Tuesday Poem: Anthrax is not a placebo

Yeah,
I see you play the game of uncertainties well
no chance,
no roll of the die
that can't be rolled a dozen times

Best of all
the yardstick is as mutable as mercury
gullible as gold
pliable as picture-
hooks

I believe you said
"placebo controlled"
and it certainly was,


so long as we don't peek
behind

your carefully packaged
frame.

A.J. Ponder


Gosh, where did this week go? Been busy enjoying reading all the submissions to "Twisty Christmas Tales," and bang - it's Tuesday again.

Ok, Alright, I admit to also reading New Scientist, in the interim. It's gone more than a bit pop-science recently, but it's usually better than most, and I expected the wh/eat article to be of a certain standard. Better than what you would find in, say, New Zealand's North and South magazine. Boy was I disappointed.

Poor scientific reporting indeed to say "milk protein" was used as a placebo. At that point the article stopped being merely unhelpful and entered warning, warning Will Robinson territory. After all experiments rise and fall on their control/placebo - it's an absolutely critical part of any experiment. So I couldn't help but wonder why choose a placebo that is known, or even suspected to be problematic? Online, it was easy to discover the "milk protein" was not actually casein, (which would have been the worst possible option and something you'd expect an article in New Scientist to mention). It was whey--but the study didn't control for casein. Nor did the experiment allow sufficient time to elapse between diets. (Yup, seen that ploy used to great effect, and far more blatantly, with certain food additives. Cough. Monosodium glutamate.)

What was interesting (although not exactly a surprise) was that the study did seem to show that FODMAPs can cause problems for people who identify as gluten intolerant. (And so can shuffling around diets, and introducing stress to people who have stomach problems - now there's a surprise!)

So, if you managed to wade through that, next time you pick up a paper and read about a study, why not take a second look at the placebo and ask yourself, is that a placebo? or is it anthrax in disguise.

Have a great week!
and maybe check out the Tuesday Poem blog, why not?

and have fun,
A.J.







 

Tuesday Poem: Currently Working On Something Big

Do Not Disturb,
although of course a writer is disturbed most of the time
and hopefully disturbing,


Men at Work
definitely needs a sign,
how else would anyone know
that lounging around signified -
anything more than impending doom?

Drugs at Work
seriously. Sounds more recreational to me.
But just in case...

Pay Attention to Prevent Injuries,
although in a writer's universe,
it's important to exchange "Prevent" with "Cause"
to really get your money's worth
out of your cast and crew.

Danger: Keep Out: Writer at Work,
the standard bribe is one gluten free cupcake
not that I'm fussy or anything,
but you don't argue with Aslan when he has stomach-ache -
- and in my universe I'm far more dangerous than any lion.

Keep Calm
and make sure your characters are put through the wringer
before you -

Carry On

A.J. Ponder

Yes it's been very quiet over here in Affliction of Poetry land, the author is busy doing authorial things, and being busy and all. I love poetry, but I also love books, and stories and adventures (so long as they'e fictional so I don't actually have to be in them).

Have a great week, and don't forget to check out the rest of the Tuesday Blog here.

Tuesday Poem Excuses and distracting pirates.

Bartholomew Roberts second flag CC BY-SA 3.0

 This week was one of those weeks where Tuesday creeps up unawares, and while looking for poetry, found myself distracted.

By pirates.

They breached the - I am looking for a poem - defences - by tantalising me with swashbackling poems of antiheroes  that remained forever out of reach. Yes, there are a few cute kiddy poems, but I was in the mood for an epic.

I know they're out there, but google keeps on washing me up on lonely shores. Sometimes if you want something, you just have to write it yourself, I guess. So maybe next week. That'll certainly keep me busy.

Have a great week everybody and I hope you enjoy the poems on the Tuesday Hub,

A.J. Ponder
P.S. ...some distracting piratical info...

Apparently the Dread Pirate Roberts is real. Born John Roberts, it is thought he changed his name to
Bartholomew, after Bartholomew Sharp of, The Dangerous Voyage And Bold Assaults of Captain Bartholomew Sharp and Others,by Basil Ringrose London, 1684.

So (third mate) Bartholomew Roberts, his ship captured by pirates in 1719, took to a life of piracy.   "Since I hath dipp’d my Hands in muddy Water, and must be a Pyrate, it is better being a Commander that a common Man."

Of course he died. He was a pirate, but his name lived on. (Kind of, he is often known as Barti Ddu, or Black Bart, which he was never called during his lifetime)

He is also credited with - "..... a merry life, and a short one."
Which it was by modern standards.

Tuesday Poem: Frozen

There were Turkish Delights,
I remember that much 
smothered in icing

Once tasted
Almost all else is forgot

There was Hide and Seek
I remember counting
doling out time in delicious seconds

Each heart beat a sliver of
icy anticipation

and lakes to skate across
I remember flying,
and falling

the icy shell easily pierced
unlike a heart frozen through
and through

Tears that never fell
Rim glassy eyes

Do you remember?
I think there was a time
called Green.
And everything was Spring

A.J. Ponder

Hey people, only a little late, and I dare say might come back with a couple of tweeks in a week or so. But here it is - my little Frozen poem, borrowing a little nostalgia from a few places, but mostly Hans Christian Andersen's Snow Queen and C.S. Lewis' White Witch of Narnia.


