“It just isn’t democratic!”

Democracy is not democracy when one is left from the table, unable to voice, but who said that democracy was the ideal? – Pete’s Quotes

Spring has sprung

Fall is not fall, when spring has sprung…-Pete’s Quotes

The outlook of A.I – what will it be?

Do we need more technology? More artificial intelligence is on the horizon, but will it be the much-hyped ogre, and a tower of babel, yet turns out to be innocuous. What’s it going to look like? Artificial intelligent quiz show contestants? Would that be commercially viable as viewers don’t love them? Or just another television curiosity we can live with and be amused by?

Please, do try again, with a laugh

There may be encouragement in a letter to the editor. The letter may be a rejection of some issue, but although this sounds funny, there’s the bit in the letter that says, ‘do try again’ and see how it goes. – Pete’s Quotes

A dangerous combination

A great danger is authority and ignorance. – Pete’s Quotes

A load of difference

He may have the entire world against him, but one or two friends that makes a world of a difference. – Pete’s Quotes

Re: Hobbies: The comfort of parts, the dread of the ‘big picture’

Such a comfort is the thought that one can engage in a part of something rather than feeling the dread of committing to the big picture. Commitment is good, but when it comes to hobbies there can be such a wide reach of doing everything involved, such a dread and loathing in that. But joy is found in only engaging a component of it, one that just fits nicely.

What’s up?

When someone says to me, what’s up, I immediately think that the assumption they are making is negative. But it is a way of bonding — what’s on your mind in other words. Getting to know someone. The negative is that your life is crumbling away at the seams and that’s what’s up. Wouldn’t tell anyone that if they asked me what’s up. Anyhow, it’s not crumbling away at the seams. I guess other people may assume that, but I don’t know. Why do we need to tell each other about our lives and what’s happening to complete and utter strangers even workmates who don’t know you from a bar of soap. Why tell your readers about your life? There is more control writing to an audience, but when you are put on the spot, that’s different. Then people see what’s going on unless you are great at poker faces and pretending. Personally, I am judicious as to what I reveal as the assumption being made, so I think, so someone is saying is your life crumbling apart at the seams and can I help? What can I do to make you better? In the end, it’s just conversation and getting to know you. What’s up? “Mind your own business,” is the answer.

It’s not unusual

The weather here is not typical for the season. But it has happened at this time a few times before in the last decade or so, so although untypical, is not unusual. I would like to see what happens in three weeks. Going by the times before, we should get more typical seasonal weather then. If not, it would set a precedent.

Holiday coffee

She was working over the holidays…

The truth

When objective reasoning is filtered through perception one is no longer able to tell the difference. In cricket, when it is obviously out it is obviously out and can be confirmed by a number of witnesses. Sometimes, the third umpire gets it wrong even with the benefit of hindsight. But perception has so taken over the truth.

Boring thing

The boring thing of an agenda is that you become a robot for the cause – Pete’s quotes

Immediate concerns

Times are particularly challenging for many people. There’s expenses and the cost of living. One worries about money and where it’s coming from. Can one afford it anymore? One must get another job, another career, but just a job is enough, as one can’t afford a career at the moment. It appears we don’t live in prosperous times now. They say it gets better. That the good times will come. But not looking in the future, leaves you with the immediacy of the present. One focusses on the now. That’s real rather than the future. So, one decides to make the present work–somehow. One must or do the best one can.

Organization

There is a book I saw, a children’s version perhaps, called The Seven Deadly Sins. The cover had a knight fighting off the snake, a picture of fighting off the primeval temptation that comes to everyone. There is also something called The Seven Heavenly Virtues which I thought is a great way to organize behaviour. -Pete’s Quotes

Time out

Sickness can be a time for reflection – Pete’s quotes

The outlook is better

How does one respond to recent events such as the last three years? One mustn’t blame. It was his fault or someone’s fault. But if one survived and can see an opportunity in the mess, then one comes out with a better outlook and attitude than without. Adversity can make one see life anew. If one finds trouble, one adjusts their temperament to survive. One does not give up but can turn over with a view to stay alive and live. One can even think about how they relate to the Creator: what is my relationship with the Creator of the world like? How can I draw closer to God during adversity?

