title….) was probably the LEAST effective of all the twentieth century office-holders, because he spent his entire time in office being neutralized by a Congress held by the opposing party….


His name was Jimmy Carter, and though I don’t usually admire preachers, he is the only HONEST politician I’ve ever seen at that level… the ONLY one…. and, he is the only president in the last century who didn’t made a career out of dishonesty, cheating, and public theft… and I mean the ONLY one…. Every other president, from the beginning of the last century, to the latest rogues elected in this century, has lied to the American public, almost without pause, from the first time they opened their mouths on national TV….


I had hope when Barry was elected; I didn’t know much about him, and some of what he said promised some hope of reform, in at least some areas…. But, he has been one of the greatest of my disappointments, as he has lied the MOST, of any president in recent memory, which is quite a feat, given the past few presidents…. It was unexpected that Obama would be a worse liar than either of the two Shrubs, but, he has proven time and again he is NOT going to tell the entire truth to the American people, especially about his clandestine activities, spying on his own citizens without compunction, and with impunity, thus far…..


“A politician is a man who stands for what he thinks the voters will fall for.” — Smart Bee


If I were the type to use religious expressions, I’d thank God for Edward Snowden, a man I believe future generations will regard on the same level as Patrick Henry, Thomas Jefferson, and Nathan Hale, as one of our greatest patriots…. It pisses me off no end that Barry the O continues to bad-mouth him, as well as refusing to acknowledge his own culpability, as do the rest of the 455 kidnappers of the American Dream, who inhabit the halls of Congress, the White House, and the Federal courthouses…. I accuse them all of treason, not lightly, and not in fun…. Assholes, every damn one of them, only concerned with increasing their personal power, and lining their pockets with our money…..


I know this is the ranting section, so such vituperation isn’t out of place here…. However, this morning I’m a bit on edge, and typing is getting harder every day, so, I’ll leave my rant at that point, which, some would say is quite enough…. It isn’t every day that I accuse the entire government of the US of treason…. but, as I’ve mentioned before, I’m not one to keep from calling a spade a spade, nor am I one to suffer fools gladly….




But we, who name ourselves its sovereigns, we,

Half dust, half deity, alike unfit

To sink or soar.


~~ Lord Byron (1788-1824) ~~


~~ Manfred, Act i, Sc. 2 ~~




Our government, long ago stolen by corporate and religious influence, to work the will of those who prey on the weak and ignorant, depending on their gullible trust in authority to allow them to lie, cheat, and steal without consequence, has now gotten to a point where they don’t even bother to hide what they’re doing very hard…. They don’t care any more, as they know that nobody has the means, or the wit, to turn against them…. They have fooled 98% of the population into believing them, in whatever they say, and know they won’t be disturbed during their cleaning out of the public’s pockets…..


Bah, humbug! I’m pissed….. and there isn’t much I can do, except this…. So, having done this for today, I’ll leave it here for now…. Stay alert, ffolkes, and call them a liar when they lie… Maybe there is still a chance, if a couple more Ed Snowdens come forth, and tell the people how much they are being fooled, and screwed….. Until then, I’ll keep yelling at them, and about them, as often as I can….




Who could imagine

That they could freak out in Kansas

Who could imagine

That they could freak out in Washington D.C.

Everybody’s clean, it can’t happen here, no, no

And they thought it couldn’t happen here

They were so sure it couldn’t happen here

It can’t happen here


 ~~ Frank Zappa ~~


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


On a day such as this, it’s gotta be Bukowski…. He’s the only one real enough to suit my crusty mood….






hello, how are you?


this fear of being what they are:

dead. 


at least they are not out on the street, they

are careful to stay indoors, those

pasty mad who sit alone before their tv sets,

their lives full of canned, mutilated laughter. 


their ideal neighborhood

of parked cars

of little green lawns

of little homes

the little doors that open and close

as their relatives visit

throughout the holidays

the doors closing

behind the dying who die so slowly

behind the dead who are still alive

in your quiet average neighborhood

of winding streets

of agony

of confusion

of horror

of fear

of ignorance. 


a dog standing behind a fence. 


a man silent at the window.


~~ Charles Bukowski ~~




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


Today’s old-school pearl came together in a rather fractured fashion; nonetheless, it came out well…. Well, it came out, anyway…. I’m not altogether certain the point it is trying to make is one of particular import, other than to each of us on an individual level…. I guess you should just let it flow over you, and if it feels right, let it flow through…. Otherwise, just take it all as good advice for living a life that makes some kind of sense, on a larger scale than the merely personal…. Hmm…. I suppose that may be asking a bit much of an obscure seven-star pearl, but, we’re like that around here….


“Integrity has no need for rules.” — Albert Camus


“When the need arises — and it does — you must be able to shoot your own dog. Don’t farm it out — that doesn’t make it nicer, it makes it worse.” — Lazarus Long, from Robert A. Heinlein’s  “Time Enough For Love”


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


“As a rule, there is no surer way to the dislike of men than to behave well where they have behaved badly.” — Lew Wallace


“Lampis the shipowner, on being asked how he acquired his great wealth, replied, “My great wealth was acquired with no difficulty, but my small wealth, my first gains, with much labor.” — Epictetus (c. 55-135 A.D.)


