I have long had a love-hate
relationship with chess; mostly hate! It just sucks you in, and rarely
delivers. Even Bobby Fischer, arguably the greatest chess player of all
time, said that he hated chess! It's fun when you're winning, but
terrible when losing. Unlike the chess-like strategy of American
football, where each team lines up it's eleven players and runs a play,
and it just is what it is; the consequences of chess relative to the
game is much greater on multiple levels.
For one thing, on a
psychological level, pieces ("players") are taken away! Therefore, as
irrational as it may sound, most people dislike their opponent! For
example, losing your queen early in the game is the equivalent to--using our
football metaphor--of having your star QB blow out his knee early in the game! Sometimes if
I make a bad move and expose my queen or rook, and it's just sitting
there, a sitting duck as clear as day..... my opponent will not move
right away. They will just stall, and very likely is just gloating at
your expense! Perhaps they're either enjoying your agony, or their superiority! Losing your pieces makes chess somewhat unique in this way.
You
just are not going to respect your opponent! They're stealing from you!
Of course, the opposite is true, which comes right back to the essence
of the game itself. The chess-like battle of wits in the game of
football can be harsh. One team can be driving down the field, and
BOOM.... pick-six! A fourteen point swing! Still, a team can gather
itself, weather the storm, and get back into it. Soon perhaps, the
opposing team will make a mistake of its own to capitalize on. In other
words, there's plenty of time. However in chess, you do psychologically
and emotionally invest yourself in a game. Even if you're playing online
and are completely anonymous, it still can be humiliating! In chess,
you're constantly being metaphorically "punished," and that punishment
is all in the mind. You very likely will NOT even remember this game! If
someone asked me how many games of chess which I've played in my whole life
that I actually remember, I think I could count them on one hand!
From my beginning of playing chess, I have always tried to liken this game with some
type of sport, but never really "the art of war," which it's designed to reflect. None of those comparisons made
much sense to me, except for football from a strictly offense coordinator point of
view. That metaphor works because all throughout the game, you
constantly have to metaphorically diagram plays in your mind. When they
work, you feel like a wizard! Often, when a great move is just sitting
there, you're practically salivating! I would say most often, your
opponent does not see your highly anticipated move or moves. Then they often
unintentionally make a series of stupid, piddling moves that just keep
stalling you from making that one or two brilliant moves to take over
the game! You feel like reaching into cyberspace and backhanding them!
Each dumb little move drags it along, until your possibility is gone. This
occurs all the time in chess! It's highly frustrating!
Chess is psychological torture! You
rarely are in awe of your opponent's prowess. You dislike them! If
anyone typically smiles after losing and feels like shaking their
opponents hand, well.... I salute you. I can't! They're thieves!
Metaphorically "stealing" your property, or "injuring your players." The
better you get at chess, the worse it gets, because the online chess
sites--properly--now don't set up novices to be outmatched once they
have established a rating. It used to be that excellent chess players
would very often hang out in the "beginners corner" of these sites. Game
after game, you would be matched against opponents whom you have zero
chance at even being competitive against. Also, these sites have improved
themselves by allowing players to click the piece and then clicking
their intended destination to make a move. Before, it was very common to
lose game by having the piece dragged by your mouse and "dropped";
simply not making it all the way to it's intended spot! I used to lose
many games that way, so I commend these sites for those changes.
I
can say that the one enriching part of chess for me is--again, using
the football metaphor--the development of my playing style and strategy
over time without reading a book. I started out so clueless, then I have
completely changed my playing style probably a half dozen significant times over the
years. It is fun to look back at that. It's much like an offensive
coordinator in football. In chess, the best defense is a good offense.
There have been times that my opponent was attacking very effectively
from the get-go, and I mounted a successful counter attack that turned
things around. Only by countering with pressure did I get the pressure
off of myself... so to speak. There's a psychological thrill by being able to, once in awhile, block a big attack early, then just
"take" one of his pieces. A metaphorical "punch in the face" to a bully,
of course from the perspective of the individual.... at least for those who view chess the way I do.
