Earth Day: We Must Realize It's Our Only Home

There are no passengers on Spaceship Earth. We are all crew. ~Marshall McLuhan, 1964

There is hope if people will begin to awaken that spiritual part of themselves, that heartfelt knowledge that we are caretakers of this planet.

-Brooke Medicine Eagle

Oh Beautiful for smoggy skies, insecticided grain,

For strip-mined mountain’s majesty above the asphalt plain.

America, America, man sheds his waste on thee,

And hides the pines with billboard signs, from sea to oily sea.

-George Carlin

Man must feel the earth to know himself and recognize his values.... God made life simple. It is man who complicates it. ~Charles A. Lindbergh, Reader's Digest, July 1972

I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority. ~Elwyn Brooks White, Essays of E.B. White, 1977

A living planet is a much more complex metaphor for deity than just a bigger father with a bigger fist. If an omniscient, all-powerful Dad ignores your prayers, it's taken personally. Hear only silence long enough, and you start wondering about his power. His fairness. His very existence. But if a world mother doesn't reply, Her excuse is simple. She never claimed conceited omnipotence. She has countless others clinging to her apron strings, including myriad species unable to speak for themselves. To Her elder offspring She says - go raid the fridge. Go play outside. Go get a job. Or, better yet, lend me a hand. I have no time for idle whining. ~David Brin

I think the environment should be put in the category of our national security. Defense of our resources is just as important as defense abroad. Otherwise, what is there to defend?

-Robert Redford

Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect. ~Chief Seattle, 1855

After a visit to the beach, it's hard to believe that we live in a material world. ~Pam Shaw

Humanity is on the march, earth itself is left behind. ~David Ehrenfeld, The Arrogance of Humanism, 1978

Only when the last tree has died and the last river been poisoned and the last fish been caught will we realise we cannot eat money. ~Cree Indian Proverb

We shall require a substantially new manner of thinking if mankind is to survive.

-Albert Einstein

Quote Of The Day

Again... A short post, today. Too much partying last night. My body is limp. My brain- near dead. I just woke up from my near coma to take a big long piss and to make a few comments on the blog. Gettin' too old for this shit, goddamn it! Geesh.

Last night, I was watching a talk show. I think... well, yes, I know it was a talk show before passing out. It was Late Night With Craig Ferguson. God, that motherfucker makes me laugh with his insane remarks and ramblings. At the beginning of the goddamn show, he has two college-age girls from the audience come up. One is a blonde. My bleary eyes can't quite make out the color of the other one's hair.

I better hurry up with this post. I'm starting to fade again into SleepyLand.

Anyway, the blonde haired girl has two phrases tattooed on her arms. The 1st line is on one arm. The 2nd on the other. It's beyond awesome, what they convey.

WHAT BEAUTIFUL LIES YOU'VE BEEN TOLD

WHAT TERRIBLE LIES DROWN YOUR SOUL

This is actually a verse from a song- From the band, The Anniversary and the song, Sweet Marie.

Now, I don't know about you, but I love me some goddamn quotes there, brothers and sisters... And this one takes the goddamn proverbial cake and frosting, too. Think about the meaning of those words. Think of how this quote and/or verse can apply to you or any one else throughout life.

While you're pondering the profundity of those words, check out the picture of the beautiful Dogwood tree I took earlier in the week. Very pretty. Invokes a sense of peace, don't ya think? And don't look at the dumpster in the background! Doesn't mean anything. Look at the flowers on the tree and enjoy the moment. This is what Spring means to me. You diggin' it?

If you're not, maybe you're friggin' dead inside. I don't know. All I know is, is that quote up above is loaded with TRUTH, my friends. The kind of truth that should be embraced.

As any of you know, who've been reading this blog for a period of time, you realize I love great quotes as I've had a bazzilion, yes, a bazzilion of meaningful quotes on this blog at one time or another. Click the tag, where it says quotes, off to your right, in the tag cloud, if you're hungry for more, you lovable bastards.

That's all I got for now. Time to go back to bed. I'll catch up with ya and all your blogs when I fully come back to life. lol lol lol...... and so on. :) Peace out, people and have a dandy rest of your Sunday!

