Is Death the End?

(8)

Clearly JPII does not have the option of suicide. Poor JPII! He cannot take a pistol in hand and put it to his head and pull the trigger and thereby blow his brains out. This is one of the many disadvantages of being Pope.

You and I can do that.

But JPII is restrained. JPII must needs live out the facts of His Glorious life without regard to short-cuts. He needs to live in the full view of a billion idiots. Idiots! Could you do that? I think not.

So at the age of 80+ JPII goes on and on, struggling to avoid Death, thus bequeathing to us a lesson: Avoid Death! Death is the end!

But is that really true?

Nature Fiddles Endlessly

(9)

This brings us to the idea of the easiest way to end our lives. It seems to some of us that it is good to end our individual lives in some circumstances. Is that a correct idea?

I think so. Nature has no sense of guilt, no emotions. Nature proceeds with no remorse. Nature goes on and on dialectically, remorselessly, forever and ever. Nature PROCEEDS!

Nature does not understand suicide. Indeed, Nature abhors suicide. Suicide is against Nature, and Nature is against suicide. But suicide stands in the face of Nature. Why? The reason must be that the idea of suicide is beyond Nature. The reason must be that Suicide transcends Nature in some sense.

Does this point to a 'Supernature?' I think not.

I think that Nature fiddles endlessly and that suicide is a natural part of Nature.

Suidial Technique

(7)

This brings us (if you are still with me after all that) to the state of drunken freedom. At this point I have done my duty in regard to possible notes and feel free to 'speculate.' I intend to do that, not so much in the attempt to snuggle up to you in your ignorance but in the attempt to educate you... idiots! I keep you all at arm's distance. I do this because I know you (tap). If you are beginning to suspect that I have reached the 'state of Drunkenness' you might be right. I (at that point my connection failed and I had to reconnect, but here we are!) am not quite drunk yet.

I am gloriously near, but not yet... let me refer to my notes... hmm...

The last remaining note under the heading of 'Styles in Suicide' has the subtitle of, 'easiest way.' This refers to the easiest way to kill oneself. Let me be very clear about this: Suicides can be extremely painful or on the other hand they can be extremely nothing. That is to say that the act of suicide leads to a definite end but that the means are subject to evaluation. I intend to address the latter. I intend to discuss suicide as a practical approach to ending personal suffering.

We Can Hardly Wait

(6)

Some people need permission to die. Without permission they linger and linger. They understand that death is a natural stage of life but they avoid it because we deny it so well. This leaves them in Limbo, hanging on, stupidly.

Die JPII! Do it!

I can tell you this: we will all love you for it! So die! We can hardly wait... Do it!

Shame on You JPII

(5)

This brings us to the matter of JPII who is living moment to moment as the Pope of Billions who believe (being gassed here) in the Catholic Paradigm. You and I suspect that JPII is about to die and that in so doing He will demonstrate a style worthy of emulation. You and I beleive that this will be a natural disaster; that most Catholics will prefer to die in the style of JPII, and that this will result in a species of social and economic decline. I know you! You might be right.

If you are, then it will mean the extension of the primitive idea that life is right regardless of the consequences. But is JPII really right? I think not. I think that - economically speaking - JPII is far past His peak and has become a drag on The Church. I think furthermore that JPII is doing evil by his stubborn grasp on The Papacy in spite of his obvious approach to death. Not that I think JPII is evil - not at all. But it seems to me that JPII has descended from The Papacy into the common arena where we have such an absolute fear of death that we use all means to avoid the inevitable.

Shame on you JPII. You should be leading us into the direction which we will all eventually turn. Your avoidance of suffocation (or whatever) tends to create doubt in our faithful minds. We are beginning to think that you are afraid to die. Your fear of death disturbs us. We want you to die with style. We want to believe that you will enter Heaven instantly after you die and that you will send us a message from Heaven to the effect that you have arrived there and that Heaven is real, not a myth!

So here is my advice to you JPII: Die. I give you permission.

Suicide as a Matter of Style

(4)

Given that there are actually 'styles of dying' I would like to address the concept of suicide. I am in favor of suicide. I see suicide as the ultimate statement of life-style. I am in favor of suicide. I see suicide as the old man's (women's) ultimate contribution to society: they are in their last throes and they choose to terminate that natural process of dying in their own interests and in the interests of the culture which has been so kind to them: they repay a debt. They know that Nature has no conscience, and so they intend to inform Nature with a conscience, at least in the Human Arena, at least in their particular case. I applaud that.

But it seems to me that suicide should never be used as a 'last weapon' against some person who has disappointed the suicider. Such an act violates the principle of reciprocity and therefore is inherently evil. It seems to me that sometimes suicide in justifiable. Not only that: it seems to me that suicide becomes at some point a matter of style. I would go further to say that in my opinion there are theoretical scenerios where suicide is obligatory.

Death Styles

(3)

Natural Scum.

Which brings us to the idea of 'death styles.' Do we all die in style? Are there actually 'styles of dying?' Fetuses, for example, die in fairly like manner whether aborted by man or god. Children usually die in like manner from various diseases. Most adults die in well defined categories, one of the most populous being warfare. Older adults usually die of disease and the older the adult the more definitive the disease.

