Halloween story

The cabinet-maker sat in the old wooden chair his grandfather had made. He could remember him, grey whisked, bent with age and work working away on the chair. He rubbed his hands on the armrests, thinking he too was now old, weathered and wrinkled. The lines in his face had been beaten by time, worry, work and wear. He was half dozing in front of the fire. The fire was licking the logs, not raging but cosy, even snug. Hearts and hearths warmed, the chill kept at bay. Albert had been a carpenter and a cabinet maker for many years. He felt old and tired, almost nodding off in front of the fire after a hard days work

The flames danced, almost floated into his kind. They spoke to him, their fiery tongues told him they still had work for him to do.

Heaving himself up from the old worm ridden chair, Albert steadied himself before unhooking the.lantern from its peg. He put on his oiled jacked and boots, his warm bat and scarf, lit his pipe and, with the same taper, the lantern, which he had sloshed before to see if the oils would see him through his journey.

The flames had spoken before, telling him whom to woo, whom to hire, where and what to sell. The flames had shown design and fashion, a wife.wise enough to challenge his stubborn stupidity, apprentices worth helping and now probably the last to.pass on his torch.

Trembling, he unhooked the latch on the door, stepped out into the frosty night and clicked the door shut behind. He hung the lantern on his staff and trudged out of the yard. No light left in the day to hitch the horse to the cart, and the flames had pressed him . A solo silent trip wouldn’t raise any whispers.Hiddles into his clothes he trudged into the night, across the village green, down wooded lanes. A walk in the starry night, the village streets had long since petered out. The evening gave way to night, with hoots and screeches.

Far away from the snug workshop Albert came at last to where the flames had whispered the farmstead was.

Not a sound , except the couch of his feet on frost and dead leaves, Albert crossed the cobbled yard and headed to the farmhouse. He pushed open the door and stooped through the door. Once inside, he blew out the lantern and let his eyes get used to the glow of the embers in the fireplace. There inside was the smell of green wood smoke, autumn leaves and soup. The shadows seemed scorched onto the walls, branded by fear. In the kitchen soup slowly bubbled on the stove, but all around life had been pinched out.

The bodies of a man and women were on the kitchen floor, sucked to dry husks. The shock made him shudder when suddenly he saw the girl. She was terrified, so Albert scooped her up into his arms and comforted her. They sat, and ate the soup. The warmth would comfort her and Albert needed the strength to get back home.

Albert lit the lantern, wrapped up the girl in warm clothes and glanced around. It was best to take nothing.

Back into the cloud frosty night they headed, a long lonely walk back to his workshop. This time Albert headed back a different way, edging through the hedges and past the headstones in the cemetery. He bowed to the vampires waiting there tipping his hat. For he had served them well , as had his father and his grandfather, and back through the ages. His son would carry on, soon Albert new, soon he would meet the vampires for the last time. The girl was a gift, a young friend for his son, a fiancée decided by the flames. Vampires never gave a choice.

Coffins and crypts had been made, wooden sculptures and objects of all kinds turned and whittled . When the vampires wanted something they spoke through the flames of they flew through the night to visit. When they did, Albert as he would tomorrow, would start on coffins and crucifixes. The folk of the village would know soon enough of the tales. Albert headed to the church after tucking in his new step daughter into a worm and cosy bed. Vampires could wait, they were already dead, but they would come for all the village at one time or another. They never let the village die, or suffer famine or war, but the price was in the frozen husks of the farmstead.

Albert found the priest, nodded, turned and headed home. No need to explain. The villagers new that on the frosty lanes sometimes invisible footprints would follow and after a new farm would be open for a poor family.

Albert sank back into the old chair. The horror would only end with death,and even that would be either in the graveyard through his own choice , embracing the vampires willingly or not.

Blood was the pact of peace in this place, as the moon slowly rose in the Halloween sky.

Measuring culture

I have talked previously about attempts to measure culture, but considered that though the ideas of others certainly has merit and even truth, perhaps it wasn’t the whole picture. perhaps it never is.

I offer an addition to the giants, standing as I am, on their shoulders.

I am going to examine the idea of cultural entropy and cultural inertia.

