SUPER MOON AND MY NEW BIKE

POST # 240

A couple of weeks ago on November 14th, there was a super moon.  Yoda was too busy talking about the election, so he missed it.  But I didn't.   Here's a blurry photo.

The last time that it was this close to the earth was on January 26th, 1948.  Back then, I didn't exist.  The next time it will be this close will be on November 25th, 2034.  At that time, I don't expect to exist. So I am grateful to have had the opportunity to see this celestial event, at least once.  Timing is everything.

Here is a link to info on the super moon.

http://earthsky.org/tonight/closest-supermoon-since-1948

It's just another reminder of how precious time is.  That being the case, I like to spend some of that time riding my "new" bike.  I picked it up for only $75USD, which is about a squillion dollars Canadian, but it was worth the price.  

The frame is too large for me, but by sliding the seat as far forward as possible, it helps to compensate for the oversized frame.  After a few rides, I have now adapted to it, and I am very happy to spend at least an hour per day in the saddle.

Not much else to report for today.

living a life of profound acceptance,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

TRUTHS and LIES

POST #239

 Yoda here.  It's been fun to put in my two barks worth recently, but it's now time to turn this operation back over to it's creator, The Thoughtful Wanderer.  Take it away, Paul.

Thanks, Yoda.

In a sea of lies, which seems to be the order of the day now, it's good to know that there are still some verifiable truths in the world.  These truths help to put life into perspective.  Like for instance, the law of gravity.  It's not something you can vote for, and it also doesn't matter one iota whether you believe in it or not.  IT JUST IS.  You may want to jump up and down and say that it's not fair.  You may  want to start a movement against gravity.  Gravity might make you sad, or angry or depressed. But the bottom line is that on this planet, gravity is just part of the deal.  Best to accept it. Here is another truth. 

The Laws of Thermodynamics:

https://www.boundless.com/chemistry/textbooks/boundless-chemistry-textbook/thermodynamics-17/the-laws-of-thermodynamics-123/the-three-laws-of-thermodynamics-496-3601/

It makes no difference what the colour of your skin is, what country you live in, how rich or poor financially you are, or even whether or not you are a homo sapien.  The laws of thermodynamics have an impact on everything on the planet, and in fact the entire universe.  I was reminded of this recently when looking at some information* about the condition of the sea ice in the Arctic.  Here it is, late November, and the Arctic ice extent is decreasing.  It should be doing the opposite at this time of the year.  See.  Good old thermodynamics at play.  The planet continues to heat up, and the ice continues to melt.  So simple, yet the effects will be profound.

*http://arctic-news.blogspot.ca/

Back in the day, say about a century ago, the Arctic ice looked like this:

Ahhh, the good old days.  If this gentleman was up there now, he might be better off with a boat.

Getting back to the topic of lies.  The COP 22 (the 22nd Conference of the Parties) wound up last week in **Marrakesh, Morocco.  I imagine there were some doozies spun during the conference, all wrapped around the main idea of "green economic growth" or something along those lines.  The laws of thermodynamics could care less.  Perhaps the conference would have been more appropriately named, ***Catch- 22, because it doesn't matter at this point, what humans do or don't do.  It looks like we're done. 

**(I find it interesting that the conference was convened in such a remote location.  Out of sight, out of mind maybe?)

*** Catch 22 quotes:

“[They] agreed that it was neither possible nor necessary to educate people who never questioned anything.” 
― Joseph Heller, Catch-22

“There was only one catch and that was Catch-22, which specified that a concern for one's safety in the face of dangers that were real and immediate was the process of a rational mind. Orr was crazy and could be grounded. All he had to do was ask; and as soon as he did, he would no longer be crazy and would have to fly more missions. Orr would be crazy to fly more missions and sane if he didn't, but if he was sane he had to fly them. If he flew them he was crazy and didn't have to; but if he didn't want to he was sane and had to. Yossarian was moved very deeply by the absolute simplicity of this clause of Catch-22 and let out a respectful whistle.

"That's some catch, that Catch-22," he observed.

"It's the best there is," Doc Daneeka agreed.” 
― Joseph Heller, Catch-22

So while Yoda continues to enjoy his daily walks, I'll continue to enjoy whatever precious moments are left. And I'm going to spend the next few moments listening to Crosby, Stills and Nash.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7XIL67QSME

living a life of profound acceptance,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

 

MEET THE NEW BOSS...

POST # 238

Yoda here again.  I checked with Paul and he said that I could put in my two barks worth this week, now that all that damn election stuff is over.  I'll keep this brief, and use a few links to illustrate my view.

