David L. Atkinson's Blog, page 125

Writing - Anthony Wedgwood-Benn RIP + Flight MH370

[image error]Anthony Wedgwood Benn (1925 - 2014)
His proper title was Viscount Stansgate but it was indicative of the type of socialist he was that in the early sixties he renounced his title and brought about the creation of the Peerage Act of 1963. One of his sayings on the subject of hereditary honours was to liken the process to sitting in the dentists chair and the dentist sharing the fact that his father had been a dentist so he thought that he would give it a go!I remember much of the furore he caused over a variety of matters that arose during his time in government. At the time I felt that he was too left wing and in fact that was what frightened the establishment which perhaps explains why he never made leader of the labour party. Looking back and comparing what he used to say about looking after ordinary people, he would be the ideal leader of the party today.
On Margaret Thatcher he was interviewed and said that 'she is a brutal woman supporting the policies of barbarism which are unacceptable'.When he left parliament, he did not stand for re-election in 2001 he famously said that he was "leaving parliament in order to spend more time on politics"!
Benn the WriterBenn was a prolific diarist: eight volumes of his diaries have been published. The final volume was published in 2013.He made public several episodes of audio diaries he made during his time in Parliament and after retirement, entitled 'The Benn Tapes', broadcast originally on BBC Radio 4. 

Flight MH370




I feel a book coming on! Perhaps not. The whole situation surrounding the disappearance of this aircraft becomes more complex by the day. We've had supposed debris discounted, questions about the several communication features all failing at the same time and today the plane supposedly changing course and heading for the Andaman Islands. This is a veering off to the north west when the plane should have been going north east towards China.Then there was the question of two Iranian men travelling on stolen passports. It would seem that they were possibly seeking asylum somewhere! Then a large group of passengers were Chinese artists and of course the Arts in that country have been pilloried by the government at various times.
So overall there are a number of facets of this true story that seem to rather lend themselves to the creative. You can see the film coming out as well! The only question there being how does Morgan Freeman fit into the cast!

God Bless

Writing - Generation Y (Readwave)

Human longevity and ‘Generation Y’
For centuries the generations of man have segued nicely into each other with changes taking place at a normal evolutionary rate. Until now! The internet was invented twenty five years ago and in that miniscule drop of time 90% of the western world is linked by the World Wide Web. Generation Y have come to maturity not ever knowing life before the net. Four year old children can access games which entertain and teach. We can actually buy things and they arrive on our doorstop in days without any physical currency changing hands. Humans can talk to each other face-to-face across the whole world with barely a blip of difficulty.Is it all too fast? We humans need time to develop to full maturity and so make sound judgements. It is well known that teenagers are rumbustious, impulsive and likely to make rash decisions. That is what being a teenager is all about! Even relatively young nations are quick to anger and happy to indulge in military fisticuffs before thinking a problem through. So what will generation Y do to the world?Of course generation Y are quicker intellectually, it must be all those interactive computer games, or the fact that they are raised to respond more rapidly than earlier generations ever were. They can also react more quickly while having their auditory senses totally swamped with what could easily be described as ‘white noise’. The fuel they consume is lacking in nourishment but rich in colourings, preservatives and other such chemicals. Perhaps food scientists are preparing future generations for the time when more conventional nutrients have died out and all we require is a nourishment pill, or injection, once a day. Of course, in time, this will lead to the vestigilisation of the digestive system in humans and so no more effluent, less wasted paper, and reduced water pollution. Obviously this will be long after generation Y’s time but they are encouraging the start of the process.There will come a point in the very near future when generation Y are in charge. The rest of us are living longer and so the actions of this superfast, easily bored and impulsive crowd will be there for us all to observe and from which to suffer if generation Y don’t bring in euthanasia at 80 years of age. Sadly, I can only see doom for the human race - a true dystopian situation developing over the next twenty years.It will begin when the lights go out. It is commonly accepted that over the next few months the UK will begin to experience power cuts and so the rest of the world. How will generation Y cope without their hand held games consoles, smartphones or large screen game players? The computers will go down, the internet won’t be available and the generation Y will be forced out into the fresh air. The intoxicating effect of the extra oxygen will bring about a surge in the brain activity of the hyper generation Y which in itself is a dangerous occurrence. They will very soon channel this over-excited brain cell activity into how they can regain their connection to the outside world without actually interacting with others.The first actions they will take is to seek out the whereabouts of small generators so that they can furnish themselves with the necessary electronic stimulus to prevent them going into meltdown. This will involve the contracting of group sizes, so be kind to the members of the generation Y in your family! They will acquire weaponry, most of them are ace marksmen as a result of years of practice in the seclusion of their dimly lit bedrooms as teenagers, and will be able to isolate themselves and others that matter.Politically they have little interest in running countries as they are world players on the internet and so the national governments will gradually fall into disrepair - some would say that this is happening already. The concept of countries would disappear as would world sports competitions, international conflict and weapons of mass destruction (Did they ever exist?).Life would be difficult for those outside of generation Y. The youngsters would struggle to provide care for their elderly relatives, hence eventual euthanasia. If they don’t understand it – kill it! My advice to older generations, in the interest of self-preservation, is to arrange for generation Y’s electronic equipment to accidentally disappear, to end up in the washing up bowl, to get stood on or even fake power surges. Watch out for an immediate violent reaction but then work hard to reintegrate generation Y into the human race.
David L Atkinson

