TONY ON INDIVIDUALITY & MORE

Including One Single Impression, Heads or Tails and Monday Poetry Train.
More prompts below. Have you had a go yet?

PAPPA RAZZI – The Individual is King. Oh dear!

Hail to you! The individual is king! Long live the individual!
We live in a world of individuality today. Such a concept is required, for in a mass-consumer world, choice is everything.

This is what individuality is about.

The right to grasp our lives and make of it what we will, based purely on our own choice to decide. But how valid are our ‘choices’ in the world at large?
Do we make a choice to walk in front of that car that hits us and changes our life forever? Do we make a choice that our loved one will suddenly stop loving us, sending our life into chaos?

Sadly, our ability to choose is restricted by society.

Even culture plays its part, often defining what kind of person you are based on a stereotypical image of your ‘type’.
Yes, we do have choices within this social/cultural mix, but to say our personal choice is everything is a con. And there is a very good reason why it exists.
The idea of our individuality means that we deny everything above it. Hence, society, community, culture, even religions, fall by the way side as the individual marches on. An this leaves us with a society that is both atheistic and materialistic.
The upshot of such views on life is that there is no ‘meaning’ to be had above the individual. Rather, the individual must make his own meaning. But from where can his ‘meaning’ come?
Oh, that one’s easy. Just look at society today and you’ll find ‘meaning’ exists in the fads and fashions of consumerism – in our power to ‘buy’ the meaning we want.
Handy, that. Isn’t it?

© Anthony North, February 2009

My Columnists

GREEN NEWS: Analysis shows developing countries
rec’d less than 10% of money promised by rich
states to fight warming. Hot air is rising.
*
BRIT NEWS: Ivan, 6yr old son of Tory leader David Cameron
has died. He had cerebral palsy/epilepsy. Our thoughts are
with the family.
*
BRIT NEWS: City of London banks should be supervised by
European watchdog, says report. Never! By our own govt.
Cooperate, don’t assimilate.
*
HEALTH NEWS: Black tea as good for health as green, it
seems. Blocks bad cholesterol from blood. Good news for
black tea drinkers like me.
*
BRIT NEWS: Two thirds of voters think Brown is hampering
Labour’s chance of re-election. This sounds like an
excellent reason to keep him.
*
BRIT NEWS: Primary education deficient. Most time on
English, Math & tests. Education today all about preparing
for work instead of life.
*
GREEN NEWS: Pools of melt water in Arctic causing ice
to melt faster. When sceptics rubbish theory errors,
please think: it works both ways.
*
BRIT NEWS: Brits storm the Oscars. Which proves that,
for excellence, you don’t need massive budgets or
stunning beauties. Sorry Kate.

Find fiction and poetry on comment 1 below

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RATTLER’S TALE

A Voyage of the Imagination

**********

CIRCLES

Circles, ultimate perfection,
Providing comfort, protection,
Keeping chaos out of the way,
perfect balance on display;
Circles describe everything,
The universe, it’s concentric rings,
Gravity forming celestial orbs,
Vessels of life, in the darkness daubed;
Not only above, but also within,
The mind, its thoughts – goodness, sin,
Descending deeper, psychological haze,
The mandala, its rings – descent to a maze;
And so to life, the ultimate glow,
Advancing, changing, thriving so,
Yet always returning to where it began,
Going round forever, a Divine plan;
Circles exist in everything,
Life, the Cosmos, mind, we sing,
Onwards, marching in harmony,
And then back to the beginning our destiny

(c) Anthony North, February 2009

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GETTING THERE – Fiction

The urge had to come. He’d been just lying around too long. And when it came he just dived. Down the shoot he went, not stopping, now, for anything. The impulses drove him onwards and downwards, and when he exited into the light, he looked at all the happy faces, but knew his birth was only the beginning of getting there.
He moved further to getting there when he started school. He always felt better than the rest, and soon asserted himself, becoming the leader of the gang. And the impulse didn’t stop when he reached adolescence and realised the value of – well, you know – girls!
Of course, they didn’t distract him from getting there, and at university he simply had to be the best, getting his first class honours degree. Which certainly helped him to get the best job around. Yet still he didn’t feel he was getting there. But he knew he would.
Getting there was more than just career, though, as you can imagine. Getting there also included getting the perfect wife. And I suppose this is where it was frustrating trying to get there. At least, that was his excuse for his four marriages and four divorces. Although he did seem to get there with his children – three of them. Although they doubted he had got there, especially as they had trouble remembering what he looked like.
He began to think he had come close to getting there when he made his first million, but almost as soon as he’d made it he realised he wanted to make another. Getting there, it seemed, was a bigger thing than he’d ever imagined.
Which was maybe why, in his fifties, he had such a big midlife crisis. Never mind the Porsche – he had to have a fleet of Ferraris – and young girls by the … well, quite a lot.
It was as he was in the midst of his midlife crisis he suddenly realised something profound. Namely, getting there just wasn’t worth it. And that’s when he became the philanthropist and took a small cottage in the country looking at life for the first time. And you know what?
Finally, he got there.

© Anthony North, February 2009

TONY’S POETRY CHAIN
Call back Wed. See it grow.