“The world has taken on a thickness of vulgarity that raises a spiritual man’s contempt to the violence of a passion.” — Charles Baudelaire




How lov’d, how honour’d once avails thee not,

To whom related, or by whom begot;

A heap of dust alone remains of thee:

‘T is all thou art, and all the proud shall be!


~~ Alexander Pope (1688-1744) — To the Memory of an Unfortunate Lady, Line 71 ~~




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


Once more, I’ve pushed beyond my zone of comfort to get this done…. Oh, don’t worry, I’m not saying it makes me special, or that any admiration is due; I’m just glad it isn’t toxic, or overtly offensive to anyone but a preacher, a politician, a corporate snakehead, a pimp, or a myrmidon…. They, of course, may choke on it, as far as I am concerned…. For now, I’ll just bid thee adieu, until tomorrow….


See ya, ffolkes, and remember what Tommy Toilet always says… “Always wipe thoroughly, kids! Rectal itch is NO PICNIC!”© (R. Crumb, 1966, or so….)


Sorry, couldn’t help myself….




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.


Kowabunga!






À bientôt, mon cherí….





					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Is it Bastille Day yet?….

			
						

				Posted on   by  			

			
						

				Reply			

					


				

			
Ffolkes,




But ‘midst the crowd, the hum, the shock of men,

To hear, to see, to feel, and to possess,

And roam along, the world’s tired denizen,

With none who bless us, none whom we can bless.


~~ Lord Byron (1788-1824) ~~


~ Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage, Canto ii, Stanza 26 ~~


day2 London 008


     Of late, I’ve been using some of my older pictures, taken on a trip to Europe last year, as the opening for this…. whatever it is. It is simpler for me, as I don’t have to worry about giving proper attribution, and can use any pic at all to demonstrate whatever point or idea I’m planning to utilize for material…. Sound’s highfalutin, I know, but, it works for me…. and, here in the intro section, ‘anything that works’ is our motto….


Of course, I can always go with, or comment upon the opening quote, too…. But, both of those bonus qualities are by design, though it may appear that there isn’t any such thing going on…. I got so frustrated of trying to come up with something worthwhile to start with, I began to use those two objects to give myself a running start, so to speak, with the opportunity to use either, or both, or neither as part of the beginning lines, which, in the process, can reveal the best direction to take…. Or, as often happens around here, it can confuse things even more than usual, in which case, I generally retreat into silliness, or weirdness, whichever jumps up first….


The picture was taken in an alley off Portobello Road in London, and serves to provide me with good memories of a fine day exploring the endless marketplace on that Road…. As the saying in the British Empire went, “You can find anything you want on Portobello Road.”….. It also served as a one-stop shopping center for all the necessary souvenirs and gifts I brought back to friends and family from London, and gave me that priceless photo for my collection of memories, of me and Charlie Chaplin, in identical poses, in front of a house on Portobello Road…. Any of these pix can take me back there in my head, so, it’s like being able to go anytime I wish….


It also provides me with ample material to fill in this big hole that forms each day at the top of this page, one I often fill with incomprehensible nattering, or with nonsense, or even outright humor (though the latter may be a subjective judgment….). That, in itself, is enough to make it a worthwhile decision, which allows me some space in my head, before having to go on to the next section, to deal with all the angst and turmoil that goes on in my head for each separate section…. SIGH…. If only someone was paying me for all of this, it might seem a bit more, I don’t know,…. justifiable? Maybe….


Ah well, it’s all moot now, as we’ve reached the jumping off point again…. In fact, we’re moving so fast this morning, I think I’d just better give out the warning, and trust to our run of luck to get us through the opening intact…. Wish me luck; the insurance won’t stretch to cover another mass payout…. Here we go, so, please, HOLD ON!….


Shall we Pearl?


“A lie can travel halfway round the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.” — Mark Twain


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


A friend of mine is fond of internet memes, and funny/strange You Tube videos posted by some of our society’s fringe elements…. She was showing me some of her favorites, which includes this video…. I will give fair warning, ffolkes…. Don’t drink anything while watching this, as the choking and aspiration that could occur…. If you began gut-busting laughter with a mouthful of cola or milk, it’s going to either choke you, or it will come out as a wide-angle spray you’ll be cleaning off the walls for days…. Enjoy!…. Oh, and the link has a bunch more odd, funny videos for your entertainment, as well….




 


Americans Taste Test Australian Food

































 


 


 


 


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


“You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today.” — Abraham Lincoln


http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/the-9-billion-witness-20141106?utm_source=newsletter&utm_content=daily&utm_campaign=110614_16&utm_medium=email&ea=YWxwaGFnaWdvaWRAZ21haWwuY29t



Ffolkes…. This article is a must-read for any American citizen who is concerned about the banks’ and government’s collusion in the last few years…. The bailout, the recession, all deliberately caused by immoral assholes, who managed to make money out of their whole supposed fines, by charging their customers for paying them…. And, the lengths to which they’ve gone to keep the witnesses to their criminality quiet are astoundingly brash, showing complete disdain for the public, or for any rule of law….. They believe, and are encouraged to believe by the complicity of politicians, that their money will buy off any such litigation against them for their theft….


