Jo S. Wun's Blog, page 15
May 17, 2011
Roll On The Day After The End Of The World
This coming Saturday, the 21st May, is Judgement Day. You probably knew that already, but, just in case it hasn't been brought to your attention, I thought perhaps you'd like a few days notice so you can tie up any loose ends before the end of the world. So much for the Mayans and their Long Count calendar, eh? Close, but no cigar.
Personally, I'm not planning anything special for Sunday because I suspect, despite it being the day after the end of the world, it will be quite similar to most of the Sundays that have been before (not to mention the ones yet to come). But I might spare a few minutes to go take a look at eBible Fellowship to see what they've got to say for themselves. I've no doubt they'll be able to come up with something to explain why the site is still there, still accessible, and its authors still alive here on planet earth (thanks be to gawd).
I suppose that's the beauty of building a 'house of cards'; it's not a complete disaster when it collapses. And what's more, you can pick up all the cards and build another one in no time at all. Sweet!
Thinking about the countdown to the apocalypse, I considered several songs with countdown in the title which might be appropriate. How about The Final Countdown? Not on your nelly! It really got on my nerves (although this version is ... interesting). I quite like Rush's Countdown lyrics, but the music doesn't crack it for me. I was tempted by My Old School , probably my favourite track on Steely Dan's Countdown To Ecstasy album, but apart from the album title, it's not particularly relevant to the approaching 'End of Days'. But I had to make a choice, and, in the end...
The End by The Beatles
Listen on Posterous
The Beatles Abbey Road available from Amazon UK
May 11, 2011
Am I Glad I'm Not A Woman
2: "Teachers give not of their wisdom, but rather of their faith and lovingness"
3: "There are more truths in twenty-four hours of a person's life than in all the philosophies."
4: "Every human possesses three characters: that which they exhibit, that which they really have, and that which they believe they have."
5: "Adults fear death as children fear to go in the dark; and as that natural fear in children is increased with tales, so is the other."
6: "Youth cannot know how age thinks and feels. But the old are guilty if they forget what it was to be young."
The above are quotes from Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr, J. K. Rowling, Kahlil Gibran, Francis Bacon, Archibald MacLeish and Raoul Vaneigem, but not necessarily in that order. I don't know about you (obviously!), but knowing who said them often influences how receptive I am to such 'words of wisdom'. My opinion of the author is an unavoidable bias. However, if you really want to know who said what, you can find the answers at the end of this post. But first, why not see if you can correctly match each quote to the relevant person.
Disregarding the reputations of the authors, I see 2 and 3 as the odd ones out. For me, those two fall into the category of statements which appear to be deep and meaningful, until you realise they are actually just wishy-washy and vague. I find the other four offer something much more meaningful, precisely because they are not wishy-washy or vague.
But I have to own up to a little deception (before someone exposes my dastardly deed). All six quotes had something in common which I've attempted to disguise by a little judicious editing. Leaving aside the questionable ethics of tampering with another's output, uninvited, it was in fact quite easy to make them applicable to everyone, rather than just the male half of the world's population. Yep. That's right. They all made exclusive reference to men when it's plainly obvious that they are equally applicable to women. You can click on them to see the original wording.
It's a touch ironic that the people who couched these insights into what could be called universal truths, did so in terms which are far from universal. Ah yes. But times have changed, haven't they? After all, Francis Bacon lived four hundred years ago. And Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr (1808 - 1890) and Kahlil Gibran (1883 - 1931) lived in different eras too. Even Archibald MacLeish (1892 - 1982) spent his formative years in a bygone age. That leaves Raoul Vaneigem, who was born in 1934, and J. K. Rowling, born in 1965.
To be fair to J.K.*, the quote attributed to her is actually a bit of dialogue she wrote for one of her characters (Albus Dumbledore, no less, in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix), which rather lets her off the hook. But what of Raoul Vaneigem? A modern man. Should he be pilloried for his sexism!? Well, maybe not. Here's another quote which shows he can get it right, at least in terms of scope.
