Perspective

100 tons of star dust falls to earth each day

36500 tons per year. 365,000,000 tons in 10,000 years

740 trillion pounds since the dawn of civilization.

Sounds like a lot 

It's two Mt Everests 

Paradise Lost

Sorry Milton, but I dream of tropical paradise at the end of the earth.

Sailboats, gently adrift at anchor in remote lush lagoons, alone in their grace. 

A place of solitude and solace, hard won after weeks at sea.

Tucked in, protected by steep mountains draped in verdant jungle, small streams, waterfalls, all sweeping down to meet gentle palms along soft white beaches. 

A place where souls go to rest.

 

Vengeance Is Mine Saith the Lord

Ever noticed how most of climate change's early effects are being felt in the south? Tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, drought, rising tides, shorelines eroding, houses floating out to sea.

Now if I believed in god I'd be saying something about his vengeance against the ignorant, selfish, southern sinners, who mocked Al Gore and environmentalists for decades, who continue to drive around in gas guzzling over-sized pickup trucks, and even though most now realize climate change is real, refuse to do anything about it, and in fact still mostly stand in the way.

Remember when a lot of southerners said AIDS was god's vengeance against homosexuals? 

Well, welcome to their world, Bubba. 

Hang On

In the time it takes you to read this sentence you will have travelled about 1100 miles relative to the galaxy's center. 515,000 miles in an hour. 12 million miles in a day. 

Better hang on, tight.

Mick and Me

Crazy dreams last night very vivid - crawling around underground in the ruins on Montserrat with Mick Jagger with him asking me for my opinion on painting the walls - giving me sample paint cards - 4 of them. I chose gray-white - not even a color.

By the way, Mick is in great shape, in case you were wondering, better than me - crawling at least twice as fast as I was, even stopping to ask if I was ok.

This after he had picked me up at random on a country road on a tiny motor scooter and took me to this bizaare bar, restaurant, Im not sure what. Polo grounds? Tiny restroom about the size of a closet with pee draining down the wall from another restroom above me I supposed, wasn't that special I remember thinking.

Most of the place was closed, there was one small outdoor bar open where I was ignored by a snob bartender, finally got a draft beer from another. Went to find Mick, found him in a really nice black suit sitting in court. His attorney was about to make a summation argument but he had this entire production device strapped onto his neck behind his ears with dramatic music and script prompts.

Mick was nice enough but definately had a secret, and oozed self confidence even in court. I asked him if he wanted a drink, and he said not right now, the court thing and all.

It ended with me catching myself crawling/falling out of bed. 

All of this and Im not even a fan really. 

Pathetic Is As Pathetic Does

Seriously how powerless and impotent do you have to feel? How small must your penis be? How ignorant and ineffective do you believe yourself to be to have to play dress up soldier and carry assault rifles in public?

Stupid Then, Stupid Now

When I played high school football chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) wasn't a thing. The harder you smashed your head into an opponent the greater the coach's praise. 

Players were discourage from drinking water - it would give you cramps. 

You were not allowed to breathe with your hands on your knees when out of breath - despite it being a natural response - not sure what that one was all about. We have known for some time that with your hands on your knees, your lungs can fill with a greater volume of air. This in turn supplies more oxygen to your body so you can recover more quickly. Apparently the football coaches didn't get the word.

Hydration was not just a test of toughness or a way to identify weaklings trying to sate thirst, but instead was and still is essential, and potentially life saving. 

Today, CTE is real, and it's not just about the number of concussions players get. We can't fix it with special helmets and/or taking people out of games after getting a concussion as is the common belief of modern day coaches. We now know that playing football at all, even if just in high school, can lead to depression, impulsivity, Parkinson's disease, dementia, and early death later on, and that the number of concussions doesn't necessarily correlate with the severity of CTE. 

Football coaches - stupid then, stupid now. 

Corporate Piggies

A CEO, a conservative, and a liberal are at a table. The table has 20 cookies. The CEO takes 19 cookies and says to the conservative, “look out, that liberal is trying to take your cookie!”

The airlines say there is a shortage of staff that is responsible for the massive delays and cancellations we have seen of late. That they have no choice but to overwork current staff, deny them leave, or even proper rest between flights. 

Um, wrong.

In fact these problems have arisen due to an overabundance of greed by the airlines who schedule more flights than they have staff for.

