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| R.A.T.! Random Aussie Tune! This is part of my ongoing attempt to make Australia seem like a country not just populated by wildlife out to kill you (even though it is) and always on fire or under water (only half the time, to be honest) by posting songs I like by Aussie (not Kiwi) artists. Daryl Cotton was one of many fine musicians to come out of the band Zoot (USians have taken a liking to another-Rick Springfield). He released a number of solo albums of which I own 3. And one single. And that single is this song. He has a good singing voice and when you saw him on TV (he became a children's TV presenter) he had a friendly air about him. He was only 62 when he died in 2012. Seen live? No. Overseas success? No. 'Same Old Girl' by Darryl Cotton (1980) |
| Let's return to the world of complex words for simple things! OBSCURE WORD OF THE DAY! Today's word is odontalgia. This is a medical term and it means, quite simply, "tooth-ache". Just a tooth-ache. Granted, it does sound better to tell your boss you need a day off work because you have odontalgia, not because one of your toofs is ow-ee. Your challenge today, should you take it on, is to use this word in a poem. |
| July 4th, Alice in Wonderland Day. Oh, and apparently something else some country celebrates somewhere. On that: Legitimate question I had directed at me on Discord: "Why don't you celebrate the 4 July? Don't you celebrate freedom? Are you a Communist?" When others (from the US!) tried to explain it was "America"-only, he responded: "No it isn't! The whole world became free on 4 July." And he linked to a rambling series of posts on X(Twitter) that explained just that. I haven't encountered it here on WdC for over 5 years (I am guessing writers are actually educated, but I did experience it in the past), but seriously - WTF? I have never heard an Australian dumbass ask why USians don't celebrate Australia Day or ANZAC Day. So our dumbest people are smarter than USians on social media? |
Robert Waltz  - and become secretary of health. (Hi RFK-2!) Stupidest man in US government at the moment (and that covers a lot of ground!). I think the brain worm he has would be more intelligent than him. And probably would not tell as many blatant falsehoods as well. |
| Guess, the arrogance comes from being in one place too long... My eighth great-grandfather, John Thomas Clark, came to America in 1607. He was the first in our family to die fighting for America. He was murdered by the indians outside Jamestown in 1623, after he landed the folks in Plymouth in 1620. Did I mention he was also a prisoner of war held in Spanish prisons in Havana (2 years) and then Lisbon (5 years) I used to think my life was hard then I started looking into my heritage and found out everybody in the world today are pants pissing babies who have done nothing but stand around with their hands out waiting for someone to give them something they didn't earn or deserve. Now I am not alone... or special; there are a lot of us Clarks here. Hell, one great-grandfather had 29 children, yes, it took four wives to accomplish the feat. It did affect his judgment, though; why else would he name one of my great-uncles Experiance Clark, and another Patience Clark? I thought Ancestry was playing a joke on me until I sent for copies of the Massachusetts records. |
| I think many American people forgot the idle of "Foundation Fathers" A few years ago, I tried to buy "The federalist"(translated into Korean language) but not a chance to buy. Of course, the democracy spread almost around the world, except some countries. But that's not for America choose & started and tried to spread democracy system to the whole world. Because of many people chose the democracy system by vote and there wills. |
| Today's animation... we're back to my favourite (or a riff on the same theme). The included date is a nice extra, though. Enjoy it. Thanks, The StoryMaster |
| Something else to be aware of in the traditional publishing sphere... https://www.sfwa.org/2025/07/03/moral-rights-what-writers-need-to-know/ Only you know if you are comfortable giving up your moral rights. But read this first. |
Never knew... Thanks for the mini-education, Steven! (Moral rights not waived for this post.  ) |
| I think of how Emily Dickinson's works were edited. I think how the Mormon Church (LDS) edits movies and how some airlines won't show anything they don't approve. Rights? Depends... |
