The Real Doll

So many bundles of joy.

The real doll, as per title. Harry Harlow fashioned controlled Hells for baby monkeys in order to study their reactions. It's true, read here.

I leave it to you, my modern reader, to judge the morality of Harlow's work.

Your Terrorist is my Nobel Peace Prize Winner

RIP. A great man who fought an evil cause. And in so doing employed violence and gathered what allies he could. Fighting evil leads to many grey areas, since, when is violence ever "good"? But if the end result of violence leads to a greater good, isn't it for the best then? Big questions.

And a big impact. Ask yourself if you'd be prepared to give up most of your life in the name of a cause, and then have your actions inspire billions? Only a few get asked, and even fewer can eventually say yes.

A Clear Choice

Here's a young Obama visiting the family back in old Africa. And this is part of the problem, for many. Race. Simply because of the color of his skin, or the (D) after his name, a large percentage of Americans HATE our President with a fury beyond logic. They're mad with hate. And yet...

A young Barry with Mom, and Grandad at the beach. These pictures are jarring to many, I suspect - whiter than white folks with a black child. DOES NOT COMPUTE! But it does. This is America, given our horrid racial history. This is the world, in fact - populations that evolved in isolation for thousands and thousands of years now all mixed up and swirled. This is our future - the mixing.

Look at this crowd. This is the future of America, and aye, the world. Different peoples and cultures living together in harmony based on the bedrock principle that no "people" are superior to another, but rather we all are equal and value peace, justice, and the well being of ourselves and our families.

And thus, a very clear choice: Elect the man who in person and in deed represents this diverse future - Barack Obama. Or another white man who's claim to fame is being rich and belonging to a cult he can't talk about.

The choice is stark - one brings a continuation of the Renaissance; the other its denigration.

Choose wisely, America. Choose Democrats, at every level.

Memories of Berlin

Berlin, July 2008. Good times - remember? Hope was what you felt then - for Change! Now you probably feel some variant of weary. But fret not! Change is on the way.

With our help, Barack Obama will be re-elected next week, and America will have 4 more years to try and recover from the Republican poisoning. We'll need a better Congress though, so get out and vote!

Get excited! It's important work we do here - literally, saving the world. The stakes are that high. Good versus evil stuff. Oh yeah, and babes. Liberals have the better babes. And these days for sure, crowds.

An estimated 240,000 Berliners came out to see then Senator Barack Obama speak. Hundreds of thousands more in cities across Europe. He also went to Iraq and Afghanistan. Compare that to Mitt Romney's trip to Europe this past Summer, which was a hilarious tour de farce, lurching from one mistake to another. I don't recall any crowds, either. Private fundraisers ($$$) only. It's a joke that there's any kind of competition between these two candidates. But that's the reality when a solid 40% of Americans would vote for a rock as long as it had an (R) next to it's name. Propaganda's a hell of a thing.

The Eternal Flame

The Zoroastrians bequeathed us many gifts, and damnations. Good v. Evil the chief among them in all regards. Before Zoroaster, everything was a more mellow shade of grey.

Here it is - a fire that has burned for over 4K years. Think of it - well before Jesus, Confucius, Buddha and L. Ron Hubbard - men have maintained this flame in the name of a God.

Word - Spring Break at the Eternal Flame.

Trip your mind in the flickering flames, yo.

Thousands and thousands of years old. Think of it - before writing existed, this flame burned...

In a sweet piece of real estate, of course.

Delusions of fevered brains

Obama has rolled back most of the Bush era tragedies. And yet, the day Obama was elected, the rightwing wingnuts started right back up with the "BLACK HELICOPTERZ!!!1" nonsense, 8 years in hibernation. Amazing, really. Here's the decoder key to their fevered brains: Democrat in power = Fascism, Socialism, lot's of other "isms" they don't understand. They're partisan beyond reason.

So while Obama has actually restored many key provisions of the Constitution that were "suspended" during the Bush administration, the wingnuts see burning Declarations and evil in every Good. They're insane.

"Obamanation", by noted wingnut artist (and there are very few of them for the obvious reasons) John McNaughton. It's kinda interesting, actually, a look into the fevered brain of a wingnut with painting talent.

Another McNaughton original. Obama - ironically! - has everyone in chains, except for some brave Tea Partiers who have cut their bonds to the Man, man.

Imagine a political opposition that does not see a man in their rival, but the Antichrist hisself. Crazy, but this is the state of the "modern" Repuglican party - a group of cruel millionaires and Christian Talibani.

Here's the truth of the matter, by the way.

Great President, great man, great family. We're lucky to have them all, and the Obama's herald a new golden age for America.

If we can defeat the wingnuts. I believe we can. Yes, we can.

Gliding Forever

Imagine you're on the 108th floor of the WTC as it burns, blocking any escape. The windows are already shattered, and so you have a choice: Die of smoke inhalation, or fire, or falling from the 108th floor. I know what I'd choose. Do you?

Personal parachute. Never go into a skyscraper without one.

But seriously, we're all going to die, one day and one way or another. It was destined from the moment we were born - everything that lives, dies. If it be in tragic terrorist attack, or car accident, or stroke all alone, dying on the kitchen floor, we're all going to die. We must make peace with this fact for a successful life, as denial will only lead to delusions, and delusions lead to darkness. Tip for living: Avoid delusions.

If your day has come, and it will come, face it as bravely as you can, in acceptance - this was the price of living: Dying. Alas, I wish it were not so, as do we all, as do all things alive, be they ape, dog, snake, snail, fish or bird, or all the microscopic bacteria floating in pond scum, so dear. Life is dear, and a brief gift. Enjoy it while you can, as much as you can. For the afterlife is boring I hear - that is, nonexistent. We get one shot at this thing called "Consciousness", and this is it. Do Good.

