September 4, 2024

A passing cloud mass of wisdom


  
                             1} It isn't that the good die young.  It's just that they die too soon.

                      2} The mystery of love is that of transforming into the object of your love.

               3} The first sign of being in love with someone is feeling emotional pain when
                    the person is absent.

         4} The greater a person's capacity for love, the greater the person's vulnerability
              for hurt, the greater his ability to sacrifice, and the greater his ability to suffer.

  5} An individual whose priority in life is to possess chronic comfort is an individual
       entirely void of love and equally devoid of compassion.

  6} The opposite of Love is NOT Hate.   It's indifference   ...   It's apathy.

  7} If you happen to be a male and a woman describes you to your friends as "that
       interesting guy," it means that she is interested in you ... personally.

  8} The greedy seek to kill off people.  The merciful seek to kill pain.

  9} A woman who marries for money is no different than a prostitute.  When the
       money is gone, so is she.

 10} Evil is NOT an essence unto itself.  It is privation.  It's the absence of a good
       which ought to be present but is missing.

 11} Beauty is an absolute.  It is the phenomenon of Harmony and Proportion.


 12} If you permit the existence something that you know can kill someone, then you
        have committed Murder by Negligence.

 13} In similar fashion, if you can prevent an evil and then do nothing to stop it, you
       are guilty of the evil not prevented.

14} Where you have bookworm nerds in white lab coats intermingling with money-
         grabbing Big Pharma reps, you have the inability to heal numerous diseases,
         due to the lack of insight and compassion, as well as the absence of natural
         instinct.  

  15} Forbidding a terminally ill patient to partake in experimental treatments, because
         of the treatment not being officially approved by the powers-that-be, is the act
         of ordering that person to die.   If the person is going to die anyway, give that
         person the chance to survive, no matter how slight be the chance  ...  even if it
         means that the cost of the treatment will not go into the pockets of Big Pharma.

  16} A terrorist is a person who tries to intimidate you into giving into his demands
         through deadly forms of improvisation.

  17} If a person answers, "I don't know," after having been asked for a favor, he/she
         means, "no."  Don't waste your time.  Take your request to someone else.

  18} The rich never create jobs.   Shoppers do.   Demand creates jobs.

  19} People obsessed with abortion claim that no woman ever carries a human life,
         because the fetus cannot exist outside the mother's womb without assistance.
         Well, you cannot exist on your own when you are underwater.  According to
         the logic of the abortion-obsessed, you are not a human life whenever you are
         scuba diving.

  20a} Martin Luther's religion was based on Luther citing a passage in an Epistle of
         Paul in which Paul stated that he no longer follows the Law.  Paul was talking
         about the 600+ rules and rituals of the Law of Moses.  He was not referring to
         the Law of Morality.  

20b} But, Luther made it look this way.  Luther failed to note that, in another Epistle, 
         Paul wrote,  "Do not be deceived; neither fornicators nor idolaters nor adulter-
         ers nor boy prostitutes nor sodomites nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards 
         nor slanderers nor robbers will inherit the kingdom of God."   1 Cor 6:9.

A British bridge built in London and then moved to Arizona.  And yes, I was there.

  21} The Church of England's existence was solely due to the fact that Henry VIII
         wanted a divorce, and he only wanted a divorce because he saw that Cather-
         ine was not able to bring forth the much sought for son.  A male heir, Henry
         supposed, would prevent England from returning to its warlike state.  The
         quest for the male heir, in order to prevent war, is what caused war.

  22} TV Evangelists teach the Gospel of Pampered Comfort and Selfishness, while
          having the audacity to call it Christianity.  Notice that their hairs are all in place.
          The background of their sets looked like funeral homes at times.

  23} Gandhi once said, "I would become a Christian if I ever met one."  This is
         the same reason why millions want nothing to do with Modern Christianity.

24}  Being that a tree is known by its fruits, the definition of the Protestant Work Ethic
         is evident.  It consists in Protestants getting African Slaves, Chinese Sweatshop
        Workers, and similar victims to do the Protestants' work for them.  While beating
         slaves, they believed that they were saved.  Saved from what?  Not their sins.