But I'm making a mountain out of a molehill, right? Everyone knows that when someone says "mankind" or "man", they really mean "humankind" or "humans"! Well, no, not everyone does. We're not born knowing that; we have to be told, or work it out for ourselves. And besides, molehills, although small, are not exactly benign. They are just the visible part of a much larger problem which is going on beneath the surface, undermining the ground on which we stand.
Talking of things that 'everyone knows', how about the fact that women speak 20,000 words a day and men speak only 7,000. Louann Brizendine assured us it was so in The Female Brain. Who cares that it's complete tosh, as I learnt today via Delanceyplace. And then, who would have thought of New Zealand as politically advanced? Not me, until I also discovered today, via Reference.com's On This Day newsletter, that New Zealand was the first country to grant women's suffrage in national elections (in 1893).
So, am I glad I'm not a woman? I can't really say one way or another. There are pros and cons to being a member of either sex, and both 'default models' leave much to be desired. Challenging those default models can be done by both women and men, both on their own behalf and that of each other. It's not always easy or comfortable, change rarely is. But I agree with Mr Ghandi.
There were two things which prompted me to write this post, both of them songs. The first I hadn't heard until recently (a fact that quite astounded me in itself), and the second is one I searched out because the title popped into my mind after meeting a girl who had sight in only one eye.
Here's squeaky clean Neil Sedaka jauntily dissing women, with the aid of the bible (Jeez! What a 'good book' it is) and a chorus of squeaky angels singing background harmonies...eeek!
Neil_Sedaka_-_Run_Samson_Run.mp3
Listen on Posterous
And here's Earl Hooker with a track which, for me, is one of those songs that you like but wish upon wish the lyrics were different!
Is You Ever Seen A One Eyed Woman Cry by Earl Hooker
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Who Wrote What
1: Archibald MacLeish
2: Kahlil Gibran
3: Raoul Vaneigem
4: Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr
5: Francis Bacon
6: J. K. Rowling
* I don't know what the "J. K." stands for, I just thought I'd slyly make it look as if we are chums. We are not, of course. I suspect she's never even heard of me.
Neil Sedaka Sings His Greatest Hits on Amazon.com
Earl Hooker on Blues Masters, Volume 15: Slide Guitar Classics at Amazon.com
April 17, 2011
How Many Gods Does It Take To Screw In A Light Bulb?
Two: one to hold the bulb and the other to rotate the planet.
None: why bother with a light bulb when all you need to do is say, "Let there be light!".
I'm sure there are probably other punch lines (and you are welcome to put any you know in a comment if you feel so inclined), but the real purpose of this post, having got your attention, is to think about the concept of gods.
Over the years, since humans first began to think and talk about gods, the concept has changed considerably. The omnipotent, multi-purpose, all-encompassing gods of today have not always been around, or rather, before I fall foul of an indignant believer, I should say that humans did not think and talk about such gods until fairly recently (on a scale of thousands of years).
I don't know how comprehensive or accurate it is, but I came across this list of gods* a while ago. There are something over 2800 of them. Click in the list to zoom in.
There are many in this list that I've never heard of. Kinyras (the god of metalwork) was a new one on me. A quick scan of the list let's me conclude that it's a safe bet the vast majority of them have fallen into disuse. Some kind of built-in-obsolescence perhaps? Probably not. Built-in-obsolescence is hardly a desirable attribute in a deity, which suggests the obsolescence was not deliberate, but rather something to which they were all prone,
So did these obsolete gods actually exist? Do they still exist but have somehow lost their power? Or were they just figments of imagination, dreamed up to meet a human need?
We live in a world full of the results of human imagination. If I ignore the coconut palms which I can see through my window, everything I can see is human-made; the product of someone's imagination. We just can't avoid using it. Imagination rules our world. Even the coconut palms have 'steps' cut into their trunks.
