Including One Single Impression, Manic Monday and Sunday Scribblings.
Have you had a go yet?
Islamic Courts in the UK have been cleared to deal with certain family matters, such as divorce, money, property and children, by the use of Sharia tribunals. My immediate impression is: have our leaders forgotten everything upon which freedom is built? Is multi-culturalism itself becoming a means to destroy western values?
This is not an anti-Islamic statement.
Indeed, it has nothing to do with Islam at all. It is to do with one of the fundamentally most important elements of a free society – that everyone is equal under the law.
I can understand that people of different faiths would want to be ruled by their faith. But this must not come above the essentials of common law. As soon as you define different people in civilian life by different laws, you open the gates to officially sanctioned discrimination and intolerance.
Teenagers are becoming less bright, it seems.
A new study has shown that the brain power of 14 year olds has slipped in just one generation. Despite passing exams in record numbers, they are not as intelligent as their grandparents.
Actually, I don’t think this is quite true. Rather, their descent into computer technology is causing an evolution in mental capability. Increasingly, kids are becoming passive data-processors, taking in information and storing it in an accessible way.
Further, in order to concentrate on more than one thing at a time, attention spans are lessening. This gives the impression of less intelligence, but still allows them to pass exams due to the data they are able to access.
But in one respect, the study IS correct. They are losing the ability to analyse this information and turn it into wisdom – which accounts for why moral standards and commonsense are in decline.
Overall, not a good thing, me thinks.
Next post, Tuesday. Hope to see you then.
© Anthony North, November 2008
A CREATIVE DISGUISE
Brush strokes true on canvas bare,
producing images, people stare,
as genius from the painter grows,
where next will the artist go?
The pen, a conduit for the writers’ mind,
producing words, often sublime,
engaging readers to be amazed,
where next, this wonderful writing craze?
Perfect pitch, harmony pure,
to hear such sounds we ensure,
composers produce such symphony,
where next will the musician go for me?
Throughout history they have created,
artists, writers, musicians fated,
for the genius of their muse,
culture, diverse, for us to choose
Where next we cannot possibly say,
conformity, they must always slay,
to go where others have never thought,
originality, they court
But one thing we must understand,
each of these is just a strand,
disguising the beauty of such art,
it is human endeavour they impart
(c) Anthony North, October 2008
******************************
SCANDALOUS – Fiction
‘Fame is good,’ said the celebrity. She cast her eye at her audience. She felt like a lecturer, disclosing the secret of life.
‘It began for me when I was a contestant on the reality show, and I knew this was my big chance. And I starred – boy, did I star!’
A question: ‘You mean you had sex with a fellow competitor on camera?’
‘So what? That was my talent – my notoriety. Who the hell ever said you had to be a great film star or musician to be a celebrity? We live in a world of equal opportunity now, not elitism!’
She removed the venom from her expression – assumed a posture of sweetness and light. ‘And after that, the contracts came in. I was photographed everywhere, and the whole country was talking about me, and I was famous, and I felt complete …’
A question: ‘But it would only have been 15 minutes of fame if not for …’
‘I know what you’re going say. Yes, it seemed to be lessening, and it was then that the wolves began to gather …’
A question: ‘And did you feel complete with THAT?’
‘It was horrible. There was one journalist in particular who really had it in for me. It was him who was tipped off about the cocaine, and then he started stalking me, and he took pictures of me falling over drunk, and he wrote stories about my three-in-a-bed antics, and he caught me talking all that garbage about what other celebrities had done, and the whole media turned …’
A question: ‘But you turned the tables on them?’
‘Of course I did – ‘cos once you have fame you never really lose it, and the less mainstream channels took me on, and I was outrageous, and from then on, I was always in the papers again, and my life was complete and I was whole, and I could be who I wanted to be …’
A Question: ‘But at what cost?’
‘Look, any publicity is better than none.’ The celebrity smiled. ‘As for the cost? About £20,000. At least, that’s what I paid the journalist.’
The psychiatrist had asked the last question for the day. But he already knew the cost was far greater than that.
© Anthony North, November 2008
COLOURFUL MAN
Colourful man of every hue,
black and white and yellow, too,
forever we’ve thought our colour is best,
frightened and wary of the rest;
Some people think the answer is clear,
a big melting pot to take away our fear,
but this is just running away from the truth,
something known by every youth;
Differences are silly, we just want to play,
anyone who’s game can join in, this way,
but discrimination arises when adults we are,
from simple acceptance we’ve travelled so far;
All being the same is the way to our end,
diversity is the way we will surely ascend,
learning to live in a colourful world,
then we can get over it – let humanity unfurl
(c) Anthony North, November 2008
BEYOND THE BLOG 