  25a} If governments were secretly given technological knowledge from extraterrestrial
          UFO travelers, a couple of space shuttles and a few rockets would never have
          blown up.  The fact that modern inventions have evolutionary time lines attached
          to each one of them shows that man, and not UFO aliens, invented the technolo-
          gy that exists on mankind's Planet Earth.  
                                                                 


 25b} That is to say, trial and error, as well as accidental discoveries, with the occasional 
          disasters, mark the path to modern technology.  If extraterrestrials  gave technologi-
          cal knowledge to governments in secret, mankind would have immediately started 
          with advanced technology.

  26}  Invading Iraq empowered and emboldened Iran.  It was counter-productive.  No
          matter what any pushy propagandist says, George Bush II turned America into
          a vampire already nailed in his coffin.

  27} The ones too cowardly to go to war are the ones who end up waving the pro-
          military flag.  War heroes know how devastating war is to the human psyche.
         They are inclined to advocate peace and understanding.  Chicken Hawk flag
         wavers are patriotic with the blood of others.

28a} People who say that the U.S. Constitution is the greatest writing of all time nev-
         er read the constitution.  In addition, they create controversy in claiming that the
         Bible is second-ranked, whenever the flag waving pseudo-constitutionalist is a 
         "Bible-Only" Protestant.

28b} If the United States Constitution is the greatest piece of literature in history, then
         why is there a provision to amend it, taking into account that it wasn't something 
         perfect?

28c} Those who have read the United States Constitution will never give flag waving
         praise of it.  They will actually talk about the constitution's contents instead, and
         engage in something known as intelligible conversation.

28d} The same land that gave the world Martin Luther gave it Adolph Hitler.  (This
         refers to the overweight white guy of 16th Century Wittenberg, Saxony.) 

28e}  St. Francis of Assisi literally brought peace to his environs.  Martin Luther
          brought war to his environs and to Europe in general.

29a}  The two historical figures that Hitler hated the most in history, according to his
          "table talk," was Saint Paul and Mohammad.  He accused them both of spread-
           ing the religion of the Jews.  And yes, it is admitted that there is no historical 
           and no archeological evidence for the existence of a 7th Century Mecca or an
           ancient Mecca.  It is also admitted that none of the Jewish prophets were born 
           anywhere near Mecca, due to the fact that no such artifacts or records exist to
           prove so.

29b} Hitler's grandmother was a housekeeper for a Jewish family.  While working for
         the family, she became pregnant.  Yet, she wasn't married at the time.  She was
         simply dismissed.  Therefore, it was wondered if Hitler were part Jewish.  The
         Nazi Party eventually wrote off the suspicion.  The bottom line is that the most
         severe persecutor of a people is usually the one who feels most betrayed by the
         people he persecutes.

29c} The other type of heavily persecuted person is the designated scape goat.

30a} The more arrogant the person, the more clueless the person is to the simplest
         of realizations.  Perfect praise comes from the mouths of babes; not from the
         arrogant.

30b} The person who assassinates other people's characters in front of you is the
         same one who will assassinate your character behind your back.

31}   Greed kills and the greedy don't care.
_______________________________________________________________

August 29, 2024

The City of Many Firsts

  Preliminary Note:  Before all else, know that the infamous Pittsburgh accent is
  actually the Clairton accent and it's rarely heard around the Pittsburgh area any-
  more.  However, when that accent was more frequently heard, it did make you
  cringe.

  Proof that the accent is almost extinct is simple.  First, call to mind Jeff Goldblum,
  Michael Keaton, Denis Miller, the late Gene Kelly, Barbara Feldman (the original
  Agent 99), the late Andy Warhol, Academy Award winter Shirley Jones, singing
  sensation Jackie Evancho, Super Bowl champion Joe Montana, Heisman Trophy
  winner Tony Dorsett, NY Jet sensation Curtis Martin, Jack Dodson (the actor who
  played Howard Sprague on Andy of Mayberry), record-breaking quarterback Dan
  Marimo, best selling author Rachel Carson, Mr Rogers of Public TV fame, Julie
  Benz of Buffy the Vampire Slayer fame, Frank Gorshin (the Riddler on the Bat-
 man TV series, and other celebrities.