Sunday Scribblings – Manic Monday
Search Engine Stories – ReadWritePoem
Totally Optional Prompts – Three Word Wednesday

IT’S LOST

It’s gone, it has, it’s really lost,
Who can say what is the cost,
From this moment on, all is changed,
Everything is suddenly deranged;
Must work it out, let’s use some stealth,
Have I lost the world, or just myself?

WAFFLE THOUGHTS

I think it through; I try to do,
But strange invasions rise anew,
This isn’t me, where have I gone?
Why am I singing a different song?
My mind, disjointed, fevered, lost,
Waffle rising, insanity embossed

TAKE ME WITH YOU

What is real, what is not?
My mind descending into rot,
Visions fill my destiny,
Offer a wave; is that ET?
I realise, now, a universal glue;
Such happiness
Please!! Take me with you

MEANING … WHAT?

Into the light, nothing to see,
Dead of night, all’s a tree,
Ultimate knowledge, fades away,
All the answers on display,
Wrapped in a riddle, a paradox, a lie,
I grasped it! It escaped me!
Sigh

CHORES BORES

Am I a mystic? Washing to do
Found the truth? Clean the loo
As one with the Cosmos? Oven on
Above is below? Routine’s song;
Living in spirit is marvellous joy,
High in the clouds, nothing to annoy
Until the material re-connects,
My mind’s lost – it can only vex

INDIVIDUAL v EVERYTHING

A mind of my own, the genuine thing,
Thoughts are whole, never ramble, sing,
Until invasions pollute it all,
Possessions from where individual’s fall,
Into a universal, collective mind,
Leaving sanity far behind;
But is this how it should always be,
The individual the avenger of mystery?

(c) Anthony North, February/March 2009

CRIMINOLOGY OF KNOWLEDGE

If the paranormal is ever to be taken seriously by modern intellectuals, it must have worth. We are said to live in pragmatic times. Thus, only those things that are of use are taken seriously – or so academe thinks.
It might be useful, of course, to remember that one of the prime movers of the philosophy of pragmatism was William James – a man who was also instrumental in psychical research.

The father of pragmatism gave the paranormal worth.

He saw it as part of the overall scheme of things. It was intrinsic to who we are as human beings, and we could not deny its existence – which is the point.
We can carry out research into the paranormal as much as we like, but it is a useless endeavour unless it can be placed within our overall knowledge structure. Until the paradigm caters for it, we cannot expect it to be taken seriously.

Hence, the paranormal needs to infiltrate knowledge.

And the road to this begins by an analysis of what our knowledge presently is. We do, of course, class ourselves as existing in a scientific paradigm. But is this really the case?
It DOES appear so. But one constant in all knowledge structures is the fact that what we see our knowledge as being is nothing more than a reflection of ourselves and our place in the universe.

Man was born in God’s image.

This is a clear declaration that man is a reflection of God. In the modern paradigm, the universe is material, and we are materialistic to reflect this view of reality.
All our sciences – all our attitudes – increasingly reflect this view. Over time, a consensus has built up which simply cannot be denied by our knowledge. And where, here, room for esoteric concepts such as the paranormal?

The point in all this is clear.

Rather than our present knowledge being based in rationality, the search begins from a conceptual notion of ourselves. From this point on, rationality prevails, but it begins with a belief.
Due to this, I think it would be best to adopt a criminological approach to understanding our knowledge structure. Everything we think must have a motive. And no matter how reasonable we think our knowledge to be, there has to be a reason behind reason.
Hence, when we look to a theory, we should investigate it in terms of a crime scene. We should forensically search for psychological prompters behind the theory in the first place.
The most obvious motive for most of today’s theories is, of course, a rejection of religion and the esoteric. Increasingly, knowledge is becoming a battle between science and religion – which is causing a distinct modus operandi.
To reflect the fundamental nature of the battle, scientific theories are becoming increasingly intransigent. They are increasingly set in stone – which is the exact opposite to what a scientific theory should be.
The reality is, nothing is as certain as the distaste of religion is demanding. Indeed, I’d go as far as saying a single way of explaining something is a crime against knowledge. And the paranormal has become a casualty of this pathology.

© Anthony North, February 2009

TONY ON ECO-MOVEMENT & MORE

Including One Single Impression, Heads or Tails and Monday Poetry Train.
More prompts below. Have you had a go yet?

GURU TONY – On what the eco-movement is and isn’t

What exactly IS the eco-movement? Oh, we know the various elements of it – protest against Big Biz; an attempt to save the planet; and don’t forget the nice fluffy animals. But I think there is much more to it than this.

Protest is all about symbol.

This is why environmental organisations spend so long trying to make the headlines through various stunts. But if the power of symbol is predominant, then it is more than simply saving the planet.
One theory is that it is all about creating a better society, rather than being about nature; whilst others argue it is really a new religion in the making, returning spirituality to a more nature-based form of veneration.

I think all these ideas are partially correct.