Human beans are an imaginative lot, and it's not confined to imagining objects which didn't exist beforehand, or even objects that can't physically exist in our world, like the impossible triangle. We use our imagination to come up with all sorts of ideas to explain things we don't understand. Sometimes we get it right first time, but mostly we don't. We have to adjust our imagined answers when we find the errors in them. Or, if we are particularly attached to an idea, and don't want to accept there's anything wrong with it, we have to find ways to pretend the errors don't exist or explain them away. We're quite good at using our imagination to do that too.
So perhaps the real, but boring answer to the question 'how many gods does it take to screw in a light bulb' is this:
'How long have you got? Use your imagination to think up a god who could cause the light bulb to screw itself into the socket - and bingo! You've found the One!'.
How Long by Ace
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* I think the original list was produced by Luke Muehlhauser but I can't find it at his website.
I googled it and found the rather cool Zoom-in list here.
How Long by Ace available at Amazon
Book recommendation: Small Gods by Terry Pratchett (Sir!)
April 9, 2011
Philosophy! Philosophy!
If you've ever had the pleasure of visiting the Philippines, then it's just possible you may have come across the expression "philosophy! philosophy!" - although the pronounciation is often 'fill-oss-oppy'. It's generally used to dismiss what another is saying as being more complicated than necessary, the added implication being that they don't know what they are talking about, either. It reminds me of than idiom of speech (Jewish, I think) in which a word is repeated, but with the initial consonant replaced with 'schm' - as in 'vegan-schmegan', for example - not only because of the repetition but also because of the scornful disdain it carries with it.
Despite the risk of catching a broadside of "philosophy! philosophy!", I'm planning a series of posts which could concievably be tagged philosophy. But bearing in mind that I have no qualifications* in the field, I plan on tagging them filosopy! in recognition of the fact that I probably don't know what I'm talking about! That said, and with the full knowledge that I may well make what might be called 'schoolboy errors' by the professionals, who could chuckle over them as they rip 'em to pieces, I'll add that it's not intended to be a treatise but rather a series of mental observations, Hopefully I'll manage to express myself without over-complicating things.
As a taster, here's a quote from Soren Kierkegaard, someone I previously knew next to nothing about other than that he was a philosopher who, apparently, died at the age of 42 in 1855.
There are many people who reach their conclusions about life like schoolboys; they cheat their master by copying the answer out of a book without having worked out the sum for themselves.
I rather like that, and imagine the people he was talking about might well be the ones who go around disparaging anyone who attempts to do the working out for themselves with a barrage of "philosophy-schmilosophy!!", or something similar. Be that as it may, his words prompted me to find out a bit more about him.
That's him, as sketched by his brother, Niels, in about 1840. It turns out that he was nothing like I'd imagined from reading his quoted words. Wikipedia describes him as "a Danish Christian philosopher, theologian and religious author interested in human psychology" and also as someone who "didn't want to be a philosopher in the traditional or Hegelian sense" or "to preach a Christianity that was an illusion". It seems he and I have some things in common, except I'm not Danish, or a Christian philosopher, or a theologian. Neither am I a religious author, nor was I born to an affluent family, and I didn't die at 42. Also, I don't want to preach Christianity because I think it IS an illusion. But more about that later. You can check him out on Wikipedia
In the meantime, here's Van Morrison searching for the Philosopher's Stone. Take it away Van...
* If the 'University Of Life' crossed your mind, go into a dark corner right now and slap yourself severely!
The song Philosopher's Stone comes from the Wonder Boys soundtrack available here
March 21, 2011
What Kind Of A Question Is That?
In a new poll, when asked the UK 2011 Census question ‘What is your religion?’, 61% of respondents in England and Wales ticked a religious box* (53.48% Christian and 7.22% other) while 39% ticked ‘No religion’.
However, when asked ‘Are you religious?’, only 29% of the same people said ‘Yes’ while 65% said ‘No’, meaning over half of those whom the UK census would count as having a religion said they were not religious. A fine example of how a 'leading question' affects the answer?
Oddly, in the same poll, less than half (48%) of those who ticked ‘Christian’ said they believed that 'Jesus Christ was a real person who died and came back to life and was the son of God'.
All together now [in your best North of England accent]: "E, lad. There's nowt so queer as folk!"
