Category Archives: Short Stories

#HeadlineTherapy Venezuela’s interim president’s oil law reform to break with Chavez model

Thanks to Lila Vanorio and Aljazeera for the Headline.

Venezuela’s oil has become a free for all now with the support of their parliament. Overnight with Maduro’s departure, the reforms that Hugo Chavez put in place to Nationalise the Oil Industry under the state-owned oil Company PDVSA in 2006 have been thrown to the wind with the backing of a £500billion energy agreement from the United States. “Stop Oil” protesters eat your heart out.

I often wonder about the practicality of these things , but the main drivers to achieve a more open oil industry is allowing external private companies to purchase interests in Venezuelan Oil projects, permit the opening of bank accounts in any currency and jurisdiction ( profits will go back to investing country ) and while stating that PDVSA still will maintain a majority stake in joint ventures , but allow minority partners to exercise technical and operational management( does the Venezuelan Government feel they lack the technical know how of the likes of Red Adair the famous Texas Oil Driller).

I’ve probably oversimplified the situation, but Delcy and Donald seem to have come to an agreement and everyone has forgotten about the kidnapping of Maduro. Nice to know that one of the main concerns of the major American Oil Companies has been addressed , in that there will be Arbitration and Legal redress for businesses working in Venezuela, this follows the disaster where the American Oil Companies were thrown out in 2006,their fingers were burnt and they do not want that to happen again.

Already the oil revenues have increased for Venezuela which is going to help their economy, the bill still needs to go through a second reading . Does the World want or need Venezuelan Oil? We will have to wait and see, there are Hydrocarbon agreements in place Internationally .Can we really afford to live with this and what impact is this going to have on the environment in Venezuela or indeed the World? A powerful headline indeed with lots of food for thought.

Namaste and Thank You for Reading.🙏

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Good Sport

Daily writing prompt
What are your favorite sports to watch and play?

I like to think I’m a good sport and will occasionally watch something purely for entertainment purposes. Though as I am an observer of human nature, it pains me when I see behaviour which isn’t very sporting. Sport is all now so monetised, the stakes are so high, that it seems anything goes, and we have lost the point of Sport . So I turn to Shakespeare who knew a thing or two and probably watched the odd game of Tennis as it features in his plays.

“If all the year were playing holidays. To sport would be as tedious as to work” Henry IV Part 1(Act 1 Scene 2

As to me playing sport nowadays. I shall again refer to Shakespeare ” But I , that am not shaped for sportive tricks”. Richard III (Act 1 Scene 1)

Namaste and Thank You for Reading.🙏

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#HeadlineTherapy Three rescued searching for viral Highland cows

Thanks to Katie Waple of BBC News Online for the Headline

There’s a place called Buster Hill in Hampshire, England where occasionally some Highland Cows like to wander around as it ‘s their perfect terrain, full of gorse , the cows walk around daintily on their hooves and get some exercise. Enter humanity.On a bright summers day someone takes a picture of the Cows doing what cows like to do , chewing the cud and admiring the view and subsequently publish it on Social Media.

Towards the end of January this year, in declining weather conditions, three humans after discovering the Social Media Post decide to go searching for the cows in the wet and cold crossing wet gorse which is tangly underfoot with hidden hoof divets, excellent for hurting your ankle.

The three humans eventually realise it’s getting dark and cold and still no sign of the cows, so they contact Hampshire Fire and Rescue to rescue them from the pickle they’ve gotten themselves into . Dutifully they are rescued. Where were the cows? The cows were probably comfortably asleep in their barn, it is winter after all.

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Sit on the Dock of the Bay

Daily writing prompt
What would you do if you won the lottery?

I’d sit on the Dock of the Bay and think what boat I could buy, then I’d breathe deeply and wish I could write a song as good as Sitting on the Dock of the Bay and realise that money isn’t everything and a boat wouldn’t make me happy anyway.

Namaste and Thank You for Reading.🙏

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#HeadlineTherapy Tearful goodbyes as Japan returns pandas to China amid worsening ties

Thanks to BBC Online News Kelly Ng and Shaimaa Khalil for the Headline

It’s not the Pandas it’s Taiwan. Sad to say humans have brought animals into their conflict again. Poor Pandas, having the life of Riley in Japan, they were born there and now they have to go back to China who seem just to use them in bargaining powers to get bigger and better trade deals. In all honesty if China had have left the Pandas alone they probably would be extinct by now, and the World Wildlife Fund wouldn’t have a motto. Hope the Japanese Pandas have a good life in China, I suppose the Chinese have been very good at breeding them.

Namaste and Thank You For Reading.🙏

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#HeadlineNews Crowborough: ‘Biggest protest yet’ as first migrants move into barracks

Thanks to ITV News for the Headline.

I’ve got to say what immediately struck me with this Headline was today, Tuesday 27th January, is Holocaust Remembrance Day. All victims of the Holocaust both Jew and non-Jew are remembered. I wish I could get the pictures of what happened during that period and what is still happening today into those protesters heads and the Politicians that support them.

Namaste and Thank You for Reading.🙏

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#HeadlineTherapy Lyons Facebook post ‘may have heightened tensions’ during riots

Thanks to Gareth Gordon and Jayne Mc Cormack , BBC News NI for the Headline.

While the Australians have banned 16 year olds, the French are considering banning them and British MP’s have raised a petition to ban 16 year olds from Social Media. Meanwhile some of the worst offenders are Politicians themselves , in this case the above Northern Ireland Minister was found responsible for using a Facebook post to “contribute to further unrest” with respect to immigration in Northern Ireland.

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So many books, so little time

Daily writing prompt
What books do you want to read?

So many books are essential reading, yet we have so little time.

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#HeadlineTherapy Netflix rejects Paramount’s offer; it has nothing else other than Oracle founder Larry Ellison’s…..

Thanks to Times of India Tech Desk for the Headline

I certainly didn’t realise that Warner Brothers Discovery was subject to a hostile bid that would potentially see a combining of franchises like Game of Thrones and Harry Potter with other Network successes perhaps of less artistic merit. The two protaganists are Paramount and Netflix, with Netflix leading the way with a cash bid , whereas Paramounts bid is seen as far too reliant on debt and leverage and the backing of Larry Ellison. It seems the world of creativity is being monetised and if we want to see the arts we’ll have to sign up and subscribe to the highest bidder.

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Christmas has gone out of fashion

Daily writing prompt
Write about a few of your favorite family traditions.

I suppose it happens with all families. Suddenly children are entering teenage years and adulthood and Christmas just isn’t as easy as it used to be. No one wants to sit around a table eating so much they burst and presents have turned into a confused consumer trudge that some of us really cannot afford. Yes, we do enjoy seeing each other, but when you are trying to manage a budget you really could do with a quick Facebook Happy Christmas, and an extended lie in in bed. Not travelling 400 miles up the motorway in bad weather to sleep on Auntie Nellie’s couch with her flea ridden poodle. Thankfully in our family traditions develop and we adapt , nothing is set in stone anymore. Laughter is important and yes it’s fun to laugh at ridiculous traditions.

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