Episode #62 of NOTEFLIX’s ‘Troubles in the Garden”: Jack the Rich Prince of the Land of Uncertain Knowledge, now scorned, is building up his team of evil-doers. As you know, his aim is to ruin the happy lives of our hero, The Bluebird of Happiness and Mamzelle Pinkie, who are now a bird of a feather, as it were. The Prince is so jealous he is even willing to destroy the good life of all the creatures in the Queendom of the Stuffed Animals living in the Land of Humans and Other Dangerous Creatures. You have met the dim-witted Mortimer (seen on the left of the gang) and next to him (counter-clockwise) – a newcomer – Charlie the Rat, who is good at deconstruction type activities and falsifying numbers…and Mac the Shark, the Killer Shark – and you already know Bork the fierce and Angry Purple Slug, who is so mad he could spit. Then there is The White-Eyed Toad, who has hopped on to the wagon for the money and thrill of being close to power. You will note all these villains are male, and while they are conspiring, they are over-indulging in food and drink – and playing Black-jack. (One of them took a hit on 14 and busted over 21). How anybody could find such a cast of bad-actors is hard to imagine. But it happens. (See below for continuation.)
ITEMS IN THE NEWS YOU MAY HAVE MISSED WHILE LOOKING AT THE BIG STUFF
- Studies show the richest countries in the world are located outside of the tropics. You may say, “Well, duh, all that heat will make you slow down and not want to work.” But the problem is more and more of the world is becoming like the tropics, because of this Climate Changing thing – and pretty soon more and more of the world is not going to want to go to work and…and you know what happens when people do not want to go to work: Goods become scarce and prices zoom upward. You saw the price of meat sky rocket when the people in the meat packing houses did not want to go to work – and that had nothing to do with tropical heat. Add higher temperatures to the work equation and this “Economy Versus the People” conversation will really heat up.
- I read where it says that men like to spend money on different things than women do. For example, men enjoy spending their money on: Booze, Guns, Games – those sorts of things. Women, seem to get satisfaction spending money on: Nutrition, Housing, Health – those sorts of things. Me? I’m glad I live with a woman.
- I read that in twenty years the Chinese will spend as much on air-conditioning as they do for all their electrical needs combined today. This pre-supposes the Climate Warming is not a hoax. My guess it also means that Chinese women will be determining what money is to go where – and clean air will be more satisfying than booze and games.
- THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT: I have seen this mentioned frequently in articles recently. It refers to “Small actions in a dynamic system could trigger vast economic changes.” (-E.Lorenz) Originally this term referred to events which alter climate. “Does the flap of a wing in Brazil set off a Tornado in Texas?” That sort of question. The term has morphed to other arenas: “Does the simple act of tossing your styrofoam cup in the ocean kill turtles?”…and does the death of turtles kill something else in the food chain? One thing leads to another just because of tossing that cup. …I have invented a new term: THE BLOW-HARD EFFECT: Do lies, falsehoods and aggressive threats have as much impact on reality as the flap of a butterfly’s wing? Me? I think a BlOW-HARD, blowing hard could set off storms in Texas and in many states across the country. So much for butterflies.
- While in lockdown, I have tried to venture into some spiritual considerations. One of the questions I came up with was: If Jesus were alive today would he cure the Pathologically Narcissistic? I pray so.
- HEAT BALLING: I read the Asian Hornet is a dangerous and threatening creature; especially to bees. The good news is: The bees have found a defense. A large number of bees surround a hornet and thereby encase it in a ball, generating heat up to 113 degrees and cooking it to death. I think HEAT BALLING could be a hopeful metaphor for a group of elected officials who will surround a threatening and dangerous politician and generate enough heat on it put an end its political life.
- On another subject: I’ve been thinking about my health lately. I am one of the lucky ones because I am healthy. No problems. But in my short stay on this globe, I have had: 4 broken bones, a hip replaced, an appendix removed, a lens placed in an eye, 2 operations on my feet, and a hernia sewn up. …Oh, I punctured a lung and sprained a rib or two along the way. We can’t afford the likes of me. And I do not even have one foot in the grave – yet. In total I will have cost the system a lot – maybe more than I was worth. Remember, I am one of the healthy ones. We cannot afford us. Something has to change; but nothing is going to happen with our Health Care if we do not HEAT BALL up and fry the current system. Change is not going to occur with the flapping of wings. We must BLOW HARD on this one – or we must get more women to spend more of our dollars.
There is a technique of determining what you are going to read called “Sors Virgilis”. What you do is go to a book, randomly open it to a page and place your finger on the page and read what your finger is pointing at. I will leave you with 3 quotes selected by “Sors Virgilis”:
- “I’ve looked at life from both sides now/From win and lose and still somehow/ It’s life’s illusions I recall: I really don’t know life at all.” -Joni Mitchell
- “Our life is frittered away by detail…Simplify, simplify.” -Henry David Thoreau
- “All that matters is Love and Work” -S Freud (I’m not so sure about the ‘Work’ part; but then I am not a stable genius.)
Keep it simple. Best,
Episode #62 cont’d: See our hero The Bluebird of Happiness cooing over his requited love, Mamzelle Pinkie. See their chaperone, Ezmiralda, the camera hog and Queen of the realm of Stuffed Animals living in the Land of Humans and Other Dangerous Creatures. And who is that sneaking up behind them? None other than Bork, the fierce and angry Purple Slug, slithering into the scene. (see behind wine bottle). Bork’s intention, by his mere presence, is to spoil the romantic evening. But wait! That light in the upper background (see upper left of photo); it looks oddly like a form of a religious/spiritual symbol. Will there be an unworldly Helper to come along? If so, which side will the Helper be on? Are we near the end? Or near the Beginning? (Return next week to experience the thrills.)