Seething White-Hot Hatred

To all climate change denying, Trump loving, Floridians.

I care about as much for your victimhood from the recent hurricanes as you care about Ukrainians suffering at the hands of Russia's megalomaniacal, murderous, fascist - Putin. That is to say - not at all. Not one bit. 

Houses floating out to sea? Didn't you deny climate change, mock Al Gore and environmentalists for decades, while proclaiming your stupid pickup truck gets less than 10 mpg as a point of pride?

Aren't you promoting a racist, mentally ill, climate change denying, fascist hoodlum, that is trying to destroy our democratic republic for his own selfish gains, as our next president? 

Here's a wake up call. I am a decent, fair, loving, human being and I hope with all my being that you keep right on suffering - I really do. How much of your ignorant shit do you think we are going to take in one lifetime? Given the harm you have caused to millions worldwide, and continue to cause, I'd say you truly deserve it, and more.

Ya'll have a blessed day now, hear? 

A Dog is a Dog

There are a lot more crazy dog owners than crazy dogs - try as their owners may.

Going Straight To Hell

This is what Jesus would have looked
 like according to scientists.

Jesus was a brown immigrant Jew, and you are going straight to hell. 

Last Times - An Ode to Guy Clark

Another lonely west Texas night 

miles and miles of ancient, empty desert, gentle hills, and this old ranch

alone in a darkness so dark, even the wind gets lost

so dark, you can almost smell the moon 

so dark, you can see the lights of Ft. Worth from here

He can't sleep

coyotes in the distance making their spirits heard against all odds 

raw, soulful, wild-clear

occasional car headlamps far away on some old dusty dirt road 

silently creeping to nowhere

creaky old porch, looking at that sky

a shooting star so bright it had color - stealing his breath 

the milky way - so dark it had structure 

as if to pull him in - beautiful, ancient, immense - home

He was an old man now 

how many more precious nights like this left?

never too far from his mind

He had felt the need for his guitar - gently played

Its an old friend, a reliable friend, hand crafted hardwood

it's gotten him through - all these decades 

He found beauty and meaning and simple pleasure with it - hundreds of songs

It slept within his chest when not playing, came out from his soul when in his hands

It rang through him - true. Taken him where he did not know he could go - almost never let him down.

He had played and played to the darkness, felt its gentle peace. Now finally tired, ready for his bed, he

had put the old guitar down in its corner - as he had done a thousand times before.

Did not know this was to be his last.

Coyotes in the distance, soft breeze on the curtains 

As he slowly drifted off 

never to awaken again 

The old guitar in the corner, now silently waiting, forever.

'Justice' in America

 1. The Classified Documents Investigation

    Did Trump illegally remove classified documents from the White House and obstruct investigators? 

        YES 

2. The Jan. 6 Investigation

    Did Trump try to incite an insurrection, commit election fraud or fraudulently fund-raise in the run-up to Jan. 6? 

        YES

3. The Manhattan D.A.’s Investigation

    Did the Trump Organization commit tax fraud or other financial crimes? 

        YES

4. The Georgia Election Investigation

    Did Trump break the law to try to overturn his 2020 election loss in Georgia? 

        YES

5. The New York State Civil Case

    Did Trump and his children lie to lenders and insurers about the Trump organization’s financial condition? 

        YES

6. Will Trump spend even a day in prison? 

        NO - 'Justice' in America

(The list of investigations was paraphrased from a NYT article by Ankush Khardori, Aug 17, 2022)

Trumpty Dumpty

Trumpty Dumpty had a great fall - even though he had failed to build a wall. 

And all the republicans and all the white men couldn't put Trumpty back together again. 

Revised from New York Post 2022

The "Justice" Department

Some in the DOJ are now whispering Trump stole government secrets and put them in unsecured locations on his property just for 'his ego'. Oh well then, that's ok. I mean to commit a grievous crime for ego is so much better than for nefarious reasons. Violating the espionage act is OK as long as you do it for your ego, or if prosecuting you takes courage.

I heard Snowden did the same thing for his ego - So we can expect State, FBI, and the DOJ, to be welcoming him home any day now. 

So, here is what I want to say to those in the DOJ making excuses for their cowardice. 

A crime is a crime is a crime. Resist your urges to cowardice. 

