( Thank you Leonard Cohen.) There's a crack in everything that's how the light gets in, through empty gestures of times exhaust that vent bitterness on tonque, scars trace the nights laughter sailing on ripped tides at dusk, allow resurfacing days shadow to ignite fizzing and nudging, in the process of awakening, through depths of minds endeavor moods of restless toil, voyages of troubled sleep deep in mood innate, among the magic of the moon in the dark shines bright, waiting for dawns page to turn golden tickets of imagination, in the ever present of eternity to purify and illuminate, because there's a crack in everything that's how the light gets in.
Not taking place here in Wales, for the time being because the NHS in Wales is devolved. Since 1999, the Welsh Government has been involved in running its NHS, so for the time being will the junior doctors contract already in place, so Junior Doctors will be working as normal today. We are guess most fortunate to have the NHS in our hands for now. We still have public service being run not for private greed. Catching up at last, after all the Welsh have generally been poorer and sicker than the English for at least the past 300 years.
Nevetheless across the border Jeremy Hunt has vetoed a deal that would have ended the junior doctor's dispute, that was supported by the NHS's own negotiators. At the same time N.H.S trusts cannot balance books because of poor funding. A political decision to create room for private enterprise in healthcare. Cuts elsewhere such as in councils, has also piled on the pressure. Despite taking place in England, we must stand together until their is fairness for doctors, safety for patients and safeguards for the future of the NHS everywhere. After all the approach taken by the Government in England is still an attack on us all.
The government is trying to crush the doctors and the NHS, ( an essential service that the Welsh people helped create, modelled on miner's mutual aid schemes, ) whilst undermining the BMA and allow it to fall into the hands of the private sector, we can't let this happen. We must all support the junior doctors, to stop Jeremy Hunt from forcing doctors into accepting a contract that puts more live at risk. Dangerous to patients because tired doctors don't perform at their best, and mistakes will be made.
Another Pig headed Tory ideological attack on hard working honest people. Remember doctors save lives, Tory's take them away.We must continue to support the junior doctors and all those who seek to defend the NHS, porters, cleaning staff etc etc standing shoulder to shoulder with them all in solidarity.
The 9th of February marks St Teilo's Day. (also Teilio, Theleau, Eliud; ) The waters of his well - now dried up - are near Maenchlochog, in West Wales, Pembrokeshire's rural heartland, where a church dedicated to him dating back to the 12th Century can be found. It was said to cure whooping cough. Pilgrims came from far and wide to drink it's spring water, which was said to cure paralysis and other ailments. There was only one drawback; they had to be slurped from Teilo's skull. This strange practice continued into the 20th century using one of the saints three skulls! Teilo was born at Penally in Dyfed , around AD 500 and was cousin of David the patron Saint of Wales. His original name was apparently Eliuid . He went on to become Bishop at Llandaf Cathedral in Cardiff, and died back in Dyfed at Llandeilo Fawr. The three churches, that were former centers of the Teilo cult, are still standing. He was a very popular saint,- and by medieval times, there were over thirty churches and villages dedicated to him across Wales and Brittany, including the church at Plogonnec, Finistere, and the chapel of Our lady in Kerdevot. In Brittany he is known as the Saint of horses, and of fruit trees, whilst in France, Teilo, St Samson and his followers are said to have planted three miles of fruit trees and even today the fruit groves they planted are known as the groves of Teilo and Samson. During his time in Brittany , he is said to have saved people from a winged dragon which he tamed and which he kept tied to a rock in the sea. In another a local Lord offered him all the land he could encircle between sunset and sunrise , Teilo chose to ride a stag to cover as much ground in the time available. Teilo performed numerous miracles in his lifetime (he
raised one man from the dead, healed another one from the
palsy and so on) which continued after his repose from his
relics and holy wells associated with him. In the Middle
Ages Teilo was loved and venerated as one of the greatest
saints and Church figures in the country’s history.
His veneration from Wales extended to Cornwall, Devon,
Brittany and neighboring regions.
In around 554 Teilo and his followers returned from Brittany to
Llandeilo Fawr. After the death of St. David, Teilo became revered as
one of the most holy men in Wales. He was joined at Llandeilo by many
disciples including Cynfwr, Teulyddog and Llywel. He died at the abbey
of Llandeilo Fawr on February 9th, probably around the year 560. A considerable number of churches dedicated to St.
Teilo in Wales most can be found in the counties of
Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire and Glamorgan. Churches and
toponyms that bear his name are also scattered in
Cornwall, Devon and Brittany. The modern Anglican Diocese
of St. Davids alone has 12 churches dedicated to St.
Teilo, and the Diocese of Llandaff has at least six
churches which have him as their patron. No fewer than six
churches in Devon and Cornwall are connected with him.
Quite a few schools are named after him as well.
Today Llandeilo is a little town in Carmarthenshire. Here
Teilo founded his main monastery, served as abbot and
bishop, lived as a hermit. The town church is dedicated to
its founder to this day. It is early medieval by origin
but was entirely rebuilt in 1850. After repose of Teilo
the Llandeilo Fawr Abbey continued to develop and with
time became the major church of all the neighboring
districts. It is known that around the ninth century a
beautiful and ornate Gospel, called “St.
Teilo’s Gospel”, was kept in Llandeilo. It had
been created a century before, most probably in Mercia in
England. It was considered that this Gospel “had
belonged to St. Teilo himself”. Afterwards it was
transferred to the English town of Lichfield where it is
displayed to this day as a great relic. From 1290 on, on
the orders of King Edward I of England (1239-1307), an
annual fair in honor of St. Teilo was held near the church
in Llandeilo. This fair stopped only in the twentieth
century. Fragments of two Celtic crosses (date to c.900)
were also discovered and now are kept in Llandeilo church.