But at its heart, I think environmentalism is becoming a clash of paradigms – an attempt to change the worldview – the very way we think. And in this it has merit.
We live in a specialised world, where everything is broken up and compartmentalised into easily manageable bits. Opposing this is the reality of nature as being interlinked, connected, holistic and whole.
I’m convinced this is what really lies behind environmentalism – the idea that we should reflect this view of nature, and move away from the specialised, through which we are harming the environment.
But which of these systems is right – the holistic or the specialised? Well, I suspect neither and both. Neither is right alone, but working together we could finally get a balance, which is surely what nature, and the planet, requires.

© Anthony North, February 2009

My Columnists

BRIT NEWS: Bank bail-outs to cost £2 trillion, or
150% of national income, or £30,000 per person.
Get saving. Oh, you can’t. No interest.
*
GREEN NEWS: Scientists say extra tree growth in tropics soaking
up 5th of carbon emissions. Planet fighting back? Hope it doesn’t
target us!
*
WORLD NEWS: US urge NATO to increase troops in Afghanistan.
Of course, it can’t be won; but it mustn’t be lost, either. A long
haul to come.
*
GREEN NEWS: Supermarkets criticised for over-packaging. Quite
right; and they can’t even begin to say they are green until
they stop it.
*
BRIT NEWS: Report says govt should bail out manufacturing as
banks. Not a chance. Big Biz wants west production closed.
3rd world cheaper.
*
SCIENCE NEWS: Scientists now say writing is good for you.
Puts things is perspective. Wow!!! Cutting edge. Only 2
millenia behind.
*
BRIT NEWS: Former head of MI5 accuses govt of using
fear to destroy our liberties. Right on. Beware the true
enemy within. It leads us!

Find fiction and poetry on comment 1 below.

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RATTLER’S TALE

A Voyage of the Imagination

**********

TWILIGHT

Light is going, night comes soon,
Twilight heralding a coming Moon,
Casting shadows upon your world,
And into your mind, thoughts do whirl;
What was that?!! Undefined,
Was it real, or in the mind?
Think it out in the unreal zone,
No help now; no one to phone;
Swirling round you all the time,
Memories past, remembered crime,
Spectres of deeds come two by two,
Watch out! It’s behind you

(c) Anthony North, February 2009

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CASS NOVA’S BIGGEST CASE – Fiction

I was on my way to the airport for a holiday – my first in ages. And as a cop, I needed it. But Slimy Sam put pay to that. An informer, in his usual style, he just bumped into me and passed on. So I went into my pocket and found his note:

‘Here’s what to do to solve the case,
Happening soon, you’ve got to race,
Go to the funny place,
It’s happening by the face’
.

I hated Slimy Sam – he really thought he was a poet. And so, there was I, loaded down with my holiday baggage, an hour to my flight, and a case to solve.
Of course, I soon worked it out. The funny place was where they put on the comedy reviews, so I was soon outside, and looking round, I saw a shop sign with a face on it. Looking in the window, there was definitely a robbery going on. But before I could do anything, this 6 foot 6 inch bull of a villain, came out.
I looked at him, he looked at me, and he offered a sadistic smile. Thoughts of hospital loomed. Then I got clever. ‘Thwack!!’ And down he went. I was sure glad I’d brought along my biggest case.

© Anthony North, February 2009

TONY’S POETRY CHAIN
Call back Wed. See it grow.

Sunday Scribblings – Manic Monday
Totally Optional Prompts – Three Word Wednesday

TRUST THIS WRITER

Writer; linguistic illusionist,
Always in search of the perfect twist,
Can you believe what I say,
As I try to lead you astray?
Trust this tale in which I immerse?
You do?
But surely, not a tale; a verse

WORD FIRE

Linguistic sensation, sending it home,
Words with meaning perfectly honed,
Guided phrases to activate mind,
Meaning, story, in which to confide,
Writing, reading – satiate desire,
Word bombs launch, neurons fire

TURN THE PAGE

Turn the page, the story moves on,
Following the character, where he’s gone;
Turn the page, follow his trysts,
A bit of a charmer, he does entice;
Turn the page, it’s never a chore,
‘Cos the character’s a cad, never a bore

THOUGHT CATCHERS

Life is ours because we think,
Sometimes callous, we never shrink,
The writer sees this world of ours,
Catches thoughts, ideas he devours,
Persistently turned to literary delights,
Reflects them back, turns on the light,
Of social change that drives us on,
To interfere, define; he must never be gone

(c) Anthony North, February 2009

POSSESSION – DEMONS & ANGELS

We think of possession as some evil, supernatural influence. This is why, in the modern world, it is ridiculed as non-existent, or simply the raving of the mad. But can a rational answer be given which can teach us a lot about ourselves?
I think it can. A good starting point is multiple personality. Here, the mind seems to fragment into a number of personalities, each taking it in turn to occupy the person. There are hundreds of documented cases.

They can be fascinating.

Many people seem to live their life quite naturally with such personality invasions, and each can seem a separate entity. But I’ve noticed, in many cases, a specific element within each personality.
They seem to reflect a specific emotion, or aspect, of the host. They can be specifically angry, sad, joyful, sexual, and many other traits. Indeed, it is as if it is not the mind that has split, but the specific emotions of the host.

This could have importance beyond the unexplained.

