What could you do differently?
What is that magical feeling when you hear a piece of music, no matter how many times, and it makes you want to move your feet , limbs , head and whatever body part that moves you in a time to the music. “That” feeling. Well I would incorporate “that” feeling into all my movements. That is what I would do differently, if I could. Which I can’t , but I suppose I could try.
Namaste and Thank You for Reading.🙏
Filed under Short Stories
Thank you to Andrius Sytas of Reuters for the Headline.
This headline caught my eye as someone mentioned that there was attempts at sabbotaging underground cables in the area around the Baltic Sea. Apparently instances have increased since the War in Ukraine started in 2022.
The Latvian President in the most recent incident, said that the communication system had not been affected and that the crew of the ship thought to be responsible were cooperating with the authorities on what they thought might have caused it.
N.A.T.O. nevertheless is on high alert after the recent seizure by Finnish police of a cargo vessel suspected of sabotaging an undersea telecoms cable running from Helsinki across the Gulf of Finland to Estonia.
These underground cables can supply power, telecommunications and gas. So damage to them for whatever reason is serious and expensive and they could be of strategic importance should they be needed in a conflict. However, lets hope that a better way to protect them from damage can be found.
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Thanks to Conor McCann at BBC News Online for the Headline
Welcome to Britain guys, not only can we not supply a secure method of frail, people having a pendant system to ring for help if they need it , but we’re sending those at risk at their own expense to spend time in a B&B going Cold Turkey in order for them to participate in a detoxification programme run by a local Charity.
Sounds incredulous, so just where is all the Social Services and Health Care Budget going? Why is this happening? What kind of economy do we have that B&B’s need to turn into facilities for those needing to detox, probably not what the owner was planning to provide for, but bless them for allowing the person to go through this difficult period with them. I do believe from the article it was a success and the help I suppose came from an unexpected but nevertheless valuable quarter. Mind you if word got around , would the B&B owner lose their regular and holiday customers?
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If you had a freeway billboard , what would it say?
On my own personal freeway billboard, it would say Peace and each month I would get a different artist to design it , just with the word Peace on it and with whatever image they felt appropriate. My billboard would glow at night with LED lights in it that would still show the word “Peace”at night.
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This seems to make a lot of sense to me , as well as seizing mobile phones and sim cards from those who have made the crossing and are being processed by migration officers, they are also making it a criminal offence to store engines or replacement engines for boats to be used for these crossings.
Both the data they extract from the electronic devices of those that have landed and the reduction in the number of engine boats available will target those who persist in offering channel crossings to the unfortunate people who get caught up in their web and who risk their lives while paying out a large amount of money.
It’s a necessary way to weed out those who prey on other’s misery.
Namaste and Thank You for Reading.🙏
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Thanks to Kumail Jaffer Local Democracy Reporting Service BBC Online News for the Headline
It’s not a subject about the effects of poverty that is raised very often. To be able to keep yourself clean is a basic human right. Access to hot water, cleaning products and sanitary products is something that no one should have to do without. So why is it happening?
Thirty per cent of people cannot look after this basic requirement because they lack the income to be able to pay and budget for these products in London. That is indeed a frightening fact.
The consumer market is collapsing and we must look at alternative support methods to enable people to live in this modern world.
Namaste and Thank You for Reading. 🙏
Filed under Short Stories
Thanks to Callum Tennant, news reporter Sky News Online for the Headline.
Inevitably when Power and Resources become an unseemly tussle , the only ones that suffer are the local people. The article describes now that the people have resorted to queuing at Pharmacies, Petrol Stations and Marketplaces in order to be able to buy essentials when they can, because the uncertainty now in what was already a fairly fragile economy looks like it will get worse for the foreseeable future.
There is no news, as that has been shut down , with the only station broadcasting endless repeats of past speeches by Nicolas Maduro. Interestingly enough, there are at least five or more other leaders within Venezuela who are basically stronger and controlled Nicolas Maduro, the implication being Nicolas Maduro was a puppet. The people know that those leaders will now take charge, they were the strong ones. If the Americans had wanted to take Venezuela then they would have had to taken them all.
So now the people are left with the ‘colectivos’, a sort of armed militia wandering the streets, previously used by the government to control demonstrations and basically use violence. They are largely uncontrolled and undisciplined. Meanwhile the different municipal police run their own check points where their district starts and ends. As you can imagine, movements are going to be restricted and it introduces the danger of being harassed for whatever reason while you are trying to go about and do your daily business.
Recent events have made the situation so much worse for the majority of people in Venezuela, I understand even the Chinese who bought the oil rights from Nicolas Maduro, are keeping their distance and watching to see what happens next. The Oil rights are worth only 3% of the Chinese requirement for Oil so, it is not critical to them. So in truth I don’t think the oil can be the main driver for the United States. Authorising the kidnapping of a Leader of another Country is not going to help President Trump’s prospects for winning the Nobel Prize, though I suppose stranger things have happened.
Namaste and Thank You for Reading.🙏
Filed under Short Stories
Do you spend more time thinking about the future or the past. Why?
What a coincidence that this AI generated prompt popped up this morning, as yesterday evening I spent a most enjoyable few hours listening to the Time Machine by HG Wells. I’ve got to admit I am not a fan of futuristic fantasy and I have had the book free from Audible for some time. I finally got around to listening to it.
At first, I thought , oh no this is going to be like some “boys own” fantasy, how wrong I was. This story describes how humanity will fail and how the World as we know it will change to perhaps an unhospitable land where creatures we simply do not understand will become extinct just like us and eventually the heat of the sun will be all the Earth knows, the moon having long disappeared.
I suppose the “Time Traveller” himself is a bit “boys own ” but in the book his self-analysis and his belief that he will use violence when necessary means he is very much a man of his time. Also his tenderness and frustration is surprisingly humane and shocking.
I was with the ” Time Traveller” on his journey , backward and forward in time and that which wasn’t described, since it was not part of HG Well’s story was left to my imagination. So I suppose for those few hours , I was backwards and forwards and all over the place.
Namast and Thank You for Reading.🙏
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Thanks to Michael Ribbeck of the Swindon Advertiser for the Headline
In my mind to keep everyone that is frail safe they should have access to this service for free. Also we should value the service and the people that work to provide it. It should be like how the Japanese view their care, that it is an “honour” to care for people who cannot care for themselves.
Apparently those that do have the telecare service pay what they have always paid along with the budgeted increases but have noticed a deterioration in the service. That is not right. If they pay more the service should improve
With the modern digital culture and high speed broadband, everyone should have access to help if they need it . It should not be a question of if people need to pay for a better service.
The opportunity should be to review what is needed , where it is needed and what is the most effective technology and human input to achieve it. In the long run that will save money and reduce distress for those who need the support.
Namaste and Thank You for Reading.🙏
Filed under Short Stories
A Gift-a thing given willingly to someone without payment.
Not many instances of that in our harsh,cynical profit driven economy. I, though, have had a few, a few someone’s and their gifts of understanding and acceptance are what makes life worth the effort and worth living.
Namaste and Thank You for Reading.🙏
Filed under Short Stories
thenotsomightyom 