First up are the lyrics from an old song by  "The Who", "Won't get Fooled Again"

https://play.google.com/music/preview/Ttteougld766bqxzafzlkzijjyq?lyrics=1&utm_source=google&utm_medium=search&utm_campaign=lyrics&pcampaignid=kp-lyrics

Plenty of food for thought in that song, but personally, I like the final two lines which sum up what just took place in my opinion:

"MEET THE NEW BOSS
SAME AS THE OLD BOSS"

Of course we could say that Donald Trump is the new boss, however I like to take a broader view than just some silly old election in the USA.  I  suggest that the old boss has been, and still is, industrial civilization, and the new boss will just be more of the same, until life on the planet is well and truly obliterated.  The following video by Steve Cutts, pardon the pun, "cuts" to the chase.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfGMYdalClU

What just took place last week in the USA, may seem significant to many people, and there has been plenty of gnashing of teeth since then, however Carl Sagan said it best a long time ago when he called Earth a pale blue dot in order to illustrate just how insignificant we all are in the greater scheme of things.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmP4Xzt0rN4

OK,  I promise.  Now that I have all of that out of my canine system, I'll go back to doing what I do, and leave the blog to Paul next week.   I'm off to eat a dog biscuit,  go for a walk,  and poop out any leftover election angst, and while I'm doing that, why don't you turn up the volume on your computer speakers, and listen to that great old rock and roll tune by "The Who".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYMD_W_r3Fg

Dreaming of endless dog biscuits and walks,

Yoda

The Thoughtful Wanderer's bonehead friend.

YODA SAYS...

POST # 237

Hello,
My name is Yoda, the blood shot, blue eyed, Boston Terrier, with a black dot on my head.  My normally clear blue eyes are blood shot for a reason.  I've been keeping tabs on all of this crazy American election stuff for quite a while now, and I have to tell you that no matter what happens tomorrow,  I think I might have to consider heading north to Canada, to get out of the mayhem that is bound to follow, post election.

From what I can understand given my limited canine cognitive ability, it appears that there are plenty of humans in the USA that are going to be extremely angry if their candidate isn't chosen for President on November 8th.  And one of the reasons that they might be angry is that nowadays, with electronic voting machines, it has been shown that the vote can be manipulated, so that the "chosen" candidate comes through with a victory.  The 2006 documentary, "Hacking Democracy" did a good job of telling this story. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hacking_Democracy .

What does a "chosen" candidate look like?  Well, like Barack Obama for instance.  I read a story recently that really says it all when it comes down to who runs the show here.  It was proven (via a leaked memo) that a senior executive at Citigroup sent a memo to the future Obama administration, with suggestions of who would be the appropriate people to put in various positions in the administration.  Hmmm!!!  That seems a bit strange.  A bank executive telling the incoming government who should be heading various departments?  But the real strange part of it was the memo was dated in October of 2008, which was prior to the election.  I know,  I'm only a Boston Terrier, but that even seems odd to me.  It was almost as if the outcome of the election was already known, prior to election night.  Well if that doesn't tell you who really controls things here, then I don't know what does?  Here's a hint: follow the money.  I suppose if it can be done in 2008, there's no reason that the same thing couldn't happen in 2016. Here is a link to the article:  http://wallstreetonparade.com/2016/10/wikileaks-citigroup-exec-gave-obama-recommendation-of-hillary-for-state-eric-holder-for-doj/

In any event, it will all be over by tomorrow night, ( unless for some reason(s) the election is suspended???), and then I can get back to doing the things that a dog likes to do, like going for afternoon walks, chasing sticks, playing with my owner, enjoying the occasional dog treat, and just being happy to exist.  After all, there are plenty of wonderful sights to enjoy in and around this area, like the view of the sunrise over Lake Louise the other day.

Plus, even though it's now very late in the season, my friend Paul, the petsitter happened to find some additional apples from a local tree.  Personally, I don't find them as tasty as a dog biscuit, but Paul seems to like them.  Humans sure are strange creatures.

I guess that's about all I have to say for this blog, and I'd like to thank Paul for letting me weigh in on the upcoming election.  Next week, Paul will be back writing, however I may ask him if I can put in my two barks worth, post election,  once we know the outcome.  In the meantime, I'm going to try and let my blood shot eyes begin to recover.

Dreaming of  walks and dog biscuits,

Yoda,

The Thoughtful Wanderer's bonehead friend.