Consider, for instance, the serial killer. In many cases they seem to have separate personalities themselves. If married, a ‘normal’ personality can live a normal life, the wife even unaware of the truth.
The actual killer can be seen as anger in the raw. Once the murder has occurred, we often find a deep seated conscience which makes the killer carry out stupid errors, which eventually lead to capture, as if he wanted to be caught.

Could the serial killer be possessed?

Yet, not possessed by some supernatural influence, but a series of specific emotional fragments of his inner mind. It could be that there is a real ‘devil’ within.
Similarly, some people can appear absolute angels. Think of the monk, dedicating his life to service in God, totally subsuming all desires and emotions. Maybe it is not as difficult as it appears. The ‘monk’ personality simply sheds emotional baggage.

It can be seen in the evangelical movement.

In this case, they are filled with absolute joy, and nothing can touch them emotionally. Have they been touched by the ‘angelic’? Or have they simply discarded all other emotions?
We think of the mind as a coordinated whole. But the above suggests this need not be the case. Rather, the mind is a cauldron of conflicting emotions and traits, a particular fragment often rising within the ‘normal’ person.
Consider, for instance, sudden anger, where all other emotions disappear as you descend into a rage. Think, also, of the moments of pure, ecstatic joy, where nothing negative can touch you.
Are these moments of mild possession, when an emotional fragment escapes the confines of normality? If so, then the full blown possession is simply a matter of degrees. We all have the capacity to become devil or saint.

© Anthony North, February 2009

TONY ON HOW THINGS WORK & MORE

Including ABC Wednesday, Heads or Tails and Monday Poetry Train.
Find more prompts below.

POLLY TICKS – On sense and senselessness

I like learning what others have thought and done. The one leads to the other. It isn’t necessarily the case that thought and action are in the same person. Often it is a thinker who has the thought, and a whole society that continues with the action. This is, infact, the process of history and philosophy.

It can lead to sense and senselessness.

For instance, most of a scientific view see their paradigm as sense, whilst the religious view is senselessness. This does, of course, work the other way round, too.
This suggests that sense is not necessarily a definite, but a state of mind in itself. Thought, it seems, is needed to decide between the two – and never the twain shall meet. Which to me is insanity.

We can find little sense in Communism.

At least, we can’t how it turned out. It becomes repressive and totalitarian. Yet surely there is sense in the idea that we should all be equal? That people should share?
Of course it makes sense – as a sentiment, if not a reality. But why did it all go so wrong? Why did a beautiful foundation of Christianity in Jesus turn so many into mass murderers in his name? (If you disagree, think Witchhunts and many other atrocities).
I think the answer is this: there is usually a large degree of sense in any argument or stance. But then it all descends into senselessness when people decide it is the only way to think. Thinking is always right and sensible – but the fanaticism that arises from action from the thought is always senseless and wrong.

© Anthony North, February 2009

My Columnists

HEALTH NEWS: A drug which seems to erase painful
memories has been developed. Scrap it! We are our
joys AND our pain. We are NOT machines.
*
HEALTH NEWS: Row ‘cos heavy drinkers get 1 in 4 liver transplants.
We are in dark days when people try to decree med treatment by
lifestyle.
*
GREEN NEWS: Scientist warns effect of warming to be worse than
thought. But the importance is in the message. Poorer, we’ve lost
the agenda.
*
SCI NEWS: Love of fatty, salty, sugary food down to evolution.
So, not our fault? Oh, yes it is! Needed for survival in past. No
excuse now.
*
BIZ NEWS: Drugs co GSK to offer cheap meds to world’s poor?
Good move, but why? In bad times builder takes cheap work to
keep ticking over.
*
BRIT NEWS: 2 issues. Parents not curbing bad kids. GPs’ bonus
for giving kids contraceptive without telling parent.
Responsibility blurred?
*
BRIT NEWS: New hospital computer system causing havoc
and heartache. A case of too much tech and treating
patients as cogs. They’re people!

Find fiction, poetry and sayings on comment 1 below.

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THE PHILOSOPHY

To know is to empower

**********

E is for … ESCHATOLOGY

I’m telling you now, it has been said,
The time will come when we’re all dead,
It won’t be nice, it’ll hurt a bit,
It doesn’t matter if you’ve true grit;
Written often, such tales of woe,
Of End Times, when the gods say no,
Man is inspired to miraculous things,
Haunted by death, how we reach the sting;
Essential to how we live our life,
Our myths of death must be rife,
Telling what comes after our last breath,
‘Cos we’re a damned long time in death

(c) Anthony North, February 2009

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THE LEGEND – Fiction

‘He was a legend,’ said Jim.
Fred agreed: ‘He was that.’
Jim continued: ‘When he did what he did …’
Paul stepped in: ‘He didn’t do it, though.’
Jim and Fred both looked, agog: ‘What do you mean, he didn’t do it?’
‘Well, he didn’t,’ said Paul.
‘He did,’ said Fred.
‘How do you know,’ said Paul. ‘You weren’t alive.’
‘But.’
Jim butted in: ‘You’ll be saying next he didn’t even live here.’
‘He didn’t,’ said Paul.
Fred asked: ‘So where did he live?’
‘How would I know,’ said Paul. ‘I just know he didn’t live here.’
‘So who did it, then?’ asked Fred.
‘No one,’ said Paul.
‘What do you mean, no one?’ asked Jim.
‘I mean it never happened,’ said Paul.
‘It must have,’ said Jim. ‘I do it myself. I do it because he inspired me to.’
Paul smiled. Said: ‘I think that’s the point.’

