At the time a few years back that I posted at this website my imagined "Beggar's (rock) Opera," or do-it-yourself "Moulin Rouge," the amazon.com .mp3 downloads were not yet in existence.
At present of course they not only are but they also include each and all of the songs I had selected. Here then they are with the direct links to individual songs:
In continuation of our sometime oceanic theme of late, I happened to notice, after posting those "Stingray" videos off of YouTube, one such for "Marine Boy."
The music, though a little corny, is pretty nice so I thought I would put it up also. Now between "Speed Racer" and "Marine Boy," I'm inclined to think the second was the better series. But both in retrospect were well done for their time, and had some fairly intelligent story lines. Certainly they were light years ahead of the animated shows they make for children these days. Later Note. And, as someone mentioned, there is also "Gigantor" with its memorable introduction song.
~~~~~~*~~~~~~
Here from Google Books as a 4th of July present is Joel Barlow's (1754-1812) ode to corn flakes, "Hasty Pudding" (1793). Although mostly intended to be humorous, it succeeds better perhaps I think in retrospect in those parts where seasonal sentiments and timeless human scenes are expressed and rendered; such as this from the end to Canto II.
"Now the strong foliage bears the standards high,
And shoots the tall top-gallants to the sky;
The suckling ears the silken fringes bend,
And pregnant grown, their swelling coats distend;
The loaded stalk, while still the burden grows,
O'erhangs the space that runs between the rows;
High as a hopfield waves the silent grove,
A safe retreat for little thefts of love,
When the pledged roasting-ears invite the maid
To meet her swain beneath the new-form'd shade;
His generous hand unloads the cumbrous hill,
And the green spoils her ready basket fill;
Small compensation for the twofold bliss,
The promised wedding, and the present kiss.
"Slight depredations these; but now the moon
Calls from his hollow trees the sly raccoon;
And while by night he bears his prize away,
The bolder squirrel labours through the day.
Both thieves alike, but provident of time,
A virtue rare, that almost hides their crime.
Then let them steal the little stores they can,
And fill their gran'ries from the toils of man;
"We've one advantage where they take no part--
With all their wiles, they ne'er have found the art
To boil the Hasty Pudding; here we shine
Superior far to tenants of the pine;
This envied boon to man shall still belong,
Unshared by them in substance or in song.
"At last the closing season browns the plain,
And ripe October gathers in the grain;
Deep-loaded carts the spacious cornhouse fill,
The sack distended marches to the mill;
The lab'ring mill beneath the burden groans,
And showers the future pudding from the stones;
Till the glad housewife greets the powder'd gold,
And the new crop exterminates the old."
~~~~~~*~~~~~~
To resume from my last post and for those who might need some catching up on the topic --
The question might be asked, "What if you are wrong? What if in rejecting these spirit people's Heaven, you are rejecting real Heaven? How can you be so sure you are correct in your assessment?"
In response --
"By their fruits you shall know them." Is real Heaven highly secretive? Does real Heaven act in cooperation with malicious and violent spirit people? Some might answer with respect to the second question -- yes, inasmuch as the God can use or is using the malicious and violent spirit people in order to test, educate, and or punish, it is all right and justifiable for Heaven to cooperate with such people. My own reaction to this is -- how would you know spirit people, such as angels, are actually of Heaven and not a private party presuming to be Heaven, if not one instead impersonating it? Would those disposed to evil be above doing such a thing? Note also, if, say, the
devils need to punish me in order to do God's will -- does this mean that any given act of violence or extreme aggression on a devils or criminals part is automatically an act or extension of God's will? While I can accept this in a very broad, philosophical, grand-scheme-of-things sense; in the individual instance it is very easy to see that to adopt such an explanation makes all crime lawful, and is inherently contradictory, and encourages an attitude of moral indifference -- a policy I submit that is both very impious and irreligious.
And even if we grant that devils are authorized, what are these angels for? To offer one hope and consolation? In my own experience, far from being any hope or consolation, they are mostly, if not always, a kind of torment used to make it seem as if the violence (inflicted by devils and criminals) is legitimate. At the same time, what I have known of (what I consider to be) real hope, real happiness, and real heaven is so infinitely superior to the goodness seeming angels have shown that it is far easier for me to see them as slaves of a tyrant rather persons devoted to higher goodness. And what is higher goodness if not higher character, including honesty and accountability?