What we can take from chess is the harsh
reality of life. Life is gangland! For the vast majority, there's always
someone who wants your job, your girlfriend, etc. One time I knew of a
young couple, eighteen or nineteen, from like a younger brother of a
friend sort've thing. To my disgust, some older guy in a much higher
income bracket, was trying to mess with the young woman. He had gone
through a messy divorce, lost a lot of money and assets, and was
probably bitter.... and was probably selfish from the start anyway. He
was probably twice her age. As I said, life is gangland! Like chess, the guy probably enjoyed the idea that she had a boyfriend already; that he was "stealing" within the rules of life...just like capturing pieces within the rules of chess. Quite often,
it's entirely legal to mess with people's social circle, their
livelihood, etc. Chess is, just in a very objective way, a perfect
metaphor for life! A game of decisions. "Moves" can't be taken back! The
psychological and emotional investment. That's chess!!
Surprisingly,
there's very little on the internet about people who are at least
temporarily disgusted with chess... aka "I hate chess!" The better you
get, the more you realize that there's always someone better. Unlike
life where two things may be of equal value, but you may just prefer the
style of aesthetic of one over the other, chess is raw. Metaphorically,
it's life condensed down to it's most base elements! You could start a
game, and play kind've dopey, and your opponent with a much lessor
rating proceeds to take you apart... often with bold moves. Of course,
the opposite is true. You could start a game against an opponent with a
much higher rating, who is just playing willy-nilly, and you make some
bold moves and just take it to them and win. Chess is also like life in
that things are taken away from you harshly.
I still say that
chess doesn't really deliver, or rarely does. You start a game, your
opponent just drags his feet with each move, you get bored from waiting,
then sometimes even loose interest, and BOOM, you just lost your queen
because your opponent practically lulled you to sleep. They dulled your
wits. Still you are eager for the challenge of the next game, ignoring
that the game that you just played was not a pleasant experience. An
excellent chess player plays some hapless opponent. He takes them apart
bone by bone! Then he immediately rushes onto the next game, completely ignoring the
desired "joy" of the game that he just played! He's just right onto the
next one. I make a point to type in the little chatbox "thx" ahead of
time, because I know that I won't want to type it after the game. Then I
lose another heartbreaker.... and I just click enter in the chatbox to
try to show some degree of sportsmanship. At least 95% of the time, they don't
respond. They're already off to the next game; chasing that fix that
rarely comes for either expert or novice. Is chess a great game? I think
it's a great idea, with great symmetry. If you put my foot to the fire, I
say NO. They say that chess is great for the mind, but I think it's bad for the
mind too.
I think that everyone occasionally
thinks of a person from their past who they have some type of regret
attached to them. It doesn't necessarily have to fit the category of
"someone whom you've wronged" either. Things happen in life, and we don't always
handle it well. We may have been intentionally or unintentionally rude,
dismissive, or lacking the will to help someone. Or... maybe it could
be something more overt that you did. Now, these things have obviously
been directed to you by people at times too. However, this isn't about
them; this is about who you are! It could also just be someone whom you
wish you could have acknowledged in some way and at some point; to tell
them that they were important or valued, or maybe someone who you wished
that you would have thanked.
I remember many years ago as a
little boy, my mom used to take me to this hotdog stand at the
Serramonte Shopping Center in Daly City. It was across the mall from
the old Longs Drugs, in a little supermarket that was once there. The stand was
part of the supermarket, but right along the edge of the mall. A women
who was probably at least 85 years old worked there. She must have been
someone's grandmother, great-grandmother, and was still working. She had
an apron and little visor on. Maybe she was just making some extra
money, but it seems more likely that it may have been necessary. The hot
dogs were great, in quality, the soft buns, and the condiments. Especially the double dog, with the wide buns, with mustard and relish! I wish I
could have thanked her in some way; acknowledged her somehow. I still
very much remember her, so maybe that's something.
One time Ken, an old
friend of my late father, was doing some work around my mother's house.
