Day: December 24, 2014

WRITING & READING, DEMOCRACY & DESPOTISM

Just get over here,don’t miss this.

Kenan Malik's avatarPandaemonium

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Two writers, two talks, two beautifully-expressed arguments about the writer and his or her responsibilities, to the reader, to the craft, to the world. The first is a talk that Philip Pullman gave at the World Humanist Congress in Oxford this summer. I was lucky enough to be in the Sheldonian Theatre to listen to it, a talk that was, as so few are, thoughtful, provocative, illuminating and inspiring all at the same time. It has been republished in the latest issue of New Humanist. When I listened to Pullman, there was a section on the relationship between the writer and the reader that particularly struck me. Re-reading it in New Humanist, it still does; so I am republishing that section here. The whole talk is worth reading, though, so do get the latest issue of New Humanist, for Philip Pullman, and much else.

The second talk was…

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Words structured make a map for me

This is  one of my first poems when I began writing in 2010.I was interested in maps and reality.
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Words structured make a map for me
Sentences enable me to see.
But there are maps of other kinds
And different maps suit different minds.

The artist with her skilled brushstrokes,
Her unique sense of the world evokes.
This goes straight to the heart,and tells
Of feelings’ deep, unfathomable wells.

The sweet, plain singing of the spheres
Moves those who hear to happy tears.
Yet notes are written on just five lines
From which can flow all music’s rhythms

There are so many different worlds,
Which all these maps to us unfurl.
The Art of Travel is to guess
Which Map will suit which World the best.

Lazy women dies one mile from new modern Health Centre

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Health Centre UK

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I was sent some info about finding medical attention over Xmas.You put your postcode in a box and then a list comes up.However some of the places even though only 9 miles away would take 2 hours to reach on public transport.Because,i assume the computer is not programmed to take into account that travelling 9 miles across London is different from 9 miles in a small town or country area.
Even in a cab it would take over an hour to get to these places and the cost would be very high.
They assume that one mile in one town is the same as one mile in another.Or, imagine one mile ascending Great Gable if an urgent care centre or drop in NHS clinic located on the top.Then you might see a strange headline in the newspaper

WOMAN DIES ONLY 1 MILE FROM NEW FULLY EQUIPPED WALK IN CENTRE

Doctors at the new clinic expressed regret and another

spokesperson labelled the woman as

LAZY,IDLE  STUPID AND  LIVING ON BENEFITS [AND DYING TOO]

There are no buses in Cumbria but surely walking one mile is not too much to expect of the lower orders.The upper orders can use helicopters.Though they will have private care
The Prime Minister wondered why she did not get on her bike like Norman Tebbit advised the work shy.

Cats wondering about treasure
In the old days men crawled miles in coal pits to get to see a doctor.How the doctor got down there we don’t know as yet…
Backbone,that’s what we need nowadays.Don’t be idle like this woman.
Losing face