  Now, do or did any of the aforementioned celebrities ever speak in the infamous
  Pittsburgh accent which is actually the Clairton PA accent?  ANS:  No.  Of couse
  not.  Then, case closed.  The infamous Pittsburgh accent is almost an extinct accent.
  Let us continue:

 Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, the region where three major rivers converge, is the site of:

-the world's first wire cable suspension bridge. -the world's first continuous roll
  printing press.     -the world's first Ferris Wheel's design  (the original was put
  on display in Chicago, for the first time.)  -mankind's first long distance use of
  alternating current electricity.     -mankind's first motion picture theater, located
  on Smithfield Street.  -mankind's first commercial radio station, namely KDKA
  Radio.  -America's first drive-thru gasoline station (petrol station), located on the
  corner of Baum Boulevard and St Clair Street.  -the first utilization of air brakes.
-America's first major league base ball stadium, in the form of Forbes Field.   -the
 first road map ever distributed by an oil company; namely Gulf Oil.
                                                                    &
-the Western Hemisphere's first successful oil refinery, located on Seventh Avenue,
-the first indoor zoo, in the form of the Pittsburgh National Aviary.  -the first build-
  ing constructed with liquid-fireproofed columns, namely the U.S.  Steel Tower.
-the invention of the game of Bingo, originally called Beano.  -the world's first pro-
  duction of commercial aluminum. -the first all-aluminum shelled skyscraper, in the
  form of the Alcoa Building.  -the first atomic submarine engine (constructed for the
  U.S.S. Nautilus),  -the first use of Daylight Savings Time,  -the first Zippo Lighters.
                                                                   &
-the world's first nuclear reactor, in the form of the Shippingport Plant.  - the first
 public TV station, in the form of WQED TV.  -the polio vaccine.  -the world's first
 retractable arena roof, namely the Pittsburgh Civic Arena.  -the first university sky-
 scraper, namely the Univ of  Pittsburgh's Cathedral of Learning which continues to
 be the tallest academic building in the Western Hemisphere.  -the first combination
 liver, heart, and kidney transplant.  -the world's first robotics institute, as well as the
home of:
                                                                 &
---Five Pulitzer Prize winners, ---movie icon Gene Kelly, ---baseball icon Stan Musial,
---baseball icon Honus Wagner, ---music icon Henry Mancini, ---environmentalist and
    author of Silent Spring, Rachel Carson, ---Gertrude Stein, ---Billy Eckstein, ---Andy
    Warhol, ---Mr. Rogers, --- academy award winner Shirley Jones, ---Michael Keaton,

---Jeff Goldblum,  ---comedian Dennis Miller, ---comedian Marty Allen, ---the original
    Candid Camera traffic cop, Vic Cianca, whom I once met, ---recording artist Perry
    Como, ---recording artist Bobby Vinton, ---recording artist George Benson, ---TV
    game show host Bill Cullen, ---the original Agent 99 (Barbara Feldon), ---Andy of
    Mayberry's Howard Sprague (Jack Dodson,) ---the original Riddler (Frank Gorshin,
    of the televised Batman series), ---World Series champion manager, Terry Francona,

--- numerous NFL standouts such as -Dan Marino, -Joe Montana, -Heisman Trophy
     winner Tony Dorsett, -Oakland Raider legend George Blanda, -Jet running back
     Curtis Martin, -Jet super bowl quarterback Joe Namath, -all-pro lineman Jimbo
     Covert, -all-pro lineman Bill Fralic, -Super Bowl coach, Bill Cowher, -Super
     Bowl coach, Mike Ditka, --- and others.
                         
    Plus, there's an underground aquifer called the Wisconsin Glacial Flow, located
    54 feet below.  It extends throughout various Southwestern Pennsylvanian areas.
The historic and renovated Smithfield Street Bridge
           Pittsburgh had the largest airport on earth in 1962, and even in the 1970s, the
           Conway Yards (located 21 miles northwest of downtown Pittsburgh) was the
           largest push button railroad in the world.
A surrealistic city preserved in plate glass.
If you don't realize to what this refers,
look at the reflection in the plate glass.
           The most notable aspect about Pittsburgh is that it was the king of steel, even
           when it came to the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge, the George Washing-
           ton Bridge, the Chrysler Building, the Empire State Building, and the Golden
           Gate Bridge, as well as its own buildings.  Of course, Bethlehem Steel, in the
           eastern sector of Pennsylvania, also supplied steel to the aforesaid architectural
            icons.

River boats docked at the Monongahela at night.
            Pittsburgh was declared the most livable city in America as far back as 1979,
            the year when Pittsburgh won the World Series and the Super Bowl.  Ironical-
            ly, in 1985, when the Pittsburgh steel industry was being destroyed, and when
            the United States became the top debtor nation on earth,  Pittsburgh was once
            again declared the most livable city in the United States.

