GO GET YER DARN FLU SHOT FER PITY SAKE!

Well, I'm having a little opinion. It's like a dizzy spell or a feverish dream where you yell a little.

You know I love you - but nonetheless I have seen so many crazy posts in the last few days. So I advise you to proceed and read with caution and a grain of salt. Just remember to read the OMGs REALLY LOUDLY.

Planes get safety checks before every take off but OMG some still crash so let's just stop checking those planes cause obviously checking is the cause....People who wear seatbelts get killed in car crashes every day - yet we still wear seatbelts. OMG!! People who breathe the air are constantly dying every day yet we still breathe the air!!!\

Warning!! Warning:

Prior sequence does not equal causation. Doing something followed by death is the condition of every human being - every single one. (OMG!!) We're all going to die of something. Sometimes it'll be flu. Flu can kill - that's why we get a flu shot and most of the time it prevents or lessens the course of the flu. Sometimes the person might die anyway - the vaccine targeted a different strain, or the person had a compromised system and immunity was not conferred.

But I know that you know what you know, driven as you are. So go ahead. Throw away one of the readily available and inexpensive benefits of modern research and skip your shots. And drive without your seat belt, represent yourself in court, refuse to breathe this contaminated air!!! LIFE IS JUST TOO Dangerous!

I'm so sorry. Please accept this big cyber bear-hug.
Oh wait. I had a flu shot a few days ago. Maybe you better not.....

Poem for April 4 - Slightly Irregular Apocalypse Sale!

SLIGHTLY IRREGULAR APOCALYPSE SALE

Six bucks a bag
of our unwieldy woes
No looking back, no excuses
- everything goes!

   Economic instability,
   colliders building to infinity.
   Famine, flood or fire,
   entropic flat tires.
   Wormholes, black holes,
   comet-born plague,
   missiles from the Kremlin,
   precise justice from the Hague?
   Lab DNA morphing,
   death by excess endorphins
   Killer bees, disappearing bees, alien pods,
   anti-matter implosions, a zombie Steve Jobs.
   String theory unraveling, oil for free
   a bang or a whimper - say will it be
   by fire or ice, a snarl or a moan?
Predictions are futile so leave me alone....

                                       -- MM Walker
------------------------------------------
The prompt was to use an Ian Banks title - http://www.napowrimo.net/2013/04/day-four/

BOOKS: The Road To Wellville by T.C. Boyle

don't rock the boat, fish quietly while it sinks

fanatics, followers & blind  belief

Pompous quacks, big business chicanery, na'r-do-well sons, accidental electrocution, nudist picnics, infidelity, arson and the unrepentant human willingness to believe, no matter what - The Road To Wellville T.C. Boyle's hysterical historical fiction work has it all.

On The Road To Wellville, it is not only the characters but also the reader who must sustain a “suspension of disbelief,”  in order to continue page to page, enjoying this wild and crazy saga - all the more unbelievable because it is based in a true story.  Major characters and a number of minor ones are all being duped by someone. And they are complicit in the deception. Ask any con man, the mark wants to believe. And when someone offers us a path to good health - we want to believe that too - to hell with the evidence. (Otherwise no one would be selling homeopathic remedies these days.)

In fact, -- the road to human well-being is most certainly not found on the road to “The San”  the Sanatorium in Battle Creek.  – it's the Kalamazoo  Road that the emergent and unlikely hero Will Lightbody impatiently traverses to finally take action, to stand up for himself, his wants and his wife - that is the road to heath and sanity.

As his name would suggest Mr. Will Lightbody, Eleanor's “gawk” of a husband, is a lightweight in the will department, choosing repeatedly to ignore things that would send most sane folks running for safety or at least for to the phone to call a good litigator.  Mr. Lightbody allows himself to be ignored and put off by his wife, literally starved and cowed by Dr. Kellog and his variously persuasive nurses, despite the mounting list of mishaps.  After a truely bizarre electrocution scene in the sinusoidal baths, Lightbody immediately forgets his own courageous action in saving Alfred Woodbine the attendant.  His own quick thinking and courage are set aside, and the whole event  frightens him enough to inspire a drinking bout and a meat-eating rebellion.  Yet, even after pointedly rubbing Dr. Kellogg's nose in the messy fact of Praetz's death, Lightbody still, unbelievably, allows this self-righteous socialite quack to send him for an indefinite punitive mechanical enema:

"A blister, swelling and swelling till it bursts – that was Dr. Kellogg. He was blind, he was deaf, he was a god on a cloud: the name of Homer Praetz had never been uttered. Such impudence didn't merit  responses.[...] “put him [Will Lightbody] on the enema machine until further notice.” 

A little later Lightbody lets Kellogg send him under the knife - intestinal surgery to remove an imaginary “Kellogg's Kink” !

