"...who have not one virtue..."

after 30 minutes of trying i finally got this image to upload from my photos...

so what in the hell is this internet thing anyhow!?...i looked it up and came across this information "How big is the internet in 2025-Data, websites and users explained" (5 min) Nextzen Tech...and it says 5.4 billion users daily or 67% of the global population...1.3 billion websites...but only 200-250 million of these are maintained...google does 100,000 searches per second or 8.6 billion per day...of course all of these numbers must be taken as possibly inaccurate, some wildly inaccurate...i was recently told that everything i have ever written on these blogs could be erased with a single key stroke...maybe...maybe not...i have probably pissed someone off somewhere...one thing for sure is that humans on planet earth are using the internet very enthusiastically!...i would like to be able to download into my hard drive some of the youtube presentations that i find inspiring...i did just this a few years back but now it seems to be harder...one of the things that i have noticed is that more and more of the presentations are bogus information...should some oversight group edit this crap off the internet?...well, maybe a personal "bullshit meter" needs to be used..."The most mysterious language on earth isn't even human"...(18 min)...this is about bio-semioics which concerns how biological stuff communicates and how "...survival patterns become meaning systems"...mind stretching stuff here..."meaning is never fixed, it lives in context..."meaning may be more fundamental than matter..."wow! this are heavy concepts...chew on this for a while...and now some music i have listened to and enjoyed....mr micah nelson has a very good presentation with "Particle Kid" (this name according to mr nelson derives from his father once refering to him as "prodigal son"... "Golden Hair/ When you dance" these songs seem to be almost incantations and micah presents as a full blown Druid...great guitar work and vocals...more of this!...listened to a lot of older joan armadtading...what a songwriter!...there is a 24 minute interview with ms. armatrading from paul cashmere (Noise11) from australia...and "weakness in me" Radio 2 piano room (3:20)..listen to the words!....show some emotion!..."cotton pickin kids" have a great presentation with "I'll fly away"...excellent  harmony!...also i listen to Juice Newtons (official video) of "Angel of the morning"...brings back memories of long ago...i listened to the great radio show "American Routes" last week with nick spitzer from new orleans and heard some roots music from "The Charioteers" a gospel tune called "All Gods Chillun Got Shoes"....this song is actually about the extreme deprivation suffered by american negros to the extent that they could not afford proper footwear....and now some of them obtain very expensive shoes...(i heard that some "restitution" proponents are saying that according to their calculations great britain owes about 130 TRILLION! dollars to the offspring of former enslaved people...thats a lot! )....you might like a single short lived musical group called "The Dirty Mac" with a video called "Yer Blues" with 4 experienced musicians...namely john lennon, eric clapton, keith richards (on bass!) and mitch mitchell on drums...good stuff...whatever happened to those guys? ...i just heard that "Guns and Roses" will go on a big tour next year...same hair, same hat...same ol same ol same ol...i heard where a musical group called "Deer Hoof" got tired of the big business of music and decided to release their latest offering on "craigslist" ...whatever it takes...i think with current political climate in the USA we should be on the alert for the creeping "GLEICHSCALTUNG"...it might happen here! got to go as the sun is shining bright and "miles to go before i sleep..."

"...who have not one virtue to rub against another in the field of active life, and yet perhaps, in the life of contemplation, sit with the saints." robert louis stevenson from "The lantern Bearers" (1888) here he describes some of the people in his community who seem simple but have rich inner lives.
 