There is a holy well of St. Teilo near the eastern end of
the church.
The saint is depicted on stained glass
windows of a number of churches of Wales, for example, at
the Holy Trinity Church in Abergavenny. A
thirteenth-century church in the village of
Llantilio-Crossenny in Monmouthshire, not far from
Abergavenny, is dedicated to St. Teilo. The church has a
very high spire and due to its large size it is often
nicknamed a “baby cathedral”. The church is in
the early English and Decorated Gothic styles. It is
cruciform and its interior has many interesting features.
In this spot a battle between a king of Gwent and pagan
Saxons may have taken place in the sixth century.
According to legend, St. Teilo took a cross, stood on the
hillock on which the church was to be built and began to
pray. And under the effect of his prayer the Saxons
scattered. The church in the village of Llandeloy in
Pembrokeshire is dedicated to our saint. This fine
twelfth-century church was rebuilt early in the twentieth
century but now is redundant. There is a holy well hidden
among the vegetation near this church. A
thirteenth-century church with three chantry chapels in
the small hamlet of Llantilio Pertholey in Monmouthshire
again has a dedication to St. Teilo who is depicted there
in stained glass. Another twelfth-century St.
Teilo’s Church in the spot known as Llandeilo
Tal-y-Bont near Swansea was closed in the 1970s, then
dismantled and has now been rebuilt at St. Fagans National
History Open-Air Museum in the city of Cardiff (located in
the grounds of the castle, this museum comprises over
forty reconstructed historic buildings). Remarkably,
during its dismantlement well-preserved ancient murals
were discovered on the church walls under the
wall-plaster. The village of Bishopston, called in Welsh
Llandeilo Ferwallt, situated in the Gower Peninsula, has a
church dedicated to St. Teilo. The parish church in the
village of Merthyr Mawr near the town of Bridgend is
dedicated to St. Teilo. It was built in 1850s on the site
of a very ancient church. A modern Roman Catholic church
in the town of Tenby in Pembrokeshire is dedicated to the
Holy Cross and St. Teilo.
St. Teilo is most famous today for what is supposed to have happened
after his death. According to an account in the early 12th century by
Geoffrey of Llandaff, there was a dispute over the body of St Teilo.
There were three claimants to the remains: the church at Penally (where
he was born), Llandeilo (where he founded his church and died), and
Llandaff (who claimed him as their bishop). During the night, the body
is said to have multiplied into three, one for each church, thus
settling the argument. A miracle, or perhaps just a dodgy excuse for a triple set of
relics.In the early Middle Ages, it was financially advantageous to have
relics or shrine in a catherdral. in order to attract pilgrims. The ancient shrine of St. Teilo, along with his skull, survive at Llandaff Cathedral to this day
and attract pilgrims, including Orthodox. His tomb with
the main relics stands to the right of the high altar and
his head relic is kept in the chapel which bears his name
and is housed in a specially constructed reliquary. The
skull is mounted on a silver base. For many centuries it
was a custom to take an oath on the saint’s shrine.
It was recorded that the shrine of St. Teilo at the
cathedral was opened in 1850 and also earlier in 1736 by
an architect. When the latter opened his shrine, it turned
out that the saint’s remains (wrapped in leather)
along with his episcopal crozier, cross, chalice and other
items were practically intact. A statue of this saint
today can be found in the west front of the cathedral.
Some parts of Llandaff Cathedral are from the twelfth
century; though this church was heavily damaged during the
Second World War, it was subsequently restored in all its
glory. St. Teilo together with Sts. Peter and Paul, Dyfrig
(whose shrine still rests within the cathedral) and
Euddogwy is a joint patron-saint of this Anglican
cathedral. He is also a patron-saint of the Welsh capital
city of Cardiff, which is very close to Llandaff and has a
Catholic parish church of St. Teilo and Our Lady of
Lourdes. Down the centuries the saint's multiple relics went missing piece by piece, and what is claimed to be one of Teilo's skulls recently reappeared in Hong Kong of all places. After protracted negotiations on February 8th 1994 there was a special service at Llandaff, at which the skull was installed in its own niche in the cathedral's St Teilo chapel. The reinstated relic is now considered far too precious to be used as a cup.The most succinct and restrained expression of the head cult survival theory in relation to the well and skull of St Teilo is that of Janet and Colin Bord.'A most important aspect of Celtic religion was the head cult. There is strong evidence showing a close association of this cult with sacred springs and pools, some of it having survived even to the present day, albeit in fragmentary form and lacking the power of the original Celtic stimulus. The Celts were head-hunters… To the Celts the head was the most important part of the body, symbolizing the divine power, and they venerated the head as the source of all the attributes they most admired… The Celtic traditions became so deep-seated that many of them were perpetuated down the centuries, surviving almost to the present day, and this is certainly true of the head cult and its water associations. The Roman historian Livy (59 B.C. – 17 A.D.) described how Celtic warriors decorated skulls with gold and used them as cups for offerings to the gods, a custom continued in the use of skulls to drink the water at certain holy wells until recent times. The most famous of these was St. Teilo’s Well at Llandyfan, wwhich beecame a place of pigrimage, where the water was renowned for its ability to cure whooping cough and other ills, but only if drunk out of the remains of St. Teilo’s skull. Penlog Teilo is the longest surviving skull used for healing purposes, though there were others. Water was drunk from a human skull at Ffynnon Llandyfan . Gruffydd ap Dafydd killed at Dolgellu was used in the same way, to cure whooping cough and other ailments. Francis Jones, suggests that water was drunk from human skulls in order to acquire the desirable qualities of the skulls original owner.Drinking from skulls at holy wells seems to have been widespread in Wales. Incidentally there are other ways of preventing whooping cough without getting out of your skull. Pass the patient under a donkey nine times, or else persuade them to take a ride on the nearest bear. This particular brand of preventative medicine often kept a bear-keeper in sticky buns and honey. Or whatever bears eat. Further Reading :- Bord, Janet & Colin, Sacred Waters. Paladim, 1986.
