TIME TO THINK

Including One Single Impression, Take This Tune and Sunday Scribblings.
Have you had a go yet?

PAPPA RAZZI

We’re not supposed to think nowadays. Media is always putting it
down, and academe doesn’t seem to do much either. The reason is
fear. You see, people think philosophy ended up creating communism
and fascism, and the conflicts and atrocities that followed. But I don’t
think philosophy caused the trouble, but the lack of a sense of
moderation following on from the philosophy. Similarly, it went bad
when holism was placed upon society – a tricky thing without
moderation. We should remember this, and think!

Eye On the World
Writers’ Tips
The ‘Y’ Files

NOTE: My Tweet length current
affairs are becoming restricting so I’ve
decided to resurrect my Mini Blog, which will
continue my reports. All it takes is one quick click
and back.

BRIT NEWS: The Home Secretary has been asked whether Al
Qaeda sympathizers could have infiltrated MI5. Such a possibility …
… read more …

BRIT NEWS: Sir Bobby Robson has died. I never agreed
with all he did for football. One of the first to
buy foreign players for his team …
… read more …

RATTLER’S TALE

A Voyage of the Imagination

Twist In the Tale Archive

ANTICIPATE

I look ahead, anticipate,
Longing never dissipates,
Soon it comes, it always will,
Lots to do, must fulfill …
What is it? I hear you ask,
What could be this glorious task?
That which gives us joy and strife;
Just life

BIG CHANCE

Fiction: It’s a grand night for singing. The words of the old song
filtered into her mind as she stood there, the activity of the fair all
around her. And it was certainly her big chance. She looked up to the
stars before the action and they seemed so wonderful, as if they held
her destiny. Then the time came. He was there in front of her. She
pouted, knowing no one could resist her. He moved closer, his arms
encompassing her, his mouth beckoning hers, about to take her to –
to what? To the most important moment of her life, where her dreams
would come true, where nothing mattered but this moment; this
wonderful, fulfilling, magnificent moment. Then … ‘Cut!’ said the
Director. ‘We’ll let you know.’

WINDOWS

Look through the window, an amazing view,
Life in its majesty, events anew,
Reactions, assignations, trysts galore,
Fate notches up an inevitable score

Previously you were out, reacting with them,
They’re touched by your love, or maybe your phlegm,
A little piece of you is in their minds,
They dance to your tune, your thoughts of all kinds

See how your intention directs their ways,
Your sainthood, your devils into them strays,
And see how they hate you, or love you so much,
By their glance in your window; emotional as such

For we are all gods, having sway over life,
Our social mores creating happiness or strife,
Your face, as you look, above them flies,
And reflects your mischief back into your eyes

© Anthony North, August 2009

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WHAT’S REASON?

Including Heads or Tails, Manic Monday and Poetry Train.
Have you had a go yet?

GURU TONY

What’s Reason?

Reason is a funny thing. If a person believes in God, then all
around him he reasons proof of it. Scientists would discount such
‘reason’ – they have their own. But throughout history ‘reason’ has
been proved against a particular culture at a particular time. Maybe
‘reason’ is relative. We should never class it as an absolute.

My Columnists

FROM THE ARCHIVES

A Black Hole In Big Bang

Inde-Pol Sub-Domain

WORLD NEWS: US captain rescued from Somali
pirates. About time, too. What is happening in these
waters? All that tech; all that expertise. And ’til now been
laughed at by a crowd of thugs.

BRIT NEWS: Church leaders have warned not to gain comfort
in material possessions during the Recession. Right message,
wrong time. They should have been screaming it out
loud for years, but no. Wait ’til people can’t
afford them anyway.

Call back tomorrow for more NewsFlash

PSI-WORLD

A small step into the dark

My Unexplained Sub-Domain

TASTE THE FEAR

Little ghostie, why are you here?
Don’t you know you’ve nothing to fear;
If in our minds it isn’t your fault,
It’s our fears we must assault;
And if you are an entity,
Heaven awaits for you and me

BEYOND DOUBT

Fiction: The believer looked at the ghost and said: ‘Don’t you
see it?’ The sceptic said: ‘Be reasonable. There’s nothing there.’
Of course, to the believer the existence of the ghost was
beyond doubt – which left only one answer to why the sceptic
couldn’t see it. ‘You,’ said the believer, ‘are paranormal.’

WHAT’S YOUR TASTE?

Welcome to my psychic shop,
Everything here, never a flop,
Ghosties, vampires, werewolves too,
Tell me – what interests you?
Is your taste telepathy or more?
A psychic test? Find your score;
The directions here are easy to find,
All you need is to open your mind

© Anthony North, April 2009

SCRIBBLERS’ NEWS

Check out my Writers’ Tips posts

Here we go with another Scribblers’ News. Is it proving useful?
I’m trying to do my bit to help advertise the prompt sites, as
too many have been disappearing. Can anyone think of other ways
of doing so? Let me know of any news or new sites.