I’m not quite ready to rant as much as this article’s revelations deserve…. But, I have an older rant, from early this year, that will cover much of what is needed, with some comments and thoughts on the same issue, from February of this year….. It’s a long one, but, not too shabby, if I do say so myself…. Enjoy, ffolkes…. They deserve every name we call them….


“A government that fears it’s people is a government that should be feared.” — Smart Bee


From 2/25/2014:


If you would please read this article, the arguments that follow will make a lot more sense; if you don’t, it may take you a bit longer to figure out the gist of it….    😉     Plus, you’ll know, for sure, I’m not making this stuff up, just so I have something to write about….


http://news.yahoo.com/snowden-help-from-russians-193641893.html


In the time of Pythagoras that proverbial phrase “Ipse dixit” — Diogenes Laertius (c. 200 AD) — Pythagoras, xxv


Ipse Dixit. [Latin, “He himself said it.”]  An unsupported statement whose veracity rests solely on the authority of the individual who makes it.


And so it begins….. All of a sudden, many months AFTER the fact, several high-ranking officials from the administration all come out with the same story-line, IMPLYING that Eric Snowden was influenced and/or helped by Russian spies to do what he did…. This statement by Mikey-boy Rogers, U.S. House Intelligence Committee Chairman, R-Mich., Senator Feinstein’s cohort (she’s his counterpart in the Senate, who put out her office’s lies about this issue yesterday….), is the newest step in the ongoing attempt by the administration to paint Mr. Snowden’s actions with the brush of treason, when, in fact, they KNOW he is not a traitor, but, rather, a patriotic American, caught in the web of intrigue THEY created with their clandestine, illegal activities….


As soon as I saw this headline today, my highly-trained, delicately-honed, automatic political crap detector SCREAMED at me….. “LIES, LIES, MADE UP LIES!!”, it said, without much doubt implied (accuracy factor of the detection meter said it was 99.9% likely to be lies…. which makes it pretty certain, as I’ve programmed it to never say that it is completely sure; it defaults to that number when it is…)….. This is SO obviously a campaign to smear Snowden, it positively REEKS! They are introducing doubt of his character into the dialogue, which, come to think of it, is only a monologue, because, hey, he’s not here to defend himself, is he?


This, of course, is typical political posturing, reminiscent of any other campaign, such as an election run, when they need to direct the public’s attention toward certain areas, away from others, so they can control the conversation…. In his speech, Obama admitted to responding to a public dialogue called for by the leak of information, while never admitting any wrongdoing for having committed the spying initially. Yet, this conversation, this debate, has only shown them to be more secretive than we knew, and they are pulling out all the stops to stop any further investigation into, or outcry about what is REALLY going on…. Naturally, since they are politicians, they will approach this as a campaign to be won; the first step in any campaign is to decrease the viability, the believability of the opposition…. Hence, unproved, unfounded, and untrue accusations, out of nowhere, to try to demonize Eric Snowden….


They say first, it’s beyond his abilities to have done this…. Well, hell, even the most thick-headed fool can see this is a total fabrication…. If this is true, would it mean that the NSA made a habit of hiring programmers that couldn’t understand what they were being tasked to do? Doesn’t make any sense to me…. This man was part of the program, a programmer, and KNOWS how to read data, as well as write the programs that would do so…. Hell, I’m only a high powered user, and I understand what is being done, and what WAS done…. This statement is an obvious lie, an attempt to demean Snowden, so he looks more like a villain, or, at best, the dupe of master spies….


The second thing to note about this claim, is that it is introduced by a politician, who obviously is NOT capable of judging what a programmer is capable of doing with a computer…. Mikey-boy probably has to ask his admin how to use his smart-phone, which is, arguably, smarter than he is, technically speaking… Yet, this idiot, in his power suit and tie, makes this claim unequivocally, thereby implying that one of the most competent programmers alive (look who hired him to begin with!….) isn’t capable of doing something he was trained to do, but, had to be helped by a foreign power…. A pretty far-fetched stretch, to my way of looking at it….


The one professional spy they quoted, from the CIA, it should be noted, said, in his statement, right off, so he couldn’t be accused later of any prevarications…. “I don’t have any particular evidence”, but, then goes on to agree with the outrageous claims made by a politician, one with NO FUCKING CLUE about the glaringly obvious untruth of what he proposes, or, indeed, of how much truth any of what he said might have contain…. Rogers’ job, which he performed perfectly, was, simply, to put in the minds of the public a single idea, one small but important lie, that Snowden was made to do what he did, by coercion, by trickery, or by duplicity; they don’t say which, nor do they have to…. They merely imply, without directly accusing, so that the lies they intend to bring out later, as seeds for further doubt, will find fertile soil in the simple minds of the public….


None of the truth, or any actual connection to reality of the claims he was making concerned him; he was strictly a talking head, on a major TV show; his mission was to plant in the public awareness the idea that Eric Snowden didn’t act alone, and that the very act of his doing what he did, regardless of ANY evidence to the contrary, should be viewed as proof of his having had help from another country…. The fact that this isn’t remotely true was not an issue; the message was delivered, and supported by the other actors in the play…. Throw in the claim about him being technically unable to do what he did, and you’ve got some juice to keep the story going, even though all of it is a complete fabrication….