He was very intelligent and yet had some eccentricities about him, which
some people were fond of. He had some past demons that he had overcome, but
his children from an early marriage of his were intentionally not in contact with him anymore; never forgiving him for not being available for them, or something to
that extent. He regretted it, but rarely spoke of it. As the saying
goes: "No matter how much you've changed, you still must answer for what
you've done." Once while doing some work at the house, he was extremely negligent
regarding something, and I was very angry. I wasn't speaking to him for a
good while, and for a damn good reason. If he came around, I would
avoid him. Some time later, I thought I'd just call him. Well, I found
out that Ken had died.
Another time Jim, a guy who was more of a
friend of a friend, used some very colorful language around someone whom he
should not have. It wasn't directed there, but he still said it. Aside
from some rough moments, he was a good guy. However, this was pretty
cringeworthy. I let him know about it, and he listened, and took it. I
wasn't not talking to him after that, but I hadn't seen him for awhile.
Without going into detail, Jim was killed in a manner which was mostly of his
own doing. It wasn't really a suicide or overdose, but I'll just pass on
the details. In this case, I have no practical reason to feel any guilt
at all. However, I do have some, due to the last time I spoke to him.
Maybe I should have just let it slide...
In the case of Ken, it
wasn't that I owed him an apology, but I didn't actually write
him off. It still went down as though I had. Then we can all think of family
things, such as thinking back that maybe I should have called my
grandmother more often, or made a point to go back to the Northwoods to
visit her more often. She came out to California as much as she could over the years.
There are other situations where I was younger, and I maybe wasn't
available for some people that I should have been. I'm not saying that
I'm agonizing with guilt, but there are things that could be said,
should be said, but we may not have had the chance to say them. I think this is a
little different than all of the quotes which say something like "don't
regret anything, learn from it."
I'm speaking of things that are
more like loose strings. Something doesn't feel quite right about them.
There was either never closure or you may simply wish you could send a
message to them. When we reincarnate, part of our soul remains at source
at all times. I think we can send a message, and I think they will
receive it. Why not speak aloud to them? There's nothing like phrasing
something in your own words. At the right time, just say it! There's no
pressure now, no hurry. Maybe it can be added as a type of ongoing
ritual; a "rite of closure," or at least closure for that time period. I
actually have not done this, so I can't say how I may have felt afterwards or if it
felt like a resolved spiritual loose end was healed. I may have tried to one time,
but it wasn't the right time.
I will at least make a notation
that I would like to add this as a ritual, and it could be a very
powerful ritual. Maybe make a list of a half dozen names at a time. It's
not asking for forgiveness, although it possibly might be. Most of all,
you're conveying that you remember, and that it matters to you. It's a
part of you. It doesn't absolutely have to be someone who passed
away, although it seems logical that it would most often be. I can
think of an older man long ago that I really didn't come through for once, and I can't
change it now. I don't think that I can just look up his number in
Florida and call him to tell him that I'm sorry that I didn't come
through for him. I could express it in a letter, and it's possible that
he might share it with some people in which I wouldn't want him to share
it with. That's the chance I would have to take. Each situation is
different.
As my memory is jogged from writing this, I can think
of more people. One person I would like to apologize to in person. Just one. Also, there's a such thing as a "stupid confession," where someone happens to find themselves in a
good mood one day, and just feels like owning up to something, and they should've
thought twice about it! This should be more of thoughtful exercise.
Just make a list, maybe in Word, and see what it looks like. Again, for
those who have wronged us in some way, great or small, this isn't about
them. This is about who you are. I don't feel anything for things which were done during times of struggle. That's feels very different to me. This would seem to me to be a daytime ritual; not practiced in the night.
Lastly, some rituals are truly great during the night, but in this case you may need the
light-energy to shine it's light into those dark crevices of regret,
sorrow, and the willing message of acknowledgement you're sending to that person,
that soul. You may need the Sun's rays to help with that. The night is for energy
and spirits which you are already at peace and harmony with, and which
you're interacting with, perhaps under the Moonlight. You could bring an
offering. Maybe just something simple; a little bit of cream, an orange
peel, something to help with the energetic closure. I would also
suggest, if you have a list, of doing them in "threes".... 3, 6, or 9. I
think "three" would be good, as there's no hurry to this. This would
probably be one rite to conduct alone.