Color Online
A new prompt to take a look at
True Colours Thursday
This is a new photo & text prompt
Heads or Tails
Look out for the prompt word: Reason
Poetry Train
You can post any poem here
Manic Monday
The word here is: taste

Call back tomorrow for more prompts

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REAL KNOWLEDGE

Including Thursday Thirteen, Poefusion and Three Word Wednesday.
With 13 lines of poetry + 1.

PROF ISAAC GALISTEIN

Real Knowledge

Intellectuals seem to spend so much time falling out with
each other nowadays. It’s as if debate is out of date. I blame
unbridled individuality. It gives one the feeling that your views
are that much more important than others. Maybe they
should remember that any knowledge that doesn’t begin
with humility and moderation is wrong.

My Columnists

FROM THE ARCHIVES

Mass Culture & the Paranormal

Inde-Pol Sub-Domain

BRIT NEWS: A teaching union blames parents for
problems in schools. In many cases, quite true, but
those parents are the first generation who were taught
rights over duties by those same schools. The words pot, kettle
and black come to mind.

WORLD NEWS: Obama did Muslim love fest in Turkey. Of course,
it shouldn’t have to be said, ‘cos the west cannot be at war
with Islam. How can you be at war with an entire
civilisation? And Islam is not at war with the
west – just fearful of losing their identity.

Call back tomorrow for more NewsFlash

THE CRIME POST

It would be criminal not to read it

True Crime Sub-Domain

DIMINISHED

It’s been an age since she was gone,
Is she where she belongs?
I’m coming to terms with my loss,
Regardless of the terrible cost;
I try to be here as much as can be,
Yet not always possible, as you’ll see;
I remember her going so very pale,
As I went to heaven, and she to jail

THE BUTLER DID IT

Fiction: Such a cliché, the detective remembered: the ultimate
whodunit – the butler did. Well, as he looked at the picture of the
crime scene, he realised those old writers were predicting the
future. You see, he KNEW the butler had dunit – and also that
he’d outwitted the forensics. Them butlers are damned good
at valeting.

THE CON

It WAS a ploy; it had to be,
Flirting, her only destiny,
So stunning, how could anyone say no?
And when she came on, your money would go;
She got her way all the time,
‘Til I came along, naivety her crime

© Anthony North, April 2009

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MACHINE MAN

Including Search Engine Stories, Poefusion and Acrostic Only
Have you had a go yet?

TECHIE WITHOUT A CLUE

Machine Man

Once upon a time society used to be flexible. People
used to use initiative to arrive at the best outcome. This
ideal seems to be disappearing today. Why is this? Maybe
because everything is computerised today, and this
doesn’t allow flexibility within systems. Is man now
the appendage of the machine?

My Columnists

FROM THE ARCHIVES

What We Dream Of Is

Inde-Pol Sub-Domain

BRIT NEWS: Budget deficit worse than predicted.
Length and depth of Recession worse than predicted.
And we’re told to trust these Labour goons to get us out
of the trouble. You’ve just got to laugh, haven’t you?

WORLD NEWS: North Korea launches a rocket to launch a
satellite that went the wrong way and ended up in the
sea. Obama calls for action against North Korea and
ends up with UN disagreement. Global politics
as usual – always going the wrong way.

Call back tomorrow for more NewsFlash

RATTLER’S TALE

A Voyage of the Imagination

My Fiction

CINQUAIN

Cinquain,
Poetry form,
I’ve tried, but left forlorn,
Too hard to do, get in a jam;
Oh, damn!

FRAGMENTS

Fiction: Fragments flew as I shattered the mirror. I watched them
reflecting me – the different parts, distorted. Glimpses flashed of my
fragmented life, and their flight was a metaphor of the mess I’d made.
And finally, they lay on the floor around me and I realised. I went
for the glue. Said sorry.

FRIENDSHIP

Friendship pure,
Relations good,
Irate sometimes,
Endure my bud;
Never desert,
Deny or doubt,
Special feelings,
Helpful redoubt,
Indispensable, surely, yes,
Pals for life, they impress

© Anthony North, April 2009

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TONY ON SHOP, WINTER & MORE

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

One of my earliest memories was of being regularly pushed up a hill from the railway station at 5 o’clock in the morning in a big, old pram. I was sat on top of a huge pile of newspapers, collected by my mother to sell in our newsagent’s shop. How she managed that load up that hill, I’ll never know.

It was a small shop.

