Ray Manzarek.. February 12, 1939 - May 20, 2013

The photo shows, from the left, Robbie Krieger, Jim Morrison, Ray Manzarek, and John Densmore. Collectively, they were known as ‘The Doors’ and this shot of them appeared on the ‘Waiting For The Sun’ album.

 

Ray played keyboards, often doing the ‘bass’ parts, and did some vocals too.

Do I remember where I was the first time that I heard ‘Break on Through’? You bet the hell I do, as I remember where I was when I heard all of the other stuff that the Doors ever did.

In my opinion, they were the greatest band ever, and I still listen to Doors tracks now.

Life in the 60’s would not have been the same, so ‘thank you’ Ray, Jim, Robbie, John, and may Ray and Jim rest in peace together..

No way for kids to start life..

I refer not only to the kids who watched, saw what happened in front of the them yesterday at the Sandy Hook school, Newtown Connecticut, but to ALL kids everywhere who suffer because the people who have control over their lives are too stupid, too selfish, too greedy to care.

I am sorry but I can’t imagine what it must be like to hear rapid gunfire approaching. I simply can’t imagine what it must be like to be lead through where dead school friends are laid out on the floor.

I can’t imagine these scenarios because I never had to face them. Where I grew up, there was no right to bear arms. In the UK, there is no civilian right to carry a handgun, concealed or open. Since Hungerford, a civilian is not allowed to own a working handgun or an assault rifle.

There is no place in a civilised society for people to carry guns.

I can’t imagine what it is like to go hungry, to be ill or infirm without the hope of medical care, to have no parents to protect me and teach me how to survive.

It would be bad enough to have to go through any of the above at my age, but to put a small child through any of the above is mindless, selfish, stupid BEYOND belief.

What I can tell you is that I am glad that I lived in a gun free society, or as gun free as a society can be. I am glad that I never had to grow up fearing everything that moved.

Lest you should forget..

.. in the run up to the season of ‘goodwill to all’.. 

Calling other people ‘ugly’ doesn’t make you any prettier..

Give these up and be happy..

Here is a list of 15 things which, if you give up on them, will make your life a lot easier and much, much happier. We hold on to so many things that cause us a great deal of pain, stress and suffering – and instead of letting them all go, instead of allowing ourselves to be stress free and happy – we cling on to them. Not anymore. Starting today we will give up on all those things that no longer serve us, and we will embrace change. Ready? Here we go:

1. Give up your need to always be right. There are so many of us who can’t stand the idea of being wrong – wanting to always be right – even at the risk of ending great relationships or causing a great deal of stress and pain, for us and for others. It’s just not worth it. Whenever you feel the ‘urgent’ need to jump into a fight over who is right and who is wrong, ask yourself this question: “Would I rather be right, or would I rather be kind?” Wayne Dyer. What difference will that make? Is your ego really that big?

2. Give up your need for control. Be willing to give up your need to always control everything that happens to you and around you – situations, events, people, etc. Whether they are loved ones, coworkers, or just strangers you meet on the street – just allow them to be. Allow everything and everyone to be just as they are and you will see how much better will that make you feel.

“By letting it go it all gets done. The world is won by those who let it go. But when you try and try. The world is beyond winning.” Lao Tzu

3. Give up on blame. Give up on your need to blame others for what you have or don’t have, for what you feel or don’t feel. Stop giving your powers away and start taking responsibility for your life.

4. Give up your self-defeating self-talk. Oh my. How many people are hurting themselves because of their negative, polluted and repetitive self-defeating mindset? Don’t believe everything that your mind is telling you – especially if it’s negative and self-defeating. You are better than that.

“The mind is a superb instrument if used rightly. Used wrongly, however, it becomes very destructive.” Eckhart Tolle

5. Give up your limiting beliefs about what you can or cannot do, about what is possible or impossible. From now on, you are no longer going to allow your limiting beliefs to keep you stuck in the wrong place. Spread your wings and fly!