MEGAPETA

Hippie chicks - it's what's for dinner. Or so it appears. I have no idea what the story is behind this picture, so one must assume the obvious: She taped food on her body then waited for a bunch of racoons to show up and eat off of her, while a friend took a photo. How odd! I like "the idea" of racoons very much. No way I'd let one crawl on me, let alone a "gaze" of raccoons. Yes, "gaze". Look it up. I don't know who came up with animal group names. I don't know a lot of things, and like Socrates, it's a badge of honor: There's always so much more to learn!

I do know I love the prefix/word  "mega", as in, awesome, to the max. That's subjective opinion, however, but then, isn't a great deal of our knowledge? Most of history, for example, to different degrees. What is real, Neo?

Also too: I love PETA, and all their crazy hijinks. Someone needs to push the envelope of collective consciousness in a good way, hard, cuz FSM knows the forces of Darkness are pushing as hard as they can, all the time. Meat is murder, man, and fur is dead. Maybe this pic is some PETA prank.

And to finish: A "wisdom" of wombats? C'mon!

Are there Monsters?

Are there such things as Monsters? Depends on your definition of "monster", of course. Mythological beast of horn and fire? Probably not. Folks with malice in their hearts and evil in their deeds? Knowing evil? Probably - hard to argue against. Not that many of course - a very small percentage of the overall population. But their terror is so vile that their influence far outweighs their numbers - we all live in fear of less than 10% of any given population.

These are all Level 3 sex offenders, by the way. I can think of few things more evil than sexual predation on children. Which of course leads me to the disturbing events at Penn State revealed over the last week - which ruined sports radio for me over the weekend, thanks! Anyways, the similarity between the events at Penn State and the various Catholic Churches struck me as interesting - large, respected organizations actively covering up the heinous crimes of monsters lurking in their midst, all the while portraying an image of sanctity and moral respect. What's interesting to me is not the monsters - they're monsters after all. You can count on their predations. But rather, the complicity of otherwise "good" people who are aware of these horrors but actively choose to cover them up for the good of the Institution. Showing the power of the Institution. And it's all about Power, always (one way or another).

En Los Arboles

White Lodge, Black Lodge, Log Lady, Pie and Coffee: Twin Peaks, folks. Weird, wild, wacky show. I watched it on VHS tape over a weekend back in the day and was properly impressed. I've started a re-watch and I've got to say: Wow! Late 80's fashions!

Note to future auteurs: Backwards talking dwarfs are always creepy.

The Enemy Within

Sums it up. The Devil is all fire and horns and darkness, and Jesus is sunshine and doves and groovy 70's beards. But this mythological opposition began far earlier than Jesus, and The Enemy is present in many disparate legends, in many different forms (Mazda, yo). And since there is no such thing as a Devil, a supernatural "Enemy", then, one must ask: Why this persistent element to man's mythologies?

Clearly, the Enemy is a way to both explain and rationalize actions a society considers "bad". It is both the fear to be avoided, and the cause for every fall from grace. It's a psychological release valve, and a means of control. But once you realize this, of course, there's nothing to it. You are the cause of your fears, and it's in your power to control them, or be controlled by them.

As such:

I've always suspected the whole crew - God, Jesus, Satan, Gabriel, Beelzebub, the lot of them, were all in league together. Good cop, bad cop con (READ JOB DUDE!). It works, as long as you never look behind the curtain - as in here. Hanging out after work.

Jesus is a pretty cool dude, though.  Hangs out with everyone.

Spoiler alert! Jesus takes a beating at first, but comes out on top. Yay!

Death Star Contractors

"Right Livelihood" - The Buddhist tenant that you are indeed responsible for the results of your efforts. For instance, say you are an Accounts Receivable person working on the Death Star. You, personally, are not killing or torturing anyone, but of course, you are supporting an enterprise which is - you are, in this view, just as morally culpable for any actions taken on your behalf.

By this logic, of course, every American is responsible for everything that happens in Iraq, Afghanistan, anywhere else the American Empire is working these days - their works are our works, and each of us bears their weight.

So! What are the fruits of your labor, and can you be proud of them? Do you stand behind everything associated with your efforts?

Another example of "If everyone lived this way, the world would be paradise"

Also:

 

A New Hope (cont.)

There's about 16 ways I could go with this pic - it's rich. Ten space-internet credits to the person who can can guess what's coming next, based on this picture.


While you play that game, distracted (distraction is a mighty weapon), I will say Obama IS our only hope. If he can't pull us through this insanity, then we might very well be doomed - we might become the truly crazy religious dictatorship armed to the teeth, also with more nukes than anyone. How would you feel if Sarah Palin had the Button? 


Crazy periods come and go - they tend to burn out one way or another - so it is but a matter of time before some semblance of sanity is regained. The only question is, how much will we lose before we get there?


Tune in to find out. And maybe root for Barry to pull it through, for all of us, yeah?

Brave Women of Persia

I make some jokes about the protesting babes of Persia, but I only half joke, cuz seriously, they are a beautiful people. But I don't mean to belittle them by any means, as I stand in awe of the collective efforts of the women of Iran on behalf of this protest. I have read story after story of brave women facing down the basiij with nothing but their honor and dignity to protect them -- which often does not. And as in this picture, I have read of several stories where women rush in to protect a male getting beaten down by the basiij. Think for a moment of the type of bravery required to do what these women above are doing: Risking everything, for a belief. For a better day.

It's all very inspiring.