            A couple decades later, in 2007,  Rand-McNally again declared Pittsburgh the
            most livable city in America, as did the Economist Magazine in 2009 and 2010.
            Forbes Magazine would then declare Pittsburgh the most livable American city
            in 2011.  Below is a pictorial of Pittsburgh.
The Three Rivers Confluence at Night.
Four Gateway Center
Two PNC Plaza
The view from the Monongahela side of the city.

The view of Heinz Field and the Three Rivers Confluence from Mount Washington
Historic St. Boniface, on East Street, near route 279.
In Pittsburgh, the bridges are as close as next-door neighbors.
One of the few remaining inclines of Pittsburgh
One Oxford Center
University of Pittsburgh Cathedral of Learning.
Entering the downtown from Oakland, where Pitt's campus is located.
Should you be slightly interested in seeing more recent photographs of the former steel capitol of the world ... the city of bridges ... the land which carries the imprint of the Great Ice Age so much so that it conceals the Wisconsin Glacial Flow 54 feet below it ... the multiple Super Bowl trophy depository ... the home of a few Stanley Cups ... and the metropolis of many technological firsts, the following might quench your curiosity a bit more.

August 27, 2024

More of Pittsburgh in Pictures

The Union Trust Building, in the Heart of Downtown Pittsburgh.
       Below is the third pictorial of the metropolis built on terrain etched at the end of the
       Great Ice Age, after the glaciers as nearby as Moraine State Park started to melt.
       The post Ice Age deicing of melt water came through the Three Rivers Confluence
        under which exists the Wisconsin Glacial Flow ... 54 feet below.


    Pittsburgh was once the City of Glass, in having had 40 manufacturing outlets in its pre-
    cincts.  The same Pittsburgh was once the King of Steel.  Furthermore, it was coined
    the City of Champions after the Steelers and Pirates won the Super Bowl and World
    Series in the same calendar year.

   Pittsburgh remains the City of Bridges and the Western Hemisphere's most celebrated
   aquatic triplicity, with a bonus subterranean river included.  Pittsburgh was also a heavy
   impact zone during the Industrial Revolution.  It was so much a keystone of America's
   Industrial Age that it was once called, Hell with the Lid Off.  In fact, the snide, yet
   honest, joke about Pittsburgh at the time was, "Six months in Pittsburgh is grounds
   for suicide."

   The influx of Eastern European immigrants, with their Catholicism & Orthodoxy, ended
   up changing the motif of Pittsburgh, shifting it away from the Hell image, as is illustrated
   below, in the Ukrainian Catholic Church built on the busiest street of the South Side.
  Yet, the image of a Hellish Pittsburgh wasn't changed until long after the Homestead
  Riots lefttheir brutal etchings on Pittsburgh history.  The riots were consisted in immi-
  grant Slovaks vs Pinkerton Detectives who arrived by river barge.  The outcome was
  brutal and bloody.

A bit of Plate Glass Psychedelia
Actual rainbow ivy in the autumn.
Inside the Fort Pitt Tunnel.
The top of the Union Trust Building, from a different angle.
The ground level front entrance of the same Union Trust Building.
The view from the North Side, near Heinz Field.
The Gulf Tower
A few blocks from where I live,
at the time of this writing.
One Oxford Center.  It looks like the Sphinx
   
Mount Washington, close to the Overlook Platforms and the Inclines.
Polish Hill
Gateway Center as seen from the Blvd of the Allies.
Close to Duquesne University and the downtown.
The general vicinity of my place of birth ... the South Side of Pittsburgh.
The general street where I was born;  Carson Street on the South Side of Pittsburgh.
My place of birth; 2117 East Carson St., Pittsburgh.
This is located across the street from my place of  birth.
Creative environs, to say the least.
This shop, built in 1889, is a couple blocks from where I was born.
Marked 1913, it's four to six blocks or so away, on the same street.
This sign is located  a block or two away from the former Saint Joseph's Hospital.
One of the inclines, transporting people to and from Mt. Washington.
The Smithfield Street Bridge; a bridge between downtown Pittsburgh and the South Side.
This is the Shadyside sector of Pittsburgh, somewhat near the Pitt campus.
Night along the Monongahela River.
A photo of downtown Pittsburgh where all three rivers are hidden from sight.
                                          The following is an involved lesson on the Ice Age:
               http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/cs/groups/public/documents/document/dcnr_014595.pdf