From this it would seem that there are indeed 'death styles' and that most of us follow those various death styles, falling into some category or other, eventually. You will die, but will you do it in style? That is the question.

It seems to me that if there are indeed various styles of dying that one of the most interesting such styles must be suicide. I think you will agree with me on this. Everybody dies. Some of us manage to die gloriously if not beautifully. Unfortunately most of us die ignomineously. We die ugly. Some few of us die extremely uglilly. Terry Schiavo is an example of somebody who has been dying for a long ugly time.

We say that one of the most beautiful ways to die is in battle. Maybe. But remember that the average soldier who died in battle did it inadvertently. His death was a by-product. And it was probably very ugly. There is little beauty in death (tap) but there is some: death is the natural culmination of a beautiful sequence. As such it is beautiful. In fact every death is beautiful.

UFOs and Aliens

(2) The subject of UFOs and Aliens arose out of an ABC special last night about UFOs. I recorded on tape and watched it today. Good stuff!

I am not a believer in UFOs but I am a believer in Extra-terrestial Life. It seems to me that, given the Laws of Nature, Life is inevitable in this vast universe and we are proof of that. I am also a believer in 'Aliens.' I know that Aliens exist because I have met them from time to time. They are among us. But they have not arrived here from another planet.

I see Autistics as 'aliens,' for example. In the case of autistics, they are 'salvagable' and NBC has done much in recent days to inform us of that. But in my opinion there is a class of Alien which is not salvagable: the Sociopath. I claim that some forms of Sociopathology are purely genetic, lacking even the remotest social-cause history. That is, I claim that there are 'sociopaths' who were born evil and who live out their evil lives far beyond social salvation. I believe that fervently. And I see this as a natural result of 'evolutionary meddling.' That is to say, I believe Sociopathology to be a natural branch in the Human Tree.

So, you sociopaths out there take heart! You are natural!

You Go Girl!

(1)

Tonight's notes are, BTK(F), life and death, Today moonlights, Nova, UFOs and Aliens.

The first refers to a crude joke: BTK means, 'bind, torture, kill.' I have added the F in view of the fact that DNA from old semen is being used to identify the killer. The question naturally arises: What is the style this guy? FBTK? If so he is ungrateful at best. Or is it BFTK? These two styles are probably fairly common among women-killers. Or is our killer more kinky: BTFK? Yuck. The last possibility of course is, BTKF. Also yuck. This brings us to the point: which case in your mind is the yuckiest and why? Think about it as you watch the news avidly.

Life and Death is much in the news: Hunter S. Thompson recently blew his brains out; JPII seems to be on a virtual deathwatch; Terry Schiavo awaits the judge's decision... unknowingly.

In the case of HST, the latest is that he did it after a telephone conversation with his ex-wife. She says that after speaking with her on the phone he put down the phone and the next thing she heard (over the phone) was a gunshot. Yuck. Thompson's timing was obviously very bad, designed to inflict guilt on his ex. Yuck.

In the case of John Paul II, it is a case of Death approaching a reluctant victim who is fighting back against the inevitable. Everybody wants to go to Heaven but nobody wants to die, JPII included. Life is sweet at the top, bitter at the bottom.

'Today moonlights' was one of those nuggets I referred to: Ann Curry doing aerobatics; Matt Lauer collecting garbage; Al Roker dealing in Las Vegas, Katie Curic milking goats. Great stuff! I loved it! But I have to admit that my favorite piece was 'Ann Curry doing aerobatics.'

It happened that my vcr did not record that session because I had inadvertently left it on. Furthermore, the tivo was frozen when I tried to replay Today. But after a restart and some new batteries in the tivo remote I had the pleasure of seeing Ann Curry do an aileron roll, a loop, and a 'half Cuban Eight!' What fun! (At this point <1932l> the burning in my lungs indicated I was being gassed and I turned on the intake fans and left the room for a minute or two. Now that I have returned the only symptom of gassing is my runny nose. The vs is now running at 1/6 power. No other sign of more gas yet... I should mention there have been lots of wall booms as I write this and a stomp above my head just now <1942l>. Hmm. Could this be a case of vsdt-by-proxy?) Kootch was watching and/or listening to the Ann Curry segment while she was in the kitchen making lunch. Her comment was typical Kootch: 'She have rottsa guts.'

I did a lot of aerobatics back in the '69-70.' It was all self-taught. I would see, or read, or listen to somebody, then I would get up in the Citabria (usually 5087X) and do it. But Ann Curry is not a pilot! So I am in awe of Ann Curry, who did a loop, a roll, and a 'half Cuban Eight!' You Go Girl!

Death is Oscillation

(9)

I think not. I think that death is 'irrelevant.' I think that death is natural and furthermore that death is absolutely necessary. I think that you - idiots that you are - would not be here in this glorious world were it not for Death. Your lives depend on Death. Death is oscillatiuon.