Cultural Inertia is when the culture has dissapeared yet we see it has an influence on our every day world

Take for example the names of the days of the week in English. They are named after Viking Gods or Roman Gods . But the Babylonians started it all, naming the days of a “week” after the 5 planets known to them. Emperor Constantine declared that the week had 7 days in AD 321 and the same man said that Christianity should be the religion or the Romans.

Cultures change, evolve, dissapear or are even destroyed. Claims that there is a fight to preserve certain cultural norms from being replaced are just nonsense as eventually all cultures change. The far right are trying to install a fear that European culture is at risk from immigration or shifts in moral attitudes but if we listen to the howling sirens we will surely end up on the rocks. Cultural inertia and cultural entropy should not prevent us from creating a new culture,new art,poems ,songs and dance. We have the right to change our culture but not to use culture as an excuse to embrace darkness

Hard times for us all

Ukraine was invaded 12 days ago. ( When I wrote this)

Some things to note

1. As in every war, the ‘truth’ is the first victim. And probably the last one too. The media is at best wishful thinking and at worst propaganda.
2. Russia invaded Ukraine to try to keep its huge mass together. Russia is enormous and it has no economy, only oligarchs. Putin will be seeing them for some funding. Russia is trying to show it has influence and Ukraine is easy pickings for them. (or so Putin thinks)
3. Russia keep Ukraine out of Nato and the Eu whilst making the EU and Nato and EURO currency neighbors nervous as well as ensuring supply route to both Kalingrad and the warm Mediterranean waters. Its the prisoner of geography as the only other port it has is Vladisvostok. This explains Syria (Russia has a naval base ) and Cyprus (Russia wants a base)
4. Putin knows know one will use nuclear weapons first so as long as he leaves NATO alone for now he can do what he wants and NATO wont do anything and Biden has said the US won’t get involved with boots on the ground. So as usual no US presence in Europe until the US think they can ‘win’
5. Plucky Ukraine has help off Russia for 12 days but that won’t continue as Russian troops cut water and power and destroy civilian targets. However, European countries are sending arms and cash, but it remains to be seen if these end up in Russian hands.
6. China will play the long game. If Russia implodes they will help themselves to what they want from the carcass like hungry jackals. They’ll sit on the fence with one leg in Russia’s garden.
7. European countries will now spend a whole load more on defense. But they forget logistics at their peril. Russia had 50 kilometers of tanks ready to go into Kiev but no petrol.
8. Russia’s secret weapon, its hard winter that has defeated army after army from Napolean to Hitler will soon be over and global warming means its possibly a losing battle for Russian defensive troops on the ground
9. Raw materials will all increase in price, as Ukraine is a huge producer of cobalt, nickel, grain and maize. Its one of the biggest international traders. Its a huge tech power , exporting tech all over Europe. Europe is dependent on Ukraine for lots of stuff, but also India, China, and the US. That’s why Russia want it so bad.Its the end of the Covid financial bounce back and inflation, shortages and civil disobendience will all increase. Wages will have to rise and that squeezes employers and employment. After world war 1 Spanish flu killed more than the war, after Covid (killed 6 million and counting) perhaps this European war will kill as many.
10. This is war. War is hell. Putin probably won’t stop at Ukraine. He is trying to keep Kalingrad from joining the other Baltic states in independence and also sending messages to Siberia, Kamtchatka , Karelia, Yamkutchia and the list goes on. Chechnya found out that Russia will trample you, and Ukraine seem to be on this same path. Mess with the Mafia of the Kremlin and you die.
11. Putin is 70. There have been rumors about his health and a possible retirement. His face was ‘puffy’ and he sat at enormous tables as far away from people as possible.

Bubbles

Days are where we measure time

Waking up from bramble beds

Look in mirror at the lines

Shed a tear for those now dead

They bubble up into our minds

Make us laugh or cry instead

Special friends are golden finds

We regret what we never said

Speak of love and other signs

Love is always better fed

With soft spoken words intertwined

Days are where we measure time

Loire

The sunlight spangled on the rolling ripples of the last wild river in the region, The Loire. its summer, nd I’ve stopped here to appreciate the shady glades, the summer breeze, a haven from the blazing broiling sun. Just over there are the sandbanks , the pools of water fast disappearing under the summer sun. Here and there are waterfowl, dipping in the river, flying around, terns nesting, cormorants fishing.on the horizon is the bridge at Ancenis and the river braids into many sections, leaving dry beds and islands.