Poetry Thursday 101 - Remember

National Poetry Day in October this year is to be on the theme of 'Remembering' It is my intention to use that to inspire some poetry. Today I offer an acrostic and a poem of the more conventional variety.

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Remember 1914
Recall the conflict of one hundred years agoEschew talk of who was at faultMind the feelings of the officersExercise the position of the peopleMake sure to laud relatives passingBring consciousness awake to war’s futilityEndeavour to always favour peaceRecoil not from remembering©David L Atkinson March 2014


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Self-remember
Remember when you were young?The street games played with neighbours.Fun unbounded and without care.Imagination the only limit to your labours.
Remember when you were older?Girls replaced the neighbourhood kids games.A new softness entered life’s pattern,confusingly unlike football’s aims.
Remember when it was all over?No one’s fault, just time and maturity.The pain was deep searing and tangible.Memory gilded that passage fondly. 
Remember when you regarded young ones?When you looked on at their joy and painand felt those familiarly recalled emotionsas if they were fresh and new again.
Remember when you are much older.When bits hurt for no apparent reason.The horizon of life is fast approaching.It’s unknown which is your final season.©David L Atkinson March 2014
God Bless

Writing - Readers and Read-nots! (Booktrust)

The article I read today about the UK adults reading habits makes me wonder whether we should be write or write-nots![image error]
England is suffering from a "worrying cultural divide" with poor adults much less likely to read books than their richer neighbours, a report says.The country is divided into two nations, those who read weekly or daily, and those who prefer TV and DVDs, it says.
It finds key links between an individual's social background and how likely they are to read.
The research, from charity Booktrust, is based on a survey of 1,500 adults.
The study found that on average, the richer someone's background, the more likely they are to read.
Meanwhile a higher proportion of people from poorer backgrounds admitted they never read.
Younger people, men and those with lower levels of qualifications are also less likely to be readers.

The above is the worryingly negative findings of the survey but below are the positive benefits of reading books.

The study concludes that, on average, people who read regularly are more satisfied with life, happier and more likely to feel their life is worthwhile.
Around three-quarters (76%) of all adults questioned said reading improves their lives, while almost half (49%) enjoy reading books very much.
More than one-quarter (28%) read every day, with a further 22% reading weekly.
More than half own at least 50 books, with an adult owning around 200 on average, the report added.
Viv Bird, chief executive of Booktrust, said: "This research indicates that frequent readers are more likely to be satisfied with life, happier and more successful in their professional lives.

"But there is a worrying cultural divide linked to deprivation. There will never be a one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to social mobility, but reading plays an important role - more action is needed to support families."


Booktrust

This website is huge and I don't quite understand why I've never come across it until today. It makes the grand claim that it:-

changes lives through reading. By creating a society motivated to read our programmes will increase life chances and improve social mobility. 
What it also does is provide endless tips for writers, lists of magazines that accept submissions, and competitions for all types of writers. Well worth having a dip into.

On VG and running today.

http://venturegalleries.com/serial/he-had-a-scar-if-nothing-else-to-be-proud-of/

God Bless

Tuesday Recipe - Okonomi-Yaki (japanese pancakes)

I know! I know! - I included this recipe last week. BUT I hadn't tried until this weekend. 

Okonomi-Yaki
The name roughly translates as 'Everything under the grill' which in fact is a good old fashioned way of collecting the leftovers and dishing it up in a sort of pizza-cum-pancake fashion.  The recipe is on the blog I posted last Tuesday.