Ffolkes, if you can’t see that this is true, that you were deliberately lied to, and manipulated in an attempt to make you think what the government wants you to think, well, I guess I should just use THEIR justification and tell you…. You, too, are an idiot, and the fact is, if you believe any of what this man says about this subject, that, in itself, can be considered as PROOF of your idiocy….. incontrovertible, undeniable PROOF. (After all, that’s the same method of proof they’re offering for THEIR assertions…..) If the timing, and the words themselves, don’t make your crap-detector go off like it was on fire, then I’m afraid there isn’t much hope for you in the real world….


These statements were merely the latest tactic to be applied by the White House political strategists, all without having to bring out their big gun, the president, with his down-home, I’m-so-sincere, boyish face, and, the now-famous, good-ol-boy, aw-shucks grin, both of which are political tools of great value to him, but only if not over-used….. Right now, they’ve got a few of the sidekicks out in the limelight, after his speech over the weekend, making up stuff and carrying on with all the talking points and deliberate manipulations, all orchestrated in Mr. Snowden’s absence….. one I hope he continues to maintain, as it is the ONLY hope he has of surviving the future (….Ironically enough, in a case of Life imitating Life, this is a problem ALL OF US are going to have in the very near future…. that of running out of any hope of surviving the future, when the very air we breathe will be toxic to us….)


After seeing this story, and taking into account the other stories in response to the president’s speech about the nonexistent changes he claims he wants to make to the NSA mission (I mean, look closely at what he said…. He isn’t changing ANYTHING of any significance…..), I think it would be safe to predict that in the next few days and weeks, we will hear more fabrications and implications, with or without any actual evidence, about Mr. Snowden, as the administration continues to distract and defuse, hoping that if they stall long enough, something else will come up to take the public’s awareness from their spying, and put it back in the closet, or sweep it under the rug, where they keep all the other stuff they don’t want us to see or know, about what they are REALLY doing behind our backs….


(Note from February…. I personally think they’re hoping for another idiot to steal a gun and shoot up a mall, or a school somewhere, which always takes all the public’s attention and focuses it on their unreasonable fears for a couple of weeks….But, then, I’m pretty convinced of their complete lack of any human compassion, anyway, so, my concerns reflect my belief in their human nature, and their lack of any sort of virtue that would make them tell the truth, or espouse an agenda that benefits anyone but themselves….)


You can bet on that, ffolkes, for sure…. They’re not going to stop lying, just because they’ve been caught at it…. They’ll only get more bold with it…. It’s the way they’re built, they can’t, and won’t, help it…. There’s no profit in it for them to give up, is there? And, profit is what they are all about, when it comes down to the bottom line…. Profit for their self-interests, which are, to them, more important than the whole rest of the human race…..


As Lily Tomlin’s character, Edith Ann, used to say, when she was done making her brilliantly simple observations of people’s foibles…., “And that’s the Truth! THPPPPT!”


“Plausibility is the morality of fiction.” — Edith Mirrilees


Monthly update: The administration’s silence on the NSA spying issues continues to this date…. I’ve seen only one article in the past month on the subject, and it was merely a rehash of this information, with no real new developments reported…. They’re letting it go as long as they can without bringing any of it up themselves, so as to give the public, which has a notoriously SHORT attention span, a chance to forget all about it….. Good luck on that, dudes….


😉


I’ll be here, and I’ll be reprinting this, or a fresher version, either in a month, or, before that, if and/or when new statements are forthcoming from the potUS, or one of his myrmidons….. (Unless, of course, they decide to stop me…. That would be the ONLY reason I wouldn’t be posting a month from now…. in which case, you’d no doubt read about all the dead feds in the news, if they can count that high…. I don’t intend to go, shall we say, quietly? We shall say it….)


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


I am going with a poem of my own, simply because I’m too lazy to go find one by somebody else…. Deal with it…. Here is one I wrote not so long ago that came out pretty well….




A dream, weeping….


“Never a dull moment to spare”, he said

with a crooked grin, and a broad wink.

“Can’t keep Reality hanging by a thread….

what would Chaos, or Entropy think?”


So, we plucked up our dreams of old,

to carry us on, in dutiful, strong arms,

stuffed a candle in the remaining fold,

for luck, and perfect proof against charms.


Storms follow the sun,  but, never stay; 

lessons round every corner, all free.

Past fleeting doubts, in a sad disarray,

the journey becomes the reason to be.


Simple kindness manifests untold riches,

in defiance of common cause’s demise.

Bold courage, hanging in stitches,

mends wounds that come as no surprise.


Still, waters run deep, ’tis said by many.

Too much pain cannot apprehend

the salient, sharp points of epiphany,

nor, plainly, to wisdom aspire to pretend.


Folly dogs even the simplest truth,

fumes of toxic ignorance and bile,

alienated as a loose rotten tooth;

it often hides itself, for a long while.


Sought after eons ago, we cried out,

to believe, to suffer no more doubt.

But found instead good reason,

for love, and truth, from season, to season.


~~ gigoid ~~




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


What we have here is a somewhat loose old-school pearl, without a single parameter one could put their finger on…. But, it still manages to leave one with the feeling they’ve learned SOMETHING, so, I guess it works okay…. Just don’t use this one for any treatises or essays, as it isn’t definite enough in its sincerity to provide unassailable proof, of anything other than my own strangeness….


