I don't really care that much about moral issues myself

...I usually find most concerns about morality to be subjective, actually.

Like:  If someone smacks me upside the head everyone is "You must have really said something awful to offend him.  Or, maybe, did something awful to him.  You have to be careful you know.  Always try to be aware of other people's feelings and sensitivities".

But, if I get outraged at something someone says or does and I smack that person upside the head, everyone is "God!!! Did you see THAT? He assaulted that guy!  Someone call the police.  This guy's dangerous!! He's displaying 'violent tendencies'!!  A psychopath!!"

              Studies on alcohol consumption and stroke risk
          Two alcoholic beverages per day:  8% decrease in stroke risk
       Three or more alcoholic beverages per day:  14% increase in stroke risks


                  "Hold it!  I already had two beers.  If I have another one now I'm done for.
                    I'll just have to wait until tomorrow night to have my next one."

Song Analysis: First Of May

If one listens closely to the lyrics of this song one notices the song addresses a long-standing romance between the main character in the song and his one-and-only lover which apparently started in their early childhood.

And I don't mean their young teen years.  More like, maybe, grade school.  Or even before.

That's what makes this song so unique.
Most songs about either "young love" or about romances that start early address "teenage romance".  It's a common belief one doesn't start dwelling on romantic fare or have desires for the opposite sex until "the hormones start kicking in" during periods of particular physical changes and developments.  But most of human desires are as much emotional and psychological as they are about hormones.

This is what gives FIRST OF MAY a degree of credibility and believability.  I can remember, myself, having feelings and urges for attractive girls as far back as first grade.

But popular social prejudices (coupled with a kind of collective amnesia) always dictate that "suddenly, overnight, one's mind suddenly turns to matters of romance and sexuality upon entering adolescence".
And that prior to adolescence one's mind is focused on just the "basics" of the-existential-in-general.

It's good that a song exists that addresses a prepubescent romance, especially one that winds up lasting into and through adulthood.

      (Side note:  Some of those early hits of the Bee Gees were a bit quirky and eccentric)

                         Adage For Today
     You can guess what another might be guilty of by whatever it is they're accusing you of.





                                                     Another site to check out: www.clarissasblog.com
                                                            And, still, another one: www.verydumbgovernment.blogspot.com

                     Is Donald Trump simply a pawn?
I think the U.S. government is about to embark on making a number of radical changes.  The kind of changes that'll affect the lives of a substantial number of its citizens.  And not in a good way.  The kind that can create a lot of collective unrest.

Perhaps ...changes affecting social security? Or ...Medicare?  Medicaid?  Private property rights?  The rights of the disabled?  Regulations on business, industry, the medical professions and government agencies?

Maybe the reason the U.S. government wants a Republican in the White House at this point in time is so when these changes are implemented they have a convenient scapegoat for the average person to pin all the coming atrocities on.

It's no trade secret the Democrats are stereotyped as the party of compassion and concern for the disadvantaged and fringe members of society, and crusaders of the Constitutional rights of the average person.
While Republicans are stereotyped as being more hard-nosed, insensitive, catering to the whims of the financial and business interests, favoring laws and law enforcement over personal rights.

And, since so many adhere to their partisan beliefs so religiously, having these radical changes correspond with the advent of a Republican administration (especially one following a Democratic administration) makes for a perfect red herring, one that obscures the fact that the U.S. already has its agendas mapped out by whatever secret organizations and factions actually control its governmental systems.

Recently read about the passing of guitarist/composer/bandleader Al Caiola (he was 96).

I always liked following up his 1961 instrumental hit THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN with Arthur Conley's 1967 hit SWEET SOUL MUSIC.

                                                 Musing For Today
Are people still "dumpster diving" in this day and age?

I know it was "fashionable" among the homeless sector during the 1980s  (I also remember it was during the 1980s when the term "homeless" was coined to refer to the winos, vagrants, destitute and those who no longer have a place of residence and now have to "join the ranks of" those other three types).