"...creation is ALWAYS the successful resolution"

top image is of the insect when first encountered after a rainy night...the next image is of another giant rainbow which was only visible for about 40 seconds, the camera was handy...the next image is of the same insect after some of the water drops were knocked off it...the bottom image is of shattered glass....which is how my mind feels occasionally....

 in the last couple of weeks or so i have encountered some very stimulating ideas from the internet and reading some great articles in the "new york review of books"...an especially stimulating presentation from "the silent thinker" entitled "Spinoza explains why guilt is the oldest disease of the spirit" (34 min)..i don't know why i have not read more of this humble lens grinders ideas...this poor guy was thrown out of his jewish church and it was forbidden for anyone to speak to him...he was way too intelligent to be sucked into the very flawed world view that was being propose at the time...he died at the age of 44 probably due to glass dust in his lungs...mr steven west on "Philosophize this!" has a couple of interesting segments on Spinoza also...another radical presentation i encountered (i doubt if any of these youtube presentations i encounter are strictly random chance) ... "What does lying do to your energy field?" the hidden library (20 min) this view astounded me...and makes sense on several levels...and "Living with synchronicity: Marie-Louise von Franz and C.G. Jung " (the Jungian Aion) 38 min...some excellent learned commentary is presented regularly by Sabine Hossenfelder with her "bullshit" meter "Is it pointless now to fight climate change?" and "What the HELL is wrong with Europe"...ouch!...i always like to see what "Animalogic" and Danielle Dufoe has to offer and i was especially pleased with her "Andean Cat- the rarest cat in the world" these tiny felines eat a lot of viscachio? which look like a sad rabbit...i worked at a place that had several of these animals which are strictly forbidden in the USA...also the veterinarian at the N.O. zoo after much research figured out how to do artificial insemination in felines....this might be of some interest to these rare cat conservationist...also Ms. Defoe said something i have never heard anyone say....which is that people might want to get a game camera and set it up at night to see what critters are around...i think more citizen science would help the professionals with more information...much as the large population of birders have become an important source of information for bird conservationists... i looked at a lot of music videos...with the recent death of Jimmy Cliff one of the better known "island" music performers i came across Ernest Ranglin the so called inventer of reggae and ska , a very good guitar player...more later past my bedtime...."

"...creation is ALWAYS the successful resolution of internal conflict or anxiety..." Dale Salwak 

 

"Be a channel...."

 like so much we encounter in the visual world there are sometimes only shadows to inform us

this beautiful lake in the desert attracts birds and vegitation

this western grebe was a constant resident in this place where the water flowed at all times

lost/misplaced my so called smart phone yesterday morning...this is a more traumatic experience than i had assumed...had to buy a replacement at the walmart yesterday and set the damned thing up...well the phone lady in the phone department was adamant that she had no obligation to help me with a "pay as you go" phone...and so she was no help at all....the news seems to be pretty negative. as the federal government of the USA has not figured out that no funding stalls a lot of government activity...i think the other governments (city/county/state) are determined to keep society more or less running...i did not plan to fly anywhere anyway....enough of the human errors in the world...some of my reference material was/is on the errant phone (lost or stolen ) so i will look to the notebooks and my memory...since new york city is much in the news recently i will start with a very good article in "The New York Review of Books" from may 23, 2024...the article is about the building of supertall buildings  in new york city....'".., in light of all the other urgencies the profession should be addressing instead-climate change and social equity being the two most urgent- the devotion of so much talent, money, and effort to erecting ever higher "supertalls' and "megatalls" verges on the obscene. The world is burning- literally and figuratively- this flagrant waste of capital and imagination makes the biblical parable of the Tower of Babel all too easy to comprehend as both the most ancient and most modern of human follies." last lines from "Supersize that?" by Martin Filler...i think they should allow people to jump from the top of the tallest buildings with and without parachutes...there is a very good youtube presentation by Dr. Andrew Huberman who interviews Dr, David Fajgebaum about "Using existing drugs in new ways to treat and cure diseases of brain and body." (2 hours)..this fascinating discussion illustrates how multi-disciplinary approaches to treating ailments has proved to be very productive...this just in...elon musk allowed mucho money by tesla board...like a trillion bucks if he can make tesla stock price rise...the robot army awaits..."Ultra Hardcore" is a good article in New York review of books (jan.18, 2024) which gives some history of elon musk...his life is different from your life...and i do not begrudge him is wealth as it seems to me most everything he has sought to develop is a positive influence on humanity..."Seeking the truth"(30 min) is a good youtube presentation about the author leo tolstoy 

this guy was born into a wealthy family and inherited the family estate when his parents died...he inherited 330 serfs (slaves?) which was a great influence on his life...