CTE Sunday

CTE Sunday. 

Grab your snacks, beer, and friends and let's all watch young men suffer permanent brain injury. YEA!!! 

Depression, anger, impulsiveness, dementia, Parkinson's disease, and early death coming their way. RAH! 

Lives destroyed, cut short. GOOOO TEAM!

(Sssshhh don't tell anyone!!!)

Wake Up

Which of the bigger truths about our universe is not stunningly beautiful?

 

Learning about, describing, and understanding, what is possible in the 13.8 billion years since the universe began is as close to 'god' as you will ever get. 

It is science that will take you there, and it's beautiful.

Fake News

So called damage from climate change.

Crisis actors and homes selected for demolition.

These climate change deniers are just trying to cash in. 

Years and years of mocking climate change.

Smug arrogant piggies in their gas guzzling trucks. 

Sure, go ahead, make fun of Al Gore and environmentalists who have been telling you this was coming for decades.

And now you say your ugly little cookie cutter houses are washing out to sea because of climate change? 

If true wouldn't that be a real shame for you all since you have been denying climate change to suit your own selfishness for decades

red neck, climate change denying, dummies.

Except it's all fake news. There is no climate change. Your homes didn't get flattened or washed out to sea in Florida. You are all liars.

Fake News - crisis actors cashing in. You all should be ashamed.

Climate change is fake just like you have said for decades. 

Now - fill er up!

Democracy Wins

Dear 'Red Wave' media. 

Fuck You 

(and Republicans too) 

Election Liars

I do wish the media would stop calling politicians election deniers. 

None of them actually believe the election was stolen. 

They are not deniers; they are election liars. Cold, cynical, opportunistic, sociopathic, liars. 

They lie soley to gather their base's votes, democracy be damned.

 

Broadcast Media

All social media sites are unlicensed broadcast media stations.

Time to regulate them or shut them down.

It's Time

We have no choice but to regulate social media. These sites are and always will be echo chambers of lies, hate, conspiracy theories, and divisiveness. 

We had a free press prior to twitter - we can have one after. 

These internet sites are too easily exploited, too easily transformed into megaphones for the paranoid, the irresponsible, the criminal, and the insane. It is unbelievable that you can lie through your teeth about an election, purposefully dividing an entire nation, while threatening all future elections, and democracy itself, and do it freely on a platform that reaches millions of people, with zero consequence.

Licenses and rules of behavior for the airways were put in place because people realized the potential harm broadcast media could cause. Guess what - a tweet can reach millions and cause even greater harm. 

Twitter and all the rest of these sites are broadcast media stations - not some guy on a street corner, or at a townhall, and it's way past time to regulate them. 

Make it law that if you choose to broadcast over the air, cable, or through these internet sites, you can and will be held accountable for what you say. Furthermore, the broadcast media sites you use will be held accountable if they allow you to broadcast disinformation, deliberately. This goes for radio, TV, and social media sites - anything that has the potential to reach more than say 200,000 people at one time.

They are in the public realm, they reach thousands, if not millions, we have precedent with earlier forms of broadcast media, it's time. 

Propaganda By Any Other Name

Social media will end this country. 

Then it's coming after the entire world.

Death and the Narcissist

Nighttime is the worst. 

The old man alone in his bed, in the dark, his eyes wide.

The sounds of his raspy breath, his own heart beating, a deep soul sucking loneliness, and dread.

For hours, he had lain there suffering - for sleep would not come.

And then as if he knew it was coming all along, across the darkened room, something not right - more than a shadow - a movement.

Terror washed over him. There, in the corner, an ethereal, floating, blackness, slowly creeping – ceiling, wall, to floor.

Coming, coming along the floor towards him, slowly, slowly 

death, was coming. 

No longer alone in his bed. He felt it along his back, cold.

A stench, a sound almost imperceptible - mocking him.

Panicked, he tried to run, could not move.

Tried to scream – silence.

Long bony fingertips lightly tracing along his shoulders. Foul breath, just in his ear.

An embrace - almost, intimate - trying him on for size.

Despite a lifetime of struggle against it - his pedigree, imagined power, greed, ill-gotten wealth, 'prestige', 'importance' - despite it all - death was coming.

It slowly merged within him, his chest - stealing his breath.

His empty, airless, screams never heard, as death finally ends him, leaving no trace.