“A belief is not an idea held by the mind, it is an idea that holds the mind” Elly Roselle

6. Give up complaining. Give up your constant need to complain about those many, many, many things – people, situations, events that make you unhappy, sad and depressed. Nobody can make you unhappy, no situation can make you sad or miserable unless you allow it to. It’s not the situation that triggers those feelings in you, but how you choose to look at it. Never underestimate the power of positive thinking.

7. Give up the luxury of criticism. Give up your need to criticize things, events or people that are different than you. We are all different, yet we are all the same. We all want to be happy, we all want to love and be loved and we all want to be understood. We all want something, and something is wished by us all.

8. Give up your need to impress others. Stop trying so hard to be something that you’re not just to make others like you. It doesn’t work this way. The moment you stop trying so hard to be something that you’re not, the moment you take of all your masks, the moment you accept and embrace the real you, you will find people will be drawn to you, effortlessly.

9. Give up your resistance to change. Change is good. Change will help you move from A to B. Change will help you make improvements in your life and also the lives of those around you. Follow your bliss, embrace change – don’t resist it.
“Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors for you where there were only walls” Joseph Campbell

10. Give up labels. Stop labeling those things, people or events that you don’t understand as being weird or different and try opening your mind, little by little. Minds only work when open. “The highest form of ignorance is when you reject something you don’t know anything about.” Wayne Dyer

11. Give up on your fears. Fear is just an illusion, it doesn’t exist – you created it. It’s all in your mind. Correct the inside and the outside will fall into place.
“The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself.” Franklin D. Roosevelt

12. Give up your excuses. Send them packing and tell them they’re fired. You no longer need them. A lot of times we limit ourselves because of the many excuses we use. Instead of growing and working on improving ourselves and our lives, we get stuck, lying to ourselves, using all kind of excuses – excuses that 99.9% of the time are not even real.

13. Give up the past. I know, I know. It’s hard. Especially when the past looks so much better than the present and the future looks so frightening, but you have to take into consideration the fact that the present moment is all you have and all you will ever have. The past you are now longing for – the past that you are now dreaming about – was ignored by you when it was present. Stop deluding yourself. Be present in everything you do and enjoy life. After all life is a journey not a destination. Have a clear vision for the future, prepare yourself, but always be present in the now.

14. Give up attachment. This is a concept that, for most of us is so hard to grasp and I have to tell you that it was for me too, (it still is) but it’s not something impossible. You get better and better at with time and practice. The moment you detach yourself from all things, (and that doesn’t mean you give up your love for them – because love and attachment have nothing to do with one another, attachment comes from a place of fear, while love… well, real love is pure, kind, and self less, where there is love there can’t be fear, and because of that, attachment and love cannot coexist) you become so peaceful, so tolerant, so kind, and so serene. You will get to a place where you will be able to understand all things without even trying. A state beyond words.

15. Give up living your life to other people’s expectations. Way too many people are living a life that is not theirs to live. They live their lives according to what others think is best for them, they live their lives according to what their parents think is best for them, to what their friends, their enemies and their teachers, their government and the media think is best for them. They ignore their inner voice, that inner calling. They are so busy with pleasing everybody, with living up to other people’s expectations, that they lose control over their lives. They forget what makes them happy, what they want, what they need….and eventually they forget about themselves. You have one life – this one right now – you must live it, own it, and especially don’t let other people’s opinions distract you from your path.

A footnote. These are NOT my words, but I support them wholeheartedly. Feel free to pass them on..

Here we go again..

If you are living with somebody or a group of people who bring life and vitality, be thankful and have a great day.

For those who of you who live with giant leeches who suck anything good around them into their personal black holes, you have my sympathy. I know the feeling well.

Do what you can today and everyday, and try not to let the buggers grind you down.

I had a very brief experience which brought a smile to my face and gave me hope for the future. I will endeavour to take the feeling of that that experience with me into the new year.

Wish me luck as I wish all others luck..

2011..

Please let this be a better year than 2010.. please
Initial indicators are NOT looking good already..

The dance we never had..

ILD - iue – DL

The End..

