NEWS AND ENTERTAINMENT

Including Friday’s Feast. Have you had a go yet?

Welcome to my daily Diary post. Have you noticed how quickly the Burma Cyclone disaster has gone from the news? Of course, this was inevitable as soon as the China earthquake struck. But what does this say about the news?
Well, seeing that people are still dying in Burma, and the Junta is still pretty uncooperative, it says that the news isn’t an accurate portrayal of what’s going on. Rather, it’s a ‘snapshot’. But of what?

Of what the news corporations wants us to see.

The sociologist, Baudrillard, noted this in his view that mass media produced what he called ‘infotainment’. News is not a reality, but a form of propaganda.
News corporations, like other companies, need to make money. Hence news today is always geared as much towards entertainment as anything else. And once we begin to see news as entertainment, the news can really be manipulated.

Most news channels are mouthpieces for Big Biz.

So they are unlikely to do anything that would hinder the march of Big Biz. For this reason, celebrity culture becomes part and parcel of the news. This is because celebrities encourage us to spend in order to emulate them.
But there’s much more to this Big Biz propaganda. Alongside the rise of celebrity news has come emotional news. Rarely do we see a tragedy nowadays without a roll call of victims, crying away, baring their soul, and we feel for them every time.

Of course we do, and why shouldn’t we? We ARE human.

But this is not ‘news’. Rather, it is a process whereby our emotions overpower our rationality. You see, the world works through reason, not emotion. For it to be any different would be anarchy.
Emotion is uncontrolled. And in the news placing emotion above reason, the result is the public descend into a kind of emotion-fest, and then, sated, moves on. Hence no tragedy, no annoyance, can any longer produce the rationality in the public to want to do anything about it in the long term.
In essence, by turning the news into a form of emotional entertainment, our thoughts on issues become fleeting, and Big Biz, and the puppet-politicians they’ve put in place, get on with controlling us unimpeded.
Well, that’s enough of a rant for today. After going deep, let’s have some entertainment here, too. Here we go with my this week’s Friday’s Feast.

© Anthony North, May 2008

FRIDAY’S FEAST

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Appetizer: What is the nearest big city to your home?

York. One of the most historic and beautiful cities in the world. Initially called Eboracum by the Romans, Constantine the Great rode from there to save the Roman Empire from collapse.
Guy Fawkes, who plotted to blow up Parliament, came from York, and Britain’s most infamous villain, Dick Turpin, was hanged there. Later, it was to become the centre of the railways revolution.
New York was, of course, named after it.

Soup: On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how well do you keep secrets?

Not telling (I suppose that gives me a 10).

Salad: Describe your hair (color, texture, length).

Light brown. Short. Beginning to thin.

Main Course: What kind of driver are you? Courteous? Aggressive? Slow?

None of the above. I stopped driving in 1984, a couple of years after I came down with chronic fatigue syndrome, as I had a habit of passing out at the wheel. And once gone, I learnt very quickly that I didn’t miss driving.
Okay, I know many need a car due to their job, where they live, etc. But it really isn’t a big deal. Even if people just drove less, think what it would do for the environment. And why do people need SUVs?
They’ll be putting a gun turret on top next.

Dessert: When was the last time you had a really bad week?

The last time I felt self-indulgent.

Okay, that’s it for this week, folks. Have a good weekend. My Diary post will be back Monday. Don’t miss it!

© Anthony North, May 2008

A BIT OF ALIEN NEWS

Welcome to my daily Diary post. I thought I’d talk first about the weather – after all, that’s what us Brits do best, or so we’re famous for. We’ve been having a beautiful week here, after a miserable, damp, cold start to spring.
Which brings me to my garden. Now, I’m not the best of gardeners, and with chronic fatigue syndrome I’m limited to how much I can do. But I’ve never seen nature go so manic as it has this week! Me thinks the Triffids are back.

And so, it seems, are the bad times.

Mervyn King, governor of the Bank of England, has talked about grim times ahead. The good times are over, with the economy taking a down turn that could last a couple of years.
Of course, this should have happened years ago. It was impossible to maintain present living standards. And we only did so through the insanity of non-existant credit. And the real problem is, the more such measures put back the downturn, the more harsh the downturn would eventually be.

So it’s miserable times ahead, I’m afraid.

