REFERENDUM

Microfiction Monday, ABC Wednesday, more prompts below
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POLLY TICKS

Microfiction: The movie got it wrong.
We needed 7 to beat the bandits.
They sent one. Magnificent! Well, if
it’s worth doing, do it yourself.

REFERENDUM

I dislike referendums. The idea of giving everyone a vote on an issue is
a form of direct democracy. France tried a variation of it once,
resulting in the Terror and Napoleon. Further, the majority always get
its way, thus removing minority rights. The best, though still imperfect,
form of democracy is representative, where we elect Parliamentarians
to decide for us. However, every ‘rule’ has exceptions, such as
constitutional changes. These should be decided by referendum, and
to deny them is undemocratic. A case in point is the referendum in the
UK in the early 70s regarding joining a European Economic Community.
We voted yes, and since then it has extended to the political, with
large slices of sovereignty transferred to Europe without referendum.
In this sense, every UK government since the late 70s has been
undemocratic.

I’m now on Facebook

BRIT NEWS: So Britain signs defence
treaty with France, sharing nuclear research,
aircraft carriers, support and joint task force – or
should that be farce? An obvious cost cutting exercise,
just wait until support services are so intertwined that one can
veto any action by the other.

WORLD NEWS: Waterboarding is not torture and saved Brit lives,
says Bush. He says his job was to save lives. No, more
than that. It is to uphold standards of civilisation
and decency, too. He forgot that. No
wonder, after his Presidency,
the world was bushed.

FUTURE ZONE

What’s ahead … and Beyond!!!

One Single Impression
Friday Flash 55 – Writer’s Island
One Shot Wednesday

ECHOES

To feel the pains of my birth,
Every experience on planet Earth,
Experience old age whilst still young,
Remember things yet unsung;
It’s good to be trapped in my time,
Echoes of all just do not chime

FLASH 55 – KILL TIME

Fiction: They’d done it! They’d worked out how to send people back in
time. But no sooner had someone gone back than they reappeared
dead. Or rather, murdered – shot, knifed, strangled – you name it.
They suspected another organization, going back to kill them. They
never figured on a temporal ban – that time orchestrated their murder
itself.

QUANDARY

In a quandary – which route to take,
Starship captain must be a fake,
Negotiating star systems is maybe fun,
But galactic navigation is certainly no pun,
And now he’s lost, in a black hole he sinks,
His Universal Positioning System is on the blink

© Anthony North, 2010

Try my Pictures of Life, a novel

NATIONHOOD

Microfiction Monday, ABC Wednesday, more prompts below
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POLLY TICKS

Microfiction: As the builder bricked her
in, she realised she really should have
paid the bill – especially as his name
was Poe.

NATIONHOOD

Nationhood is often frowned upon today. After all, nations make war,
don’t they? Yes, if we think only of nation in terms of politics. But a
nation is more than this. It is also about culture – and it is often here
where the person finds meaning in life. Perhaps we should remember
this, for there’s an adage that if you don’t love yourself, you can’t
love others. I think this is also true of one’s culture.

I’m now on Facebook

BRIT NEWS: Human Rights
Commission finds inequalities in
British society. Of course it does. A fully
equal society is not possible. Everything we do
disadvantages someone. This is why we developed
compromise; an attempt to find balance. The only way to
be fully equal is for no one to do anything.

BRIT NEWS: The Guardian claims Met Police want to make it harder
for public to take legal action against officers. As officers of the law
they should understand the law, its safeguards and dangers. This kind
of attitude in our senior police chiefs makes me shudder and worry
about my freedom.

BRIT NEWS: GCHQ warn that critical services such as the
power grid and emergency services face threat of
cyber attack. This has always worried me. Is
our dependence on computers a matter
of putting too many eggs in one
basket? Should the machine
stop, so do we.

FUTURE ZONE

What’s ahead … and Beyond!!!

One Single Impression
Friday Flash 55 – Writer’s Island
One Shot Wednesday

CHAMPION

He’s the champion of humanity,
Survived disaster, all decree,
While stellar wars and chaos raged,
He conquered it, unfazed;
Now he has all he can receive,
Except …
New Adam needs an Eve

FLASH 55 – HYPER

Fiction: The drive worked! It really did!! It took me right out of the
universe – allowed me to travel anywhere, instantaneously, and then
back in again. We had been freed from spacetime. And, man, what a
buzz! It was just soooo incredible! Fantastic! EXHILERATING!!!! And I
was so incredibly high …. No wonder they call it hyperspace.

UNLEASH

Nowhere and everywhere, interlaced,
Non-dimensional, not even space;
‘Twas a singular event when it sang,
It became a huge Big Bang!
Which set in motion a future that thinks,
Hurriedly before Heat Death sinks

© Anthony North, 2010

Try my Pictures of Life, a novel

BOLSHY

Theme Thursday, Microfiction Monday & ABC Wednesday
With Thursday Thirteen items plus a couple more
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POLLY TICKS

Welcome to my weekly magazine post. Watch
it grow thru the week. You can opt to read the essay,
current affairs, themed mini mag with fiction & poetry, or just
read the lot. Here’s hoping you enjoy your visit. Plenty
for everyone here so do call again next week.

I’m now on Facebook

MICROFICTION

Fiction: She had dreamt of her child’s
future, her success, up among the stars.
But instead she got a celebrity.