While we in Britain moan about current weather conditions, spare a thought for the people of Gaza. Still in the grip of a crippling illegal blockade. Deprived of food and medical supplies.basic items like lightbulbs, baby formula, mattresses, blankets, shampoo, conditioner and building supplies. Today Israel does not allow except 12 basic items to enter Gaza , out of 9,000 commodities.From soap to coffee , from computers to spare parts. Despite an agreement between the Palestinian Government, Israel and the United Nations that allows a small amount of building supplies for reconstruction the blockade persists and the Egyptian border is closed, Gaza exists as an open air prison with no access to the outside world.Many homes still damaged and unrepaired since the 30 day war waged by Israel in the Summer of 2014,
Meanwhile unemployment has reached 75% according to the World Bank. There is currently a massive gas shortage and people are struggling to say warm. Now heavy winds and floods have made things worse. The cold increasing this peoples suffering. Paralysing the daily life in the Gaza strip, keeping most of the population in doors, with schools and universities being forced closed.
With further bad weather imminent, what little hope they have we might presume will be washed away. But the Palestinian;s resilience is a strong one and despite these people being poor and their conditions being hard. These proud people still manage to stick together and find ways to survive whilst retaining their dignity and respect.
As fellow humans in acts of solidarity we should do all we can to end this immoral sieqe of Gaza. It is our duty to restore their life.
Gazans struggling to stay warm this Winter.
Gaza's enduring spirit lives These are not chess pieces these are people, bitterly cold and hungry struggling to stay warm in an open air prison their thoughts cling to freedom as distant lights offer consolation hues of hope and warmth to gently protect and sustain wrap them with dignity. Gaza still breathes with keys of memory still releases it's tale does not stoop, or stay crushed Gaza's enduring spirit lives on and on hands raised out to sky cast out suffering, betrayal let us remember, let us not forget Allow their tragedy to be broken. .
' Ey Regib ' is an anthem of Kurdistan written by Yonis Reuf, who was also called 'Didar.' He was born in February 1917 in the city of Koye located in Erbil Governote. After finishing school in Kirkjuk, he moved to Baghdad and studied law. ' Ey Regib ' was written in 1938. At the time he was in jail in the Kurdistan province as a political prisoner after campaigning for Independence. He would die in 1948 at the young age of 31. 'Ey Regib' means literally ' hey guard,' but the title is more translated as 'hey enemy'. The poem was originally written in the Kurdish dialect of Sorani, and was later translated into the Kurmanci dialect for those Kurds living in border Kurdistan. It was the song of the short-lived republic of Mahabad in Iran in 1946 and is still sung across all of Kurdistan principalities. It has also become the song of the Parya Karkaren Kurdistan , the Kurdistan Workers Party ( PKK) in its struggle against the Turkish State. In Turkey and all across the borders the Kurdistan people have had their rights denied. Ey Regib tells the story of their struggle and how a nation has thrived throughout history despite much oppression. Their language and culture, their right to self determination has suffered under continual state denial and prosecution.The song written at a time when people were trting to deny the existence of Kurds at all in Turkey. They were killing Kurds in genocides, but the song was saying, 'I'm the never ending Kurd. You can try to kill me, but we will get up again.' The Kurds of Rojava and Kobane canton are currently building a new world in the shell of the old. Planting seeds of imagination. Showing us another world is possible.The Kurdish people have the right to be themselves, to speak and write and to work and sing their own songs. Victory to the Kurdistans. EY Reqib
Hey Enemy, the Kurdish nation is alive with its language Can not be defeated by the weapons of anytime Let no one say Kurds are dead Kurds are living Kurds are living, their flay will never fall We, the youth are the red colour of the revolution Watch our blood that we shed on this way Let no one say Kurds are dead Kurds are living, our flag will never fall We are the childrem of the Medya and Keyhusrew Both our faith and religion are our homeland Both our faith and religion are Kurd and Kurdistan Let no one say the Kuds are dead Kurds are living, their flag will never fail. The Kurdish youth have risen like lions To adorn the crown of life with blood Let no one sayKurds are dead Kurds are living Kurds are living, their glag will never fail The Kurdish youth are ever present and Forever will be ready to sacrifice their lives Sacrifice each life they have, each life they have Lawi Kurdi hazir u amadeye, Giyan fidan e, giyan fida her giyan fida Giyan fidan e, giyan fida her giyan fida
Happy Birthday William Seward Burroughs, El Hombre Invisible, a figure who looms large through the last half of the 20th Century counterculture. Seeping into literature, painting, film and music. Whose image greets me every morning I wander into my own living room, as my dreams awake.
Burroughs who was born 5 February, 1914 was a primary figure of the Beat Generation and a major postmodernist author who wrote in the paranoid fiction genre, and his influence is considered to have affected a range of popular culture as well as literature, a reputation he owes to his lifelong subversion of the moral, political and economic systems of modern American society, articulated in often darkly humorous sardonicism.
He is best known for his third novel "Naked Lunch" (1959), a highly controversial work that underwent a court case under the US sodomy laws. In spite of courting controversy his whole career, he was not without his supporters. American novelist and poet Jack Kerouac, for example, called Burroughs the "greatest satirical writer since Jonathan Swift."