© Anthony North, February 2009

TONY’S POETRY CHAIN
Call back Wed. See it grow.

Totally Optional Prompts – Search Engine Stories
ReadWritePoem – Three Word Wednesday
Weekend Wordsmith

THE REWARD

To play a part, an actor’s dream,
To feel like him, see what he’s seen,
No greater reward can come our way,
Other demons to try to slay,
Your mind is open to other thoughts,
To not do this, life is naught

A DIFFERENT LIFE

I play a role upon the stage,
To let him in, assuage,
Filling my head with what he does,
A mad man! What’s that buzz?!!
The curtain down; it’s over, I’m alone,
But he’s still there! I’m taking him home

OVER THE HILL

On one side sanity, the other insane,
A normal life I try to feign,
A hill between two different minds,
I stand on top, trying to define,
Below me the conflict of my troth,
I feel I’m falling, but down which slope?

DEDARY’S HERE

Dedary’s here, he’s in my mind,
For a long time he was undefined,
Wasn’t really sure whether he was of me,
Doubts abounded on my sanity;
Is our mind a coordinated whole,
Or a mish-mash of people from a great big hole,
Of universal stuff, archetypal kin,
Making us sane, or making us sin?

THE NEXT PART

An actor I am, I play many a role,
The last one, I took home his soul,
Quite a risk he was, to my sanity,
At first candid, then he ate my tea,
But now, on impulse, I am back on the stage,
Playing a timely, wise old Sage,
And I do believe the soul has gone,
But …
Oh dear! I’ve caught another one

(c) Anthony North, February 2009

TONY ON TODAY’S SCIENCE & MORE

Including One Single Impression, Sunday Scribblings and Manic Monday.
Have you had a go yet?

PROF ISAAC GALISTEIN – But what is a Scientist?

The world is full of scientists, researching this and experimenting with that. Changing this, advancing that, making things worse with the other. But is it true that the world is full of scientists?

It depends on your definition.

To me, there have only ever been a handful of scientists, and I doubt if there’s one alive today. To me, a true scientist is someone who came up with something radically new, and changed the paradigm.
This leaves a very exclusive club, populated by people such as Galileo, Newton, Darwin, Mendel and Einstein. Okay, there’s probably a few more, but other than this select band of brains, what we call ‘science’ is really validating and amending what is already done.

Which is not really science.

Not in terms of groundbreaking brilliance. And perhaps the reason why there are so few is that most of the above were rebels, outside the accepted field of research.
Today, it is practically impossible to be even considered a scientist without a career in a tightly controlled club. Which is just what is not needed for the ‘rebel’ to reappear. Me thinks science, today, has banished the idea of what science should be.

Copyright © Anthony North, February 2009

My Columnists

HEALTH NEWS: Eggs now safe to eat. My view
simple: nothing will kill you in moderation. But why
safe now? Recession. Live cheap. Needs must.
*
BRIT NEWS: Bank of England boss warns economy could shrink 6%.
It isn’t a matter of shrinkage, but permanent realignment. Good
times over.
*
WORLD NEWS: Why are the fires in Australia called a natural
disaster? Its murder. OK, its dry but if you leave a door open
its still theft.
*
BRIT NEWS: Dumbing down in education in the news again. Been
going on for years, the previous generation dumbed down on the
one before.
*
BRIT NEWS: Less jobs req’d now. Study says kids babysat by
Grandma have problems. Such reports now hip. Media image
of working mom changing.
*
BRIT NEWS: Govt man Ed Balls says crisis to be worse than
1930s. I think so too. It isn’t a Recession, but a transition.
But to what?

Find fiction, poetry and sayings on comment 1 below.

Follow me on Twitter

RATTLER’S TALE

A Voyage of the Imagination

**********

SPECTRAL IMAGES

It flickers, brightly, then goes out,
something there, no doubt,
Go a bit closer, take a peek,
Knowledge, novelty, always seek;
Definite activity – see it there,
On the verge of sentient glare,
Soon to blossom, come out to us,
Join the vibe, universal buzz;
Time to meet – let them join the club,
No longer spectral, in the hub,
Landing now, they seem very tense,
Hello humans, we’re your friends

(c) Anthony North, February 2009

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SPORT – Fiction

The sun blazed.
Through the haze he saw the problem. The patrol had been split. Three of them had been pinned down. The constant zip of AK-47 fire seemed to puncture his eardrums, and as he looked once more over the rock, a fighter’s rounds hit home, an arm flying, disembodied …
He knew it was up to him …

Another time. Afterwards …
He watched the game. The centre forward made his move, dribbling the ball around the opponent and finding a space. The soldier sensed the urgency of the move – saw the opposition try to fill the gap. Stop him.