This is deep! This woman knows her stuff! There's nothing I can add; she said it ALL. There could be the idea that she created this content as part of her ministry, but I give credit where credit is due. I look at it from a non-Christian, non-Masonic, non-Kabbalistic, folk pagan point of view.
The Battle of Insubria in 203 BC was the culmination of a major war, carried out by the Carthaginian commander Mago, brother of Hannibal Barca, at the end of the Second Punic war between Rome and Carthage in what is now northwestern Italy. Mago had landed at Genoa, Liguria, two years before, in an effort to keep the Romans busy to the North and thus hamper indirectly their plans to invade Carthage's hinterland in Africa (modern Tunisia). He was quite successful in reigniting the unrest among various peoples (Ligurians, Gauls, Etruscans) against the Roman dominance.
Hannibal famously crossing the Alps with elephants
Rome was forced to concentrate large forces against him which finally
resulted in a battle fought in the land of the Insubres (Lombardy). Mago
suffered defeat and had to retreat. The strategy to divert the enemy's
forces failed as the Roman general Publius Cornelius Scipio laid waste
to Africa and wiped out the Carthaginian armies that were sent to
destroy the invader. To counter Scipio, the Carthaginian government
recalled Mago from Italy (along with his brother Hannibal, who had been
in Bruttium until then). However, the remnants of the Carthaginian
forces in Cisalpine Gaul continued to harass the Romans for several
years after the end of the war.
The Carthaginians invading Rome from the north--which occurred numerous times during the seventeen years of the Second Punic War--seems so improbable. They would have had to to have transported many elephants and tens of thousands of troops over the Strait of Gibraltar, moved north through mountainous Iberia, over a part of the eastern slopes of the Pyrenees, along the coast of southern Gaul, then in a northern direction along the edge of the Alps, then through whatever Alpine passes they could, and finally down into the Po Valley. Apparently they traveled as far east as almost to Lake Garda before turning back west, as the eastern side was Roman territory. All the while maintaining and providing food and water for the elephants, as well as food and water for the troops. Apparently they were well received by the disgruntled Gauls, Ligurians, Insubres, Etruscans, and others. It was almost like a who's who of Rome's enemies in one place. The Carthaginians used the same strategy as the Conquistadors later used in conquering the Aztecs and Incas, in inspiring their enemies' old enemies into action as allies.
Artwork of Hannibal, although this battle was led by his brother Mago
On a side note, the elephants were of a now extinct species called the "North African forest elephant," which was much smaller than the tropical African elephant we know of today. They actually gave the elephants large quantities of alcohol to spur them on and to rage in battle! This battle took place near Mediolanum (Milan today), in the land of the Gaulish tribe the Insubes, whch had not yet been conquered by the Romans. Most historians place the number of Carthaginian troops at 21,000, but some believe that the total forces of the Carthaginians and their allies to have been as high as 30,000, with 7 elephants. Mago's brother Hannibal had brought many more over the years in different battles. On the Roman side, there were four legions plus their allies, which was approximately 35,000 troops, and I presume an additional advantage in some heavy state of the art weapons. The Punic War was a lot more than some simple skirmish someplace. It was Rome vs. Carthage, two superpowers! This was the United States vs. the Soviet Union sixty years ago!
The battle in Insubria
In 203 BC, the time came for decisive action. The proconsul M. Cornelius Cethegus and the praetor P. Quintilius Varus led an army of four legions against Mago in a regular battle in the Insubrian land (not far from modern Milan). The description by Livy in his "History of Rome" (Ab urbe condita) shows that each of the opponents deployed their forces in two battle lines. Of the Roman army, two legions were in the front, the other two and the cavalry were left behind. Mago also took care for a possible reverse, keeping in the rear the Gallic levy and the few elephants he had. Some modern estimates put his overall strength at more than 30,000.