While American novelist, journalist, essayist, playwright, film-maker, actor, and political activist Norman Mailer declared him "the only American writer who may be conceivably possessed by genius.” He was also a close personal friend of American poet Allen Ginsberg and American singer-songwriter, poet, and visual artist Patti Smith.
An iconlclast who himself became an icon, explorer of the outer boundaries of culture and identity.
Though he died on 2 August, 1997 at the age of 83 from complications of a heart attack he had suffered the previous day. Happy birthday Uncle Bill. Everything is Permuted ( a cut-up)
Nothing is True.
Everything is Permuted.
The word writes and re-writes itself.
It is no coincidence that the means of magic is found in the words we use.
Language is a virus.
let them intermingle.
Everything is permuted.
Mutating and metamorphosing.
A soundless hum.
Forged prisms of uniqueness.
Traversing life.
Mosaics of Juxtaposition.
Tools of precognition or subversion.
Everything is permitted..
' Take the air. '
There are no accidents.
Although it's very difficult to get it right.
Get with it or just say silent.
Allies wait with heavy commitments.
Eveything is permuted. ( Happy birthday; William S. Burroughs)
"You were not there for the beginning. You will not be there for the end. Your knowledge of what is going on can only be superficial and relative. " - William Burroughs
Material ( with William S. Burrough) - seven souls
Today marks German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer's birthday known for his stand against Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party for his courage to resist. Today I honour the memory of Bonhoeffer. I think that it is crucial that we do and also remember that we also have the privilege and responsibility to follow his example. This was a man who actively resisted the Nazi regime from the time of Hitler's ascent to power in 1933 until the bitter end. A well known pacifist who had a change of heart when it came to Hitler and joined with others to seek his assasination. The attempt sadly failed and they were arrested and most were summarily executed. Bonhoeffer was probably one the most courageous voices in the Christian church in the 1930's. He felt it was his integral duty not to remain silent appalled by most of the collusion of his church its silence about the demonization and oppression of Jews in Germany. Like a prophet from the bible. he took a lonely stand, and was not much appreciated during his time. But we see who is right now. In the darkest hours of the twentieth century, he gave his life to the point of martyrdom. We must continue to take a stand. lend our voices , spirit and solidarity to all those currently today facing injustices. He continues to hold much relevance.
A campaign to unite the world's population , in the fight against cancer, World Cancer Day is a global event that takes place every year on February 4 . A disease that will kill more than eight million people worldwide this year . The world needs to unite against this disease that knows no borders and represents one of humanity's most pressing concerns. This years theme, " Not beyond us," demonstrates a proactive and positive approach towards the disease, highlighting that solutions do exist across the continum of cancer, and that they are within our reach. Moreover , understanding and responding to the full impact of cancer on emotional , mental and physical wellbeing will maximise the quality of life for patients, their families and care-givers. Every citizen should have access to free treatment options and care. Awareness so important, for the survivors and those who are not so fortunate, we should not be afraid to talk about it. For many affected by the disease it is a solemn one of reflection, but for others it's a time to become aware of this disease's impact and what is being done to help effect change for millions it impacts. A diagnosis of cancer does not mean that you have to live a painful and miserable life. Their is hope and positivity to. I for one am glad that my partner is still doin ok, so give great thanks to the |N.H.S and all it's fantastic staff, for the great support that we have received and continuing solidarity with the junior doctors. Best wishes.
" Lets be honest. The activities of our economic and social system are killing the planet. Even if we confine ourselves merely to humans, these activities are causing unprecedented privation, as hundreds of millions of people and today more than yesterday with probably more tomorrow - go their entire lives with never enough to eat. Yet curiously none of this seems to stir us into significant action. And when someone does too stridently point out these obvious injustices, the response by the mass of the people seems so often to be a figurative if not physical blow to the gut, leading inevitably to a destruction of our common future. " - Derek Jensen, The Culture of Make Believe I strongly believe that capitalism has a lot to answer for. Its daily contribution to human death and human misery has simply become unbearable, am not sure how our wonderful planet can survive whilst we sustain it. The political and economic and general social structure of world society must now be re-configured to ensure the preservation of all human beings, not just the privileged few, with their vested corporate interests.Interests that want to preserve the old economy that refuses to work for ordinary people nor the planet. Power hungry interests that are currently tightening their grips. The ranks of this powerful elite no longer restricted to those who are actual members of Government or the bureaucracies that buoy them up. This elite now embraces the top executives of the ever growing multinational corporations that are tightening their grip on the governments in both developed and developing world. Surely the human race should be sufficiently intelligent enough by now, and be able to take control of its own destiny, and refuse to be defined, by the warped logic that controls us now.Directly responsible for creating the huge gulfs that exist now between the rich and poor. We should not sit back and accept this inequality, thankfully a growing number raising their voices, saying no, a growing populist movement, seeking fairness over privilege, a disparate anti-austerity social and political forces angered and increasingly made desperate by the crisis that I have talked about that is currently pulverising our society. That challenges the forces that try to chain us down.
I am not a conspirationist, by the way just someone who truly worries for the world, I wonder if we don't change things soon whether there will be a planet worth living in for the generations to come. There must be a way of taking back control from the hands of a few greedy individuals. Every day I walk on this planet I hope that we find a way to implement some change. To make this world a better place for those that come after us, a world beyond the shackles of corporate greed. The refugee crisis that we are currently witnessing is also one of the most dramatic expressions of the crisis of a social system that is no longer capable of coping with the most basic needs of the vast majority of humanity. The despicable treatment metered out to them is also the product of an equally profoundly inhumane social system. The world migrant crisis is a symptom of the inevitably uneven and combined development of the capitalist system . It condemns billions of people to grinding misery while lavishing an untold minority with untold wealth. An inequality that fuels migration to better parts of the world. The crisis is a product of a consciously created poverty, the dispossession, , oppression and exploitation of the greater part of humanity by the few, which simultaneously creates mass human poverty and enclosed havens of wealth. Combined with imperialist backed war s wars In Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and Libya that have made millions homeless and pushed people into grinding poverty.Thus helping create hells on earth.
