We are going on a three-week trip, first to Algarve on the southern Atlantic coast of Portugal, and then to the island of Madeira, a Portuguese “possession?” closest to Morocco. From there we head to Geneva, or thereabouts, to visit our daughter, who will take us on a tour ot southern France. She’s an excellent tour guide and fun traveling companion.

In the past in our travels I have strived to avoid making this blog a travelogue, as in visiting new places I know less than anyone there. I need to just observe and be quiet. I have stumbled on matters that became thrilling blog content, as with the crypt of Eva Peron in Buenos Aires, Argentina, leading to the discovery of her fake death and married life in Michigan, producing a daughter we came to know as the pop singer Madonna, explaining both her fame despite lack of talent at once.

Continue reading “A treat in store …” →

“It is no random accident that most U.S. presidents have pet dogs in the White House, at considerable taxpayer expense for damaged rugs, furniture and draperies. Consciously and unconsciously , the presence a of loving , obedient, trusting dog produces a positive image of the owner. The president must have a dog. Voters would reject a politician who preferred cats, pigs, boa constrictors, or chimpanzees. (Wilson Bryan Key, The Age of Manipulation, p 134)

Cats, however, are their own creatures. They aren’t social or hierarchical (except in passing). They are only semi-domesticated. They don’t do tricks. They are friendly on their own terms. Dogs have been tamed, but cats have made a decision. They appear willing to interact with people, for some strange reason of their own. To me, cats are a manifestation of nature, of Being, in an almost pure form. Furthermore, they are a form of Being that looks at human beings and approves. (Jordan B. Peterson, 12 Rules for Life, Page 352) Continue reading “Wilson Bryan Key analyzes, Jordan B. Peterson anthropomorphizes” →

Denial is used by individuals, groups, and even nations to defend themselves against disturbing feelings, contradictions, thoughts, or events. An unpleasant situation is simply rendered nonexistent. Responsibility or blame is projected neatly upon someone else. Repression and denial are often interrelated and undistinguishable. Denial is far subtler than simple lies or misrepresentations. Lies are usually discovered and exposed. Denial is an unconscious mechanism that permits anyone to escape conscious awareness,. Denial can even develop into a powerful conviction. It is often involved in religious fervor, irreconcilable marital conflicts, chauvinistic nationalism, and political or national idealism, and is a frequent aspect of blind faith.

The above words are from William Bryan Key, the guy that wrote Subliminal Seduction, the book that has saved me thousands of dollars over the years in unpurchased deodorant. Specifically, it is taken from The Age of Manipulation: The Con in Confidence, The Sin in Sincere, his 1989 book, page 84. I read Subliminal Seduction back in the 1970s, and it got me looking at advertising, especially ice cubes in liquor ads, but I could never spot much of the perversions going on there on my own. I’d like to read it again, but the most recent Amazon offering is pricing it at $153. It’s become a collectors’ item.

Continue reading “The reaper of the past visits only in the evening” →

I am reading Foucalt’s Pendulum, by Umberto Eco. It is a slow walk, as I find my self looking up quotes at the beginning of chapters written in foreign languages, and lots of words that are new to me. For instance, see below, idée fixe, meaning an obsession. I’ll try using that in a sentence later today, and see if it impresses. This morning I came across the following, and am now wondering which of the four listed categories I fall in. Am I a cretin, a fool, a moron or lunatic? I have to be one, as the speaker, Belbo, claims we are all one of them. Or, worse yet, am I a hybrid? Reminds me of the Andy Williams song, What Kind of Fool am I? Honestly, given mistakes I make, and the great certitude I apply, I can only be a maroon, Bugs Bunny’s word for moron.

I transcribed what follows and skipped around, eliminated quotation marks and other punctuation.

Continue reading “Don’t be shy – choose your category” →