miércoles, 31 de julio de 2019

Show of Strength


Show of Strength

Show of Strength

The city, aware of its own beauty and charm, posed for the photographers. Protected as it was by high mountains there was not even the slightest breeze to ruffle its hair. A picture postcard town, perfectly static. The tourists recorded the moment for future reference.
This contrasted with the air of excitement and expectation in the purposeful coming and going of the inhabitants. In every square and garden, on every patch of wasteland and on every balcony or flat-topped roof, rockets were being prepared. Because tonight the city would enter the record books.
It had always been famous for its fireworks, and people would come from all over the country to see the magnificently choreographed displays. But in recent years a number of competitors had sprung up, especially from nearby towns down the valley. Naturally their shows were not as spectacular or well designed, but over the years the gap had begun to narrow. This could not be tolerated. It was a matter of pride, of tradition. It was time to send out a strong message to these upstart villages and to show them who was boss.
It had been decided and decreed that every man, woman and child in the city would be represented by a rocket fired into the night sky, in unison. Any visitor who wanted to join in was also very welcome. Given that the population at the last census was well over nine hundred thousand souls, the Council calculated that close on a million rockets would be exploded in the night sky at the same time. The dramatic event would be seen, and heard, across the whole valley and over the surrounding plains. It was to be broadcast on national and international channels, with an estimated worldwide viewership of scores of millions.
Preparations had been underway for almost a year. Local industries had manufactured hundreds of thousands of rocket launchers, and the gunpowder plants had been working extra shifts to try and meet the demand. It had been a hectic time, not without setbacks, but their efforts had been rewarded; everything was ready for the big night.
Midnight. The alloted moment. As soon as the cathedral bells began to ring, the night sky was turned into an orgy of colour and sound. Rocket upon rocket soared up into the dark, bursting into reds and blues and yellows. Huge blooms that hung for a few seconds as if reluctant to fade punctuated by sharp bright flashes of intense white light. Delicate plumes of scattering gold criss-crossed by sudden shafts of flame. It was beautiful, it was terrifying; it was apocalyptic.
People cheered and clapped and congratulated each other on the undeniable success of the event. And then, once the tremendously loud explosion which ensued had died away, darkness returned. A deeper darkness than before because the night sky was now covered by a heavy cloud of thick smoke which blotted out the stars and the moon.
What they had not expected was that the next morning the blanket of gunpowder smoke would still be hanging in the air, so impenetrably dense that the sun was unable to push through it, had been reduced to a mere vague luminosity. After such an explosion of pride and strength, the city had been thrown into perpetual gloom. Trapped as it was by high mountains, there was not even the slightest breeze to ruffle its hair. The thick grey cloud would not move, was perfectly static. There were no tourists to be seen.


miércoles, 15 de mayo de 2019

I believe

Alabama State senator Clyde Chambliss on passing a total ban on abortion . “When God creates that life, that miracle of life inside the woman’s womb, it’s not our place as humans to extinguish that life. That’s what I believe.”
Fair enough. If his daughter is raped and wants to have the child, that wish will be respected.
What is not acceptable is that his 'belief' is thrust upon those who think differently. We all bleieve in something, but when someone's personal belief is placed above another's, usually by some self-proclaimed God-given right, then society needs to fight back.

These lyrics sum it up nicely.

 MAN MAD GOD
I BELIEVE MY MUM AND DAD
I BELIEVE THE THINGS I HEARD
I BELIEVE WHAT TEACHERS TEACH
AND THE PRINTED WORD
I BELIEVE MY FRIENDS BELIEVE
I BELIEVE WHAT WE DO IS RIGHT
I BELIEVE TRUTH IS ON OUR SIDE
AND WHAT WE SEE IS LIGHT

I HAVE THE POWER
I WIELD THE ROD
NOW THAT I CONTROL CREATION
I'M A MAN MADE GOD

I BELIEVE THIS CHILD NEEDS CORRECTION
AND LOST SOULS NEED MY HELP
I BELIEVE YOU'RE JUST NOT LISTENING
SO I WILL TAKE IT ON MYSELF
I BELIEVE I HAVE ENEMIES
I BELIEVE A WELL MEANT LIE
I BELIEVE IN CRUCIFICTION
I BELIEVE THIS MAN MUST DIE

I HAVE THE POWER

I WIELD THE ROD

IN THE BEGINNING GOD MADE MAN

NOW I'M A MAN MADE GOD 



domingo, 28 de abril de 2019

Voting is a luxury.


Election day in Spain. I am unable to vote because I do not have Spanish nationality. Neither can I vote in UK because I have been out of the country for too long. If Brexit goes through I will not be able to vote in the municipal or European elections either.
I could always get dual nationality, I have all the requisites. Yet I am reluctant. Not only because of the daunting prospect of going through Spanish bureaucracy. Nor because of the fact that once completed there is an inexplicable two and a half year wait for it to come into effect.
No, I am loathe to do all this because it seems to me like a booby prize. I had high hopes, hopes for a European passport, European nationality. I had hoped that maybe, just maybe, we could drop all this nonsense about borders nations and reach a sensible agreement.
When I first arrived here I had to apply for a work visa, which took almost eight months to receive. My contract was for nine months. It was a pointless and tiring task, traipsing from one department to another to get duplicate stamps and hand in documents they already had.
Now we are heading back down that road. And I will be forced to jump through the hoops once more.
So if you can, get out and vote. This situation may not last forever.

miércoles, 20 de marzo de 2019

¡A votar!


Dentro de poco más de un mes habrá elecciones generales. Como siempre, a los partidos de la izquierda les importa más luchar entre ellos que contra sus verdaderos rivales.
Mientras tanto partidos como Vox y Ciudadanos no dejan de crecer. Y ell PP se frota las manos, porque en río revuelto…
Muchos votantes de la izquierda, enzarzados en sus guerras fratricidas, se quedarán en casa. Craso error. La derecha no se duerme, está al acecho. Si lo que pretenden algunos es un voto de castigo, o una abstención de castigo, serán castigados de verdad.
Ni el sistema ni ningún partido es perfecto, a la vista está, pero lavarse las manos y no votar tampoco puede ser una solución, porque las consecuencias pueden ser terribles. Hay que escoger la opción menos mala y frenar el auge de la extrema derecha.
Hemos visto lo que ha pasado en Andalucía. Que sea una anécdota. Hay que mandar de nuevo al pasado a los neo-fascistas. Son historia. Que sigan así.