I Always Knew That

(10)

This brings you and me to the natural end of this current blog entry: I am drunk as a skunk, and as such I ought to bow out gracefully. All good things must come to an end. But I know you are curious about me. Here are the stats:

I began drinking 3.2 beer around 1705; I poured my first whiskey about 1730. Since then I have imbibed five 3.2 beers and one pint of Canadian Whiskey. It is now 0120 next morning and I am drunk as the proverbial skunk.

And yet I still feel in control as I write this blog and review what I have written. In short I feel confident that my logical brain is overseeing this scenerio in spite of the rise - the temporary rise - of my emotional brain. This results in the emotional feeling of satisfaction. That is to say that in spite of my emotional brain's indulgence in booze to this point, my logical brain has remained 'in control' and feeds back this information to my emotional brain, which receives the information with personal pleasure!

Now that I think about it, my lovely and glorious brain is one! I always knew that.

You Will Die

(9)

Yet in spite of 'truth' and 'culture' life marches on. Life is greater than Truth or Culture. Life is overwhelming! Death follows Life in this regard, and therefore the 'desires of Intelligent Life on Earth' naturally created the myth of the 'Supernatural.'

Life, in effect, denied Death. Life denies Death as a matter of principle. Death eventually overcomes life in the individual case, but it is quite true that life in general always overcomes death. Earth's individual intelligences extrapolated this idea and invented religion.

But the truth is this: Everything alive, eventually dies, and whereas Life Itself never dies, the individual components of 'life' inevitably die. You will die.

You might not like it but you will die.

Truth is Individual

(8)

That is the question.

You will die, but will you die ignorant? Will you die unfulfilled? Will you die having failed to experience those experiences which were available to you in this glorious life?

Will you continue in the false quest toward 'Paradise' in the face of Modernity? Remember this: Death is The End. There is nothing beyond Death. Non Plus Ultra! Remember also that Culture is self-serving and that Culture doesn't give a shit about you. Culture is about the continuation of the masses. Culture is about whatever works to further more culture.

On the other hand Truth is rare. Truth stands in the shadows of culture, mostly unavailable. Truth is individual. The masses will never know the truth.

Culture vs Truth

(7)

I think so. I have never been hungry on LSD. Never. Ever.

You might be surprised by the turn of subject at this point and I don't blame you. The new subject is 'drug effects.' That is to say, 'What are the effects of drugs and what are the side-effects of those drugs, and what does it matter?' This is an important subject.

You might not know this but all drugs have a multitude of effects. The drugs which we can buy legally have been approved because of their 'desirable' effects. But 'desire' is in the eye of the government. Alcohol is 'desirable' and legal nowadays but it was not always so. Marijuana is 'desirable' but not currently legal. LSD is 'desirable' but not currently legal. I could go on and on but you get the idea because you are an informed citizen: legal drugs are legal because they have 'desirable' effects and minimal 'undesirable side-effects' according to the current cultural state.

But 'culture' is extremely relative. Culture changes constantly. Therefore it would seem to be the case that the definition of 'illegal drug' follows these constant changes in Culture: Alcohol became legal, illegal, legal.

This brings us to my point: Are you Culturally Correct? If so you may be missing something fundamentally important. You need to go beyond 'culture' in your quest for The Truth.

Do you believe in The Truth? Do you want to know The Truth before you die?

The Downside of Ganja

(6)

You might not believe this, but I still have almost a half-pint of Canadian Mist left to imbibe. I am learning! I am learning to intervene from time to time with a 3.2 beer so as to limit the rate of drunkedness (tap) and to therefore extend the time of 'reason over emotion' in this blog. As I have writ before, alcohol diminishes the logical mind and enhances the emotional mind such that the imbalance rapidly becomes ludicrous. Right?

So this interjection of a 3.2 beer now and then is an attempt by the logical mind to intervene in what was previously a process dominated entirely by the emotional mind. It seems to be more or less successful in this particular case. I only wish I had a little Ganja. Ganja would add the definitive information in this regard. But there is no Ganja.

As I have said before, Ganja is the 'blessed terminator' to a booze high. Without Ganja I will go on and on tonight drinking whatever is available - up to a point. But suppose I had a bowl of my weak Ganja available!

In that case I would smoke it about now. The Ganja would 'hit me' almost immediately. I would be transported into another, more beautiful world. I would immediately lose all desire to 'become higher' because my new Alcohol-Ganja state was about as high as I ever wanted to go and probably somewhat higher. For about an hour or so I would be in the Judeo-Muslim-Christian Paradise (or at least my personal version of it) with absolutely no desire.

But after about another hour or so I would straighten up and become hungry - devolop the 'munchies.' I would eat anything and everything in sight. This is the downside of Ganja.

Diet and Ganja do not go well together. Given the current state of national obesity the laws against Ganja seem to acquire relevance. This brings us to LSD: does LSD tend to decrease appetite? That is the question.

Young Minds Only

(5)

In fact it just now hit me that you might be elderly and you somehow latched on to me because you need guidance in the last stages of your lives. Hmm. If so, you came to the wrong place. Not that I would advise you to leave - not at all. I would only advise you that you will find young uncomfortable ideas here and that you should be prepared to be 'scandalized,' but that if you can stand the shock of that, the rewards may be worth your diminishing time. May not! Are you a gambler? No? Then are you curious? Are you willing to invest something of your emotional lives? No? Then flee! Yes? Then hang around for a while, tentatively...