We also sold cigarettes, sweets and stationary. It was in the centre of a small town and we lived above the shop. My mother and father would take it in turns serving in the shop, and some days it would be open for up to 14 hours.
I was twelve when my mother died and it seemed as if the whole town came out to say goodbye to her – so well known and loved was she. And although I didn’t realise it at the time, this held immense importance.

Our shop was more than a centre geographically.

I recall my father serving in the shop and he always had a word or a joke for the regulars. They would stay in the shop for ages, and conversations would go on with several people at once.
On Christmas Eve the whisky would come out, and the regulars would all have a drink with my father. I don’t recall seeing him later in the day. I think we can all guess why. You see, the shop was also the centre of a community.
My family did more than just sell things. It was almost a social event to come into the shop, and society seemed to revolve around it. When I look at the huge, impersonal shops around today, I can see how something important has died in our society.

© Anthony North, November 2008

MUMBAI ATROCITY

The reports from Mumbai over recent days are shocking, with terrorist gunmen killing well over a hundred people and injuring many hundreds more. Attacking ten targets around the city, it is a repulsive terrorist outrage.
We will never be free of terrorism, but the nature of the problem has changed. They used to deal in the ‘oxygen of publicity’ to further their cause. Now I think they deal in the ‘oxygen of stupidity’. What do I mean by this?
Such terrorists want to bring down the west and its democracies. And I can think of no better way of achieving this than government over reaction, placing anti-democratic security measures on the people. Could this politics of fear be helping the terrorists in their aim, and thus feeding their desire to continue?

RISE OF THE POLICE STATE?

There’s a long established tradition in UK government of civil servants leaking documents to opposition MPs if they think the governing party is trying to conceal information of public interest – such as 5,000 illegal immigrants being employed by security organizations.
One opposition MP, the Tory front bencher Damian Green, has been arrested by the police, apparently for leaking such documents to the media. This is the most worrying thing yet to come out of the rise of totalitarianism.
It is the right of the opposition to disclose the failings of government, and this arrest is a political arrest. Police have no business dabbling in politics. If this is correct, then this is a disgraceful act of a Police State!!!
Next post, Tuesday. Hope to see you then.

© Anthony North, November 2008

WELCOME

Welcome to your deepest thoughts,
it’s strange in here, you can’t abort,
you can only go round and round,
from neuron to neuron, forever abound;
Some thoughts are of tranquility,
the closest to Heaven you’ll ever be,
whilst others are of macabre stuff,
get stuck in there, it gets quite tough;
Memories exist all over the place,
all past experience interlaced,
with fantasy built upon mere fact,
amazing things that you thought you lacked;
But beware of that surreal rabbit hole,
go down there, you won’t be whole,
voices will constantly invite you to tea,
and welcome you to insanity

(c) Anthony North, November 2008

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WHEN WINTER COMES – Fiction

Everything changes when Winter comes. I’d said it every time – every damned time. I looked out at the last days of a late Summer, knowing it wouldn’t be long now.
Why did it have to change? Didn’t I deserve a break?
I looked into Julia’s eyes and I could see that she sensed it, too. These late Summer days had become so important to us. She was a sun worshipper and I’d spend hours watching her soaking it up in her swim suit. It was a tranquil time, alone, joyous during the day and passionate at night, with nothing to disturb us in these brief respites.
But soon Winter would be here and it would all change. Both of us wished it could be different, but knew it never could . There was too much to lose. So it would continue like this, year in, year out, the late Summer dashed when Winter comes.
And eventually came the day. I packed. Departed. Returned to my other life – as John Winter, her husband, arrived home.

© Anthony North, November 2008

A WINTER’S TAIL

Brrr! It’s cold,
my bones are getting very old,
the frost, it bites,
never, ever, any respite,
snow falling, at first a hoot,
then like frozen parachutes,
storm troopers of winter’s siege,
a massive, mighty blizzard krieg;
Shelter comes so easily,
blazing fire so good to see,
warming my body through and through,
flames protecting from winter flu;
Although it looks so beautiful,
so good, the occasional winter’s lull,
but not so good as the winter’s tail,
until it comes, I will prevail,
and when it’s here I will sing,
hurry soon, dear Spring

(c) Anthony North, November 2008

My friend Jamie at Duward Discussion has passed
on this Sexy Reader Award, which I accept and pass on with grateful thanks – although
my attire is much more traditionally male

Rules: Pass it on to five other bloggers, and tell them to open the nearest book to page 46. Write out the fifth sentence on that page, and also the next two to five sentences. The closest book, not the coolest, or the one you think will sound the best. THE CLOSEST.
The closest books to my desk are quick reference. So … Conspiracy Theories by David Southwell & Sean Twist:

Among those 50,000 photographs taken by the Viking probe, Frame 35A72 carried the biggest surprise; a picture of a giant face in the Martian soil …. While the world sat stunned by the image, NASA quickly downplayed any possibility that this face was anything more than just a natural rock formation, the accidental creation of wind and erosion, and most defintely not a deliberate work of art by long-dead Martian hands. As independent researchers continued their investigations …

Please don’t feel pressured to take part, but this time, I pass this along to my friends at:

Comedy Plus
Writing In Faith
Sweet Talking Guy
Tumblewords
Rooted

**********

TONY ON SOCIO-CAPITALISM (TT #31) & MORE

Including Thursday Thirteen, Totally Optional Prompts and Heads or Tails.
Have you had a go yet?