The course of the battle showed that the first Carthaginian line performed better and the Gauls were less reliable. From the onset, the Romans made futile attempts to break the enemy's resistance and were pressed hard themselves. Then Varus moved the cavalry (3,000 or 4,000 horsemen), hoping to repulse and confuse the Carthaginian lines. However, Mago was not surprised and moved forward the elephants just in time.
The horses were stricken by fear and as a result the Roman cavalry was
dispersed, chased by Mago's light Numidian cavalry. The elephants turned
on the Roman infantry, which suffered heavy losses. The battle only
took a bad turn for Mago when Cornelius brought into action the legions
of the second line. The elephants were showered upon by darts, with most
of them falling, the rest were forced to turn back against their own
ranks. Mago ordered the Gauls to stop the Roman counter-attack, but they
were routed.
According to Livy, all ended with a general retreating of the Carthaginians, who lost up to 5,000 men. Yet, as Livy himself states, the Romans owed their success to the wounding of the Carthaginian commander, who had to be carried away almost fainting from the field because his thigh was pierced. The victory was neither bloodless, nor complete. The first Roman line lost 2,300 men, and the second also took casualties, among them three military tribunes. The cavalry was not spared either, and many noble Equites were trampled to death by the elephants. During the night Mago withdrew his forces to the Ligurian coast, conceding the battlefield to the Romans.
Carthage was the most powerful rival in Rome's history, which is why the Romans eventually made certain to absolutely flatten Carthage. This wasn't their usual policy. This war lasted so long that it took up a major part of the lives of it's generals. Mago started out in the lower ranks, and distinguished himself during Carthage's defeat of the Romans in the Battle of the Trebia fifteen years earlier, and had become a general by the Battle of Insubria. To put that into perspective, someone forty years old was really considered rather up in years at that time. Also, the Battle of Trepia was the first major battle of the Punic Wars, and it pitted 40,000 Romans vs. 40,000 Carthaginians along the Trebia River, in either Liguria or Emilia.
To lose that major battle, and then to overcome Carthage, displayed the indomitable fighting spirit of the Romans. Carthage could very well have won the war and changed history, in the same manner as if the Soviets had defeated the Americans sixty years ago! Carthage was a Phoenician civilization, so Carthage to Phoenicia at this time would have been the same as what America was to Great Britain two hundred years ago. The Punic Wars were also like World War II, in that the battles were fought in all sorts of different locations and environments.
'Temple of Venus and Rome' (artist unknown)
For Mago the setback was severe, considering what gains a victory would have brought.
The Romans were left in command of the Po Valley and all hopes for a repetition of the events from the beginning of the war faded.
It is certain that for five years after the end of the Second Punic war the Romans had to fight the remnants of the Carthaginian forces in Northern Italy.
Mago's defeat in 203 BC had marked one of the last attempts to preserve the independence of this region from the Roman advance.
1979's 'Breaking Away' was a very memorable film. It's one of those movies with a lot of depth and background, despite it's relatively simple message. There's a lot about a young person trying to find themselves and their place, which is very relatable. The film is based on an actual race held annually at the University of Indiana, and the film was filmed in Bloomington, Indiana, and the cinematography was excellent, and really captured various moods.
The filming of the film's fictional 'Little 500', although again it is an actual race attended by 25,000 spectators annually, was excellent. It might have been filmed on the same day as the actual race. If you haven't seen this movie, then you probably should read no further! I love the metaphor of the final stage of the race, where "the Cutters" are well behind, and the protagonist David is exhausted from carrying the team on his back. Two of the Cutters are ordinary at best, then Mike was strong and athletic but is not a trained cyclist, and David is their superstar.
As the spent and banged up David comes in for his final stop, Mike jumps on the bike and through sheer determination and vitality, gets the team back within striking distance. Then comes one of the great underrated metaphors of film history! Going up against these well-trained collegiate teams, they're incredibly still in it. The other two teammates tape David's shoes to the pedals for the final stage, which powerfully symbolizes "there's NO going back now." No more substitutions, no more breaks, no more water. I don't really know if that would ever happen, as what if the cyclist had to stop for whatever reason? Then through guts and talent, David wins the race. In life, we all have a few ace cards that we can play decoy with, but eventually we have to just put our best out there; win, lose, or draw.