It is possible that your equanimity will be totally destroyed by this blog. Sounds arrogant, but nevertheless I caution you: this blog is for young minds only.

Learning New Stuff

(4)

So far so good, as I am now in the habit of frequently saving my stuff in order to avoid sudden 'censorship.' This point in time leaves me with no guide. I love this point too (I love everything when I'm drunk). So the rest of this will be done 'extemporaneously.' standby... I just got back from watching The McLaughlin Group (2130) and I am happy to report that I actually learned something!

It is rare to learn something at my age, which must be why it so pleases me to do it. This must be the reason why I treasure those Thursday sessions with Earth Revealed. I love to learn new stuff. It occurs to me as I read this that if you are as old as I am and you are bored, then maybe you should learn something. Learning is a 'youthful' attribute, and it follows that the desire to learn new stuff is evidence of 'youth.' So get out there and learn something!

Do you think that learning new stuff will imperil your immortal soul? Do you think that God wishes you to remain ignorant bumpkins until you die? You are wrong if you think that.

TIVO Explained

(3)

Regarding Women's College Gymnastics, this choice is a no-brainer given the historical data to the effect that I was a virgin until I was twenty but an avid sex fan from the age of 12 when I 'invented' masturbation.

I like the McLaughlin Group for its arrogance.

CBS Sunday Morning is always a weekly treasure to be savored.

ABC World News Tonight won the lottery with the other contenders tivowise based on the technicality that I could watch CBS News live while recording NBC News on the VCR. They're all great.

Nova is MANDATORY!

Survivor.

Ebert and Roeper is my guide to 'current attractions.'

Face the Nation. I record this while watching similar stuff live (if I'm up at that early hour).

The 700 Club. I love this religious scam! I love it in the same sense that I love to see Shiites beating themselves every year about this time. I love it in the same way I love to watch The Mohel Show on JBS.

Today is like coffee in the morning. Although it is 'interminable' (three hours!) I still find a nugget now and then, and I tape it too. The reason is this: TIVO is backup in the fairly frequent case that I forget to turn off my VCR. It is an old vcr which fails to record stuff, on. I usually watch Today on the vcr because it is soooo much faster in 'fast forward' than tivo, and saves me time.

WCG (34): This is backup college pussy.

Frontline (6): Great stuff, like Nova.

Nature (12): More great stuff.

Earth Revealed: This series is the current cutting edge in my ongoing education. I love it!

Survivor.

My Current TIVO TD list

(2)

Women's College Gymnastics
McLaughlin Group
CBS News Sunday Morning
ABC World News Tonight
Nova (12)
Survivor
Ebert and Roeper
Nova (6)
Face the Nation
700 Club (53)
Today
WCG (34)
Frontline (6)
Nature (12)
Earth Revealed
Survivor (this must be left from last year)

I will briefly comment on every selection.

Preferences

(1)

Rereading last week's entries I see that there were two occasions where my writings were 'censored' by their sudden disappearance. I remembered only one. I do remember that the one I remembered retained the title (tap).

My few notes are: Beg the Question - The Gates - Shiite Celebrations - Survivor - Season Pass.

I've noticed increasingly frequent use over the last couple of years of the phrase, 'beg the question,' as a substite for the phrase, 'raise the question.' These two phrases describe totally different processes, yet they are being used more and more often in television media by people who should know (professional journalists) as if they are halfway interchangable. I find this irritating for some reason, somewhat in the same class with, 'nuculer' (nuclear). It seems to me that this expression is diluting one of the principles of logic and that it ought to be challenged. Therefore I remind you: to raise a question is to create and then formulate a question; to beg a question is to create and formulate a question such that the answer to the question is implicit in the question itself. Do you get that? If not, I recommend, Handbook for Writers, by Celia Millward.

The Gates refers to my opinion of the 'saffron in Central Park.' Twenty one million dollars was spent to produce that 'work of art' in Central Park. Some love it and some hate (tap) it. I find myself somewhere in the middle, leaning toward the group of haters. As I think about it, the definitive judgement of history comes to mind here: it will soon disappear into the scrap heap.

Shiite Celebrations are all over the news today, featuring Arab men bludgeoning themselves ritualistically with chains in remembrance of something which happened long ago. I love this time of year! I love to see those IDIOTS beating themselved in the name of their stupid religion! I giggle often as I watch the news this time of year. I say, 'Harder, boys! Harder!' This time of year always reminds me that the Muslim religion is even stupider than the Jewish religion.

Survivor Palau aired last night and I watched it on TIVO today. I love that show. I don't meet new people in real life, and this show introduces me to new real new people every year. The first episode is important because I like to judge every character by my initial impressions, then see if my judgements are validated by subsequent shows. Three characters come to mind from the first show: the obvious pansy, the tatooed bartender lady, and the not-so-obvious pansy. The OP and the TBL struck up a tentative alliance because they recognized immediately that they were the two 'weirdest characters.' They swore (in effect) undying devotion to each other based on that recognition. This alliance was unfortunately terminated when the OP met the NOP, with the result that the OP failed to select his female 'love,' who was obviously devastated by her sudden reversal of emotional fortune. One thing I know about Survivor: faggots are inevitable. This fits in with my daily life, in fact (boom). I am going to love this season!

