Don't Like Don't Trust

That would be me some people don’t like or trust me. Aint life a bitch and then as they say you meet one and that ‘one’ would be me.

I don’t blame them for their attitude if they knew or fully understood what I think of them they’d never step outside their front door again. So its a two way street with heavy traffic and no acknowledged right of way. I could care less.

My offer wasn’t made to help them it was entirely selfish because what I should do is report their activities as high up the ladder as its possible to go but so far I haven’t, not for them or any individual among them although I doubt the hive does individual thought. What it does is talk among themselves rarely telling the truth within the hive and never even mentioning the hive or its activities to outsiders except maybe to hint at great friends and lie.

No, I do nothing for them its all, and I admit its very selfish, about me. I want my self respect and my privacy back, and as far as I’m concerned going to court doesn’t help that, eventually it would obviously but eventually can take a very long time and involve a great deal of mind crushing, excruciating embarrassment. If I have to I will take that route but only a fool would think I’d want to go anywhere near it, certainly no one who knows me would think it for a second.

My offer would avoid all attention and embarrassment. It would also take care of the nasty and ever present possibility of criminality being repeated. No one who has donated once wants to explain anything and that is protection I need.

Do I care if I’m trusted or liked by people I can’t bring myself to be civil to? No, not a bit. However much they dislike and distrust me they can quadruple it and still be nowhere near what I think of them.

The Life that I have by Leo Marks

The life that I have

Is all that I have

And the life that I have

Is yours.

The love that I have

Of the life that I have

Is yours and yours and yours.

A sleep I shall have

A rest I shall have

Yet death will be but a pause.

For the peace of my years

In the long green grass

Will be yours and yours and yours.

Its some time since I put a chocolate box poem on here but I was reminded of this one just a short while ago and of course I still love it for who could not?

However, its not really a chocolate box poem Its rather more often and just as famously known as The Code Poem for the French Resistance.

Here is a paragraph from Wikipedia:

In the war, famous poems were used to encrypt messages. This was, however, found to be insecure because enemy cryptanalysts were able to locate the original from published sources. Marks countered this by using his own written creations. The Life That I Have was an original poem composed on Christmas Eve 1943 and was originally written by Marks in memory of his girlfriend Ruth, who had just died in a plane crash in Canada.^[1] On 24 March 1944, the poem was issued by Marks to Violette Szabo, a French agent ofSpecial Operations Executive who was eventually captured, tortured and killed by the Nazis.
It was made famous by its inclusion in the 1958 movie about Szabo, Carve Her Name with Pride, where the poem was said to be the creation of Violette's husband Etienne. (Marks allowed it to be used under the condition that its author not be identified.)

And a link to the page:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Life_That_I_Have

Ghost in the Works

I’se got blisters. I’se got blisters on me blisters and I’ve got the right ump and before anyone sneers they’re not on ‘eels or toes. Nah, that would be too easy these blisters are on the souls of me feet.

The cause of the blisters is a walk to town wearing the wrong shoes, those would be the shoes currently awaiting a short trip to the bin which will happen when the rubbish bag is full & me blisters have gorn.

In the meantime and to while away an hour or less I want to write about ghosts in the works.

I’ve been re reading books by Terry Pratchett and you have no idea how much it has irritated me.

I happen to know because I have read all the Disk World books that Terry Pratchett did not always obey the rules of grammar and punctuation, he had the courage to do his own thing So funnily enough did George Bernard Shaw who never allowed an apostrophe to cross the threshold of his literary efforts. He said the poor apostrophe was ‘uncouth bacilli’ and who am I to even check the meaning of ‘bacilli’ although I have got uncouth down to a fine art.

The thing is unlike the great writers ghostwriters never forget grammar and punctuation indeed most of them would probably be unemployed if not for rigid education insistence that English be written in a manner that keeps them employed.

I’ve no idea if Terry Pratchett had ever heard of Pippakin I really doubt it and  I do like to think he hadn’t.

I don’t think there is any doubt that Terry Pratchett had ghost writer/s and whoever they were maybe male but they write female and I really don’t like that, they as ghost writers should be able to keep their narration completely asexual and in my opinion they failed. I don’t like what they did to Terry Pratchett Disk World series some might say its better than nothing I disagree, they should have followed Terry Pratchett instinct not their own, and I don’t like that they may have taken the opportunity to put the boot into someone they dislike, they are become a ghost in the works…

Maybe Not

Sometimes it seems to me we live our lives in a world of Maybe not adrift from reality but reaching, hoping for Maybe to be suddenly, wonderfully definite. You see Maybe has potential not necessarily for the best or even for the good but there’s a definite possibility in every Maybe.

