streaming consciousness…

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  hardie karges 2:15 pm on September 7, 2015 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: DNA ( 46 ), entropy, genome ( 5 ), language ( 176 )   

  Language Genome Project, to Order and Disorder… 

  

  DNA as word as DNA as word as DNA as word as DNA as word as DNA as word as DNA as word as DNA

  Isn’t it lovely and wonderful how language works: spinning out new words that reflect our life and times, just like ringing a bell, just like speed-dialing GMO’s? A prominent scientist once remarked that language evolution works ‘just like DNA, for no special reason; it just does.’ That includes the creation of high-tech-related words like ‘google, crowdfund, declutter, photobomb, sext, retweet,’ etc., all newly minted in the OED, and still many others, not so high-tech, and maybe not yet ready for prime-time, like ‘twerk, bitch-slap, slut-shame, shit-show, and one I just read up on about the lovely Miss Minaj: ‘tone-police’.

  What does this say about us as a people? I’m not sure that I want to know. Then there are many new words which merely reflect the evolving structure of language itself, in which grammatical inflections are deemphasized from their original purposes, and nouns are recast as verbs, adjectives, etc. and vice-versa, hence: decisioning, decidualize, Christianist, etc. Isn’t it great? They say SAT scores are at their lowest point in a decade; I wonder why. Riffing on that scientist’s previous point of language imitating life, maybe it’s time to discuss the law of entropy as it pertains to language…

   

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  hardie karges 11:28 am on September 6, 2015 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: America ( 59 ), capitalism ( 26 ), China ( 14 ), CHRISTIANITY ( 163 )   

  The Decline of Western Civilization (Part 2: Bankers, Barkers and Religion…) 

  

  Christian God

  But first my Sunday confession, Father: I’ve been called Communist and I’ve been called Jihadi. Liberals call me a Conservative. Conservatives call me a Liberal. It’s all true. I’m a contrary son-of-a-b*tch, known to act as the devil’s avocado, barely ripe, slippery when wet, but not merely for the sake of argument, I swear, but to try to reach some higher truth, later if not sooner, and for all our sakes, not just my own. When I lived in Berkeley I WAS conservative. When I lived in Mississippi I WAS liberal. Doctrines are there to be challenged, and dogma is there to be run over by karma…

  Now we all know how stupid are the tea-party wing of America’s Republican political party, but that doesn’t mean that Democrats are all geniuses (genii?). The difference between conservatives and liberals, or republicans and democrats, which basically defines the power relationships in the world, is basically the difference between the two types of people in the world: those who save their money—or resources—and those who don’t. Please note, Republicans, that I didn’t use the word ‘lazy’ and I don’t intend to, as I don’t think that is the fundamental issue. (More …)
   
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  hardie karges 3:01 pm on September 5, 2015 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Chrissie Hynde, Miley Cyrus, VMA   

  The Decline of Western Civilization (Part 1—Miley Cyrus, Chrissie Hynde, and…) 

  I mean, do I have to be the one to say: “Miley, could you please put some clothes on, because 1) You’re embarrassing yourself; and all the rest of us, 2); and 3) ISIL is threatening to hold hostages until you do? We got the gist of it, you know, your point, both of them: the inverse proportions between fame and clothing, twerking and working, etc., but you can give it a rest now; you’re getting older; and there are other people in the world, also, who shouldn’t necessarily be subjected to your bad taste, without going into the question of your right to do it. Your ‘fluid’ sexuality will be intact, and we’ll even throw in a box of M&M’s…

  It’s hard to admit that our culture has lost its way, gone wrong, horribly wrong, but how can you look at Miley Cyrus’s recent appearances on TV and disagree? Should we really be in a constant state of sexual titillation…or disgust? Liberal permissiveness should have limits, too, sorry. And there was no better example of liberal **ow jobs than the response to Chrissie Hynde’s second thoughts on a previous case of rape in which she reflected on her own behavior on that one fateful night, wishing she had done things differently. Keep in mind that only she knows exactly what happened as only she was there… (More …)

   
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  hardie karges 2:05 pm on September 1, 2015 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: cliche, language ( 176 )   