The response from country's largely responsible for their misery in the first place is not to end the bombing and looting in the respective refugees country's of origin.Instead they set the wheels in motion to make their flight from hunger and war even more difficult. There's got to be a better way. When we all stand together young people and old, saying loudly and clearly that enough is enough, that the world belongs to all of us, not just those on top. We will truly transform the world for the better.
( Imbolc marks the start of Celtic Spring, the arrival of longer, warmer days, and the early signs of spring, so I offer you this poem.)
The earth again prepares for spring,
Awakens after the coldness and dark of winter,
Life begins to grow in the wombs of the earth,
Bulbs planted begin to gently explode,
St Bridget's day, the gift of name,
Given to my mischievious daughter,
Fertility today returns unbound,
To stir our spirits, kiss our lips,
Deliver to us a poetic muse,
As the sun glistens in the sky,
We embrace the wheels of change,
We still cling on, still keep faith,
blessed Imbolc, blessed be.
( will end the month with this poem, released last night at my monthly Cellar Bards meet, a response to people who have moved my world. These people are not flawless though, I do not worship them , but their voices have carried me through lifes struggles, and continue to impact on my days.)
Musical inspiration has rippled through my days, in summertime and the coldness of winter waiting for springs return, old heroes keep drifting by intoxicating my world with their senses, wild in imagination flickers of light that keep on shining high above forever flying. Sounds released give me a glimpse of yesterday, a glance of tomorrow alpha moving with Omega, playing leap frog in the rain earth beats keep on swinging, the end is never quite finished as another day unfolds. Musical heroes keep on giving refusing to go gently in the night. signals and currents endlessly captivating, voices strong that never disappear so thank you,John Coltrane, Gil Scot Heron, Bessie Smith, Woody Guthrie Joe Strummer, Lemmy, Billy Holliday, David Bowie, fellow astronauts travelling upon oceans of sound.
Fury has erupted as David Cameron lost it yesterday during his attack on Jeremy Corbyn at PMQ's and now he's paying for it. He has been criticised for describing Calais refugees as 'a bunch of migrants' while Jeremy Coryn attacked cruel and unjust bedroom tax and derisory Google tax deal, his comments have been described as vile and hypocritical as they came on Holocaust Memorial Day, using flippant remarks to score political points, at a time when we are facing the greatest refugee crisis of our time. Refugees desperately trying to find some safety and dignity to be treated with derision by a Prime Minister who used his position to release vile inflammatory comments. This coming after his other casual remarks about "a swarm of people " arriving in Calais and previous cheap jokes cracked at Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron's expense after being told about the plight of desperate refugee children.Shame on him as people are dying on our doorstep. It is now down to the rest of us to show him that the spirit of compassion lives on, to do what we can to help and to ensure that the rest of the world knows that David ' dishonourable reptile' Cameron and his ilk are not representative of the rest of us and keep on staying human.
Today is Holocaust Memorial Day - a time for us all to reflect on the Nazis attempt to wipe out Jews, Gypsies and other minority groups, Trade Unionists, Communists, homosexuals, people with mental and physical difficulties, Jehovah Witnesses, anarchists, Poles and other slavic peoples targeted for destruction and decimation for racial, ethnic and national reasons, along with black people and resistance fighters. From the time they assumed power in 1933, the Nazis used persecution, propoganda, and legislation to deny human rights to so many. Using hate as their foundation. By the end of the Holocaust over 8 million , men women and children had perished in ghettoes and mass shootings , in concentration camps and extermination camps. Holocaust Memorial day is held today because it marks the liberation of Aushwitz-Birkenau , the largest of the Nazi Concentration Camps. But is also used today to remember all subsequent genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur etc etc. We must never forget the journeys of the persecuted. and when we say never again, we must mean never again. But we still face so much tragedy, and persecution that should not exist, anti-muslim hate crimes have tripled,we have the 'jungle' of Calais, refugees in Cardiff forced to wear identifying red wristbands, doors of refugees painted red in Middlesbrough. The hate speech of Le Pen, and Donald Trump, fascist forces and assorted racists from a range of far right groups descending on the port of Dover, with the aim of inciting racial hatred. We cannot afford to tolerate this, we must constantly oppose, or we will repeat the mistakes and crimes and terrible tragedy of the past. No to hatred and intolerance. Today I remember all those who died in the Holocaust , whilst watching history repeating itself, and people remaining silent. Lest we forget.
( after losing an unusual amount of followers on this blog in last few days. My voice still rings out.) I usually have something to say Whether you listen, or not that's ok, My thoughts can be furious or can gently float, trying to release meaning standing alone, raising voice. I try to release words speaking out when I want to, will apologise when necessary as long as I still have breathe, will try and keep on being true refusing silence, allow words to engage, sending out messages to fight and heal, against injustice, senseless war the horrors of the world, in anxious, restless times try to stay present while I can, continue to bark out loud, allow thoughts to unravel escape and enclose.
" Winter is a time for comfort , for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk besides the fire: it is the time for home - Edith Sitwell "But not in Gaza . Winter is the time for pain, for tasteless food and coldness , for the touch of a freezing hand and for a cry beside the fire : it is the time for distress. But sometimes it is totally the opposite. " - Mosab Mostafa , Friend from Gaza, Palestine.