This is slightly longer than my normal TTs, but I hope you find it worthwhile. Promise to be shorter in future.
13. Human society is based on economics. Outside religion, this has always been the case. Slavery, empire, feudalism, fascism, communism, capitalism – all are economic systems. And the trouble they can cause becomes obvious. What I want to do here is attempt a new economic theory to remove dangers in the system.

12. Our present level of technology provides the key.

Eco-friendly new tech is on the drawing board that can be cheap and only requires small systems to build and operate. The present world runs on big systems, which are expensive, become dictatorial and lead to boom and bust.
11. The key to a new system should be bottom up, as opposed to the usual top down. Hence, free thinkers should seek out enterprising new engineers at a local level and form ‘committees for change’, passing the message at local levels, and electing a spokesman to go forward to a ‘national forum for change.’

10. This forum should be enterprising.

It should seek internet donations and form a media arm to popularize a new way. As funds come in, each committee should start an Inventors and Ideas Academy to tackle new tech and new systems in every area of commerce and public services.
9. Managers should then be recruited to build and run small factories, extraction facilities, etc, with maximum robotisation, producing such tech and goods. A recycling scrap mercantile system would also be created, buying already used building materials, metals, textiles, plastics, etc, to recycle into raw material for the factories. Smaller farming practices should also be encouraged. All these assets would be controlled by the national forum run under a social/ecological constitution, but the national forum would not be allowed to sell anything.

8. Rather, entrepreneurs would be king.

They would be encouraged to join a new ‘petty economy’, forming firms and financial services that will run a closed economy with credits to buy services and ordered goods from the factories in order to trade. Profits will go half to the national forum and half to the entrepreneurs. Within this closed economy, entrepreneurs can merge, do take-overs of other trading companies within the system and make or lose fortunes as normal, WITHOUT damaging the industrial base!
7. These entrepreneurs would not be allowed to sell goods direct to the public, but would have to form franchises, thus boosting small business. Further, local committees would set up ‘trade centres’ to encourage and assist people in turning their hobbies into small businesses. Everyone would be encouraged to find their niche.

6. Here’s the social bit.

The profits from the national forum and factories would go to directly fund a new infra-structure. Again using new tech and ideas from the thriving Academies, this structure would be in two forms. It would work on new power, communications, water and transport systems; and it would plan and fund new hospitals, schools and social services.
5. We can see here that buying products from this new economic system would directly fund essential services, which would be free at the point of use. Local involvement would also be encouraged, thus using hospitals, schools, etc, to kick-start a renewed sense of community.

4. Now comes the bit for everyone.

The national forum would then begin a social/ecological house building project, providing basic houses. Tenants would pay a small rent for life, but would be able to immediately improve the property as they wish. The house would enter the ‘petty economy’, so without actually buying it, the house could be sold, inherited, etc, as if it was owned. Capital could be raised from it, and the owner could opt into a shares system within the entrepreneurial firms, thus raising more money. A small percentage of any transaction, along with the small rent, would go into the social pot, thus funding a retirement pension scheme, and insurance against ill health and unemployment. The fund managers of this pot would be able to invest in entrepreneurial firms, thus also boosting the ‘petty economy’.

3. As the new ‘petty economy’ increased it would cover every area of life.

And it would slowly begin to replace the present capitalist system. A turning point would come when government would have to favour the system. At this point, income would be enough for new tech and ideas to infiltrate legislature, judiciary, executive, civil service, diplomatic corps, police, prisons and the armed forces.
2. The upshot would be that all means of production, housing and public services would be national forum controlled, but all means of commerce would remain independent and fully capitalist. Income for services would come from every transaction made, creating such a huge social pot that taxation would be abolished!
1. Some 80% of any country’s trading is with itself, leaving some 20% within a global economy. National forums should then send representatives to form a global trade centre. This centre would then open a market for global entrepreneurial firms. These would then co-ordinate the remaining 20% of global trade for profit, safe in the knowledge that 80% of trade is locked in closed national systems, and not affected by global economics. Nations would have their own economy and identity back.
ZERO!