BOLSHY

I’m fed up of hearing people say that all politicians in a Parliament
should work together. One reason people say this is they don’t get the
difference between a Parliament and a Government. A government runs
a country; a parliament decides law. Politicians in government should
work together, fair enough, but if all politicians in a parliament worked
together, there would never be such a thing as a debate. Hence, new
law wouldn’t have been tested and would be bad. Similarly, working
together would mean a continual form of government where nothing
ever changed and it would be totalitarian. I don’t want the politicians
to work together. I want them bolshy, angry; even at times extreme.
In that way a government is always challenged and our freedoms are
better preserved.

LIGHT

Light is comforting, reassuring. To see the
light is to have knowledge. In both instances
it defeats the dark – of ignorance and night.
Which is why it devastated storytelling. You
could always rely on a good old ghost story
to scare you before the electric light.

Eye On the World
Essays on everything from science
to religion, politics to crime

BRIT NEWS: New Army Chief
says forces shouldn’t prop up ailing
arms industry. Quite agree but relationship
has changed. Once industry provided for Army. Now
the other way round.

WORLD NEWS: Cameron warns Britain can no longer rely on ‘special
relationship’ with America. I think this is true. Whilst a bond will always
exist with the American people, recent administrations seem to think
they rule the world.

BRIT NEWS: Treasury and Ministry of Defence are in conflict over
Trident replacement. If we have to have one, shouldn’t it be
military choice? Far too expensive anyway. There are
cheaper alternatives.

BRIT NEWS: As French vote to ban burqa Brit
immigration minister says it would be un-
British to ban it here. Except for certain
security problems I totally agree, but
would he have said it if France
wasn’t banning it?

FUTURE ZONE

What’s ahead … and Beyond!!!

One Single Impression
Sunday Scribblings – Friday Flash 55
Three Word Wednesday – Writer’s Island
One Shot Wednesday

COCOON

Transformative period, makes you think,
Focus attention, never blink,
Soon it will burst upon reality,
May be good, or possible insanity,
This is how a universe grows,
As ideas burst and the thinker glows

FLASH 55 – AFTERPOWER

Sci fi: The old fossils had gone. Earth was recovering, reconnecting
with its consciousness, its afterlife. The living could be nothing without
it, used properly, as comfort instead of as power. They should have
realized when the first rig blew. They sucked deep into the planet spirit
and the afterlife spewed, enveloping the Earth, leaving it haunted.

TITLES

Man had colonised Sol’s dear orbs,
Air tight City Domes, all over daubed,
But who’d win the title for the best?
Which planet could really impress?
Mercuris would simply melt away, Venusians under a cloud they’d stay,
Martians, warlike? They turn to dust; Jupitans were all gas; no fuss,
Saturnine peacocks show off their rings, neptoos sink as they swim,
Plutans left out in the cold and sparse, Uranusans so much up their …
Well …
Earthers would win, you’d think, no doubt,
Shame they went and wiped themselves out

JUST ANOTHER NIGHT

Sci fi: The alien looked at the humans through her bug-like eyes. It was
a bright but cramped room, perfect for abduction, for experimentation,
for abuse. She’d done it before, herself – laid them on a similar table;
prodded. She held nothing but hatred for them. She should have known
one night they’d be waiting. And now the humans from the Alien
Abduction Self-Help Society prepared to insert the foetus …

THE LAST LETTER

The last letter seemed so ancient, yellow,
Scrawly script from talented fellow,
The finder wondered what it said,
Such words he had never been fed,
He wrote in bytes nowadays,
The last letter from another phase,
But at least he always got a reply,
Better than the last letter, denied

HEALTH NEWS: Flu jab could be
replaced by patch. As a commited
jabophobe, good idea. Replace them all.
As for blood tests, employ vampires to sneak
up on you while asleep.

BRIT NEWS: Culture Dept faces 50% cut. Inevitable this
one would be hit hard. After all, with so much rubbish around
today, it is just falling in line with culture.

WORLD NEWS: Media tycoon Conrad Black released on
bail pending case on a technicality. No better
proof that money buys law. I won’t say
justice, ‘cos they’re not the same.

© Anthony North, July 2010

Try my Pictures of Life, a novel

WEAPON

Theme Thursday, Microfiction Monday & ABC Wednesday
With Thursday Thirteen news & more prompts below
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PROF ISAAC GALISTEIN

Welcome to my weekly magazine post. Watch
it grow thru the week. You can opt to read the essay,
current affairs, themed mini mag with fiction & poetry, or just
read the lot. Here’s hoping you enjoy your visit. Plenty
for everyone here so do call again next week.

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MICROFICTION

Fiction: Old Sea Dog jammed his neck as he
pulled the line & big fish flew off. He just couldn’t
look up, so never saw the fish bar roof.

THE WEAPON

We think of modern capitalism as benign, but is this the case? Based on
free market economics and the open society, it was actually born of
the Mont Pelerin Society in 1947. Founder members included F A
Hayek, Karl Popper and Milton Friedman, who went on to write and
create thinktanks that inspired governments of the 1980s. But what
was uppermost in its founders’ minds? It was a philosophy aimed
directly at beating the collectivism of communism. In other words, it
was a specific ideological weapon. Well, it won. But as with many
weapons, when their use is redundant, they can turn on the good
guys – namely us.

BERMUDA TRIANGLE

I’m a great believer in coincidence. Small
coincidences can build up to big events.
Big events can build up to places where
coincidences happen often, such as
disasters. Coincidence could answer the
Bermuda Triangle – if only coincidence
wasn’t such a mystery.

Eye On the World
Essays on everything from science
to religion, politics to crime

BRIT NEWS: Labour ex-Chancellor
says Tories exagerating economic woes.
Well, he would say that, wouldn’t he?

BRIT NEWS: Alleged fraudulent claims MPs lose their
bid to not be tried in court. If it had been any different,
then we are not free.