“Both Empedocles and Heraclitus held it for a truth that man could not be altogether cleared from injustice in dealing with beasts as he now does.” — Plutarch (46-120 AD) — Which are the most crafty, Water or Land Animals? 7


“Let yourself be open and life will be easier.  A spoon of salt in a glass of water makes the water undrinkable.  A spoon of salt in a lake is almost unnoticed.” — Buddha


“Each time that Americans hold another election, about the only thing they learn is that they did not learn much from the last election.” — Smart Bee


“Goodness is beauty in its best estate.” — Marlowe


“The bear and Carl lived together in the cave for several years until, one day, the true savagery of Nature being unleashed, Carl killed the bear and ate him.” — Gary Larson


“How many northern Californians does it take to change a light bulb?” “None of your f***ing business and have a nice day.” — Smart Bee


“Not everything that counts can be counted; and not everything that can be counted counts.” — Albert Einstein


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


Okay, that will do. If not, well, we’ll just go to plan B, and make our way to the nearest transit station, where we will board the next shuttle to Mars, or Venus, or the Asteroid Colonies, there to drown our disappointment and sorrows in a ration of their homemade whiskey…. Or, I may just go on back to bed, and try this again tomorrow…. Yeah, that sounds like the ticket…. See y’all then, 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.


Kowabunga!






À bientôt, mon cherí….



					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Excessive salivation won’t help, or hinder….

			
						

				Posted on   by  			

			
						

				1			

					


				

			
Ffolkes,




“All the troubles of man come from his not knowing how to sit still.”


~~ Pascal ~~


whales jumping


     Filafa zobrino…. Cantano prodilli, comedaren porsovolo. Sellente fortuita pregente forse. Sile voncuba sekrateike, grabeesee soltranito…. Pesce sagua?


Coolness…. It seems I have another language in my head, ready to deploy for releasing all of that really vulgar, insulting, and probably illegal stuff that comes out of my emotional holding area into the atmosphere, where it won’t harm anyone, and so far, is not affecting the already scary situation with climate change…. it’s too toxic for even us to use in any meaningful way…. But, then, what would we know of meaningful around here, eh? Not much, I can assure you…. It’s okay, though, the meaning of the above is such that, if I told you, not only would I have to kill you, but, you’d probably want to kill yourself…


No, I have no idea what language it is; it was probably beamed down to me from the mother-ship, sometime during the night while my software was rebooting… It DOES seem to have some sort of resemblance to Italian, but, with some spillover out of, or into, Greek…. Hell, maybe it came from Saturn’s moon, Titan…. Lately, there have been some indications of stuff going on down on the surface of that moon that indicates possible intelligent actions…. or, they could be just anomalies in the telescope. It’s a bit hard to determine from Earth; the camera on the telescope that took the pictures we’re receiving are several hundred million miles away now, on one of our probe satellites, launched years ago, and just now completing its mission around Saturn…


But, it DOES trip off the tongue rather elegantly, don’t you think? No? Well, I do, and it’s my blog, so there….


As you can see, some days around here are more organized than others….. This particular day is such that I’m not sure how to proceed; it all could change on me in a heartbeat, and there I’d be, still trying to translate a language nobody’s ever heard or seen before into some kind of meaningful, or, at least, a partially honest, yet condescending episode of parenthetical ideation. Works for me, but, not everyone has my degree of tolerance, or my panache at making shit up….


On that rather silly note, I think I’ll wrap this up, and go see what other kind of crap I can come up with today…. I’m feeling good, (well, as good as it gets these days…), and hopeful for a reasonably pain-free hour, if not day…. Meantime, I see an opportunity to take us out of here without any serious bloodshed coming up, so, we’ll take this slow on the road, and see if it will float…. And, yes, I paid good money for those cliches; I’m damned if I’ll let them go to waste…. Hang on, ffolkes…


Shall we Pearl?


“The makers of fortunes have a second love of money as a creation of their own, resembling the affection of authors for their poems, or of parents for their children … and hence they are very bad company, for they talk of nothing but the praises of wealth.” — Plato (428-348? B.C.)


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


I’m in the mood for something cerebral today, (that’s cerebral, not cereal….), so, here is a mix of classical pieces put together by a You Tube downloader, designed to stimulate and relax the mind at once, to enhance study habits and retention…. I like the little text that pops up at the start…. “Keep Calm And Study Hard” with a royal crown above it…. the icon of the Queen’s wisdom, as it is portrayed, with affectionate cheekiness, on souvenir cups, key chains, and clothing all over London, starting during her Golden Jubilee Celebration a few years ago….







 


3 HOURS of Classical Music




































 


 




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




“You are not a fool just because you have done something foolish; 


only if the folly of it escapes you.”


~~ Jim Fiebig ~~




Headlines from the UK Guardian, 11/4/2014:



Fresh Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone raises fears of new infection chain 


I’ll bet the Guardian wouldn’t cop to the idea they are contributing to the problems faced by trumpeting the latest inducements for panic released by official information sources…. Every little dangerous new piece of speculation about what the disease MIGHT do, or how bad the situation COULD POSSIBLY become is reports like this, with the explicit use of the phrase, “… X raises fears of new….”….