I knew some guys who would dumpster-dive a McDonald's after closing time to recap assorted "surplus" unsold Big Macs and pies to chow down on later on when they returned to their "unofficial" hang-out.
I took a bite out of one of those Big Macs and spit it right out immediately.  Too rank.  Plus, I know not to eat cooked food that's been sitting out in the open for more than a couple of hours (especially meat).  About the risk of botulism that one learns about in Biology class and from working in restaurants.

There seems to be this tendency among people who are despondent and desperate to look for gold and treasures in landfills and sewers as a sort of "last resort".

Donald Trump

who has his own line of clothing, which are all manufactured overseas.

Now, as part of keeping his promise to "Make America Great Again", he'll invariably have to shut down those overseas factories of his and build factories here on these shores so as to be able to "hire only American workers" to make his products.

It's only right that he stays in good with those who supported him.
After all, his promise to "Make America Great Again" meant a return to the glory years of the '60s and '70s.  I figured he meant not only in terms of the social climate but also in terms of prosperity as well.

I mean, it's not like we're expecting the guy to bring back the British Invasion or Psychedelic Rock or Southern Rock or Singer/Songwriter or Concept Rock or Soul/Funk or even Disco.   Nor anti-Vietnam War demonstrations.  (Of course we all know he already "does his own thing"---that part is for sure.)

But without the prosperity aspect of the past periods what's going to be so "great" about a return to an anachronistic America?

Song Analysis: Express Yourself

Charles Wright was a singer/multi-instrumentalist/producer and Mississippi native who led the Los Angeles-based R&B group The Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band.

Their 1970 hit, EXPRESS YOURSELF, yields some interesting lyrics on its two middle-eight verses:


                    It's not what you're doing when you do what you're doing
                It's, when you're doing what you're doing, what you look like you're doing

                                                          and

                    Some people have everything and other people don't
                But "everything" don't mean a thing if it ain't the thing you want


                             Interpreting from street lingo to a more literate form:

How one's actions are perceived by others is not always going to correlate with whatever one's true intentions are when committing said acts.
One's always at the mercy of any preconceived notions or prejudices the other person or persons may have when in their presence, which could lead to misunderstandings or assumptions on their part.

And wealth and material possessions are purely subjective like much of anything else.
There's always "something special" one wants or craves over everything else.  If one has any of those "special" items it pretty much won't matter anymore what else one may or may not have.
You could have all kinds of money and nice things, but if you still don't have that "special" item you crave above all else you'll still be lacking and "wanting more".

                            Just a reminder for the holidays
The post office is no longer delivering.

That's right!
The mail carriers have gotten into the habit of discarding or destroying the mail they haul instead of delivering it.

My guess is that way they can simply cruise around randomly behind the wheel while on the clock and still get paid for their time without going through the hassles of walking on the treacherous bicycle/skateboarder-ridden sidewalks, or of having to go through the trouble of figuring out address numbers or having to read out the street names at every block.

                                                  What this means is:
Don't waste your time and effort sending Christmas cards (especially ones with money) through the mail as there's no longer any guarantee of them arriving at their destinations.

Donald Trump

the inventor of all racism, misogyny and manners of hate-speech reincarnated.

Now that he's to take office on January 20 it'll be a return to the Dark Ages of Jim Crow once again.

Gone will be the last 8 years of unbridled racial harmony utopia we had with our black President, Obama (the ultimate social engineering panacea for the U.S.).

It's not like racism, sexism or xenophobia are merely all-around frailties of humanity, having been around a good 6-million-+ years, or anything like that.  

It's not like such things ever existed in, say, ancient Egypt.  You know, the country that obviously employed contract construction workers to build its pyramids.  They couldn't have used slave labor.  I mean, who could they have enslaved?  Ancient Egypt didn't have a black population at the time.

Also, just think:  If Hillary Clinton had won instead we could have also embarked on a second utopia of also eradicating sexism alongside this momentary eradication of racism and slavery.   A total abolishment of all forms of discrimination.

Instead we get 
                      ...."Trumped"!

                                                   Living Single
                                            and may it stay that way.