BRIT NEWS: Defence Sec says all forces up for review except Trident.
This is worrying. There are cheaper nukes & forces already starved.

HEALTH NEWS: Guardian says patients less likely to die in big hospitals.
Yes, ‘cos small ones ideologically starved of cash.

BRIT NEWS: Bloody Sunday inquiry vindicates 14 victims as
innocent. No conspiracy but some soldiers to blame.
Cameron rightly apologises.

CRIME NEWS: Doctors agree to break confidentiality
if gun owner appears unstable. A good idea?
I always worry about slippery slopes.

BRIT NEWS: Cameron vows to tear up health
& safety regs crippling Brit way of life.
Great, but little dictators in
jackslippers will fight.

THE CRIME POST

It would be criminal not to read it

One Single Impression
Sunday Scribblings – Friday Flash 55
Three Word Wednesday – Writer’s Island

OCHRE

Ochre pigment on the skin,
Tribal culture – hear them sing,
A different world from the west,
Had to change at our behest,
Wipe them out or sell them coke,
Such crimes we do invoke

FLASH 55 – DEADLY COUPLE

Fiction: The police thought it must have been a suicide pact at first. He
had been poisoned, but managed to butcher her before he died. Yet
the investigation unearthed another reason. It must have been a shock
for the serial killer to realize he’d fallen for a Black Widow. But they do
say like attracts like.

CHANGE

I’m such a fool – do too much time,
Always being caught in some kind of crime,
Then there’s the effort to carry it out,
Constant worry on every shout,
Burglary, kidnap – time for a change,
My whole life needs to be rearranged,
So I’ve got the credentials – a guy called Tim
I like his details – I’m gonna be him

JUST ANOTHER DAY

Fiction: The blade went in easily and soon the man was dead. He laid
him on the floor and looked along the dark corridor. No alarm had been
raised so he proceeded. Suddenly he heard a noise, implying he had
been discovered. Quickly he backtracked to the man he had killed – lay
beside him; feigned death. Two guards appeared, and as they looked
over him, he jumped up and used the blade again, to merciless effect.
Now he knew he could go on unimpeded. He raced down the corridor,
forced open the door and opened the container within. The gold was
beautiful – encrusted with diamonds. Quickly, he placed it in his bag
and exited the building as quickly as possible. Then the virtuous knight
jumped on his horse and rode for Camelot, another quest complete.

BIRTH

Heartbeat thumping, feel confined,
Grown so much, lose my binds,
On the way out, the tunnel so dark,
Racing, racing, new life a lark,
Bursting out into glorious light,
Release from prison, I’m doing right

WORLD NEWS: I’d never defend
BP but remember, it’s 40% US owned
& was US tech that failed. I’m getting fed
up of Obama’s anti-Brit rhetoric.

HEALTH NEWS: 20% of cases of Legionnaires’ Disease
put down to water from windscreen wipers. So benign but it
makes total sense.

BRIT NEWS: £2 billion of future projects ranging from Stonehenge
visitors’ centre to new hospital cancelled by govt. A statement of
intent.

HEALTH NEWS: Survey of surgeons says budgets & targets damaging
safety in operating theatres. Any idiot could have told them that.

BRIT NEWS: Vetting system for working with youth would
have registered nine million adults. This nonsense put
on hold by govt. Good.

BRIT NEWS: Govt going to bring Brit soldiers
home as soon as Afghanistan safe. What
a totally meaningless statement
that is.

© Anthony North, June 2010

Try my Pictures of Life, a novel

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VICTORS

Theme Thursday, Microfiction Monday & ABC Wednesday
With Thursday Thirteen news & more prompts below
Try my Paranormal Flash now!

BLOGGER BARD

Welcome to my weekly magazine post. Watch
it grow thru the week. You can opt to read the essay,
current affairs, themed mini mag with fiction & poetry, or just
read the lot. Here’s hoping you enjoy your visit. Plenty
for everyone here so do call again next week.

MICROFICTION

Fiction: But for a helping human hand the
monkey wouldn’t be sat at tea with the lady.
He thought: is this what the opposable
thumb is for?

VICTORS

Are the victors the best people to win? As I see it the winner of any
conflict usually doesn’t deserve to. This is because they made so many
mistakes that luck was the only thing that saved them. I guess the
victor is the one who makes the fewest mistakes. But the problems
really begin once a victor has muddled through to a victory. In winning
they haven’t only won, but they go on to control the story of how
they won, and how a particular society will be from then on.
Knowledge is how they decree it, and history is manipulated. Our entire
history has been as decided by victors.

CAMERA

People spend so much time taking photos
nowadays we must ask if they really experience
the moment themselves? Are our memories
comprising of images instead of experience?

Eye On the World
Essays on everything from science
to religion, politics to crime

BRIT NEWS: Cameron warns
of pain of cuts while deputy Clegg
warns no return to Thatcherite cuts. Good
cop bad cop, or differences already?

ROCK NEWS: BBC poll topples Beatles as greatest band
ever. The new greatest are Led Zep. To me both of them are
great in their own ways.

WORLD NEWS: Iran says UN embargo will prevent talks on nuclear
power as they cosy up to Russia. If a new east/west tension comes
it will start here.

BRIT NEWS: Labour’s Ed Balls says immigration from within EU needs
tighter controls. Totally agree, but wouldn’t it be totally illegal?

WORLD NEWS: Cost to BP oil spill to soar over a billion. Rubbish. No
matter what it costs, oil industry will pass it on in price rises.

BRIT NEWS: Big debate on urban foxes after two babies
savaged in their bedroom. Driven out of countryside
there are 34,000 in cities.