Season Pass refers to my TIVO. My season Pass list is a sort of cross-section of my interests. As such it deserves a place here in my blog. Therefore at the risk of apparent arrogance here is my current season pass:

The Meaning of Non Plus Ultra

(11)

This is the meaning of Non Plus Ultra: No mas. No farther. Enough. The end. Go no farther.

This is the emotional idea of modern fundamentalists of all persuasions. Non plus ultra! Non Plus Ultra means existential fear of change. Change invalidates old stuff.

So the motto of religious nuttery everywhere is 'Non Plus Ultra!' This idea is most obvious today in the Muslim World and in the Jewish World. The world of Christian Fundamentalism also fears change, and also adopts the motto of 'Non Plus Ultra.'

'Non plus ultra' is the motto of Conservatism everywhere.

We are living in the age of Non Plus Ultra.

Science proclaims, 'Plus Ultra!'

Science maintains that 'all which is old is suspect' and that furthermore 'all that is new is true.' Science is correct in this regard most of the time.

Purple Heart for a Toe

(12)

My previous writing was zapped away, and I am now reduced to commenting on it. The subject regarding my (left index) toe is lost forever, along with the reason for thinking that it deserved a Purple Heart.

If I may succinctly make a case for why my poor left index toe deserved a Purple Heart it would be this: that toe sustained injury in the war against the Circumsision Cult. I can think of no higher reason to award a purple heart to a toe.

Plus Ultra!

(10)

Which brings you and me to a point of ludicrosity. Having arrived here, at this point of ludicrosity, the question naturally arises, 'Now what?' Good question.

If I may be forgiven for a bit of existential demonstration in this regard, my answer is, 'Plus Ultra!"

Do you remember from your high school Latin classes that the standard answer to your inate drive to explore was, 'Non plus ultra?' Yez? Then you understand this. You see it! Plus Ultra!

You Know: I Don't Know

(9)

Mo Takusan. A brief visit to the LR reveals that I am missing good stuff about Arthur Miller, but this is TGIF and I feel no guilt. Willie Loman (will ye be a low man) seems to be the main Miller character. Apparently Aurther Miller died today and we are advised to remember him for his glorious sociological insights. Good stuff, I know, even though I have never read a Miller book or seen a Miller play. We know good stuff, even though we may never have had the experience of it. Right?

Right? Good stuff infects our souls with pleasure. We know it when we see it because we feel it. There is nothing better than Good Stuff, and Arthur Miller created good stuff in the form of a new socialogical idea. Did I get that right? You know: I don't know.

All is Calm.

(8)

This leaves us at the end of another drunk with no agenda and nothing in view. We have done our duty in the Twainian sense and there is nothing else to bother our glorious topological neurons about. All is calm.

Personal Experience

(7)

In a previous (but unfortunately censored) post I compared flying gliding contraptions above Colorado to doing LSD in Colorado, based on my personal experience of both. I want to reiterate the truth of that comparison. Both were done in Colorado and both were breathtaking. Both were gloriously beautiful, equally comparable in their incomparability to all other experience.

Needless to say, my contemporary drunks are only shadows of those previous glorious times.

Personal Experience is a glorious thing because it is so personal.

The Attributes of Words

(6)

Some words are extremely powerful, and apparently those words were.

Do you think my words are powerful? Yes? Then in my opinion you are very discerning! I know you! Simple is powerful, sometimes, whereas sometimes complex is weak. In the same vein drunk is powerful, sometimes, whereas sometimes sober is weak. Words rise above situations. Situations come and go but words have the quality of solidity. There is something about words, which, when put together evoke beauty, or truth, or something fundamental but unnamed.

Words Come and Go

(5)

This entry is in leu of another entry which suddenly disappeared as I was typing. It went, 'Poof' for some reason, and I don't quite remember... It was about how my friend John and I went glider-flying at an airport in Colorado Springs and how we subsequently took to turning off the engines in our powered airplanes in order to experience the sensation of flying gliders, and how I would sometimes teach my students - against FAA recommendations - the art of flying a powerless airplane.

The entry went poof just at the point where I compared the LSD experience to the experience of being thousands of feet above the Colorado landscape in a glider. Oh, well. I only write words here. Words come and go.

Powered Gliders

(4)

Nor was there a dangerous moment over the Littleton Airport when I would occasionally pull the nose up on the Citabria or the Super Cub (or whatever) and stall the airplane after pulling the throttle back to idle and turning off the magnetos. The prop would come to a halt in the slow air, and I would relax back pressure on the stick and hand the airplane over to the student for a few minutes. He or she would then have the pleasure of flying a temporary glider. sHe would understand that an airplane was really a glider with the gift of power. I would let the student fly around powerless for a while, then I would take over in order to restart the engine. Instead of using the electric starter I would advise the student that I was going to start the engine by 'windmilling it' at high speed; then I would turn on the magnetos and do a 'split-S,' diving the airplane vertically to the point that the airspeed began to turn the prop thus starting the engine. That speed was typically around the cruising speed for that airplane.