By analyzing the sub textual meaning of this, it becomes crystal clear they are engaging in speculation, making an unwarranted assumption of the ubiquitous veracity of Murphy’s laws, which, though powerful, are not omnipotent…. It is entirely possible the newest information means something entirely different than their predictions of imminent doom; the reality of it will most likely settle somewhere in between the best and worst potential scenarios…. But, bland reports of technical information doesn’t sell any papers or ads….


Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles prompt RSPCA warning


The charity group RSPCA has raised their best Monty Python silly voice in protest over the possible effects this more than just a little silly movie has had on the baby terrapins of the world… They’ve seen an upsurge in “abandoned turtles” since it came out, a number which has grown beyond the point of reason, as the owners tire of the turtles, when they are no longer “cute”….


SIGH….. No… It isn’t a joke I put here; it’s a real headline, and story, and actual events acted out in the real world, by, who else, people who haven’t a clue as to what life is all about, or, their own place in reality…. I think this headline, along with the others below, and above, will give a very clear portrait of just how STUPID people are, in general, as well as providing more evidence in support of yesterday’s rant, concerning the same issue, to wit: rampant ignorance and stupidity, at work in the real world….


Let’s see what else we can find, to give y’all an idea of how dim is our candle of hope….


From the 11/4/2014 UK Guardian Book Review:



Benjamin Zephaniah: people all over the world are living in fear and to me all those people are being terrorised


“In the second part of an interview by group members DG Readers, the Terror Kid author talks about terrorism, governments, why it’s really important to be an activist and how the revolution starts with chocolate cake”


Oh, yeah, that’ll do it…. We’ll either bribe, or threaten the corporate masters of the world to stop preying on mankind, by offering them chocolate cake…. or, by eating it ourselves (maybe in front of them, without sharing?…. It would piss ME off, for sure….) Sure, that’ll do it….


Ffolkes, do I really need to tell you why this is so stupid? If so, I think the effort most likely would fall into the category of “sheer unadulterated futility”…. for what, to me, is a patently obvious reason… I’ll give you a five-word-clue…. Pollyanna is a FICTIONAL character….


From Think Progress, 11/4/2014:



IPCC Scientists Emphasize Immorality Of Inaction By Focusing On ‘Irreversible Impacts’


Excerpted from the article:


What do the world’s leading scientists mean by “irreversible impacts”?


“Warming will continue beyond 2100 under all RCP scenarios except RCP2.6. Surface temperatures will remain approximately constant at elevated levels for many centuries after a complete cessation of net anthropogenic CO2 emissions. A large fraction of anthropogenic climate change resulting from CO2 emissions is irreversible on a multi-century to millennial time scale, except in the case of a large net removal of CO2 from the atmosphere over a sustained period….


It is virtually certain that global mean sea-level rise will continue for many centuries beyond 2100, with the amount of rise dependent on future emissions. ”


The report by the International Panel on Climate Change was released a week or so ago…. Since it came out, there has been an almost deafening silence on what is reported by the agency from ALL public sources, such as the government, a silence that extends into ALL its branches…. Very few public figures, pundits, talking heads, or even news anchors. are saying much about this at all….


This article is one of only a couple I saw in my morning cruise through the news reader…. which tells me, the most important report about our future that exists is being treated just like any other unwelcome piece of news, with complete and utter denial, by well OVER 99% of the people who will be most affected by it….


Now, I don’t know about y’all, but, to me. that is really, really, REALLY STUPID…. (sorry for the redundant descriptive adjectives…)


From the Associated Press:


Shy bladder group protests DirecTV ad


I decided, after perusing the first couple sentences of this article, to not read any further…. Quite frankly, I do NOT want to know anything about this issue, or the ad, or the group that is complaining….


In fact, I think, since we are talking about the power of human stupidity, we’ve pretty well provided all the evidence required, and have proved the point to a degree of massive certainty… So, I’ll let it go, and go on to something else…. I will leave you with the following thought….


“Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.” — Martin Luther King, Jr., Strength of Love, 1963


Snicker…. As if a preacher hadn’t known that since the first class in seminary school…. One might think it shows a bit of hypocrisy, but, to mention anything so critical of MLK Jr. is to take one’s life in their hands, for the criticism and vituperation pours out from those who have already canonized him…. As if he weren’t a human being, with the flaws and misconceptions each and every member of the species possesses, as part of their genetic legacy…. Oh, well… since he’s right, we’ll let all that go, to get us out of here….


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


Today’s effort, thus far, seems to fall into that category where nobody else should be required to take any of the blame for it…. hence a poem of mine from the archives…. Hmm… Let’s just take a little trip overseas, and let it go at that….




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 turned out to be an odd little pearl, which should serve well to highlight the overall oddity of the entire Pearl…. When I started to collect the entries in SB, I hadn’t quite decided on the parameters to use, so, it came out a bit random (See the third entry below, by Seneca the Younger, to understand how that happens…)…. 


But, all in all, and to carry that metaphor a bit further, the current seems to have made any skill at sailing, or knowing where to go, a moot point, as it brought us to a pretty cool destination, where some pretty cogent observations, and, some decent advice, were to be found, all around the subject of being human, always a challenge, while trying to deal with Life at Large….


