Okay, I did not know that when I posted the article on China and the school attacks that the blog would show the original time of writing it. It says 5:58, that is prior to the announcement of the one today. Prior to the article I read.
My post was in no way a prediction. It was a recognition of what is going on. At what point in time does this become a pattern. How bout if it happens again tomorrow or next week. When will people stop ignoring what goes on around them? The question is why is this type of attack happening in China, now. What is the cause or will we continue to assume that anything we don't like is not part of a pattern?
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Blah blah blobbly blah
I am brain dead. Brains, brains, need to eat brains. Sorry, did I write that?
Oh, I am brain dead; but, I have some lovely pictures of the Rosicrucian Museum. I just might post some of them. Hmmmmm, to what end. Amusement.
"What do you get when you fall in love? A guy with a pin to burst your bubble." "What do you get when you fall in love? You only get lies and pain and sorrow." Now if you can find the connection between Rosecrucians and the preceeding lyrics, you get a cookie.
It is San Jose. You see, the museum is in San Jose and Dionne Warwick sang "What do you get when you fall in love". She also sang "Do you know the way to San Jose". In case you are wondering, I have no intention of making any sense. I intend to make no sense or perhaps nonsense. We shall see. Be well.
Oh, I am brain dead; but, I have some lovely pictures of the Rosicrucian Museum. I just might post some of them. Hmmmmm, to what end. Amusement.
"What do you get when you fall in love? A guy with a pin to burst your bubble." "What do you get when you fall in love? You only get lies and pain and sorrow." Now if you can find the connection between Rosecrucians and the preceeding lyrics, you get a cookie.
It is San Jose. You see, the museum is in San Jose and Dionne Warwick sang "What do you get when you fall in love". She also sang "Do you know the way to San Jose". In case you are wondering, I have no intention of making any sense. I intend to make no sense or perhaps nonsense. We shall see. Be well.
Anomalies must be isolated
An anomaly, by definition, is something that is an isolated incident or object. Anomalous things do not fit any know pattern. There is an interesting pattern going on in China. There have been adults who have gone to schools in China to attack children. Many of the attacks have been on kindegardeners.
School attacks in China
Three such attacks happened this month alone. One has to ask the question, why? The question is not why each of the attacks occurred, it is why they all occurred. Some will claim that the attackers were just crazy, clearly on some level that is true. But, beyond that, why so many?
I can tell you what the consequence was of the attacks. To prevent adults from enterring the schools. In the United States we have also seen attacks at schools, ours were by children attending the schools. The consequences, tighter control at the schools.
Now, "they" will say that these things are caused by "unstable" people needing "psychiatric help". Here is my question, before we had psychiatrists, why didn't we have similar attacks. The attacks in china were done with knives, we have had knives for a long time and schools and crazy people.
It is not a question of better reporting or crazier people. What is driving them and why attack schools? What has changed and what do the schools represent to the attackers?
Let us also consider what is going on with Priests who choose to be child molesters. Why the rise in the occurances? Why were they protected? Why are so many parents killing their own children and their whole families? Not just here, in other countries.
There was an article today about a woman who is in her 70s that is marrying her grandson. They are going to have a child by a surrogate. What does it say when "the material girl", Madonna is dating Jesus? What images are we being given of family and parent? We are left calling for the government to protect children from parents and a hostile world.
Now some will say that I am showing patterns that we just don't understand. Or they may say these were isolated incidents. Okay, then if they are isolated incidents, why increase security, no pattern here.
We do not change our whole lifestyle because someone got hit by lightening. I haven't and neither has the reader. Yet, people have been hit by lightening. The biggest lie we are told and willingly accept is that life is random. It is not, people have intent, they impact what goes on.
There are people in this world called "Contingency planners". They plan for things that they hope never occur. The CIA and the military have contingency plans for the United States being attacked by England or Canada or both. We do, we have plans and we track our friends. I will explain how it works, a little.
A couple of analysts are assigned to each country and to differant groups (like Al Queda), their job is to daily monitor everything going on in a country. They used to spend all day reading the newspapers and magazines in a given country. By doing this, little things would show patterns. Primarilly, you follow the infrastructure, it shows what the other side is planning.
If one bothers to go back and read about the Cuban Missile Crisis you will find that one analyst was dedicated to knowing what types of boxes were used for which objects the Russians transported. He identified boxes in Cuba as being the type that held missiles. He knew every type of box the Russians used. That is how deep the analysis can go.
One of the basics is to recognize a simple principal. One time is an anomaly, two times is a coincidenct, three times is a pattern and it needs to be investigated. That is simple and easy to remember. We can hopefully agree that lightening is fairly random. When it hits the exact same place three times, it is time to investigate the place. It is possible that the place may have something that draws lightening, like metal.
Lets go back to China for a moment. It is possible that because of China's one child laws that disturbed people attack children because it will have the greatest impact on the society where parents feel they cannot have more. I am not saying this is the answer, I am saying that something is going on.
Another thing to watch for is hidden agendas. If I wish to achieve a goal, I might employ Hegelianism. Part of the thinking is that the end justifies the means. The methodology of some of its followers is manipulative. They use a form of mass control which involves deciding what result they want, creating a crisis that will lead people to seek and answer to a problem and then providing the solution that they wanted in the first place. It is evil; but, it does exist.
Hegelianism is used by contingency planners. It is used to get people to do things that they would not otherwise do without them recognizing that they are being manipulated. It is very effective, especially with people who do not have firm morals.
A true contingency planner considers every possible situation that might require a response. He then prepares a contingency plan. As the facts change, the contingency plan is updated. The plan is changed whenever an anomaly occurs, just in case it becomes a pattern or an plan.
If you wish to read a good example of contingency planning, read something by Tom Clancy. Hunt for Red October is a good example. These people do exist. I dated a Russian woman, she was very intelligent and charming. We were talking one day about the economy and I mentioned that the stock market and our economy were managed. She was surprised that I admitted such a thing because most americans do not. The rest of the world knows we have a managed economy. It is absolute folly to believe that the wealthiest country in the world would not manage its finances.
UPDATE
I had drafted this post and then decided to shelve it. I wrote it earlier today. Now comes a news story from China. You read it. Just came out.
And Again
School attacks in China
Three such attacks happened this month alone. One has to ask the question, why? The question is not why each of the attacks occurred, it is why they all occurred. Some will claim that the attackers were just crazy, clearly on some level that is true. But, beyond that, why so many?
I can tell you what the consequence was of the attacks. To prevent adults from enterring the schools. In the United States we have also seen attacks at schools, ours were by children attending the schools. The consequences, tighter control at the schools.
Now, "they" will say that these things are caused by "unstable" people needing "psychiatric help". Here is my question, before we had psychiatrists, why didn't we have similar attacks. The attacks in china were done with knives, we have had knives for a long time and schools and crazy people.
It is not a question of better reporting or crazier people. What is driving them and why attack schools? What has changed and what do the schools represent to the attackers?
Let us also consider what is going on with Priests who choose to be child molesters. Why the rise in the occurances? Why were they protected? Why are so many parents killing their own children and their whole families? Not just here, in other countries.
There was an article today about a woman who is in her 70s that is marrying her grandson. They are going to have a child by a surrogate. What does it say when "the material girl", Madonna is dating Jesus? What images are we being given of family and parent? We are left calling for the government to protect children from parents and a hostile world.
Now some will say that I am showing patterns that we just don't understand. Or they may say these were isolated incidents. Okay, then if they are isolated incidents, why increase security, no pattern here.
We do not change our whole lifestyle because someone got hit by lightening. I haven't and neither has the reader. Yet, people have been hit by lightening. The biggest lie we are told and willingly accept is that life is random. It is not, people have intent, they impact what goes on.
There are people in this world called "Contingency planners". They plan for things that they hope never occur. The CIA and the military have contingency plans for the United States being attacked by England or Canada or both. We do, we have plans and we track our friends. I will explain how it works, a little.
A couple of analysts are assigned to each country and to differant groups (like Al Queda), their job is to daily monitor everything going on in a country. They used to spend all day reading the newspapers and magazines in a given country. By doing this, little things would show patterns. Primarilly, you follow the infrastructure, it shows what the other side is planning.
If one bothers to go back and read about the Cuban Missile Crisis you will find that one analyst was dedicated to knowing what types of boxes were used for which objects the Russians transported. He identified boxes in Cuba as being the type that held missiles. He knew every type of box the Russians used. That is how deep the analysis can go.
One of the basics is to recognize a simple principal. One time is an anomaly, two times is a coincidenct, three times is a pattern and it needs to be investigated. That is simple and easy to remember. We can hopefully agree that lightening is fairly random. When it hits the exact same place three times, it is time to investigate the place. It is possible that the place may have something that draws lightening, like metal.
Lets go back to China for a moment. It is possible that because of China's one child laws that disturbed people attack children because it will have the greatest impact on the society where parents feel they cannot have more. I am not saying this is the answer, I am saying that something is going on.
Another thing to watch for is hidden agendas. If I wish to achieve a goal, I might employ Hegelianism. Part of the thinking is that the end justifies the means. The methodology of some of its followers is manipulative. They use a form of mass control which involves deciding what result they want, creating a crisis that will lead people to seek and answer to a problem and then providing the solution that they wanted in the first place. It is evil; but, it does exist.
Hegelianism is used by contingency planners. It is used to get people to do things that they would not otherwise do without them recognizing that they are being manipulated. It is very effective, especially with people who do not have firm morals.
A true contingency planner considers every possible situation that might require a response. He then prepares a contingency plan. As the facts change, the contingency plan is updated. The plan is changed whenever an anomaly occurs, just in case it becomes a pattern or an plan.
If you wish to read a good example of contingency planning, read something by Tom Clancy. Hunt for Red October is a good example. These people do exist. I dated a Russian woman, she was very intelligent and charming. We were talking one day about the economy and I mentioned that the stock market and our economy were managed. She was surprised that I admitted such a thing because most americans do not. The rest of the world knows we have a managed economy. It is absolute folly to believe that the wealthiest country in the world would not manage its finances.
UPDATE
I had drafted this post and then decided to shelve it. I wrote it earlier today. Now comes a news story from China. You read it. Just came out.
And Again
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Back at home
I have travelled so much the last three weeks and so many things have happened. I apologize for not having had time to update. Today I have something wonderful to announce. I have a new cousin. He was born this morning and I have seen him. He is beutiful.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
I miss my mother
Oh, dear reader, I miss my mother. She passed away ten years ago. I buried her, now I will bury her last sister near her. I try not to go to that cemetary. I prefer to think about my missing loved ones.
MUCH LATER
I am watching all the doors close at the same time. It is my job to turn off the light. "To sleep, perchance to dream". They keep telling me that I should be dead; but, instead all around me die. Where is fairness?
My words will not come together as they should. I cannot convey my absent mindedness. I cannot synthesize what is going through my mind. My cousin said he would consider having my ex at the funeral if I asked. I do not wish to see her. She is still in the evil realm until she admits to me what she did. Doesn't matter that I know, that I read or that I saw. She needs to admit it.
Three years ago, right after I found out. I begged my aunt to let my ex see her with the kids at Christmas. The ex does not know that. I also had to beg my nephew not to tell her what he thought of her. I am no longer so bound. I did what I did for my children and remaining family. The ones left can handle it if I change my attitude.
I have not made my decision. If I allow her to come, it means I have allowed a door to be ajar rather than close completely. Tough one. I think I will probably leave the door as slightly ajar as possible, forgiveness, grace. Things she said she did not want from me. I wonder if she will feel the same if I let her come and then tell her how her whoring destroyed us? But, that I will not do unless she comes without permission. At that point, all bets are off.
LATER STILL
This is a horrible time in the history of this world. Few good things coming, at least they will not last long. Times and a time, words that repeat in my head. What do they mean? I do not know. Perhaps someday I will.
LATER
Sorry, phone calls and stuff. I want chocolate. Shit, I have a Heath Bar, got it earlier and forgot. Spoke to my cousin, they are wheeling my aunt out of the house. We had a moment of silence. He and I. Time to go to Vegas. In two weeks.
My aunt liked Vegas and owned property in Nevada. My sister lives there. In Nevada. It is only three hours away. I like the Rio Hotel. They have always treated me the best. If I am in Vegas, I know I am safe because I can go to the Rio. I was not paid anything for that comment. They just were the best.
We will go to Vegas, he and I. He used to go to Vegas with my dad and I, before my dad passed away. Now begins the ritual for our new generation. What will it be? It will be the same as it has with the Irish for centuries, a party. All parties are good, the form is merely form.
When one of ours dies, one that was a participant, we have a party. Those who attend become the core of the future, those who do not, they become whatever. Sorry, lost my choo choo.
Did I have a choo choo? Maybe not. Wandering thoughts at best. That is what our mind should do at such times, wander. Be well. I think I need to stop trying to write.
MUCH LATER
I am watching all the doors close at the same time. It is my job to turn off the light. "To sleep, perchance to dream". They keep telling me that I should be dead; but, instead all around me die. Where is fairness?
My words will not come together as they should. I cannot convey my absent mindedness. I cannot synthesize what is going through my mind. My cousin said he would consider having my ex at the funeral if I asked. I do not wish to see her. She is still in the evil realm until she admits to me what she did. Doesn't matter that I know, that I read or that I saw. She needs to admit it.
Three years ago, right after I found out. I begged my aunt to let my ex see her with the kids at Christmas. The ex does not know that. I also had to beg my nephew not to tell her what he thought of her. I am no longer so bound. I did what I did for my children and remaining family. The ones left can handle it if I change my attitude.
I have not made my decision. If I allow her to come, it means I have allowed a door to be ajar rather than close completely. Tough one. I think I will probably leave the door as slightly ajar as possible, forgiveness, grace. Things she said she did not want from me. I wonder if she will feel the same if I let her come and then tell her how her whoring destroyed us? But, that I will not do unless she comes without permission. At that point, all bets are off.
LATER STILL
This is a horrible time in the history of this world. Few good things coming, at least they will not last long. Times and a time, words that repeat in my head. What do they mean? I do not know. Perhaps someday I will.
LATER
Sorry, phone calls and stuff. I want chocolate. Shit, I have a Heath Bar, got it earlier and forgot. Spoke to my cousin, they are wheeling my aunt out of the house. We had a moment of silence. He and I. Time to go to Vegas. In two weeks.
My aunt liked Vegas and owned property in Nevada. My sister lives there. In Nevada. It is only three hours away. I like the Rio Hotel. They have always treated me the best. If I am in Vegas, I know I am safe because I can go to the Rio. I was not paid anything for that comment. They just were the best.
We will go to Vegas, he and I. He used to go to Vegas with my dad and I, before my dad passed away. Now begins the ritual for our new generation. What will it be? It will be the same as it has with the Irish for centuries, a party. All parties are good, the form is merely form.
When one of ours dies, one that was a participant, we have a party. Those who attend become the core of the future, those who do not, they become whatever. Sorry, lost my choo choo.
Did I have a choo choo? Maybe not. Wandering thoughts at best. That is what our mind should do at such times, wander. Be well. I think I need to stop trying to write.
Dear Reader
I just received the call. My aunt has passed away. She was the elder of the family, the last of three sisters. She had watched two of her sons pass away during her life and two of her sisters and brother. She is out of pain now.
A time of passings.
A time of passings.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Single Again
I got a call from my attorney. She is great. She told me the paperwork was finalized and accepted by the court, I am officially single. Look out ladies. LOL. Apparently, it was finalized on April 15th.
It has taken three years. It has been a long, annoying experience and it is done. All she gets now is money.
I have dated a bit; but, did not get serious because I was not divorced officially. I enjoyed dating, being out to dinner with wonderful ladies. I enjoyed knowing that there were so many wonderful women out there. I think my heart had to have hope again. It does.
There are people who after having their spouse cheat on them never trust the opposite sex again. I chose not to go down that road. I choose to trust and to love again and now I am free to. I left my marriage with clean hands. I had even offerred to reconcile because I believe in marriage.
Tonight I am going to open a bottle of champagne. Not to celebrate divorce, I grived my divorce for three years. I am celebrating a new beginning. For the first time in 27 years I am no longer in a relationship. I am single. I am at peace.
I do not feel a need to get in a new relationship. I do not feel pressured to be with someone. I look forward to being with that special someone, it will happen when it happens. I am neither avoiding it nor pushing it.
My house is being sold, my aunt is dying, I am divorced. Lots of endings. With these endings comes a new adventure. I do not know where it will take me. All my life I knew what I wanted to do and have done it. Now, I have no plans. I don't need any. What a strange feeling it is.
I wish to thank my family and friends for having helped through my trials. I don't know what I would have done without all the love and support I have been given. I thank my friends in Oregon and Washington for giving me hope that I could be social.
I think this is a time for rest for me. A time for putting things away. I have forgiven the ex and even her "friend". I have forgiven them in my heart. A time for putting things away. What is behind me, is behind me. What is in front of me is yet to be determined.
I am ready to begin a new chapter. I enter it with clean hands. Not everyone can do that. I never cheated on my wife, I never abused her and gave all I had. I have no regrets for anything. Did the best I could, the outcomes are what they are. All we can do is our best.
It has taken three years. It has been a long, annoying experience and it is done. All she gets now is money.
I have dated a bit; but, did not get serious because I was not divorced officially. I enjoyed dating, being out to dinner with wonderful ladies. I enjoyed knowing that there were so many wonderful women out there. I think my heart had to have hope again. It does.
There are people who after having their spouse cheat on them never trust the opposite sex again. I chose not to go down that road. I choose to trust and to love again and now I am free to. I left my marriage with clean hands. I had even offerred to reconcile because I believe in marriage.
Tonight I am going to open a bottle of champagne. Not to celebrate divorce, I grived my divorce for three years. I am celebrating a new beginning. For the first time in 27 years I am no longer in a relationship. I am single. I am at peace.
I do not feel a need to get in a new relationship. I do not feel pressured to be with someone. I look forward to being with that special someone, it will happen when it happens. I am neither avoiding it nor pushing it.