As a practical matter, lording spirit people would like to represent higher authority and goodness and
are childish, cowardly, interminably arrogant, pushy, abusive, callous, cheaters, bullies, hypocritical, irresponsible and disregarding of any earthly human authority; yet in their conduct they
are childish, cowardly, interminably arrogant, pushy, abusive, callous, cheaters, bullies, hypocritical, irresponsible and disregarding of any earthly human authority; even if that human authority is polite, honest, fair, and reasonable. At the same time they turn away from openness and
candor, they rely on fear, violence, magic tricks, and manipulating feelings and the senses (without appealing to honest reason) to have their way. Is this Heaven? Does this reflect higher goodness? And if it is questionable whether their conduct reflects higher goodness then is it not also questionable and in doubt whether they represent real Heaven? And if there is doubt and uncertainty, how is such to be resolved without open and forthright parlance? And yet, again, such are forbid! So what kind of sense then is it to think of such people as being of Heaven?
This is not at all to suggest that there are no Heavenly spirit people or that such do not exist. Rather, all I'm averring is that even if a given spirit person or angel seems Heavenly, it does not necessarily follow that they are veritably so. "Judge not by appearances but by the truth." Only by means of honest rational analysis is one in a position to possibly tell the difference. And again, if spirit people forbid these, what then does that say about their credibility?
~~~~~~*~~~~~~
It is a point I casually take for granted, and yet perhaps it would be a good idea to try and explain it again to some. As is not untypical of me, I will speak broadly and generally without necessarily attempting to exhaust all significant aspects of the subject; in other words, I will present the notion in a manner so that hopefully at least some readers will get the basic idea.
There can be said to be certain kinds of higher ideality, i.e. peoples visions, visualized and felt higher truths, aspirations, goals, intimations, imaginings, fancies, and these depending on the person and culture can take on various forms. Now with respect to higher ideality and the issue of spirit people (such as I often address at this website), there are at least two major idealities contending politically between regular people -- a.) higher ideality based on truth and right reason and just sentiment, and b.) higher ideality as presented by puissant and lording spirit people. The question then becomes -- which of the two is better? Which of the two is both the most proper and most desirable vision for regular people to prefer? The answer for me to this is question is quite simple. The Heaven of trouble making spirit people, taken all in all and given certain qualifications (such as our pitying and making allowance for the slaves, captives and zombies among them; and yes they have a nice gold coin; and yes, they have some nice lighting and furniture, etc.) is really and mostly a lot of trash. The vision of happiness, love, and peace found in true (and honest) religion, true philosophy, true reason, on the other hand, far exceeds the ethereal deceptions, misrepresentations, and specious, albeit subtle, allures of the former -- so much so that, as I said, I previously would hardly otherwise have thought it further worth mentioning. But just in case...
~~~~~~*~~~~~~
As we have expounded on here before, those who will not uphold honesty and reason either do not think all that much to begin with and or effectively bow down to the authority of ghosts (and or these ghosts' earthly representatives.) This phenomena and problem is by no means unique to our own time; only in about the last three or so decades it has gone from being a frequent or common sickness to something more like a rampant plague and epidemic. And inasmuch as Hell is and has gone more public it affords us the opportunity to see more clearly what they seek to encourage and how they operate.
One alarming characteristic of Hell doctrine that has revealed itself more pronouncedly is that of getting people to sacrifice or scapegoat someone else who is more or less innocent. As if by persuading others to betray or sacrifice another (who is more or less innocent) they can consider themselves as making very significant headway in bringing those accomplices into Hell's fold.
Exactly why this is so is perhaps not so readily or entirely obvious. I suppose one explanation is that having others betray an innocent, or someones) more or less innocent, is in certain circumstances both not so hard to effect; at the same time a person is got to do something that shows a flagrant disregard for equal justice and fairness. And if a person rejects the notions of equal justice and fairness it all the more qualifies and prepares them as a citizen of Hell; where equal justice and fairness are not anything to be taken very seriously.
It is also correct to say Hell endeavors to create the idea that society must have its guilty people; indeed, to participate in society one must be prepared to consciously and overtly do the wrong thing – and for the sake of doing the wrong thing (as much as any other reason.) Many of films and television shows of the last 20 years exhibit an unabashed desire to corrupt and have people not only think lightly of wrong doing but see it as fashionable -- e.g. rabid gambling, reckless adultery, prurient sex, even murder. This, among other things, serves to remind us that evil needs to be sold to people. And these Hell spirit people know full well one lesser kind of evil, cleverly manipulated, can trigger another and worse evil; indeed, there are experienced veterans among them who have these kinds of things mapped out with shrewd behavioral precision.
