David L. Atkinson's Blog, page 11

Poetry Thursday 270 - Sperm is on the wane

Don't you get fed up with the constant, carping, criticism of those in power who want us all to be different, or better in their eyes? Well here is a poetic prediction.



[image error]

Sperm is on the Wane
The air is foul not fit to breathe,and sperm is on the wane,cars, taxis, buses and wagons weavealong our narrowest lanes.
So let’s build cars that are petrol free,and sperm is on the wane,Arab oil sheikhs wait to see,if fortunes’ will be the same.
Electric vehicles are the way forward,and sperm is on the wane,but finding charging points is awkward,so back to walking once again.
Washing US chickens in chlorine,and sperm is on the wane,a Brexit benefit to make meat cleanas we break the European chain.
Bees are poisoned by insecticide,and sperm is on the wane,flowers need their pollinating side,to maintain our messy food chain.
Greenland darkens and sea levels rise,but sperm is on the wane,global warming gives a wetter prize,are we humans solely to blame?
 Comes the day with no more babies,because sperm was on the wane,not because reluctant ladies,refuse to consummate again.
Obesity and insecticides believed to be at fault,and put sperm upon the wane,bringing the human race to a halt,allowing the Earth to recover again!©David L Atkinson July 2017

Writing - Nosey parkering!

It's the 21st century and nothing seems to change that much. We have technology coming out of our ears, can control appliances remotely and yet humanity doesn't alter that much. A leopard never changes its spots.

[image error]

So you are driving on the motorway and there's been an accident on the opposite carriageway, what do you do?
What you should do is continue to drive normally but many of us humans RUBBERNECK
[image error]
The question is was it always thus?
Well cast your minds back to the medieval times when executions were the highest attended spectator sports.
[image error]
The crowds were enormous but in fact we can't hide behind eons when it comes to this ghoulish behaviour.
[image error]Francois Courvoisier's execution 1840
On the morning of the 6th May 1840 Lord William Russell was found murdered in his bed, his throat had been cut. Suspicion fell upon his Swiss valet Francois  Courvoisier and eventually he was found guilty and sentenced to death.As many as 40000 people turned out to watch his hanging two weeks later on July 6th. Speculation as to the effect on servants in other homes of the wealthy, thievery may increase; but also reasons why Courvoisier murdered his master. It was suggested that he had been reading the Newgate novel Jack Shepherd and his morals warped by immoral popular fiction. Was anyone safe? 
Not everyone agreed with the morbid spectacle as a form of entertainment.  MP Richard Monckton Milnes had already voted against capital punishment but he attended the event with William Makepeace Thackeray. Thackeray wrote an essay 'On Going to See a Man Hanged' as a result and which has been quoted since in support of the abolition of capital punishment.
However, our humanity seems to demand that we attend events where people may suffer horrendous outcomes.
Sleep well.
God Bless

Tuesday Food Blog - The empty plate

This week you're getting nothing!

Lunch is over!
It's the summer. The sun shines and it's too warm to cook let alone eat hot food inevitably then it is the salad season. Now there a couple of ways to 'do' salad. One can by a lettuce, a box of tomatoes, a red, and orange pepper, a bag of potatoes, some beetroot and a carrot. Then by applying various condiments and mayonnaise produce a tasty meal.
OR
[image error]Lidl
(Other supermarkets are available) Do what I did and buy a pre-packaged set of salads to accompany a quiche and you have a reasonably healthy instant meal for the next 4 days at around £1.50/day. Lazy I know but the range of pre-packed salads is enormous. I could have bought various types of couscous (whatever!), pasta salads or rice based salads. I can even claim a modicum of buying healthy options with my potato salad which was made with creme fraiche as opposed to salad cream!
Many of the products on the salad counter are intended for a lunch, but are quite large and so go further, just check the use by date.
A sweet creation
A make do pudding that borders on the healthy! There are peaches involved! The cake was going a little stale so the juice from the peaches and the ice cream soften a slightly crusty bun!
The reason for the photo is down to the ice cream. I could have paid £1.99 for half a litre of luxury ice cream but instead paid £0.89 for 2 litres of vanilla (Lidl's own brand) which does the job every bit as well as Haagen Daas, Ben an Jerry's etc at a fraction of the price with no less in flavour.
My message - summer doesn't have to be expensive.
God Bless

Writing - Driven to write

A relative who I hadn't spoken to for a few weeks asked me if I was still writing when she got in touch yesterday. It caused me to reflect on where my writing is at presently.