I pray I'm never in a position where I would have to take in a roommate or become one myself.

I couldn't handle being forced to compromise or sacrifice.  I've already grown up in an environment like that and have been in  enough situations where it's "the other person's world" and I'm present in it by "default".  If I find myself in that situation again I don't think I'd tolerate it very well this time around.

In fact, I wouldn't put cold-blooded murder past me as people can be extremely invasive and coercive in their quest to dominate and have command over things.

And, even as a single apartment dweller, I already put up with having enough things put upon me by other tenants (especially the "where they live is also their workshop" kind, as well as the "eternal home remodeling" type), the noisy world just outside my window, and dimwitted apartment managers.

Donald Trump

who, during his Presidential campaign, was constantly going off about how "this election is being rigged against me by the corrupt media" ...
...now, as newly President-elect, appoints Steve Bannon---a media mogul---as chief White House Strategist.

O-o-o-o-oh-h-h-h-h, the irony ...

This Trump fella is full of them.

In an offhand way I'm not all that sorry he won the election.  Trump should make ideal fodder for many a comedian in the coming four years.

Although if Clinton won the U.S. would have finally met its quota of "having a female leader".

But I didn't even bother to vote in this election myself.  So kick me in the head ....

                                       Musing For Today   
Life is but a fishing expedition:
We cast our nets into the water always "looking for certain things".

But there are also other fish swimming in the same waters as the ones we're after.
So, in casting our nets in pursuit of salmon and trout, we find---after pulling our nets back in---that we've also snared clams, baby turtles, baby dolphins, baby whales, and a host of other irrelevant and unwanted specimens.  

             2016: The Year The Music Died

Let's see now:  The latest casualties are Leonard Cohen and Leon Russell.

I SWEAR:

I'm figuring even Paul McCartney might have but less than two months to live.

Wouldn't surprise me.

                         Automation (and its mindset)
It's not bad enough they lay people off (contributing to the downfall of the economy), replacing them with machines and computer programs.

It's also that, in order for automation to work, the programming has to be set up in the most perfunctory and formulaic manner.

Which means reliance on algorithm patterns as a sort of make-shift panacea for making self-sufficient operations efficient.

The thing is, reality isn't linear.  It cannot be predetermined or manipulated by simply figuring out the "set patterns" of personal life rituals of individuals or of economic trends or of consumer spending habits or of demands for specific products or of progress in certain areas of medical science---and the like.

Reality is fluid, and regimented algorithm patterns can't anticipate or catch the nuances, unexpected happenstances, or capricious decisions and changes made by any one person or party (either willingly or out of necessity).

They would have any individual person going through their entire life with the same personality, the same interests, the same propensity for engaging in the same behaviors repeatedly.  No "life-changing" situations or revelations resulting in enlightenment, no "change-of-heart" for wrongdoers.  If one has done wrong it automatically means they must be a "deviant" or a "scumbag" of some kind.  Scrub any influences that come down the pike that may make an individual decide to "change course".  Their character and personality has already be "determined" so any said changes would never be "recognized" by the system.

It's like:  If you move the system will take forever to catch up with you.  It's like you're expected to live at the same address and have the same phone number indefinitely.  If you try to inform the system of your new address (or new phone number) it'll just "get confused".  It's like "everyone lives in the same place all their life".  You're "the first person in the history of mankind to ever move and change their address".

So, if tragedy befalls you---say a tornado or fire or earthquake or flood devastates your home or place of residence---you may find your mail in the future being delivered to two addresses:  your current one and your previous one which no longer even exists. 

                                                         Adage For Today
Multitasking is like being a jack-of-all-trades:  You do a little bit of everything and none of them very well.

Song Analysis/CeleBirthdates

Joni Mitchell turned 73 on Monday.
Among the songs she penned:  BOTH SIDES NOW.  A single hit for folk/pop singer Judy Collins in 1968, the song is a commentary on how a lot of the things we're familiar with in life we still don't really fully understand intimately.  How what we do know about anything and anyone is based solely on how they affect us and on the impressions they make on us.  We never bother looking into what the things around us are really all about.