Its been flowing through this region for centuries, millennium even. There are castles dotted all along its course, showing the power of the energy, the power of the communication. Just near where i’m standing are Neolithic stones, and about half a kilometer away archaeologists dug up a neolithic settlement on land to sold for a football club training grounds.

The branches hover over our heads, swaying in the wind, a green fringe to our vision. We will spend all day here, looking at the beach, watching the animals. A summer’s day . The fluffy clouds float away, evaporated by the heat and nothing is moving on the dust roads away from the Loire. But here, down in the valley, a breeze still wisps its way over us, as we sit on our picnic blanket.

Our hamper is full of goodies, chilled drinks, a fine spread. Little by little we nibble through the fresh salad, the cold ham and chicken, the crunchy cucumber and radishes. A swig of cold lemonade and even a sip of ginger beer. We’d cooked a cake to finish our lunch, with a thermos of coffee.

The day druged to the twilight close. Dust settled and the heat started to leave the air. We’d gathered some rocks and built a circle, some flotsam and jetsam and we’d placed a hearth on the sand. We knew it was not permitted to set a fire on the beach, but we set up in a shady place over the dunes and we’d keep the fire low. A warm fire soon warmed us, the flames reflecting in the sweat of our bodies.

Suzie looked at me and smiled. The night was pulling in. No-one was around. She help two of my fingers, then my hand. She showed me she loved me, kissing me. She slipped off her top, I slipped of my clothes and we came close, breathing each others skins. Making love on the sandy beach was a risky business. There may be people walking their dog, or even perverts watching. We didn’t care.

I stroked her hair, her shoulder, her breasts. Her eyes were on me, I smiled with my soul. She caressed my chest and my thighs. I slipped off her briefs and we we were naked under the stark starry sky. I could feel our hearts beating, throbbing in my moth. She showed me were to move my hands, my arms, my body.

Our night of passion was true, we really loved each other. We slept on the beach under the bivowak we’d build earlier, a flimsy canopy of leaves. We’d waited for this night.

It was in the early morning, the hush of dawn. There was an eerie summer haze over the Loire. That was when we saw the body floating down stream. Suzie stifled a scream, grabbing clothing from the piles around. We ran up the beach, towards the town, phones in hand. Garbling messages to the authorities, to families, to friends.

The gendarmes came and dragged out the corpse, and we had to explain what we’d been up to on the beach. After we wandered down to the beach, gathered all our things, hamper, leftover food and bottles and slowly walked to the top of the banks. A kiss, and a walk back to our homes. I didn’t know if the gendarmes would tell our families but we were both adults. I didn’t care anyway. I was more concerned about the corpse.

Was it another victim to the killer? there had been 6 bodies found in the last 4 months. Or a drowning? A suicide? A murder? The questions flashed through my mind like lights. I texted Suzie. What a great night but what a weird event. We’d meet later, that keenness of lovers. but the corpse left a bitter aftertaste to the outing and now we’d have to go public. Anyway, who wants to be in a relationship you can’t share with anyone? We’d agreed. People would be happy for us, and those that weren’t didn’t count.

Now we Must

Some Conservatives will now try to change America so radically that it can’t be changed back. Some don’t want to build a future for us all, but just for them. They came for women’s rights first which means that some see women as second class citizens, breeding chambers for their sperm. Some have talked about women in derogatory terms. We have heard the comments.

We have seen violence in Washington, marching on elected political leaders.Some will say it was an attempted coup d’etat.

We have seen violence in our cities and. Our schools, children gunned down and people crushed by corrupted cops.

We have seen women’s rights removed and voting made difficult for some sections of the community.

We have seen a defeated president claim that he won an election.

We need rules that state if a public position is corrupted by money or lobbying then the decisions made by that person are not valid. Some claim that lies were told under oath or even that debts were paid off or gifts given to certain judges. I don’t know if this is the case ( I really hope not) but I am very worried. I am reminded of the poem, “First they came for the Socialist , but as I wasn’t one , I did nothing.” In that poem, by Martin Niemoller, they came for him in the end.