He knew it was open territory, but he saw the fighters make their flanking move. There were only seconds left before all three would be dead. He took a deep breath, thought of his mother – of the life he had yet to live. He raised himself, squeezed the trigger, let off a burst, and charged ….

The centre forward had cleared the gap. The goal loomed ahead of him, and in a touch of absolute brilliance he pulled back his foot and kicked.
The soldier remained seated as the stadium erupted in cheers – in adulation of their hero.

© Anthony North, February 2009

CANDY

Candy, absolute perfection,
A tasty, ultimate confection,
Her company a treat,
Her manner sweet …

To find the words, an impossible task,
So much a secret, before you ask,
The date was great, went so well,
Not something of which I can tell;
Suffice to say we were led astray,
Plenty of time for ultimate play,
Peeling the wrapper an absolute joy,
Knowing the difference between girl and boy;
Growing close, a tasty delight,
Mixed so well throughout the night,
Savouring every sugary mix,
Melting, finally, as we kissed

Candy, absolute perfection,
A tasty, ultimate confection,
But time for respite,
Hhmm
Pick another tonight

(c) Anthony North, February 2009

PREMONITION ALERT!!!

The aircraft crashed into the field before my eyes. I’d been lazily strolling down a country lane when the jet fighter thundered overhead. And a couple of seconds later I saw the disaster.
Well, actually, I hadn’t. I’d imagined it. I’d seen images, but they were within my own mind. Yet, a couple of hours later I turned on the news and there, not fifty miles from my location, a jet fighter of the same type had crashed.

Was it the same fighter that had flown over me?

I don’t know, but chances were high. And there was little doubt I had had a premonition of disaster. Now, I won’t tell you the type of aircraft, or when it happened.
As with most anecdotes, it is unproveable, and I mention it simply as an example of one of my many experiences, and the thought patterns following the event. You see, I didn’t go all mystical. I went all rational.

First of all, I knew the jet type intimately.

I’m ex-RAF and worked for 18 months on a squadron that flew the type. My office was in the hangar, and I walked past them dozens of times a day.
I saw them fly dozens of times a day, and knew many of the aircrew. And the simple fact was, I knew how the jet sounded, acted, and where the dangers lay. So the question is: did I unconsciously note there was something wrong with that jet, thus producing the mind image?

This is the most likely explanation.

If, of course, it was the same jet I saw. This is a totally rational explanation. And if such pre-knowledge can happen to me, it must happen to hundreds of people every day – which is an unused resource.
Researchers are slowly drawing back the shadows of precognition. We now know electromagnetism can affect the mind, and some attribute it to pre-knowledge of earthquakes, etc, as known to be sensed by animals, and some humans.

Knowledge intuited unconsciously can easily produce a premonition.

Such knowledge can come from anything from subliminally smelling the hint of gas, to a fleeting conversation heard days ago, but triggered by something new. Two and two come together and a flash of pre-knowledge can be the result.
Why isn’t this vast pool of pre-knowledge being used to save lives? Okay, a premonitions bureau has been tried from time to time, without much success. Any information received was too late.
This is no longer the case. Now we have mobile phones and instant communication. Of course, many such premonitions are spurious, and such a bureau would be inundated by hoax calls. But I’m convinced that a dedicated network of researchers and operators would eventually find a pattern in the nature of calls coming in, allowing them to issue suitable alerts.
Once that happened there is the possibility of a real pre-knowledge intelligence ability, especially regarding the rise in premonitions surrounding major disasters. And if ever shown to work, it would destroy the notion that there is no value in parapsychology.
Of course, everyone would need to know the number of the network so as to contact it straight away. Now what catches the attention? The US emergency number is 911; the UK has 999. I know. How about 666?

© Anthony North, February 2009

TONY ON FEMININE SYMBOLS & MORE

Including ABC Wednesday, Heads or Tails and Monday Poetry Train.
Find more prompt sites below.

PAPPA RAZZI – On women and symbol

Before I begin, let me make something clear. This essay is not about the rights or wrongs of feminism. Rather, it is about how images of feminism can be manipulated in order to gain the best effect for a cause.

A recent survey offers bad news for women.

A quarter of women between 45 and 54 had a ‘common mental disorder’ in 2007. This is a very high rate, suggesting there may be something wrong with their lifestyle.
The most obvious reason is that life is unfulfilling or stressful. Could this be due to how feminism has turned out? For instance, a while ago I pointed out that Big Biz could only be successful if the housing market rocketed, thus providing funds.

What was the best way to achieve this?

By encouraging women to work, thus providing plenty of room for price increases by requiring two wages per household. Does this explain the media image change from 50s housewife to power woman?
I think it does, thus propelling women into a lifestyle, empowered by women’s lib, that is now leaving so many unfulfilled, and possibly angry. And now the housing market has failed, watch out! A new image of women may soon be on the way.