I'm related to Louie Rondoni as he was known, who was a very good competitive cyclist from San Mateo County back in the '50s, and maybe before that. His family, related on my paternal side, had come to the county earlier in the last century from the Ironwood-Hurley area.
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Nature is BARBARIC
Some time ago, I was looking out our front window back home. There were no houses across the street on the hillside, and there are a lot of trees, mostly pines, and a good number of birds. However, during the last couple of decades, ravens have moved into the area, and they don't like other birds around, so we saw less of them than what was usual before that. So on this day I spotted one of those pretty little white butterflies. I call them angels of the day due to their bright appearance in the sun, and their angelic motion. As I watched this white butterfly move along, and pondered my last days living in the home that we had for so many years, out springs a small black or dark grayish bird from the trees! To my surprise, it made a beeline towards the butterfly! It knew what it wanted, and the butterfly did also, and a chase ensued! The butterfly went into a surprisingly high rate of speed, then I lost track of them for a moment due to all of the background colors of the environment. In another moment, I spotted the bird on a branch, and I could see by it's beak and motions that it was clearly eating. It ate the butterfly.
After the ravens moved in, things would change in the local food chain. The ravens didn't tolerate anything except humans. They would stoop low and lunge at small dogs or cats. They particularly went after other birds, even going so far as to try to intimidate an occasional hawk when they entered the area. They kept a safe distance, but they at least tried to intimidate them, usually two-on-one. I think the animal they despised the most were sea gulls, who occasionally crossed over the mountain from back and forth between the bay and the ocean. One day I was in the kitchen, and I noticed a large amount of white feathers in the air, which really got my attention. When the feathers cleared, I could see ravens killing a sea gull on top of the house next to ours. They then fed on it. Although we commonly think of nature as being serene, which it is, we always seem to forget it's brutal side. When our pets enter it, they become part of the food chain, and we do as well!
There are videos of rabbits eating their young. or puppies eating one of their siblings alive. Very graphic videos! If we shrunk down to eight inches tall, and walked in a nearby park or hillside, dogs and cats would suddenly become defacto grizzly bears and Bengal tigers! How do we know that our own pets wouldn't do us in? Of course, there are dogs which can kill adult humans, without us having to shrink down in size. Our cats while we lived there over the many years, were able to live very full lives. They were free to roam, and they did, sometimes far distances, hunting. One of them was injured once, and we never did know what happened. Today, our cats would never survive there. Coyotes have moved in during the last fifteen years, and there is a lot of room for them. They're also active during the day. They will go after small dogs and cats. The first thing they did was eliminate all of the foxes and wild cats. One of our cats narrowly escaped being killed by a chasing pitbull, right in front of us, but he managed to make it to our six-foot fence and leap out of danger just in time.
Another time a couple of years ago, a neighbor's wandering cat narrowly escaped walking through the neighbors yard, being chased by an aggressive border collie. Hawks can sometimes go after a cat, although it never occurred up there. I think that would tend to be a larger species of hawk, and a smaller cat. Wild areas are much like urban areas, where everything can seem fine, then predators strike. I remember long ago when I spent a week at Jones-Gulch camp in the Santa Cruz Mountains one late spring when I was about eleven I think, and right after we had arrived and got off the school bus, one of my classmates was attacked by bees. She must have walked too close to a hive. It was only a few bees, but she was stung a number of times. I remember that day, how warm it was that early afternoon, the rugged mountains and woods. It's not surprising that there are many dangers up there, including poison oak! On a side note, I had mentioned earlier, paternal relatives who has migrated to San Mateo County long ago. At least a couple of them had attended Jones-Gulch as children, in the '40s!