Indeed, in the UK interest rates are on the up, and people are beginning to talk about unemployment again. And as for the housing market, that horrific term, negative equity, has come back into common usage.
In one way, though, an economic squeeze is not so bad. Good times tend to lead to decadence and thoughlessness, whereas downturns lead to more selflessness and introspection. I guess we could do with that again.

Well, enough of alien news. Oh no, there’s more!

The British Ministry of Defence has just released its UFO files, and the media has been having a mini-mental breakdown as it plays X Files music and shows people dressed in little alien costumes.
Well, okay, this slliness is inevitable. Yet, my love of mysteries has led me to research things like UFOs for years. And whilst I don’t accept ET is visiting us, the subject can teach us a hell of a lot about psychology, social interaction, perception, culture and much more.
A pity so many can’t see the opportunity for research the subject brings. Oh well, hope to see you tomorrow.

© Anthony North, May 2008

A MARRIAGE AND A SLUR

Today begins on a happy note. Yvonne and I are celebrating our 31st wedding anniversary. So I’d like to take this opportunity to thank her for those years, her love and companionship, and for all the years we have yet to live together. But to another subject.
It’s been suggested that I’ve slurred religion. In para 3 of How To Fantasize, I suggested religion is based on fantasy. In cmt #49 it’s pointed out religion is the core of one’s being, so to say it is fantasy IS a slur.

Is it a slur to say religion can be based on fantasy?

A slur suggests intent. If no intent to be malevolent is present, can it still be a slur? If a policeman shoots someone dead in defence of others, is he a murderer? Surely ‘intent’ changes definitions and values.
Fantasy can be said to be the opposite of rationality. The philosopher, Kierkegaard, saved religion, intellectually, by saying its irrationality is the point. This was the birth of the phrase: leap of faith. Hence, this places a degree of fantasizing upon religion.

Does a religionist ‘know’ the reality of a deity?

To say yes is to say the religionist is ‘as one’ in terms of intellect with a higher being. I don’t think they mean this, but if they are not, then to speak with ‘absolute’ authority must hold a degree of their own intuition, which must be to fantasize.
And finally on this subject, I respect the peacefully held beliefs of anyone, but feel an urge to try to understand just what religion is. To do so is to ask some serious questions of religion. Must this always be a slur? If so, where does it leave free speech?

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In the UK the ‘esteemed leader’, Brownski, has shown his worthlessness.

Not long ago he became the first Prime Minister with a socialist background to purposely take money off the poor by abolishing the initial 10p tax rate. There was a revolt by backbench NuLabour MPs.
Yesterday, the Budget was totally redrawn by increasing the tax allowance to give it back. Clearly the greatest U-turn of modern times, it makes one wonder how long the UK can remain leaderless. Even the conman, Blair, was better than this.
Following the total trashing of NuLabour in the recent local government elections, we are clearly seeing the final days of this disgusting ‘modernist’ experiment in politics which, since 1997, has torn the heart out of the UK. But what worries me is you can guarantee the unelected Brownski will cling to power to the last. But at what cost?
Don’t forget to call tomorrow.

© Anthony North, May 2008

IMAGINING CHINA AND THINGS

Since reinstating my Diary of a Writer only yesterday, I’ve been filled with many ideas. As usual Brian set me off, concerning the problem of blogging being driven by the reader, yet without readers, you’re shouting in a vacuum.
Getting the balance right is difficult. But to me, the actual act of writing is only part of the craft. Writing is about communication, so the end product must be in the mind of the reader. Hence, it is a two way street.

I suspect all bloggers think this.

And in that spirit, I’ll continue trying to communicate. Today I’m doing so by incorporating Blogtalkers, who ask for me to write about my imaginary life. Well that’s easy.
You’ll find my imaginary life all over this blog, ‘cos I’m a writer, and expressing my imaginary life is what I do. It is at the heart of writing, placing different characters and situations in my mind and seeing what comes out.

I’m also trying to imagine the situation in China today.

Suffering another earthquake, 10,000 are believed to have died, with another 10,000 buried. My heart goes out to the casualties.
Yet I’m sure the survivors will cope much better than those in Burma. Why do I bring this up? Because China is a regional power in the area, and wants to be accepted by the world. They can begin by putting pressure on the Burma Junta to let the full aid package in. But I’m not holding my breath.