This is the end
Beautiful friend
This is the end
My only friend, the end
Of our elaborate plans, the end
Of everything that stands, the end
No safety or surprise, the end
Ill never look into your eyes...again
Can you picture what will be
So limitless and free
Desperately in need...of some...strangers hand
In a...desperate land
Lost in a roman...wilderness of pain
And all the children are insane
All the children are insane
Waiting for the summer rain, yeah

When My Times Comes..

When I pass from this life, you may see people cry. You will assume that they are crying for me, but don't be fooled. They will be crying because they could not find the pile of gold or stack of banknotes which made me happy, made me who I was and what I was.

They will not find either of the above because I never had or needed either of the above. I can take with me the things that made me who and what I was, but I will not be taking those things out of spite. They come with me because they are what makes me who and what I am. They are me..

A Dictionary Definition..

Hope..

.. is a belief in a positive outcome related to events and circumstances in one's life. Hope implies a certain amount of despair, wanting, wishing, suffering or perseverance — i.e., believing that a better or positive outcome is possible even when there is some evidence to the contrary.

The key word here is 'some'..

Phantom Hope..

It is said that the world is warming up. As it does, animals like the Polar Bear will disappear because their habitat will no longer exist. It is difficult to imagine a world without the North and South polar icecap. One can't help but feel that something cataclysmic would happen along the path to total meltdown, something really BIG. If you think about it, the rising ocean levels swamping what are now coastal low lying areas is bad enough.

You may think that you are sitting pretty if you live on high ground, but you would soon lose that smug grin. Where do you think all of the people in coastal cities like Montreal, New York and London England are going to be displaced?

Who, exactly is going to pay for the removal of infrastructure away from the areas which will be hit hard? How and when will it be moved?

As the oceans rise, so does the level of water in estuaries, and what is attached to all estuaries? Yes, you guessed right. The small river not too far away from you is also going to rise. Today's fields, farms, golf courses, business parks and domestic housing areas are going to be lakes.

Wild animals, their habitat fast receding, will come into conflict with the escaping hordes from the large coastal cities, whose only interests will be getting someplace to live, be it on a high ground farmers field, or vast tracts of previously forested land, all of the trees about to be cut down to allow for space and building materials.

Fishing fleets will have nowhere to bring back catches unless they fix wheels to the fish processing plants and centres, so no more Sole Meuniere at your favourite restaurant, or cod and chips out of the paper while watching the waves gently roll up the beach.

Meanwhile, up on the high ground, you can't go out in the sun for longer than fifteen minutes unless you smother yourself in sunblock with a rating of '2000', which is probably just as well because there are marauding bands of displaced city dwellers looking to take what you have got, and I don't just mean the sunblock. Better to lock yourself in at night and maybe daytime too.

Living on what is left of the surface will be no cakewalk. Ecosystems contained under glass shields are still very much in the trial stages. Billions of dollars are being poured into space research, but space is a long way from here, and from pictures sent back of our sister planet Mars, unless we are in the market for red rocks and dust, there is not much hope coming out of the research at all.

In the meantime, billions of dollars are being spent on the war to decide whose god will ultimately save us. Salvation is in our own hands, yet we do not seem to have the mind set to realize it

I woke up this morning, still holding what I see a the glimmer of hope that life will improve, but as days pass, the glimmer is like the expectation of watching a forest burn in the belief that, when the flames are extinguished, it will immediately transform into the lush green that it was just before fire took a hold.

How Can People Believe That Anybody Cares When They Live In A Society Where The Only 'god' Is Money?

The paper stuff or coins are not what is revered. It all comes down to the 'over the top' possibilities which the possession of money allows.

I have watched TV programs where..

• parents are paying out for plastic surgery on teenagers. Not reconstructive surgery either.
• people try to put back aging by as many years as they can through plastic surgery
• people go to huge lengths to plan weddings etc. In one case, almost an entire small castle was lit with candles.
• people buy up cheap properties ideal for those who do not have much cash, and then renovate them to the point where only somebody with huge money can afford to buy them.
• people trade currency as a commodity.

Reality TV? Good for sponsors maybe because they hope to get money from the constant advertising. How do they get it? Have you watched 'Reality' TV? How real do you think any of it is? Real or just sensationalist, it certainly panders to those who like to peep through the keyhole at what only the butler might otherwise have seen.