My first experience with the brutality of nature was when I was a small child in our backyard. I would pick up grasshoppers by their legs gently, and look at them. Also, moths by their wings lightly. I remember turning them around and looking at their alien-like appearance. One day, I had two grasshoppers, one in each hand, and for whatever reason I put them together to see their reaction. They immediately clutched each other and started biting and drawing blood! I recall just throwing them in the soil. They didn't hesitate for a second, before tearing into each other. I'm 100% certain that if any human being shrunk down to two inches tall, and ran into one of those large preying mantises, they would clutch the person, and just start feeding on their heads! There are strange aspects of nature, such as we think of wolves as being very violent, and doves as being very gentle. Actually, wolves never kill other wolves, and they mate for life. Humans can't even say that! However, doves are particularly brutal, and kill each other all the time, or peck each others eyes out! So, shouldn't the old metaphor be changed from "the dove of peace," to...... "the wolf of peace?"
The following articles today, got me thinking about this issue:
"It’s hard to listen to this song, it brings tears to my eyes every time. How I long for those days in the 1970s, when I was a little girl! My dad passed away in 2016, and I remember he had this album and he played it all the time, when I was young. My dad was a lover of music, all genres. I miss him so much! I miss my childhood! I wish I could go back, things were so peaceful, and so much simpler back then."
-- Dee Lo
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“When a person places the proper value on freedom, there is nothing under the sun that he will not do to acquire that freedom. Whenever you hear a man saying he wants freedom, but in the next breath he is going to tell you what he won’t do to get it, or what he doesn’t believe in doing in order to get it, he doesn’t believe in freedom. A man who believes in freedom will do anything under the sun to acquire . . . or preserve his freedom.” — Malcolm X
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These concepts are almost never spoken of in the mainstream. They present something of a perception, rather than anything really thought provoking. Two Stateist idealogies; a clear violation of the written social contract.
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“The best argument against Democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter.” -- Winston Churchill
What do we want? Dire wolves! When do we want them? Now, and also slightly fictional please. Giant wolf sightings have increased significantly since the rise of Twilight and Game of Thrones which both feature giant wolves, and now a new video has surfaced out of Montana claiming to show a dire wolf frolicking about in a field of wintery grass.
Angel of Grief or the Weeping Angel is an 1894 sculpture by William Wetmore Story for the grave of his wife Emelyn Story at the Protestant Cemetery in Rome. Its full title bestowed by the creator was The Angel of Grief Weeping Over the Dismantled Altar of Life.
This image reminds me of my mother. To me there are three angels: My mother (Janet), my sister (Catheine), and my ex-fiance (Rachel). Also, I'm sure there are angelic spirit guides and elemental spirits that know me.
I have something like a second cousin once removed on my paternal side who came out to Hollywood to try to get into maybe films, in the '30's I think! She was striking looking, if not beautiful. One of those smiles and eyes that just lite up. She may have had a bit part in something, but ended up being a waitress for some years. We had some photographs of her, as she had stayed with our earlier relatives who had lived in Brisbane. It's drives me crazy because a lot of these photos somehow got lost. I think I have one of her left, so I'll put that up sometime. She went from the Northwoods to Hollywood! Her photos remind me of Rita Hayworth. It's fun to think that a relative of mine was so glam and fancy, coming from a very historically isolated, blue collar background.
I hadn't thought of it other times listening to this song, but I do feel a sense of my mother being gone, the memories. This song make loss easy to contemplate and yet also hard to contemplate. It kind of goes hand-in-hand with the 'Angel of Grief' above.