Karl Marx believed that work, at its best, is what makes us human. It allows us to live, be creative and flourish. But under capitalism he saw workers alienated from each other and the product of their labour. Unfortunately we are all products of capitalism. So by it's vey nature it will leave us feeling alienated. The system that capitalism props up wants us to be deatomised and detached from each other, and this atomization will unfortunately continue as long as society exists. Overcoming alienation is a perpetual task for individuals. In other words dealianation is a continuous and interminable process. Rational freedom is the best hope we can have for humanity for overcoming various forms of alienation. I am reminded of the old maxim, the truth shall set you free. We are all cogs in a big machine designed to harness us to the system that keeps the wealthy on top. We can resist this alienation by creating projects for ourselves which produce real interactions outside of the rules and relationships that social reproduction demands. In doing this we can find new affinities and new prospects for destroying the existing order. I remain at the end of the day an optimist. Oh happy St Dwynwens's day, by the way, the Welsh Patron Saint of Lovers. Narrated by Gillian Anderson ; Scripted by Nigel Warbuton
From the BBC Radio 4 series about life's big questions - A history of ideas.
In dreamtime meanderings I drift with subconscious mind, releasing abstract threads of memory from deep repostitory of brain, in transition, some become reality journeys for the future to bridge, flickering in colour, protective spindles of feeling lingering passages of twilights passing pages, swaying through the day and night opening mind, releasing feelings deep inside, gathering scraps of everything to restore fading in and out, never submitting to defeat, waiting for notions of days to come days of change tumbling forward, sparks of magic, spinning through tomorrow
Ahsraf Fayah is a Palestinian Poet, sentenced to death by the Saudi Arabian authorities for allegedly insulting Islam, for the crime of apostasy. Sentenced to death by beheading for expressing a thought ,, but this celebrated poet was basically using his freedom of expression to express his feelings about his identity as a Palestinian, ( his family came from Gaza, even though he was born in Saudi Arabia ) and for sharing his cultural and philosophical ideas in a 2008 book called Instructions Within . Saudi Arabia again disregarding human rights and the rule of law.
Poets and artists across the world have been speaking out, writing poems, signing petitions, calling for his release and acquital in acts of solidarity. A worldwide reading of his own work took place on January 14th.
Here is a kink to a petiton by Amnesty International on his behalf, followed by a poem of mine dedicated to him.
Suppression of thought A distant voice, shared free expression, now confined, by chains of oppression, longing like a dove to fly away, beyond the strains of prison walls, release thoughts that are still unsaid, a poetic voice, for whom we now plead. Each word that is silenced, is part of us, in pieces, struggling to be heard, carrying freedoms breath, untold wonders of feeling, Asraf carries a knowledge of life, that may surpass anything we could attain, words are often open to interpretation, this is the gift of communication, should not be lost in the silence of time, let hope share it's light, the wish of deliverence , from dark captivity, released from suppression, verses to be freed, put to paper, to be granted the ability to breathe again.
above poem posted on I am not a silent poet blog :-
Brion Gysin was a writer and painter. He is best known for his rediscovery of Tristan Tzara's cut-up technique while cutting through a newspaper upon which he was trimming some mats. He did many experiments with cut-ups while living in Tangiers, where he established with the Moroccan painter Mohamed Hamri a cafe called the 1001 Nights in order to employ members of the Master Musicians of Joujouka so that he could hear them as frequently as possible. He shared all this with his friend William S. Burroughs, who subsequently put the cut-up technique into good good use and dramatically changed the landscape of American literature. To be used again with dramatic effect by the late great Kathy Acker.
Born in Buckinghamshire, England, raised in Alberta by his Canadian mother, but sent to a secondary school at Downside Catholic College in England. His dad was Swiss who went missing in action in the First World War.By the age of 19 deft at language, Brion was a Parisian and surrealist. Beginning a life of adventure leading eveywhere.
A consumate innovator, Gysin altered the cut-up technique to produce what he called permutation poems in which a single phrase was repeated several times, with the words rearranged in a different order with each reiteration. Together with Burroughs they thought the spell of language could be broken by slicing,dicing and splicing.
An outsider who wanted to ' liberate the words from language.' though without the rules of language I guess words can take on the form of psychobabble. But Gysin liked to use methods deemed outside the pantheon of recognised mediums.
A truly radical trailblazer, Artist, poet, magician, subversive , painter, shaman - Gysin was all these things and more.
It is impossible to sum up the importance of this man, his art in a few short paragraphs, I have long admired him, and would urge you to seek him out.
Significantly he has been called the most influential cultural figure of the last century that most people have never heard of. A big influence on the late David Bowie acting a symbolic role , as an image of unrefined creativity. Bowie talked about the cut-up technique a lot using it to ignite anything that might be in his imagination. Eventually meeting Gysin in 1976., the cut up effect used on his album the Next Day in 2013. The film about David Bowie Cracked Actor: A film about David Bowie that was made in 1974 for Omnibus as part of the BBC's art strand was I guess my first introduction to the worlds of Burroughs and Gysin, so cheers David.
SoHappy 100th birthday Brion Gysin who together with William Burroughs created a 'third mind ' and 'stormed the citadels of enlightenment.'
' Writing is fifty years behind painting. I propose to apply the painters' techniques to writing; things as simple and immediate as college or montage. Cut right through the pages of any book or newsprint... lengthwise, for example, and shuffle the columns of text. Put them together at hazard and read the newly constituted message. Do it for yourself. Use any system which suggests itself to you. Take your own words or the words said to be "the very own words" of anyone else living or dead. You'll soon see that words don't belong to anyone. Words have a vitality of their own and you or anybody else can make them gush into action.
The permutated poems set the words spinning off on their own; echoing out as the words of a potent phrase are permutated into an expanding ripple of meanings which they did not seem to be capable of when they were struck into that phrase.