Crime is also on my mind today.

In the UK a couple of years ago the Serious and Organised Crime Agency was set up – a kind of British version of the FBI. I thought at the time that an organization with an acronym that sounded like a popular sport would be a failure.
Well, how right I was! It seems they have just shelved their 130-strong hitlist of top villains. They’re too hard to catch. Now there’s something to write about in the ‘imaginary’ category.
Call again tomorrow.

© Anthony North, May 2008

WHERE AM I?

In the last week or so Beyond the Blog reached its 700th post and raced past a quarter million hits. In just over a year, I’d say that was pretty good. Yet, I find myself asking: where am I? What is this blog about?
The answer is, it’s about me and what I want to write. Only problem is, I want to write about everything. Well, finally – I think! – it has all seemed to evolve into four super posts a week, each with between 3 to 6 poems, stories or essays.

I can’t ever see myself not writing those posts.

But in the last few months of experimentation, I think I’ve lost sight of blogging proper, even neglecting many of the other fields I was into. Well, I’m now reinstating a slightly different Diary of a Writer post, which should come out most days – I hope.
In it, you’ll find out more about me as a person, and I’m also going to incorporate my current affairs pieces here. So, what’s been happening in the world over this last weekend?

Well, the disaster in Burma is getting worse.

There are fears of over a million about to die. Yet, just over the border, the aid to stop it is in place. Now, I’m not mad about such international moves as the War Crimes Tribunal in The Hague.
But it seems to me that, if they’re going to have prosecutions for Genocide, why not devise an equivalent for manslaughter? I can think of many Burmese generals who fit the bill.

On a lighter note, it was Mother’s Day in America this weekend.

In the UK, ours was earlier in the year. It’s a good day, and I often reflect on it. Of course, with me it is mainly taken up with my wife, Yvonne, and our 7 kids, mostly grown up now.
But I also spend a little time thinking about my own Mother, who died of cancer when I was twelve. Old enough to remember her, but maybe not old enough to know her, I’m certain that I owe her. She gave me so much. But let’s not neglect fathers.

Doctor Who became one this week.

Now, don’t you Tennantites get all upset. It didn’t involve sex. He’s still pure and waiting for you! And I won’t tell you what happened in case you haven’t seen it yet.
But his daughter was the delightful Georgia Moffett, the actual daughter of a previous Doctor Who, Peter Davidson. The character is excellent, and it will no doubt lead to yet another brilliant angle to take this marvelous show.

© Anthony North, May 2008

FUTURE CO

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FUTURE CO

The chief executive sat at his desk. The window, to his side, was huge. It needed to be in order to see the whole panorama of his creation. It was one large corporation indeed.
They had advised him to be cautious before he began the project. After all, he was taking capitalism to a whole new dimension. Yet, if only he’d been more aware of the outcome, maybe he would have thought twice before proceeding. But when has such fear stopped the human need to advance?

To advance. Is that what had happened?

Efficiency was the key. A society is best if full efficiency is achieved. If everything runs like clockwork, and everyone operates to their maximum ability, and time is used to perfection, with just enough time to sleep, just enough time to eat, just enough time to work, and just enough time to buy.
Well, he’d achieved maximum efficiency, that was for sure.
And now, as the chief executive sat at his desk, looking down on Earth, he offered one last smile before raising the gun to his head and firing.
It was the last act of inefficiency before the zombies came in, and efficiently cleaned him away.

© Anthony North, May 2008

MAYBE MAN

The maybe man, he’s a scream,
going there, in his dream;
Cautious is, his way to be,
going nowhere, like a tree;
All through life, he thinks it out,
swimming nowhere, like a trout;
A human being, he certainly is,
but his existence, has no fizz;
sometimes you’ve just, got to say,
get on with life, its full array,
or in your head, or in your bed,
you’ll stay, until
you’re very dead

(c) Anthony North, May 2008

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CAUTIOUSLY GOES

There are two ways to go through life – throw yourself into it, or be cautious. Yet to me, both stances are erroneous. To go ahead with something without thought usually ends in disaster.
We have a mind for a good reason. It is there to work out odds and consequences of our actions. And we are well aware of the thoughtless individual, the centre of a whirlpool of chaos and tragedy.
Alternatively, caution can be counter-productive, too. So often we say ‘maybe’ – should we do it this way, or that? What will be the outcome of this? And before you realize what’s happened, nothing has, and life has passed you by.
Problems no matter which way we go. So rather, to be fully human we should search out the happy medium. Think things through, but not too much. Jump into things, but giving a thought to others and yourself.
If anyone ever works out how to do it, please let me know.