I Believe Everything The Fortune Cookie Tells Me and So Should You

For the past six months or so, I've been collecting fortune cookie messages from the cookies I'm given at the Chinese restaurant I patronize every so often. I've decided to show you the ones I've received so far on this post. Some fortune cookie messages fall into the absolutely moronic category, while others offer semi-intelligent advice and then there are the absurd predictions which give me a chuckle now and then.

I've read various historical accounts in the past on how fortune cookies came into being and what seemed a little interesting about the topic at first, now seems bland as tepid water- or the flour, sugar and vanilla mixture that a typical fortune cookie is made of. Still, I found this absurd tidbit of info on Wikipedia.org and I thought it was worth mentioning here, if only to cause you to scratch your head in wonder.

'Although many people do not take the message in a fortune cookie as a serious oracular device many of them consider it part of the game that the entire cookie must be consumed in order for the fortune to come true. Variations on this idea include not eating the cookie if a fortune seems unlucky, eating the entire cookie as well as the fortune, eating the entire cookie before reading the fortune, or reading the fortune before any of the cookie is eaten. While some people believe the fortune will not come true if it is read aloud, or read at all, other people follow rules involving how the cookie is selected—including selecting a cookie with closed eyes, passing a cookie to another person at the table, or choosing the cookie that seems to be pointing directly at you.'

That's a lot of rules and procedures involving something that's made up without a lot of brain juice used and usually is vague and silly. But, with that said, they can be kind of fun at times, if you're in the right mind set and not too uptight to not enjoy the mild amusement of what they say.

For anyone wishing to learn more about the fascinating history of fortune cookies, click here.

For anyone wishing to see the fortune cookie messages I've collected thus far, look several paragraphs below. My own profound comments sit neatly beside each one (for your easy accessibility, because I care a lot) and are nestled comfortably between parentheses- much like when a baby bird with a broken wing is placed in a basket and covered by a little baby blanket to keep it warm. Ahhh. Isn't that sweet?

Without further ado or anymore annoyingly insipid metaphors, here's the fuckin' fortune cookie messages!

Alter ideas and you alter the world. (I tried this but all I got from the hairless monkeys was expressions of confusion or an angry mob of them, holding torches, pounding at my front door.)

Happiness is enjoying what you got. Never from what you want. (I got an itty bitty clump of belly button lint and what I want is world peace so... HA!)

A brave man is the one that is not afraid to admit his mistake. (I admit my mistakes all the time so I must be a goddamn hero. Feel free to worship at my feet, for yes, I am a god. You're welcome.)

Luck is coming your way. (That's pretty humorous, considering what's been going on, lately.)

Good health will be yours for a long time.You have a strong desire for a home and your family comes first. (I have extreme diabetes, high blood pressure, 80% deafness in one ear, equinus foot deformity, two and a half inch heel spurs and more- so that first sentence may not be quite accurate. Hmmm. It could be, just maybe, that the magical fortune cookie fairies accidentally let that one fall into the wrong hands- namely mine. The second sentence shows that the last statement I wrote is most likely true, at least partially. I've never wanted a home. I'd rather have an apartment. If shit breaks down, it's of zero expense to me and the landlord fixes or replaces it. Plus, no lawn to mow and no property taxes to worry about. I could list a dozen other reasons but I'm not going to bother. My family does come first, though. The magical fortune cookie fairies got that right. Gosh, they must really know their stuff.)

Your present plans are going to succeed. (My present plans at the moment entail going to the bathroom and having a pleasant bowel movement within the next few minutes. I predict SUCCESS.)

You have an unusually magnetic personality. (I was curious as to why the cars on the street and the cutlery inside the apartment have been smashing up against me. I don't mind it too much, really, except for the steak knife embedded in the middle of my chest. The car that pinned my legs up against the building, crushing them into paste, earlier, caused my usual jovial spirit to dampen slightly, as well.)

Stop searching forever. Happiness is just next to you. (If happiness is a cat that knocks over the garbage cans every so often to drag out three day old leftovers and a couple pounds worth of coffee grounds all over the kitchen floor and then proceeds to barf up a hairball and some cheese later on beside my bed- then yes, happiness is, indeed, resting just next to me, perfectly comfortable with his previous activities and accomplishments. And now, I'm petting him on the head- which he will likely perceive as a reward from me for all the good works he has performed today.)