The global trade centre should also have two essential tasks – raising funds from a small percentage of every transaction in the global market to fund similar systems tailor made to Third World countries; and to fund the exploration and colonization of space. This would provide a global collective project above national identity. And seeing that most conflict is over trade, there wouldn’t be much left to argue about. The world would have become more peaceful, and in order to keep a check on the global trading system, governments would have to come together to create a World Congress for Cooperation.
This is the first time I’ve written about such a system. Your thoughts are more than welcome.

© Anthony North, November 2008

THE ORAL TRADITION

Poetry thrives, it always will,
man can never have had his fill,
of words that say so much to all,
making us great and never small;
Sometimes it seems this isn’t the case,
poets, after all, have been displaced,
by radio, TV, CD and more,
getting your words heard becomes a chore;
Oral tradition seems a thing from the past,
no one wanting to hear, alas!
But it’s so alive, a magnificent success,
everywhere you hear it, and not under duress,
from its beginnings by the campfire, creating heroes and myths,
through Medieval ballad it continually exists,
perfected by Romantics, the hippies of old,
going on to be song lines, oral poetry unfolds,
changing its medium, but not its zap,
you hear it always, from ballads to RAP;
So often the poet feels maligned,
searching, searching, an audience to find,
speaking the verse to echoing halls,
few people there to be enthralled;
But competing with its success needs ventures anew,
to popularise its pure form, break through,
and the answer is never, ever, be glum,
reinvent, adapt, make poetry fun!

(c) Anthony North, November 2008

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AUTUMN MEMORIES – Fiction

Watching.
The days darken – the sun, when it shines, a colder orb, no longer nourishing – no longer washing the land with life giving heat.
Watching.
The sky growing angry – blue turning to grey, clouds changing from fluffy majesty to black, swirling masses – and the rain, and the wind, and the anger batters the land.
Watching.
The flowers wilting, decimated – the grass ceasing to grow, the trees showing signs of decay, the leaves losing moisture, becoming brittle, blown off, scattered, by the angry wind.
Watching.
People covering up – chilled – a sunken mood about them, going this way and that more slowly, shoulders drooped, as if in the presence of death.
Watching.
Over this eternal story, not of death, but of respite before renewal, in never ending cycles of continued existence, an end the precursor of a new beginning.
Hoping.
That one day man may remember that in loss there is new life – that existence is more than the individual, but continuance of everything in the cycles of on going creation.
Knowing.
That this is true. For I am your planet.

© Anthony North, November 2008

TONY ON REFUGEES, SEASON & MORE

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

The Guardian has reported a stunning new policy being considered by the new President of The Maldives. He’s planning to divert much of the profit from tourism to buying a new homeland for his population. As sea levels rise due to global warming, he doesn’t want his citizens to become environmental refugees.

Such refugees will become a serious problem.

Many countries are in danger of disappearing below the waves, leaving millions of displaced people. At present the world community is trying not to think about the problem. Which is a mistake.
Mass movements of people usually lead to political and economic instability, and eventual war. Unlike in the past, we can predict its likelihood of happening. It is also time to come together globally to seek answers before the problem arises. To not do so is global irresponsibility.

Health and safety news.

The boss of one of Britain’s watchdogs seems to have had a revelation. After years of increasing spoil-sport legislation that has led to the destruction of fun, it seems absolute safety is impossible. We need to return to basic common sense. Well, let me tell you, most people have always known this.
Why did authority think we’d lost it? Well, the first point is the rise of compensation and blame culture. When an attitude of greed combines with the idea that nothing is your fault, institutions have to protect themselves from the lawyer.
Once this attitude is in society, government sees the perfect opportunity to grab a little more control – of our very lives themselves. Hence, a politicization of commonsense begins, with central control of behaviour. Hopefully, it will now end, and we can get the right back to make our own mistakes – AND accept blame.
Next post, Tuesday. Hope to see you then.

© Anthony North, November 2008

COURAGE

Courage – done by heroes true,
not for themselves, but me and you,
forget those out for personal gain,
they’re just on the gravy train;
Courage is a selfless act,
meeting those upon the attack,
not simply reacting through fight or flight,
but going on, with thought, a miraculous sight;
But courage is also more than this,
imbued to always be there, assist,
ploughing on determinedly,
working, caring, then home for tea,
recharging batteries, rising above the crowd
meeting life head on, resolute and proud

(c) Anthony North, November 2008

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SHADOW SEASON – A Cass Nova Detective Thriller