The poets are supposed to liberate the words - not chain them in phrases. Who told poets they were supposed to think? Poets are meant to sing and to make words sing. Poets have no words "of their own." Writers don't own their words. Since when do words belong to anybody. "Your very own words," Indeed! And who are you? '
From 1960 essay:- Cut-Ups Self-Explained.
CUT-UPS AND PERMUTATIONS
' Here is the gimmick. Cut up everything in sight. Make your whole life a poem. You can't lose man. You can't lose because you've got nothing to lose but that worthless junk you're sitting on. Get out of the blue Frigidaire and live.
Try it. Be a Poet. Be a Man.'
Gysin - Cut me up
Brion Gysin - No Poets (1962)
Brion Gysin
(untitled 1971)
A short film that makes me stop paying attention to what I am doing and lose myself in the idea that:- 'Nothing is true and everything is permitted.'
( Oscar Williams was the pen name of Oscar Kaplan American anthropologist and poet, here's a comparative piece)
A Total Revolution I advocate a total revolution. The trouble with a semi-revolution. It's likely to be as slow as evolution. Who wants to spend ages in collusion With Compromise, Complacence and Confusion? As for the same class coming out on top That's wholecloth from the propaganda shop; The old saw says there's loads of room on top. That's where the poor should really plan to stop. And speaking of those people called the 'haves' Who own the whole cow and must have the calves (And plant the wounds so they can sell the salves) They won't be stopped by doing things by halves. I say that for a permanent solution There's nothing like a total revolution!
In comparison here's Robert Frosts poem, more famous than Oscar I guess, but I know which poem I prefer, Oscar wins head down.
A Semi Revolution - Robert Frost ( 26/3/1874- 29/1/63)
I advocate a semi-revolution The trouble with a total revolution ( ask any reputable Rosicrucucian) Is that it brings the same class up on top. Executives of skillful execution Will therefore plan to go half-way and stop. Yes, revolutions are the only salves, But they're one thing that should be done by halves.
By the way Robert a true Rosicrucian would never openly admit to being one, while a true revolutionary wears a radical heart on their sleeves, their cause self-evident, ready and willing to sacrifice themselves for their beliefs.
This is what is happening :- " That's the standard technique of privatisation : defund , make sure things didn't work , people get angry , you hand it over to private capital. " - Noam Chomsky As Richard Branson is awarded a hospital contract, it is obvious that the change from a publicly provided N.H. S is being done piece by piece and the extent of the change is being hidden by keeping the logo. Over here in West Wales it seems that Costa Coffee has a new store opening in Glangwili General Hospital , Carmarthen around Feb/March 2016. This leaves a bad taste because the Royal Volunteer Service (WRVS) already provide a wonderful dedicated first class service. But guess they don't matter as those on high grant prestigious contracts that allow and pave the way for the creeping menace of privatisation to leave its ugly mark. Hospitals are increasingly understaffed and ill-resourced and unable to respond to the urgent need of patients - even those of emergency patients. It is not the fault of the staff , it is the fault of the Tories, who have driven the N.H.S to breaking point. Waiting times are up, and it is getting increasingly difficult to see your G.P when you want, combined with ambulance services being put under enormous pressure. The N.H.S is in crisis because it is continually being undermined by this government through covert privatisation that carries on the wreckage and destruction that Margaret Thatcher started. The N.H.S on a cliff edge because of underfunding which threatens to push it over, with continuing attempts to make the N.H.S unworkable by making impossible demands on the system and its staff so we have to continue to fight to save it from the grips of the privateers, because we owe it our lives. We can not afford to sit back while it is being chipped further away and falling increasingly into the hands of those who seek to make profit out of our healthcare. The Torys keep pledging that the N.H.S is safe in its hands but at least we can now see this for the lie that is.
( another poem for Jane, my beautiful wonderful partner who returned home the other day, after 6 months stuck in hospital.)
I have experienced it's effectiveness, as it has carried me, through seas of melancholy, over plaintive depths, have felt it's touch from afar, after it called to remind me, flying across the evening skies, allowing dreams to persist, filling thoughts by day and night, inflaming heart with joy unbound, a gentle beauty that blows away confusion, in the swaying grass, under the stars, withstanding the tests of time, lighting paths, for souls to navigate, beating in unison, dancing in tune, wrapping tenderness closely with care, allowing play and kisses to restore, fluttering musical notes to be released, sweet explosions of truth, breathing fiercely in the air, glowing like a pearl, this resilient thing called love.
The Tories are saying that Junior Doctors are being misled by the BMA, this is not the case, we are being misled by the Government. Junior Doctors are intelligent, experienced and reasonable people who have simply had enough, who spend their lives interpreting complicated information, who simply do not want unsafe contracts to be put into place. With a ballot that saw 98% supporting strike action, they have no other choice now than taking action. It is the Government that keeps attacking the junior doctors suggestions and proposals, vilifying and underminding them , smeared by the right wing press in an attempt to break them and the N.H.S. Their new contracts will force them to work longer and more unsociable hours with a slash in their wages of up to 30%. The new contract will also see moves making junior doctors work overtime for no extra money. The N.H.S is already on thin ice, stretched to breaking point, and these new contracts could force more doctors to leave their career, or see them moving abroad. I truly believe they are worth defending, who also have a great deal of sympathy from the wider public, knowing that their battle is part of a wider one against the Tories and their policies of austerity. Personally if it was not for the N.H.S my partner would probably be dead. Out today after 6 months of caring support in a N.H.S hospital. The N.H.S truly is a wonderful thing, as is its workers so needs all the support that is available. So solidarity and respect to all the junior doctors and all those striking today, no cuts, no privatisation. Remember as long as there are folk left with the faith to fight for the N.H.S it will survive, and who would you rather trust with your lives, Junior Doctors or a Tory Government? Simples so support the Junior Doctors. They really do deserve it. Without the N.H.S we wont be able to bring it back, it will be a return to the dark ages, that the Tories so want us to return to. Lets hope they get a fair deal that help get our N.H.S working again. Serving and protecting us all.