You will make a fortune with your friend.Your dearest wish will come true. (Although this fortune may, by some miracle, happen in the future, I'm slightly suspicious in the reliability of this prediction. My dearest wish will come true? Hahaha... You better hope not. On perhaps a related or unrelated note... On one occasion, I asked a few close, personal friends, who knew me pretty well, what their reactions would be if I were suddenly in charge of the citizens in the world. Without missing a beat, they said, in unison, "I would kill myself." I had to laugh at that. I wasn't sure if I was exactly surprised by their response. Then I immediately began having hilarious fantasies of impaled bodies and deviant, sadistic sex orgies here and there- you know, the usual. I mean everyone has those thoughts, don't they?*)

*wink wink, nudge nudge

You are very expressive and positive in word, ct and feeling. (That's true. I am expressive. But then, aren't most of us? Well, unless they're an uptight, robotic type of hairless monkey. Positive in word? Nah, not really. Well, maybe sometimes. What the fuck is ct? And the last one is really "opening up a can of worms"-or words- for me, so I'll pass commenting on that one.)

Success won't taste so good without Failure as appetizers. (That could be true. But I think it depends on what you think, as an individual, what success is and what failures are. To me, being a success could be being the best parent, friend or spouse all your life. For some narrow minded, superficial folks, the word "failures" might mean having jobs that didn't pay you what you thought you deserved in substantial sums of money, without regarding the importance or the fact if those same jobs gave you a sense of fulfillment or contentedness while performing duties in your work.)

So there you have it, folks. I'm done. End of post. Kind of abrupt, eh? I know. I'm as deeply concerned about that as much as you. Move along now. There are others waiting in line behind you. That's it... There you go. Move on to the next profound, astute blog. I'm sure you'll be intellectually stimulated by all that you see, hear and read. On the way there, have a fortune cookie and a smile. Tune in next week where I discuss Mathematical Problems in Engineering With Contributions Containing Formulations and Results Relating To Applications or some shit like that.

Favorite Movie Quotes (volume one)

MY FAVORITE MOVIE QUOTES (volume one)

"Sometimes you eat the bear... Sometimes the bear eats you."

From The Big Lebowski

"We all go a little mad sometimes"

Norman Bates in Psycho

"Hey, don't knock masturbation. It's done with someone I love."

From Annie Hall

"Aristotle was not Belgian. The central message of Buddhism is not 'every man for himself.' And the London Underground is not a political movement. Those are all mistakes, Otto. I looked 'em up."

Wanda (Jamie Lee Curtis) from A Fish Called Wanda

"Wendy?...Darling. Light of my life. I'm not gonna hurt ya. You didn't let me finish my sentence. I said: 'I'm not gonna hurt ya.' I'm just gonna bash your brains in. I'm gonna bash 'em right the fuck in! Ha, ha."

Jack Nicholson in The Shining

"...I have nipples, Greg. Could you milk me?"

Robert De Niro in Meet The Parents

"Excuse me while I whip this out."

Cleavon Little in Blazing Saddles

"I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tanhauser gate. All those moments will be lost in time like tears in rain. Time to die."

Rutget Hauer in Blade Runner

"Greetings, my friends! We are all interested in the future, for that is where you and I are going to spend the rest of our lives. And remember my friends; future events such as these will affect you in the future. You are interested in the unknown, the mysterious, the unexplainable; that is why you are here. And now for the first time we are bringing to you the full story of what happened on that faithful day. We are giving you all the evidence, based only on the secret testimonies of the miserable souls who survived this terrifying ordeal. The incidents, the places, my friends, we can not keep this a secret any longer; let us punish the guilty, let us reward the innocent. My friends, can your heart stand the shocking facts about the grave robbers from outer space?"

Plan 9 From Outer Space

"There was me, that is Alex, and my three droogs, that is Pete, Georgie, and Dim, and we sat in the Korova Milkbar trying to make up our rassoodocks what to do with the evening. The Korova milkbar sold milk-plus, milk plus vellocet or synthemesc or drencrom, which is what we were drinking. This would sharpen you up and make you ready for a bit of the old ultra-violence."