My house is being sold, my aunt is dying, I am divorced. Lots of endings. With these endings comes a new adventure. I do not know where it will take me. All my life I knew what I wanted to do and have done it. Now, I have no plans. I don't need any. What a strange feeling it is.
I wish to thank my family and friends for having helped through my trials. I don't know what I would have done without all the love and support I have been given. I thank my friends in Oregon and Washington for giving me hope that I could be social.
I think this is a time for rest for me. A time for putting things away. I have forgiven the ex and even her "friend". I have forgiven them in my heart. A time for putting things away. What is behind me, is behind me. What is in front of me is yet to be determined.
I am ready to begin a new chapter. I enter it with clean hands. Not everyone can do that. I never cheated on my wife, I never abused her and gave all I had. I have no regrets for anything. Did the best I could, the outcomes are what they are. All we can do is our best.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Waiting on the next phone call
I am waiting for the next phone call from my cousin. Need to know what he needs done. In the meantime I am keeping myself occupied reading the news.
I wish to make a prediction. Everytime you log onto the internet, you are assigned what is known as an IP address. Some internet providers give one each time you connect to their system. The IP address can change based on where you are connecting. If I am travelling and use differant hotels the IP for my computer will change each time.
My prediction is that IP addresses will be permanently assigned to individuals someday, same as a Social Security Number. The better to track you my dearie. It is but a minor guess and a relatively easy one at that.
Did you catch the article about the cameras in Pennsylvania laptops. Turns out the school had tens of thousands of photos of kids in their homes. George Orwell had nothing on these clowns. I will tell you right here and now that the next ten years are going to make your head spin. We will see more change than in the last 1,000 years.
The changes that are coming are decisions for individuals to make about their lives. If you wish to compete in business, you will need to "upgrade". Your life will rely on technology if you let it, if you want the cookies. Our relationship with our government will continue to change. At some point we will believe that we have more input, that will be a mistake. We will have more input over non-essentials. We will have less input over how the game is played.
Here is a prediction. How bout home schooling. LOL. There is not enough money to pay for enough teachers. What if rather than building schools, children could attend any school they wanted on line from home? Save a bunch of money. You would only learn from the "best" teachers and would not need as many. We will see the best working and the rest on permanent unemployment/welfare. We will see this in other industries also.
Most people are so busy looking for their cookie that they cannot see the infrastructure change. Watch the infrastructure. In boxing, you do not watch your opponents fists, you watch his shoulders and will know where his fist is going sooner.
I wish to make a prediction. Everytime you log onto the internet, you are assigned what is known as an IP address. Some internet providers give one each time you connect to their system. The IP address can change based on where you are connecting. If I am travelling and use differant hotels the IP for my computer will change each time.
My prediction is that IP addresses will be permanently assigned to individuals someday, same as a Social Security Number. The better to track you my dearie. It is but a minor guess and a relatively easy one at that.
Did you catch the article about the cameras in Pennsylvania laptops. Turns out the school had tens of thousands of photos of kids in their homes. George Orwell had nothing on these clowns. I will tell you right here and now that the next ten years are going to make your head spin. We will see more change than in the last 1,000 years.
The changes that are coming are decisions for individuals to make about their lives. If you wish to compete in business, you will need to "upgrade". Your life will rely on technology if you let it, if you want the cookies. Our relationship with our government will continue to change. At some point we will believe that we have more input, that will be a mistake. We will have more input over non-essentials. We will have less input over how the game is played.
Here is a prediction. How bout home schooling. LOL. There is not enough money to pay for enough teachers. What if rather than building schools, children could attend any school they wanted on line from home? Save a bunch of money. You would only learn from the "best" teachers and would not need as many. We will see the best working and the rest on permanent unemployment/welfare. We will see this in other industries also.
Most people are so busy looking for their cookie that they cannot see the infrastructure change. Watch the infrastructure. In boxing, you do not watch your opponents fists, you watch his shoulders and will know where his fist is going sooner.
On Passings
Today the Doctors finally told us that my aunt will not be getting better. Instead she will be passing on. I have made the arrangement for eight or nine funerals in the past ten years starting with my mother. The last funeral I arranged was for four family members at one time. I do not know how many other funerals I have attended as I lost count, my therapist says I should not try to remember. I agree.
Each passing is differant. Two of the people I knew went off the side of mountains. Quick and scary; but, they died immediately. Five died from cancer or side effects of chemo or radiation. Those were the most difficult. They lingered and experienced too much pain.
My mother died unexpectedly while on vacation. A vessel in her brain burst. She was the first of the group that followed. I was not there when she passed away. I held my father's hand as he passed on. I watched him drift away. It was peaceful after over a year of non-peace.
Something I have learned is that often the people passing on know it is coming. When they do, they also seem to know when it is time to just let this world go. When they come to that point, they become calm, not scared. I believe God reaches out to them in those moments and helps them to the next place.
When I was in law school, I used to ride a motorcycle to the college. One day I was coming down a hill. At the bottom of the hill was a traffic signal. I knew where it was. I looked at it to see what color it was, it was red and then changed to green. I knew that I did not need to slow down and so I sped up. Unfortunately a number of cars decided to hit each other in front of me, they did the car dance and managed to completely block the lane as I was headed to them at about 70 miles an hour.
You cannot stop a motorcycle doing 70 in a block. I attempted to break. On a bike it is best to use the rear break so as not to flip the bike. I did use the rear, the tire swung back and forth, not a good thing. I blacked out about 20 feet away from the cars, next thing I knew I was on the other side of them, unhurt and still on the bike. I looked back and the cars had not moved. It made no sense to me then and I still do not know what happened. I knew it was a miracle. I stopped riding bikes not long after, no need to push it.
I have told that story for over 25 years and tell people I still don't know what happened. Sometimes God intervenes. It was not my day to die. I have poisoned twice and still those were not my days either. Then there is the story of the politician who stubbed his toe and died, it infected. There is one man who has been struck by lightening 7 times, 7. The odds of being struck by lightning are one in 700,000. Want to calculate his odds?
The point is that it is hard to tell when you will die. Some people have survived jumping from the Golden Gate bridge. What I know is that we all pass on. When you do pass on, your perspective changes. All the garbage of this world falls away when you know your time has come. You see what your life really meant to yourself and others, even the lies fail.
I sat in my Mercedes SLK in Baker, California one day waiting to die. I had all the signs of a heart attack. I believed in my heart that my time had come, I was wrong. One day I will be right, maybe today; but, I sort of doubt it as my health has improved. That does not mean that I will not be hit by lightning.
When a loved one passes we are saddened, we are saddened for OUR loss. When a loved one has been in pain, we are saddened; but, there is a part that is glad they no longer in senseless pain. When a loved one dies quickly, we are shocked, especially if they are young.
We have lengthened our average lifespan, not the limit. We have not changed the outcome and never will. Not on this earth. This is but a place of temporary placement, a learning ground. Some people fear passing on so much that they try to find a way to live on earth forever, to never grow.
I feel sorry for aethiests, they have nothing to look forward to. I like what W.C. Fields said; "I feel sorry for a man who doesn't drink, when he wakes up in the morning he knows that is the best he is going to feel all day".
Life is temporary, a vapor in eternity. Even if we lived to be a thousand years old it is still just a vapor. There are people who would sell their soul for eternal life on earth. That is quite insane. If you have a soul then you are already eternal, just new journeys to explore. Why would anyone want to stagnate on earth?
I pulled my back this morning, I am having some difficulty sitting up. Still, I have managed to begin making arrangement for my aunt's funeral. I make them in my head, remember who, what, where and how. We will have bagpipers at the funeral. We will all get together, those of us who are left, we will drink and play cards and tell stories about each other and my aunt.
Wakes are for the living. It is our attempt to come to grips with the fact that we have lost a dear one. Sometimes I achieve a goal and want to call my mother or father, I cannot, they are dead. My mother never saw me rise to the hight of my industry, never knew what she had contributed so much to. My dad did, he was very proud. I am grateful that he knew.
I am not afraid of death, not mine and not others. I am however saddened when those I love are no longer around so that we can interact. I believe with my whole being that there is something beyond this life. Some people have had near death experiences, there is a lot of talk about it at the moment.
Some scientists, sound like experts to me, believe the experience is linked to carbon dioxide; but, that answer does not work. The experiences that people have are very similar. Some blame it on DMT being released, that does not work either, the experiences are too similar. The truth is that some get a glimpse into the next world, it is merely a glimpse. It results in calmness.
My world is all passings at the moment, losing my house, finalizing divorce and watching my last elder who I interact with pass on. With every passing comes a new beginning. We must honor our passings, experience them, grieve, remember and move on. It takes as long as it takes, we should not linger in any part too long or we stagnate.
Each passing is differant. Two of the people I knew went off the side of mountains. Quick and scary; but, they died immediately. Five died from cancer or side effects of chemo or radiation. Those were the most difficult. They lingered and experienced too much pain.
My mother died unexpectedly while on vacation. A vessel in her brain burst. She was the first of the group that followed. I was not there when she passed away. I held my father's hand as he passed on. I watched him drift away. It was peaceful after over a year of non-peace.
Something I have learned is that often the people passing on know it is coming. When they do, they also seem to know when it is time to just let this world go. When they come to that point, they become calm, not scared. I believe God reaches out to them in those moments and helps them to the next place.
When I was in law school, I used to ride a motorcycle to the college. One day I was coming down a hill. At the bottom of the hill was a traffic signal. I knew where it was. I looked at it to see what color it was, it was red and then changed to green. I knew that I did not need to slow down and so I sped up. Unfortunately a number of cars decided to hit each other in front of me, they did the car dance and managed to completely block the lane as I was headed to them at about 70 miles an hour.
You cannot stop a motorcycle doing 70 in a block. I attempted to break. On a bike it is best to use the rear break so as not to flip the bike. I did use the rear, the tire swung back and forth, not a good thing. I blacked out about 20 feet away from the cars, next thing I knew I was on the other side of them, unhurt and still on the bike. I looked back and the cars had not moved. It made no sense to me then and I still do not know what happened. I knew it was a miracle. I stopped riding bikes not long after, no need to push it.
I have told that story for over 25 years and tell people I still don't know what happened. Sometimes God intervenes. It was not my day to die. I have poisoned twice and still those were not my days either. Then there is the story of the politician who stubbed his toe and died, it infected. There is one man who has been struck by lightening 7 times, 7. The odds of being struck by lightning are one in 700,000. Want to calculate his odds?
The point is that it is hard to tell when you will die. Some people have survived jumping from the Golden Gate bridge. What I know is that we all pass on. When you do pass on, your perspective changes. All the garbage of this world falls away when you know your time has come. You see what your life really meant to yourself and others, even the lies fail.
I sat in my Mercedes SLK in Baker, California one day waiting to die. I had all the signs of a heart attack. I believed in my heart that my time had come, I was wrong. One day I will be right, maybe today; but, I sort of doubt it as my health has improved. That does not mean that I will not be hit by lightning.
When a loved one passes we are saddened, we are saddened for OUR loss. When a loved one has been in pain, we are saddened; but, there is a part that is glad they no longer in senseless pain. When a loved one dies quickly, we are shocked, especially if they are young.
We have lengthened our average lifespan, not the limit. We have not changed the outcome and never will. Not on this earth. This is but a place of temporary placement, a learning ground. Some people fear passing on so much that they try to find a way to live on earth forever, to never grow.
I feel sorry for aethiests, they have nothing to look forward to. I like what W.C. Fields said; "I feel sorry for a man who doesn't drink, when he wakes up in the morning he knows that is the best he is going to feel all day".
Life is temporary, a vapor in eternity. Even if we lived to be a thousand years old it is still just a vapor. There are people who would sell their soul for eternal life on earth. That is quite insane. If you have a soul then you are already eternal, just new journeys to explore. Why would anyone want to stagnate on earth?
I pulled my back this morning, I am having some difficulty sitting up. Still, I have managed to begin making arrangement for my aunt's funeral. I make them in my head, remember who, what, where and how. We will have bagpipers at the funeral. We will all get together, those of us who are left, we will drink and play cards and tell stories about each other and my aunt.
Wakes are for the living. It is our attempt to come to grips with the fact that we have lost a dear one. Sometimes I achieve a goal and want to call my mother or father, I cannot, they are dead. My mother never saw me rise to the hight of my industry, never knew what she had contributed so much to. My dad did, he was very proud. I am grateful that he knew.
I am not afraid of death, not mine and not others. I am however saddened when those I love are no longer around so that we can interact. I believe with my whole being that there is something beyond this life. Some people have had near death experiences, there is a lot of talk about it at the moment.
Some scientists, sound like experts to me, believe the experience is linked to carbon dioxide; but, that answer does not work. The experiences that people have are very similar. Some blame it on DMT being released, that does not work either, the experiences are too similar. The truth is that some get a glimpse into the next world, it is merely a glimpse. It results in calmness.
My world is all passings at the moment, losing my house, finalizing divorce and watching my last elder who I interact with pass on. With every passing comes a new beginning. We must honor our passings, experience them, grieve, remember and move on. It takes as long as it takes, we should not linger in any part too long or we stagnate.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Paying for Sex
Now that should get someone's attention. There is a professor at a local university who runs a website dedicated to rating and finding sex in Thailand. The University was contacted and he refuses to shut down the site.
College and Sex Sites
Now, paying for sex is legal in many countries including England and Australia. Personally, I do not believe in prostitution. Heck, I do not believe in promiscuity; but, these are personal beliefs. They are in regard to what I would endulge in. If the sex trade with adults is legal in Thailand, how can it be illegal or even improper for someone to post about it.
I want to be clear, according to the article, the Professor specifically states that sex with minors will not be discussed nor condoned. We can discuss what is the appropriate age of consent; however, in the United States it is usually under 18.
The question then becomes should people in America be allowed legally to support things that are illegal in America being done in other countries where it is legal. The question is harder than one might assume. In Europe it is legal to have sex with animals. It is not legal in America. Should Americans be allowed to travel to Europe to have sex with animals? How would we know their reason for travelling?
The general rule is very biblical, when in Rome do as the romans. This is to say that you must follow the laws of the country you are in. It gets complicated if you marry a ten year old in Saudi Arabia and then bring her to the United States. You are now in violation of our laws and have chosen to be here so you have chosen to be under our laws. Jail time.
The internet makes national boundaries less clear. The answer is still to be found. If all one does is talk about it then it would seem to be a matter of free speech. If they are making money from it then they have crossed the boundaries. This is to say that putting up a website that had people pay to have sex with minors in other countries violates our laws regardless of the country that the sex occurred in.
Marijuana is illegal in Japan, very much so. Should a Japenese blogger go to jail for rating marijuana sold in America? What if he told Americans who to buy it from? What if he had people in America selling it and taking a profit?
These could be questions of international law or local law. The decision will be left to the courts and congress. The right decision is to allow societies to choose for themselves rather than having international law imposed on them. Think about it.
College and Sex Sites
Now, paying for sex is legal in many countries including England and Australia. Personally, I do not believe in prostitution. Heck, I do not believe in promiscuity; but, these are personal beliefs. They are in regard to what I would endulge in. If the sex trade with adults is legal in Thailand, how can it be illegal or even improper for someone to post about it.
I want to be clear, according to the article, the Professor specifically states that sex with minors will not be discussed nor condoned. We can discuss what is the appropriate age of consent; however, in the United States it is usually under 18.
The question then becomes should people in America be allowed legally to support things that are illegal in America being done in other countries where it is legal. The question is harder than one might assume. In Europe it is legal to have sex with animals. It is not legal in America. Should Americans be allowed to travel to Europe to have sex with animals? How would we know their reason for travelling?
The general rule is very biblical, when in Rome do as the romans. This is to say that you must follow the laws of the country you are in. It gets complicated if you marry a ten year old in Saudi Arabia and then bring her to the United States. You are now in violation of our laws and have chosen to be here so you have chosen to be under our laws. Jail time.
The internet makes national boundaries less clear. The answer is still to be found. If all one does is talk about it then it would seem to be a matter of free speech. If they are making money from it then they have crossed the boundaries. This is to say that putting up a website that had people pay to have sex with minors in other countries violates our laws regardless of the country that the sex occurred in.
Marijuana is illegal in Japan, very much so. Should a Japenese blogger go to jail for rating marijuana sold in America? What if he told Americans who to buy it from? What if he had people in America selling it and taking a profit?
These could be questions of international law or local law. The decision will be left to the courts and congress. The right decision is to allow societies to choose for themselves rather than having international law imposed on them. Think about it.
Odd Bits
Just some random links, maybe you can find meaning in them.
Two rabbis kneecapped in Los Angeles
No charges against former General Manager of Bldg and Safety
Elliott Broidy Pension Corruption
Broidy connections
Los Angeles money laundering and the Israel connection
So if you read the articles and the prior ones on pensions a picture emerges. An odd picture to be sure. There appears to be government pension money going to investments in Israel including the pension for the City of Los Angeles. The investments fail to the tune of $350 million and no investigation is done.
At the same time, Los Angeles was being used as a major source for money laundering, again, going back to Israel. The Prime Minister in Israel who brought the pension funds over is hiding in Spain and is being charged with corruption in Israel.
As things were unfolding, kidnappings and kneecappings are going on. Who knows what and who is talking? Well, Mr. Broidy is talking. Seeing as he moved hundreds of millions of dollars, he might be saying interesting things. It is funny how most of these people invested in politiicians. Heck, Broidy was a major supporter of the governor and the Mayor.
How does someone, anyone, justify receiving over $200 million just for making introductions. Mr. Villalobos. If you clicked the link, you now know that Mr. Villalobos was a Deputy Mayor under Riordan. Another tie between CalPers and the City of Los Angeles retirment systems. Another tie to another man who is investigated for corruption.
Public funds are the next Madoff
By the way, this is not some stupid "Jewish" conspiracy. This is international corruption and the players are all over. When the pension investigations are over, you will find that every religious and non-religious group was involved. It is about greed and corruption.