...save for a nasty stain formed by a lifetime of cruelty, heartless manipulation, smug arrogance, lies, selfishness, and harm.

Drawing: Death Calls by Käthe Kollwitz

Care Now Or Pay Later

To all maga-hat, bubba-butts, who don't give a shit about Ukraine. 

Putin wont stop with Ukraine unless we stop him now. Eastern Europe will remain in a state of disarray as he continues to wage war in a hopeless attempt to satisfy his megalomania. This will serve to continue to destabilize world economies, disrupt energy distribution, and raise prices for everything, everywhere. 

Bubba I hate to tell you this but it's one world, one very small world. Even if you can't bring yourself to give a damn about the unbelievable human suffering Putin inflicts on the Ukrainian people, if you let him go on unchecked your ass is going to suffer. 

Guaranteed.

Magaerectus Republicanus

Magaerectus Republicanus: A subspecies of human commonly known as MAGA republican. They are distantly related to human but are more like something you’d scrape off your shoe - associated with human briefly - but nothing a stiff scraper and a good autoclave can't deal with. (I wish) 

Republicanus replicate in several ways. 

1. Whenever Karen ovulates. 

2. Spontaneously, wherever slime pools.

3. In a cauldron where two parts racism, three parts fear, and six parts self-loathing, are mixed over a fire of hate and ignorance.

After 'birth' Republicanus take ignorance and fear, wrap it in white racist nationalism, bigotry, xenophobia, and misogyny, and then smoke it, while waiting for their anti-Messiah and a tiny orange thumb to suck on. 

Their elected representatives tend to be born of greed, power lust, and contempt for their constituents. They are expert spreaders of fear, lies, and hate - finding it far easier than actually doing something. I mean have you looked at McConnell? Or fancy pants Lindsay Graham? Or God forbid 'See You in Mexico' Ted Cruz? Slime and opportunistic ooze do not begin to describe.

Their dominate leader is bloated, orange, combed over, emotionally crippled, and sociopathic. A cheap, dull, unimaginative, flim-flam man from New York City, selling his golden elixir to those desperate enough to pretend it's real. 

Hear ye, hear ye, hear ye, come one, come all - Dr. Trump's Magic Miracle Elixir. Guaranteed to help you hate while making you feel good about it. 

God Bless Merica 

We Are All Bozos On This Bus

The big bang resulted in a new universe 7.7 x 10−30 meters across. That is smaller than an atom. It is smaller than a proton within an atom. In fact, it is smaller than the quarks that makeup a proton, within an atom. And yet it contained all the matter and energy of our entire universe.

Shortly thereafter a rapid inflation occurred - the faster than the speed of light expansion of the universe - causing an expansion by a factor of 60 that resulted in a universe about 0.88 mm across - about the size of a grain of sand. This occurred in 10−33 seconds. 

The expansion then slowed considerably but continues to this day. By 379,000 years after the big bang, when the first photons started streaming towards us, the universe was about 84.6 million light years in diameter, which is about 840 times the diameter of our galaxy. 

Today the observable universe is estimated to be 93 billion light years across.

It is easy to say these things. It was with some difficulty that we only recently came to know them. 

But knowing is not understanding. 

Will we ever understand? 

60 expansion - to 0.88mm, the size of a grain of sand.Inflation into what?

Republicans Lie Cheat and Steal

You have an election. It includes voting for US Senators, US Representatives, governors, etc.

One election - one ballot.

If a republican wins, say a senate seat, its a clean election. 

If a democrat wins, say a governorship, it's a rigged election. 

Same election. Same ballot. 

Got it. 

Casualty Houses

Soldiers don't make the 'ultimate sacrifice'. They were young and vital and just beginning their lives when they were gunned down. They so wanted to live. 

They were murdered as they murdered. That's what war is. 

Funny how we call them casualties. 

Maybe we ought to call slaughterhouses, casualty houses. Cows could then make the 'ultimate sacrifice' so we could eat steak.

A Beautiful Universe

“I don’t want to believe, I want to know.” – Carl Sagan

It's not 'science'. 'Science' is at once dismissed as caricature and disconnected gobbledygook by the fearful and the ignorant. 

In fact science is our only means to come as close as we possibly can to understanding the true nature of our universe, and ourselves.

It's not science. It's truth.

And it is beautiful.