Now that I have tried it there are one or two points that are worth raising. As the vegetables are raw they need to be cut very small. Once the mixture is prepared then the recommendation is to cook slowly on a low heat which is fair enough but if you are wanting to ensure that the base is as thick the pan needs to be initially hot. This gives the opportunity to build the thickness with a spatula.
The other decision point is when to turn the pancake. It is important to place the bacon on the pancake as soon as you can so that when you flip it everything doesn't fall apart. I'll come back to that! Once you have flipped the pancake you have to leave it long enough for the bacon to crisp up, which it does. I felt that it would stay soggy because of a lack of air!
The picture above shows the dish served with crushed new potatoes with basil and sea salt.

They say you learn something new everyday and I learnt something about cooking that would have saved a degree of angst over the years. It seems that some TV chef has come up with a term for when the food you cook doesn't look as it should or breaks up when being served. I would have apologised for the mess but they say that it is 'de-constructed'. It was actually in reference to a Beef Wellington a friend was cooking and she was a little concerned that it all may fall apart. I wish I'd had as many £5 notes as meals I'd managed to de-construct over the years!


De-constructed apple pie
God Bless

Writing - Peoples' News Beneath Headlines

I am quite a political, with a small 'p' kind of person. I've no time for the established political parties because their sole purpose is to feather their own nests. This blog was sparked by a conversation on the Andrew Marr Show in which an energy minister, speaking for the government was asked about the Ukrainian/Russian situation and the price of gas. His answer was along the lines of 'Well the gas companies buy their gas eighteen months in advance. He was suggesting that the consumers wouldn't feel any price rises at the moment. Like all politicians he skilfully avoided answering the question but the insulting thing is that we will end up paying exorbitant prices in the long run.

So a couple of articles that I spotted which were somewhat more interesting.
Italy up in arms over Michelangelo's David rifle advert  David is on show at Florence's Accademia Gallery
Italy's culture minister has expressed outrage over an advertisement by a US weapons firm showing Michelangelo's David holding a rifle.Dario Franceschini said the image was offensive and violated the law.
A number of Italian media web sites carried the image of the advertisement showing David holding a bolt-action rifle.
The advertisement, from Illinois-based ArmaLite, carries the line "a work of art" in promoting the $3,000 rifle.

I suppose that this depends on your levels of sensitivity. This statue will not be the first piece of art misused by some corporate giant to market their products. If you're going to ban this ad then no art should be used for advertising!


World War One: Family stories uncovered The World War One centenary means personal war diaries, letters and photos are emerging from dusty attics and drawers across the UK and beyond to offer a different perspective of the conflict.The National Archives has begun the mammoth task of digitising 1.5 million WW1 diary pages, mainly taken from official war diaries, describing the lives of British soldiers on the front line.

The remembering of such conflicts is quite difficult. The media tends to focus on the reasons for the fighting beginning in the first place but it is the human stories that should be remembered so that we will be encouraged to avoid such wars. It has to be remembered that the politicians and decision makers rarely end up on the frontline!

Finally

Missing flight MH370



Radar signals show that a Malaysia Airlines plane missing for more than 24 hours may have turned back, Malaysian officials have said.Rescue teams looking for the plane have now widened their search area.
Investigators are also checking CCTV footage of two passengers who are believed to have boarded the plane using stolen passports.

Flight MH370 from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing disappeared south of Vietnam with 239 people on board.

There are some strange anomalies about the flight. Many of the passengers were Chinese and members of the artistic elite of that country. Five people didn't turn up for the flight! Then there were the two flying on stolen passports!
Sounds like a queue for a good story!

God Bless

Writing - 10 things we didn't know last week

Another set of strange facts from this weeks news
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You can determine an elephant's age by its rumble.
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2. In Somalia, the word for president also means "big head".

I wonder if Prime Minister is similar!
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3. French troops get four-course meals in their ration packs, with troops serving in Mali receiving cassoulet, deer terrine, camembert and chocolate cake.

And what is wrong with bully beef?

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4. Mattresses are draped over the side of modern warships to slow down hostile grappling parties.

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5. Great British Bake-Off judge Mary Berry went to Ibiza superclub Pacha at the age of 71.

This venerable lady has just begun a new TV cooking programme. The first episode was preparing 'afternoon tea'

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6. There is one international zipline ride in the world, between Spain and Portugal.

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[image error]7. Fish nuggets served to US troops must contain only fish caught in American waters or by an American-flagged ship - but may use foreign breadcrumbs.

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8. A snake can eat a crocodile.

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9. According to OED, Cornish and Welsh have had less influence on the English language than Hawaiian, Swahili or Zulu.

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10. Space weather can cause trans-polar flights from Europe to America to be diverted.