his best known book is a huge volume and he said it was not a novel...he kind of rejected the life of social parties and self indulgence after a while and the plight of the economically oppressed interested him much...never read it...but his was an interesting life....i listened to one of the latest musical offerings from Ms Florence Welch called "Buckle"...a very good vocal presentation and good lyrics...this poor girl has not had much luck in the relationship department if her songs are to be taken as personal experiences...she is one of my favorite female vocalists and sings with great power...HOWEVER! i did notice that at the end of one of the presentations of "Buckle" (the one one where she is facing to the left and wearing a sort of veil thing)...there are at least a dozen or more persons or entities shown (credits)...she got robbed! the crook (shirley kurata) who gets credit for "costume design" had no costumes to design...that veil don't hardly count as "costume"...and the rest of the vultures should be given the boot also...ms. Welch needs to spend some quality time with lucas nelson and study his wonderful musical presentations like "Hallelujah"...the one where he sits crosslegged on a bed with a camera and a guitar....forget the damned superfluous production crap...this woman has too much talent to let it be "produced" to death...by the way she is pretty but needs to come to the realization that she is older today than she was yesterday and she will age like everyone else...get over it..."Ancient Aboriginal (australian) History" rock carvings deeper meaning (22min)(rob dogs vlog) this is a good not overproduced viewing of some old, old, rock carvings...GET AMONGST!..."Little Chinese Everywhere" is still putting out some great youtube presentations....visiting a village with german inhabitants was exciting for Flo who speaks the language...a couple of weeks back Mr. Flo had a splitting headache as they ended the show...well DUH!...he was eating any food that was dropped on his table which is a big no no...undoubtedly poisoned by some jealous russian..."trust your friends, but cut the cards"...is a good reminder to be cautious at all times....

"Be a channel, not a dam"...a huberman

"Considering the unforeseen events..."

 being in the desert gives one much incentive for reflection on the human condition....

lets start with some good news for a change..."High school basketball team gives up title after the coach discovers they didn't actually win." (3 min)..."The most beautiful wingsuit flight I've done" (3:34) Joanne's/ wingsuit...."Teen workers save restaurant as owner spends months in hospital(4:27)...also I found some really good music from a person whom I met long ago..."Eliana" (4:05) is a superb piece of musical nostalgia which is mr Steve Conns speciality. Also "Annalee" is well done..."20 Ph.D's in the time of one,  how AI is changing college" (9:51)Bloomberg Television... "Improve your lymphatic system for overall health and appearance' by dr Andrew Huberman (1 hr. 40 min) is about something one does not hear about nearly enough and how the lymphatic system is essential to good health...Also I really enjoyed "Trinity sessions revisited Cowboy Junkies with Natalie Merchant (57 min.) this is one of the most artfully presented musical concerts I have ever seen...the director of photography is Eugene O' Conner and deserves special mention...I think this was filmed in "Church of the Holy Trinity in 2007...ms.Merchants voice is remarkably dynamic...there is a very good interview with Michael Timmins  the superb guitarist of the Cowboy Junkies which illustrates the special qualities which this musical group brings to their performances at "Rock and Roll ghost (S14 E1)...this concert is as much a seance as a music performance!...also as a fan of the Clark Creative ensemble I like to go back and review the presentations from some time ago such as "You can call me Al" the Paul Simon tune...Ms. "B" is undoubtedly one of the most animated performers ever to take the stage...she also has a presentation where she performs with a hula-hoop....only Shakira come close to her degree of animation...I am sure that her Mom is behind the camera giving her cues on "dance" moves....good fun!....