| I not only read that, but the accompanying example from Canada. An artist got all up in arms and sued because his sculpted geese in flight had had red ribbons tied on their necks for the holiday season. Seriously, people?!? We're going to court over THAT?!? If I'd been involved and had the money, I'd have just taken down his stupid geese and given them back to him. They were just temporary ribbons -- no damage was being done (that was noted in the article). They were an attempt at being festive. Nothing sinister was underpinning the act. And if Canadian courts are like US courts, the ribbons were off before the verdict, anyway. lol Get over it, dude! Ridiculous! |
| July 4 is ALICE IN WONDERLAND DAY! That book (and THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS) were rather influential on the sort of comedy I came to like. I can draw a direct line from Alice to Monty Python. So, in light of this date (selected as the day Lewis Carroll first told the story to the real Alice), write something surreal, off the wall or dream-like. Let the rules be broken. Let your inner Carroll out. |
| I've used Lewis Carroll's work for inspiration too often when in time-trouble for an activity. Here's a case in point from few weeks back. "How Doth The Little Butterfly"  ...and another (weaker) effort... "Damn Yer Paws, Fur And Whiskers!" Other, non-Carrollian, surreal or trippy stuff for the same activity ("Cards Against Authors" ) includes: "Critters In The Corn" "An Unauthorised After-School Science Experiment" "The Sleek Shall Inherit The Earth" And that's enough self-promotion for one post. |
| I need to publicly thank Anni Pon for her "The One-Line Lyric Challenge" , and WdC for "Note:
48-HOUR CHALLENGE : Media Prompt
Deadl...". There are so many music-based things here, but most are contests, so no go for me. These 2 are activities, and so I can do them without an issue. So thankyou. It is much appreciated. |
Hey, look! Over at
there is a new question! "QOTD: Friday July 4, 2025" |
| I've added a new entry to my "Writing Blog Number 2" : "20250704 Types Of Editing" Still answering questions! |
| This is something I've mentioned in passing at WdC a few times and have been asked about it. OBSCURE PHRASE OF THE DAY! Today's phrase is Dunning–Kruger effect. This is a psychological term and it is, "a cognitive bias in which people of low ability have illusory superiority and mistakenly assess their cognitive ability as greater than it is." It can best be demonstrated graphically:  Your challenge today, should you accept it, is to find examples of the D-KE in reality. |
New story in the port
Horror-ish. 5000 words. Non-linear narrative. Looking for readers before submission. Being taken down July 31. Feedback appreciated, but don't feel the need to review. Oh, and you'll have to email me for the passkey. |
| I've added a new entry to my book, "The Bradbury" : "Week 29, 2025 - Your Apple Tree" A quick 1200-worder. |
| R.A.T.! Random Aussie Tune! This is part of my ongoing attempt to make Australia seem like a country not just populated by wildlife out to kill you (even though it is) and always on fire or under water (only half the time, to be honest) by posting songs I like by Aussie (not Kiwi) artists. Mia Dyson, Liz Stringer and Jen Cloher are three Australian singer-songwriters. I have a lot of Stringer's and Cloher's solo stuff (I love Jen Cloher's voice), but in 2019 the three of them released an album together, and it was one of my very favourite albums of that year. The song I've chosen is just the one with a video clip because the whole album is filled with great music. Cloher is a local to me and I believe I saw her at a festival years before she became famous. Seen live? Not as a trio. Overseas success? No. 'Falling Clouds' by Dyson Stringer Cloher (2019) |
| I've added a new entry to my book, "The Bradbury" : "Week 28, 2025 - Weird Feeling" Just a weird little 500-worder. |
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In WW2, USians were not liked in Australia, then after the war, Australians came to appreciate them (with some very notable local community exceptions), then Vietnam came and the dislike came back, and it stayed until Reagan left office. Then it was tolerance, then it become liking again. Now it's pity. We like USians (in general) and encourage them to come here to get away from it all, we just dislike the way the USA is run because it's affecting us.