The people involved were less concerned about nationality and religion than they were with money. The people who took kickbacks, the pension board members, the businesses, they represented a wide range of interests.
What is amusing is that what finally broke the story was money from the pensions going to Peggy Lipton, an actress and funding a film she made. What is the nature of corruption?
Corruption is a moral fault, it is allowing oneself to do as one pleases and not worrying how it impacts others, it is the heart of the rat race. We do know right from wrong, we feel it in our hearts. Greed and lust go together and lead to corruption. Wherever I find one, I find the other.
The solution to corruption can either be a lack of privacy and close control or a change in our ways. People do not start out as adulterers or liars or thieves, they work towards it over years. They give up boundaries in exchange for treasure. The bible says something about where ones true heart is there also is what they treasure. What do you treasure?
We should treasure one another and doing what is best for all. Do you? What do you treasure? You can figure it out by looking at what you protect and seek. Excuses do not change the reality of what we seek. Coming up with justifications for why we seek it does not change WHAT we seek. It is a matter of trade offs.
Dogs do not know the differance between right and wrong. They merely know what they like and have to do to get it. They like cookies and don't like being hit. People can rise above that and live by intent. It just takes the willingness and want.
What happens when we all do as we wish and don't worry about each other. It becomes a competition of the most corrupt and a brutal world.
Two rabbis kneecapped in Los Angeles
No charges against former General Manager of Bldg and Safety
Elliott Broidy Pension Corruption
Broidy connections
Los Angeles money laundering and the Israel connection
So if you read the articles and the prior ones on pensions a picture emerges. An odd picture to be sure. There appears to be government pension money going to investments in Israel including the pension for the City of Los Angeles. The investments fail to the tune of $350 million and no investigation is done.
At the same time, Los Angeles was being used as a major source for money laundering, again, going back to Israel. The Prime Minister in Israel who brought the pension funds over is hiding in Spain and is being charged with corruption in Israel.
As things were unfolding, kidnappings and kneecappings are going on. Who knows what and who is talking? Well, Mr. Broidy is talking. Seeing as he moved hundreds of millions of dollars, he might be saying interesting things. It is funny how most of these people invested in politiicians. Heck, Broidy was a major supporter of the governor and the Mayor.
How does someone, anyone, justify receiving over $200 million just for making introductions. Mr. Villalobos. If you clicked the link, you now know that Mr. Villalobos was a Deputy Mayor under Riordan. Another tie between CalPers and the City of Los Angeles retirment systems. Another tie to another man who is investigated for corruption.
Public funds are the next Madoff
By the way, this is not some stupid "Jewish" conspiracy. This is international corruption and the players are all over. When the pension investigations are over, you will find that every religious and non-religious group was involved. It is about greed and corruption.
The people involved were less concerned about nationality and religion than they were with money. The people who took kickbacks, the pension board members, the businesses, they represented a wide range of interests.
What is amusing is that what finally broke the story was money from the pensions going to Peggy Lipton, an actress and funding a film she made. What is the nature of corruption?
Corruption is a moral fault, it is allowing oneself to do as one pleases and not worrying how it impacts others, it is the heart of the rat race. We do know right from wrong, we feel it in our hearts. Greed and lust go together and lead to corruption. Wherever I find one, I find the other.
The solution to corruption can either be a lack of privacy and close control or a change in our ways. People do not start out as adulterers or liars or thieves, they work towards it over years. They give up boundaries in exchange for treasure. The bible says something about where ones true heart is there also is what they treasure. What do you treasure?
We should treasure one another and doing what is best for all. Do you? What do you treasure? You can figure it out by looking at what you protect and seek. Excuses do not change the reality of what we seek. Coming up with justifications for why we seek it does not change WHAT we seek. It is a matter of trade offs.
Dogs do not know the differance between right and wrong. They merely know what they like and have to do to get it. They like cookies and don't like being hit. People can rise above that and live by intent. It just takes the willingness and want.
What happens when we all do as we wish and don't worry about each other. It becomes a competition of the most corrupt and a brutal world.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
What a week
I need a break, I am glad tomorrow is Monday and I can go to work. Picked up someone's child, 800 miles round trip and two days. Got home and had to help a family member because of another familiy members illness. Got home, today, after some people came by to view my house which just went on the market, then I had to calm down a myriad of people having personal issues. Tell me where God said this is just like Club Med. LOL.
I have too much road rust in my head, too little sleep, too many things going on at one time and too little sense. I think everything is going fine. I have ten people sleeping in my house tonight. I do have a tendency to take on more than I should. Oh well, you only go around once in life, do it with heart and love. You only get one chance to be a better person.
Just rambling, I do that sometimes. I haven't had a chance to read all my news sources. I hate that. I feel retarded and off schedule. I try to read at least 20 news sources a day, not every word, just all the headlines and some of the articles. The funny thing is that the papers all carry the same articles mostly. I am more interested in the local stuff across the world.
I don't need to read so many newsources, I know what time it is, it just is part of my routine and I like consistency. Haven't been able to listen to my music for four days, I am tonight. Consistency. My life is a circus; but, somethings I try to do each day.
A young man, the one I picked up, is in my house with his mother tonight. He has a place to stay. When the realtor came by to show the house today I was with my relative. I was away. When I returned the young boy said he didn't like the people who looked at the house. He had lost his home, that is why he is here. I understood what was on his mind, he was worried he would lose his place to live.
Imagine being a ten year old boy who has had to move away from his father to be with his mother who is living in someone else's house. How secure would you feel? I understood his fears. I called mother into my room to have a discussion. I offerred to take the boy with me when I move if she does not have a place. I won't even date women with kids or the ability to have any. Shoot me.
I cannot take everyone with me, I cannot assure everyone a place to stay. I can make sure that one little boy is covered. Crap, when do I get a break? What does it matter, I have the chance to be the better me. After speaking to the mother, I took the boy aside and spoke to him as an adult. I told him that he would never go without a place to stay if I were alive. Shoot me, I will buy the bullets.
I am 50 frickin years old and just made a commitment to a ten year old. I will keep it because I said it, I knew what I said when I said it. Someone had to and nobody else could. This world is not Club Med; but, I thought we could get some vacation time if we did what the world asked of us. I was wrong.
Someday perhaps I will find love. Perhaps, somebody will connect with me in a way that I do not have to fear. There is one I miss so much. She is the dangerous type to be sure. Someone who will only tell the truth, someone who will risk it all for another because it is the right thing to do. I still have hope there are others that will do the right thing for the right reason. I read about one today.
So, there was this golfer. He was about to win his first PGA tournament. He called a penalty on himself. If he had not, he would have won. He did the right thing, he called a penalty on himself. He admitted he had made a mistake, it cost him about $600,000; but, more importantly it cost him the win, the record book, the endorsements, the fame. He did the right thing for the right reason.
Too many people take the easy way out, too many look after themselves first. I want to take the easy way out, I want to be selfish; but, I want to be a better me more than I want comfort. I have a friend named Debbie, she is an amazing women, gives to everyone when she has nothing to give, she is an inspiration. I pray for her, I pray for God to bless her and smite her enemies, those who would deceive her. I hope she reads this.
There are still good people in this world. She is one and I know others, I try to be like them. I fail miserably. It is not about failure of success, it is about honestly trying. I can do that. So can you. So did that golfer. It is not about being a saint, it is about trying and failing and trying again.
I bet I fail tomorrow, I bet I failed at something today. I tried, I tried as best I could given today. Not perfect, not what I could have done if I were 20 years younger and with less road rust on my worthless ass. I did try, that is the best I had. I believe God gives credit for trying, I think that is all we have to do, not justify, not explain, try.
OH my gosh. My daughter just came in my room a few minutes ago. I told her what I did about the boy. She hugged me. I cried. She asked me if I thought she had a heart of shit and agreed with my decision. I cried again. Pretty cool to have such a daughter. I need to go to bed. May God hold you all in his hands, he does me.
I have too much road rust in my head, too little sleep, too many things going on at one time and too little sense. I think everything is going fine. I have ten people sleeping in my house tonight. I do have a tendency to take on more than I should. Oh well, you only go around once in life, do it with heart and love. You only get one chance to be a better person.
Just rambling, I do that sometimes. I haven't had a chance to read all my news sources. I hate that. I feel retarded and off schedule. I try to read at least 20 news sources a day, not every word, just all the headlines and some of the articles. The funny thing is that the papers all carry the same articles mostly. I am more interested in the local stuff across the world.
I don't need to read so many newsources, I know what time it is, it just is part of my routine and I like consistency. Haven't been able to listen to my music for four days, I am tonight. Consistency. My life is a circus; but, somethings I try to do each day.
A young man, the one I picked up, is in my house with his mother tonight. He has a place to stay. When the realtor came by to show the house today I was with my relative. I was away. When I returned the young boy said he didn't like the people who looked at the house. He had lost his home, that is why he is here. I understood what was on his mind, he was worried he would lose his place to live.
Imagine being a ten year old boy who has had to move away from his father to be with his mother who is living in someone else's house. How secure would you feel? I understood his fears. I called mother into my room to have a discussion. I offerred to take the boy with me when I move if she does not have a place. I won't even date women with kids or the ability to have any. Shoot me.
I cannot take everyone with me, I cannot assure everyone a place to stay. I can make sure that one little boy is covered. Crap, when do I get a break? What does it matter, I have the chance to be the better me. After speaking to the mother, I took the boy aside and spoke to him as an adult. I told him that he would never go without a place to stay if I were alive. Shoot me, I will buy the bullets.
I am 50 frickin years old and just made a commitment to a ten year old. I will keep it because I said it, I knew what I said when I said it. Someone had to and nobody else could. This world is not Club Med; but, I thought we could get some vacation time if we did what the world asked of us. I was wrong.
Someday perhaps I will find love. Perhaps, somebody will connect with me in a way that I do not have to fear. There is one I miss so much. She is the dangerous type to be sure. Someone who will only tell the truth, someone who will risk it all for another because it is the right thing to do. I still have hope there are others that will do the right thing for the right reason. I read about one today.
So, there was this golfer. He was about to win his first PGA tournament. He called a penalty on himself. If he had not, he would have won. He did the right thing, he called a penalty on himself. He admitted he had made a mistake, it cost him about $600,000; but, more importantly it cost him the win, the record book, the endorsements, the fame. He did the right thing for the right reason.
Too many people take the easy way out, too many look after themselves first. I want to take the easy way out, I want to be selfish; but, I want to be a better me more than I want comfort. I have a friend named Debbie, she is an amazing women, gives to everyone when she has nothing to give, she is an inspiration. I pray for her, I pray for God to bless her and smite her enemies, those who would deceive her. I hope she reads this.
There are still good people in this world. She is one and I know others, I try to be like them. I fail miserably. It is not about failure of success, it is about honestly trying. I can do that. So can you. So did that golfer. It is not about being a saint, it is about trying and failing and trying again.
I bet I fail tomorrow, I bet I failed at something today. I tried, I tried as best I could given today. Not perfect, not what I could have done if I were 20 years younger and with less road rust on my worthless ass. I did try, that is the best I had. I believe God gives credit for trying, I think that is all we have to do, not justify, not explain, try.
OH my gosh. My daughter just came in my room a few minutes ago. I told her what I did about the boy. She hugged me. I cried. She asked me if I thought she had a heart of shit and agreed with my decision. I cried again. Pretty cool to have such a daughter. I need to go to bed. May God hold you all in his hands, he does me.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Long two days
Just got home a short while ago. Brought someone's kid back with me for them. 6 1/2 hours on the road. Lots of dust in my head and brain. You know how you can feel after driving day and night. Fuzzy and dusty. A desert in your brain with some cat piss for good measure. Should have slept more last night.
It was nice to reunite a mother and her son. I tried to make him feel comfortable. His father lost his job and has no place to stay so he was brought back to his mother. The mother just got a place to stay. Lots of people losing jobs and needing places to stay, lots of children being shuffled. This happened before.
Problem with road rust is that you get over tired and can't sleep. That is where I am. When I do fall asleep I will sleep for a day or four hours, lets hope it is for a day. Got two calls, one was just continuing bad news about someone who is sick, the other was bad news about my pension. I felt bad about the first and laughed about the second.
I sat down to read some news. Read about the volcano explosion. Laughed at the writers, for the last two weeks they have been saying how there has been no increase in earthquakes, now they are saying there is an increase and all these events are interconnected. Make up your minds. They are like stock brokers, what ever the market does they say they knew was gonna happen; but, they lost you money.
Next article on are you dumb enough to believe the bullshit you are being fed. The Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio was grafittied by unknown assailants. The statue sits atop 2,300 feet on the top of Mount Concordia in Rio De Janeiro. The road had been washed out and people were not allowed to drive up it. The statue was covered with construction scaffolding, I am confused. Who put up the scaffolding and why do it before the road was fixed. In either case, who are we to believe put the grafitti on the statue, kids?
Now, you have to understand that anyone living in Rio would know that the whole country would not stop until they were caught. The grafitti said, "When the cats away the mice will play". Nobody in Rio is dumb enough to believe that marking the statue would help their political cause. It could only hurt it.
Finally, a Catholic church commissioned a crucifix that appears to have a erect penis. That is what the parishioners say, you check out the picture and say if the artist knew or did not know what they were doing. A Mockery.
We will skip how Elton John said Jesus was gay. We will skip all the other things that have been tossed at Jesus the past few weeks. They are all coincidences. At what time do things become a pattern? I say one is an anomaly, two is a coincidence, after that we have a pattern. Thats what the scientists finally said about the earthquakes and volcanos. It is science. LOL.
Please do not think that just because I haven't slept and am overly tired that I cannot string two absolutely differant things to make one point. The point is simple. Things may or may not be connected, at what point do the coincidences deserve attention and investigation. Pick a number than live by it.
I had a very nice conversation with the mother of the little boy I picked up. We talked about how things work. She worked at a prison, told me some things. Things are not the way we want to believe they are and lying to ourselves or thinking the best is garbage. Heck, I don't want to think my neighbor abuses his kids; however, if I see evidence of it I will not turn my head. That is self centered and garbage. It defines you.
I am home. I want to listen to music and be stupid. I want to wait for sleep to take me away, I want to feel tired. Perhaps I will. Be well.
Darnit, I forget something else. I had to go north to pick up a ladies son. It worked for me because I have wanted to see the Rosicrucian Museum. A very interesting place. The setting is San Jose, a lovely town, the buildings are very interesting. The staff were all excellent and very pleasant. Young kids, trying to learn about Egyptology. That is not the purpose of the museum.
The Rosicrucians use the sybolism of Christianity to teach gnosticism. I wanted to see how they reconciled such things. Their explanation, in their books, was that Jesus was an ascended master of the myster Babylon school of religion. Their complex was amazing, millions of dollars, I asked myself who paid for it? I mean how many Rosicrucians do you know?
When you find groups who you don't know a member of, it should speak to you, you are not one of them. You do not get the hidden secrets, you are not worthy. Hmmmm. That is the problem with all secret societies, for me. When you don't tell your friends that you are part of an organization, you must ask yourself if you should join such a group. I like what Groucho said, "I would never join any organization that would have someone like me as a member".
It was nice to reunite a mother and her son. I tried to make him feel comfortable. His father lost his job and has no place to stay so he was brought back to his mother. The mother just got a place to stay. Lots of people losing jobs and needing places to stay, lots of children being shuffled. This happened before.
Problem with road rust is that you get over tired and can't sleep. That is where I am. When I do fall asleep I will sleep for a day or four hours, lets hope it is for a day. Got two calls, one was just continuing bad news about someone who is sick, the other was bad news about my pension. I felt bad about the first and laughed about the second.
I sat down to read some news. Read about the volcano explosion. Laughed at the writers, for the last two weeks they have been saying how there has been no increase in earthquakes, now they are saying there is an increase and all these events are interconnected. Make up your minds. They are like stock brokers, what ever the market does they say they knew was gonna happen; but, they lost you money.
Next article on are you dumb enough to believe the bullshit you are being fed. The Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio was grafittied by unknown assailants. The statue sits atop 2,300 feet on the top of Mount Concordia in Rio De Janeiro. The road had been washed out and people were not allowed to drive up it. The statue was covered with construction scaffolding, I am confused. Who put up the scaffolding and why do it before the road was fixed. In either case, who are we to believe put the grafitti on the statue, kids?
Now, you have to understand that anyone living in Rio would know that the whole country would not stop until they were caught. The grafitti said, "When the cats away the mice will play". Nobody in Rio is dumb enough to believe that marking the statue would help their political cause. It could only hurt it.
Finally, a Catholic church commissioned a crucifix that appears to have a erect penis. That is what the parishioners say, you check out the picture and say if the artist knew or did not know what they were doing. A Mockery.
We will skip how Elton John said Jesus was gay. We will skip all the other things that have been tossed at Jesus the past few weeks. They are all coincidences. At what time do things become a pattern? I say one is an anomaly, two is a coincidence, after that we have a pattern. Thats what the scientists finally said about the earthquakes and volcanos. It is science. LOL.
Please do not think that just because I haven't slept and am overly tired that I cannot string two absolutely differant things to make one point. The point is simple. Things may or may not be connected, at what point do the coincidences deserve attention and investigation. Pick a number than live by it.
I had a very nice conversation with the mother of the little boy I picked up. We talked about how things work. She worked at a prison, told me some things. Things are not the way we want to believe they are and lying to ourselves or thinking the best is garbage. Heck, I don't want to think my neighbor abuses his kids; however, if I see evidence of it I will not turn my head. That is self centered and garbage. It defines you.
I am home. I want to listen to music and be stupid. I want to wait for sleep to take me away, I want to feel tired. Perhaps I will. Be well.
Darnit, I forget something else. I had to go north to pick up a ladies son. It worked for me because I have wanted to see the Rosicrucian Museum. A very interesting place. The setting is San Jose, a lovely town, the buildings are very interesting. The staff were all excellent and very pleasant. Young kids, trying to learn about Egyptology. That is not the purpose of the museum.