[image error]
I am writing a novel, For the Best, a title in transition in fact. I am around 13k words into the book and it has taken a long time, longer than anything I've written so far. This could be for one of two reasons. Either I am losing interest in writing and the subject of the book, or, I am endeavouring to produce a better quality finished product, the readers will decide.
In fact I still blog but not 7 days a week, I write poetry but not a couple each week, rather slower. The bottom line is that I am still writing. It is rather like the first time you run a distance race. I remember being cautioned on the start line of the Great North Run in the north east of England, not to set off too quickly, 13 plus miles is a long way. Even so, when the starting gun went off the majority of runners set off too quickly but then settled when they found the pace and space that suited. My writing experience has been rather like that. I was producing two books each year.
I freely acknowledge that the quality of getting the words down was poor, however with time, that quality has improved according to readers. The initial rush was possibly because I felt that the ability to write a novel would leave me - illogical I now know. I still write in the same way and interact with the characters, so signs are good.
Then I came across evidence of the drive that one experiences when it takes hold, in the shape of a truly remarkable young man.
[image error]Naoki Higashida
Naoki has autism which is so severe it is classed as non-verbal. In spite of that classification he wrote his first novel, The Reason I Jump, at the age of 13. He finds it difficult to speak, and wrote the entire book using a low-tech Alphabet Grid of Japanese syllables, which he points at one at a time to painstakingly build words. Naoki still uses the same method today and has written Fall down seven times, stand up eight.
[image error]
This story is available as an audible book.
To continue to write when hampered to such a degree is testament to the colossal drive engaged when one gives in and writes!
God Bless

Poetry Thursday 269 - Wednesday is rhyming day

Apparently today is National Rhyming Day so here goes.


Rhyming Day
Wednesday is national rhyming dayan opportunity to change the very waythat words are recorded for others to read,with the restrictive rule for rhyming need.
It only takes a few moments thought,or a means to access the words we were taught,but, under pressure of the task,blank minds require resources to ask.
The end product is a message that flows,it may amuse or teach as it goes,into your mind to entertain,a great idea you’d have happen again.©David L Atkinson July 2017

I have been thinking about the late Bradley Lowery (6) who died about 10 days ago and have written a short tribute.
Bradley Lowery (2011 - 2017)
Bradley’s Smile
Bradley lit the world with his smile,he pulled people to him in droves,rich and famous went the extra mile,to bathe in his beaming love.
A little boy of so few years,stricken by terminal illness,a simple fact that generates tears,not spoiling Bradley’s happiness.
The spirit of love and life,that coursed through his damaged body,affected the populace, great and good alike,the universally loved, bright smiling Bradley.©David L Atkinson July 2017


God Bless

Writing - Jane Austen anniversary

In considering myself an author it would be remiss of me not to celebrate the 200th anniversary of her demise.

[image error]Jane Austen (1775 - 1817)
A slightly different way of looking at her literary impact on the world.

I appreciate that this isn't the clearest image but the title of each section will give the general gist of the piece.Then there is the new £10 plastic note.
[image error]
The full design of the new plastic £10 note will be revealed by Bank of England governor Mark Carney at Winchester Cathedral on Tuesday.The note, which follows the polymer £5 note into circulation, is likely to be available for use in September.It will feature a portrait of Jane Austen and is being launched on the 200th anniversary of her death.[image error]
A limited supply of a new £2 coin honouring the author has also been put into circulation by the Royal Mint.
I very much doubt that you will ever see an item of currency of any country with my image for you to enjoy but it is great that some literary giant will be represented.
Finally, there will be a statue unveiled in her birthplace of Steventon in the south of England. This will by force need to be an imaginative work as there is only one image of the author, which is a water colour painted by her sister Cassandra and hanging in London's National Portrait Gallery.
Judging from the quotes the author was quite a feisty lady.
The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid.
and
I do not want people to be very agreeable, as it saves me the trouble of liking them a great deal.
God Bless

Tuesday Food Blog - Spicy beans on toast

An interesting meal for lunch today. It is a solid demonstration of a pantry that is used and replenished on a 'needs must' basis. In other words there is never anything to throw away!
I hadn't shopped for this week so it was a case of haricots with a tomato jou on scorched wholemeal bread, or a variation thereof.
                                    

[image error]
I'm having fun with the Blogger application this morning so I must apologise if the words and pictures appear rather like a piece of Dahlian art!
So spicy beans on toast and I must say that for those curry freaks this is one way in which you can get that kick without enormous outlay.


IngredientsFor the beans 200g/7oz baked beans 1 garlic clove, crushed 1 tbsp soft brown sugar pinch dried chilli flakes 1 tbsp soy sauceFor the bruschetta 4 thick slices ciabatta 110g/4oz cheddar, cut into four slices 55g/2oz streaky bacon, cut into strips and fried until crispThere is little point in writing instructions as in more complex meals but this is a case of mixing the additives to the beans in a pan and warming them up while toasting the bread and sprinkling on the cheese and melting that before serving.
The end result is very tasty!
God Bless

Writing - Bradley Lowery aged 6, RIP

Today is the funeral of young Bradley Lowery aged six. He died from neuroblastoma which he has battled for the majority of his short life. His infectious smile has won hearts across the country and even beyond.