It was one hell of a night – draining. Terrifying!
The serial killer had hit several times now, and every time it was to a set pattern. They’re considerate like that – usually. It becomes like a ritual. And we can read their pattern. And we’d done so with this one. And we made a pretty good prediction of when he would next strike. He had a season for killing.
He seemed to strike when everyone else was enjoying themselves the most – seasonal times, as if fun must always have a dark shadow. So we staked out the town that night – covered everything.
As a detective inspector, I was one of the controllers. I sat in the mobile headquarters, banks of equipment around me, constant static chatter as nothing suspicious was reported.
They say it is frustration that drives such people to kill. Their lot is pathetic – and certainly many serial killers seem to be loners. But there’s more to it than that. These killers have economic seasons, too. They are more likely to hit during periods of affluence, as if people have more to worry about than simple survival. And it is here they have time to fester – to say my life is NOT fair.
If only they could get over themselves.
The joy of laughter filtering in from outside was surreal – so much fun, so much enjoyment, so much naivety. Yet among them was a monster. He’d look no different to you. Indeed, he may be building up for more ‘enjoyment’ than you could ever realize – and as the night wore on, that sense of pervasive evil increased.
Every communication came with a heightened tension. As the laughter subsided outside, a static of expectation seemed to fill the air itself. In the silence of the early hours, there was more than darkness. The shadow seemed to veil everything decent in the world, producing a chill that stuck to you like glue.
Several times I went outside to stretch my legs and felt it. Tangible. Omnipotent. My eyes strained to try to sense it, to capture it, to have some precognitive knowledge of its intent.
The hours – minutes – seconds! – dragged on, and we felt that any time now the report would come. A shriek, a scream, a plunging blade, a river of blood, a death …
And we would be too late. Again.
And then? The dawn. The shadow receding. Decency arising with a hot sun.
I went outside once more. Sucked in cleanness, light. I went dizzy as the tension seemed to ease. He had not struck this night. The world was well.
And then I vomited.

© Anthony North, November 2008

STRANGER

Life’s experience in the raw,
get it wrong, no encore,
spiralling down, no way out,
everything ending, no room for doubt

It began when the stranger appeared,
actions occurred of which I feared,
led to consequence, terrible change,
damn the stranger, so deranged,
no hope for redemption, peace of mind,
no time for happiness yet to find,
no need for thought, not deserved,
no chance of sleep, so unnerved …

Stranger and stranger became my life,
damn him, I hate him for all this strife,
how could he do such a thing to me?
What would happen – couldn’t he see?

Stranger and stranger became my existence,
hardly here, no persistence,
no feeling of belonging to anything at all,
in all ways, I felt so small,
obliterated from life and all its joy,
no reason to even be coy

And when I see him again I shout,
you ruined my life! Of that no doubt,
yet still he follows, won’t leave me be,
everywhere I turn, I see,
glimpsed in mirrors, left on the shelf,
just a ghost of me,
I don’t know myself

(c) Anthony North, November 2008

TONY ON OBAMA, BOUNTY & MORE

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

Well, he did it. A black man is President of the USA. No one can deny that this is an iconic moment in history. But now that a couple of days have elapsed, let’s have a reality check. He inherits 2 wars, an economic crisis and grave eco problems in a country and world that is, quite frankly, Bushed.

Barack Obama has a lot to do.

But you have faith in him? Well, you won’t have in a couple of years, because decisions will have to be hard. But more than this, a politician who is liked eventually believes the publicity, and what they become is quite different.
Hopefully, it won’t happen with Obama. But I’m afraid that, from Day One I saw Britain’s Tony Blair in him, and the euphoria since his election has been an exact echo of Britain, May 97 – the beginning of one of the worst governments in UK history.
Prove me wrong, Mister President Elect – please.

Humans use 30% more, each year, than the planet can replenish.

So says a new international study. We can argue about the percentage, but not about the message. The simple fact is, just like your bank account, nature comprises capital and interest.
Capital is the absolute amount available. Interest is the amount that can be used without depleting the capital. Modern society gobbles up the interest and eats into the capital. Try doing that with your bank account, and you’ll get an idea of what we’re doing to the planet.
This is what sustainability is all about. Of course, many eco-warriors tell us we simply have to cut back or disaster is on the way. But this isn’t quite the case. There is adequate new tech already on the drawing board that could, with the will, allow us to reach sustainability without seriously impeding our lifestyles.
So why isn’t it done? Because the only thing that would change is Big Biz. They require big systems to keep out the small guys and maintain their power. New tech is for the small scale – and by definition, a new generation of small business.
And herein lies the problem. Saving the planet involves sacrificing themselves. When are we going to make them do it?
Next post Tuesday. Hope to see you then.