"Considering the unforeseen events of this world, we should be taught that no human condition should inspire men with absolute despair." H. Fielding

"A stone thrown ..."

 as I was gathering my belongings into my truck to move yesterday morning (it only took 5 hours!) I nearly gathered up this beautiful reptile before my monkey brain recognized the potential danger of doing so...I got it into a bucket and dumped it 50 yards away unhurt except for its pride perhaps....

as I watch the early morning news I see where the federal government has not figured out how to make government work...yet...I listened with some interest of the Albanian governments utilization of Artificial Intelligence in their government..actually in the position of administrator of some sort...this makes much more sense than waiting for elected persons to do their job...to the detriment of a smoothly operating government ....when the supplemental food allocation is not available I am sure that hungry people will be less controllable than the well fed...however...as more businesses reduce their workforce more people need to find "rewarding" occupation of their time...when I look around to see what needs to be done it occurs to me that there is much trash that could be picked up....just a suggestion....the television is quite keen on the jewelry which was stolen in France...not edible...lets move on...I hear a lot of dis-satisfaction about the current POTUS guy tearing down a building to put up another building...one of the problems in the USA today is the ossification of society/government....change is needed to keep fresh ideas coming into use...AND!!!...the current POTUS guy is old and will "shuffle off this mortal coil" soon enough...buildings are the least of the problems in this country....some useful Youtube presentations (with hopeful ideas) are as follows..."Why doctors say "OpenEvidence" is a game changer"...this presentation illuminates how effective AI will be in reviewing massive amounts of information to make better and faster medical decisions...."the operation was a success but the patient died" is not a good thing..."What is Biocomputing" (BBC news) 6:41 is about using living cells for computational purposes....PsycHacks "Weed is more dangerous than you think" is concerned with the psychological reasons people get high...some true some not...Lex Fridman interviews Julia Shaw about her specialty which is "criminal psychology of murder"...she also speaks eloquently about sex and sexual preferences etc...well worth the time (2hours 42min)..." How Chinese cartels took over Maine with no law enforcement response" ...this is pretty scary stuff...."How English Archers Made Knights obsolete in one afternoon"...ouch! this intriguing historical documentary gives one much food for thought about the future of all warfare...(22 minutes)

got to go now..."miles to go before I sleep"

"A stone thrown at the right time is better than gold given at the wrong time." Persian Proverb

"I had rather have..."

 

top image first morning...quartzite...second image...last morning in coconino forest 23 degrees F...last image the savior mechanic....mr Franco....

I was up at dawn last Thursday to pack up and go into town for my blood work etc...appointment at 1:30 I am on the road by 2 pm headed west and south...the truck is "not well"...I miss my hwy 95 south turn and take the second hwy 95 south turn at needles ,calif....if you have ever not wanted to break down this is the road you do not want to break down on...winding, hilly, desert dangerous...the truck is "not well"...after what seems like hours I finally get to I-10 intersection and the truck barely makes it up the hills headed east towards Quartzite...I feel like a disaster is about to happen....the truck is "not well"....I go up the hills with my emergency flashers on at 25 miles and hour on the interstate...I finally get to the first Quartzite exit and when I take a left towards Main Street I wonder if I should leap from the overpass onto the highway...too messy I decide....I take a right onto Main Street and after a few hundred yards the engine stops and the red battery light comes on...the truck is "terminally ill"...I coast into an empty lot next to a store that is closed and imagine the truck is ready for the crusher....I sleep a fitful sleep sitting up in the passenger seat...at dawn I turn the key in the ignition and GLORIORSKI!...the engine starts and I put it into gear and the truck moves ahead!....I pull into a driveway with a "honey for sale" sign that I have been to before....the honey salesman is gone but another vendor (in a town of vendors) is taking about vendors stuff and life as a vendor etc...I ask him if the knows of any decent mechanics in town...he has a business card on a desk which has the name and number of a mechanic....I am not hopeful however...I drive out onto the road and marvel at the very fact that the truck moves...I go towards the scratched and dented tent (this is quartzite Arizona and 3/4 of the town is here on a temporary basis.)..I call the number on the card and the man says he is at the corner with all the statuary...never seen it but I will find it....I buy 14 dollars worth of groceries and head towards the statuary corner...I find the mechanic talking with another guy and I open the hood of the truck and start the truck...I tell him the transmission is shot...he looks and leans and listens for a few minutes...he says it ain't the transmission....I say the spark plugs are 20 thousand miles past due to be replaced...he says yep...lets do that first...he says I should go to where I am going to camp...(Quartzite is surrounded by thousands of campsites in the desert) I go to the auto parts store and buy $225 worth of plugs and boots then head to the closest desert camping area (14 days for free)...the next day the mechanic shows up and like a man obsessed begins working on changing the spark plugs...several mechanics shops I had asked about changing the spark plugs said it was too hard and they would not do it...this mechanic has worked all around the world on ships and on farm equipment and whatever...life is a challenge to him and he takes that challenge...he finished the job in more than two hours but less than 3 hours....I drove the truck 8o miles to the closest town with another auto parts store and got a serpentine belt and he replaced that too...I drove the truck 70 miles south to Yumertonville with the air conditioner on and it seems to run fine and after two years NO ENGINE LIGHT!...I suppose I should consider this truck breakage to be pretty normal but I was so sure that it was the end of "life as we know it" that it feels more miraculous than normal....