Maybe my critics will say it’s a logical fallacy , the fallacy of the slippery slope but when states are incapable of recognizing and responding in a timely way to incremental, adverse changes, including basic rights, it’s time to stop raising eyebrows and start asking questions. Start acting peacefully, protesting and protecting. Tribal sovereignty in Oklahoma, presidents allegedly attacking their bodyguards, women’s rights stomped back to the dark ages. What is next? Well freedom of speech and gay marriage to start with, and then who knows. Women’s Suffrage? Slavery? Religious freedom?

America is doomed if the extremes force everyone to think like them using patriotism as an argument. America risks becoming a nation of scared people, of silent people if voices are hushed by oppression and hatred.

Years ago a presidential candidate , Mr Barack Obama told us ” yes we can” and talked of “change we need” .

I have a new slogan for people.

Now, we must.

We have huge challenges in front of us, war in Ukraine, climate change, economic woes, gun violence, social deprivation. We cannot run to the flag to find solutions. The flag cannot be our only answer.

Now we must find the solutions to the issue of climate change. And there won’t be easy solutions, we will have to make big sacrifices. Waving a flag won’t do anything.

Now we must find solutions to the thorny issues of individual freedom. A simple ban on abortion just puts women’s lives at risk and shows that rights are never permanent. It reminds us of the pressing need for inclusive democratic processes rather than simple dogma. Showing a flag, or even a religious book won’t help those most at risk.

Now we must build a society together. The only future worth building is one that includes everyone. Extremists from the right or the left cannot be allowed to create a future just for them. Pope Francis told us this in his wonderful speech of tolerance and hope in 2019.

Now we must have tolerance for different faiths and sexual orientation and aspirations. Tolerance for the views of others but the patience to accept different views, instead of trying to convince and convert. People have the right to be different, as I. Only THEN can we think of a union. We must join arms.

America has become divided. We lightly forget that we are all connected, that we all may need each other. That your Dr. is an immigrant or that your nurse has a family to feed. Or your children’s teacher is trying to adapt to new culture, language or beliefs. Or even that your neighbor’s daughter was raped and now she needs help with a termination. Maybe we don’t agree with them, but we understand other’s needs.

Now we must protect equality and social advances. It’s these that are the foundation of humanity. It is people, not products or convenience that really matter.

Now we must stand up and non violently protest. All of us can look at the history of the fight for women’s rights and the civil rights movement, the many discussions that lead to compassion. That lead to inclusion.

We must work together or surely we will fail, faced with so many challenges we have no choice. We must not ignore the huge challenges in front of us, but be the hope and love that binds our communities together.

I know that there will be those who refuse the hand held out, refusing to help, refusing to consider other views except their own. Some will even swat away the hand, or even try to cut it off. Others ignore it or pretend that they don’t have time or money to help. I am not naive. But the lion may need the mouse. I hope some can remember. Some will scoff “fake news”. They must be allowed to. We have to try to explain why this is a bad decision to them. We have to work with everyone.

Now we must move forward from partisanship and keep our minds open. We must ask the question “why do you think this?” And try to understand others views, and calmly explain our ideas. It is only by listening to those with and without money power position and comfort that we can build a future.

A future that now we must build together. A country we must build together. Only then will we have a flag worth our sweat.

English Irregular Verbs

Most verbs in English are not irregular. And those that are irregular are irregular in the simple past tense with a few exceptions

The verb to be doesn’ follow the logic of other verbs.

An example is the verb to play

If we compare the two verbs, we can wee that in the indicative, there is an S on the third person singular of the form but that the root remains .

I play

You play

She plays

We play

They play

One plays

To be is rather different!

I Am

you are

he is

we are

they are

one is

You wouldn’t know that this is the verb to be from its indicative form

Be in is past form is also difficult to discern (I was, You were, he was, they were one was) and compared to play ( i played, you played, he played we played, they played) I start to wonder WHY we have irregular verbs at all.

Well about 80 are used everyday (sleep, wake, drive,drink, go, run, dream, burn, buy, think, know, etc) and

Carrots for Elvis

Rufus Wainwright wrote “I am so tired of America” in his song ” Going to a town”.

American justice has decided to let the states decide whether abortion is legal or not.