Thinking back to those long gone days in school when Maybe was quite narrow, we’d pass this, win that, be accepted for something or other, or Maybe we’d all go to the show and meet the Beatles and in my case anyway John Lennon would be immediately smitten! Oh, Maybe!

Leaving school is when Maybe grew up. Maybe another job would pay better or if it didn’t Maybe it had better prospects or was closer to Oxford street in the days when Oxford Street had decent shops and anyway was and as far as I know still is in close proximity to decent shops.

Maybe we were slightly afraid Maybe might not bring what we needed or wanted Maybe isn’t always good. Maybe it would be a failed exam or a failed interview. I remember once throwing a pen across the desk at an interviewer, the pen had bled all over the form I had to fill in and so convinced was I that I hadn’t passed whatever test it was I didn’t care that my anger and frustration were visible. I passed the test and got the job Maybe it was the right time for me at that time.

I wasn’t going to bother with this frivolous little delicacy and then I thought I remember when every day was Maybe something wonderful I loved that I still do but I think the possibilities of Maybe have narrowed considerably.

But, there is still and for as long as we live there will always be Maybe

On the Surface

How beautiful, how serene and how very misleading for beneath the surface the webbed feet of both swans must be continually moving just to hold the contact the beautiful pose.

Are people like swans still and calm on the surface even as our hearts beat a tattoo and our emotions spiral out of control? I think to some degree we are expected to be just like the swan. We are expected to leave all our domestic problems at home to concentrate totally on work. At home we are expected to concentrate on family and domesticity. If we go out with friends we are expected to cast off all our problems and to help create, maintain and join in the revelry.

Oh, I think we are very much like swans almost all the action is beneath the surface, all our happiness, despair, anxiety, desperation, joy, relief and our passion are held tight within us, concealed not just from prying eyes but from everyone including ourselves lest we forget ourselves and reveal too much.

Do we tell our partners of our dreadful day, do we mention our fears? Maybe sometimes we do talk about somethings but more likely we don’t. We keep ourselves inside hidden from everyone lest everyone see how weak and needy we sometimes feel and how much less we secretly believe we are and can’t begin to explain.

Swans glide on the surface but, oh they can be bad tempered, aggressive birds, protective of their family, their home and their image – just like us

Reach

In this picture its easy to see why I hate boxing. It should be banned but that’s not my reason for using the picture today.

Today is about reach and of course all boxers need to reach, in addition boxers need to be able to reach their target at full speed and strength. No good reaching the opposing head if all you’ve got is the brute force of a butterfly and if anyone thinks punches to the head don’t cause brain damage look at the guy in reds face.

But that’s not what drew my attention to the Daily Post today. Oh no. Today is about education, mine specifically but extending to any clever clogs who think they know about reach. Reach is what we all do almost unthinkingly, we take a pot from a high shelf and automatically we’re on tip toe to reach. We don’t think about or even notice but we all do it and it never fails. Until now.

If most people think arthritic hips are all about walking or running think again. Hips are about kneeling, bending and reaching. I now have almost reached the stage of having to do the splits just to pick up the dogs dish, and it hurts.

It hurts in several ways sheer pain is the obvious one but I’m not sure its the most important I’ve a feeling that in my own case and I’m sure I’m not unusual its a sense of shame and disbelief. Of course I can reach the bloody dogs dish I’ve been doing it since I could walk! But the day is coming when I will have to lean on something sturdy in order to bend down far enough to reach the dogs dish, and if anyone thinks the walls of this house are sturdy enough to lean on…

Reach for the stars why don’t you. I’ll catch up with you when I’ve reached the dogs dish…

Blogging and Bloggers

http://www.inc.com/magazine/201602/kris-frieswick/how-gawkers-nick-denton-is-stepping-into-the-ring-against-hulk-hogan.html

Or since the link to Inc.5000 seems to be broken try this one

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2016/08/02/gawker-founder-nick-denton-files-for-bankruptcy-after-hulk-hogan/

Gawker Media recently lost an important court case, important to them because they lost and it bankrupted them. Important to blogging because blogging is where Mr Denton began what became Gawker.

Show business celebrity Hulk Hogan sued Gawker when they published a film of him that had been taken illegally.

You would think even the average half wit would know better than to be in any way involved with such criminally invasive behaviour. You would be wrong.