The Rosicrucians use the sybolism of Christianity to teach gnosticism. I wanted to see how they reconciled such things. Their explanation, in their books, was that Jesus was an ascended master of the myster Babylon school of religion. Their complex was amazing, millions of dollars, I asked myself who paid for it? I mean how many Rosicrucians do you know?
When you find groups who you don't know a member of, it should speak to you, you are not one of them. You do not get the hidden secrets, you are not worthy. Hmmmm. That is the problem with all secret societies, for me. When you don't tell your friends that you are part of an organization, you must ask yourself if you should join such a group. I like what Groucho said, "I would never join any organization that would have someone like me as a member".
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Brave New World
In England, the Times is reporting that within as few as three years it will be possible to have babies born with three parents. They would take two eggs and blend them, the sperm would be from one parent. They say it would prevent one hundred birth defects a year.
Building a better baby
What other "defects" will they correct. We know they want to "cure" autism. As someone with Aspergers, I don't need no damn cure. Who decides what is a defect? I have poor eyesight, I wear glasses. I will not get laser surgery. As a result of stress I had central serus retonopathy. I had never heard of it either. It means my body created too much cortizol (something like that) and it came out my left eye creating a permanent tear in the back of the eye.
My understanding is that my left eye will never work right again and it cannot be fixed. Big deal. So what. I can still see. Plastic breasts, liposuction, face lifts, that is how we squander our doctor's time. They say we do not have enough doctors, how bout if the ones we had spent their time healing rather than changing us.
Do you really think that tens of millions of dollars were spent so that people could have three parents to prevent 100 birth defects a year. It is an excuse to justify the real agenda. The real agenda is to be little gods, to engineer the future of man. That is dangerous.
As this technology progresses, will the government allow you to have children who are not "perfect"? What happens when all "birth defects" can be prevented? With universal healthcare, will you be allowed to place the "burden" of an imperfect child on society. Read up on the history of planned parenthood and its beginnings.
China had a one child policy, as a result it has more men than women. Female babies were often aborted in favor of male children. Societal engineering is fascism. It is the loss of rights. It is an abomination. Who decides, it won't be you or I.
Building a better baby
What other "defects" will they correct. We know they want to "cure" autism. As someone with Aspergers, I don't need no damn cure. Who decides what is a defect? I have poor eyesight, I wear glasses. I will not get laser surgery. As a result of stress I had central serus retonopathy. I had never heard of it either. It means my body created too much cortizol (something like that) and it came out my left eye creating a permanent tear in the back of the eye.
My understanding is that my left eye will never work right again and it cannot be fixed. Big deal. So what. I can still see. Plastic breasts, liposuction, face lifts, that is how we squander our doctor's time. They say we do not have enough doctors, how bout if the ones we had spent their time healing rather than changing us.
Do you really think that tens of millions of dollars were spent so that people could have three parents to prevent 100 birth defects a year. It is an excuse to justify the real agenda. The real agenda is to be little gods, to engineer the future of man. That is dangerous.
As this technology progresses, will the government allow you to have children who are not "perfect"? What happens when all "birth defects" can be prevented? With universal healthcare, will you be allowed to place the "burden" of an imperfect child on society. Read up on the history of planned parenthood and its beginnings.
China had a one child policy, as a result it has more men than women. Female babies were often aborted in favor of male children. Societal engineering is fascism. It is the loss of rights. It is an abomination. Who decides, it won't be you or I.
Twits on twitter
I have written about privacy before. The library of congress is now going to archive every public writing posted to twitter. The need is non-existent. Your tweets are now and forever public record. Will that impact what people say in the future? I think so.
Twits
Twits
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Chastity
How do you like that for a title. LOL. I wrote about it on a website once, created more anger than anything else I ever wrote and as any casual reader must admit, I can create conflict.
No sex for Lady Gaga
The post I wrote on the other site asked a simple question. Would you be with someone who said no sex until you were married? The question was received with pure hate and accusations. I was not recommending it or vilifying those who were not abstinet. Just a question.
I have chaste for something like 3 1/2 years. No biggie, had opportunities, turned them down. The ex did not turn me off to sex, just to being with people who don't take relationships seriously. There was a time when if you had sex with someone, you had to marry them. There was a reason for this. Sex is about more than the experience.
Sex is an opportunity. An opportunity to totally envelope yourself in another. It is a chance to know that you are not alone in this world. To feel anothers body as your own, to breathe in all that they are (something a friend said). To achieve this goal you must be more focused on your partner than yourself and they must be more focused on yourself than theirselves.
You may ask what the differance is. It is simple, you get to enjoy their joy and your own. You can respond to their twitches and they respond to yours, it can be a form of communication rather than just an act. Relationships can be that way.
So, chastity, the willing non-fun of sex, the refusal to have sex until you are convinced that you are with the right person. Why does the thought of that upset people? Hmmmm. Because they are denied the privledge of having sex with whoever they want if some refuse on moral grounds.
I dated a woman, she was very nice, very intelligent, very pretty and very engaging. I liked her a lot. On the third date she wanted sex. I explained that I was waiting until I met someone who wanted to be in a committed relationship with me. Blew her mind. I explained that I did in fact find her very beautiful, I did; but, I wanted commitment and neither of us knew what we wanted of each other yet.
One of my daughters thought I should wait five years. I think something about how long it takes to get over a divorce. One of my daughters did not think I needed to wait at all. The last daughter just wanted me to be ready and happy.
It is funny to me that people have an opinion about when I should be with someone again. I have an intent, my intent is to find true love. I actually believe it exists. I will find it and not be satisfied until I do.
As people, we tend to rush to the cookie. We tend to take pleasure as soon as we can. There is always a price for this. We cease being in charge of our decisions as we base them on who is putting out cookies, we are controlled when this occurs. We want what we want when we want it. We want immediate satisfaction. We we are not orgasmic, we are being denied. That is the thinking of the world. Not mine.
How well can we control our urges? It matters not what the urge is, sex, food, sleep, money, fame.... What does it matter what the urge is? How do we approach it, can we be patient? Can we earn it? Can we be honest in our pursuit of it? How we approach our urges is the definition of who we are, it is the test of faith, it is our proof of self.
Tougher question. How do we prove to another that they are special to us? If I sleep with everyone, how will that special person know they are special? How can they know in advance that I will be committed, that commitment is what I seek?
To some chastity is not about a lack of sex, it is about a commitment to the person to come. It is an evidence that when you are in a relationship, it will be your priority. Not a game, not a fetish, not a rule, an evidence. How can talking about not having sex be so controversial. Only if it is not about sex, it is about something else, it is about commitment, cleaving as one.
Now, apply everything I said above to society and see what you get.
No sex for Lady Gaga
The post I wrote on the other site asked a simple question. Would you be with someone who said no sex until you were married? The question was received with pure hate and accusations. I was not recommending it or vilifying those who were not abstinet. Just a question.
I have chaste for something like 3 1/2 years. No biggie, had opportunities, turned them down. The ex did not turn me off to sex, just to being with people who don't take relationships seriously. There was a time when if you had sex with someone, you had to marry them. There was a reason for this. Sex is about more than the experience.
Sex is an opportunity. An opportunity to totally envelope yourself in another. It is a chance to know that you are not alone in this world. To feel anothers body as your own, to breathe in all that they are (something a friend said). To achieve this goal you must be more focused on your partner than yourself and they must be more focused on yourself than theirselves.
You may ask what the differance is. It is simple, you get to enjoy their joy and your own. You can respond to their twitches and they respond to yours, it can be a form of communication rather than just an act. Relationships can be that way.
So, chastity, the willing non-fun of sex, the refusal to have sex until you are convinced that you are with the right person. Why does the thought of that upset people? Hmmmm. Because they are denied the privledge of having sex with whoever they want if some refuse on moral grounds.
I dated a woman, she was very nice, very intelligent, very pretty and very engaging. I liked her a lot. On the third date she wanted sex. I explained that I was waiting until I met someone who wanted to be in a committed relationship with me. Blew her mind. I explained that I did in fact find her very beautiful, I did; but, I wanted commitment and neither of us knew what we wanted of each other yet.
One of my daughters thought I should wait five years. I think something about how long it takes to get over a divorce. One of my daughters did not think I needed to wait at all. The last daughter just wanted me to be ready and happy.
It is funny to me that people have an opinion about when I should be with someone again. I have an intent, my intent is to find true love. I actually believe it exists. I will find it and not be satisfied until I do.
As people, we tend to rush to the cookie. We tend to take pleasure as soon as we can. There is always a price for this. We cease being in charge of our decisions as we base them on who is putting out cookies, we are controlled when this occurs. We want what we want when we want it. We want immediate satisfaction. We we are not orgasmic, we are being denied. That is the thinking of the world. Not mine.
How well can we control our urges? It matters not what the urge is, sex, food, sleep, money, fame.... What does it matter what the urge is? How do we approach it, can we be patient? Can we earn it? Can we be honest in our pursuit of it? How we approach our urges is the definition of who we are, it is the test of faith, it is our proof of self.
Tougher question. How do we prove to another that they are special to us? If I sleep with everyone, how will that special person know they are special? How can they know in advance that I will be committed, that commitment is what I seek?
To some chastity is not about a lack of sex, it is about a commitment to the person to come. It is an evidence that when you are in a relationship, it will be your priority. Not a game, not a fetish, not a rule, an evidence. How can talking about not having sex be so controversial. Only if it is not about sex, it is about something else, it is about commitment, cleaving as one.
Now, apply everything I said above to society and see what you get.
Throwing Out Stuff
So I am throwing out 50 years of stuff. Some of it causes memories, most of it doesn't. It is amazing how much stuff I am throwing out. It is bizarre the memories that it causes.
One of the things I came across was an aniversary card from the ex. It was our 21st anniversary. She said that she planned on treating the coming year in a new way. She did, she had an affair. I guess that was differant. Felt differant.
While writing this, four people have interrupted me. They are all younger and staying with me. One is three years old, she only staying the night with her father who is visiting us. The cute little girl decided she would call me "Old Fart" the first time she met me. LOL. She calls her uncle that. It is her way of saying she feels safe around me. I like that.
She came up to my room and interrupted me to say thank you for getting her ice cream. I had been cleaning my room and she wanted to look around. She asked me how I shaved and asked me why I had a hairbrush when I had no hair. Her father grimaced when she asked me that. I thought it was great, she asked a truthful question. She saw the world for what it was, hasn't learned to lie yet. Hope she doesn't.
I showed her a picture I found of my family, when there was one, and my daughter. My daughter was about six in the picture, She is 21 and dating the little girl's father. I don't think she understood it was the same person. People change. I changed.
I do hope my writing amuses. It is nice to get things out and to write. I like writing, I like the freedom it gives me and it helps me to organize my thoughts. I think I am fairly good at it. In the end it is for the reader to decide. There is a French Director named Jean Cocteau. I never really cared for his movies; but, he is considered one of the greats. He said art can only be judged by the impact it has on the recipient. I agree.
Are blogs art? They can be, it is a matter of intent. My intent is multilayered. On occassion I write to be artful; but, not to create art. What than is my writing. Inconsistent.
Well, I did not do what I had intended. I did not write a melancholy piece on memories. Nope, not to be. Instead I had a bunch of young people interrupt me to request that I spend time with them. People in their 20s and as young as three want my company. Pretty good for an old fart. Be well.
One of the things I came across was an aniversary card from the ex. It was our 21st anniversary. She said that she planned on treating the coming year in a new way. She did, she had an affair. I guess that was differant. Felt differant.
While writing this, four people have interrupted me. They are all younger and staying with me. One is three years old, she only staying the night with her father who is visiting us. The cute little girl decided she would call me "Old Fart" the first time she met me. LOL. She calls her uncle that. It is her way of saying she feels safe around me. I like that.
She came up to my room and interrupted me to say thank you for getting her ice cream. I had been cleaning my room and she wanted to look around. She asked me how I shaved and asked me why I had a hairbrush when I had no hair. Her father grimaced when she asked me that. I thought it was great, she asked a truthful question. She saw the world for what it was, hasn't learned to lie yet. Hope she doesn't.
I showed her a picture I found of my family, when there was one, and my daughter. My daughter was about six in the picture, She is 21 and dating the little girl's father. I don't think she understood it was the same person. People change. I changed.
I do hope my writing amuses. It is nice to get things out and to write. I like writing, I like the freedom it gives me and it helps me to organize my thoughts. I think I am fairly good at it. In the end it is for the reader to decide. There is a French Director named Jean Cocteau. I never really cared for his movies; but, he is considered one of the greats. He said art can only be judged by the impact it has on the recipient. I agree.
Are blogs art? They can be, it is a matter of intent. My intent is multilayered. On occassion I write to be artful; but, not to create art. What than is my writing. Inconsistent.
Well, I did not do what I had intended. I did not write a melancholy piece on memories. Nope, not to be. Instead I had a bunch of young people interrupt me to request that I spend time with them. People in their 20s and as young as three want my company. Pretty good for an old fart. Be well.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Moving
On Friday I put my house up for sale. Today the realtor came by to take pictures. It hit me that I have to get rid of 50 years of stuff. It is a big job. I called a friend to borrow his trailer so I can send things to the dump.
Over the past four years I have moved about 5 times; but, all my stuff stayed at the house. The ex was still here. I told my landscaper that he could have all my tools. I have a lot of tools. I don't mind giving away my stuff, it is just things. It is more the thought of going through it all. Sort of the last vestige of my marriage.
I don't look forward to sorting through my memories. The ex's betrayal was not just her sleeping with another man. It was a betrayal of our life together, a disregard for our family and our memories. She did not take into account what the impact would be on our lives, she only thought of the moment. The moment is over now comes the hangover.
The odd thing is that I am the one left to clean up her mess. I must empty the house and close the door. I will be the one to turn off the lights. When I leave it will be to go to a much smaller place, perhaps a studio apartment. What to keep and what to get rid of.
On one level, I am prepared to throw everything out. Start over again with a clean slate. Yet, somethings were my parents stuff and have sentimental value. It is going to be a long week. I hope yours goes well.
Over the past four years I have moved about 5 times; but, all my stuff stayed at the house. The ex was still here. I told my landscaper that he could have all my tools. I have a lot of tools. I don't mind giving away my stuff, it is just things. It is more the thought of going through it all. Sort of the last vestige of my marriage.
I don't look forward to sorting through my memories. The ex's betrayal was not just her sleeping with another man. It was a betrayal of our life together, a disregard for our family and our memories. She did not take into account what the impact would be on our lives, she only thought of the moment. The moment is over now comes the hangover.
The odd thing is that I am the one left to clean up her mess. I must empty the house and close the door. I will be the one to turn off the lights. When I leave it will be to go to a much smaller place, perhaps a studio apartment. What to keep and what to get rid of.
On one level, I am prepared to throw everything out. Start over again with a clean slate. Yet, somethings were my parents stuff and have sentimental value. It is going to be a long week. I hope yours goes well.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
A Dinner with Friends
Hi all. Just got back from a dinner with some friends. Two couples and myself. I was the youngest in the room. LOL. Don't get to say that often anymore. The dinner was arranged by my friend because his wife wanted to meet me. Why anyone would wish to meet me is beyond; but, some do. So there.
We went to a great restaurant, had a nice meel and talked. We did not talk about football, celebrities, the latest tragedy, our injuries or personal relationships. We talked about the world. It is nice to have an old fashioned intelligent conversation with adults. I would have preferred to have a date myself; but, that was not to be.
The gentleman whose wife wanted to meet me is a businessman. He has sat on many boards for many companies and organizations. Even sits on the Board of a University. I know some interesting people. I tend to be differant than most of the people they know.
Anyways, I had accurately predicted when certain things would happen in the economy in advance and I was time specific. I did not tell many people; but, I had told this gentleman. He was surprised by my accuracy. He continued to be surprised as I continued to be accurate.
Well, his wife wanted to know some things that were going on in the economy and what my thoughts were on the matter. We talked about the economy, politics and religion for three hours. Now the two of them know a lot of "important" and "influential" people. I asked them if they spoke to their friends about such things and they said that their friends were not interested in such things only chasing the next cookie.
The people that used to rule are no longer ruling. The people that ran business and influenced local events are no longer in charge and are quite confused. One third of this countries millionaires are no longer millionaires. They are quite confused. They are trying to figure out how to keep what they had. That is what these two saw in thier friends.
Many wealthy people see what is going and consider leaving the country. Can't take the money with you. Not an option. If they did leave, it would not matter. Things are the same all over. At present nobody knows who is next to get it. GM did not think they would ever get it, Goldman Sachs never thought their power and influence would be insufficient. LOL. Kiddies, this is not the past, there is a new set of rules and the old alliances no longer serve a purpose.
Those who have nothing to lose are not as concerned as those who do by the changed nature of our world. This is a time for courage and commitment to morals. That is the only thing that will allow one to go through this time and remain them.
The United States government has convinced the Swiss banks to give up information on people who are hiding money there. This is money that will be turned over to the Federal government. You are only allowed to take a certain amount of money out of the country. Most countries have such limits. Sophia Loren and her husband went to jail for trying to take their money out of Italy a number of years ago.
Well we talked about economics and business and where the country is headed. All of us are Christians. Towards the end of the night, the man's wife asked me about God and my thoughts on the matter. She asked how God could be all powerful and good at the same time.
The question is a variation on something many people ask. How can bad things happen if there is a good God. My answer always begins the same way, "Where does it say that life on earth is club Med? If one believes in God, one must ask why we suffer. I will simplify, why are we here at all, why don't we just appear in heaven?
This is a place of learning in my opinion, eternity is long and stagnation is boring. If we look around us we can see what things lead to growth, friction, water, manure, challenge. A good parent disciplines their child when they hit their sister. They show them why it is wrong. This is not Club Med. A good parent does not feed their child only candy, the child may not like vegtables; but, needs them.
Most people do not like my answer, they just want eternal vacation. They want to blackmail God into giving them a life of liesure and luxury. "I won't believe in you unless I get cookies". Just like a kid. We are kids till we decide to become teenagers.