© Anthony North, February 2009

My Columnists

BRIT NEWS: Major bank, bailed out by taxpayer to
£20 billion, wants to pay £1 billion in staff bonuses.
They really don’t get it, do they?
*
GREEN/BRIT NEWS: Env Agency warns UK soon behind world on
green. Of course; it’s only cosmetics to pave way for mass Big
Biz nuclear power.
*
BRIT NEWS: Latest unfreedom report. Govt plans database of
international travel records of Brits. Those dictators in
jack-slippers creep on.
*
BRIT NEWS: Snow won’t stop. And now, we’re running out of salt
for roads. Have we taken the ‘cut down, salt is bad for you’
message too far?
*
BRIT NEWS: British Blunder Corp (BBC). Can’t get anything right.
It’s as if they’ve lost their way – a true reflection of the
country, then.
*
GREEN NEWS: China & India oppose emission limits after UN hard
word. Sweden to lift nuke plant ban. World still green at this
green thing.
*
BRIT NEWS: Peers warn electronic spying and collection of
data on us becoming ‘pervasive’. Unelected guardians of
freedom. ‘Cos MPs failing.

Find fiction, poetry and sayings on comment 1 below.

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SCRIBBLERS’ NEWS

You know it’s the write way

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D is for … DIARY

We write it down, what we have done,
Today immortalised, the trials and fun,
At work, at rest, and even at play,
A whole life, in words on display,
A remembrance of how we lived our life,
With a touch of wit – sharp as a knife,
The weather, other people, all is there,
Our secrets, hopes, dreams and despair;
Year after year we write it down,
What made us laugh, and what caused a frown,
But reading back to the past just to see,
We think: Oh my word, was that really me?

(c) Anthony North, February 2009

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SHE’S PERFECT FOR HIM – Fiction

She was beautiful. Her long blonde hair flowed, encompassing her angel face. Bright blue eyes, full of life, were fixed upon him, and her lips formed for the kiss she knew was about to come.
Before approaching her, he took in the sight of her tight, trim body, and imagined his arms around her, his body pressed against hers – and it felt so good.
But she was more than her outer self. She was perfect in every way, her personality shining with the same beauty, her dedication to him complete, and his to her. And as he approached her, her arms opened, welcoming him, and their lips met in a moment of unimaginable passion …
Then he leant back against the chair and sighed. He’d written enough of his story for today. And again he went out in search of her.

© Anthony North, February 2009

TONY’S POETRY CHAIN
Call back Wed. See it grow.

Totally Optional Prompts – Search Engine Stories
ReadWritePoem – Three Word Wednesday
Weekend Wordsmith

BE STILL

Be still as you run so fast,
Be still, escape is in your grasp,
Be still as you fight it out,
Be still, you’re the last redoubt,
Be still as you absorb, are hooked,
Be still as you read the book

INEFFICIENT WORDS

Words are such inefficient things,
Unlike films, where images zing,
Letting you know just what’s going on,
Where words don’t tell, don’t always belong;
This is why reading is such a joy,
Making you think, work it out, engage in the ploy

LOVE BOOK

Reading a book is a passion indeed,
Descending to plot, ‘don’t leave me,’ it pleads,
The words – their power – you are engrossed,
Which character or thread intrigues you the most?
Finally, the end, outed all misdemeanour,
Then you swap for another – you’re a serial reader!

BOOM-BLAST

Books are love affairs, forever entwined,
Mind and words, they’re divine,
A combination to lust forever,
Assignations with the writer, clever,
Forming thoughts within the head,
Then Boom-Blast!
Neurons spark – ideas said

VALIDATION

A book is more than just for you,
Society’s disarray, quite a stew,
Rabble rule, we’ve lost our way,
A writer must come without delay!
A book appears telling of our fate,
We read, we learn, we validate

(c) Anthony North, February 2009

TONY ON HEALTH DICTATS & MORE

Including One Single Impression, Sunday Scribblings and Manic Monday.
Have you had a go yet?

DR ILLYA NESS – On health news isn’t healthy.

There is an old superstition that a certain activity indulged in by men will make you go blind. Fast forward to recent headline: sexually active men under 30 are more likely to develop prostate cancer.

And we’re told superstition is dead.

Of course, it is argued this is statistics and survey, but does it have any greater validity than superstition? I don’t think so – not when a specific reason can be placed on the info above the medical ‘facts’.
It is becoming increasingly clear that health news is now being used as a form of social engineering and behavioural control mechanism. Indeed, it is slowly wiping out old traditional lifestyles.

Consider the British pub.

For centuries this has been the cultural centre of working class society. Now, headlines about binge drinking and the smoking ban have decimated this culture, turning them into Big Biz plastic pubs for the young.
The only health advice we really need is moderation in all things, but this doesn’t fit the modern ideals of the ‘elite’. They want to see a globalised world where local traditions are destroyed, and all meaning placed in the global consumer ethic.
So traditions such as the local pub must go, leaving people without meaning and more easily ‘caught’ by Big Biz. Health news is itself, it seems, being subtly manipulated to control us.

