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".

The Officious Ones V

                                                   How old is "old enough"?
When I was 24-years-old I was hitchhiking around the country, often bumming loose change for "a cup of coffee".
A true-blue wayfaring vagrant (or, maybe, "mobile homeless").  None of my relatives ever knew where I was most of the time, nor did they bother to try to find out.

Flash-forward 18 years later.  And all around a university campus area is a poster of a 23-year-old woman who's been "Missing" for weeks.  And volunteers are actively handing out flyers with her picture to random passers-by asking them to "Help find Stacey".

This is not some missing 8-year-old girl we're talking about now.  This is a grown woman.
Who IS she that she's so important to so many people?  Or to a whole community?

Unfortunately she was eventually found
...a homicide victim.
It's strange that most anytime someone "special" turns up missing they almost invariably wind up murdered.
It's like there's this network of "creepy men", some secret organization of sadistic psychopaths who obviously "have no life" who seemingly only exist to run around "terrorizing women" ("Who are these people?" I always wonder).

But it IS something.  The idea that a grown 23-year-old woman still can't be "in charge of her own life".
What's the point of "adulthood" if one can't entitle oneself to all of the alleged amenities associated with it?