BRIT NEWS: Another sign of return to sanity. New
govt to scrap idea of ‘bin tax’. Rubbish
disposal not to be charged
per amount.

RATTLER’S TALE

A Voyage of the Imagination

One Single Impression
Sunday Scribblings – Friday Flash 55
Three Word Wednesday – Thursday Poets’ Rally
Writer’s Island

EIGHTH DAWN

Dawn approaching, land to till?
Soon they’ll do it – it’s called free will,
Love and jealousy not quite there,
Hatred brewing under the stare,
Desire bathes them where they lay,
On this dawn of the Eighth Day

FLASH 55 – ETERNAL DEBATE

Fiction: He was a great debater and felt cheated when he died and
went to heaven. He went to God – demanded to be returned, arguing
God was a fraud. Why? If he was a good God he wouldn’t let people
die. To his satisfaction, he won and was returned to life eternally.
Bored, he craved death.

THE GIFT

M.E. – cfs – hardly a gift,
Pain, fatigue – health adrift,
An eternal nuisance – body won’t do as it’s told,
Everything slow – feeling so old,
Yet total life change was the way to fight,
Raise self will – learn to write,
And then each morning when I get out of bed,
Remember …
If I’d carried on as I was, I’d now be dead

THE MEADOW

Fiction: He remembered the meadow; a beautiful, tranquil place. Of
course, farming was eventually wiped out. Bad for the planet, they
said, with all that methane; and what was red meat doing to us? Not
to mention cows’ rights, and respect for nature in general. And so the
cows were ‘saved’ – let free to roam the meadow – lost their use –
became extinct – erased without a trace. And what of the meadow?
Well, the synth factory stood there now, belching its fumes in its race
to feed us. Of course, the alternative feeding program was also under
way. Eco friendly, they stood around waiting to be farmed. Kill two
birds with one stone, they said. Respect nature and solve the
population problem. And we humans DID produce less methane.

SUPERHERO

Heard a scream in the night,
Jumped out of bed, ready for a fight,
Threw on my clothes, ran into the street,
Poor girl – three thugs, there to beat,
They turned, stunned – from the situation they shied,
I’d put my underpants on the outside

BRIT NEWS: Chancellor warns welfare
& pensions will be included in spending review
as some ministries expected to lose 20% of their budget.

BRIT NEWS: Army chief warns money for troops in Afghanistan must
NOT be cut despite deficit. Agree! If we can’t afford it pull them out.

EDUC NEWS: Universities minister says students are burden on tax
payer. When fewer went they powered the professions. Now it means
nothing.

TV NEWS: Study finds people less bothered about swearing on TV. I
guess we’ve been worn down. But it doesn’t make it right.

BRIT NEWS: Thinktank thinks cuts will put 750,000 public
sector staff out of work. That, and an ideological
need for smaller government.

FOOTBALL: The World Cup is on. South Africa
centre of the world. A big smile across
Soweto. Come on England!!!
Eng-luuu-nd …

© Anthony North, June 2010

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TOTALITARIANISM

Theme Thursday, Microfiction Monday & ABC Wednesday
With Thursday Thirteen news & more prompts below
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POLLY TICKS

Welcome to my weekly magazine post. Watch
it grow thru the week. You can opt to read the essay,
current affairs, themed mini mag with fiction & poetry, or just
read the lot. You’ll also see a linked essay and story from
my archives. Why not call back later to read them?
Plenty for everyone here. Do call again.

I’m now on Facebook

MICROFICTION

Fiction: The magician promised new
green energy. But at what cost to
humans? There’s no such thing as a
free lunch – except to dragons.

TOTALITARIANISM

We like to think we live in a free world, but the dangers are more than
the jackboot. Sometimes lack of freedom can be subtle. Society, you
see, has two elements – the people and the system. The system
should be there to help the people, but all too often it can grow too
powerful and end up controlling the people, whether they realize it or
not. I guess it’s the natural course power will take in society. Society
seems to be hardwired towards totalitarianism.

WHITE

In the beginning there was white and
all was good but exactly the same, so
the universe said let there be all the
colours of the rainbow and there was
bad and joy and hate and love and …
I guess we need them all to see where
we’re going.

Eye On the World
Essays on everything from science
to religion, politics to crime

BRIT NEWS: Senior police warn
Home Sec’s plans are driven by dogma.
Oh dear. This from a force that imposed political
correctness commissars.

SPORT NEWS: Cut price tickets on sale for the World Cup
as audiences don’t reach what was hoped for. Never thought
Recession would hit this.

BRIT NEWS: Chancellor does blitz on central govt expenses & other
areas. That takes care of a tenth of the cuts to be made.

BRIT NEWS: Duchess of York apologises for trying to sell access to
Prince Andrew. Shame there was no guilt before trying to do it.

EDUC NEWS: Brit govt to allow best schools to have academy
status. Since Grammars scrapped they’ve been trying
to reappear. There’s a need.

HEALTH NEWS: Doc behind MMR controversy gets struck
off. This smells too much like revenge; or example
making? Don’t cross us, it says.

GREEN NEWS: Chemicals used to clean up Gulf
oil spill could be adding to eco-disaster.
We’re in a whole new world
after this.

FUTURE ZONE

What’s ahead … and Beyond!!!

One Single Impression
Sunday Scribblings – Friday Flash 55
Three Word Wednesday – Thursday Poets’ Rally
Writer’s Island

ICARUS

The sun appeared in front of me,
Melting wings my destiny,
We’d progressed so much, reached so high,
Yet it all ends in weapons filling the sky,
And now I vapourise in nuclear heat,
Icarus warned us of the end we’d meet

FLASH 55 – ACTING STRAIGHT

Fiction: It was an intriguing enigma. Acting had become increasingly
mechanical for quite a while now, even though no one knew exactly
why. Until, that is, the Acne android factory was found deep below the
Hollywood Hills. Yet, even with the evidence, it was unclear when the
humans had stopped and the androids had taken over.