Children need to learn to be responsible. They need to learn to respect one another. Only then can they be trusted outdoors by themselves. Learning is work, it is not playtime. We are accountable for our jobs. If we are to do our jobs well, if we are to refuse to lie, cheat or steal then we must define ourselves by something greater, the things we believe in, our morals. Candy does not lead to morals.
Whatever gets us the cookie is what we want to believe in. This is a mistake, we then give up our free will and will do what it takes to chase the cookie. We want to justify it by saying we didn't grow up, we didn't understand; but, we choose to not grow up or understand so we deceive ourselves.
I studied abnormal psych and took a class on Serial Killers with one of the foremost experts in college. My fascination was not with their activities, it was with how they justified their actions. That is fascinating. How does one become so self centered that other people's pain and anguish is an amusement?
There are two types of serial killers, psychopaths and sociopaths. They are not the same. Psychopaths lack conscience and empathy. They simply only care about themselves. They do not deceive themselves about what they are. They want what they want and will manipulate people to get it.
Sociopaths, in my opinion, are differant. They justify what they do to themselves. These may not be clinical definitions; but, they work as moral ones. Two sides of the same coin. One does not bother justifying, the other does. Sociopaths are around us all, they justify their action as being for a greater or more important good, usually theirs. They will say that everyone does it or that they are entitled. A psychopath just doesn't care.
Some will say these conditions are medical, chemical, biological or just that some people are asses. I disagree, they are conscious decisions. If you were to interview them you would find they are aware of what they are doing. Insane people are delusional, they do not view the world as it is, they cannot handle living in this world so they go delusional into a world that they can accept.
Psychopaths, using my definition, are fairly rare. Both are difficult to deal with; however, sociopaths are easier. They have some humanity left in them. Psychopaths just don't care. Oh, by the way, I am eating some candy tonight. There is nothing wrong with candy, failure to control our urge to eat it is the problem.
If we consider the movie "Wall Street", the Michael Douglas charachter was a sociopath. His statement "Greed is good" demonstrated a justification system. If he had said, "Do as thou will" he would have been a psychopath. If he had said that you are all that matters, he would have been a psychopath. What message do you hear in commercials and movies?
In my opinion, this life is about defining ourselves. It is about growing up and learning to control ourselves around the cookies. You don't need to spank teenagers, you should be able to talk to them. Still, even teenagers are a pain. Eventually, hopefully, children grow up enough to manage themselves. To be in public without having to worry that they will pick their nose at the table.
In order for our children to grow they have to be allowed to play with other children. When they do, they get into fights; but, they also learn to make friendships. I knew a woman once, a long time ago. She was a friend and kept an eye out for me; but, I didn't know it. I found out one day when she tried to protect me. She was just a kid and so was I; but, we liked each other.
You see we can learn to protect one another and grow up or we can find more ways to take advantage of each other and remain children. Children will do whatever they have to in order to avoid a spanking or get a cookie. They will make promises that they will never keep just for the cost benefit approach. If we allow this then our children do not learn, they do not grow up into anyone you would want to be around.
That is my answer as to why God can be good and all powerful. He chooses not to use his power so that we have the choice of growing up and dealing with him as adults. Children and bad parents don't like my answer. They don't live it either until they have to. Be well.
We went to a great restaurant, had a nice meel and talked. We did not talk about football, celebrities, the latest tragedy, our injuries or personal relationships. We talked about the world. It is nice to have an old fashioned intelligent conversation with adults. I would have preferred to have a date myself; but, that was not to be.
The gentleman whose wife wanted to meet me is a businessman. He has sat on many boards for many companies and organizations. Even sits on the Board of a University. I know some interesting people. I tend to be differant than most of the people they know.
Anyways, I had accurately predicted when certain things would happen in the economy in advance and I was time specific. I did not tell many people; but, I had told this gentleman. He was surprised by my accuracy. He continued to be surprised as I continued to be accurate.
Well, his wife wanted to know some things that were going on in the economy and what my thoughts were on the matter. We talked about the economy, politics and religion for three hours. Now the two of them know a lot of "important" and "influential" people. I asked them if they spoke to their friends about such things and they said that their friends were not interested in such things only chasing the next cookie.
The people that used to rule are no longer ruling. The people that ran business and influenced local events are no longer in charge and are quite confused. One third of this countries millionaires are no longer millionaires. They are quite confused. They are trying to figure out how to keep what they had. That is what these two saw in thier friends.
Many wealthy people see what is going and consider leaving the country. Can't take the money with you. Not an option. If they did leave, it would not matter. Things are the same all over. At present nobody knows who is next to get it. GM did not think they would ever get it, Goldman Sachs never thought their power and influence would be insufficient. LOL. Kiddies, this is not the past, there is a new set of rules and the old alliances no longer serve a purpose.
Those who have nothing to lose are not as concerned as those who do by the changed nature of our world. This is a time for courage and commitment to morals. That is the only thing that will allow one to go through this time and remain them.
The United States government has convinced the Swiss banks to give up information on people who are hiding money there. This is money that will be turned over to the Federal government. You are only allowed to take a certain amount of money out of the country. Most countries have such limits. Sophia Loren and her husband went to jail for trying to take their money out of Italy a number of years ago.
Well we talked about economics and business and where the country is headed. All of us are Christians. Towards the end of the night, the man's wife asked me about God and my thoughts on the matter. She asked how God could be all powerful and good at the same time.
The question is a variation on something many people ask. How can bad things happen if there is a good God. My answer always begins the same way, "Where does it say that life on earth is club Med? If one believes in God, one must ask why we suffer. I will simplify, why are we here at all, why don't we just appear in heaven?
This is a place of learning in my opinion, eternity is long and stagnation is boring. If we look around us we can see what things lead to growth, friction, water, manure, challenge. A good parent disciplines their child when they hit their sister. They show them why it is wrong. This is not Club Med. A good parent does not feed their child only candy, the child may not like vegtables; but, needs them.
Most people do not like my answer, they just want eternal vacation. They want to blackmail God into giving them a life of liesure and luxury. "I won't believe in you unless I get cookies". Just like a kid. We are kids till we decide to become teenagers.
Children need to learn to be responsible. They need to learn to respect one another. Only then can they be trusted outdoors by themselves. Learning is work, it is not playtime. We are accountable for our jobs. If we are to do our jobs well, if we are to refuse to lie, cheat or steal then we must define ourselves by something greater, the things we believe in, our morals. Candy does not lead to morals.
Whatever gets us the cookie is what we want to believe in. This is a mistake, we then give up our free will and will do what it takes to chase the cookie. We want to justify it by saying we didn't grow up, we didn't understand; but, we choose to not grow up or understand so we deceive ourselves.
I studied abnormal psych and took a class on Serial Killers with one of the foremost experts in college. My fascination was not with their activities, it was with how they justified their actions. That is fascinating. How does one become so self centered that other people's pain and anguish is an amusement?
There are two types of serial killers, psychopaths and sociopaths. They are not the same. Psychopaths lack conscience and empathy. They simply only care about themselves. They do not deceive themselves about what they are. They want what they want and will manipulate people to get it.
Sociopaths, in my opinion, are differant. They justify what they do to themselves. These may not be clinical definitions; but, they work as moral ones. Two sides of the same coin. One does not bother justifying, the other does. Sociopaths are around us all, they justify their action as being for a greater or more important good, usually theirs. They will say that everyone does it or that they are entitled. A psychopath just doesn't care.
Some will say these conditions are medical, chemical, biological or just that some people are asses. I disagree, they are conscious decisions. If you were to interview them you would find they are aware of what they are doing. Insane people are delusional, they do not view the world as it is, they cannot handle living in this world so they go delusional into a world that they can accept.
Psychopaths, using my definition, are fairly rare. Both are difficult to deal with; however, sociopaths are easier. They have some humanity left in them. Psychopaths just don't care. Oh, by the way, I am eating some candy tonight. There is nothing wrong with candy, failure to control our urge to eat it is the problem.
If we consider the movie "Wall Street", the Michael Douglas charachter was a sociopath. His statement "Greed is good" demonstrated a justification system. If he had said, "Do as thou will" he would have been a psychopath. If he had said that you are all that matters, he would have been a psychopath. What message do you hear in commercials and movies?
In my opinion, this life is about defining ourselves. It is about growing up and learning to control ourselves around the cookies. You don't need to spank teenagers, you should be able to talk to them. Still, even teenagers are a pain. Eventually, hopefully, children grow up enough to manage themselves. To be in public without having to worry that they will pick their nose at the table.
In order for our children to grow they have to be allowed to play with other children. When they do, they get into fights; but, they also learn to make friendships. I knew a woman once, a long time ago. She was a friend and kept an eye out for me; but, I didn't know it. I found out one day when she tried to protect me. She was just a kid and so was I; but, we liked each other.
You see we can learn to protect one another and grow up or we can find more ways to take advantage of each other and remain children. Children will do whatever they have to in order to avoid a spanking or get a cookie. They will make promises that they will never keep just for the cost benefit approach. If we allow this then our children do not learn, they do not grow up into anyone you would want to be around.
That is my answer as to why God can be good and all powerful. He chooses not to use his power so that we have the choice of growing up and dealing with him as adults. Children and bad parents don't like my answer. They don't live it either until they have to. Be well.
Dead Mans Switch
There is a thing that used to be on trains. It was called a deadman's switch. It meant that if the engineer, driver of the train died, it would automatically stop. It is an intriguing thought. What if Armageddon was a dead man's switch, how many other things could be set in such a manner.
If you have watched "Lost" then you have a modern equivalent. Be well
If you have watched "Lost" then you have a modern equivalent. Be well
Friday, April 9, 2010
A Video for a Melancholy Friend
Sometimes I miss love. I know how that feels. Sometimes I forget what I like about women. I was hurt. Sometimes I wonder if love is worth it. I think all feel that way sometimes. But, othertimes we remember what it can be. It can be perfection of relationship, it can be feeling known. It can be knowing someone cares. That is worth eternity. Something a friend of mine needs to remember. I post this for her.
You got to laught about Pensions
So, as any reader will know, I have talked about the DWP (water) and pensions. Government pensions. I have a couple of articles for you. The first one is about how American Governmental Pensions were investing in Israel. The article is from 2006. It talks about a junket to Israel by our pension leaders.
CalPers was particularly interested in investing in WATER technology that Israel was developing. They were also interested in stem cell research. Now, the World Pension Fund director invited them to meet with Olmert. He was Trade Minister for Israel.
The trip
Mr. Olmert became Prime Minister of Israel. They say he is the most corrupt one in history. Currently, he is hiding in Madrid as was reported today.
Mr. Olmert
Hmmmm. Something is coming together and it only gets worse. Lets see if I remember correctly. The City of Los Angeles' pension fund and CalPers invested in a group called CIM. CIM then bought land in Kern county for a wind farm and intended to sell it to DWP at twice what they paid. A clear conflict of interest.
After that, a man that sat on the Boards for CalPers and Lacers was arrested in New York for bribing people on the New York Pension Boards. He and others regularly sent people on trips to Israel and Italy. The man copped a plea and is giving up the accomplices. Now CalPers is being investigated by the Fed. Remember kids, you read it here first.
Oh, you might wonder how the investments did. They did miserable.
Israel VC funds did badly by CalPers
CIM Group and Broidy
Broidy and Corruption
And then we have Markstone. Olmert came to California just to meet with investors including Broidy who ran Markstone.
A get together
Okay, you can run the searches yourself. There is plenty to find. Run Olmert and Broidy, or Olmert and Markstone, or CIM and Broidy or CIM and DWP. Whatever, it all comes out the same. It is a chain and everyone is going to jail for corruption. Contrary to the ex's beliefs, I am still a damn fine analyst and have not lost my ability to figure things out.
I wrote about some of this over a year ago and have been talking about it for longer. The pieces include water, corruption, pensions and Israel. The people include Olmert, Broidy and Villalobos. Government pensions were being used by politicians for a political end and corruption ensued. The dollar amounts are staggering.
The arrests that were made in New Jersey and New York were only the beginning. This sucker is gonna take down whole states. With government pensions already a billion dollars in the red, what happens when it turns out it was the government that was misusing the funds. Don't think Presidents were not involved either. Look at the connections if you do the research.
Obama, Shwarzenneger and Villaraigosa are all buddies. They attended the Copenhagen Climate Conferance together. They are connected in ways that make no sense. They met in Los Angeles (search the names together on youtube and you can watch). There are no parties, only interests.
So what do you think? What do you think of our country? What do you think of the economy? Kiddies, the game is fixed. There is a club and you are not a member. Question is, who is?
A little over three years ago I woke up. When I did, I didn't like what I saw. I did what an analyst does, I started researching. Then I liked things even less. Still, research must be published. I started the blog. We have been many places, it started with a discussion of our importance as aware beings. I do not know where or when it will end, depends on what I find next.
I taught my kids the following: "Don't lie, don't cheat and don't steal and nobody will come at night arrest you and take all that you did earn". That is a motto I can live with. It is a sentiment we should all have. On the chance that children might read my blog, I will not use the words that come naturally. They have less than five letters and more than three.
The investigations are converging. It should be obvious. Broidy gave up everyone. DWP is being audited as I write. The pension funds are being investigated. Olmert is under investigation.
I like to take a circular road, I like to let a story slowly explain itself. Any regular reader knows I start from the outside and work my way in. Context before the points are made. It is an approach that I prefer. It is more elegant and harder to see where one is going.
I hope you have enjoyed the journey thus far. Be well.
CalPers was particularly interested in investing in WATER technology that Israel was developing. They were also interested in stem cell research. Now, the World Pension Fund director invited them to meet with Olmert. He was Trade Minister for Israel.
The trip
Mr. Olmert became Prime Minister of Israel. They say he is the most corrupt one in history. Currently, he is hiding in Madrid as was reported today.
Mr. Olmert
Hmmmm. Something is coming together and it only gets worse. Lets see if I remember correctly. The City of Los Angeles' pension fund and CalPers invested in a group called CIM. CIM then bought land in Kern county for a wind farm and intended to sell it to DWP at twice what they paid. A clear conflict of interest.
After that, a man that sat on the Boards for CalPers and Lacers was arrested in New York for bribing people on the New York Pension Boards. He and others regularly sent people on trips to Israel and Italy. The man copped a plea and is giving up the accomplices. Now CalPers is being investigated by the Fed. Remember kids, you read it here first.
Oh, you might wonder how the investments did. They did miserable.
Israel VC funds did badly by CalPers
CIM Group and Broidy
Broidy and Corruption
And then we have Markstone. Olmert came to California just to meet with investors including Broidy who ran Markstone.
A get together
Okay, you can run the searches yourself. There is plenty to find. Run Olmert and Broidy, or Olmert and Markstone, or CIM and Broidy or CIM and DWP. Whatever, it all comes out the same. It is a chain and everyone is going to jail for corruption. Contrary to the ex's beliefs, I am still a damn fine analyst and have not lost my ability to figure things out.
I wrote about some of this over a year ago and have been talking about it for longer. The pieces include water, corruption, pensions and Israel. The people include Olmert, Broidy and Villalobos. Government pensions were being used by politicians for a political end and corruption ensued. The dollar amounts are staggering.
The arrests that were made in New Jersey and New York were only the beginning. This sucker is gonna take down whole states. With government pensions already a billion dollars in the red, what happens when it turns out it was the government that was misusing the funds. Don't think Presidents were not involved either. Look at the connections if you do the research.
Obama, Shwarzenneger and Villaraigosa are all buddies. They attended the Copenhagen Climate Conferance together. They are connected in ways that make no sense. They met in Los Angeles (search the names together on youtube and you can watch). There are no parties, only interests.
So what do you think? What do you think of our country? What do you think of the economy? Kiddies, the game is fixed. There is a club and you are not a member. Question is, who is?
A little over three years ago I woke up. When I did, I didn't like what I saw. I did what an analyst does, I started researching. Then I liked things even less. Still, research must be published. I started the blog. We have been many places, it started with a discussion of our importance as aware beings. I do not know where or when it will end, depends on what I find next.
I taught my kids the following: "Don't lie, don't cheat and don't steal and nobody will come at night arrest you and take all that you did earn". That is a motto I can live with. It is a sentiment we should all have. On the chance that children might read my blog, I will not use the words that come naturally. They have less than five letters and more than three.
The investigations are converging. It should be obvious. Broidy gave up everyone. DWP is being audited as I write. The pension funds are being investigated. Olmert is under investigation.
I like to take a circular road, I like to let a story slowly explain itself. Any regular reader knows I start from the outside and work my way in. Context before the points are made. It is an approach that I prefer. It is more elegant and harder to see where one is going.
I hope you have enjoyed the journey thus far. Be well.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Register your cellphone
Did not mean to post again tonight. Read this article and had to comment. In Mexico people are now required to give personal information to the government in order to use a cellphone. WTF.
The government wants to do so in order to go after organized crime. You mean they are listening to every conversation? LOL. Wake up kiddies. Yes, they listen to every call. Read the article and ask yourself the underlying questions, where is anyone's privacy?
Mexican Radio, ehhhrrr cellphones
The government wants to do so in order to go after organized crime. You mean they are listening to every conversation? LOL. Wake up kiddies. Yes, they listen to every call. Read the article and ask yourself the underlying questions, where is anyone's privacy?
Mexican Radio, ehhhrrr cellphones
Gaza and Ireland
I am Irish. Pretty sure. Mom and pop were. My great grandfather was in the original Irish Republican Army. He killed and English soldier and fled to America because there was a warrnat for his death. That is what brought us to America. A killing.
I have been told by people who knew that he was a lot like me. Size, look, intelligence. He was very political and a keen student of history. He also liked Pabst Blue Ribbon, I seem to recall being told. He warned that when the Chinese united with the arabs things would not go well for the world.
He died before I was born, I never got to meet him. I would have loved to have talked to him, to have heard what he learned. He came to America and went to work in the coal mines and later did something else. I don't recall what. He was loved by the family and is highly regarded.