[image error]Bradley Lowery
There are many children that suffer in similar ways but Bradley became quite famous because of his winning personality. It was that personality that I believed attracted the football star, Jermaine Defoe, to the little lad. They became best friends. 
Jermaine and Bradley
The love between the two was epitomised for me in the photograph of Jermaine and Bradley with the little lad sleeping on Jermaine's chest. The level of trust from the boy to his best friend is plain to see.
I feel sure that there are similar relationships between the famous and ordinary people. You hear of celebrities and football stars supporting good causes, orphanages and individuals suffering grave illnesses but I can't help feeling that not enough is made of these selfless and supportive acts. Footballers, who have made it in the game and earn millions every year, don't always have the best public profile being seen as selfish and greedy. However, with a little extra effort, the good works that some do, like Jermaine, could be of benefit to their public profile but also to the future superstars. Earning such vast sums at very young ages should carry more responsibility. The footballers of the future should enter the profession knowing that they have a roll in supporting the ordinary fans of the game
[image error]
God Bless Bradley

Writing - Authors as politicos

Authors should have greater regard for their situation and write about it. I have probably mentioned this a couple of dozen times but as I'm not a best selling author yet, no one has taken much notice. I have written more books than Elif Shafak but she has made the best sellers list.

[image error]Elif Shafak
Elif Şafak born 25 October 1971 is a Turkish author, columnist, speaker and academic. She has been called Turkey's most popular female novelist.Şafak has published 15 books. She writes fiction in both Turkish and English. Şafak blends Western and Eastern traditions of storytelling in stories of women, minorities, immigrants, subcultures, and youth. Her writing draws on diverse cultures and literary traditions.Elif Shafak is an award-winning novelist and political scientist. She is the author of 10 novels, including The Forty Rules of Love and The Bastard of Istanbul. An advocate for women's rights and LGBT rights and freedom of speech, she has been awarded Chevalier des Arts and des Lettres. She tweets at @Elif_Safak, her website is www.elifshafak.com
Elif believes that European writers need to be more political. Her CV reads as if she would be happy in any political situation and it is unsurprising that she would like writers to get out there in the true, 'the pen is mightier than the sword' position. I know it isn't new, there have been countless authors from round the world imprisoned and worse for their views of the establishment, the point is the more of us who express our concerns the more difficult it is for the governing establishment to keep the ordinary people quiet.
This morning I saw an interesting tongue-in-cheek description of our Tory party's fiscal policy.
Austerity
Billionaire corporations telling millionaire politicians that ordinary people are greedy!
It is that type of short comment that is punchy and relevant to today's social media driven culture. It fits into twitter as it is only 99 characters! And thereby hangs the tale! In my opinion, it is the rise of social media and the generation that has grown with it that has brought about the changes in western governments.
So come on writers write and change the world!
God Bless

Writing - Authors as artists

The role of writing is rather like that of being an artist. There are a variety of media in which you can write, there are a variety of styles or shades, and you describe how you see things. Rather like Edvard Munch.

[image error]
As shown above he produced four versions of his famous Scream.From left to right,
Tempura on cardboardPastel on cardboardTempura on boardCrayon on cardboard
Each version is slightly different and will vary in its audience appeal. So with writing books there are different ways of presenting to your audience.
As a result of having different options the outcome will have different audience reactions and so you have books that are popular, best sellers and banned.
[image error]
The disturbing act of book- burning is the key theme of science fiction writer Ray Bradbury’s classic dystopian novel set in a future where unchecked technology has superseded human knowledge and intimacy.
The Hollywood Walk of Fame star of Ray Bradbury, awarded in 2002Believing that Bradbury’s original book could disturb impressionable high school students, his publisher produced two versions: the full or “adult” version, and an edited version for schools, in which as many as 75 passages were modified
Bradbury knew nothing of this. He found out 13 years and ten editions later, in 1979, when a friend drew these text alterations to his attention. Bradbury was furious and insisted the edited version of his book be replaced by the original. In some later editions, a statement from Bradbury appears in the book, which states:
“I will not go gently on to a shelf, degutted to become a non-book.”

The act of  censoring the book without the knowledge of the author is rather like altering the smile on the Mona Lisa!


[image error]
George Orwell’s Animal Farm follows the fate of a group of farm animals who successfully revolt against their human masters… only for their leaders – the pigs – to become as oppressive and tyrannical as the farmers themselves once they gain power.
George Orwell in front of a BBC microphone (1943)Completed in 1944, Orwell was already a respected and successful writer and this was his most powerful and accessible work to date. Even so, he struggled to find anyone who was prepared to publish it.
It was the novel’s obvious parallels with Stalin’s Soviet Union that concerned the potential publishers who declined the book. This even included TS Eliot, who at the time was working as a director at the publishing house Faber and Faber. While Orwell’s writing was highly regarded, it was thought it simply “would not do” to offend an ally of Britain in the midst of a World War.
Orwell was not impressed by this argument and in due course noted in the preface to his novel that: "The sinister fact about literary censorship in England is that it is largely voluntary..."
When Animal Farm did eventually find an outlet with the small British publisher Secker & Warburg the first edition of 4,500 copies was an immediate success and a reprint of 10,000 copies soon followed. It is notable that Animal Farm was banned in the USSR until Perestroika for criticising communism, but was also banned in the USA for having "communist material" in its introduction.

You need only to turn the clock forward to today and there are elements of Animal Farm that remain relevant.

God Bless