Gordon Lightfoot turns 78 a week from now (the 17th).

                                                Adage For Today                           

                 The more bizarre a person's words or deeds the less likely it is they're putting you on

                        English:  The Universal Language
"Schadenfreude".  A word I always have to look up in the dictionary every time I want to use it.
It's a German word that means "taking pleasure in witnessing Karma at work".

The English language is the most plagiaristic one in the history of mankind.  About 90% of the English words are modified versions of words originated by other tongues (mostly European, Mediterranean, and Middle Eastern).

And yet it still has to share certain words (and terms) with other languages.  Like (for example) "carte blanche", a French word meaning "unlimited choice, entitlement and liberty"

...and there are plenty more examples in our illustrious English language where those come from.

                                               Come November

Here's to Hillary Clinton winning in November.
Don't get me wrong now:  I think she's just as much a demagog and "three dollar bill" as Donald Trump.

But the United States is long overdue for its own "female leader".  This "embodiment of how governments should be run" has been sorely lagging behind not only Great Britain (Margaret Thatcher) but also a few of the "lesser" countries as well:  Israel (Golda Meir), The Philippines (Corazon Aquino).   And let's not forget Germany (Angela Merkel).

Regardless of who gets into office next it's not going to affect the course of things to come as those who are REALLY in charge have already mapped out their agenda.

                 Please!  ...No More "Changes"
I've said it before and I'll say it again:   They shouldn't make any changes anywhere, any time, unless it's to improve or enhance, or to replace whatever's worn out.


It makes no sense to suddenly change policy or procedure when everything is functioning just fine, especially when the "new system" makes the processes more encumbering and complicated.


And, also, when the changes involve some sort of sacrifices.  When they involve losing certain amenities and essentials.

                More Apartment Dwelling Blues




One downside of living in a "subsidized housing" unit are these frequent inspections the management keeps imposing on their tenants.
It wouldn't be so bad if not for their insisting on the units being freshly cleaned and spotless ("all trash removed").
It's a hassle having to do all these "cosmetic makeovers" ...as if I was putting my unit up for sale, or trying to make it somehow resemble the lobby of the Waldorf Astoria.


I lived in a "regular" apartment building some years back (you know: where you pay full rent plus utilities).
The landlord was an incompetent boob who never fixed anything unless it was an emergency situation, but at least he never "pulled rank" on his tenants.
One night I was pissed off at the noisy tenants above me and banged on the door leading to the basement so hard it practically brought the whole building down.  The tenants living in the unit aside from me (on the same level) complained about it and a couple days later I simply explained to the landlord what actually happened and that I overreacted, and he just shrugged, like "Oh. Okay."


He didn't play any "authority card" or anything like that.  It wasn't any "Well they said you were trying to break their door down, and they were frightened and felt threatened!"  Nothing like that.
Now, if it were the police, well then, that's how it might have gone down.  The police are always notorious for engaging in such retarded nonsense.
But, then again, the police are always looking for a reason to "add more criminals to" their respective society, because the truth is---there just aren't enough armed robbers and serial rapists roaming around to justify their unending omnipresence.   And domineering types are egocentrics who can't stand to be embarrassed or shown up.  So they have to create a "cosmetic dressing up" out of the social climate at hand to make their presence appear meritable.

                       Workplace Ritual   

                                                        You spent hours:
                                                Getting files in order
                                                Finishing other people's assignments
                                                Cleaning up the office
                                                Getting other things in order


After four straight hours of this you finally head to the break room to get a well-deserved coffee break.


It's when you're sitting there, all slouched down in your chair with coffee cup in hand, that the boss walks on by, stares right at you face-to-face, and exclaims facetiously "My, aren't WE really busy today!".

                                    Questions of the day

Have you ever noticed that any time you "have problems" it isn't necessarily because of the level of difficulty of said problem or because of the enormousness of it, but more on account of (for example) codependency or interdependency on individuals, businesses, or agencies who don't follow through on promises or procedures?