  Cliches’ For Sale–Cheap: Comfort-food lingo that no longer counts… 

  I figure that language is our DNA, the DNA of our culture. Nothing is more exciting than a new piece of language or a well-turned phrase, BUT… nothing is staler than yesterday’s cornflakes or over-used clichés. Given our feverish climate of social media and anti-social behavior, this can happen with startling rapidity these days. By the time you’re really starting to get a kick out of saying that new phrase ‘that all the kids are saying’–it’s too late. The vacuum seal has been broken. Mold is accumulating on the outer surface and the sweet sickly smell of decay is beginning to infect, then pervade. These are prime current candidates for removal from our daily vocabulary:

  1) Anything ‘best ever’–STOPPPPP!!!!!
  2) Anything that you just ‘love love love’ in triplicate. One ‘love’ is enough. Twice loved=thrice shy…
  3) Anything that’s ‘Just wow!’… I mean: really? Is that the best you can do? Just sayin’…
  Hey, that’s another one! (yes, I’m one of the worst offenders; sometimes it seems like my whole life is one big cliché)…
  4) “Just sayin”…

  The good thing is that sometimes after a long absence, bringing old phrases back into current use can be good fun. For example: when’s the last time you used the word ‘groovy’? Try it! The basic idea is to keep it fresh and unexpected. That’s all that really matters. You gotta’ love it… WAIT!

  5) “Gotta love it”…

  Of course, to intentionally used clichés to make a point about clichés is a special use–reported speech, i.e.feedback–protected by law and copyright conventions…

  We’ll be back after a break for station identification. Stay tuned for more!

   
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  hardie karges 9:15 am on August 30, 2015 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Buddhism ( 470 ), CHRISTIANITY ( 163 )   

  Buddhism 101: Life is about Suffering, and Its Cessation (NOT the Pursuit of Happiness)… 

  

  Statue of Buddha in Kandy, Sri Lanka

  First Noble (Aryan, Civilized, Precious) Truth (Reality, Faith, Fact, etc.): “Now this, bhikkhus, is the noble truth of suffering: birth is suffering, aging is suffering, illness is suffering, death is suffering; union with what is displeasing is suffering; separation from what is pleasing is suffering; not to get what one wants is suffering; in brief, the five aggregates subject to clinging are suffering.”

  In other words: Life is suffering.  If you don’t understand that, then you’ll never really understand Buddhism.  Many modern proselytizing Buddhist priests from foreign ports, and their local converts and adherents, try to downplay this fact for their shiny happy American audiences, ultimately doing a disservice to both: weakening the philosophy and misleading the Homies.  No, there is no mistranslation, nor any misunderstanding.  That’s what he said and that’s what he meant.  Our lives as Americans are a lie, shiny and happy with mouth wide open.  There’s a word for that: Christian; not Buddhist.

  Second Truth: “Now this, bhikkhus, is the noble truth of the origin of suffering: it is this craving which leads to re-becoming, accompanied by delight and lust, seeking delight here and there; that is, craving for sensual pleasures, craving for becoming, craving for dis-becoming.”

  In other words: There is a cause for this suffering—desire.  Sorry, Homies, but Buddhism is not about ‘following your passion.’  ‘Following your passion’ is verrrry Christian.  This is Buddhism.  Get over it. (More …)

   
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  hardie karges 11:07 am on August 29, 2015 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: acid rock, Jefferson Airplane, jefferson Starship, pop music ( 5 ), rock-and-roll ( 5 )   

  Jefferson Starship: When a Band Becomes a Tribute to Itself, but not sloppy dead… 

  It was with some lack of luster that I signed on to the concept of seeing (and hearing) Jefferson Starship in concert at the Twilight Concert Series at Santa Monica Beach the other night. In fact I probably wouldn’t have, but for the beach itself, and my wife’s love of it. I mean, I’m no huge fan of their biggest commercial hits: “We Built this City,” “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now,” etc., and a much much bigger fan of their earlier incarnation as the Jefferson Airplane…

  Of course much of the problem is their third incarnation, or rather ‘spin-off’, as plain white ‘Starship’, which has more in common with Foreigner and Aha! than the Airplane, which pretty much defined ‘acid rock’. Still I showed up, hoping for the best—and was rewarded. Now I’m also no great fan of dino-rock in general, BUT… the Airplane was pretty special, and political, which seems very appropriate in this day and age. The current tour pays ample homage to the old days and ways and plays, while delivering quite acceptable renditions of the tunes themselves. (More …)

  hardie karges and davekingsbury are discussing. Toggle Comments

   
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    davekingsbury 1:00 pm on October 28, 2015 Permalink | Reply

