Why I do not want to be AI certified…

Why I do not want to be AI certified… by the same AI and its tyrannical tentacles actively recruiting human beings to train it to write.

So let’s break this down, human beings are going to train AI

To help fellow human beings to use AI

And the trainers are the real writers, while the users are the lazy writers?

AI for lazy writers

Not necessarily, AI has some real and valuable uses and inputs to offer. There are peoples with disabilities and remote and rural populations who can and will benefit massively from AI.

But the average, person – with no learning disorders, disabilities, hindrance to access of libraries, books and centers of learning- should ideally be using AI minimally- can we all agree on that?

Because with the good as always comes the bad & the environmental impacts of AI can no longer be ignored.

Many be as dwellers of thriving urban landscapes (yes that includes the “living in the countryside for my peace of mind, with full functioning plumbing and wifi ) we should be lowest rung on the AI use ladder.

Every revolution has detractors and brings with it positives and negatives…. but at this stage of human development if we continue to choose immediate self gratification over long term vision- we are failing the next generation.

training a robot to write a book

Want to leave your kids a legacy? Let it be more than AI certified and travelling nomads… Leave them with awe for the natural world, a hunger to help, a thirst for reading, the joy of writing- those wonderfully stream of consciousness sentences….

AI will never give us connection, history, roots and a grounded sense of reality – no matter how prettily the robot is painted.

– Leafy FoxRead on Substack

The Balance of Ships and Anchors in Life

Our lives are full of ships and anchors.

Ships are the exciting life of the party loud in their ability to float about, garnering attention. Unfortunately, some ships are easy to sink, because the life and voyage is a carefully curated social media facade. Impeccably structured with a white picket fence life.

These ships(large vessels – often empty…) must be attended to, in need of constant validation. An endless parade to honour cookie cutter achievements. Always the leading float at their own parade. Eternally holding the minor players in the drama hostage through veiled threats, snide remarks and emotional blackmail.

Behind every floating ship is a trail of destruction, physically and emotionally. And then we meet the anchors…. …. steady, simple and no frills.

Frills do not hold ships in place, anchors do.

Who are anchors?

Silent, underwater, unseen the foundation. No words, no parade. Just presence, unwavering, nurturing and constant.

Actions are their words. And they are always the recipient of silent treatments and outbursts. Because – the anchor does not move. Just braves the currents, the waves and the swirls of uncertainty.

The person who speaks in actions rather than words, with an unwavering presence. Love in action is often silence, it is an innate nurturing instinct. Not the performative nurturing of human to human relationships.

We’re never scared to distance ourselves or mete out the classic “silent treatment” to the anchors in our lives. Because the anchor has learned to survive below the surface, never coming up for air.

When the anchor comes up for air, or dislodges, disasters ensue. And everyone is adrift.

But who anchors the anchor? Ask a go to person who their go to person is, they will not have an answer for you other than a blank stare. It never occurs to the anchor to ask for help. They crave silent support, encouragement (not the loud cheerleading) but a quiet strength.

Ships are the life of the party, always on the move, innovative, vivacious, adventurous. Anchors are never the life of the party, tucked away in corners, supporting a system which rewards and celebrates ships… anchors are whispered about quietly discussed and privately appreciated. Ships win the applause and the fame, but it is the anchors who like our vast oceans hold the truth of existence with quiet strength.

It’s tradition….

“Ducks are not humans.” ….. “What foie gras farming does is amplify a natural biological process rather than invent a cruel one.”  
“Why I am Proud to serve Foie Gras” is a fascinating read. It delves into the mind of a person who is the walking epitome of cognitive dissonance.

A staggering entitlement and ability to mould the truth into a box of believable lies.

Food is a fierce subject. In our media driven world every subject has strong opposers and supporters. But this piece requires the pro and against ‘eating animal’ lobbies to check logic and common sense at the door.

Duck swimming on water with ripples in black and white
Ducks may not be human, but they are sentient and that alone is enough to treat them with respect.

To advocate for an abhorrent practice, because it is traditional reflects more about the advocator than the practice. It is an entrenched mind, incapable of seeing beyond his/her own truth.

Butterworth’s is on a slippery slope courtesy of their chef who would probably advocate for the continuation of children in the carpet industry. Using his own argument, we must ignore the evils of child labour because they produce beautiful pieces of art.

He would further argue that these children live difficult lives mostly in poverty- so bonded labour (which it is in most cases) is no worse than a life of abject poverty.

An estimated 54 million children are engaged in child labour across South Asia, many of those in hazardous industries. Would chef advocate for their continued bondage because they produce beautiful carpets? He’d probably ask you not to sign a petition to end child labour, because … it’s tradition.

Source:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2026/06/12/why-i-am-proud-serve-foie-gras

Reading: More Than Just Words on a Page

Words are those wonderful winged vehicles which allow us to be time travellers, warriors, princesses……
They are steadfast non judgmental companions we carry with us all bound up in those wonderful objects we call books.

How do the words sit on a page… do they flow along the river of your thoughts?
Or are they merely ink on paper?

Do loud readers shout out the words on a page? And quiet readers “read in their heads?” Well, some readers mouth words as they read and some are fixated on the flow of words.

Creating visual master pieces in our minds eye. In all of human history and future no technology or ‘AI’ will replicate or replace the unique human trait – imagination.

Flowing words are our freedom as a species, conjuring worlds, vast landscapes, to remind us of happy memories and futures yet to come.
In each of our minds eye, we see our protagonists, back drops, details and colour of the sky. And no two images are the same.

We know the writing has taken over when the words are a the vehicle and the image is the destination.

W(h)ine anyone?

The w(h)ine glass is having it’s moment in the spot. It’s 5 seconds of fame if you will…But why? Why the wine glass? It is not a particularly lovely glass, short stemmed or long- it is an average looking glass from which we sip fermented crushed grapes.

It has captured the imagination of the ‘living my best life’ brigade on the internet. This innocent, innocuous looking glass has become the symbol of luxury and affluence. It is ironic that a half full almost always tilted, with the sun catching it in the distance is the new symbol of ‘affected affluence.’

Swathes of Europe drink wine daily, with meals, at home, in restaurants, at family gatherings, as a matter of daily life. So, the humble wine glass has waited hundreds of years to take center stage in the lives of our ‘living our best lives’ brigade.

But does this not beg the question….. why not Champagne?…. because affluence never demands attentiveness.