© Anthony North, February 2009

My Columnists

BRIT NEWS: Interest rates to hit new low of 1%?
So, protect savings to make ‘em spend it to live.
Great! Machiavelli would be so proud.
*
BRIT NEWS: Twitter has made the headlines here, courtesy of
Stephen Fry Tweeting live as he is stuck in a lift. A marvellous tweet.
*
BRIT NEWS: Teenagers to have speech tested in schools to steer
them away from monosyllabic grunts. Good idea? Ehh! Uhh! Aww
*
BRIT NEWS: Snow going to cost economy £3 billion in lost working
days. Been so long since bad weather, we don’t know how to deal
with it.
*
SCIENCE NEWS: Tests suggest human-animal embryos for med use
may not work. Good! Is genetic infatuation ignoring other areas of
med sci?
*
BRIT NEWS: State workers’ pay differential 50% more than private
equivalents since 2004. This is how UK tax helps to increase
Labour vote.
*
GREEN NEWS: Row in UK over Heathrow or coal as main threat to
env. Protest is about image. Main threat is Big Biz. Runway
symbolises this.

Find fiction, poetry and sayings on comment 1 below.

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RATTLER’S TALE

A Voyage of the Imagination

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MOVEMENT

Movement
Do I see movement?
Yes I do

Movement
Does the world shake?
Yes, I fear it does

Movement
Do mankind have another movement?
Yes, they do
Shaking the world

(c) Anthony North, February 2009

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ULRIKA AND THE WORK OF ART – Fiction

Ulrika Feyn was a star traveller entrapped in the universal mind. She simply had to think of being somewhere and she was. Of late she’d been thinking about whether those trapped in the universal mind were really gods.
It came to a head one eon when she found herself close to an elderly woman looking at a picture and crying. Ulrika looked at the picture and noticed a handsome man of about thirty posing next to the woman when she was much younger. Next to this picture was another – of the woman in old age and alone.
The pictures told their story and Ulrika felt sad for the woman. She focused on her, and in her mind the incidence of his death flashed before her. So tragic, she decided she must do something about it.
Life, she decided, was like a work of art, and the universal painter always had the option to intervene, to change this, to change that. And this is precisely what she did, flitting through the pictures of life, deciding on different outcomes.
Finished, she was shocked when she returned to the room – where she found herself close to an elderly man, looking at a picture and crying …

© Anthony North, February 2009

THE WEARWOLF

He looked in the mirror, flashed his smile,
The mirror winked back, he’d passed the trial,
In babe-magnet shirt and mohair suit,
Thoughts of the night began to take root,
Out he went, howling with pride,
Heading for the place where women reside;
The Full Moon Club was his favourite joint,
Where he knew the babes would surely anoint,
his irresistable charm with the other sex,
His one-liners cool, never vex;
Picking the girl for his fun tonight,
He coaxed her out into the bright,
ethereal glare of the glorious full moon,
knowing his appeal could make her swoon,
But a cloud clothed the orb, malicious craft,
When he took off his clothes, she laughed

(c) Anthony North, February 2009

OCCULT & INDIVIDUALITY

Whilst I am not an occultist, I have studied its rituals and history for decades. I’m convinced it holds value for life and knowledge, in that it seems to me to be a continuance of deep spirituality that can trace its routes to the first religions.
There has been a distinct western occult tradition that arose out of the European period of questioning that stretched from the Renaissance to the Enlightenment, and this did, in a way, pollute the original roots of the system.

The average occult adept is not a witch.

Rather, witchcraft has been described as the magic of the people, whereas the western occult adepts have been described as the ‘aristocrats’. And it is here where I think the pollution occurred.
The occult adept uses specific ritual to produce entities, do magic, and to discover the deeper meanings of consciousness and reality. I’m not interested, here, in what actually occurs, but the reason behind it.

Take Aleister Crowley.

Known as the ‘wickedest man in the world’, he died in 1947, following a full life of ‘occultism’, becoming one of the most influential occultists of all time. But there was more to Crowley than this.
Crowley was also a hedonist who considered himself to be a great poet. And he was also influenced by many non-occultists who classed themselves as decadent. And it is here where the pollution comes in.

Crowley did immense damage to the occult.

He severely changed the public’s perception from one of simple ignorance to downright hostility. And this was so because they mistook the decadent influence for the occult.
Infact, Crowley’s decadence seems to me to be predominant. And it was part of a movement in the occult where the adept’s individuality and ego rose above the original meaning of such practices.

This is seen in the entities manifested.

I’ve studied enough such ‘entities’, including Crowley’s, to realize that what is manifested in not so much some archetypal entity, but a direct representation of the adept’s ego.
In effect, occultism changed from a genuine exploration of deeper meanings, to an individualistic practice where it is themselves who are centre of the universe, and not some unrelated god-head.
This is counter to the influences from which the practice came due to the simple fact that occultism is supposed to be holistic and about the connectedness of man to the universe – ‘as above, so below’, as it were.
From the ‘mythological’ Hermes Trismegistos, right up to the instigation of the ‘legendary’ Faust, this seemed to be the case. But with Faust it began to change. We can, of course, argue this initial change was Christian propaganda, but not with Crowley.
Such deeper connectedness is identified in the ‘One’, the idea that the part and the whole are one and the same. But ‘one’ can also mean the individual. It seems to me that, with some occultists, only half the meaning of this word is understood. And public perception of occultism suffers because of it.

© Anthony North, February 2009