Again, not infrequently in our day is it the case that spirit people end up ruling in a community where honesty and reason don't rule. In turn, regular people's capacity to reason then is pushed over to a subsidiary and secondary role. Under such an order, the best and the brightest are spirit people who dwell (mostly) in the shadows (and not any of the regular people.) It is they who become the true rulers. And their regular people followers in turn progressively take on subordinate and junior roles in the scientific, religious, and intellectual scheme of things.
Professions, vocations, schools, and institutions in this way are effectively usurped and "toy" or "play" versions of these and which answer to the needs of the spirit people are installed in their place; with truth and integrity invariably and usually (though not always -- appearances do after all count for something) made a mockery and travesty of, and the "pro" made occupied with petty concerns, assigned useless activity, or worse. Once neutralized this way, the devil more easily finds work for idle hands (such as wars, etc.)
~~~~~~*~~~~~~
Is evil powerful? Is this a silly or obvious question? For many the answer is an emphatic -- yes, evil is powerful. Indeed, for such it is the most powerful force, and it takes a philosopher to try and get people to even consider the alternative. And who is willing to discuss evil openly, rationally, and objectively? Few or none. And yet evil is most a threat when people come to believe or speak as if there is no such thing as serious evil.
When things are bad one needs most to be concerned about what is the worst problem. For most often, if not everywhere and always, it is the case that if the worst problem is not addressed it means little to attempt to combat or cure lesser ills. It of course never ceases to irk and irritate me then how people can worry and complain about this or that being a serious problem yet not address at all the issue of spirit people from whom worst evil comes. If there are after all spirit people instigating problems, what sense does it make then to go pointing the finger at some secondary or tertiary cause?
And who are the majority of the blessings of this world intended for? Some churlish oaf who does things to people? Some mastermind of evil?
Sounds absurd to think. Yet if not these, who?
So how much sense does it make to award the greatest material wealth and power a nation has to offer to largely anonymous, dishonest, ruthless criminals who tell us honesty and reason will not work? And yet is it not these latter by and large who are more materially enriched than any other kind of person?
~~~~~~*~~~~~~
And some of you will by now, if not long ago, have figured out that it is one of Hell's foremost strategies to sideline, if not assassinate, the worthy, honest, and just while empowering and raising in importance the false, timid and incompetent; silencing and punishing merit while honoring and rewarding treason - and all this in the name of promoting the public good!
~~~~~~*~~~~~~
Can one fight Hell? If they are a group perhaps not. But man for man, a single intelligent and brave enough person can take on one and more of them easily.
~~~~~~*~~~~~~
For those of you who might have ancestors or relatives who first came to the United States via Ellis Island, there is a useful site at http://www.ellisislandrecords.org/ that provides some pertinent information and documentation. To give you two examples in the case of my own family -- my great-grandfather on my mother's side (i.e. her father's father) was Wancas (actually Vincus) Blazis. His data is as follows:
Ethnicity: Russian (actually Lithuanian, Lithuania at that time was part of Russia)
Last Place of residence: Fhotts
Date of Arrival: June 17, 1903
Age at arrival: 18
Port of Departure: Glasgow
Ship of Travel: Mongolian
Regarding the Mongolian the website states:
Built by D. and W. Henderson and Co. Ltd, Glasgow, Scotland, 1891. 4,837 gross tons; 400 (bp) feet long; 45 feet wide. Steam triple expansion engine, single screw. Service speed 13.5 knots. 1,180 passengers (100 first class, 80 second class, 1,000 third class).
Built for Allan State Line, British flag in 1891 and named Mongolian. Glasgow-Montreal and Glasgow-New York Service. Torpedoed and sunk on June 31, 1918.
Now his (later) wife's (my great-grandmother) record's report is thus:
Domizela (Domicella) Baranskas
Ethnicity: Russian, Lithuanian
Last Place of residence: Ilginsk, Russia
Date of Arrival: Sept. 30, 1912
Age at arrival: 16
Port of Departure: Hamburg
Ship of Travel: Lincoln
Built by Harland & Wolff Limited, Belfast, Northern Ireland, 1907. 18,168 gross tons; 616 (bp) feet long; 68 feet wide. Steam quadruple expansion engines, twin screw. Service speed 14.5 knots. 1,480 passengers (324 first class, 152 second class, 1,004 third class) One funnel and six masts. Steel hull, four decks and awning deck.