BLIND SIDE

Future scientists put on trial,
Caught in the act, no denial,
Took the Blind Side, got it wrong,
Specialisation shrouding Holism’s song;
In times past only killed a few,
But they had to act when the planet blew

THE NIMBLE ALIEN

Sci Fi: The locals said that the only people to get off the planet alive
had turned mad. Sentient beings just could not exist there. And
predictably, I was sent to investigate. Landing, I exited the ship and
immediately ran into a problem. The alien was stood there in front of
me. I tried to move round him but he was nimble. Indeed, everything
I did he seemed to do simultaneously, and he would not budge. Hence,
I turned round to get into the ship, but there he was, straight away.
Eventually I thought it through, turned round and walked backwards
into the ship. My theory was later proved. The air was full of
reflective crystals. It was distorted, but the alien I was fighting
was myself.

MANTRA …

Go left by the nova, just after black hole,
Get it wrong, it’ll swallow your soul,
This is the mantra every star pilot learns,
‘Cos from this part of space, no one returns;
Don’t go that way! You’ll get us all killed!!!
The fool! He’s done it! I feel quite chilled;
What is it!? It’s horrendous! It’s gonna go ZAP!!!
Anyone out there? Listen: It’s a huge man tra …

BRIT NEWS: Blair gets top venture
capital job. Fair enough, but was he ever
a socialist? If so, champagne socialism reaches
new heights.

WORLD NEWS: Tension steadily increasing between North
& South Korea. If it turns to real violence, has US enough troops
to reinforce?

EURO NEWS: Italy latest country to announce austerity measures. The
‘soft underbelly’ of Europe is causing real problems once more.

WORLD NEWS: Pentagon creates cyber squad to defend net from
militarisation. Inevitable. Beat the net and we lose control.

BRIT NEWS: Lib Dems want referendum on alternative
vote next May. That’s plenty of time for Tory
backbenchers to bury it.

CRIME NEWS: 40 Brit pensioners been fired
at or threatened with Tasers by police.
What happened to use only when
in serious danger?

© Anthony North, May 2010

Try my Pictures of Life, a novel

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QUANTUM

Theme Thursday, Microfiction Monday & ABC Wednesday
With Thursday Thirteen news & more prompts below
Try my Paranormal Flash now!

GURU TONY

Welcome to my weekly magazine post. Watch
it grow thru the week. You can opt to read the essay,
current affairs, themed mini mag with fiction & poetry, or just
read the lot. Here’s hoping you enjoy your visit. Plenty
for everyone here so do call again next week.

MICROFICTION

Fiction: The Buddhist monks were told never
to hurry. But after straying from the eight
fold path they had to run to catch up.

QUANTUM

Quantum theory has an inbuilt ‘uncertainty principle’ where nothing can
be known for certain. Devised by the physicist Werner Heisenberg, it
locks true knowledge behind a shroud we can never penetrate because
we can never observe absolutely. It is at the base of all modern
scientific understanding, so how can some science types now say they
know things for certain? I suspect those who do are relying more on a
religious impulse towards certainty rather than the scientific. Maybe
we should have a societal and knowledge-based uncertainty principle
in all areas. It shouldn’t affect a person’s belief, but could well allow a
little more toleration of others.

MYSTERY

Fiction: He went in search of mystery
– lived for it; travelled far and wide for
it; yearned for it. Yet all he found were
answers and was unfulfilled. Only upon
his death did he realise it was the
journey that counts.

Eye On the World
Essays on everything from science
to religion, politics to crime

MEDIA NEWS: Record numbers
of UK TV viewers complain about foul
language. About time, too. I hate this new
punctuation. No need for it.

HEALTH NEWS: Research says 5 mins spent alone with
beautiful stranger causes so much stress in men it’s bad for
health. We’re so brave.

BRIT NEWS: More tragedy for Redgraves with the death of Lynn,
following brother Corin and Natasha last year. Bye, bye Georgy Girl.

SCI NEWS: Video showing chimp ‘grieving’ sparks debate. My own
opinion: animals open to human interaction are marvellous mimics.

EURO NEWS: Greece gets €110bn deal for pledges to overhaul
failing economy. They just don’t get it. The Euro will fail.
Was a bad idea.

WORLD NEWS: After New York car bomb attempt, terror
leaders warn it’ll always be a target. Like Londoners,
they know that. And they carry on.

WORLD NEWS: Tough talk ahead for Middle East
WMD ban? They can talk as tough as they
want but chance of Isreal scrapping
nukes is zero.

READ WITH MUMMY

The Magazine Post with a gentle hint of horror

One Single Impression
Sunday Scribblings – Friday Flash 55
Three Word Wednesday – Thursday Poets’ Rally
Writer’s Island – Weekend Wordsmith

TREMBLE THING

Darkness, clinging, coming close,
You don’t know what you fear the most,
All around you a sinister air,
Heart pronounces an edge of despair,
If only you knew what it was so near,
Maybe – just maybe – you’d conquer your fear

FLASH 55 – THE GREEN MONSTER

Fiction: The single eyewitness had said it was green. The man was just
sat in his garden and the green monster appeared from nowhere and
devoured him. Afterwards there was no sign of either of them.
Forensics solved it, of course. They found his DNA in the grass. Maybe
he should have mowed it more often.