Friend called round,yesterday to give me copy of Mr Bowies new work, , Blackstar, got to listen to it twice last night before heading to bed.Thought it was amazing, actually was blown away.
This morning got a text to say that David had passed away. He was a true inspiration, that I'm sure must have influenced my earlier black liner days, any way words kind of fail me, but here's some anyway, a cut up, for David Bowie. R.I.P beautiful light. Remember no one is perfect.
Starman Restless spirit soars back into the future there's an arc this early morn a rainbow in mournful flight each blade of grass glistening jewelled lights glowing starman sails the seas views the land to abandon weary world a sky of heartbeat butterflies frozen sighs fragile singing tonques sleepy world whispering dancing lights twisting through ultra violet to become electricity in thunderbolts marks of eternity eyes dance again with earnest mischief blazing meteor carried on the game of chance noiser than a candle flame encloses us with a sense of mystery.
A Palestinian teenage Bassem Abdullah Siam aged 15 has handed himself into Jerusalem police on Wednesday to serve a 100 day prison sentence rather than carry out community service working for the occupation. The work is described as designed " to break the will of young men and boys" according to the Wadi Hilweh Information Centre. Bassem was originally arrested on 15 March last year on his way to school, after allegedly throwing stones at Israeli soldiers. A kid with guts, like many Palestinians nourishes the idea of living in freedom, dignity and a just peace.
( old unfinished poem just touched up, thanks Mr T.C)
Authority likes to shake its head, Find ways to stop us from doin what we want, Reasons to prevent us from enjoying life to the full, Creates legislation to dissuade us from being free, Turns us into puppets that they can move at will. Authority enjoys making rules, That leave us tumbling about in confusion, Acts as a catalyst that fuses unrest in rebellious minds, A turbulence in every turning page of history, An imprisoner of disobedient thought, But cannot deny you without being wrong, Unable to stop setting sun, a moving sea, paths of defiance. But remember we are all authorities in our own right, We can tell ourselves what we want to do, And when we don't want to, To be laws upon ourselves, Be your own authority, Cultivating different paths. That always, always questions.
Ian Duncan Smith is said to be furious about this billboard campaign from the 'Church action against poverty' charity which suggests people are using food banks as a direct result of his benefit cuts. The fact is Tory policies cause poverty and trying to divert us from this wont mitigate this truth. The Government and Ian Duncan Smith would prefer it if we do not hear about it's victims, the effect that their policies have on ordinary people across this land. As benefit sanctions continue to bite, the growing use of food banks show no sign of abating as we enter 2016, even though Ian and his chums keep saying there is no link with their welfare reforms or their rotten austerity ridden policies. It is a real scandal that Britain is still experiencing hunger in the Twenty First Century, but that's life under Tory's for you. Let's make him more furious by sharing this image as wide as possible. Link to campaign :- http://www.church-poverty.org.uk/news/britainisnteating
Saudi Arabia, Head of UN Human Rights Council executing political opponents. So far having killed 47 ,157 put to death last year. David Cameron's new chums on the world's stage. A barbaric country which the UK should not be trading with. Mass executions ok, if it serves our interests, he possibly ignores the injustice, because he likes to cosy up to an oil rich nation . Another top executioner and human rights violator ironically is a fierce critic of Saudi executions, which happens to be Iran. Relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran are at an all time low after the execution of renowned Shiite cleric named Nimr- Bagr- al - Nimr. Sunni Saudi Arabia and Shiite Iran are locked in a bitter rivalry, whilst supporting the opposite sides in the wars in Syria and Yemen. Both these " champions " of human rights are also claiming to be leading the fight against terrorism in the Middle East. People of the world - we are in safe hands. Postscript :- 4/1/06 The street in in Tehran, in which the Saudi Arabian Embassy is situated is now called after the cleric mentioned earlier. This is the tit -for- tat world we live in.
( I don't really celebrate the new year, just another day merging into another, but it does give me time to pause for reflection, in a gazing at the bottom of a glass kinda way. So happy/new year/ blwyddyn newydd da, hope the year ahead brings much hope and promise, I give thanks to my friends in what has been a difficult year, for their support, you know who you are. Continue to be awesome. Best wishes, heddwch/peace.
Here's a poem. Oh dear!
Time is precious, waste it wisely, as it flashes by in moments, testing faith and patience, this resiliant necessity, unavoidable essence, waits for no one, moves in constant rearrangement.
Time costs nothing, lets the world reveal itself, rattling with kaleidoscopes of change, acting as a catalyst for transformation. Time carries us in all directions, giving and taking in equal measure, allowing tomorrow to call, the past to fade gently away. Without hesitation or pause, time sets course and destination, as thoughts fly freely, enables us to find what we need, good health, friends and companionship, peace and hope for all mankind. Relentlessly engulfing, the wheels of time keep turning, allows dreams to restore, for love that exists in hearts, to last a whole life long. After the storms have gone, allows the sun to shine again, to chase away the darkness, can move what we see, in simple acts of believing, has the capability to heal. Time moves fast, though the hands of the clock seem slow, awaiting now for springs return, for life's renewal, new buds and leaves to grow. In my imagination, past, present and future is stored, sewn together in unity, poems arrive, take journeys on clouds, wait for injustices, to unravel, for time, to take away discontent, to drown me in seas of hope and love.