© Anthony North, May 2008

HOW NOT TO WRITE #1

If you want MANIC MONDAY, scroll down

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WOODEN

We live our lives, but is it true,
the way we behave, me and you?
Do we have the choices to make,
or is it just one big fake?
We live in a world of consumer choice,
but images of this and that, they foist
upon our minds to get us to buy,
this and that, you can’t deny;
Things are made for ever and ever,
risking nature’s splendid endeavour;
providing for our every need,
or is it just our insatiable greed?
But have you noticed we’ve become all the same,
society and people becoming lame,
with wooden lives and wooden hopes,
Oh, we really have become dopes,
with wooden needs that affect our health,
and wooden ambition grounded in wealth,
as we’re all left on, the wooden shelf

(c) Anthony North, May 2008

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A TRANSFORMING PEN

Variations of just four letters make up the entire genetic code of DNA. Everything that can be in terms of biology – the total diversity of life – is captured in so few little letters. But life is more than DNA. It is also mind.
And mind is expressed best through variations of the letters in the alphabet. In the English alphabet, that is 26. So just imagine how much greater the variety there is at the writer’s fingertips?
From pen to keypad, writers transform what is in the mind, to paper or screen. A unique alchemy occurs, making thoughts real. But the writing process does not end there.

No, it is far more magnificent.

Looking at the history of the world, whenever a major transformation occurs, you can usually find a book. From the Bible, to Marx’s Das Kapital, to Newton’s Principia, transformation is the result of literary endeavour, whether good or bad.
They say the pen is mightier than the sword. Nothing is more true. And as writers, we belong to the most noble of crafts. So as we write, we should remember this, and be happy in our endeavour. For we deal with the true code of life.

© Anthony North, May 2008

TRANSFORMATION

You think it through, you write it out,
a majestic craft, there is no doubt;
a person will read, planting a seed
of change that will never recede;
His actions are imbued by your word,
coming first, and never second or third;
Your thoughts are out in society,
made real, made true, growing just like a tree;
the thought branches out, noble and great,
defining other people’s fate,
as through your mind, your pen, your quill,
you transmit, to all, your will,
as your noble craft,
you do fulfil

(c) Anthony North, May 2008

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IN SEARCH OF HAPPINESS

To be happy is the goal of us all. But is this a viable state? Indeed, is it really what being human is about? Or does the state of happiness just allow us to be complacent about things?
Looking to human history it seems clear to me that things only change when people are frustrated. This is, of course, a state of unhappiness, and drives change. Hence, you could say that the process of social evolution requires us not to be happy.

This seems a depressing picture, indeed.

However, it need not be. Existence is not only about our advancement. It is also about our contentment. And whilst this is counter to things in terms of society and history, it is certainly achieveable in love.
Love seems to provide stability in happiness. It is nurturing, and as long as complacency doesn’t enter the picture, it is the engine of family life, a definite counter-balance to the ravages of society and history. So this thing called happiness seems to be a multi-faceted thing.
Indeed, I think we can even be happy with our frustrations. I’ve written before that it is often a journey in life that is more important than its conclusion. For once complete, what then?
We are, as a species, curious about everything. We have a desire to know, and in wanting to know, we are driven on, thus confirming social evolution, and being happy with our frustrations.

© Anthony North, May 2008

THE FAR SPACE EXPERIENCE

Blast off! Gravity building! Face contorting!

It felt like death,
as we broke out of the world and floated,
high above the planet.
I looked down, watching the world from up high,
as if disconnected, as if some other being,
as if I would never see this planet again.

Power on! Engines engaged!
5
4
3
2
1

The hyper drive rocketed us through …
… what?
Was it space? Not as we know it.
Was it existence? Am I here to tell?
They said it was a wormhole, the theorists,
but to me it was like a tunnel, pressing upon me,
dark as dark can be,
as if I was dead

And slowly, amazingly, omnipresently, the light.
Did it question why I was here?
Did it make me look back upon my life?
Did it decide if I could go on or not?
Or was it me?