SALE

Buy it now, a bargain true,
Beautiful statue just for you,
Don’t listen to rumours that persist,
Curses on statues don’t exist;
Buy it now – a fortune you’ll save,
And it will fit nicely in your grave

WEIGHTLESS

Fiction: I’d always wanted to be an astronaut and I couldn’t ignore the
urge. Yes, as I worked towards my goal there was fear – would it be
safe? How many ways were there to be killed? But my friends and I
trained, persevered. Well, I’m here, in the darkness, among the stars,
weightless. I call to my friends but they don’t hear me. If only I’d made
it. If only I was here in more than spirit.

COURAGE

Garlic no good, cross broke in two,
Vampire approaches, heading for you,
Razor sharp teeth break out of the dark,
Nowhere to run – it’s certainly no lark,
Grasping courage, must go on to the end,
No help available, no plea to send,
Horror impinges all round your form,
Can’t wait for 3D horror to be the norm

THE KEY

Find the key to know it all,
Ultimate knowledge to enthrall,
It’s in the deep mind, get it out,
Become a mystic, most devout,
Suddenly it floods in, the good and bad,
But beware, it’s enough to drive you mad,
Then you’ll be stuck needing another key,
Or the Asylum’s your only destiny

ELECTION REPORT

As I write we do not know who will be Prime Minister of the UK. Gordon
Brown is clinging on to No 10 with split nails, but if we need anything,
it is Not Brown! This is not a party political statement, but an
understanding of why the UK had a Hung Parliament in this election. A
cycle that descended us into the most extreme politics we have ever
known is hopefully coming to an end. It began in 1979 with Thatcher
and entered part two in 1997 with Blair – two landslide governments
powerful enough to do what they wanted, both eventually descending
into moral corruption before we say no. The UK doesn’t work well with
landslide victories. Governments with ideally small majorities should be
the way. This creates a balance between the power of the Cabinet
and the power of Parliament. This is why I am happy we have a Hung
Parliament. Whatever coalition forms the next govt, it won’t last long
– Id give it up to a year – but during its time hopefully we will scourge
ourselves of landslides and carry on a form of government best
identified by Churchill in his term ‘keep buggering on’. That’s what
Britain does, or should do if we really can ditch the cycle of the last
30 years. Some may say it is a bad way to do government, but in this
way Britain invented modern democracy, forged the Industrial
Revolution, created the greatest Empire ever known, and faced down
the world’s greatest terror. Hang your extreme politics – just keep
buggering on.

© Anthony North, May 2010

Try my Pictures of Life, a novel

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from my Archives

PROLETARIAT

Theme Thursday, Microfiction Monday & ABC Wednesday
With Thursday Thirteen news & more prompts below
Try my Paranormal Flash now!

POLLY TICKS

Welcome to my weekly magazine post. Watch
it grow thru the week. You can opt to read the essay,
current affairs, themed mini mag with fiction & poetry, or just
read the lot. Here’s hoping you enjoy your visit. Plenty
for everyone here so do call again next week.

MICROFICTION

Fiction: Romans could be such dandies.
‘Love the shield,’ said one, jealously, to
the other. ‘Is it Prada?’

PROLETARIAT

The Proletariat is a lower social class. Marx saw them as being at the
bottom – those who owned nothing. His philosophy was based on
raising them into a classless society that owned everything. Of course,
Marx was naïve. He forgot that some will always gain, and cling to,
power. That’s why Capitalism beat Communism. But where’s the
Proletariat today? Modern capitalism wants everyone to own
something. But we forget some will always gain, and cling to, power.
That’s why Communism is now masquerading as Capitalism. We all own
everything as Marx wanted, but the power is still in the hands of the
few. And the mass who own a little are still, nonetheless, at the
bottom.

PINKS

They sat, thinking back, cigar smoke in
the air, affluence hidden behind well guarded
rooms, remembering the power, the minions.
For some, communism was so easily
watered down.

Eye On the World
Essays on everything from science
to religion, politics to crime

BRIT NEWS: Tory leader
cosies up to Lib Dems by suddenly
liking electoral reform. I think they really
think we don’t think they’re lying.

WORLD NEWS: UK Foreign Office apologises to Pope
after ‘document’ suggests he could launch Benedictine
condoms on visit. Ah, diplomacy.

BRIT NEWS: Recession did not cause a crimewave as crime hits
30 yr low. This bucks the trend. I wonder if it’s all in the reporting.

WORLD NEWS: G20 think global economy recovering faster than they
thought. Really? Greek economy about to collapse. Beware double dip.

BRIT NEWS: Defence think tank says reassessment of role needed. Oh
dear. Defence is simple. Prepare for everything. If you don’t, you fail.

BRIT NEWS: Institute of Fiscal Studies criticises parties for
not saying how deep cuts will have to be. We all
know they’re lying.

BRIT NEWS: Brown humiliated by brooding
‘bigoted woman’ remark on mic still
switched on. The real character
is outed. And it’s not nice.

FUTURE ZONE

What’s ahead … and Beyond!!!

One Single Impression
Sunday Scribblings – Friday Flash 55
Three Word Wednesday – Thursday Poets’ Rally
Writer’s Island

WHO REIGNS?

They reign supreme on planet Earth’s soil,
So clever they don’t even toil,
They conquer the air and seas worldwide,
Surviving, thriving – don’t even confide;
We’re turned into puppets by these clever ones,
Agents of a higher intelligent song,
They’re marching on to bring life to the dead,
The chromosomes sending messages into our heads

FLASH 55 – THE GUN

Sci Fi: Father didn’t believe the boy when he told him he’d killed
someone with the gun. After all, the body had vapourised – and toy
ray guns simply didn’t work, did they? The toy alien grimaced. He had
survived the crash – been found by the boy. One day he’d free himself
from the sticky gum and escape.

