Amor fati, or the death of desire, is a common goal sought after by those that pursue the spiritual path. Desire dissipates the overwhelming, ruthless Will, which should be paramount. The Will of one that serves the Light would achieve what is right and best and good. Desire surrenders control to external entities, transitory and of limited value. This is why desire should die in one who seeks more than the obvious from this life. And so mystics since time began have sought amor fati. For desire
I have five computers. Two run Windows 7 and 8, respectively, in order to access certain programs that only work on Windows. The other three run Linux. I love Linux, and I'll tell you why. It's easy, for one thing. Over the years, Linux distributions have gotten smarter and made more of their operating system GUI, which means the times a user needs to drop to the command line to type anything in are few and far between. It's free. That matters in a world where Microsoft charges $100 a pop for an
I am always on the lookout for ways to silence these media web sites that automatically activate my speakers and stream video into my computer without my permission.
To read CNN rather than hear it, Firefox users can install NoScript, then forbid scripts running from turner.com. This simple solution transforms CNN.com into an online newspaper.
One afternoon, with nothing better to do, I wandered into Books-a-Million or some such pulp peddler and, after glancing at the mainstream, GLBT, and Christian sections (a lot of guides on the mystical or magical power of prayer, how to pray away the pains of modern living, and why it is OK to spank your child), drifted over to the Occult section, by no means the smallest, either. There I evaluated Tarot decks and other means of divination, guides, spellbooks Wiccan and otherwise, and other littl
Tourism is the backbone of Charleston's economy and doesn't hurt South Carolina as a whole, either. One of that little coastal state's trump cards has always been its controversial role in igniting the bloodiest war in U.S. history, the rebellion against the nation in defense of slavery. So a lot of people are making money off the Confederate flag and off of the Civil War history angle, because it brings people to travel to S.C. and buy knick-knacks, such as the pewter 4" replica of Robert E. Le
I read about the three young British women that left the UK, married into ISIS in Syria today and was reminded of a quote from an old friend.
He had taken the old saw, "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink," and transformed it into "You can lead a whore to knowledge, but you can't make her think."
I bet they will be regretting their decision right about now. Wow, just to imagine renouncing the UK for ISIS boggles the mind. It does not compute. But for sure, the U.K.
As a boy, I was asked by our social studies teacher which famous person I admired most. I answered Robert E. Lee. Lindsey Graham reminded me of my boyhood choice in a recent news article, in which he said Yea to removing the Confederate Flag from public buildings, but Nay to renaming all the roads and schools that are named after Robert E. Lee.
Curious, I looked up the Wikipedia article on Robert E. Lee. My education on history is not all-encompassing. I know the general outline of Western h
I object to the gay critics of Vicious, the Brit sitcom starring Ian McKellan and Derek Jacobi.
The oh-so-vicious critics declare in reviews printed in the Daily Mail and the Telegraph that this is an old-fashioned show, a throwback to the worst shows of the 1970s, and that the characters are ugly and mean, and that they are gay stereotypes from the bad old days, and finally, the Coup de grâce, they don't Represent. That's right, McKellan and Jacobi do not serve as flattering ambassadors fro
I like people who style themselves as witty, letting fly with the snappy comeback like Oscar Wilde was said to have done back in the gay 1890's. Bless them, because they entertain. Wit is not exclusively a gay talent, although I suppose being gay might nurture the wit in some way, in some cultures.
I put a cork on the bottle of wit a long time ago and put the bottle on the shelf. I don't trust wit and don't wish to use it, anymore than I do liquor. Wit requires speed in execution, and speed
The people that never think twice make all the trouble in the world.
People who doubt themselves, who are never completely sure about anything, these folk have gained a deeper understanding of reality.
"For in this world of veils, we see as through a glass darkly."
I read with interest today about the brouhaha between Kubuntu's lead developer and some factions in the Ubuntu community.
Now, most people don't know what Ubuntu is, let alone Kubuntu, and even fewer know who Jonathan Riddell is, but in a nutshell, some sort of "council" of self-appointed volunteers wants to be rid of Riddell for rather vague reasons that point to either a personality conflict or a conflict of interests or maybe both. A lot of issues boil down to money and power, and maybe t
Why do we see gay rights ascendant in our modern world? Through hard work. Because gays work hard and support the society in which they live. Because gays are not only okay, but positively good and do good works.
When people are unencumbered of prejudice, in the final analysis, when str8 is teamed with gay in the trenches, and by the Goddess they are in modern America, it becomes crystal clear that the Queers carry just as much weight as the straights. Be proud!
Any gay that is OUT feels
Yes, I am blogging about a TV show from our brothers up North. Call me random.
