Write-Place

Another birthday. So far, I have resisted the urge to look at what I posted on here this time last year. Not for any other reason except that I'm hoping it was not maudlin thoughts about getting older or being too thankful for what I have that it sounds pretentious (of course just using the word 'pretentious' sounds pretentious anyway ) Have had good wishes from all the people who are most important in my life and however it sounds, that is the most important thing to me. (Am making no excuses for repetition of words today - it's an age thing.) The dogs had to be told, but they are definately excused as, if I remember correctly, I only wished them both happy birthday after the event ) So Happy Birthday to me and anyone else who's birthday it is today and a 'happy day' wherever possible to everyone else.  Little food for thought courtesy of my mother this morning : Add the last 2 digits of your birth year to the age you are this year . The answer ...

As the House of Commons debates the phone hacking scandal and the conduct of newspapers, July’s issue of MaltbyNews is in circulation.(I hesitate to say “delivered to every house in Maltby as it proclaims, as it’s rather a hit and miss affair). Amidst the national discussion on the reliability of the press and the infringement of liberties of the public, Maltby News’ editor Kevin Hall has chosen again to disregard his so called policy of giving the”right to reply’. Rather than respond in his ‘newspaper’ to the libellous comments and untruths that he has previously published he has produced an issue with neither “Letters to the Editor”, an  editorial comment nor the name(s) of the journalists’ who have written the copy. The ‘Events Calendar’ notes the Local Development Framework  Public Consultation dates for Bramley and Wickersley but omits Maltby. Two Maltby Town Council News Pages (at a cost of £300) have a competition entry form with last year’s date on. If it wasn’t for th...

Write-Place Blog Spot: A change is as good as a blog post : "Time for a change of picture of me on here. Surprised myself today by realising that it's 2 years, 11 months and 2 weeks since that last one..."

Time for a change of picture of me on here. Surprised myself today by realising that it's 2 years, 11 months and 2 weeks since that last one was taken (yes, well spotted - my birthday in 2 weeks time) How time flies by these days. Over a month since I posted here though I have been blogging at maltbyblogger  and at Rotherham Politics  so haven't really been silent at all ! The idea was that I write the political type stuff under a separate name and keep Write-Place blogspot for literary/writing  related things . It hasn't quite worked like that though and the 'unpolitical writing' side of things have been neglected.  So lucky reader, I am now back at the right place at the write-place and this blog may even get a blast of updating of political thinking too.  Bet you can't wait.

There's been much in the media recently of injunctions and privacy laws. The PM has said the law should be reviewed to " catch up with how people consume media today" and that   it's unfair that newspapers couldn't name individuals whose identity was being widely circulated on the internet. Twitter and Facebook, emailing and blogging is a major part of daily life fo r most of us - well, you wouldn't be reading this now if that wasn't the case.   I know from personal experience that views and perspectives that the public take from the media are not always the full story. Newspaper reports are often taken as ‘gospel’ and our local newspapers in particular have a duty to represent all views and rectify false accusations. Once something is written it becomes fact for some people and no amount of further evidence will change their views. Over the past 18 months there have been many instances of defamation and libel against me and my friend on the letters page...

Typical isn't it ... I had a post for this blog all composed in my head and then when I set down to write I got a "Blogger is not in use at the moment" message. By the time that I had browsed every other Google blog that I follow - and some that I don't - to see if it was a problem unique to me or if it was affecting others, I had sort of forgotten what I intended posting. However, as I have recently read about easily distracted people having too much brain   http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn20453-easily-distracted-people-may-have-too-much-brain.html I am not too concerned about my memory lapses, at the moment. So, back to The New Scientist. Maybe some further insights into the fact that I have recently gained weight -it's not fat at or big bones at all, it's the extra grey matter.

Recently read Julian Baggini's "The Ego Trick".  A brilliant book which looks at the nature of self in an entertaining and comprehensive, easily understandable way. http://julianbaggini.blogspot.com/2011/03/ego-trick.html Definately recommended for anyone interested in exploring what it means to be 'you'. Read and enjoy below, then buy the book. Has inspired the following from me (200 words or less and short poem on theme of 'glass'. Thought Experiment Imagine yourself as created all at once, yet perfect and whole. But your sight has been veiled from the external. Do your feelings then come from the soul? As you fall without any resistance through the void. Each body part separate, untouched. Then reflect in the glass of experience and affirm the existence of self. Ref: “Floating Man” – Avicenna  cited in "The Ego Trick" Julian Baggini Diving for Pearls What you see is what you get. That’s what I used to tell people, but lately that’s not ...