Its a step back for women’s rights. America may pretend to have avoided a coup d’etat on the 6 the of January but the truth is that tolerance is burning on the bonfires of dogma. Some conservatives think that everyone must agree and think as they , forgetting to respect the views of others, only listening to the bubble of partisan politics.I read warnings that a civil war is coming, especially after Buffalo. The truth is that it is already here. Violence and anger are rife, just as in the days of Dr King. This time, however, there are no American voices calling for calm. No peaceful, meaningful protests. Bipartisanship now means nothing, as some conservatives now seek to take away the fundamental rights of women. These people will come for anyone and anything that doesn’t think , look or act as they. They have taken women’s rights. They will come for same sex marriage and slavery. Contraception and religious freedom. The right to vote and representation. Boiling it down to the fundamental beliefs in a black Bible.

Biden has been a huge disappointment. It is HIS watch all this happens under, even if Trump sowed the seeds. But the alternative was Trump. However, in the end Trump has poisoned the future of America for decades. In the end, Trump really did win. Voices who say ” This isn’t over” are fooling themselves and the only escape now is to leave America, once the haven for those running from oppression. The irony. Brexit can’t be undone, and nor will this .

The worst is that some conservatives will now say that any reactions to their dogma just proves that they are correct and America needs a voice to heal, or face irreversible and permanent division. States will secede to avoid responsibility and no amount of ink will stop this now. America is over.

America is at war with itself, through the lens of a smartphone. Consumers had a choice, it was better than communism. Now effective monopolies mean your choice is limited and you won’t choose whatever is good for your country or even planet, but whatever you are told to by big lobby groups. Guns to kill kids in schools. Drugs to keep us numb. Loss of voting rights, sexual health rights, human rights.

Elvis was great, I saw the film, it’s wonderful, tragic. It’s the American story. Wonderful opportunities to come from nowhere, success fame , fortune. Loneliness, entourage, addiction and death. American values are now going the same way.

Carrots for Elvis.

The supreme court has people nominated for the posts for life , something that has no place in modern democratic movements. We now see the dangers. All my life I was told “Checks and Balances” but in face it’s “Cheques and balances”. My American friends beg me not to judge them by the politicians, but in the end, in the very end , it is the population that chooses.

I am so tired of America , such a sick place. American democracy is over and the war has begun. Rufus Wainwright sang ” going to a town” and now people will leave the town. It’s only now that I realize what happened in January.

European countries now seek to put things in their constitutions but it isn’t a solution.

Carrots for Elvis.

I am so tired of America.

block

type to choose a block

any one you’ve made

ready on my lips

smoke in our thoughts

smoke in our throats

songs for Luciani

Songs for Armanet

you may point and mock

And laugh at those who fade

Too poor for any tips

Salaries with lots of noughts

And those with threadbare coats

Songs for Luciani

Songs for Armanet

Changing wind patterns

Climate change is acting on tropical zones, making them hotter, and the air that comes from these zones is hence hotter, with more energy and moving faster. In Europe we’ve seen the influence of these zones, with sand storms moving from Africa into Europe, dropping sand onto ski slopes and the sky turning a menacing orange colour. Here is a link from https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/ski-resort-looked-like-a-desert-as-skies-turned-red-amid-major-dust-storm/1158193 that tells us all about it.

The sand is coming from the Sahara, but the heat is coming from further south , in the tropical zones of Africa. This kind of climate change has been seen before, changing Northern Africa from a marshland into a desert around 4000 years ago.

https://qph.cf2.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-70d352e825362e0a2ba1aae038fba13b-lq

We don’t really know why the changes happened, there is evidence that the Ancient Romans saw Northern Africa as a bread basket. The cities of Volublis, Dougga and El Jem in Northern Africa are all vestiges of a busy empire blown away by sand and wind.

Europe is facing the very same fate. The Sahara is expanding and probably will creep into Southern European countries such as Spain and Italy, even into France and the sand we see now is just a drop in the ocean of what will come. According to Earth.org, the next century looks dangerous for the Mediterranean area. https://earth.org/data_visualization/the-past-present-and-future-of-the-sahara-desert/#:~:text=However%2C%20scientists%20have%20observed%20that,since%20records%20began%20around%201920.

The Sahara made people migrate towards the east, towards the Nile and probably created a civilization here, and in the fertile crescent which led to Ancient Greece and Rome and arguably Europe today. Climate change caused civilization to spawn forth, and also to wither and end.

Humans need to find solutions to these pressing problems.