I love Orphan Black, although at first I hated it, but it grew on me episode by episode until I realized, and it struck me like a train, that Tatiana Maslany of freaking Saskatchewan of all places is going to take over the freaking World, and the Emmy Awards are a travesty against Justice.
I don't often have a reaction to the incessant Sunni vs. Shi'ite warfare now raging in the Middle East, but make an exception following the bombing of a mosque in Saudi Arabia.
Saudis learn from grade one that Shi'ites aren't real Muslims. And Muslims think it is fine and dandy to kill non-Muslims.So, basically Saudis are programmed from grade one to kill Shi'ites and anyone else that is not Sunni.
The Shi'ites and Sunnis are almost as bad as the Protestant vs. Catholic rivalry than plag
Lonely people need to get a grip. I'm looking at you, gay men. Also single women. Looking for love is okay, but trusting strangers on the Internet is not. Let me tell you the first rule about strangers. Everything they say is a lie until verified by ten different pieces of evidence, at which point it can advance from lie to simple exaggeration. Never do human beings utter truth. Truth is elusive, not something that can be spoken.
If you are browsing matchmaker-for-gullible-people.com, and th
So what are you learning up there in college, dear?
Lubricated transvaginal probes, indeed. That was a lawsuit waiting to happen if there ever was one.
However, it is an open secret in medicine that students practice on one another. That includes some touching, grasping, occasional disrobing, listening, feeling, and probing. I still find lubricated transvaginal probes surprising, though. Especially when sexual stimulation is needed to insert them properly.
Clever students! They may g
I was touched that the Boston Bomber told a nun no one should suffer like his victims did. Really. I thought to myself, well, here's two eyeballs, two kidneys, two lungs, a heart and a liver to harvest to repair the victims, who can get bumped up the waiting list for a transplant. No need for pain medication, as resources are limited, and our sick and dying have so much need of pain relievers. Restraints are all that is required for Mr. Bomber, restraints and liberal use of a taser.
Our grea
I live in region where there is little love for Obama.
Some people tune in to a ton of FOX News or something to that effect, and their opinions are shaped by different information than the information I absorb from such sources as "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart," MS-NBC, the Washington Post, the Huffington Post, NORML, the BBC, the New York Times, and a liberal education in English literature and upbringing as the son of two college professors.
Today I drank beer with a kind, gentle, g
Recently, I was given a questionnaire by a student instructed to interview a homosexual. One of the questions was whether I was religious. I put down that I did not belong to a religion.
Do I believe in God? I have trouble with the semantics. I think we need to determine what is meant by the word before we go any farther. God means different things to different people, just as Lucifer does. Every divinity seems to fluctuate in popularity and reputation just like a soft drink brand. A lot dep
I'm tired of hearing about murderers in the news. I don't really think their trials are newsworthy. The latest headline concerned the Boston Bomber. Do victims' families want him executed? I guess some journalist took a poll.
You know what, who cares? My opinion on the Boston Bomber can be summarized in four words: Take Out The Garbage.
Human life is neither precious nor rare enough to nurse a mass-murderer all his days. There are millions in the world dying of various causes, disease, f
Pope Francis was right to name the atrocities committed by the Turks against the Armenians what they are, genocide. The Turkish ambassador to the Vatican flapped his wings and flew away in protest. Hey, if Turkey wants to act like a turkey, so be it. The fact remains that Christian blood has been on Muslim hands for the past hundred-odd years, and no amount of white-washing is going to get that stain off.
I like Pope Francis, even though he disagrees with me on a lot of things and even thoug
I are Fubar today, f***ed up beyond all recall, not as a result of substances but rather an anonymous virus, likely a cold virus. I called in sick today for the first time ever, but I probably will trudge in tomorrow just to show the boss, hey I'm not pulling a sickie, I'm sick for real. I like for people to know I'm honest. He is probably okay with me working from home, but I need to pick up a few gadgets from work in order to make that happen.
Morally, I hate coming in to work sick, becaus
The story of the Bozo that got 18 years for operating UGotPosted.com tickled me. He can now find himself on ugotarrested.com and ugotsentup.com and prison.com. He won't need to pay any web domain fees for the next ten years at least.
For a measly $30k, he traumatized women he had never met before who received his nastygrams demanding $300 to remove their compromising photographs. I think his behavior was more the result of woman-hating than motivated by greed.
If people would just abide
Ayaan Hirsi is an amazing author recently interviewed on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. As Emperor of the World, I'd appoint Ayaan Hirsi to take care of affairs of state.
Law enforcement should not have unions. Or actually, anyone who works in government should not belong to a union. Our government is a powerful entity. Its servants should not band together to amplify that power. Whenever I read a statement from the Policeman's Union, I perform a translation. The Union spokesman states, in translation, "The accused is guilty of all charges without reservation. There are no mitigating circumstances. There are many other things that have not yet been brought to lig