EVENT HORIZON

Black Hole looms, sucks me in,
All time is one, my good, my sin,
I’m pushed and pulled as I go right through,
All the while thinking of you,
At the other side I see the light,
A baby’s cry, a mother’s delight

MURDEROUS ESCAPE

Sci Fi: The scene was so vibrant; I should have known. But those old
habits – they … came back. And afterwards, the corpse on the ground,
and that old feeling of delight that spurred me on. The poor guy had no
chance of escape. Then I corrected myself – felt revulsion. I pricked
my ears back – listened for the hum. It was then I realized I’d never
escape either. I wasn’t in the virtual reality conditioner any more. I’d
been released.

STOWAWAY

Starship passes – feel like a jump,
Had enough of this big old junk,
Down I go, falling fast,
Now I’m a stowaway on this planet, vast;
I’ll have lots of fun, feel my worth,
‘Cos I’m the Devil on planet Earth

BRIT NEWS: Labour promises
no cuts to National Health Service.
Poll says Labour not trusted to protect it.
We really distrust them.

WORLD NEWS: IMF warns Greek financial crisis could
spread across Euro Zone. I always thought the Euro was
a very bad idea.

BRIT NEWS: Collective wealth of UK’s rickest has risen 30%. Amazing
how a Recession can help certain people, isn’t it?

CRIME NEWS: UK nursing union wants injection rooms for heroin users
to help cut crime. Drugs must be illegal or not. Too much dithering.

BRIT NEWS: Banks criticised by Regulator for poor way they
deal with complaints. Big Biz always has contempt
for little customer.

BRIT NEWS: Brits have £55bn debt, says survey.
Now, if it’s a debt, it isn’t there. How can
we ‘have’ something that isn’t there?

© Anthony North, May 2010

Try my Pictures of Life, a novel

Follow me on Twitter
Good place to see what I’m discussing
from my Archives

LAW

Theme Thursday, Microfiction Monday & ABC Wednesday
With Thursday Thirteen news & more prompts below
Try my Paranormal Flash now!

POLLY TICKS

Welcome to my weekly magazine post. Watch
it grow thru the week. You can opt to read
the essay, current affairs, themed mini mag
with fiction & poetry, or just read the lot.
Plenty for everyone here. Do call again.

MICROFICTION

Fiction: She dreamt of riding on a rabbit from an early age. I’m
practicing, she’d say. When I grow up I WILL get it into the boiler.

THE BOX

It’s just a box. That’s all it is – a boring,
innocuous box. Yet our existence is so
intrinsically connected. I’m just a staple.

LAW

The law has become too complicated. Indeed, I’d argue it is now
impossible not to break the law in some way. Further, it is no longer
Common Law, in that we are not all equal under the law. Here is my
attempt at creating a simple law and constitution. Do take a look if
you’ve got time. There will be mistakes, and it may need hundreds of
supplementary elements to make it work. But if they could be written
with similar brevity, what a sensible world we could live in.

Eye On the World
Essays on everything from science
to religion, politics to crime

BRIT NEWS: Labour target
Shadow Chancellor as ‘immature
and shrill’. Okay, he’s a toff. Funny how
class is being used still as a weapon.

WORLD NEWS: Pope under increasing fire over Catholic
paedophile scandals. Is this going to do severe damage to
the Church? Is it political?

TV WATCH: After decades The Bill to be scrapped as viewers fall.
If ITV hadn’t messed with a good formula it would still be ok.
Murdered!

WORLD NEWS: After more bombs in Moscow Putin vows to destroy
terrorists – bloodbath will follow bloodbath. Has to be a better way.

SCI NEWS: Large Hadron Collider about to step up operations
in search of the God particle. I hope they’ve banned
sandwiches this time.

BRIT NEWS: A compulsory levy to pay for adult
social care in England being proposed. We
already have one. National Insurance.
Put it up.

GREEN NEWS: James Lovelock blames
inertia for lack of action on climate.
No, its a definite policy of Big
Biz to guarantee profit.

FUTURE ZONE

What’s ahead … and Beyond!!!

One Single Impression
Sunday Scribblings – Friday Flash 55
Three Word Wednesday – Thursday Poets’ Rally

VICARIOUSLY ME

Watch me – handsome – never looked so good,
Striding through life with confidence, exactly as I should,
No more do I worry about every little thing,
From now on joy is all that I will bring,
For this is definitely, indubitably, vicariously me,
Blemishes all gone in virtual reality

THE RELIGIONIST

Sci Fi: Religion had been banned long ago – the Atheist Constitution
had seen to that. And with the Tick Tock Administration, even the
thought of deviance from the factual had been buried. Indeed, the
Tick Tock Men produced a most reliable society, with everything in its
place, and never a stray thought. So it was with amazement that
they viewed the sudden appearance of the Religionist. He was a most
scruffy, long haired man with mania in his eyes. People quickly
gathered around him to hear what he said, many ending up LATE! The
Tick Tock Men tried everything to prize them from him, but after a
while they began to notice the device he carried with him. Finally
taking it from him, they decided it was some kind of hypnosis
machine, but when they opened it, they found it to be empty –
which left only one shocking conclusion. Religion was still in their
hearts.

