What snack would you eat right now?
Oh snack, leave me alone
You tempt me like a wicked crone
You hark me back to childhood years
And gourd me with fat and fears
Those unnatural powdered additives of red and yellow
Those frothy lipids that make me mellow
Oh snack you wicked licentious hag
For my sake get back in your bag.
Filed under Short Stories
Thanks to Evan Bush and Aria Bendix from NBC News for the Headline
Tragically, there has been a many fold increase in the instances of death cap mushroom poisoning in California with 35 cases recorded in that last couple of months where normally there would be fewer than 5.
So far three people have died from the poisoning. The poison in them amatoxin can cause irreversible liver damage.
Weather conditions including early rains and a mild autumn have resulted in a surfeit of the toxic mushrooms which are very similar in appearance to edible mushrooms.
Small amounts of the death cap mushroom can be fatal, as little as a standard sugar cube.
I suppose the advice is just buy mushrooms from a trusted source and make sure you Health Insurance Premiums are up to date.
Thankfully an expert who studies the prevalence of the death cap mushroom is saying that the risk is reducing due to the season finishing and perhaps colder weather coming . Still the spores will be ready next year, so if you are going to forage , be careful.
Namaste and Thank You for Reading.🙏
Mushrooms or Toadstools, I’m not too sure . AI Generated.
Filed under Short Stories
This is the type of headline that I love, somehow associating Nicholas Cage with requests to wave Nazi memorabalia and flags. Definitely made me have a second look, whether I’d go and see the film is another thing. Although I do think Cage is an excellent actor.
For those of you who want to know ,the film is ” Operation Fortitude” about the efforts of the British in 1944 to mislead Nazi Germany about the nature and timings of the D-Day landings and the storming of Normandy.
Enter stage right Waltham Forest Council, who wanted time to consider their role and the fact that the beautiful Waltham Forest Town Hall would be covered in Nazi paraphernalia ( big flags) and that the local people would have to understand that it was purely for a film and that they hadn’t politically moved to the extreme right.
Unfortunately due to filming pressures; the shoot had to be moved forward a month and it was impossible for the Council to play their part( bit like Marilyn Monroe, they were not in the mood and needed more time to consider) which due to filming pressures apparently they couldn’t have.
The preemptive letters sent by the film Company to the locals living nearby ( sent before anything had been agreed) explaining that when they started filming “the Nazi Flag’s would be highly visible” just confused everyone and the Council were quite adamant that no Nazi flags visible or otherwise would be flying on their Council Buildings.
So the shoot was moved to Greenwich, presumably to the old Navy buildings there.
The Council were quite clear that there was no cost or benefit or threats of suing as a result of this change of plan. I actually think the Council buildings look fine as they are , quite Art Deco if you ask me and I’m sure Nicholas Cage is pleased to be working again.
Namaste and Thank You for Reading. 🙏
AI interpretation of Art Deco Council Building , definitely not the Council Building.
Filed under Short Stories
Thanks to Annabelle Martin Gloucestershire, BBC Online News for the Headline
Prinknash Abbey in Gloucestershire was sold to developers in 2008 by the Benedictine Monks who lived there, due to the costs associated with running the building becoming prohibitive, they moved to another building nearby called St Peter’s Grange where they continue their monastic life making incense and practicing their religious beliefs with their ever decreasing numbers.
The Abbey could now be transformed into eight homes and 20 apartments under a planning application submitted to Stroud District Council. The proposals have been backed by the Abbey Trustees, whereas previous proposals have been turned down.
We visited Prinknash in 2011 the Monks were no longer living at the Abbey and we didn’t have a dog. There is Deer Park in the grounds which is operated privately and was closed for sometime, but has now reopened as a facility for people to again walk in the area and see the animals that are kept there for a fee.
It would be sad to see the buildings deteriorate and it would be nice for the area to be developed tastefully and for people to live there again. I hope they can maintain the beauty of the area and make it accessible for those who can also appreciate it’s beauty.
Namaste and Thank You for Reading.🙏
Filed under Short Stories
Thanks to Jess Cockerill and Science Alert Online for the Headline.
What a bummer, the adopt a mammoth scheme run by a museum led to the discovery that two bones from the spine of a large animal found in 1951 in the Alaskan Interior are actually from a whale not a mammoth.
The DNA analysis that they were able to complete from the “adoption money” to determine the age of the bones, showed they were a lot younger than they would have to be to be a Wooly Mammoth. Not just that but the diet was all wrong, analysis showed that the animal lived predominately on seafood.
There are a few possibilities as to how the bones came to be in the museum; maybe a Whale somehow made it’s way into a tributary and maybe drifted across to the area the bones were found( unlikely due to the size of the animal), the whales bones were transported to the region by humans for some sort of ceremonial or decorative purpose or there was a mix up by the archeologists in categorisation.
Either way the name chosen for the Wooly Mammoth by the adoptee of Morris the Mammoth has now had to be changed to Wally the Whale. ( apologies I made that bit up). The rest though is true.
Namaste and Thank You for Reading.🙏
Filed under Short Stories
Thanks to Sky News Online for this Headline
#HeadlineTherapy King of Spain warns about the risk of ‘dismantling’ the link between Europe and the US
Thanks to Miguel Gonzalez of El Pais Online for the Headline.
Unusually I have combined two Headlines today as Pope LeoXIV and the King Felipe VI of Spain were both speaking at the ” Conference of Ambassadors , the Pope at the Vatican with the Vatican Diplomatic Corps in Rome, while King Felipe VI held a two day conference with the heads of Spanish diplomatic missions worldwide in Madrid.