” For others do I wait…for higher ones, stronger ones, more triumphant ones, merrier ones, for such as are built squarely in body and soul: laughing lions must come.” — Friedrich Nietzsche


“The very powerful and the very stupid have one thing in common. Instead of altering their views to fit the facts, they alter the facts  to fit their views…which can be very uncomfortable if you happen to  be one of the facts that needs altering.” — Doctor Who, “Face of Evil”


“If one does not know to which port one is sailing, no wind is favorable.” — Seneca (the Younger)


— Bother! said Pooh, for no apparent reason.


“Everything that has a beginning has an ending. Make your peace with that and all will be well.” — Buddha


It is never too early or too late to care for the well-being of the soul.” — Epicurus




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 (1716-1771) ~~


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




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


Okay, so, this went pretty well, (Well, okay, you’re correct; I didn’t count the first few sentences as part of the stats for today….), which is a good thing, as I’m pretty sure anything I might have tried to do wouldn’t have worked so well…


In any case, it’s DONE, our only REAL requirement…. Having completed my chosen Duty, I shall bid thee adieu…. 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.


Kowabunga!






À bientôt, mon cherí….



					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Belatedly, he removed the tags….

			
						

				Posted on   by  			

			
						

				1			

					


				

			
Ffolkes,




“What pretty lights!”


~~ Any deer, any highway, late at night ~~


hummingbird warriors


     Halloween. All Hallows Eve. Hmph…. Okay…. I suppose y’all would like me to make some comment, or acknowledgment of the day…. Well, if I must….




    BOO!….




There…. No one can say I didn’t acknowledge the holiday. And, just so it’s done, the picture came from the Animal Pictures of the Week in the London Daily Telegraph, last week. I am seriously hoping I don’t see any kids in costumes tonight, as my inner curmudgeon isn’t in the mood for frivolity just now…. An episode of SS/b (Screaming skeleton/bones…. severe arthritic pain in my hips shoulders, joints, and neck…. i.e., everywhere there is a bone, it hurts….), which built up yesterday, near the end of the day, stimulated the inner curmudgeon sufficiently, he was able to take over the wheel of this bus…


In fact, it was a miserable night, and the day promises to be a long one. The pain is better, but, still above normal, so, I’ll be spending the day doing all I can to avoid making it worse, and, essentially, trying to drug meself into oblivion…. the only place to hide. There are times when it gets harder than usual, and, in spite of reconnecting yesterday with a friend I hadn’t heard from in a while, gives today’s hope for some peace a grim visage….


Ah well, I can’t spend the entire day whining, so, I may as well get on with the rest of this, which promises to be a relatively short Pearl…. Aren’t you lucky?…. Yep…. Oh, look, it’s a way out…. We’re taking it; hold on tight….


Shall we Pearl?….


“Think of doubt as an invitation to think.” — Genius Bee


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


It’s been a long time since I even THOUGHT about Chicago…. the city OR the band…. I found this a week or two ago, but, I’ve waited to listen to this, so I could use it sort of as a birthday present to myself, but, I’m gonna listen to it today, a day early…. I can’t wait…. Enjoy, ffolkes…. this band was a part of many people’s youth, a big part, mine included, because they had, and have, a unique style of music, all their own….




Chicago – Live at Tanglewood (07/21/1970) [Full Concert]





































 


 


 


 




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


“But the greatest of all reformers of the depraved religion of his own country was Jesus of Nazareth.  Abstracting what is really his from the rubbish in which it is buried, easily distinguished by its lustre from the dross of his biographers, and as separable as the diamond from the dunghill, we have the outlines of a system of the most sublime morality which has ever fallen from the lips of man; outlines which it is lamentable he did not live to fill up…  The establishment of the innocent and genuine character of this benevolent moralist, and the rescuing it from the imputation of imposture, which has resulted from artificial systems*, invented by ultra-Christian sects, unauthorized by a single word ever uttered by him, is a most desirable object…  *eg.  The immaculate conception of Jesus, his deification, the creation of the world by him, his miraculous powers, his resurrection and visible ascension, his corporeal presence in the Eucharist, the Trinity; original sin, atonement, regeneration, election, orders of Hierarchy, etc.” — Thomas Jefferson, Letter to William Short, October 31 (Halloween), 1819


Note the date on the quoted letter, and you’ll understand its presence here in the ranting section today…. As indicated, I’m not in much of a place to write well just now, so, I’m going with something I had done for tomorrow, a birthday present designed for this section of tomorrow’s Pearl…. It goes along with what I started here, as it pokes fun at the Asininnies, of which the clergy are card-carrying members…. I’ll even leave in the introductory remarks, which relates the original, intended publication date…. It’s a good pearl, so, enjoy, and please excuse my disorganization today….


From tomorrow’s Pearl…..


Since today IS my birthday, I’ll give y’all a present, as is the custom of Hobbits…. Not to say I’m a Hobbit; I just like their customs regarding  birthdays…. Here is an old-school pearl, in lieu of a rant, just for y’all….