A Clockwork Orange

"Norman. Come here. Come here, Norman. Hurry up. The loons! The loons! They're welcoming us back."

"I don't hear a thing."

On Golden Pond

"My precious."

Gollum from The Lord of The Rings: The Two Towers

"At my signal, unleash hell."

Russell Crowe from Gladiator

"It's a funny old world - a man's lucky if he gets out of it alive."

W.C. Fields from You're Telling Me

(This isn't from a movie but I thought it was funny and true enough)
"I feel sorry for straight men. The only reason women will have sex with them is that sex is the price they are willing to pay for a relationship with a man, which is what they want."

Stephen Fry, actor, claims straight women don't really like sex.

"Let's turn on the juice and see what shakes loose."

Betelgeuse (Michael Keaton) from Beetlejuice

"Have you ever had two people look at you, with complete lust and devotion, through the same pair of eyes?"

Maxine from Being John Malkovich

"It's 106 miles to Chicago, we have a full tank of gas, half a packet of cigarettes, it's dark and we're wearing sunglasses... HIT IT!"

From The Blues Brothers

Kirk: "What is this power you have to control the minds of my crew?"
Sybok: "I don't control minds. I free them."

From Star Trek 5: The Final Frontier

"There's no earthly way of knowing / Which direction we are going / There's no knowing where we're rowing / Or which way the river's flowing / Is it raining? / Is it snowing? / Is a hurricane a-blowing? / Not a speck of light is showing / So the danger must be growing / Are the fires of hell a-glowing? / Is the grisly reaper mowing? / Yes, the danger must be growing / 'Cause the rowers keep on rowing / And they're certainly not showing / Any signs that they are slowing!"

Willy Wonka From Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory

Pete: What's the devil look like?
Ulysses Everett McGill: Well, Pete, there are all manner of lesser imps and demons, but the great Satan hisself is red and scaly with a bifurcated tail, and he carries a hay fork.
Tommy Johnson: Oh no, sir. He's white, as white as you folks, with empty eyes and a big hollow voice. He likes to travel around with a mean old hound.

From O' Brother, Where Art Thou?

"What do you think you are, for Chrissake, crazy or somethin'? Well you're not! You're not! You're no crazier than the average asshole out walkin' around on the streets and that's it."

McMurphy (Nicholson) From One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

QUALITY QUOTES FOR THE QURIOUS FOLK

I have a grip on reality--just not this particular one.

Some mornings it's just not worth gnawing through the straps

All things considered, insanity may be the only reasonable alternative.

Fun is taking you to the edge of insanity, then pushing.

«Whenever I watch TV and see those poor starving kids all over the world, I can't help but cry. I mean I'd love to be skinny like that but not with all those flies and death and stuff.»- Mariah Carey, pop singer

From our brilliant leader, George Bush Jr.-

"Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we." —Washington, D.C., Aug. 5, 2004

"Too many good docs are getting out of the business. Too many OB-GYNs aren't able to practice their love with women all across this country." —Poplar Bluff, Mo., Sept. 6, 2004

"I want to thank the astronauts who are with us, the courageous spacial entrepreneurs who set such a wonderful example for the young of our country." —Washington, D.C. Jan. 14, 2004

“You know, one of the hardest parts of my job is to connect Iraq to the war on terror.”—George W. Bush, interview with CBS News’ Katie Couric, Sept. 6, 2006

“That’s George Washington, the first president, of course. The interesting thing about him is that I read three — three or four books about him last year. Isn’t that interesting?”

"I would like to apologize for referring to George W. Bush as a 'deserter.' What I meant to say is that George W. Bush is a deserter, an election thief, a drunk driver, a WMD liar and a functional illiterate. And he poops his pants." —Filmmaker Michael Moore

Wisdom from the mouth of Homer Simpson-

When will I learn? The answer to life's problems aren't at the bottom of a bottle, they're on TV!

When I look at the smiles on all the children's faces, I just know they're about to jab me with something.

Old people don't need companionship. They need to be isolated and studied so it can be determined what nutrients they have that might be extracted for our personal use

I like my beer cold, my TV loud and my homosexuals flaming

Kill my boss? Do I dare live out the American dream?

Homer no function beer well without.

I'm going to the back seat of my car, with the woman I love, and I won't be back for ten minutes!