In other circumstances, you could take a leaf from Lynryd Skynyrd's book...
Lynyrd_Skynyrd_-_Don't_Ask_Me_No_Questions.mp3
Listen on Posterous
...but you don't have that luxury if you receive a UK Census form. Those who refuse to complete the census questionnaire, or include false information, could face a £1,000 fine.
* Is a 'religious box' the same as a 'confessional'?
Lynryd Skynyrd - Second Helping at Amazon UK
March 20, 2011
Still Imagining
Forty-two years ago today, according to Reference.com On This Day, John Lennon and Yoko Ono got married in Gibraltar. John would be 70 years old if he was alive today. I imagine he'd still have plenty to say, and would still be singing Imagine (albeit with a change to the line "a brotherhood of man" to something more inclusive). I love that song, but I still grapple with the lines "Imagine no possessions, I wonder if you can". The picture of my toothbrush always pops into my head and I really can't imagine it being anything other than mine!
But something tells me that, perhaps, John wasn't thinking on that sort of scale. Possibly, more on the lines of land ownership. But what about the notion of "an Englishman's home is his castle"? I like to share but I do like my privacy. I don't need a castle, but I'd struggle without somewhere I can be on my own, where I can think and create undisturbed. The sharing comes later.
"You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one". He wasn't, and there are plenty who share the dream. Maybe we'll make it there, one day...
Imagine at Amazon UK
March 11, 2011
United Queendom?
Isn't it just typical that it takes an American to explain the ins and outs of Dear Old Blighty! But hats off to C G P Grey for his slick and comprehensive presentation.
Cor blimey, mate. You ain't 'arf got a mouth on yer!
February 28, 2011
Shhhh! Don't tell anyone! It's a conspiracy...
Lucretia My Reflection by The Sisters Of Mercy
Download now or listen on posterous
The Sisters Of Mercy - Lucretia My Reflection.mp3 (4351 KB)
Birthers -- Truthers -- Babylon -- Pearl Harbor -- New World Order -- [Insert Favourite Here]
What's the latest conspiracy theory? Beats me, but there's certainly no shortage of them.
According to Wikipedia, "The first recorded use of the phrase 'conspiracy theory' dates from 1909. Originally it was a neutral term but during the political upheaval of the 1960s it acquired its current derogatory sense.[6] It entered the supplement to the Oxford English Dictionary as late as 1997.[7]"
What seems to have escaped people's attention is that the proponents of all conspiracy theories are in fact themselves a group of individuals in the employ of the 'nameless ones', paid to come up with theories which are just plausible enough to ensnare the minds of those who might conceivably present a threat to the power and privilege enjoyed by said 'nameless ones'. No opportunity is missed to hook the inquisitive minds (which, left to their own devices, might ferret out the real truth), to hijack and render them harmless as they pursue the many false conspiracy theories invented for their consumption.
It's obvious when you look at the evidence. It's a conspiracy of conspiracy theorists that we're up against, funded by the 'nameless ones'.
Pass it on....
Bait image courtesy of Animation Library
Music by The Sisters of Mercy at Amazon
February 19, 2011
Hari harries, Hari harries, Drama drama, Drama drama
Johann Hari revealed a surprising snippet of information in his opinion piece for The Independent - namely that there are only two nations which still reserve places in their parliaments for unelected religious clerics, who then get an automatic say in writing the laws which the country's citizens must obey. He says one of them is Iran, and the other... Britain. I haven't checked the veracity of his assertion that there are only two such nations, but dear old blighty featuring in the list, however long it is, I find decidedly cringeworthy.
Said the actress to the bishop, "I think that the Bible as a system of moral guidance in the 21st century is insufficient, to put it mildly. I feel quite strongly that we need a new moral lodestone if we can't rely on what is inside our own selves. Which I think, actually, is pretty reliable."
Well, alright, she didn't actually say it directly to a bishop, but they can read, can't they? Oh course they can! They can quote all the 'good' bits from the bible, and can even resort to the more obscure bits if pressed...