I happen to know some bloggers, note how blogger is becoming a dirty word, who have been involved with at least one other case of illegal filming, sharing the film with at a minimum an initial audience of their own ‘community’ and from there? Who knows. One problem is if they did such a terrible thing once the odds are they've done it several times.

Bloggers do love their ‘community’ to such an extent they seem to believe anyone should be honoured to join them and that joining them cancels out any teensy little criminal activity like hacking and illegal filming they may have been involved in.

It doesn’t. If you think about it the very idea is extraordinary: there are apparently some people who believe they can invade a persons privacy, make a film illegally, share it with what in reality are their accomplices and then by offering an invitation extended grudgingly, and of course to avoid incriminating themselves further anonymously, cancel out any and all crimes they may have committed against their victim, and from there its easy to see where Mr Denton’s ideas may have originated. How unfortunate for Mr Denton that as a result of such extraordinary arrogance both he and Gawker have had to file for bankruptcy.

A moments rational thought would tell anyone that the victim/s of such depravity would be very unlikely to want to join in, they might be the kind of rational, sensitive person who would reject the very idea of illegally filming anyone.

I’m not happy that Mr Denton is bankrupt I’d prefer it if he was sent to prison. He has an English accent but his business, if it can be called that, appears to have filed for bankruptcy in America which is where he gets lucky because the UK is quite strict about bankruptcy and Ireland which for example is where I’m based is even worse. In America Mr Denton will probably be able to start a new business or career quite easily and quickly, there’s probably loads of vacancies for washing up, road sweeping, grave digging, the list is endless and criminal bloggers can apply for all of them.

I don’t know about Hulk Hogan one hundred million dollars compensation may make him feel quite forgiving. I do know that in my own case money has little to do with it. Safety, security, equality and acknowledgement of wrong doing are what matters.

It maybe many bloggers are essentially lonely people, they maybe isolated from the mixture of company that most of us are surrounded by from starting school through to the end of our working years.  It maybe they compensate for their isolation by forming some sort of lop sided friendships with people they hardly if ever meet, have conversations that will hardly if ever touch on real lives. Whatever the reason some seem to develop another reality, or could it be they lose all contact with reality? I don't know and it makes no difference.

To be clear no one involved in the filming or viewing of any illegally obtained film of me is or will ever be a friend of mine. I’m easy going and very forgiving as I have previously shown but illegal filming is a premeditated criminal act and so is sharing the film.  No friend of mine would do that.

Mr and Mrs Khan

Spoke at the recent Democratic National Convention they told us of their son who was a Captain in the American Army and who died in Iraq. No doubt at all that young Mr Khan he was twenty seven was a brave soldier working and prepared to die for his country.

Does that mean his parents are? Like all bereaved parents Mr and Mrs Khan grieve for their son and like the vast majority of us they search for someone to blame. Mrs and Mrs Khan appear to have selected Donald Trump to take the brunt of their anger, but why is that? Donald Trump didn't cause the Iraq war he didn't even agree with it. If Donald Trump had his way it would never have happened. So why him?

The reason appears to be that Mr Trump would stop the open borders policy which with its inevitable consequence of unlimited access to every thug and murderer who goes to the American border has caused serious injury and death to many Americans, who Mr and Mrs Khan should note have  families who also grieve for the loss of children, parents and siblings.

Mr and Mrs Khan's greatest anger is not reserved for the killers of their son or the people who caused and maintained the war in Iraq instead and most peculiarly its centred on the man who would close all dangerous borders and make sure all visitors and immigrants to America would have legal passports, no criminal record and no connection to terrorist organisations. How can that be wrong and how can Mr and Mrs Khan object?

The reason is Mr and Mrs Khan object to Muslims being denied entrance to America while a new system of identity checks is introduced. Mr and Mrs Khan think its racist to prevent Muslims entering America even though Muslims are every nationality and almost every terrorist attack is carried out by Muslims and even though there have been terrorist attacks carried out by Muslims in America and even though the families of their victims grieve every bit as much as Mr and Mrs Khan.

I feel for Mr and Mrs Khan just as much as I feel for every victim of terrorist attacks. I am sure Mr and Mrs Khan's son was an American patriot but does that mean I think his parents are? Because I don't I think in spite of Mr Khan's declaration Mr and Mrs Khan are Muslim first because if they were American first they would recognise the need for border controls that work.

And that's all Donald Trump wants: real border controls that actually control who enters America. Mr and Mrs Khan need to think about that.

I didn't mention the Muslim Brotherhood which in my opinion is a terrorist organisation.

https://youtu.be/GGVq4s7DrJk