During his time, a famine was in Ireland. It killed one fourth of all the Irish Catholics. They were starved to death intentionally. Beef that was raised in Ireland was sent to England during the famine. An article in the New York Times suggested that the famine was a good solution to the Irish Problem. You can find it online.
The famine in Ireland was so bad that the Choctaw Indians raised money and sent it to the Irish people. This was doen only 16 years after the Choctaw had faced the Trail of Tears. I hope they know that it is and was appreciated, not for the amount, for the thought. I still cry whenever I think about it. They had very little; but, hated the thought of others starving. What a contrast to the absentee landlords.
It was not legal to teach Irish catholics in our own country. It was not legal to teach our own language. It was not legal for the Irish to even own land in Ireland. There was a time, when I was younger, when I hated the English. I hated them for what they did to my people and my country. I do not feel that way anymore. I do not blame a nation or even a race, I blame the people who were in charge of England. I blame the Royal family.
The average English person had nothing to do with what occured in Ireland. Heck, read Dickens and you will see how well the average English person was treated in his own country. Pretty bleak and miserably. The average person in England was told that the Irish were the problem, they were competition and why he did not get enough. Sounds like how most Americans view Mexicans. Divide and conquer. Find a foreign bad guy.
The truth is that most people really don't want to cause problems outside of their own country. Most people just want to have some peace and quiet. You have to go out of your way to propagandize and threaten to get the average person willing to hurt others in foriegn lands. We would rather stay at home and make babies. Making babies is more much more fun than killing them.
When I was younger something called Bloody Sunday happened in Northern Ireland. In 1972 a group of demonstrators was fired upon by the English army. They were unarmed. 27 were shot, five in the back, and 14 died as a result. I still have family in Ireland. Some live on family land. I have never met them. They live in Meath and Cork. I saw a picture of our homes, our incestral homes.
In Northern Ireland, the Catholics, the ancestral Irish, are still treated poorly. They live in ghettos and still are not treated the same as the rest of the population. This is what it is. I have asked myself, over the years, if we had our country back, if the country were united, how should the laws be changed? Would we be right to throw out the protestants? My answer is no.
When the English took over Ireland, the people who arrived (mainly Scotts and English) and took our land were invaders. At that time it would be right to send them back to where they came from. Having said that, the people living there now, they are Irish. They did not take the land and did not starve my family. They are just people now, not invaders.
I live in the United States. My family came here long after it had been taken from the American Indians, from the Choctaw. My family had nothing to do with it and this is where I grew up, where I was born. It is my home now too. If we could give the United States back to the Indians, I would hope they would let me stay. I would ask them to. My daughters are part Indian, the ex was part Indian, I am not part Indian; but, I am American.
Israel provides me the same sort of questions. It had been owned by the Palistinians, it was taken over by the Isrealites, it was taken over by the Assyrians, Babylonians, Persian, Greeks, Romans and the Byzantines. It was controllecd by the English. The English promised it to the Arabs and the Jews after World War II.
Who is Israeli? Heck, who was born there? We cannot change history. We cannot take back what our parents sold. I can assure you that if the Palestinians were to get back Israel, the average Palistinian would be treated no better by his own people. I can promise you that the average Jew is Israel still is treated like crap by his own people. That is true in every country.
We do not fight for anything other than the good of those who control and take advantage of us. Not Jew, not Palestinian, not English, not Choctaw, not Irish, not American. We do not profit from such things, nor do we seek to. The problems in the middle east will never be solved by more war. We have thousands of years of wars and few if any problems have ever been solved by them.
I have come a long way from my upbringing. I have come a long way from the things I used to believe. We are all capable of change. We all are. What we need to learn is that hate does not work to well, it only expands. The Choctaw taught me about caring. I thank them. I think they just might let me stay if they ever got the country back, I hope so. I appreciate what they did and like it here. It is my home.
I hope this post is of some value to someone. I hope a Choctaw reads it and knows that his families generosity continues to be appreciated. I thank them for what they did for my family, they said they cared, that we were not alone. Those are good sentiments. Nice if we all had them. Be well.
I have been told by people who knew that he was a lot like me. Size, look, intelligence. He was very political and a keen student of history. He also liked Pabst Blue Ribbon, I seem to recall being told. He warned that when the Chinese united with the arabs things would not go well for the world.
He died before I was born, I never got to meet him. I would have loved to have talked to him, to have heard what he learned. He came to America and went to work in the coal mines and later did something else. I don't recall what. He was loved by the family and is highly regarded.
During his time, a famine was in Ireland. It killed one fourth of all the Irish Catholics. They were starved to death intentionally. Beef that was raised in Ireland was sent to England during the famine. An article in the New York Times suggested that the famine was a good solution to the Irish Problem. You can find it online.
The famine in Ireland was so bad that the Choctaw Indians raised money and sent it to the Irish people. This was doen only 16 years after the Choctaw had faced the Trail of Tears. I hope they know that it is and was appreciated, not for the amount, for the thought. I still cry whenever I think about it. They had very little; but, hated the thought of others starving. What a contrast to the absentee landlords.
It was not legal to teach Irish catholics in our own country. It was not legal to teach our own language. It was not legal for the Irish to even own land in Ireland. There was a time, when I was younger, when I hated the English. I hated them for what they did to my people and my country. I do not feel that way anymore. I do not blame a nation or even a race, I blame the people who were in charge of England. I blame the Royal family.
The average English person had nothing to do with what occured in Ireland. Heck, read Dickens and you will see how well the average English person was treated in his own country. Pretty bleak and miserably. The average person in England was told that the Irish were the problem, they were competition and why he did not get enough. Sounds like how most Americans view Mexicans. Divide and conquer. Find a foreign bad guy.
The truth is that most people really don't want to cause problems outside of their own country. Most people just want to have some peace and quiet. You have to go out of your way to propagandize and threaten to get the average person willing to hurt others in foriegn lands. We would rather stay at home and make babies. Making babies is more much more fun than killing them.
When I was younger something called Bloody Sunday happened in Northern Ireland. In 1972 a group of demonstrators was fired upon by the English army. They were unarmed. 27 were shot, five in the back, and 14 died as a result. I still have family in Ireland. Some live on family land. I have never met them. They live in Meath and Cork. I saw a picture of our homes, our incestral homes.
In Northern Ireland, the Catholics, the ancestral Irish, are still treated poorly. They live in ghettos and still are not treated the same as the rest of the population. This is what it is. I have asked myself, over the years, if we had our country back, if the country were united, how should the laws be changed? Would we be right to throw out the protestants? My answer is no.
When the English took over Ireland, the people who arrived (mainly Scotts and English) and took our land were invaders. At that time it would be right to send them back to where they came from. Having said that, the people living there now, they are Irish. They did not take the land and did not starve my family. They are just people now, not invaders.
I live in the United States. My family came here long after it had been taken from the American Indians, from the Choctaw. My family had nothing to do with it and this is where I grew up, where I was born. It is my home now too. If we could give the United States back to the Indians, I would hope they would let me stay. I would ask them to. My daughters are part Indian, the ex was part Indian, I am not part Indian; but, I am American.
Israel provides me the same sort of questions. It had been owned by the Palistinians, it was taken over by the Isrealites, it was taken over by the Assyrians, Babylonians, Persian, Greeks, Romans and the Byzantines. It was controllecd by the English. The English promised it to the Arabs and the Jews after World War II.
Who is Israeli? Heck, who was born there? We cannot change history. We cannot take back what our parents sold. I can assure you that if the Palestinians were to get back Israel, the average Palistinian would be treated no better by his own people. I can promise you that the average Jew is Israel still is treated like crap by his own people. That is true in every country.
We do not fight for anything other than the good of those who control and take advantage of us. Not Jew, not Palestinian, not English, not Choctaw, not Irish, not American. We do not profit from such things, nor do we seek to. The problems in the middle east will never be solved by more war. We have thousands of years of wars and few if any problems have ever been solved by them.
I have come a long way from my upbringing. I have come a long way from the things I used to believe. We are all capable of change. We all are. What we need to learn is that hate does not work to well, it only expands. The Choctaw taught me about caring. I thank them. I think they just might let me stay if they ever got the country back, I hope so. I appreciate what they did and like it here. It is my home.
I hope this post is of some value to someone. I hope a Choctaw reads it and knows that his families generosity continues to be appreciated. I thank them for what they did for my family, they said they cared, that we were not alone. Those are good sentiments. Nice if we all had them. Be well.
With a song in my heart
Dear Readers, thanks for the support. What is going on in my world continues to be amusing, even to me. I wrote a bit back about Armageddon and such. I had read an article about a "Christian Militia" group that wanted to do bad things. The oxymoron of Christian Militia really bothered me.
There are groups of people who call themselves the "Patriot Movement". It is their belief that the country is going socialist, it is, and that they will take it back by force, not gonna happen. In the end, the real issue is how we are going to treat one another.
I can't find anywhere in the Bible where Jesus said if we believed in him, life would be like a club med vacation. I don't think he said it. He did however say that Christians should obey their leaders and be good slaves. He said that. He also said that the world would turn ugly. If one believes as a Christian, then one has no excuse for violence.
The first Christians often were martyred by the Romans. They did not fight them. I do not have answers for non-Christians about what type of citizens they should be, I do for Christians. My answer is pretty consistent. Regardles of what times you think we are in, it is always the same time for us. It is time to love one another and be gentle with one another.
Having said that, it is also always time to be heard. It is always time to have a reason for why we believe. It is always time to do our part to make things better. Be well. And thanks.
There are groups of people who call themselves the "Patriot Movement". It is their belief that the country is going socialist, it is, and that they will take it back by force, not gonna happen. In the end, the real issue is how we are going to treat one another.
I can't find anywhere in the Bible where Jesus said if we believed in him, life would be like a club med vacation. I don't think he said it. He did however say that Christians should obey their leaders and be good slaves. He said that. He also said that the world would turn ugly. If one believes as a Christian, then one has no excuse for violence.
The first Christians often were martyred by the Romans. They did not fight them. I do not have answers for non-Christians about what type of citizens they should be, I do for Christians. My answer is pretty consistent. Regardles of what times you think we are in, it is always the same time for us. It is time to love one another and be gentle with one another.
Having said that, it is also always time to be heard. It is always time to have a reason for why we believe. It is always time to do our part to make things better. Be well. And thanks.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
It is a giant joke, I am the punchline
Dear Readers,
I must laugh. After taxes and my garnishment for alimony, I keep 38% of what I make. Today, the Mayor announced that he was going to have all non-safety personnel put on a three day week. That means I will lose 40% of my salary. I guess I will pay them the differance.
The joke is that I will be quite literally asked to work for free. This is amusing. I think my answer will be no. Some would worry about such a situation, I do not think I will. I will trust in God. What was it Blanche DuBois said, "I have always relied on the help of strangers". Something like that.
At 50, I have seen it all. I have been on the streets for a very short period once. I have gone hungry. Rarely. I have been unemployed for an extended period of time. More than once. I am still here.
I keep a box in my garage. It is what is left of my father's things. I keep it to remind me that we live a life of illussion when we worry about things. We take nothing when we leave and own nothing while here. We merely use things on occassion.
If my salary is cut 40%, I shall quit. No choice. My daughter spoke to me last night. She questioned how things turned out for me. She recognized all the effort I had put in and how much I had done for others. She questioned whether or not it was worth it seeing as how things turned out. She questioned whether or not it was worthwhile to even try to do right.
I understood her question. My answer was that it was well worth it. I did not do what I did for a reward, I did what I did because I believed in what I did. Still do. If we do right, we have succeeded in the only way that matters. The rest is bullshit and trinkets. I would say that I will not end up on the streets, too many friends and family that love me. If I did, I would survive.
Perhaps a damsel not in distress will save an old knight. LOL. Now that would be funny. Dear readers, please do not let my situation upset you. It is nothing. I will get up tomorrow and maybe even go to work. In either case, I will continue and continue to laugh at this world. Maybe even spit in an eye or two. Be well, I am.
I must laugh. After taxes and my garnishment for alimony, I keep 38% of what I make. Today, the Mayor announced that he was going to have all non-safety personnel put on a three day week. That means I will lose 40% of my salary. I guess I will pay them the differance.
The joke is that I will be quite literally asked to work for free. This is amusing. I think my answer will be no. Some would worry about such a situation, I do not think I will. I will trust in God. What was it Blanche DuBois said, "I have always relied on the help of strangers". Something like that.
At 50, I have seen it all. I have been on the streets for a very short period once. I have gone hungry. Rarely. I have been unemployed for an extended period of time. More than once. I am still here.
I keep a box in my garage. It is what is left of my father's things. I keep it to remind me that we live a life of illussion when we worry about things. We take nothing when we leave and own nothing while here. We merely use things on occassion.
If my salary is cut 40%, I shall quit. No choice. My daughter spoke to me last night. She questioned how things turned out for me. She recognized all the effort I had put in and how much I had done for others. She questioned whether or not it was worth it seeing as how things turned out. She questioned whether or not it was worthwhile to even try to do right.
I understood her question. My answer was that it was well worth it. I did not do what I did for a reward, I did what I did because I believed in what I did. Still do. If we do right, we have succeeded in the only way that matters. The rest is bullshit and trinkets. I would say that I will not end up on the streets, too many friends and family that love me. If I did, I would survive.
Perhaps a damsel not in distress will save an old knight. LOL. Now that would be funny. Dear readers, please do not let my situation upset you. It is nothing. I will get up tomorrow and maybe even go to work. In either case, I will continue and continue to laugh at this world. Maybe even spit in an eye or two. Be well, I am.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Bullshit and Heaven
There is an article in Newsweek. I will provide a link.
Scientists and Heaven
Now, I will not discuss why I believe in heaven, it does not matter. What intrigues me is why "scientists" or anyone feels a need to prove that it does not exist. It is the better question.
Scientists will say that nobody can prove there is a God or a heaven. I am willing to debate them; however, I am much more interested in their need to disprove it while claiming it cannot be proven. Do you see?
I have no problem with someone saying that God cannot be proven. Okay, I understand. I have a big problem with people trying to prove the opposite. If you have not died or experienced heaven, how can you disprove something non-material? It violates the premise of science. More importantly, why would you bother?
We live, we die, what is wrong with an afterlife if it occurs? What is terrible about the possibility, believed by many religions, that we continue to experience? Why must it be disproven, what does that achieve?
I think I ask a valid question. What is the consequence to us if we believe this is all there is? The result is that we only seek the cookies of this world and don't worry about the impact we have on others. That is the result. Why would anyone want such a result, the answer is simple. To train you to chase cookies and zone out.
It is about control. If you allow yourself the joy of justification, you are a fool.
Scientists and Heaven
Now, I will not discuss why I believe in heaven, it does not matter. What intrigues me is why "scientists" or anyone feels a need to prove that it does not exist. It is the better question.
Scientists will say that nobody can prove there is a God or a heaven. I am willing to debate them; however, I am much more interested in their need to disprove it while claiming it cannot be proven. Do you see?
I have no problem with someone saying that God cannot be proven. Okay, I understand. I have a big problem with people trying to prove the opposite. If you have not died or experienced heaven, how can you disprove something non-material? It violates the premise of science. More importantly, why would you bother?
We live, we die, what is wrong with an afterlife if it occurs? What is terrible about the possibility, believed by many religions, that we continue to experience? Why must it be disproven, what does that achieve?
I think I ask a valid question. What is the consequence to us if we believe this is all there is? The result is that we only seek the cookies of this world and don't worry about the impact we have on others. That is the result. Why would anyone want such a result, the answer is simple. To train you to chase cookies and zone out.
It is about control. If you allow yourself the joy of justification, you are a fool.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Movies about the "Apocalypse"
I want to start by saying that even non-believers may find this post interesting. People talk about the "end times", "last days" and the apocalypse. Lets start by correcting some misconceptions. Apocalypse does NOT mean what people think it does. It means a REVELATION. Okay, the word has nothing to do with an end to anything.
Wiki - Apocalypse
Next, the word Armageddon does not mean the end of the world. It is a place surrounded by mountains in the Holy land where a battle is to take place at the end of the current age. Now, lets add a little to the conversation. The battle that takes place there is STOPPED by God. It is not a battle that takes out the world.
Wiki - Armageddon
Finally, the phases "End Times" and "Last Days" do NOT refer to the end of all people or the earth. They refer to the end of Satan's days as leader of this world. This is not something to be feared. In Revelations it says that after those times Jesus will rule on earth for 1,000 years.
One might ask why I have bothered writing the preceding. It is because of the misconceptions that are so prevelant. You have people claiming to be "Christians" that do not have the vaguest clue what the bible says because they never read it or read it without paying attention.
What brought it up was the movies that have been coming out about the end of the world. Horrible things, no basis in the bible while claiming to.
The Book of Eli
The movie is about a man who has the last surviving bible AFTER Armageddon. Huh? Didn't they even bother reading the book? Apparently not. In the movie it is his goal to save the book. Hey, if he finds himself in a world where the book has been disproven, why is he trying to save it?
Legion
This film, Legion, is about as backwards as it can be. Dumb is not the problem, it is pure evil. In the movie, God is the bad guy and Satan is the good guy. God wants to kill all people and Satan tries to save us. I don't hardly know where to start. Firstly, the philosophy is traditional gnostic. Secondly, it shows again a misunderstanding of "The End Days" as taught in Revelations. Revelations teaches that Armageddon is stopped and Jesus reigns on earth, not that God kills everyone in a great battle with evil.
Lets clarify something. We are taught that Armageddon is the final battle of good versus evil. That is not what the Bible says. Nowhere does it say God fights or even that good fights. The battle is of evil against evil. It says the spirit of demons enter the leaders of the world and they all gather at Armageddon to fight each other.
People seem to assume that Satan is powerful. It does not say that. He is deceitful. He can only exercise the power he is given by sinful people. God had little difficulty removing Satan from Heaven. Nowhere does it say that Satan is all powerful, all knowing or omnipresent. It just does not say that anywhere. It says he is deceitful.