Pilots are on an adventure, but is there more to it?

LIFE. I’ve been reflecting on pilots this week. Some pilots are quite lonely people I assume. They may not be either. But they are on an adventure.

Stuck

He had been drinking instant coffee for years. At home.

 

Every day, the same brand. The same mix. The same old instant coffee.

Three times a day. Sometimes four.

But recently he had been finding the same coffee didn’t taste as good as usual. He worried. Angst pulsed through his soul. What would he do?

He kept on drinking the same instant coffee. Until inspiration struck.

He went to the coffee shop across the road.

What would he find there?

He ordered coffee on the day after his last instant coffee at home. He knew of the brands. He chose latte, it sounded a bit different to the usual. After all he was having instant coffee for many, many years.

He took the cup home, put in the sugar, and took his first sip.

And another.

And another.

Until he finished his first ever latte.

He mused over the experience like a critic. “That was great”, he said aloud.

The next he went back to the coffee shop across the road. And the next day. And the next.

Until he forgot about instant coffee.

Then, one day, the coffee shop shut down for earthquake strengthening. He was shell shocked.

But he went home and prepared an instant coffee, but not in the old way. He put water in his instant coffee this time to see if it would taste better. Before he added boiling milk to the instant. He hoped water would make a difference. And it did!

It was instant coffee, after all. Did they ever tell him to add boiling water?

It tasted not so good. There happened to be another coffee shop in the vicinity. So he went to the coffee shop down the street and got his latte. It tasted so much better.

Stuck on time

I got my coffee and wish time would stop because it is National Gormet Coffee Day. I would go home to have dinner, but since it’s Rid the World of Fad Diets & Gimmicks Day I don’t go home. My wife is trying to replace her fad diet with a real one and I want Gormet burgers with my coffee. Just imagine it if I went home. For a start, I can’t even cook my own meal…

Until we meet again

May our farewells speak blessings until we meet again

Television program induces fears

2017. Autopsy is a television series from Britain’s ITV studios that analyses the events around the untimely deaths of famous people. Dr. Jason Payne-James looks at the cause of death that is on the celebrity’s death certificate but looking closely at the evidence he concurs with the certificate or comes to another conclusion.

The subjects of the series are people well-known in film, music, and sports. The days leading up to the deaths of actors Robin Williams and Heath Ledger, and others, are analyzed.

In the episode I am looking at today, the life and death of the Irish-born, Manchester United footballer George Best is scrutinized.

New story

The barrister winked at him. “Nothing like a change to get customers back, eh?”

Secretly, she slipped something addictive into his coffee. “How about a latte today, sir?” The story continues…

Old habits die hard

He couldn’t kick the habit. He kept on taking the same path to the same coffee shop every day. Three times a day.

Taking off

The barrister promised the customer something special in the coffee today. “You’ll take off,” she said.

There’s a fly in my soup

The weather may have been the same, but not his coffee. The barrister slipped something extra special into his coffee today…

Have a good day

I like outrageous stories and tall tales that have an exaggerated sense of life. So, here is a short tale of going to the coffee shop.

Recall

She entered the coffee shop and stopped. A song was playing inside the shop. She recalled the song and smiled.

Bliss?

I have been trying to wean off coffee for years, blaming the cafe for making too many good coffees.

Moon landing and the truth

Photo by Alex Andrews on Pexels.com

2019. July 20^th in the year 2019 was the 50th anniversary of the first man on the moon. The moon landing is portrayed in the 2018 drama First Man, and 2019’s Apollo 11, which was rolled out to theatres all over the world since March that year.