Yet no one, including the great doctor Kellogg is immune to the need to believe the improbable. He never once suspects that his son George burned the  first Sanatorium building years earlier, and he immediately has faith in glowing scientific reports of radium, (never mind if a patient or two keels over), and he believes his own overblown public reputation. He is also duped by fellow vegetarian fanatic Badger and The Manipulative Therapy doctor as are quite a number of satisfied women, including Eleanor Lightbody.

Besides The Manipulative Therapy nudist picnic, one of the most interesting sideshows is George Kellogg, the filthy, drunken adopted son, the “err”' apparent. He is the salient inconvenient consequence of “Dr. Vegetable's” actions and philosophy. George, the ugly underside of the “Dr. Anus” is the potential terminus of some rather lucrative illusions.  Supposedly the bad seed, his need for, and to torment the Doctor is acute; the essential quality of their relation is blame rather than deception.

George's opposite is the aspiring Charlie Ossining, son of the gatekeeper, taken in by the wealthy Mrs. Hookstratten.  He wants so desperately to be an entrepreneur that he is duped endlessly by Bender despite  an incredible array of evidence that the man is a shark. Bender dupes Ossining into duping Mrs. Hookstratten and Will Lightbody.

Yet in the end, Ossining persists and eventually succeeds in business. His wealthy Auntie Amaelia Hookstratten was after all, a reality “hook” for straitening out the young Ossining. Her prodigy, though estranged, finally succeeds and makes the perfect tonic. George, (Kellog Jr.) the perfect ingrown hair does not.

The last meeting between Dr. Kellogg and G. Kellogg Jr - with fire, white wolf, chimp, torn clothing, insults and  bottled excrement unleashed - is pure slapstick melodrama. No wonder they made a movie out of it. George's death is also the perfect METAPHOR for what the Dr. is doing to his patients: drowning them in stinking, slippery fanatic unfounded so-called-truth. They, like George could have escaped, but they prefer  blind belief  to figuring it all out for themselves.

--- M.M. (Mar) Walker
author of Inverse Origami - the art of unfolding,
editor and writer at The Metaphor.atorium
and former editor of Bent Pin Quarterly.
originally written in November of 2003

A Poem & Digital drawing regarding the "Heaven's Gate" cult suicides

Heaven's Gate was a religious cult a bit sci-fi in nature.  The believed a UFO hiding behind the comet Hail-Bop would "beam"  their purefied beings into another, better realm. First of course, they would have to shed their mortal bodies by putting plastic bags over their heads after eating poison tapioca pudding.

Religious delusions haven't changed much since I wrote the poem below. Since the early 1990s we have seen countless religiously motivated killings in the form of suicide bombers, the 9/11 attack, abortion clinic bombers and doctor shooters.  Cult suicide is a tremendous waste of human life and potential. Of course it can't occur without blind faith. Heaven's Gate followers believed these things because their LEADER told them so.  Just one more little reason to never subscribe to a religion of any sort.

.One-Way Portal -

As Earth’s mechanical eyes scan

this not-so-empty darkness, her restless

children ache to dance down galaxies,

chase cosmic winds on callused primate feet.

Unsatisfied as voyeurs, 39 webheads queued

at Heaven's Gate, backpacks at the ready,

humming at the window, eating tapioca.

They clutched plastic, vacuous and opaque,

waited for data retrieval, personal uploads

facing unrecoverable error, depression

deferred in bunk-bed suburban stillness, escape

velocity for the purple-shrouded dead.

They hardly knew their Mother.
Bury them in her darkest loam,
rich compost of stars.

April 6, 1997
©1997 M. M. Walker

-from Inverse Origami - the art of unfolding
--- Mar (Mistryel) Walker, © 1998
Puzzled Dragon Press

  I was thinking about the ever expanding galactic structures of space and the even more convoluted eddies of the human mind when I drew this. As with all my digital drawings, it has been manipulated electronically in a host of programs over the years.

April 19 - Unholy irony

Prompt - write an angry poem

Unholy irony

You burned supposed witches
staked reputed vampires
launched crusades
drank the cool-aide
blew yourselves to bits
in crowded squares
to show us what -
infinity?
perfect love?

-- Mistryel Walker

Christian right's odd position on Illegal Immigrants

A while ago, a relative who is a member of a "born-again" type church was talking to me about the "rightness" of arresting and deporting illegal immigrants. She quoted her pastor on the matter. As "de-converted" former believer, who is essentially an atheist, (though perhaps more of an naturalist), I thought this was an extremely odd position for an evangelical to take. The following is adapted from a letter I wrote to her.

Dear .....

I have been pondering how fundamentalism could have joined the bourgeoisie. I was under the impression that if you are an evangelical christian, your task is to spread "the gospel" the supposed good news so that "souls" can be saved. I heard you are "fishers of men" not "fishers of law abiding citizens and men with green cards."