MENTOR(N)

Throughout the past we’ve got it wrong,
Now, far future, we’ve got the bomb,
To end it all in a flash,
Leaving, in spacetime, a great big gash;
Do you press the button, let gravity suck?
Or learn! Pick up that history book

FLASH 55 – THE PERFECT WOMAN

Sci Fi: ‘It was a stunning achievement. Plastic surgery had merged
with cybernetics,’ said the historian. ‘The result was the perfect
woman. Wherever she went she caused passion – which drove the
men mad.’ ‘Why was that?’ asked the listener. The historian felt
pained – he was old enough to remember. ‘As soon as you tried sex,
she’d melt.’

IDENTITY

The space cop knew just who he was,
Identity assured just because,
He’d deviated all around the place,
Interstellar robber, quite a disgrace,
Saturated crimes, never alone,
Caught!
Then he goes after another clone

CRIME NEWS: Following jury
tampering, 4 armed robbers found
guilty by Judge without a jury. I can see
why, but a slippery slope for justice.

GREEN NEWS: MP’s inquiry criticises UK’s Climate
Research Unit for withholding info but say the science
remains intact. Good to hear.

BRIT NEWS: Blair back to help Labour in election. Tory leader’s
comment about being nice to see him give a speech he’s not paid
for is good.

BRIT NEWS: Tory leader wants to rejunenate society by recruitng
5000 community organisers. Good idea, if it’s done properly. A big if.

HEALTH NEWS: Concerns raised that celebrities outing their
souls in public is raising levels of depression as it
becomes ‘trendy’.

BRIT NEWS: Rail strike stopped by judge over
irregularities in ballot. Good! This union
is political. I thought this stopped
in the 80s.

© Anthony North, April 2010

Try my Pictures of Life, a novel

Follow me on Twitter
Good place to see what I’m discussing
from my Archives

XENOPHOBIA

ABC Wednesday & more prompts below
Try my Paranormal Flash now!

POLLY TICKS

We naturally fear that which is different, yet this is only fear of a
mystery. However, elements of society and knowledge have evolved
to intensify this natural problem. Since the beginning of known history
we have understood opposites. In the east we have concepts such
as yin and yang.

These are opposing forces of
creation and destruction.

They don’t cause too much of a problem because they are united in
balance. However, in the west this changed. They formed into ideas
of good and evil, in definite opposition to one another, causing people
to take sides. The theorist, Foucault, examined this process in terms
of sexuality, crime and insanity, concluding that power resides in
those who can define what is normal and what is abnormal – in other
words, what is good and evil. It became the greatest political fix ever
as it creates inner and outer demons from whom you must be
protected, and group together to persecute. The fear of a mystery
had become fundamental. Racism, homophobia and myriad other types
of pogroms find their roots here – in a form of intellectual bigotry.
Alongside this form is social bigotry, caused mainly through lack of
education regarding ‘differentness’. In normal times this is not too
much of a problem, but during times of adversity or poverty, the
bigotries can increase. Intellectual bigotry then feeds their fear,
creating the idea of a scapegoat, thus demonizing the object of the
fear, which then becomes hate. A form of psychological distancing
then occurs, defining the scapegoat as less human than you are. This
makes it easier to persecute them – human morality is taken out of
the equation. Finally, a form of transference occurs, with all your
failings being placed squarely on the scapegoat. Bloodbaths and
genocide can then be the result. Society has been infected, not by
evil, but a virus.

Eye On the World
Essays on everything from science
to religion, politics to crime

WORLD NEWS: I recently came
across the word, Netizen. Not sure I
like it but I guess I must be one. I’ve pointed
out before that the net is good as it allows us to live
in both a local and global community. The two, in balance, can
enrich each other, teaching us about other cultures. So I guess I can
live being known as a Netizen.

BRIT NEWS: So the slashing of university funding is to begin. This was
inevitable as the idea of 50% of school leavers going to a degree
was a product of perceived affluence. Traditionally the UK
sent 10% to do arts, sciences, humanities and the
professions. This is all a modern society
requires.

RATTLER’S TALE

A Voyage of the Imagination

One Single Impression
ReadWritePoem – Friday Flash 55
Three Word Wednesday

YEARLY WINGS

Another takes wings and flies away,
Happy New Year I want to say,
Now it’s part of history,
A chronicle of man’s destiny;
The new flies down and takes us up,
Experiences aplenty we hope to sup,
Trials and joys will come our way,
Yes …
Happy New Year, I want to say

GRANDDAD CALLING

Fiction: They never expected Granddad to visit but it was always good
to see him. The grandchildren crowded around him, wanting to play,
but he seemed a bit distant. His son was soon worried and asked if he
was alright. ‘Of course I am,’ said Granddad, but he sat down, tired,
and began to talk about his family’s future, his hopes for them. This
worried the son even more and decided his father should lie down and
rest. He saw him into the bedroom and turned off the light. The phone
rang then. As he listened a tear fell, and afterwards he rushed into
the empty bedroom. His father had made one last visit.

THE ROOM

Trapped in a room, full of sin,
There’s always hope – good looks in,
Always a battle between dark and light,
Raising the means so it can fight,
Redemption creeping into sight,
Turning round ghastly blight …
But it really is no good at all,
Unless we want it – stop the fall

FLASH 55 – WATCH ME

Fiction: She wanders through her home aimlessly. The cameras
constantly follow her – in every room, from every angle. She used to
be a reality star, but no more. Maybe the viewers grew up – or she
grew old. Outside, the screen stands by the road, above it the
flashing neon sign saying: Watch me. Please watch me.

IT’S A LIFE

The thing about life, I tell you true,
Is it goes just a little ahead of you,
Events are forming all the time,
Ready to ambush you in your prime,
Often it leaves a hideous mess,
Fate is such a meddlesome pest,
At other times the outcome is quite divine,
Hopefully some of this luck is mine

© Anthony North, December 2009

Try my Pictures of Life, a novel