There was a time when, if you could see it, it was real. Do you remember those days?

How Good Am I, Says I..

Personal taste is just what it says it is. PERSONAL. Your personal taste may not be to everybody's taste, and it does not put everybody else's taste into second class. Some people have a better sense of color and co-ordination than others, so how do you rate yourself? if you were to enter into a competition with others, do you think that your house decor or fashion sense would stand out from the crowd for all of the right reasons? Do you think that everybody should have the same taste as you?

Dining out with a group of friends or associates is always difficult, especially if you are having to organize it. Personal food tastes for ALL of the dining party have to be accommodated, so it is important to find out if there is a finicky eater amongst you, or maybe a vegetarian or Vegan. Do you always take the time to find out what everybody likes, or do you just book in at your favorite eating hole, assuming that because you like it, everybody will have to like it or that's just too bad? Have you ever looked across at what one of the party has ordered, and then proclaimed publicly "Yuck, that looks awful. How could you eat that stuff"? Do you feel comfortable watching one of the party pick at something because their needs were dismissed under the 'well you can't please everybody' maxim?

Do you see friends as equals, or do you covertly patronize them? How good a friend are you? Do you willingly give up your time for others? Having done so, do you then moan to others about having done it? When you help somebody, do you ask how they want you to help, or do you just do what you think is right regardless of the thoughts or feelings of the person you are helping? Do you get upset if they tell you that you are not doing it the way they want it done, and then just stalk off?

Looking beyond the instinctive reaction to go into denial, how much effort do you truly put into being a friend? If you don't honestly put much effort in, or you moan to others about it, then why do you expect anybody to be a good friend to you? If you want others to think good of you, give them a good reason so to do. It is not enough that you think that you are the 'cat's whiskers'. Remember that what you see of yourself is only personal perception.

Nobody wants to know a person who is always negative, always denigrating everything that anybody else is or has? Nobody wants a friend who always appears to be talking behind the backs of others, and you can understand this too because there is a very good chance that the friend talks behind your back.

They say that what goes around comes around. So what is coming at you? And where do you think that it started? By the time that the cock crows, will you have denied yourself thrice?

Treat others the way you would like to be treated and do it regardless of race, color, creed or income.. yours or theirs.. 

Job Dedication..

The CIA had an opening for an assassin. After all the background checks, interviews and testing were done there were 3 finalists, two men and a woman.

For the final test, the CIA agents took one of the men to a large metal door and handed him a gun.

"We must know that you will follow your instructions no matter what the circumstances. Inside the room you will find your wife sitting in a chair. Kill Her!!!"

"The man said, "You can't be serious, I could never shoot my wife"
The agent said, "Then you're not the right man for this job. Take your wife and go home."

The second man was given the same instructions. He took the gun and went into the room. All was quiet for about 5 minutes.The man came out with tears in his eyes, "I tried, but I can't kill my wife."

The agent said, "You don't have what it takes. Take your wife and go home."

Finally, it was the woman's turn. She was given the same instructions, to kill her husband. She took the gun and went into the room. Shots were heard, one after another. Then, they heard screaming, crashing, and banging on the walls.

After a few minutes, all was quiet. The door opened slowly and there stood the woman. She wiped the sweat from her brow.

"This gun is loaded with blanks" she said. "I had to beat him to death with the chair."

A wish for all my friends

Today I wish you a day of ordinary miracles ~
A fresh pot of coffee you didn't make yourself.
An unexpected phone call from an old friend.
Green stoplights on your way to work.
The fastest line at the grocery store.
A good sing-along song on the radio.
Your keys found right where you left them.

A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Grocery Store..

.. for Madeline Byrne of North Carolina (pictured right). A local Sheriff posted a summonsTHROUGH HER OPEN CAR WINDOW to appear for jury duty WITHIN THE HOUR or face contempt. No matter that the lady may have had commitments already!!