Armageddon the movie
I liked the film. It has nothing to do with God, the Bible or the battle of Armageddon. It uses the name of the place to represent the end of the world. Again, a misuse of terms.
2012
Why bother say anything. 2012 is just silly. They base it on the Mayan calendar. Well, the Mayans did beleive in God and IF they thought the world ended in 2012, we don't know what they thought would happen next. Currently, there is a movement that says that in 2012 we will come into a new consciousness. In other words, the start of a new beginning not the end of the world. This is consistent with what the Hope believe.
In Conclusion, if I ever have a conclusion. You either believe the Bible or you do not. If you believe the Bible then you should read it and understand that the "Last Days" are a time of triumph and tribulation. If you do not believe the Bible then it's symbology won't make any sense and is pointless to worry about.
I have always been annoyed, annoyed, by people who become Christians and rush to the end of the book and then want to talk about end times. My feeling is always the same, try getting down the basics. They are simple. Love God with all your heart and your neighbor as yourself. Focus on faith (belief that leads to action) and don't worry about breaking a rule along the way, you will break many. Worry more about redemption than sin. You cannot save anyone, only they can save themselves and beating them up will not help them. Say what you believe and live it. Admit you make mistakes.
As for "the end times", it is just a phase. Don't fear it. The Nazis, Stalin, Mao and all the despots throughout history managed to make things perfectly miserable for many, they did not need the end times. Nero was sufficiently good at throwing christians to the lions, he didn't need the end times. The black plague killed millions and did not need the end times. The world is not club med.
The bible says that if you are a believer it only gets harder. Read about the life of the apostles and you will begin to understand that they were not sent on vacation and were persecuted. Persecuted, not given mansions. It is said that Peter was crucified and asked to have the cross placed upside down because he did not feel worthy of dying as Christ did. He was not given a Ferrari, he walked.
If these are the last days of Satan's power on earth, good. Still, I got up this morning and if you are reading this then you did too. What did you do with the day, did you help someone? Do not misunderstand me, I am not happy to hear discussions about microchipping people, one currency, an international government, monitoring the population or a myriad of things going on and being discussed by government. I am not happy with it and I have written about such things.
As a Christian I cannot but help see that things are headed in the wrong direction. Perhaps we will repent, perhaps not. In either case I do know how the book ends and I believe things shall end as it says. I just can't get worried or concerned about it. I hear about Christians who run away to the hills or join militias or pray against the bad guys. Whatever. I came to play not hide. I don't believe in murder regardless of the reason and I will not pray against others only for them.
I have studied cults, satanists, luciferians, the illuminati, rosicrucians, vampires, werewolves (there wolves), witches, wiccans, pagans, mormons, masons, heck, just about all of them at some time. I always read the other guys books to see where they are coming from. Learned that from Patton. But, the most important thing is to know your own beliefs.
I think Prince (the singer) said it best. Tonight I'm going to party like it is 1999. Let us focus on what we do and not what is inevitable or may challenge us. I guarentee, we all get challenged. I wrote this because of a comment left by a follower. She mentioned that she liked it when I was positive. I wanted to explain my positive beliefs. I hope this has helped.
In sum. I believe we are born, we live, we die and go to a better place. I believe that while we are alive we can do as much good as we are capable of. It can be small things like taking in an abused dog. Or, it can be big things like moving onto an island of lepers to care for them. We are each called as we are, to do what we were designed to be capable of doing. Our hearts and minds together are our compass.
For Christians who believe these are the end times, my answer is still simple. It says that we will be required to take a mark, the mark of the beast. At a minimum your job is to not receive any mark. Simple. If you fear and believe these are the end times, do not be fearful, refust to take any mark and help your brothers and sisters.
During the beginning of the church, christians were subjected to being thrown to the lions, it did not stop them from practicing their faith nor did they involve themselves is civil disturbances. They formed no army, no militias and were firm in their faith. Do the same. Shame on you if you lift up arms, that is not what you were told to do.
I have no repsect for those who would kill abortion doctors. I have no respect for those doctors or abortion. I have no respect for murder. I have a lot of respect for redemption, forgiveness, grace and respect. If an abortion doctor asked me what I thought of what he did, I would tell him, not punch him in the face or yell at him. We are told to have an explanation for what we believe, that is all we can give the world, that and to try to help. Be well.
Wiki - Apocalypse
Next, the word Armageddon does not mean the end of the world. It is a place surrounded by mountains in the Holy land where a battle is to take place at the end of the current age. Now, lets add a little to the conversation. The battle that takes place there is STOPPED by God. It is not a battle that takes out the world.
Wiki - Armageddon
Finally, the phases "End Times" and "Last Days" do NOT refer to the end of all people or the earth. They refer to the end of Satan's days as leader of this world. This is not something to be feared. In Revelations it says that after those times Jesus will rule on earth for 1,000 years.
One might ask why I have bothered writing the preceding. It is because of the misconceptions that are so prevelant. You have people claiming to be "Christians" that do not have the vaguest clue what the bible says because they never read it or read it without paying attention.
What brought it up was the movies that have been coming out about the end of the world. Horrible things, no basis in the bible while claiming to.
The Book of Eli
The movie is about a man who has the last surviving bible AFTER Armageddon. Huh? Didn't they even bother reading the book? Apparently not. In the movie it is his goal to save the book. Hey, if he finds himself in a world where the book has been disproven, why is he trying to save it?
Legion
This film, Legion, is about as backwards as it can be. Dumb is not the problem, it is pure evil. In the movie, God is the bad guy and Satan is the good guy. God wants to kill all people and Satan tries to save us. I don't hardly know where to start. Firstly, the philosophy is traditional gnostic. Secondly, it shows again a misunderstanding of "The End Days" as taught in Revelations. Revelations teaches that Armageddon is stopped and Jesus reigns on earth, not that God kills everyone in a great battle with evil.
Lets clarify something. We are taught that Armageddon is the final battle of good versus evil. That is not what the Bible says. Nowhere does it say God fights or even that good fights. The battle is of evil against evil. It says the spirit of demons enter the leaders of the world and they all gather at Armageddon to fight each other.
People seem to assume that Satan is powerful. It does not say that. He is deceitful. He can only exercise the power he is given by sinful people. God had little difficulty removing Satan from Heaven. Nowhere does it say that Satan is all powerful, all knowing or omnipresent. It just does not say that anywhere. It says he is deceitful.
Armageddon the movie
I liked the film. It has nothing to do with God, the Bible or the battle of Armageddon. It uses the name of the place to represent the end of the world. Again, a misuse of terms.
2012
Why bother say anything. 2012 is just silly. They base it on the Mayan calendar. Well, the Mayans did beleive in God and IF they thought the world ended in 2012, we don't know what they thought would happen next. Currently, there is a movement that says that in 2012 we will come into a new consciousness. In other words, the start of a new beginning not the end of the world. This is consistent with what the Hope believe.
In Conclusion, if I ever have a conclusion. You either believe the Bible or you do not. If you believe the Bible then you should read it and understand that the "Last Days" are a time of triumph and tribulation. If you do not believe the Bible then it's symbology won't make any sense and is pointless to worry about.
I have always been annoyed, annoyed, by people who become Christians and rush to the end of the book and then want to talk about end times. My feeling is always the same, try getting down the basics. They are simple. Love God with all your heart and your neighbor as yourself. Focus on faith (belief that leads to action) and don't worry about breaking a rule along the way, you will break many. Worry more about redemption than sin. You cannot save anyone, only they can save themselves and beating them up will not help them. Say what you believe and live it. Admit you make mistakes.
As for "the end times", it is just a phase. Don't fear it. The Nazis, Stalin, Mao and all the despots throughout history managed to make things perfectly miserable for many, they did not need the end times. Nero was sufficiently good at throwing christians to the lions, he didn't need the end times. The black plague killed millions and did not need the end times. The world is not club med.
The bible says that if you are a believer it only gets harder. Read about the life of the apostles and you will begin to understand that they were not sent on vacation and were persecuted. Persecuted, not given mansions. It is said that Peter was crucified and asked to have the cross placed upside down because he did not feel worthy of dying as Christ did. He was not given a Ferrari, he walked.
If these are the last days of Satan's power on earth, good. Still, I got up this morning and if you are reading this then you did too. What did you do with the day, did you help someone? Do not misunderstand me, I am not happy to hear discussions about microchipping people, one currency, an international government, monitoring the population or a myriad of things going on and being discussed by government. I am not happy with it and I have written about such things.
As a Christian I cannot but help see that things are headed in the wrong direction. Perhaps we will repent, perhaps not. In either case I do know how the book ends and I believe things shall end as it says. I just can't get worried or concerned about it. I hear about Christians who run away to the hills or join militias or pray against the bad guys. Whatever. I came to play not hide. I don't believe in murder regardless of the reason and I will not pray against others only for them.
I have studied cults, satanists, luciferians, the illuminati, rosicrucians, vampires, werewolves (there wolves), witches, wiccans, pagans, mormons, masons, heck, just about all of them at some time. I always read the other guys books to see where they are coming from. Learned that from Patton. But, the most important thing is to know your own beliefs.
I think Prince (the singer) said it best. Tonight I'm going to party like it is 1999. Let us focus on what we do and not what is inevitable or may challenge us. I guarentee, we all get challenged. I wrote this because of a comment left by a follower. She mentioned that she liked it when I was positive. I wanted to explain my positive beliefs. I hope this has helped.
In sum. I believe we are born, we live, we die and go to a better place. I believe that while we are alive we can do as much good as we are capable of. It can be small things like taking in an abused dog. Or, it can be big things like moving onto an island of lepers to care for them. We are each called as we are, to do what we were designed to be capable of doing. Our hearts and minds together are our compass.
For Christians who believe these are the end times, my answer is still simple. It says that we will be required to take a mark, the mark of the beast. At a minimum your job is to not receive any mark. Simple. If you fear and believe these are the end times, do not be fearful, refust to take any mark and help your brothers and sisters.
During the beginning of the church, christians were subjected to being thrown to the lions, it did not stop them from practicing their faith nor did they involve themselves is civil disturbances. They formed no army, no militias and were firm in their faith. Do the same. Shame on you if you lift up arms, that is not what you were told to do.
I have no repsect for those who would kill abortion doctors. I have no respect for those doctors or abortion. I have no respect for murder. I have a lot of respect for redemption, forgiveness, grace and respect. If an abortion doctor asked me what I thought of what he did, I would tell him, not punch him in the face or yell at him. We are told to have an explanation for what we believe, that is all we can give the world, that and to try to help. Be well.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Hope you enjoyed the last post
I hope you also had a great Easter. Yesterday I felt like being poetic. I in fact am not tired, well, I am always a little tired. Too many hours on the road and at work. Too many years; but, not Chandler tired.
Sometimes it is nice just to write, to put thoughts out that are not thought out. LOL. That was a joke. What shall we discuss tonight, anything. Maybe not, maybe just type. I will ramble.
Today, I read a pamphlet by the Rosicrucian Order. It was interesting and predictable. They wrote what one should expect, if one knows what they believe. This is not a complaint, it is an understanding. The Rosicrucians, Masons, "Illuminati", Satanists, Catholics, Protestants, Buddhists... all have beliefs. If you know what they believe, you should not be surprised by what they say they believe. You may agree or disagree with their conclusions but should know their beliefs. Heck, you might agree.
I believe we are self aware beings, spiritual beings living in a material world for a time. That is the starting point. The question is what is the ending poing. It is a joke, eternity has no ending point. We seek perfecting in ourselves and others, then what? Perfection is death, it results is stasis.
I will put it another way. What is the goal of life if life is eternal? Ahhh, he is tricky one. The answer is: eternal growth. That means eternal change and never getting to the perfect. LOL.
What then is perfection? We consider perfection in Platonic (the man, not friendly) terms and we come to the conclusion that there is a thing to be achieved that when we achieve it, our work is done. I am Aristotilain in my beliefs, perfection is a process that is ever changing. Evolutionary if you will.
Perfection is the process by which eternal imperfection is improved and stasis is never reached. Complicated in it's simplicity to be sure. Still, the simplest question is what is perfection if there is eternity? We insist upon not asking these questions or attempting to give them importance. See, the Rosicrucians, if they followed their rules, would love me as an initiate; but, I am no initiate.
Tomorrow something bad will happen. Perhaps many bad things. At a minimum, we are locking all of our doors at work. It is because the leaders are afraid of the followers. What a strange situation. I am not afraid of my employees. Heck, hard to be afraid of much.
The world is getting weirder than me. That is sad.
Sometimes it is nice just to write, to put thoughts out that are not thought out. LOL. That was a joke. What shall we discuss tonight, anything. Maybe not, maybe just type. I will ramble.
Today, I read a pamphlet by the Rosicrucian Order. It was interesting and predictable. They wrote what one should expect, if one knows what they believe. This is not a complaint, it is an understanding. The Rosicrucians, Masons, "Illuminati", Satanists, Catholics, Protestants, Buddhists... all have beliefs. If you know what they believe, you should not be surprised by what they say they believe. You may agree or disagree with their conclusions but should know their beliefs. Heck, you might agree.
I believe we are self aware beings, spiritual beings living in a material world for a time. That is the starting point. The question is what is the ending poing. It is a joke, eternity has no ending point. We seek perfecting in ourselves and others, then what? Perfection is death, it results is stasis.
I will put it another way. What is the goal of life if life is eternal? Ahhh, he is tricky one. The answer is: eternal growth. That means eternal change and never getting to the perfect. LOL.
What then is perfection? We consider perfection in Platonic (the man, not friendly) terms and we come to the conclusion that there is a thing to be achieved that when we achieve it, our work is done. I am Aristotilain in my beliefs, perfection is a process that is ever changing. Evolutionary if you will.
Perfection is the process by which eternal imperfection is improved and stasis is never reached. Complicated in it's simplicity to be sure. Still, the simplest question is what is perfection if there is eternity? We insist upon not asking these questions or attempting to give them importance. See, the Rosicrucians, if they followed their rules, would love me as an initiate; but, I am no initiate.
Tomorrow something bad will happen. Perhaps many bad things. At a minimum, we are locking all of our doors at work. It is because the leaders are afraid of the followers. What a strange situation. I am not afraid of my employees. Heck, hard to be afraid of much.
The world is getting weirder than me. That is sad.
I can't sleep
I can't sleep. Can't close my eyes or shut off my mind. Like some sort of statue I sit in front of my laptop. Sit, not think. Perhaps some wine would help; but, I sort of doubt it. Tried that too many times. After awhile nothing helps.
It is dark and cold and quiet. Very quiet, I play music less for the music and more to combat the quiet. The same songs again and again and again. It really doesn't matter, they have less impact than musac in some fricking elevator or on some stupid phone's wait period.
Funny thing about not being able to sleep, it doesn't mean you are not tired. For some, being tired is a way of life. Just what you do. Seems that when you try to do the right thing, everything is difficult, everything is tiring. After awhile, you don't think about trying to sleep. Instead, you drink to forget about being tired.
What I am the most tired about is the things I know and hear. I am tired of what I read. Do we ever rest or do we have to wait till this play is over? Either way, eventually we do sleep. It just may be longer than we expect. In the meantime we can be true to ourselves, you know, honest and committed to what we believe. Commitment means tired. I know tired.
THAT IS MY INTERPRETATION OF PHILLIP MARLOWE AS WRITTEN BY RAYMOND CHANDLER.
My favorite authors are Jane Austin and Raymond Chandler. I was reading an LA Times article on someone who tried to bring back Marlowe to television. The article. The writer is trying out how to make Marlowe relevant. How to bring him into the current times. He didn't understand what Marlowe was.
To understand Chandler and Austin is to understand charachter, morals, commitment. The story of Marlowe is the story of someone willing to lose to do the right thing. Except, he has been at it so long that he is tired. Watch the video of Robert Mitchum playing Marlowe and hear his words. Tired.
What made Marlowe so amazing was that he was older and tired than he should have been. He did not give up on right, just on people. Marlowe, against all evidence, could not give up on truth or justice. He did not fit in with his post World War II world. A world that gave up on itself.
When people read Raymond Chandler they are amazed by his use of metaphor. He was the master of imagery. That is whay made Marlowe. It was the charachter itself. To understand Marlowe you need to understand why he did what he did. Chandler once said he imagined Marlowe always doing some crappy job for some crappy client, looking for purpose.
I was 15 when I first saw Robert Mitchum in "Farewell my Lovely". He was looking for a girl, Velma, Velma Velento. When I saw the film, I knew I had to read the books. I read them all. Wow. Mitchum made another Marlowe film, it didn't work the same. Too much energy, not enough tired.
In Marlowe's Los Angeles, it was teaming with beauty and corruption. He saw it's beauty and he saw how it was a whore. He, even though disillusioned, still saw it's beauty. I connected with that. When you see a nine year old Mexican girl walking to school past crack whores, you get it. LA is a mix, all places are, some hide it better. LA does not hide it.
Nothing has changed in Los Angeles. No need to force a change in Marlowe to make him relevant. He would still see the innocent and the filthy. Nothing has changed. Chandler just understood staying clean in filth. Chandler was all about contrast and the choices we make. He was concerned with who we chose to be and what it led to, so was Jane Austin.
I was on a flight once, years ago, decades ago. I was reading the inflight magazine. It had an article about how the most unlikely things was that someone would like Chandler and Austin. I laughed, my two favorite authors. He didn't understand either. He understood the plots; but, not the morals. The morals were the same. He didn't think in terms of morals. Be well.
It is dark and cold and quiet. Very quiet, I play music less for the music and more to combat the quiet. The same songs again and again and again. It really doesn't matter, they have less impact than musac in some fricking elevator or on some stupid phone's wait period.
Funny thing about not being able to sleep, it doesn't mean you are not tired. For some, being tired is a way of life. Just what you do. Seems that when you try to do the right thing, everything is difficult, everything is tiring. After awhile, you don't think about trying to sleep. Instead, you drink to forget about being tired.