According to the gospels Jesus had lunch with outcasts. Do you think that today he might be visiting the homes of illegals who are as reviled as the tax collectors, harlots and lepers of his time?

The gospels don't mention a single instance where Jesus hailed a Roman soldier or one of the High Priests and asked that a harlot get the punishment the law required. Nor did he ever ask that a homeless leper be escorted to the city limits. "Go and sin no more," isn't the same statement as Romans! Police! deport this criminal! Read your "holy" book, and think about the way a god who supposedly loves all humans and wants to "save" them would want you to behave towards the precious and possibly "unsaved" souls you want to deport.

Just a thought from your friendly local atheist

=========================================

Bolt -a Disney movie with some remarkable metaphor

The two dollar movies at Edmund Town Hall are a welcome treat in these days of low budget living. Thursday evening, an acquaintance and I went there to see Bolt, a Disney movie. Although it's animated, and heart-warming Bolt's a different sort of Disney movie. Bolt is a story of a gradual fall from belief, of a journey from blanket labels of good and evil to a realization of the micro-community of friendship and family . It's not a story of finding fame and fortune - but of turning away from it. Bolt, a dog, is "superhero" star of a Sat morning TV show. He doesn't know it's a show. His delusion - that he has certain "super powers" - runs smack into reality in a very funny way.

However Bolt holds metaphor that are needed in this sad world where Religion's blind tenents drive so much death and misery, where greed has ruined a global economy for an unknown number of years to come., where the cult of celebrity flaunts personality disorder and borderline socio-pathic actions as "cool"

Instead of a boy and a dog, it's a girl and her dog. Instead of the usual single parent DAD with his daughter which is a common TV family, this is a short plump little MOM and her daughter. Instead of a bone the dog's favorite toy is a stuffed carrot. Instead of the dog being wildly perceptive and human being hoodwinked - in this case the human knows the score and dog is a true believer. Instead of the hero saving the day - it's a tiny hamster and a discarded disillusioned cat that hold the keys. Instead of "belief" and "super powers" saving the world - it's the reality of a few small beings, just doing what they can.

Mittens is an ally cat (really a de-clawed abandoned house cat), that Bolt meets when he is accidently shipped to New York in a crate of packing peanuts. He thinks the peanuts are his kryptonite and have sapped away his powers. Bolt captures Mittens thinking she is related to the cat characters on his show who were the minions of its evil anti-hero. So he ties himself to her and demands to be taken to Penny. Though Mittens hasn't a clue who penny is, she notices Bolts license-tag says Hollywood CA. So she confesses that Penny is in Hollywood and shows Bolt a discarded tourist map. Off they go on trucks and trains to cross the country. Along the way they meet the hamster "Rhino" a fan of Bolt the superhero. Rhino is viral alright - he is a living infectious mem - a true believer living a a bubble ( a plastic Habi-trail exercise globe). Bolt is reminded of his ideals when Rhino launches off on one of his sermons, determines to use what power he has to find his human (or maybe his humanity instead of his fake "superpower")

It really could be argued that Bolt, Mittens, and Rhino are aspects of the self and are internal.... and together they are a whole personality.

To sum it up, I laughed, I cried, I had stuff to think about afterwards. It doesn't get any better than that. Bolt is a film worth going to see no matter what age grasshopper you might be now ..

-- Mar Walker

Mar's escape from Christianity.... true story

A true story and a little known fact: Though I am a heathen mezzo these days, and an atheist/naturalist - I was once a fundamentalist evangelical Christrian for seven years, during which I actually attended a bible college for three years. In this video I tell the story of getting converted at 14 and then what made me flee the whole ideology at 21.....

http://www.youtube.com/v/Uz4BrY28J7c&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0

Ethanol - more short-sighted foolishness

Think Ethanol will save us from big oil? Ethanol IS big oil and big money.

Naturally our All-Cronies-All-The-Time government gives conservation credits to energy businesses that BURN UP a crop that used to provide cheap food for people around the world. Plans for several proposed Ethanol plants by U.S. campanys have been put on hold in the last month because the rising cost of corn is now making Ethanol untenable as an alternative fuel.

It wasn't so long ago that vegetarian argument against eating beef was that it used up too much of the world's corn. Science says you can grow more pounds of human being per bushel of corn, than you can grow from that same corn, if the cattle eat it, and then the humans eat the cattle. Or course how many miles per gallon does a human being get exactly? Haha. Yikes what a world.

I heard there is a plant going in in New Milford, or proposed for that town, that would create energy out of weeds. Not sure what to make of that yet.

