Blogs

Choose Your Battles

Posted by TJW on Tue, 17 Jan 2023

I got this buddy. Met at work. She's a drinking buddy. We watch football, drink, you know, we're buddies. I've even met her girlfriend and they were the girl in the relationship. This past Saturday the game ended at 11-something. I ain't planned on going to her placed to watch it but she had planned to watch it with her girl but they broke a few days before and this buddy of mine, she didn't want to be alone sulking, so I went over and we...

Story and Poem of the Week and Inspiration Point

Posted by Insertponceyfrenchnamehere on Fri, 13 Jan 2023

Posted by airyfairy on Fri, 13 Jan 2023 The diversity of the writing on ABC Tales is its greatest strength, and the Picks for this week are very different indeed. Story of the Week is Part One of ethancrane's 'Warchild', but that's only because I can't give it to both parts. Surreal, funny, acutely observant and completely absorbing, it's a cracking read: Warchild (part 1 of 2) | ABCtales Warchild (part 2 of 2) | ABCtales Poem of the Week is...

Story and Poem of the Week and Inspiration Point

Posted by airyfairy on Fri, 13 Jan 2023

The diversity of the writing on ABC Tales is its greatest strength, and the Picks for this week are very different indeed. Story of the Week is Part One of ethancrane's 'Warchild', but that's only because I can't give it to both parts. Surreal, funny, acutely observant and completely absorbing, it's a cracking read: Warchild (part 1 of 2) | ABCtales Warchild (part 2 of 2) | ABCtales Poem of the Week is Kilb50's tender, poignant and beautifully...

Adam Rutherford (2020) How To Argue With A Racist.

Posted by celticman on Thu, 12 Jan 2023

In front of me is a cardboard packing from a gift. A wavy dividing line drawn in biro. Good: Rosay, Sophie, Megn. Bad: Claudia, Robin. The list was drawn up by Alfie aged seven, and Tilly, aged five (her birthday today). Rosay has just turned one and is Robin’s sister. She can’t be bad because she’s a baby. Claudia is bad because she’s Alfie’s sister. Megn, aged six, is a neighbour’s kid that runs really fast and told me she doesn’t really need...

Tom Phillips & Jonn Elledge (2022) Conspiracy: A History of Bxllocks Theories, and How Not to Fall For Them.

Posted by celticman on Tue, 10 Jan 2023

I like to think I’m pretty good contestant at Conspiracy Theories. But any fellow conspirators, I guess, imagine the same thing. A general rule of thumb, whatever the 45 th American President believed, I believe the opposite. The great thing about fiction is you can—literally—put words into people’s mouths. In Ugly Puggly , for example, this is exactly what I think, but not so exactly that anyone would believe a real person would think this way...

Anna Porter (2008) Kasztener’s Train.

Posted by celticman on Sun, 08 Jan 2023

I’d heard of Oskar Schindler— the clichéd read the book and seen the film—but I hadn’t heard of Resko Kasztner the Hungarian born Jew. Anna Porter tells us who he was and what he did. There are historical echoes of many of the lessons here that we’ve already forgotten. Chapter 32, begins with a quote from [United States] : ‘Rowell McClelland, Report on the Activities of the War Refugee Board from March 1944 to July 1945. ‘Dr Israel Kasztner...

Story and Poem of the Month

Posted by Insertponceyfrenchnamehere on Sun, 08 Jan 2023

Our Story and Poem of the Month for December have very kindly been chosen by rjnewlyn: Pick of the Month – December 2022 Well, many congratulations to all of you – an excellent month’s writing and as spoilt for choice as ever. Prose first and a wholly arbitrary decision for Pick of the Month from such a range of styles and subjects. Particular recommendations include a really-quite-strange pandemic-type story from ethancrane that you’ll probably...

Electric Cars, BBC Sounds, Best Thing Since Sliced Bread presented by Greg Foot.

Posted by celticman on Wed, 04 Jan 2023

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m00162yr ceteris paribus adverb With all other factors or things remaining the same. other things being equal ; with all other things or factors remaining the same. all other things being equal Anyone that has done O-grade economics knows what ceteris paribus means. It means nothing in the real world, because all things are not equal. Since the late nineteen-seventies, year on year, decade on decade things have...

Percival Everett (2022) The Trees

Posted by celticman on Sun, 01 Jan 2023

The Trees by Percival Everett was shortlisted for The Booker Prize 2022. I take it Percival Everett is a black man. Critical Theory suggests you should shut the fuck up and just read the book. It doesn’t matter if the writer is pink or orange or gay or transgender. What matters is the text. It inhabits a world free-floating above the artist where great works of art exist. A bit like heaven, but without The Booker Prize. Percival Everett, like me...

A New Year's Eve encounter

Posted by Don Michael on Sat, 31 Dec 2022

A young man once asked Buddha to explain the essence of the Teaching. “If you cling, you are bound. If you do not cling, you are free,” Buddha replied. + L ast night was New Year's Eve, it was raining and very dark as my good friend Mark drove me home through the streets of our town near Gloucester. He is an excellent and very careful driver and as a company representative covers many miles every month. He was familiar with all the streets and...

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