Stillness! Brightness! Omniscience!

It was a sun, or it was a particle,
or maytbe a super-string;
or maybe it was nothing at all;
or maybe it was God Himself,
but I had had my far space experience,
and it beckoned me on, to existence anew,
safe in the knowledge that I’d exist forever,
but never, again, visit the ones I love,
lest they come this way, too

(c) Anthony North, May 2008

MM - HOW TO STAY FRESH

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HOW TO STAY FRESH

Wash, for starters.
After all, you’re not fresh if you’re smelly. And don’t forget all those private bits – protect against fungi – especially between the …
… and let’s have a bit of anti-perspirant here, please. You’re the only one who loves your body odour. And how about squeezing those zits. No! Don’t aim.
And could your clothes do with a …
… disinfection? And what do you mean you don’t iron?

Well, that’s one way to stay fresh.

But there’s also another. Life so easily becomes boring, routine. And whilst there’s a lot going for a bit of routine in our lives, it can go too far.
Routine is good to provide stability. It’s a form of magic, especially your routine in a morning. It places the mind in equilibrium with the world, and things fall into place, proved by the fact that, if your routine is disturbed, your day usually ends in disaster.
But keep routine where it belongs. As for the rest of your life, try something new every day. It only has to be a little thing – nothing special. Just something to provide a fresh experience.
This gives you a fresh start every day, and you feel fulfilled because of it. It makes you feel alive, and able to grab life by the horns. It says, above all else, I exist!
After you’ve washed, of course.

© Anthony North, May 2008

REFRESH

Pictures of life on my computer exist,
full of experience that does persist;
sometimes it’s good, sometimes bad,
yet living, it is certainly had;
But what, if like the computer screen,
we could alter what has been?
Click ‘refresh’ and change it all,
stopping those things that make us fall?
What kind of witchcraft this would be,
refreshing life for you and me,
existing as we want to be,
and I would then,
be a deity

Anthony North, May 2008

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FRESH IDENTITY - Fiction

If only I’d known. If only I’d realized the errors of my ways. But we rarely do so before taking the plunge.
I suppose you could call me a fraudster. Computer banking and electronic records were my thing. Ah, the delights it offered for identity fraud. And once you’ve got your mark, you can create a whole fresh identity for yourself. And if you’re really lucky, finding a no hoper, with a life that went almost unrecognized, and found him dead, apparently having committed suicide, and no one knows …
Well, I managed to step into his shadow perfectly – after burying his body, of course.

Such a non-entity he had been.

No one ever recognized him, he had never been in debt, he had no family to become suspicious, and soon my fresh identity was building a new life for itself.
So you can imagine the shock when, six months into my fresh identity, armed police burst into my house, spread-eagled me on the floor, and rushed me in for questioning.
A little extreme, you may think, for simple identity fraud. Well, let this be a warning to all who think they can get away with it in the end. There is always a catch.
And what was mine?
Well, I have a lifetime in prison to ponder it – how total and absolute my success that no one would believe I wasn’t who I had claimed to be. And why, oh why, did I have to pick a murderer on the run?

© Anthony North, May 2008

HOW TO LOVE FAMILY

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HOW TO LOVE FAMILY

Family. What are we to make of it? It’s a concept that’s been around as long as history, but today it seems to be under threat like never before. And sometimes, the criticism is deserved.
There is much abuse within families. A family can be secretive, manipulative, monstrous. Once, an extended family could help here – a criticism or protection from on the fringe. But today, it is usually the State that steps in when required.

This has given family a bad image.

After all, we hear about the failures more than the successes. And even the nature of family has changed. No longer is it a standard unit of mother, father, children. The single family, and same sex parents, are on the rise.
Families interlink with other families today. This is due to the rise in divorce, with children often having multiple parents. But why has the family seemed to suffer and change so much in modern times?

One answer is technology.

The television killed off conversation, whilst the car allowed families to spread out. With immediacy gone, the importance was bound to decline.
Media has also played its part. By highlighting problems within family, cultural consciousness edged away from the concept. This allowed the rise of political correctness, knocking the family at every stage.