© Anthony North, November 2008

PARADOX IN A POEM

You’ll find it here, or maybe not,
it depends, I suppose, on what you’ve got,
eyes to read, mind to think,
an answer there within a blink;
If, of course, it’s really here,
and not a mystery upon which to fear,
an enigma with no answer at all,
a psycho-maze to enthrall;
But that’s the thing about a paradox,
hard to wrap up in a box,
it’s here, it isn’t, can we interdict?
Maybe, or not – I must contradict

(c) Anthony North, November 2008

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BOUNTY – Fiction

‘So he did it.’
‘Yes, I didn’t know he still had it in him. He’s been working as a fat private investigator for years. Since … it ended.’
‘We can say it again, now. Russia is up to its old tricks. We can use the term: Cold War. We’re back.’
‘And the bounty worked. He’s not been doing well for years, and he always liked the money. So when we offered him that much, just to kill one man, he couldn’t resist.’
‘And did he do it cleanly?’
‘Yes. He hasn’t lost his touch. The target had left Russia for a holiday in France. Our man followed him and worked out when the perfect accident was possible. No one suspected a thing.’
‘Except the Ruskies, of course.’
‘Well, that’s their problem.’
‘And is he getting the bounty payment?’
‘The way I put it, he couldn’t refuse – paid in instalments, as a salary for coming back.’
‘So we’ve got an agent back, AND we’ve got him to kill his old controller. Quite a success, I think.’
‘It seems that way.’
‘But what I want to know is, did he know that we knew he was killing his old boss?’
‘That’s the question – and I doubt if we’ll ever get an answer to that.’
‘And which side do you think he’ll really be working for this time?’
‘It doesn’t really matter. The suspicion – the fear – is all that counts.’

The Russian turned off the recording. His men had done well bugging their office like that. His ribs still hurt from the ‘accident’. And he, too, wondered who he was really working for.

© Anthony North, November 2008

CHANGE

New man in town, no more frown,
change is here, time to steer,
a new course to a better world,
optimism can unfurl,
the people will at last be heard,
to get it wrong would be absurd,
as long as it is really new,
marching onwards good and true,
thinking of many, not the few,
no time now to ever be blue …

New man in town, no more frown,
no more sin,
as long as it’s not spin

(c) Anthony North, November 2008

TONY ON CRASH, MOON & MORE

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

So, the G7 finance ministers have met. Notice, that’s G7 – no Russia. And what have they done? Well, they issued a statement. Wow!! We can now rest easy as the world enters global recession, and possible Depression. You see, it’s too late to avoid a Crash. It has already happened.

We have entered a new world.

Yes, most savings will be saved, but pension funds, mortgages, jobs, etc, are on the change. And those savings have been saved by nationalization by another name. Left to their devices, the banks would now have gone. The system has had its day.
There have been some strange happenings. Britain’s rescue plan of last week will end up costing £500 billion, and it all went straight down the black hole as the FTSE lost another 10%. Hence, there is nothing left in the pot for the coming hardships.

And did you know Iceland is a terrorist haven?

No, seriously. The Icelandic economy has virtually collapsed, resulting in £8 billion worth of Brit investments being frozen. Britain has therefore used recent legislation to seize Icelandic money in this country – legislation devised purely to snatch terrorist’s assets.
We were promised this legislation would never – ever – be used for anything else but terrorism. LIARS!!!
I’ve spoken often of this rotten system of Super-Capitalism, and Iceland’s problems exemplify its heinous heart. A country has been bankrupted by less than 30 people out to make a quick buck. This is the kind of power this corrupt system places in unelected, undisciplined and unseen megalomaniacs.
And it gets worse. The trillions being lost in the markets doesn’t actually exist. It is value placed on confidence. This has gone, and what is happening is the result of tantrum and fear. In any other field, this would be viewed as a self-harming psychosis.
Such is the madness at the centre of globalization. I hope that out of the present troubles, proper capitalism grows once more. But I’m not holding my breath.
Next post, Tuesday. Hope to see you then.

© Anthony North, October 2008

JUST LIKE GOLD

I’m like gold, so perfect and all,
wherever I go, I enthrall;
I’m so famous I’m known round the world,
they see me and say: ‘There’s that girl;’
In every way my beauty shines,
to perfection, I’m a walking shrine,
achieved by cosmetics, knife and pill,
and only quarter million, the bill

She’s like gold, so perfect and all,
wherever she goes, she enthralls;
I try my best to live up to her,
no matter what cost I may incur,
‘cos perfect is the way to be,
to emulate such celebrity,
but if only once my mind had gleaned,
perfection is an impossible dream

(c) Anthony North, October 2008

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THE FULL MOON – Horror Fiction