Watch out when business people recommend their clients

When a friend recommends someone to sell your house, tile your bathroom or pull the engine out of your antique VW, stop up your ears and run for cover. Pause, steep some tea, pour yourself a glass of sherry or amaretto. Have a beer or a latte. Sit and contemplate alternatives. Or at least ask a few questions and do some research. Sure your friend means well, but good intentions and good advice are not the same thing.

Especially beware when friends, relatives and others recommend people who are clients in their businesses. Just because the client successfully buys services or goods doesn't mean they are good at providing goods or services themselves. Many businessmen espouse the motto, "One hand washes the other." So, they try to throw a little business to their clients by recommending them. They don't necessarily know anything about their clients practices or reputation as a service provider, and are not aware of complaints or legal actions pending against them either. All they know, is they guy pays his bill or they hope he will soon...

The unmerited assumption that a business person is trustworthy can play out badly for the one doing the trusting. I know this from painful experience.

A friend recommended a real estate agent to me several years ago, quite a few years ago, THough th ending was eventually a good one with a different realtor it cost me a year of time to right it. The lesson I learned was this - don't fail to investigate and read the fine print because you think this person your friend recommended has your best interests at heart 

I recently heard another sad tale right in the family. My cousin-in-law who is a nice fellow and a very good businessman, recommended a mortgage banker to my Uncle, told the guy, the Uncle needed a fixed rate mortgage.

When the Uncle, after also asking for a fixed rate mortgage himself, reads the mortgage contract he sees that his interest rate is guaranteed for two years only. BUT INCREDIBLY HE SIGNS IT ANYWAY. After all his daughter's husband who is very smart, recommended the guy and he must know..... NOT NOT NOT! Next year his interest rate will sky-rocket because he assumed this was the best he could do since his daughter's hubby recommended him. Or in his case,  it likely has more to do with his irrational belief that the world would end before the two year initial interest rate expired....

ALWAYS investigate. May I take my own advice.....

Medical bruohaha needs context

A letter I am sending today to the local paper

To the editor:

The News Times and Connecticut's various versions of television news have repeatedly run stories that illegal immigrants are costing Danbury Hospital $4 million in unpaid bills. The figure has been cited over and over again. Any reporter and any thinker worth his salt knows a figure without context can be a little like holding a dime up next to the moon on a dark night or looking at one line from a drawing. Could be the side of a skyscraper. Then again it could be the side of a jelly jar.

There are two numbers without which the $4 million dollar figure is completely meaningless. It is necessary to know the total amount billed out for medical care (both paid and unpaid) by the same hospital during the same time period - and also how much was spent by that hospital covering for medical care for uninsured and UNDERINSURED American Citizens.

Then there must be a comparison - what percentage of the total billed out for medical care does that $4 million represent? And what is the percentage of the total for the unpaid bills of citizens? Give us context and then we'll know how to consider that $4 million. I suspect we are whining about the jelly jar when we should be furious about the skyscraper...

ADENDUM - As of Dec, The Danbury News Times never chose to print this. They never even called to confirm the letter sender as is usual at most newspapers.

Truthism - crazier than other isms?

It's tragic how people's ideas can clash.

On Youtube on my SingingMist channel, (Now thePuzzledDragon channel) I have a "Got Christmas Dread " video. Someone left a comment on it, that Religion and Science were bullshit and should be junked infavor of Truthism.

When I visited the website indicated on Truthism, I found about six pagse of of circular bushwhacking before it finally got around to the crux of it - an emphatic belief that the planet is controlled by "Reptilian Overseers." And of course you can see these reptiles only under the influence of meditation or hallucinogenic drugs. Imagine that.

I thought that was crazy enough, but then an equally strange thing happened. One of my regular viewers told the "truthist" person to get outta dodge with his "filth" I replied with some notes about free speech - but shortly after the fellow's account was suspended. I guess that was considered spam? His comments had vanished. I thought well, I will just start over again. And I deleted all the comments on that video.....

Funny how one man's truth is another's ridiculous fantasy - how one man's free discourse is another's filth. When talking about the religion, the storyline always gets crazy no matter what faith is under discussion. How outlandish is a virgin birth or people rising from death or the whole world being carried on a giant turtles back? It seems like no one is able to think of these crazy notions as psychological metaphor. No wonder we are bumping each other off at a frantic pace over religion. Maybe that's man's tragic flaw - his penchant for us-and-them self-delusion.

-- Mar Walker

Optical Phantasma

Moved from the Metaphoratorium Gallery:

The optical confusion obscuring this 2005 winter view of my front door, easily lends itself to metaphor. I took this shot from the living room window, through double-pain glass. I like the little light ghosts that resulted. Like everyone else, my view of the world can be distorted by phantasms: of imagination, personal history, assumption and unfortunate but transitory conditions inside the cranium.

---- Mar Walker