Or failure on the part of appliances and devices to function properly when needed?

Or anyone/anything else who or which fails to meet your expectations?

Or when you put forth an effort at accomplishing or attaining something and the results don't match your intentions?

Donald Trump

...who publicly stated "If Ivanka weren't my daughter perhaps I'd be dating her myself" while vying for the position of heading a country that has an officially established "sex offender" registry.

And his supporters are so daft the irony completely eludes them.

                            What we have here, people,
                   is a failure to communicate

One time, when I was talking to my mother and my sister, I happen to ask about a past acquaintance of theirs I haven't seen in a while, and both of them gasped and looked at me quite mortified.
Unbeknownst to me this acquaintance apparently died of cancer a couple of years earlier.
Of course they chided me for my "insensitivity" just for bringing it up, as if I intended to be tactless instead of just curious.

On another occasion a medical facility changed it's address on me and, in trying to determine how far away it was for me to get to now, I walked the whole distance to it.  Upon which I was informed at the reception desk about a courtesy shuffle service which would take me to and from the main hospital, which was much closer to where I lived.
The shuttle driver, when I explained my situation, went on about "You're not the first person to get confused about the location.  A lot of people don't know about the (transportation) services offered.  The thing is, they don't advertise (about the shuttle service or of other alternatives), so people don't know about these things".

In spite of iPhones and the internet, communication in American society continues to be really bad.
When they want to sell you furniture or a car, or anything else you either can't afford or would never be interested in buying anyway, they can't throw that stuff in your face enough.
But, when it comes to what you SHOULD know about or be aware of, they seem to want to keep such things some kind of "trade secret".

                                                     Adage For Today
                                 Difficulties and responsibilities are like infants
                              They can't take care of themselves on their own

Another CeleBirthdate

                                                     Mick Jagger

              Born Michael Phillip Jagger on July 26 1943 in Dartford England
                                                       He turns 73 today

           
                 Respect and Consideration For Others


...they teach it to you when you're growing up.

The mandates that dictate one is obligated to unconditionally treat all others around them like aristocrats and monarchs regardless of how crude, sloppy or mediocre they may be.
That doing or saying anything "offensive" to anyone is such a "crime against humanity" as to warrant total persecution.

And that most everyone else are not obliged to abide by the same ethos of social ethics one is being held to.  They're allowed to live and behave freely, even to the point of being obnoxious and abusive if they're so inclined.  While one is still expected to be self-restrained as one doesn't dare do or say anything others may find "outrageous" or "offensive" lest one "deserves" whatever retaliation one may incur as a result.

And society's always on the side of those "others" as they are among one's "superiors" 
...that in addition to being among society's "jewels".

One thing I don't get about this plethora of construction work that's been plaguing ...well ...uhhh ...permeating all of society lately (in the past ten years or so)---well, actually, there are several things I don't get about this recent influx of "repair/restoration obsessive"

...One:  Why is it necessary for work to start at some ridiculous early-morning hour---like, say, 6:00 A.M. or 7:00 A.M.?  Just because they're "early birds" they think everyone else should be active and awake at the same hours too.

...Two:  Don't they ever get the weekends off anymore?  Like, say, Saturdays---for those who are Jewish ...and Sundays---the traditional "sacred cow" day---for those of other more traditional Christian faiths.  And for those who are either atheists or "casual believers" not affiliated with any established denominations Friday and Saturday nights could be "watching a movie late at night and popping open a few beers then sleeping in the next day".

But no-o-o-o-ope!!!  They have to work the crews in shifts, coming in every fucking day of the god-damn week.   Starting promptly at 6 or 7 in the god-damn morning.  Right outside our god-damn residential windows.   No "sleeping in" for us, eh?

And it goes on for hours and hours.  Cacophonous racket, non-stop.   "Quality-of-life"?  Forget it!  Not for YOU!!!  
Obviously we're just not that important enough to "matter" to society.  Their fanatical/obsessive "reinvention" projects are the "end-all" as far as "the system" is concerned, as of lately.