When the full moon comes I know he’s going to change. I know with more certainty than I’ve known anything before. A gentle man, kind, almost without fault, he is popular in his community. Although often keeping himself to himself, he always has a smile and a word for anyone he happens to meet on his rare excursions out of his house.
I met him on one such excursion. A bit of a loner myself, our eyes seemed to meet naturally as we passed on the street. And although we exchanged pleasantries, I had a deep sense of despair should this liaison continue.
The next day, I waited at the same spot, but he never came. However, the day after that he did, and we got talking, all the while a depression seeming to hang around us.
I could sense the danger with great acuity, yet despite this, I was drawn to the man, and it wasn’t long before a kind of friendship developed. And when it was pointed out that I was homeless, his natural kindness offered me shelter.
I know I should have refused. I have an instinct for such things, you see, and I knew without a doubt that this man would eventually change. Indeed, it was so absolute a conviction that a fear began to replace the depression. I even tried to get out of the liaison, go off to some park bench or other rather than be there when the full moon came and he changed.
But he was insistent, and it seemed that there was little I could do, for now I had begun to feel the empathy, the mesmeric bonding that surely had to be a precursor to the inevitable change.
Well the day of the full moon came with an air of trepidation in every thought I had, and as twilight turned to the dead of night, irrationality seemed the only mind state I could grasp.
I looked upon him, sat before me, waiting for the inevitable change to come, as I knew it would. My breathing became heavy, at first with worry, but then a kind of primeval instinct emerged, and bit by bit, he began to change, no longer my friend, but now the source of my growing frenzy. And even as I could feel the madness rising I felt an urge to warn him before it was too late. But …
… it already was.

© Anthony North, October 2008

THE ROMAN EMPIRE

This is a website as well as a blog. The pages (top) link
to lots of essays in my research archive, written and
re-written over 25 years (many are excerpts from as yet
unpublished books). You’ll find a sample below. Why not
come back when it’s quiet? Or even check out the pages.

Rome is a city first built on 7 low hills by the Tiber in Italy. Legend says the first settlement was built on the Palatine Hill by the wolf-raised twins, Romulus and Remus about 753BC.
The region was inhabited by Latini tribes, thought to have migrated from Asia Minor. By the 7th century BC an Etruscan culture had become dominant, headed by the tyrant- kings, the Tarquins …
… read more …

TONY ON AID, FLEETING, NUTS

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

Care International have advised that the current system of waiting for food shortages before acting is increasing malnutrition. This is just one more area of incompetence when it comes to disaster in the Third World and the world in general. Just think of how long it takes to get emergency workers into an earthquake zone.

It is time for some new thinking on this.

The basic problem, as I see it, is two fold. First, international organizations and charities are too tied in with an idea of globalization, and no network exists for immediate reaction and management of arising problems.
To me, the obvious answer to the second is the creation of a new international organization equipped with its own aircraft, vehicles, equipment, stores and manpower, centrally controlled and operating from small bases around the world.

As for the first, there is an organization already.

It is not involved in most of the power politics of the day. This is the Commonwealth of Nations, including both developed and Third World countries around the world. Underused to a terrible degree, they could easily provide the manpower and bases required, and have a true understanding of the problems.
It really is time for some new thoughts on this subject, providing an organization that sees the problems coming, and can react immediately to it. Working with charities where necessary, there will soon even be plenty of aircraft to be bought up cheap.
The usual suspects have failed. Let’s see if new blood and new thought can be successful.
There’ll be no post Monday, but hope to see you Tuesday.

© Anthony North, September 2008

FLEETING

I’ve not been here long,
I sing a different song,
such a strange place to be,
so different to me,
those shapes in my sight,
such a terrible plight,
fleetingly they appear,
so often with a tear,
how lonely they must be,
if only they could see,
it doesn’t have to be misery

I’ve not been here long,
I don’t think I belong,
watching those forms,
in this place, the norm,
existence so slight,
seemingly no respite,
weighed down by those chains,
of past deeds and pains;
Oh, these visits I dread,
to the living, it’s said,
and me, so recently dead

(c) Anthony North, September 2008

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NUTS – Fiction

‘Choice! That’s the key.’ The speaker looked around at those gathered close to him. To his front, the object of his words. ‘What action do we choose to any event? We think we decide, but how much is down to the event itself? Are we really of our own mind, or that of the society to which we belong?’
The man to his front seemed awkward, as if facing a crisis. His eyes darted from left to right. A slight perspiration appeared on his brow.
The speaker continued: ‘Nuts! Insane! Mad! A Lunatic! Simple words, but meaning so much. Labels we place on those who’s behaviour is different from the norm. But who decides what behaviour is normal or abnormal? What IS insanity?’
The man to his front seemed on the point of running. It was not how it should be. Paranoid thoughts raced through his mind, and he had no idea what he was likely to do next.
‘It is down to those choices we make – or are made for us. How we behave is so often the key. But are people’s opinions of our actions down to the behaviour in the person, or their discomfort at what they see?’
At last the man to his front saw a conclusion to the situation. The nurses appeared. He said to them, ‘all I asked is nuts or fries,’ and carried on serving the next patient.
A tear appeared in the speaker’s eye as he was escorted to his room. The choice had been too much today. Which was increasingly normal.

© Anthony North, September 2008