"I had rather have a fool make me merry than experience make me sad."   Shakespeare

"Indeed, the dictum..."

black  cattle (Angus?) are a great improvement in herd management over the boney longhorns
 

 these red headed caterpillars seem to be specific to a single species of plant..many of the elk hunters seem to think that driving down the pipeline right of way is sufficient scouting to get an elk...however if you walk around a bit you can see where the elk have fed and pooped...and also enjoy the rest of nature...

rain, rain and more rain seems to be the weather forecast today...up at 4 am and by now I have ground considerable coffee beans with my recently purchased coffee bean grinder...super heavy duty and capable of producing a finer grind than the USB powered one I already own...munched half a dozen croissants and consumed 2 mugs of coffee probably to the detriment of my nervous system...I have done worse, much worse...was remembering my months (10 months) in New Orleans in 1984 when I often walked home from Miss Mays Place pool and bar in the early dawn light after listening to jazz music in Tylers beer garden till 2 am or so...one would think I would be a much better pool player than I am after spending so much time in pool joints...anyhow, I survived that episode of my life and suppose it was a learning experience...for someone as stupid as me "it takes a whole lot to medicine to make be believe that I'm somebody else"... (thanks randy)...I just listened to "Philosophize this'  on the stoics...mr west does a good job of explaining how mr Aurelius managed to come to write his "meditations"...this mans writing is some of the first philosophy I ever read...and found it engaging enough to continue a lifelong pursuit of other peoples philosophic world views...and I have come to realize that everyone is living according to some worldview or another... but that does not allow us to be regarded as philosophers any more than scribbling some doggerel makes us a poet...however ones self image is more important than how others view us...I was awakened at 2 am this morning by  the talking outside my room...also the regular horn sounding on the auto outside the room was a way of harassing me...alas and alack I am forever being subjected to meanness by a rotten segment of the population...I think that since I published the names of several of the constabulary from Oregon who were convicted of crimes of a sexual nature (actually most of these cops were guilty of failing to report the sexual abuse of co-workers) such is the way some people use their power...and in calling for the release of Rap Brown who killed a couple of cops during a time when blacks were being executed by rogue cops I have incurred  the rathe of more than a few officers of the law....well so be it...yesterday I was stalked by a member of the more soiled contingent of the local law enforcement community... this happens regularly and often these folks like to refer to me as "the perv"...which is not a compliment....but I don't care to retract any criticisms I have made about corruption...police work is very difficult and needs to be supported not condemned...a few of the better YouTube presentations I have viewed recently are ..."Organisms are processes, not things"Wahida Chandler (20min) and "Heidegger's They-Self: WhyYou're Not actually living your own life"...this entire lecture needs to be listened to for it to be understood..."How to control your inner voice and increase your resilience" Dr. Ethan Kross (3 hours 9min.) a good explanation of inner dialogue and how it effects you...

"Indeed, the dictum that truth always triumphs over persecutions, is one of those pleasant falsehoods which men repeat after one another till they pass into common places, but all experience refutes." J.S. Mill