...Three:  How come they never wait until they've finished one project before they start the next one ...and the next one ...and the next one?
The streets and structures just about everywhere are so "butchered up" you can't hardly go anywhere by way of the "usual" route.  You constantly have to figure out a roundabout way to get to your destinations.  It's getting so I dread "having to go somewhere" anymore.





                      The above is my Musing For Today


                                    Another site to check out:  www.idiotprufs.com
                         ...and another one:  www.madamenoire.com    Type in "Jesus be a fence" in the "search" box for a hilarious article.

         Another "Red Herring" Alert

                                            Pokeman Go
                        ...Need I Say Mo'?

Another CeleBirthdate

                                      Cat Stevens

Born Steven Demetre Georgiou on July 21 1948 in Marylebone London England.
                                           He turns 68 on Thursday

Living is a lot like being an air traffic controller.

They cut back on personnel so you wind up either working alone or with just one other person.

They don't update or maintain equipment or facilities.

They expect you to keep track of a multitude of different details at any one time.

If ever there should be a mid-air collision on your watch you'll be the one everyone wants to sue and whom the officials want prosecuted.


                     The above is my Musing For Today

CeleBirthdate

Ringo turned 76 yesterday
               Born Richard Starkey in Dingle Liverpool England on July 7 1940

          The Pedestrian's Guide To:



Motorists
They try to run you over in the intersections, parking lots, and on the sidewalk portion of driveways and alleyway entrances

Bicyclists
They try to run you over on the sidewalk, and also in intersections and parking lots

Skateboarders
They try to run you over on just about any paved surface

Criminals
Predatory, try to victimize you

The Police
Predatory, accuse you of trying to victimize others

One may feel eternally ostracized and intentionally left out of the scheme of things, always getting "crowded out" by everyone else around them.

However, it could also be that you're among the "displaced".

There's only so much of anything to go around:  time, space, money, resources.
The "favored" and prominent are always going to be offered "first choice", with whatever's left to be distributed among the lesser important.  

Those who "matter" are always accommodated and those who "don't count" either get pushed aside or get access to "whatever's available" afterwards.



                            The above is my Musing For Today

Song Analysis: Get Off Of My Cloud

This song is actually a commentary on "being violated".

It takes place in a high-rise apartment building, involving one unit of free-wheeling "feel-good" party animals who enjoy loud fun ...and the tenant below them who's more reclusive and just wants to go about his life without undue interference from noisy neighbors.

In verse two lead singer Mick Jagger role-plays the upstairs partyers who get annoyed at a phone call from the tenant below them in which he asks them in a flippant manner "Just because YOU 'feel so good' does it mean you 'have to' drive me out of my head?", feeling their right to have a good time is being "violated".

In verse three Jagger then role-plays the reclusive tenant below who just gives up and "takes a drive downtown" and parks on a deserted street where it's "so very nice and peaceful and quiet" and manages to grab a few winks before waking up to a windshield full of parking tickets.
Feeling universally "violated" by this whole affair he utters various retorts as he feels he was forced into taking this course of action due to the adverse circumstances he was under.
Of course the reason he got ticketed was on account of his violating parking ordinances.

This song, essentially, is about the fact that "violating" and "being violated" are both two-way streets.  That there are never any actual designated "culprits" or "victims".   Any and all things work both ways.

Song Analysis: It Came Out Of The Sky

I think when the lyrics to this song get examined there's too much emphasis on the object Jody retrieved that came from some unknown source when, in fact, the crux of the song involves the responses from all the various factions who respond to, and try to exploit, Jody's unusual dilemma.

The Vatican, the U.S. government, the media, the press, Hollywood, the scientists.  Each one has their own idea of what this "mystery object" is, what its purpose is and where it belongs.

And each one of these otherwise "respectable" factions try to cajole and browbeat poor Jody into surrendering ownership of this "mystery object" to them, convinced such action is for some "greater good".

Jody (most likely some "poor schmuck" who lives in a shack or some flop house) finally gets fed up with all the obvious attempted exploitation by all of these alleged "legitimate" factions who cannot even universally agree on what's "appropriate" for this unknown object, and finally blurts out a "final proposition" of his own:  "It's MINE, and you can have it for $16million!"