I have sublimated the urge to rant by setting the parameters for SB, or any searches, at a flexible level designed to scoop up any, and/or all comments I can find, to either stimulate thought in my Gentle Readers, or cause actual bleeding to any Asininny who happens to read it…. If nothing else, such a search is fun for me… All I have to do is click the button, and make a decision about how vulgar, or pointed, or downright cruel we should allow ourselves to be…. which, in the case of the latter, is pretty cruel, given the chosen field of targets…. Have fun, ffolkes, I intend to….


SIGH…. Since it’s my day, I may make a comment or two between pearls, if I think it’s warranted…. I’m allowed to indulge my whimsy today, without fear of penalty…. It’s in the rule book, I’ve seen it….


“The tax which will be paid for the purpose of education is not more than the thousandth part of what will be paid to kings, priests and nobles who will rise up among us if the people are in ignorance.” — Thomas Jefferson


(It seems the intention was good, but the application was flawed… The American public is woefully ignorant….)


“If the King’s English was good enough for Jesus, it’s good enough for me!” — Ma Ferguson, Governor of Texas (circa 1920)


(It’s like Mama Gump says… Stupid is as stupid does…..)


“Gun Control – the belief that government, with its great wisdom and moral superiority, can be trusted with a monopoly on deadly force.” — Smart Bee, as pointed out by gigoid


“The treacherous are ever distrustful.” — Gandalf


(Which explains the NSA, FBI, CIA, etc….)


“Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see.” — The Beatles


“As war and government prove, insanity is the most contagious of diseases.” — Edward Abbey


“Demosthenes told Phocion, “The Athenians will kill you some day when they once are in a rage.” “And you,” said he, “if they are once in their senses.” — Plutarch (46-120 AD) — Life of Phocion


I could do this forever, but, I’m being nice today…. I even refrained from adding TOO many of my thoughts to the above group, comprised of an elegantly balanced collection of not-too-shabby darts, which we have dutifully thrown in the direction of the top of the societal heap…..


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


I wrote this poem in 2011, I believe, after retiring, but before I had even applied for my Social Security…. My head was in a deep funk those days, which is reflected, if a bit murkily, in this poem….




A Failure to Germinate


Marking the days in elements of sad disarray

only holds me thrall, as I laugh while I may.

With cold, hard hands so impatient and cruel

pulling me to this vale of tears, a pathetic old fool.


Feelings sit silent, cast in shadows and light

breaking forth to implicate such vengeful might.

Just below the surface they patiently hide

to sally forth bravely, colors bright as they ride.


Tears and pain transform valued assets in hand

while comfort and serenity retreat to a far land.

Bold, bright patterns of hope garnish my ruinous state

until reality enters, full of disdainful portions of hate.


I sort out the illustrious measures of vision gone mild

only to find them transformed, now vicious and wild.

In my deepest desires I find myself calloused and cold

with faithless advocates whose souls have been sold.


My search finds little to support any hope of relief

far too much time has passed to bolster such belief.

The sad becomes real, and real becomes unfounded

until flights of such fancy are all dead, and grounded.


Nature has informed me of the newly hatched crime

of which reality boasted, proudly, time after time.

The last answer we think of is always the best

as we come to terms with fate, our hope at rest.


~~ gigoid ~~




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


I am writing this at the point in time at which I found two of the quotes included in the pearl you see below, several days prior to writing this Pearl…. Those two quotes, the first and the last, consist of two of our society’s most well-known ideas, in the actual prose/poetry structure they were first expressed; if not first, then, the best, for sure…. How the middle will come out has yet to be determined, but, if it continues in this vein, it will end up as one of the all-time best ever pearls of virtual wisdom…. Let’s see what we can come up with to make that happen…. with some help from SB, of course….


The subject upon which we are expounding, is one of my personal favorite subjects for a pearl, to wit: A Life Well-Lived…..


“A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines.  With consistency a great soul has simply nothing to do.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) Essays: First Series (1841) “Self-Reliance”


“People often say that this or that person has not yet found himself. But the self is not something one finds, it is something one creates.” — Thomas Szasz, The Second Sin


“Let everything be allowed to do what it naturally does, so that its nature will be satisfied.” — Chuang Tzu


“It is an open question whether any behavior based on fear of eternal punishment can be regarded as ethical or should be regarded as merely cowardly.” — Margaret Mead


“Nothing in the world is more flexible and yielding than water. Yet when it attacks the firm and the strong, none can withstand it, because they have no

way to change it. So the flexible overcome the adamant, the yielding overcome the forceful. Everyone knows this, but no one can do it.” — Lao-Tzu


“Hmph! Seriousness.  Hmph! Sobriety.  A Jedi craves them not.” — Yoda




For forms of government let fools contest;

Whate’er is best administer’d is best.

For modes of faith let graceless zealots fight;

His can’t be wrong whose life is in the right.

In faith and hope the world will disagree,

But all mankind’s concern is charity.


~~ Alexander Pope (1688-1744)~~



~~ Essay on Man, Epistle iii, Line 303 ~~




Perfect!


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


Well, that went fairly well, and it’s a damn good thing; that’s all I’ve got to say on the matter. In fact, given my handicap today, and my status, I have nothing more to say on any matter…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, hopefully in a bit better state of mind….




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.


Kowabunga!






À bientôt, mon cherí….