Hope you all have a great week and enjoy the Tuesday Poem Hub
The poem I enjoyed most this week was Touch, by Michelle Elvy, up here on Helen McKinlay's blog (another of my favourite poets - it's too hard to pick just one)

cheers,
A.J.

P.S This poem got the seal of approval from a huge Elsa / Frozen fan - even though it mostly references earlier versions of the fairytale - so I'm very happy :)

Tuesday Poem: One more thing - or- Once More Unto the Breach, William Shakespeare

Nothing is ever, ever, ever, done. There is always one more thing.
And to that end 

William Shakespeare, 1564 - 1616

(Henry V, Act 3, Scene 1) 

Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more;
Or close the wall up with our English dead!
In peace there’s nothing so becomes a man,
As modest stillness and humility;
But when the blast of war blows in our ears,
Then imitate the action of the tiger:
Stiffen the sinews, conjure up the blood,
Disguise fair nature with hard-favoured rage:
Then lend the eye a terrible aspect;
Let it pry through the portage of the head,
Like the brass cannon; let the brow o’erwhelm it
As fearfully as doth a galled rock
O’erhang and jutty his confounded base,
Swill’d with the wild and wasteful ocean.
Now set the teeth and stretch the nostril wide;
Hold hard the breath and bend up every spirit
To his full height. On, on, you noblest English,
Whose blood is fet from fathers of war-proof!
Fathers that, like so many Alexanders, 
Have in these parts from morn till even fought,
And sheathed their swords for lack of argument.
Dishonour not your mothers: now attest,
That those whom you call’d fathers did beget you.
Be copy now to men of grosser blood,
And teach them how to war. And you, good yeoman,
Whose limbs were made in England, show us here
The mettle of your pasture: let us swear
That you are worth your breeding; which I doubt not;
For there is none of you so mean and base,
That hath not noble lustre in your eyes.
I see you stand like greyhounds in the slips,
Straining upon the start. The game’s afoot:
Follow your spirit; and upon this charge,
Cry ‘God for Harry! England! and Saint George!'

Ok, I chose this "poem" this week because it seems to always be one more thing taking up my attention, and then I can get on with my real job of writing. Even though I know that sort of approach never works. Writing first I say. Writing first. Everything else second. (Except family in dire need. But that goes without saying).


Time to write some books. That's what brings the lustre to my eyes. Seriously, I'm finally starting to appreciate Shakespeare...as being hilarious.  So now the game's afoot..


Why not kick back and find some inspiration or simply enjoy the poems on the Tuesday Hub?

A.J. Ponder (link to my goodreads page)

Officially, officially, Lost in the Museum is Launched and Online

Lillian Hetet signing Lost in the Museum

I'm excited to say Lost In The Museum is now officially, officially launched. There's even a picture from our amazingly successful launch at the New Zealand Science Fiction Convention (even though Dave Freer isn't a contributor, it's the only picture I have of Lyn McConchie, & besides, Dave Freer was amazing, he's said he may contribute to another anthology, so looking forward to that!)

Phoenix Authors and artist Geoff Popham

So I'm kinda sad because it's the end of an era, but mostly excited, because so many new projects are now on the horizon. Looking forward to the excitement of creating more worlds, Lilly Lionheart, another Wizard's Guide, Twisty Christmas Tales and more... :)

Eileen Mueller, A.J. Ponder, Dave Freer, Lyn McConchie at the National

Lost in the Museum is available on Amazon and all good NZ bookshops including Children's Bookshop Miramar.
Retrospace in Auckland and should soon be available from Unity Books as well. The ISBN is 978-0-473-28320-9.

Check out the review by Lee Murray up on Beattie's Book Blog



Phoenix Authors from left to right are Vic Scott, A.J. Ponder (Sir Julius Vogel Best Short Story), Lillian Hetet, Lorraine Williams (who has published more short stories than I've had hot dinners, and has definitely won awards but is too shy to say so), John Homes, Jenny Hammond, Rob Campbell, Eileen Mueller, and artist Geoff Popham.Missing authors are Tim Jones (NZSA Janet Frame Memorial Award for Literature in 2010), Phillip Mann (Nominated for the Arthur C. Clark Award 2014) Glynne McLean (second prize in the 2013 Ashton Wylie Awards & Sir Julius Vogel Best New Talent), Jean Stevens, Tracie McBride
(Sir Julius Vogel Best New Talent) & Lyn McConchie with awards too numerous to count including multiple Sir Julius Vogel Awards and the Australian SF Foundation’s award for Best Short Fiction

Geoff Popham artist

Eileen Mueller

Vic Scott

A.J. Ponder
Author of Quest, Prophecy, Omens, Miss Lionheart and the Laboratory of Death, Wizard's Guide to Wellington, Attack of the Giant Bugs - a You Choose Science Adventure, and The Frankie Files

Pick up some of these books, and support my new poetry book on ko-fi

 

If you drop into ko-fi, tell me what would you'd prefer, a fantasy poetry book, a science poetry book, or another theme?

Tuesday Poem: Falling

It's the first stumble
the gasped
breath

that's the worst

It's the rushing
falling, spinning
world

that's the worst

it's the impact
burning skin
bones-

snapping...

knowing the worst
is yet to come.


Alright couldn't let another week go without a poem. Sorry, it's another cheery one, desperately want to go back to fairy tales, butapart from my gorgeous daughter in her "Frozen" glory... Still maybe that will be a good theme to try and explore next week.

Have a fantastic one
and why not check out the Tuesday Poem Hub?
cheers,
A.J.