Summary: This song actually parodies the way each person, group, institution and organization exists inside their own vacuum, each with their own myopic worldviews and perspectives.  And how no matter what it is they're observing or judging their conclusions are always going to be based on and obscured by whatever myopic perspectives they themselves harbor.

                                         Someone else's Adage

"If you want more of something you subsidize (/enhance/nurture/support) it.
If you want less of something you tax (/penalize/regulate/ration) it."

Former President Ronald Reagan made this statement back in the 1980s.
(Now who he stole it from is another question.  But it is a good quote, from a logical and rational perspective, just the same.)

                                                  Adage For Today

                    Fate must be a member of the mafia.  It often takes me for a ride.

Just Say "No" To Discussing Sex

Discussing sex is just an all-around bad idea in every respect.

It's a subject eternally beset by all kinds of hypocrisy, favoritism, dogma, stigma, duplicity and conspiracy.

And most people have a tabloid mindset toward the subject, often handling it with the maturity level of an average six-year-old.

Forget about having any kind of intelligent discourse on the subject as it's too "supercharged" emotionally for anyone to be clearheaded about.  You'd have more success discussing "religious tolerance" face-to-face with an ISIS militant.

CeleBirthdate

                                       James Paul McCartney

                                    Born in Liverpool on June 18 1942

                                      Sir Paul turns 74 this Saturday

                                                           iPhones

The ultimate universal addendum to the everyday life of the average 21st century citizen.

They aid in, or practically do for you, just about every function one performs in one's daily routine.  It seems there's an app for just about any and all functions one engages in on a daily basis (short of eating, drinking, sleeping, breathing, shitting and pissing).

Soon there'll be chip implants they inject into us which will enable one to set certain iPhone apps so as to stimulate select body functions at the push of a button.

Then again, it isn't like we're not already hypnotized by these little "bastard children" as it is.

                     Angela from Seattle with her Great Feet story:

I love shoes.  I buy about ...oh, I don't know ...maybe 200 ...300 pair a month.
I just love shoes.

Problem is:  The ones I love best hurt my feet.  And sticking only to buying shoes that fit my size is out of the question as my favorite styles are always a little too small or a little too large.  Which means I'm in pain a lot of the time.

When I stepped into The Great Feet Store their in-store specialist recommended foam-rubber arch support insoles to relieve the pressure on my feet from being cramped into too little space.

Needless to say I can now wear any shoes I want without any more pain regardless of how ill-fitting.

I'm Angela.  And that's my Great Feet story.


                                           Thanks to
                                      The  Great Feet  Store

                                                     Adage For Today

                                  The problem isn't walking a tightrope.
                      It's not being allowed to have a safety net below you.

                       The Problems With Societies

Stupid people

Bullshit laws and rules

Those in charge who care more about personal gain and power-and-control than they do about stewardship

Red herring issues taking precedence over deeper and more significant ones

 Tired of your old shower with its cracked tiles and rusty-colored tub basin and mold and mildew everywhere?



                   Introducing
                         Shower Fitters

            A revolutionary new idea in bathroom remodeling

                                   The concept is simple:
We simply place brand new fiberglass fittings on top of that decrepit old shower of yours so you can have that "brand new" looking shower and bath you're proud to show off to others.

Of course underneath that impressive-looking bath of yours is still the same old mold and mildew and rotting wood floor, all ready to collapse and fall in any minute.
But at least for those of you who cannot afford real professionals to actually rebuild your old bathroom properly you can enjoy the illusion of a perfect cosmetic makeover.


                                                Shower Fitters
                                              Experts at propagating delusionalism

I think when they install the plumbing in residential units they have an unwritten law that requires them to stuff the drains with greasy rags.

I mean, what's a sink or a shower if it drains quickly and smoothly?  Of course, when showering, you want to find yourself "standing in a miniature lake" and to have to wade out of the tub as you're stepping out to dry yourself.