Built for Leyland Line, British flag in 1907 and named Scotian. Sold to Hamburg-American Line, German flag, in 1907 and renamed Berlin. Renamed President Lincoln in 1907. Hamburg-New York Service. Laid up at New York in 1914. Seized by US Government in 1914 and renamed USS President Lincoln. Sunk in the Atlantic by a German U-boat on April 31, 1918.
~~~~~~*~~~~~~
Solid Eternity
There are ways a soul
Knows another soul,
And knows they love them too;
Touching a soulful fineness
That even the most
Keen spying spirit
Cannot scan or read --
Infrequent though they happen.
One day,
Hearing the echo of their presence
In the empty corridor
Of unfamiliarity,
And we learn our felicity
Lay hid all this while unknown
-- but there!
Rare are those
That cause you within to weep;
Grateful then their memory keep,
And before you sigh anymore!
~~~~~~*~~~~~~
Paddy Ryan (real name: Earl Patrick Freeman)
I don't know that I have anything so very special to say about locally owned and operated Pacific Northwest professional wrestling except that it is one of those things I miss. Though I do understand there are some new promoters out there endeavoring to revive and carry on past tradition, I am not quite acquainted with what they are doing. Yet if they are acting in that praiseworthy spirit of their predecessors, I for one wish them well.
There were at one time two main televised pro wrestling groups in the region where I live: the one from the Seattle area led by, as I recall, promoter Dean Silverstone, and the bigger and longer enduring Northwest Wrestling that came out of Portland, Oregon headed by Don Owen. These were professional wrestling at their best; really and usually much better than
the nationally televised versions; in no small part because they were mom and pop run outfits in comparison
with the larger more corporate like organization, say of the WWF. Don't get me wrong. We loved WWF and WCW when they were in their heyday also. But local wrestling had a more spontaneous and casual flavor to it; so that the wrestlers tended to be a bit more individualistic in their acts and personalities. I say "acts" because there is an undeniable comedic quality to good professional wrestling, and the Northwest wrestlers of decades past were some of the best, funniest, and most likable performers we ever enjoyed in this wise. Who that saw them can forget the likes of Lumberjack Luke, the Hell's Angels, Chief Jay Strong Bow, Matti Susuki, Dutch Savage, Playboy Buddy Rose and so many others? A number of them I now learn are gone, including Paddy Ryan, and as of just a year ago Portland referee Sandy Barr. Dean Silverstone I understand now runs a used record store here in Seattle called "Golden Oldies." Oh well, as I heard Dutch Savage say during a broadcast from many years back and which reported the death of ringside commentator Frank Bonnema
"The King is dead. Long live the King!"
~~~~~~*~~~~~~
Long before the days of the instant replay there was the composite photograph. The above is one such depicting a Harvard versus McGill football match, at Montreal, circa 1875, done by Canadian photographer William Notman (1826-1891). Harvard are the ones in the white caps. If you click on the above picture
it will take you to the website of the McCord Museum, Montreal where you can see the image enlarged and in detail. Although the closest resolution permissible via the site is acceptable, there are printed versions of this photograph where the faces of the players and spectators -- whose pictures Notman took individually in advance -- come out even more clearly.
~~~~~~*~~~~~~
Security
No one cares --
But who then cares
If no one cares?
Look in the wrong place,
You’re sure not to find
What you’re seeking.
Then come a sudden mood,
Come a new circumstance,
A different time around,
How well you fare:
Feet firm on the ground.
As much as are your woes,
If you knew them
Your heart would melt
At others throes.
Is life a mystery?
You know it is.
How could it not be?
And will life always love you
For better or for worse?
That’s my job --
Your tears to quell,
Your joy to rehearse.
~~~~~~*~~~~~~
The Gap Band -- music video for "Party Train"
[Later Note. The original video posted here was taken down at YouTube; so that the above is a substitute entered in its place. If interested in downloading the song track, see http://search.music.yahoo.com/search/?m=all&p=party+Train]
~~~~~~*~~~~~~
Since we had the intro to the "Stingray" TV show posted [i.e. as the Recommendation of the Week for June 22, 2008], I could not resist adding the outro and which has that ever delightful song "Aqua Marina." So, in case you missed it –
Note. Pretty spirit girls are effectively mute like the character of Marina in "Stingray;" hence this is, among other things, a bit of a jibe on my part at "Speilberg" and his ilk, and who clearly are so very enamored of them. This song and the “Stingray” title track by the Barry Gray Orchestra, incidentally, are available as .mp3 downloads at amazon.com