I remember jury duty only too well. The first job was to draw straws to see who would be jury foreman, the one that delivers the jury's verdict. It is a brave person indeed who would willingly take the position, especially if the supporters of the guy in the dock all look like they are directly related to Big Foot.

Sitting in the jury box, apart from being in direct view of the public gallery, could be quite boring. Seating was akin to church pews, with only a small flattened cushion to soften. The judge would tell us not to judge by appearances, but only to take into account the evidence from both sides. Prosecution and Defence counsel had a habit of talking in language that one usually associates with the small print on an insurance claim form.

The fun part of jury service is the private deliberation session. The court usher advises that refreshments will be provided. We all sit down. Somebody please start us off. OK, first problem is getting over the size and appearance, not of the guy in the dock who looks guilty as all hell, but of his supporter who sits in the middle of the unholy looking bunch, the one with the hair, and 6'7" before he stands up.

Is it any wonder that people do not want to serve on juries. Asking for protection just gets the same answer. "We can't do anything unless they do something first".

Very reassuring, huh..

It Would All Be Too Funny..

.. if it wasn't for the fact that the lunatic statements made by a variety of governments didn't have such dire consequences for the rest of us.

The US is now blaming Iran for the accuracy of mortars fired into the Green Zone. Has it occurred to anybody on Capitol Hill that these guys may just be getting better by their own efforts? Most probably it has but that wouldn't garner support for maintaining and/or escalating the war in the Middle East.

North and South Korea are at serious odds over FISH? Is this what the 50 year or so standoff has been about?

Pakistan is now happy to announce that it has cruise missile technology which enables it to strike deep into Indian territory.

Well, these news snippets will help us all sleep better at night.

WHAT ARE YOU PEOPLE TRYING TO DO? THIS IS ALL 4TH GRADE STUFF. DO US ALL A FAVOR AND GROW UP.

Thought of the day

The American Indian found out what happens when you don't control immigration.

Free Speech Zones.. Only In America..

Well, not only in America. Venezuela maybe? North Korea, China, and all of the countries where human rights are low on the agenda?

A 'Free Speech Zone' is an area that your local police department has set aside as being a safe place for you to speak freely. It will be set aside from the 'Free Speech Zone', maybe even hidden from general view.

Why two 'Free Speech Zones'? Simply because there is 'Free Speech' and there is 'Free Speech'. I can hear you say that 'Free Speech' is 'Free Speech', and you would be right on all counts.

Your government grants you 'Free Speech'. You feel better because of it. 'Free Speech' is good, and it is your constitutional right.

To get into a 'Free Speech Zone', you need to be in possession of something that makes a statement. You can wear something that has a slogan imprinted on it, or carry a flag or placard. The message being projected by any of these means will determine whether you get access to the 'Free Speech Zone' or the 'Free Speech Zone'.

Hmmmm. The constitutional right to 'Free Speech' is not what a 'Free Speech Zone' is all about. Remember the 'Animal Farm' wall slogan? 'All animals are equal'. The wall slogan was extended later to include 'but some animals are more equal that others'. The US concept of 'Free Speech' works in much the same way, where 'Free Speech is good, but some 'Free Speech' is better than other 'Free Speech'.

Content is what determines whether you are ushered to a 'Free Speech Zone' or a 'Free Speech Zone'. In the event that 'Free Speech' might not televise too well, or maybe give a bad impression to a public reasonably convinced that they have the right to 'Free Speech', your 'Free Speech Zone' will be set at a safe distance and out of camera view. Determined efforts at 'creating a bad impression' generally result in being moved to a far more claustrophobic 'Free Speech Zone', often with no view to the outside at all.

Countries not having formally designated 'Free Speech Zones' include Canada, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Greece, France, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, the Netherlands, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Spain, Portugal, India, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan.

All of the above countries have laws in place to limit damage should they feel the need but, at the same time, they do not deliberately lie to the people about how free they are either. People in the above countries receive a much broader education that allows them to gauge their own personal freedom against the freedom of others. They are educated to think 'outside the box', not blindly accept the contents as being the 'be all and end all'

Wake up, America. The world needs you, but not in your present form.

The Result Of An Excrutiatingly Bad Hair Day..