    Perceptive post, will follow your site. You might like my post on the Airplane in their heyday, with soundclips & personal comment, on https://davekingsbury.wordpress.com

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      hardie karges 1:50 pm on October 28, 2015 Permalink | Reply

      Welcome, will check your stuff, also should mention that I listen to a lot of new music, too, song-a-day club: http://thailand-to-timbuktu.blogspot.com/

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  hardie karges 12:49 pm on August 27, 2015 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: ENGLISH ( 7 ), homophone, homosexuality ( 6 ), vocabulary   

  Homophobes, Homophones, homo sapiens non sapiens… 

  If I simply avoid using the words ‘there’, ‘their’, and ‘they’re’, for fear of mixing them up, even though I know the correct usage, but always prone to a slip of the pen, glitch of the keyboard, mishmash of the motor neurons, or total breakdown of the autonomic nervous system; I mean: it’s not like I’m mixing disgust with discussed or I whored while hoarding the horde much less gamboled while I gambled, or did anything mean that I really didn’t mean in the meantime…

  I rather like them, in fact, homophones that is, if properly based on creativity while I baste the turkey in some debased state or otherwise in come pat a bull overt oh fence because I all most eight a hole brownie instead of the whole in the donut; I just don’t won’t to get a case of gilt when I new all along which won was write and the udder was miss taken, just an ax a dental sir come stance of berth and no like of incite on my part…

  I mean don’t ewe ever get stoned and right you’re fool head off, then go back and reed it just to find that its total gibberish? I don’t wont THAT. I’ve all ways herd that ewe knead sum thing to right about be four ewe even start the pro cess, but now I’m knot sew shoo-er. Sum thymes the best righting has knot won thing to dew with the subject madder at awl, but rather with the things ewe cum up with wile thin king about sum thin else, given the lye to the old ad age about no inn you’re subject. May be aisle just sir render and you’s core rect English. But that doesn’t make me a homophobe, does it?

   
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  hardie karges 7:10 pm on August 25, 2015 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Bruce Springsteen, MUSIC ( 8 ), rock-and-roll ( 5 )   

  ‘Born to Run: Celebrating Springtime for Springsteen 

  All the hubbub over the anniversary of the release of Bruce Springsteen’s breakthrough #1 album ‘Born to Run’ overlooks a few important facts: 1) the song itself only reached number 23 on the Billboard charts, and 2) the song is itself only Bruce’s 15th most successful, and 3) Springsteen has NEVER had a number one song–EVER.  For the cognoscenti, yes, it was a breakthrough album, and for Springsteen himself…ditto, BUT just by the facts and figures of singles and jingles in an era of album-oriented rock, it was hardly earth-shattering or ground-shaking. You had to be there to appreciate it, I think…

   
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  hardie karges 8:19 am on August 23, 2015 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Apocalypse ( 12 ), CHRISTIANITY ( 163 ), End of Days   

  Religio-Politics 101: Christian Death Wish–Apocalypse Soon? 

  The difference between me and the Christian Apocalyptics is that they want the End of Days; I don’t. Michelle Bachmann (remember her?) even actively encourages it, suggesting that the Iran nuclear deal would fit that business plan perfectly—great. And most mainstream Christians aren’t much better, they some of the world’s biggest consumers, they and their suburbs and Subarus and eight-lane freeways and store-bought freedoms, life measured by toys in the attic and needles for the addict…

  Of course what we have in common is that we both see the poop hitting the ventilator soon and life as we know it coming to an unceremonious end. Once again, though, they’re expecting some kind of rapture, while I’m looking for massive social disruptions and an economic crash that will… (wait for it)… likely solve the cause of the problem—eventually. By then, of course, it’ll be too late by some people’s reckoning and we’ll never get back to where we are today—good. Today sux… (More …)

   
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  hardie karges 5:04 pm on August 20, 2015 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: air conditioner, America ( 59 ), ecology ( 2 )   

  Air Conditioned Nightmares, Eco-Green Daydreams… 

  I hate A/C and all that it stands for: the machines whirring and the air stirring, and the cool breeze blowing up my crack. Actually that part I like—sometimes. But what I hate most is the artificiality, the lie, the ultimate conceit, that we can defeat Nature, that we can override any and all obstacles, that we can ultimately prevail in our quest to enforce our will upon this planet, for the price of a barrel of oil… (More …)