This was always a memorable moment, as we pulled out of the dive somewhere near pattern altitude and I pulled power and told the student to make a power-off approach to the Littleton Airport, as if the engine had really failed. Meanwhile, of course, I nursed the engine to make sure it was hot enough to provide real power... I had been surprised more than once by a cold, sputtering engine at low altitude!

I don't remember even a single case where the student blew the power-off landing.

No Danger

(3)

My two favorite airplanes were the Super Cub and the Twin Commanche. The Cherokees, the Citabrias, the Cessnas, the Commanches, etc., etc., were all fun; but the Super Cub was like a glorious toy designed especially for precocious children. I could get the Super Cub into the air at 40 knots(?) 'indicated' with full flaps. I could land the Super Cub almost anywhere, and did.

I liked the Twin Commanche for its two 180 hp engines and its great speed (compared to the others). The Twin Commanche had a bad reputation of needing more than 3000 feet to recover from a spin, so I never spun it, although I spun most all the others. I suspected that the bad reputation derived from inexperienced pilots who lost an engine on takeoff and 'spun in flat.' But I was never tempted to spin the Twin Commanche.

One of my favorite 'tricks' with students in the TC was to turn off the fuel to one of the engines at cruising speed and altitude. I usually chose the right engine. In fact, I always chose the right engine. Anyway, the engine would quit, suddenly. The surprised student would instantly become disoriented as the airplane skewed into the dead engine. He (or she) would look over at me in shock as the situation became rapidly more complex. "Emergency procedures!" I would say.

The student would then remember the mantra: 'dead foot, dead engine,' and apply rudder to counteract the torque of the good engine. Next step was to apply full power and rich mixture and high rpm to both engines. Lastly, the student would turn on both of the electric fuel pumps.

This was the 'payoff point' for me: the 'dead engine' would suddenly come to life for a few seconds as the electric fuel pump blew the remaining fuel in the line into the faltering engine. As a result the student would have to compensate for yaw in the opposite direction as the 'dead' engine roared to life for a couple of seconds, only to die again, requiring yet another correction of the rudder to compensate. It was all so predictable for me but all so shocking to the student.

The rest of the procedure called for the student to 'feather' the dead prop. Once feathered, the prop caused much less drag, which required much less rudder pressure, and the flight proceeded for a while on one engine as the student dialed in the compensating trim.

After flying along for a while on one engine, to give the student the feeling of how a TC flies on only one engine, I would have the student start the dead engine using the electric starter. We would then proceed to Columbine airport and do a 'single engine approach' to the active runway (usually 30). The approach simulated an approach with the dead engine, which was actually throttled back to the point where there was no drag, but the engine was instantly available in case of an emergency. There was never any obviously dangerous moment.

Stream of Consciousness

(2)

How much Whiskey is too much whiskey for me? More than one pint.

No notes tonight. This leaves me free to enlarge on last week. I am sooo happy that I have no appointments with God this week! Talking to God is... boring at best. We have so little in common.

The real tail number of the Citabria was 8331V. I got the 'V' right, but mixed the number up with that of a Super Cub, 43o4Z. I did a lot of flying in Citabrias, Super Cubs, and expecially Cherokee 140s. I worked at Columbine Airport as a flight instructor (tap) for a while in about 1970 or thereabouts. As I was recovering from my hangover it hit me that I had screwed up the tail number of the Citabria and I began remembering some of the tail numbers of the airplanes I had flown at Columbine: 4242J, 4247J (our instrument trainer), 9666W (we called that airplane, nine-tripple-six Riskey for some reason although it was as safe as any other Cherokee 140), and last of all, 8440Y, our Twin Commanche. 40Y was our 'multi-engine trainer.' I did a 'barrel roll' in 40Y one fine afternoon, but that is another story.

04Z crashed, killing both on board. I had trained the pilot. It was a sad day. Not long after receiving his Private licence he ran into some power lines along the line of ridges just west of Denver one afternoon. Apparently he ran into the steel cable which runs along the tops of power lines and acts as a lightening protector. He must have seen the power lines themselves, but missed the thin steel cable above them. He was a nice guy, a geologist, who had had extensive experience (in Alaska?) exploring for oil (I think) in Super Cubs. I have forgot his name. I felt extremely guilty about his death and the death of his passenger. In fact, this incident, along with my failing voice, caused me to give up flight instructing.

Too Much Whiskey

(1)

Well, as you can see, I really screwed up the last session, even managing to stash some of it in a previous session! And my arrogance was showing, as usual. What did not get recorded in that last session was an accident: in my abject drunkedness I had some sort of accident: I stubbed the index toe on my left foot (tap) and abraided my left leg just below the knee. Obviously I staggered and fell, or kicked something inadvertently and then fell. I suspect it was the coffee table in the LR. My wounds are healing rapidly. It must have been an accident because I am not the sort who strikes out at inanimate objects (tap). My hangover suggests, and the low level of my stash of booze tends to confirm this, that I drank waaay too much whiskey last Friday night. In fact, I had to replenish the supply tonight.