I suppose we forget about the history of the Catholic Church and it’s relationship with Spain, but the fact that they both call it a “Conference of Ambassadors” is interesting. I must admit at first I thought they had both attended the same event, but they were separate, but both asking for Peace and Level-Headedness when dealing with the challenges that their Ambassadors face.
Pope Leo did not mince his words denouncing countries for ” completely undermining ” peace, saying ” was is back in vogue and a zeal for war is spreading”. He was talking about the many conflicts in the World today and said that” consensus- based diplomacy is being replaced by a diplomacy based on force, by either individuals or groups of allies.” Perhaps we do need to read that in black and white. With the big child in the Whitehouse who’ll throw his toys at you if you won’t be his friend , yes consensus is going out of fashion, Donald might as well sing “if you want to be in my Gang”
King Felipe’s stance is very similar to the Pope, neither want conflict. Spain with it’s common language and most probably a lot of business trade with South America the King’s hope is that his Ambassadors can act with great patience and diplomatic courage, particularly with respect to Venezuela. Also that the closeness of Europe and America must continue, as the benefits are too great and isolationism would be catastrophic as it nearly was in the first half of the last Century. We all need each other
King Felipe was able to be secular and pragmatic, where Pope Leo as leader of the Catholic Church was from a religious point of view, however, they both have valuable messages and maybe all Countries should have a “Conference of Ambassadors” to set out plans for consensus and understanding.
Namaste and Thank You for Reading.🙏
Filed under Short Stories
My little dog had too big a drink of water before he went to bed as he woke up at 3.00am in the morning wanting to be let out.
Dutifully my partner in crime got up and put his jacket over his pyjamas and tried to put the harness and lead on the dog, who never stays still when you are trying to put these things on.
I got up to see them go out and they disappeared out the front door. It was ghostly quiet and there was frost on the ground. The LED street lights gave the street a strange glow and there were some lights on in the house opposite us.
I went into the the kitchen for a glass of water and as I came back out.
I heard the most horrible barking. I knew it was my dog and in the silence of the night it was awful.
I opened up the front curtains, I could see nothing, the barking had stopped and then it started again . I couldn’t see anything.
It stopped again and I thought was it two dogs, did they give each other a fright?
All I could do was wait to see when they got back what had happened.
They were at least ten minutes, which seemed like an eternity, but eventually I heard the click of the back door key.
They were back .
My little dog came running towards me and my partner was laughing.
“What happened ?” I asked him.
“He was in the middle of his wee and a fox ran by him at speed being chased by a cat, the fox nearly ran into him , the fox was inches away.
The fox and the cat disappeared down the alleyway ; but of course muggins here had to do a “pawtrol” and follow them slowly. They had long gone.”
My little dog was all hyped up after his experience and took a while to settle down, but eventually we all went back to bed and settled down in the warmth again.
Filed under Short Stories
Come up with a Crazy Business Idea
I am sitting here and I don’t want to move as I have a lap top on my lap which is charging nicely.
I need the ” Thought Breakfast“.
It’s a really helpful use of telekenisis, not too energy draining and you can prepare some items before and even do the shopping the previous day to ensure that you have all the ingredients.
Then you just “think.”
” What will I have for breakfast?”
The things that you think of , just fly in from the kitchen.
In my case firstly a cup of tea in my favourite mug of the time( it changes), then a bowl of full fat greek yoghurt with honey and a few pieces of bashed pecans.
That would suffice.
My Crazy Business idea is a dream. Though if telekenisis does ever prove to work than it would have many subsidiary businesses launched from it.
“The Thought Lunch”
“The Thought Dinner”
“The Thought Snack”
NB I have to say that telekenisis is not freely available as the process could get into the wrong hands and used inappropriately and not purely for the selfish benefit of launching food from the kitchen to the lazy person sitting on the sofa. Mums the Word, Don’t Mention it to Donald.
Filed under Short Stories
Thanks to Archie Mitchell Business Reporter BBC Online News for the Headline
Here we go, although these figures are pie in the sky as let’s face it employers are profit orientated and no way can they accept a policy from a Government that will cost them an extra £5 billion pounds despite the well intentioned efforts of the Labour Government and their ideals.
Waltz in nameless faceless officials who are now very pleased with themselves in being able to report that the figures will now only cost the go getting employers £1 billion pounds which is more affordable don’t you think?
Well any self-effacing businessman or businesswoman is going to say get off your high horses we can’t afford to give our workers anymore . We’ll have to rein in it in somewhere else. Employ less people, forget about training and health care. No more paid holidays, more hours less pay. We’ll bring contractors in they can pay for the welfare of the workers. Even the Public Sector will be at it.
So what will happen to the Employment Rights Act, it’s just got more expensive to employ people and the rub seems to be that if you are sick they don’t want you. Let’s face it it will move more to contract and temporary work.
In black and white, no one in their right mind is going to agree a £1billion pound wage increase. Unless you are an MP agreeing your own benefit package. That is the exception.
Filed under Short Stories
Thanks to Peggy Corlin from Euro News Online for the Headline
Well I wasn’t aware that the EU has been negotiating with some South American Countries, for nearly 20 years for a trade agreement covering Beef, Poultry and Sugar. A trade agreement that would include over 700 million people, including populations from Brazil and Argentina. It is called the Mercosur deal and has now got backing from a host of member Countries but may be brought to a halt in the French Parliament.
Is it needed? I’m not so sure. Sounds globalist expansion to me and for whose benefit? I think we should concentrate on local good quality farming and stop looking to increase the size of our markets. Perhaps the future is smaller quantities and better quality.
Namaste and Thank You for Reading. 🙏
Filed under Short Stories
thenotsomightyom 