It's like the rule that kitchen sinks in residential units have to be shallow with fixed low-hanging faucet heads so one sprays the whole kitchen when trying to wash and rinse large pans.



                     The Above is my Musing For Today




                               Another site to check out: www.rebathripoff.blogspot.com  

                  Whose Lives "Matter" Anyway?

If there's a problem I might have with the Black Lives Matter movement it's not in any of the allegations or contentions the members make.  I think the issues they talk about are true enough and, in most cases, factual enough.

My problem with the movement is in the notion it harbors that, somehow, all the issues blacks deal with are unique to the "Black" subculture and that those who are not a part of it could never understand what everyone in it are going through and dealing with.

Now, if you look at human history in general, there are thousands of years of civilizations with a "dominating" class who invariably exploit and even enslave those considered "lesser" types.  It seems to be one of the perverse aspects of human nature, especially of the authoritarian and arrogant.

For the "black culture" to claim some kind of monopoly on "experiencing the brunt of 'structured persecution'" is a slap in the face to Native Americans/First Nations people, survivors of the Holocaust, the descendants of Korean women who were kidnapped by the Japanese government for use as "sex slave" servants by Japanese soldiers during World War II.

It's tragic that all societies find it so stressful to maintain their own infrastructures and are so beset by their various social issues that they have this need to "relieve themselves" via finding a select group of "those who don't perfectly fit in" to use as "punching bags" and "walking landfills" ...to take their anger and frustrations out on and to "dump all their 'garbage' onto".

Bit Off More Than We Can Chew ...

The water crisis in Flint Michigan.  Overwhelming floods and wildfires.

It seems the consequences of centuries of civilization are finally, at long last, coming to a climax, that we've, pretty much, reached a "zenith" in terms of "how far we can go" in terms of building up and up and up.

The problems with having incrementally built up, over time, cultures and societies to the point where they become ultra-colossal legacies is that when they've gotten to that stage they're pretty much Frankensteinian entities.
And such humongous entities are like oversize pets and children.  They require constant "babysitting"/"caretaking" in order to remain functional and intact.  This implies a commitment to nonstop stewardship on the part of whoever is currently in charge of said society.

It also means that most any society, by this point in time, has been built up so much it's near impossible for even the most dedicated steward-minded leaders to keep track of all the sub-elements within the major elements to ever be able to stay on top of any potential wear and tear within the system.
And how dedicated are the current leaders to being unconditionally dedicated and loyal to the societies they've been put in charge of?

Hence, it makes sense that we're seeing all these environmental and infrastructural issues everywhere come lately.

                                     Just Leave a Message ...

Have you noticed how many people don't understand the concept of Voice Mail?

"Yeah, this is Margie.  Can you call me back when you get time?"

And, if you're lucky, they'll also remember to leave you their phone number.

                                                  Do not offend ...


When you're someone who's not important to society, someone who's never "mattered", just about anyone has license to treat you any way they feel.
If they so desire they can behave insultingly toward you, talking down to you or barking orders at you like you're their "personal slave" and you "need to be compliant and controlled".
Or refuse to acknowledge your presence, or treat you like you're "just in the way" or like your presence is somehow a nuisance or a threat to them.
Or even freely harass you or mock you in some way.


And if you get upset or come unglued over such attitudes and behaviors you're ridiculed for being "oversensitive" or even "too intolerant".  Or even being "antisocial" and "hostile".


However ...should you ever speak or behave in a way that "offends" or upsets another THEN you're slammed for being "recklessly or cruelly insensitive to the personal feelings and sensitivities of others".  And practically defamed as being "degenerate scum".  Not to mention persecuted in various strong-arm fashions.


Like it's a serious moral transgression to ever "offend anyone".
Never any mention of how it might actually be indicative of certain prejudices on the part of the "offended" party that might make them unable to handle certain ideas, opinions, or gestures ...or the presence of certain personality types.


It's always the other person's notion of what's "proper" or "appropriate" that matters.  They always have to be the one's in control of what's "right" and what's "wrong".