I Wish You Well

(8)

I could go on and on. But you would become bored. Perhaps you understand that my quotes of Bhagwan are actually interesting and you want to read more. Lucky you!

But do you understand that I have made a personal study of Bhagwan's ideas? Have you so studied? I think not. I know and you do not know, but I wish you well. I know!

You don't know shit!

Stan Paules

(7)

Before I let you go tonight I want to tell you about Stan Paules. He was a pilot, and more to the point he was an 'engineer.' I was a 'technician' but Stan was an 'engineer.' I first met Stan at the Columbine Airport where I was a flight instructor. We flew together. Stan told me that he worked for Honeywell. I was interested in this because I had also worked for Honeywell. The difference was that whereas Stan worked for HIS (Honeywell Information Systems) I had worked for HIG (Honeywell Industrial Group). Stan was a computer specialist, whereas I had been an industrial technician. This must have been around 1970.

I was flying every day, teaching various idiots how to fly airplanes safely. I loved that life.

Kootch worked for K-MART at the time. Between us we managed to put food on the table. Kootch kept telling me that we should abandon our apartment and buy a house. She was right. We did that.

But what about Stan Paules?

A Dangerous Idea

(6)

If you were so arrogant as to disregard my previous warning then you are in a fix: you may well be the target of Right Wing Religious Fundamentalists who intend to do you harm in the Name of God. If that is the case, then, welcome to my world!

Just in case you don't know what RWRF are, I will enlighten you: they believe that their God runs The Universe, and that they are the instruments of their God. This is a dangerous idea.

Ultimate Ideas are extremely dangerous unless those ideas have some Social and Scientific Merit, which ideas are combined with the concepts and practice of humility. All ideas, without exception, need, in order to be acceptable, to enclose us in love.

It follows that there can be no such idea.

It follows that all ideas of The Future are inherently dangerous.

What does this mean? It means that none of us is an 'Old Testament Prophet.' It means that we live from moment to moment, hour to hour, day to day, week to week, year to year, loving our lovely and glorious lives!

Never Tell!

(5)

Time for me to abandon this monologue. I advise you to tune in again next Friday Night if you wish to continue with the current trend of ideas. My advice to you: do not tell your friends about this blog! They will never understand and you will only succeed in destroying something of your lovely and glorious lives. Keep me a secret! Never tell! Tune in with faith and equanimity, but keep it quiet.

Alone in the Crowd

(4)

WHTZSNM obviously concluded the interview at that point. Can we blame HIR? I think not.

This brings me to the end of my notes and obligations. Whatever may now follow could well be sheer drunkedness. I am minded to present more Bhawanisms:

Intelligence is rebellious.

Love is enough... it will give you the taste of eternity.

The God of the priests has never been alive. The alive God is that of the mystics. I teach you the God of the mystics.

You have to know that even dust is divine, that your body is a temple. You have to become Zorba the Buddha!

Religion can be scientific without being science; science can be religious without being religion.

Matter is possible only if there is consciousness, and vice-versa.

...Tao is the first revelation, realization, that existence is polar. No other religion has been so clear about this... existence is not logical it is dialectical; it is not Aristotelian, it is Hegelian.

You can sit in the marketplace and watch people and that will be meditation.

If being together brought no disturbance, no wanting, no desiring, no expectation, no jealousy, no possessiveness, no uncouncious hankering to dominate the other, then it was aloneness.

Spokesperson

(5)

It seems to me that I need to explain to you idiots out there the real meaning of my latest interview with God. Whereas it is absolutely true that God is the most prolific abortionist in Nature it is not true that God is therefore guilty of crimes against Humannity. Not true!

God does not 'run Nature.' God oversees Nature, benignly. God is not directly responsible for each and every individual act of Nature. But in HIR capacity of God, SHe ultimately is responsible in some sense. I know God well enough to say that SHe is embarrassed by our charges against HIr. SHe accepts those charges with equanimity. In fact, I can report here that God is distressed by HIR powerlesness in the face of current history. That is, apparently, why God has designated me as HIR spokesperson: SHe knows that I will not be 'intemperate.'

God might be very wrong about that.

Another Short Interview With WHTZSNM

(3)

Max Schmeling died at age 99. He defeated Joe Lewis in their first (1936) encounter, but lost in the first round of their 1938 encounter. I wonder. I wonder whether Max Schmeling 'threw' that 1938 fight at a subconscious level, knowing what Hitler really was. I think so...

This ends my notes, and apparently I am now scheduled to do another interview with God. Good grief! You can imagine my consternation upon reading that I had volunteered for another such interview!