What I am the most tired about is the things I know and hear. I am tired of what I read. Do we ever rest or do we have to wait till this play is over? Either way, eventually we do sleep. It just may be longer than we expect. In the meantime we can be true to ourselves, you know, honest and committed to what we believe. Commitment means tired. I know tired.
THAT IS MY INTERPRETATION OF PHILLIP MARLOWE AS WRITTEN BY RAYMOND CHANDLER.
My favorite authors are Jane Austin and Raymond Chandler. I was reading an LA Times article on someone who tried to bring back Marlowe to television. The article. The writer is trying out how to make Marlowe relevant. How to bring him into the current times. He didn't understand what Marlowe was.
To understand Chandler and Austin is to understand charachter, morals, commitment. The story of Marlowe is the story of someone willing to lose to do the right thing. Except, he has been at it so long that he is tired. Watch the video of Robert Mitchum playing Marlowe and hear his words. Tired.
What made Marlowe so amazing was that he was older and tired than he should have been. He did not give up on right, just on people. Marlowe, against all evidence, could not give up on truth or justice. He did not fit in with his post World War II world. A world that gave up on itself.
When people read Raymond Chandler they are amazed by his use of metaphor. He was the master of imagery. That is whay made Marlowe. It was the charachter itself. To understand Marlowe you need to understand why he did what he did. Chandler once said he imagined Marlowe always doing some crappy job for some crappy client, looking for purpose.
I was 15 when I first saw Robert Mitchum in "Farewell my Lovely". He was looking for a girl, Velma, Velma Velento. When I saw the film, I knew I had to read the books. I read them all. Wow. Mitchum made another Marlowe film, it didn't work the same. Too much energy, not enough tired.
In Marlowe's Los Angeles, it was teaming with beauty and corruption. He saw it's beauty and he saw how it was a whore. He, even though disillusioned, still saw it's beauty. I connected with that. When you see a nine year old Mexican girl walking to school past crack whores, you get it. LA is a mix, all places are, some hide it better. LA does not hide it.
Nothing has changed in Los Angeles. No need to force a change in Marlowe to make him relevant. He would still see the innocent and the filthy. Nothing has changed. Chandler just understood staying clean in filth. Chandler was all about contrast and the choices we make. He was concerned with who we chose to be and what it led to, so was Jane Austin.
I was on a flight once, years ago, decades ago. I was reading the inflight magazine. It had an article about how the most unlikely things was that someone would like Chandler and Austin. I laughed, my two favorite authors. He didn't understand either. He understood the plots; but, not the morals. The morals were the same. He didn't think in terms of morals. Be well.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Elton John, an asshole
Now, I like Elton John's music. Still, lets face it, he is one of the biggest assholes in the world. He fails to respect anyone's beliefs others than his own. He recently was quoted saying Jesus was gay. Now, I do not have a problem with gays. What I have a problem with is Mr. John's making things up to prove his point and disrespecing 2,000 years of religious belief. He does not care nor know the truth. Asshole.
Apparently, Mr. John is now disrespecting the Mayans. What a guy. Everyone, prior to Mr. John, respected the Mayan's request that people playing in their holy place of Chichen Itza, have the Mayan's do a morning blessing. He did not bother. Next is Paul McCartney to play in the same place. He has not made the arrangement either. Why not?
Mr. John expects Christians to respect his lifestyle, yet, he does not respect anyone elses. NOw, personally, I don't give a rats rearend what Mr. John thinks or does up till the point he disrespects others. He does not have the truth or guts to address them directly. That is disgustful.
I am not a fan of the Mayan culture. It is not that I do not like natives, I happen to really admire the Hopi. I intend to visit their land. I have asked their people for such permission. I also asked for some information regarding their culture, so that if I am allowed to view one of their ceremonies, I would not offend.
Paul, the one from the bible, said, "When in Rome, do as the Romans". What a simple thought. Do not offend others to prove a point. If we are to be with others, we must respect their ways. That does not mean agree with them, it means allow them to be them to the extent one can.
I ask myself, how can you be so disrespectful of this ancient people. I am stone cold Christian, not in words, in deeds, faith and belief. Do not misunderstand, I can be very hard. You need to understand what a Christian is. It is not the weak and pleasing types taught today. Jesus died on a cross, he said what he believed and suffered the consequences. So did many others. However, I have a "psychic vampire" pagan staying with me because he had nowhere else to go. I took him in.
I am no saint. Just a guy that hates to see a friend go homeless. When people come by and meet my friends, they are surprised that I have such an odd arrangement of friends. Too bad. He treats me with respect and tells me the truth. Better than I get from most "Christians" I know.
How can we show others God's love if we do not love others? I have gay friends, I have aethiest friends, I have pagan friends, I have friends who are "sex workers" (no, still only been with one woman), I have friends who have been in the intelligence game. I know more anomalous people than I should. More than I knew existed. I, on the other hand, am quite boring. Thankfully.
It is not up to me to force others to believe or live as I do. Not my job. It is my job to be me, to define myself. If I take such a privledge, how can I deny it to others? I will discuss the value of choices, the correctness with others; however, I will respect their choices. That does not mean that I will listen to their justifications without response. I respond better to the truth of their choices.
If I go to the house of a Muslim, I know they have differant beliefs. I would want to respect their beliefs. Paul said he was free to eat food that was blessed to other gods. He knew it was not true. There is only one God. But, he said he would not do so if it caused another to sin. Seems contradictory, it is not.
Paul was saying that he would not do things that would lead a Christian to fail at meeting their beliefs. He met with non-Christians. He attempted to discuss what he believed with non-Christians. He did not expect them to change just because they met him. He knew better, he was just spreading the word. It was called "The Great Commission". Not a fight, a life.
The Great Commission was to define ourselves and then live it. To show the impact of our beliefs. A competition, to be sure, one of proving what belief system had what result. That is how we grow. If we say we believe one thing and live another, we are not competing to find out what is the best way to live. It is deceit.
Apparently, Mr. John is now disrespecting the Mayans. What a guy. Everyone, prior to Mr. John, respected the Mayan's request that people playing in their holy place of Chichen Itza, have the Mayan's do a morning blessing. He did not bother. Next is Paul McCartney to play in the same place. He has not made the arrangement either. Why not?
Mr. John expects Christians to respect his lifestyle, yet, he does not respect anyone elses. NOw, personally, I don't give a rats rearend what Mr. John thinks or does up till the point he disrespects others. He does not have the truth or guts to address them directly. That is disgustful.
I am not a fan of the Mayan culture. It is not that I do not like natives, I happen to really admire the Hopi. I intend to visit their land. I have asked their people for such permission. I also asked for some information regarding their culture, so that if I am allowed to view one of their ceremonies, I would not offend.
Paul, the one from the bible, said, "When in Rome, do as the Romans". What a simple thought. Do not offend others to prove a point. If we are to be with others, we must respect their ways. That does not mean agree with them, it means allow them to be them to the extent one can.
I ask myself, how can you be so disrespectful of this ancient people. I am stone cold Christian, not in words, in deeds, faith and belief. Do not misunderstand, I can be very hard. You need to understand what a Christian is. It is not the weak and pleasing types taught today. Jesus died on a cross, he said what he believed and suffered the consequences. So did many others. However, I have a "psychic vampire" pagan staying with me because he had nowhere else to go. I took him in.
I am no saint. Just a guy that hates to see a friend go homeless. When people come by and meet my friends, they are surprised that I have such an odd arrangement of friends. Too bad. He treats me with respect and tells me the truth. Better than I get from most "Christians" I know.
How can we show others God's love if we do not love others? I have gay friends, I have aethiest friends, I have pagan friends, I have friends who are "sex workers" (no, still only been with one woman), I have friends who have been in the intelligence game. I know more anomalous people than I should. More than I knew existed. I, on the other hand, am quite boring. Thankfully.
It is not up to me to force others to believe or live as I do. Not my job. It is my job to be me, to define myself. If I take such a privledge, how can I deny it to others? I will discuss the value of choices, the correctness with others; however, I will respect their choices. That does not mean that I will listen to their justifications without response. I respond better to the truth of their choices.
If I go to the house of a Muslim, I know they have differant beliefs. I would want to respect their beliefs. Paul said he was free to eat food that was blessed to other gods. He knew it was not true. There is only one God. But, he said he would not do so if it caused another to sin. Seems contradictory, it is not.
Paul was saying that he would not do things that would lead a Christian to fail at meeting their beliefs. He met with non-Christians. He attempted to discuss what he believed with non-Christians. He did not expect them to change just because they met him. He knew better, he was just spreading the word. It was called "The Great Commission". Not a fight, a life.
The Great Commission was to define ourselves and then live it. To show the impact of our beliefs. A competition, to be sure, one of proving what belief system had what result. That is how we grow. If we say we believe one thing and live another, we are not competing to find out what is the best way to live. It is deceit.
Friday, April 2, 2010
Men are not all rapists
I am going to start with a link to a newspaper article from England.
Why men cannot control themselves
When I was in college, I took a class in psychology. One day we had a hypothetical. We were to assume we were on a boat that sank. Afterwards we ended up on an island. We were asked what we would do. One of the women, an older woman, said she would sleep with the men so that she could be safe. She then said that she might as well give it up as the men would only force the sex anyways.
I was fairly well offended and called her on it. I am not a frickin rapist and do not appreciate ALL men being blamed for the acts of some. I will admit that many of the women I know have told me horrifying stories; but, they don't say it about me. I have been with one woman in my life, intentionally. I believe in commitment not promiscuity FOR ME.
My ex cheated on me, does that mean that I should believe all women are whores? I don't believe it. It is the same thing. Men and boys are under attack. We are either all Tiger Woods and Jesse James or bad parents. Men are portrayed on television is the worst light. The media does not show good men, only bad ones, why?
The author of the book referenced in the link at the top says that testosterone is equivalent to alcohol. It is not. I am sorry, I have drank alcohol. It is not the same. The fact that men have tetosterone does not make us all crazy. Some men are just assholes. That is what makes them do bad things, not being a man.
I am sorry, there was a time when men were chivalrous. There was a time when women were modest. What has changed is what is the cause of the wholesale disregard for each other. All men are not rapists. Testosterone is not a drug or a poison. Justifying the bad actions of some men by saying they are inately incapable of self control is filth.
There was a comedian. Mort Saul, see I remembered. He told a joke in the 80s or 90s. He talked about how women were now smoking and being promiscuous. He said the women said they wanted to be like the men. He then said that in the 50s those were the type of men that real men looked down on. He said that women's liberation taught women to be second class men.
Once women were no longer setting a higher example, men stopped being the better men also. Women, historically, reminded men that we should be good to one another. They were caretakers of the family and the family morals. Men were expected to provide for their families and protect them. We see neither now.
Morals are not bad to have. It is important to see that some things are bad and some are good. It is not just a matter of opinion, it is a question of respect and responsibility. Freedom only works is we manage ourselves. Where are the examples of good men and good women.
The current images being sold to us of men are adulterers and corrupt buisnessmen and politicians. The current images being sold to us of women are "Cougars" and baby crazy wackos. Where are ladies and gentlemen, they used to exist. Love and commitment used to matter. Honor and integrity were things to be admired and sought. Liars were condemned not excused.
The world is in the state it is because we have given up such values and instead look for excuses to do as we wish. When people discover that I have been with one woman they are shocked. I think, why are you shocked? One of the women I dated thought that by the third date I would expect sex. I had to explain that I did not. How uncomfortable it was.
I had to explain that we would not have sex because I needed to know if we were going to be committed first. I had to explain that I found her very attractive, she was, because I did not want her to think that I did not find her attractive. I do not require this attitude in others, it is not my business what others do. Still, it is my belief and I am entitled to live by my belief and suffer the consequences.
We are slaves to our urges if we do not define ourselves with our morals. We are corrupt because we will do as we please without concern for others. We only worry about our immediate wants. That is corruption, corruption of our hearts. We can do better.
We must each individually arrive at our moral code. Our faith in what is right and wrong and then actually live by it. Some do. I met a missionary, she risked her life in Papua New Guinea with a tribe that had never seen a white woman. She lived there for decades to learn their language. She was the bravest person I have ever met. She gave up a life of liesure and family to give a written langauge to others.
I knew a man, one of my best friends, I miss him dearly. He took in foster children with special needs. He then adopted them which meant the state did not pay him a penny. He adopted them so they would know they were loved for themselves. He passed away. His wife told me that he loved me. I miss him so much, he was such a great friend and an example of what a man could be. My father was also, honest as the day is long and loving and a great provider.
My mother and father were honest, committed and industrious. They taught me morals, they taught me integrity. These things are not taught anymore. Today we teach that there is no right and wrong and that we should take care of ourselves, everyman for himself. What filth.
Recently, one woman, only one, put her child in a trashcan so she could play a video game where she cared for a virtual baby. Do you not see the irony, the filth, the corruption? In one day, three mothers attempted to kill their children in Los Angeles. Some succeeded. What are we looking at?
What type of world would you like to create? One where we do as we please and are monitored in case we go too far? Or, one in which we actually care about each other and work together? The second requires development of morals. The first is created by the justification of lies.
We are headed, unfortunately, to the worst we can be. We do not all have to go there. Some of us may choose to be our better selves. We can choose to live by laws or human hearts that see when the law is wrong. When we do what is morally right and take the consequences.
I thank the followers for listening to my wild and silly ramblings. What sort of person asks for morality from people, a crazy man. To actually ask people to live by morals, responsibility. No doubt I will be locked up, as it should be. Be well.
Why men cannot control themselves
When I was in college, I took a class in psychology. One day we had a hypothetical. We were to assume we were on a boat that sank. Afterwards we ended up on an island. We were asked what we would do. One of the women, an older woman, said she would sleep with the men so that she could be safe. She then said that she might as well give it up as the men would only force the sex anyways.
I was fairly well offended and called her on it. I am not a frickin rapist and do not appreciate ALL men being blamed for the acts of some. I will admit that many of the women I know have told me horrifying stories; but, they don't say it about me. I have been with one woman in my life, intentionally. I believe in commitment not promiscuity FOR ME.
My ex cheated on me, does that mean that I should believe all women are whores? I don't believe it. It is the same thing. Men and boys are under attack. We are either all Tiger Woods and Jesse James or bad parents. Men are portrayed on television is the worst light. The media does not show good men, only bad ones, why?
The author of the book referenced in the link at the top says that testosterone is equivalent to alcohol. It is not. I am sorry, I have drank alcohol. It is not the same. The fact that men have tetosterone does not make us all crazy. Some men are just assholes. That is what makes them do bad things, not being a man.
I am sorry, there was a time when men were chivalrous. There was a time when women were modest. What has changed is what is the cause of the wholesale disregard for each other. All men are not rapists. Testosterone is not a drug or a poison. Justifying the bad actions of some men by saying they are inately incapable of self control is filth.
There was a comedian. Mort Saul, see I remembered. He told a joke in the 80s or 90s. He talked about how women were now smoking and being promiscuous. He said the women said they wanted to be like the men. He then said that in the 50s those were the type of men that real men looked down on. He said that women's liberation taught women to be second class men.
Once women were no longer setting a higher example, men stopped being the better men also. Women, historically, reminded men that we should be good to one another. They were caretakers of the family and the family morals. Men were expected to provide for their families and protect them. We see neither now.
Morals are not bad to have. It is important to see that some things are bad and some are good. It is not just a matter of opinion, it is a question of respect and responsibility. Freedom only works is we manage ourselves. Where are the examples of good men and good women.
The current images being sold to us of men are adulterers and corrupt buisnessmen and politicians. The current images being sold to us of women are "Cougars" and baby crazy wackos. Where are ladies and gentlemen, they used to exist. Love and commitment used to matter. Honor and integrity were things to be admired and sought. Liars were condemned not excused.
The world is in the state it is because we have given up such values and instead look for excuses to do as we wish. When people discover that I have been with one woman they are shocked. I think, why are you shocked? One of the women I dated thought that by the third date I would expect sex. I had to explain that I did not. How uncomfortable it was.
I had to explain that we would not have sex because I needed to know if we were going to be committed first. I had to explain that I found her very attractive, she was, because I did not want her to think that I did not find her attractive. I do not require this attitude in others, it is not my business what others do. Still, it is my belief and I am entitled to live by my belief and suffer the consequences.
We are slaves to our urges if we do not define ourselves with our morals. We are corrupt because we will do as we please without concern for others. We only worry about our immediate wants. That is corruption, corruption of our hearts. We can do better.
We must each individually arrive at our moral code. Our faith in what is right and wrong and then actually live by it. Some do. I met a missionary, she risked her life in Papua New Guinea with a tribe that had never seen a white woman. She lived there for decades to learn their language. She was the bravest person I have ever met. She gave up a life of liesure and family to give a written langauge to others.
I knew a man, one of my best friends, I miss him dearly. He took in foster children with special needs. He then adopted them which meant the state did not pay him a penny. He adopted them so they would know they were loved for themselves. He passed away. His wife told me that he loved me. I miss him so much, he was such a great friend and an example of what a man could be. My father was also, honest as the day is long and loving and a great provider.
My mother and father were honest, committed and industrious. They taught me morals, they taught me integrity. These things are not taught anymore. Today we teach that there is no right and wrong and that we should take care of ourselves, everyman for himself. What filth.
Recently, one woman, only one, put her child in a trashcan so she could play a video game where she cared for a virtual baby. Do you not see the irony, the filth, the corruption? In one day, three mothers attempted to kill their children in Los Angeles. Some succeeded. What are we looking at?
What type of world would you like to create? One where we do as we please and are monitored in case we go too far? Or, one in which we actually care about each other and work together? The second requires development of morals. The first is created by the justification of lies.
We are headed, unfortunately, to the worst we can be. We do not all have to go there. Some of us may choose to be our better selves. We can choose to live by laws or human hearts that see when the law is wrong. When we do what is morally right and take the consequences.
I thank the followers for listening to my wild and silly ramblings. What sort of person asks for morality from people, a crazy man. To actually ask people to live by morals, responsibility. No doubt I will be locked up, as it should be. Be well.
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