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As today is International Women's Day perhaps a lady can explain why girls no longer say thank you when a man shows courtesy?
God Bless

Writing - International Women's Day - The Biter Bit

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The earliest Women’s Day observances were held on many different dates: May 3, 1908, in Chicago; February 28th, 1909, in New York; and February 27, 1910, in New York.In August 1910, an International Women's Conference was organized to precede the general meeting of the Socialist Second International in Copenhagen. Inspired in part by the American socialists, German Socialist Luise Zietz proposed the establishment of an annual 'International Woman's Day' (singular) and was seconded by fellow socialist and later communist leader Clara Zetkin, although no date was specified at that conference. Delegates (100 women from 17 countries) agreed with the idea as a strategy to promote equal rights, including suffrage, for women. The following year, on March 19, 1911, IWD was marked for the first time, by over a million people in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland. In the Austro-Hungarian Empire alone, there were 300 demonstrations. In Vienna, women paraded on the Ringstrasse and carried banners honouring the martyrs of the Paris Commune. Women demanded that women be given the right to vote and to hold public office. They also protested against employment sex discrimination. Americans continued to celebrate National Women's Day on the last Sunday in February.
Female members of the Australian Builders Labourers Federation march on International Women's Day 1975 in SydneyIn 1913 Russian women observed their first International Women's Day on the last Sunday in February (by Julian calendar then used in Russia).Although there were some women-led strikes, marches, and other protests in the years leading up to 1914, none of them happened on March 8. In 1914 International Women's Day was held on March 8, possibly because that day was a Sunday, and now it is always held on March 8 in all countries. The 1914 observance of the Day in Germany was dedicated to women's right to vote.


2017 International Women's Day[edit]2017 will be the hundredth anniversary of the Russian Revolution, which was sparked on March 8, 1917 by women protesting against bread shortages in St. Petersburg. These events culminated in the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II on March 15. Worldwide celebrations and re-enactments are scheduled to begin on March 8, 2017

Venture Galleries

Another extract from 'The Biter Bit'


http://venturegalleries.com/serial/he-still-felt-weak-and-lightheaded/
God Bless

Writing - World Book Day

Being involved in writing it would be extremely short sighted to ignore World Book Day 2014. I have featured the Roald Dahl book above as an example of books being part of a story to enable the heroine, Matilda, overcome her stupid family. Dahl is brilliant in the way he fired literary bullets at conventional life and for once the film took that on board and broadcast the message very well.

In 2013 non-fiction books were doing better than fiction. Sir Ale Ferguson's biography far outstripped Dan Brown's 'Inferno'.
On top of the above rather depressing indication is that people actually lie about the books they are reading. They often state that they've bought books but on further questioning reveal that they have never read the books!

 The beauty of books is that they are like a good friend, they know when to be quiet when you need to think. There are various quotes about the value of books. Young Scrooge, when challenged on having no friends by the ghost of Christmas Past, states, 'No friends! and then lists characters from books that he has read. The conclusion is that novels can take you into a different world and open your eyes to the way others' minds work. They can show you ways of approaching situations that worry you and they are principally a form of communication in a modern world that demands we all communicate.

Although the skills of writing with a pen on paper seem to be in decline we are still required to write, on screens of varying sizes. Reading is a key into the process of writing.

I sometimes feel sad that young people lose out on the magic of other people's imaginations. Reading is a great form of entertainment and relatively cheap in comparison with the initial outlay of hand held technologies. As an opportunity to delve further into the day the Reading Agency have produced an activity pack intended to encourage reading.




Ingredients for Life


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Ingredients for Life
Place one standard measure of creativity
in a bowl.
Add one part of man imbuing strength,beat with femininity for sensitivity and understanding.Add a glass of patience and mix well.Stir in a jar of elasticity and fortify with true grit for flexibility and strength.Fold in endless quantities of learning andapply in layers throughout the mixture.Crumble in a cube of unselfishness and stir well.Add a dash of reckless courage (don’t over season).Fortify the mixture with significantamounts of dependability.Decorate the finished article with bright bubblingfriendship enhanced with an overall dustingof love.Season every month with a few drops of experience.When ready share liberally.©David L Atkinson March 2014
God Bless

Poetry Thursday 100 - A celebration of love

The Wedding Day
A bright busy dayfull of Lovenoise and play.Music, words and nervous glancesas the hour nears – time advances.Singing, joylegal phrases thenThe Joiningwith peoples’ praises.Happy looks,hands clasped in love.God looks down fromabove.Food, drink andheartfelt speeches.Photos, poses, talk ofwhat life teaches.The day draws inmusic driven dancesto crown the night inrhythmic prances.A future begins alongthought out tracks,but first a honeymoon to relax.©David L Atkinson March 2014


God Bless