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"My mother passed when I was 12. When I was younger she would sing this to me. Now I’m 24 with two kids of my own. I sing this to them just to keep her alive in my mind." -- david childress
"So emotional to hear this song..My only daughter passed away Aug 2020..so hard for me to get over.. after 8 months my son died..after a week my wife also went through.. i dont know what to think about but i had so much Faith in God Will.. 😭 " -- Dan Deladia
"Suggestion to all my brothers and sisters viewing this. This beautiful song is here to teach us to feel this way. Find the light inside you that resonates with sunshine. It is there! Heal your body, feed it well, give love to yourself and others. Let this beauty fulfill John's wishes for all of us to live in light.💞 Let's make the world the place he wanted for us. We are lifting the energy that has dragged us down in the past. Love yourself. Let your light shine. Pass it on!" -- Notadonna
"I just recently lost my 66 year old grandpa, he introduced me to all of my favorite things, one of those includes John Denver, we lost him to cancer and we were so close you can't imagine it, but this music will help me get through it. I miss you Papa Sam I know you are out there and you will always be in my ❤️ " -- Kalin Watkins
"Years ago I listened to my daughters singing this song....I cried....it was a beautiful moment.... and I find myself crying again....this song is heavenly" -- Sonia Mayrink
Not the sort of news story that you would usually associate with Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky bearing in mind that it is miles from the sea! However, as is the case with many inland areas, this area was once an ocean and in those ancient waters there lived sharks. Shark fossils have been discovered miles underground and are allowing scientists to learn more about these incredible species.
Just like crocodiles, sharks go right back to the age of the dinosaurs. Obviously this implies strongly that parts of Kentucky and Kansas were a part of the ocean at one point.
"This is one of those songs that NEVER get old… if you’re still listening to it in 2022 you’ve got GREAT taste in music 🎼😁" -- Gypsy Soul
"When times was so much easier. Rip Tom Petty. You made a huge impact on countless lives through your music." -- Kevin
"41 years later and it's remains a favorite in 2022." -- Shelly Wyatt
"I feel privileged to have grown up listening to 80’s music. It will last forever!" -- Mark
"This is one of the great ALL TIME man-woman rock duets. Perfect chemistry and vocal tradeoffs on this song!" -- Wayne Polk
"I am 65. Still listening to this song, and all of Stevie Nicks songs. This is one of the greatest songs of all time. So glad I grew up listening to music in 60’s 70’s and 80”s. Greatest decades of music. The young ones today, DON’T KNOW WHAT REAL MUSIC IS!!" -- Ron Williams
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Hard to believe that Tom Petty has been gone for over five years.
I have long had a love-hate
relationship with chess; mostly hate! It just sucks you in, and rarely
delivers. Even Bobby Fischer, arguably the greatest chess player of all
time, said that he hated chess! It's fun when you're winning, but
terrible when losing. Unlike the chess-like strategy of American
football, where each team lines up it's eleven players and runs a play,
and it just is what it is; the consequences of chess relative to the
game is much greater on multiple levels.
From my beginning of playing chess, I have always tried to liken this game with some
type of sport, but never really "the art of war," which it's designed to reflect. None of those comparisons made
much sense to me, except for football from a strictly offense coordinator point of
view. That metaphor works because all throughout the game, you
constantly have to metaphorically diagram plays in your mind. When they
work, you feel like a wizard! Often, when a great move is just sitting
there, you're practically salivating! I would say most often, your
opponent does not see your highly anticipated move or moves. Then they often
unintentionally make a series of stupid, piddling moves that just keep
stalling you from making that one or two brilliant moves to take over
the game! You feel like reaching into cyberspace and backhanding them!
Each dumb little move drags it along, until your possibility is gone. This
occurs all the time in chess! It's highly frustrating!
What we can take from chess is the harsh
reality of life. Life is gangland! For the vast majority, there's always
someone who wants your job, your girlfriend, etc. One time I knew of a
young couple, eighteen or nineteen, from like a younger brother of a
friend sort've thing. To my disgust, some older guy in a much higher
income bracket, was trying to mess with the young woman. He had gone
through a messy divorce, lost a lot of money and assets, and was
probably bitter.... and was probably selfish from the start anyway. He
was probably twice her age. As I said, life is gangland! Like chess, the guy probably enjoyed the idea that she had a boyfriend already; that he was "stealing" within the rules of life...just like capturing pieces within the rules of chess. Quite often,
it's entirely legal to mess with people's social circle, their
livelihood, etc. Chess is, just in a very objective way, a perfect
metaphor for life! A game of decisions. "Moves" can't be taken back! The
psychological and emotional investment. That's chess!!