This is a worrying problem.

This is so because family always had a vital function in society. It provided a sense of allegiance to something other than the State. With that allegiance gone, the State encroaches into all our personal lives.
So, above nurture, love and togetherness, the family was essential to our freedoms, no matter what we thought of it. So maybe it is time to rebirth the importance of family. And a good way to do so is to remember this:
Family was always idealized as a perfect unit. This is nonsense. There is no such thing as perfection. Mothers, fathers, children – all are flawed, because we’re human. But we haven’t, yet, learnt to forgive the concept for not being what it never could have been.
The best we can hope of any family member is that they’ll try their best. And be honest: can you claim more than this?

© Anthony North, May 2008

A PECULIAR FAMILY INDEED

They sat on the bank, the river flowed by,
Their child by their side, having said: ‘Oh, my!’
He was called Toverich, an industrious chap,
she was Gravelines, pondering an embattled mishap;
They didn’t need an abacus to work out the odds,
of a child like this, come from the gods;
A pigeon it was, born from their habits,
and a miracle indeed,
‘cos they were two rabbits

(c) Anthony North, May 2008

FEROCIOUS

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FEROCIOUS

She walked up and down the room, treading the carpet. She walked fast, angrily, ferociously.
‘And you just couldn’t resist, could you?’ She never awaited an answer. ‘God, I knew you were unhappy, I knew we had problems, but this?’
Her face was contorted, her good looks turning to something macabre, insane and – yes – so very defiant. ‘I should have guessed.’ An admonishment. ‘All the signs were there.’ A sense of regret – or was it stupidity for not realizing?

Her husband just sat there, staring into space.

‘I gave you everything,’ she continued, her pace quickening, as if there was no time to get to where she wasn’t going.
Maybe that was why, she thought, suddenly. I’m pacing up and down, trying to work it out, but maybe we were just going nowhere.
Her thoughts turned to words: ‘But that doesn’t let you off, you bas …’
Was that the crescendo, cut off in its prime? Was the ferocity of her mood declining?
The time comes. We know it does – when the anger is spent, maybe through sheer tiredness. And this is the point of reunion, of forgiveness, of being carried away on a tide of ecstasy as they make up.
She turned to face him, knelt by him. And as she stared at the knife embedded in his heart, she knew that this time it was final.

© Anthony North, May 2008

HURRICANE

The weather comes, it blows, it roars,
it batters your home without a pause;
A wind that comes ferociously,
whirling round you and me;
It’s the third, this time around,
much more frequently, they come to pound,
and always that manic thought resounds,
forever there, it does rebound,
that this is pay back for our insanity,
battering nature so we can see,
a better life materially,
but ignoring nature’s beauty,
balance,
and harmony

(c) Anthony North, May 2008

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FEROCIOUSLY SPEAKING

When someone appears ferocious we stand well back. Words such as ‘violent’, or ‘intense’, describe it. And when violence with intensity arises, it is brutal, immediate, without thought, beyond control.
There are various reasons for such ferocity. It is ingrained in a soldier that in the heat of battle, ferocity is the only way. Yes, professionalism usually controls it to a point, but we don’t speak of ‘the dogs of war’ for nothing.

Revenge is usually a motive.

When we are whipped up to the frenzy of revenge, nothing stands in our way. Yet in the modern world a new form of ferocity has come to our streets.
This is the violent delinquent, making life miserable for all. Of course, there’s always been crime, but now it seems to carry a new edge of violence. Why has such ferocity come to crime?

Well, it isn’t actually anything new.

In Britain, a similar ferocity arose alongside crime in the 18th century crimewave. Looking back, it parallels modern times in that it was a period where capitalism was advancing, and religion declining.
So it seems to be about an increase in our ability to ‘have’, coming alongside a decline in the notion that we ‘shouldn’t’. And when society tells us that we ‘cannot’, we get angry, and ferociously take.

We can also see ferocity in another way.

Nothing diminishes a person more than a lack of self-esteem. It seems to be in our very nature to feel that we are someone. And to be denied can cause anger, violence and more.
Hence, we can also see ferociousness as a lack of confidence. It is the result of our ‘smallness’, our inabilities, and our hang-ups. And as more and more face a crisis of confidence, ferocity is likely to increase.

© Anthony North, May 2008