But my 'consternation' is really 'anticipation.' I dialed God on my cell phone and we quickly agreed to do the promised interview. Here it is:

----------

ME: Thank You for showing up for this interview.
GD: Showing up?
ME: As I recall we left the previous interview somewhere in Limbo; I did not have the time to address the questions most at issue. May I present them now?
GD: You do as you wish.
ME: All modern scientific knowlege tells us that 'spontaneous abortion' is far more prevelant than 'intentional abortion.' Is this really true?
GD: I DO NOT LIKE YOUR ATTITUDE!
ME: Is it true?
GD: True.
ME: Is it true that between 30 and 50 percent of all human conceptions end up being aborted?
GD: True.
ME: Is it true that every one of these aborted fetuses had a soul?
GD: True.
ME: Is it true that they will all go to Limbo, there to stay forever and ever?
GD: True. Do you realize how extremely irritating you are?
ME: Yes.
GD: I trust that you have made your point, and that I can go now...
ME: Not so fast: It would seem to follow logically that you are the the most efficient abortionist in our Universe? Do You deny the charge?
----------

Very Rare

(2)

For a brief time in the late '70s I owned an airplane, a Citabria. I used to fly it around the Denver area, sometimes taking Kootch or Jenny or Kathy, or one of my friends along for the ride. The story of the recent crash reminded me of the time I had a 'control problem' in the Citabria. (I think the tail number of the airplane was 4342V, but a quick search for the photographs did not turn it up. Could be 4243V).

Anyway, one fine day my friend and I (friend's name was Stan Paules - we were both working for Honeywell Information Systems at the time) were flying the Citabria when something extremely unusual happened: Stan, in the rear seat, flying the airplane, said, "The controls don't work!" I turned around and watched Stan demonstrate the truth of his experience as he moved the stick around with no effect. I immediately felt my own stick and determined that the front seat controls worked. This was a very unusual situation, in fact, unprecedented! But apparently I had the presense of mind to pull a little joke out of it: I made 'control movements' in the front seat and reported back to Stan that 'Mine don't work either.'

Stan almost literally jumped out of his seat and yelled, 'What!?' right in my ear. He must have released his seat belt for this demonstration. At this point I took poor Stan into my confidence, demonstrating that I had control.

But I consider my little joke on this occasion to have been the ultimate demonstration of 'cool in the face of catastrophe.' We took the airplane back to the airport and I sent it in for repair. I suspect sabotage of course. Walter Gerash, filthy Jewish Queer, was stalking me back in those days too, and I have no doubt whatsoever that he was involved. Whether or not you agree with me on this, I think you will have to admit that this sort of thing is very rare.

I would often fly novices from the rear seat. In fact, if you consult Stan, he will tell you that I landed the Citabria from the rear seat one fine day in a strong crosswind which he had tried but failed from the front seat. I wonder what would have been the result if, say, the rear seat controls had failed when Jenny and I were flying, and I was piloting from the rear seat.

Controls Locked?

(1)

Tonight's notes read: Iraq votes - Riyad City Council - stuck yoke? - Max Schmeling.

I was glued to the tv set as Iraq voted this week. What a glorious story! This week might be the beginning of something to justify all the previous murder and mayhem in Iraq. We will see...

Is Democracy contagious? I think there was a piece in the evening news about Riyad (Saudi Arabia) proposing to actually 'elect' a 'city council! did I get that right?

'Stuck yoke' refers to the recent crash of a private jet, which skidded off the end of the runway, across a busy highway, and into a warehouse. Apparently, when the airplane reached rotation speed and the pilot pulled back on the yoke, it was stuck! This sort of thing usually indicates that the controls are disabled. The pilot rightly aborted takeoff thus saving many lives. The question remains of why the controls were disabled.

One of the mandatory rituals of every 'preflight' is the 'freedom of control test' where the pilot moves all the flight controls to their natural limits to test whether there is any binding or other abnormality of control movement. Sometimes this test reveals that the external 'control locks' (devices put on the ailerons and elevators and rudder to prevent 'flapping' in high winds) have not been removed. Usually, however, pilots have done a comprehensive preflight check which includes inspecting for such devices, and the 'freedom of control' check is done as a last check for structural problems. There have actually been cases where the pilot's preflight inspection was so poor that he took off with the external control locks in place!

Stan Paules Remembered

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This system seems to be hung up on Stan Paules! Glorious! As I sit here remembering Stan Paules I remember an intelligent, emotionally stable dude. I remember feeling inferior (technically vs Honeywell) to Stan Paules, but superior to Stan in the sense that I was teaching him how to fly in the air without crashing and dying. I remember instructing Stan Paules in the various stuff of mid-air survival.

Stan Paules was an apt student. But I remember that Stan Paules was much smarter than me.

I remember that Stan Paules was a genius compared to me, in the practice of repair. I was never interested if that sort of stuff. I repaired computers for Honeywell because it was my job, and I was not very good at that job, whereas Stan Paules was gloriously good at that job!

So I dedicate this dittie to Stan Paules.

Upside Down

(8)

Stan was married to a 'mexican woman.' Perhaps that is why Stan was 'attracted to me:' My wife was Japanese. We were in some sense 'Brothers.'

I knew this at the time. I always loved to interact with people who had contact with 'aliens.' Kotatsumatsu was my resident alien, and I loved to investigate the concept of 'alienism.' Stan fit this emotional predelection, but I never told him.

Stan Paules and I once flew a Citabria over Pike's Peak upside down at about 15000 feet. I was flying in the front seat as usual. We had previously flown over Devil's Head upside down.

If you want to get a clue about me you need to contact Stan Paules.