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Ayaan On Silence
Extremely Foreword: I Got Nothing
I come out here once a month and I whine... It's good for the soul, a good moan is. That's at least part of the reason I do it - but the overarching reason is because, of course, I'm trying to be funny. Entertaining. Be all grumpy guy actually makes the point that...
The Perfect Autumn Picture
Went for an impromptu walk with my better half - and as we enjoyed the autumn stroll (we love walking, and have a special fondness for autumn walks - the conditions being near perfect - not too hot or extreme - spooky landscapes action-packed with inspiration and...
McGregor On Reciprocity
I Love This Land
A town awakes to its own business, unaware of how beautiful it is. They look outside and declare, plans and preference for weather. And only a handful of them venture outside, to go for a walk or a run, to take the dog out, to spend time with their sons on the water....
Klarman On The Trend
Bhogal on Freedom
Farmhouse
No big roads nearby. Nowhere to fly into. A single lane single road takes you somewhere you either really want to go or won't be on. And then hills and valleys makes the slog harder for good measure. Hedges and clusters of trees means you won't even see it, except if...
2023 upDates
Supreme Lovelies, Dear Readers and Viewers, Snoopers, Tire-Kickers, Friends, Family, Brethren All... As we get toward the downslope of 2023, I can report that I am happy, and in good health, and very, very tired. 2023 has been quite the year - laying a foundation that...
Wright On Motivation
Extremely Foreword: The Column
Extremely Foreword – The Column is Peter van der Walt’s monthly payload of meltdowns, malign musings and curmudgeon commentary. A thinly veiled passive-aggressive innuendo aimed at some unnamed transgressor that’s been annoying him mightily over the last month (probably you, yes, you personally) – the column considers family, relationships, life, love, kindness, friendship and empathy and asks: is all the pain and suffering really worth it? No turn is left unstoned as Pete purple pills the hell out of the red and blue jellybeans of public discourse – and delivers his bitter judgement on life. It’s not that he’s angry with anyone. He’s just really disappointed.
Extremely Foreword: I Got Nothing
I come out here once a month and I whine... It's good for the soul, a good moan is. That's at least part of the reason I do it - but the overarching reason is because, of course, I'm trying to be funny. Entertaining. Be all grumpy guy actually makes the point that life is hilarious and maybe our problems are not that big. Sometimes, serious...
Extremely Foreword: I Got Nothing
I come out here once a month and I whine... It's good for the soul, a good moan is. That's at least part of the reason I do it - but the overarching reason is because, of course, I'm trying to be funny. Entertaining. Be all grumpy guy actually makes the point that...
Extremely Foreword: This Halloween – Leave Me Alone
It’s that time of the year again. With pumpkins everywhere, some of them on spice, walking right up to your door to extort candy. They dressed up – dutifully avoiding offensive costumes – most of them with little creativity or effort, and they ring your bell or knock...
Extremely Foreword: Every Little Side Stream
It's a sad truth, but once you name something, it becomes a syndrome, and very quickly thereafter an untruth... I get it. Along with everyone else I am well aware that the media - newspaper, television, radio, digital - the lot of them, consistently push politically...
Extremely Foreword: Mental Bandwidth Pollution
Suppose it's a Monday, and someone takes a dumpster truck - filled with broken glass, soiled diapers, rotting food, medical waste, pet hair, flu-filled toilet tissues, wrappers, plastic bags, used barf bags, crushed cans and wet newspapers - and drove it right to your...
Extremely Foreword: When Do Entrepreneurs Get To Strike?
Curiously, entrepreneurs don't go on strike. Going on strike seems to be all the rage - and none dare oppose it for fear of being perceived as some sort of fanatic rationalist or centrist extremist. So there are strikes all around AND they have to be liked and...
SnapShots
The Perfect Autumn Picture
Went for an impromptu walk with my better half - and as we enjoyed the autumn stroll (we love walking, and have a special fondness for autumn walks - the conditions being near perfect - not too hot or extreme - spooky landscapes action-packed with inspiration and...
I Love This Land
A town awakes to its own business, unaware of how beautiful it is. They look outside and declare, plans and preference for weather. And only a handful of them venture outside, to go for a walk or a run, to take the dog out, to spend time with their sons on the water....
Farmhouse
No big roads nearby. Nowhere to fly into. A single lane single road takes you somewhere you either really want to go or won't be on. And then hills and valleys makes the slog harder for good measure. Hedges and clusters of trees means you won't even see it, except if...
Honour Guard
We salute - our movements clipped and precise - assembled here with military precision - for the guests. Those very important parents, children and elderly folk, who will come to break their fast here. We stand ready to be of service to the nation. Proud in our...
Private Headlines
On a day of rage-inducing, unacceptable, mind-boggling, insane, fear-filled, ominous, dark, painful, shameful and crazy headlines - this was my view. Got me thinking that perhaps making personal headlines are more important than reading whatever activist journalists...
A World Away Just Around The Bend
Take the ferry out to Mount Edgecumbe and you can leave the city on foot. It's steep in places and a bit of a stretch but you could reach this village by foot. Along the way you will be treated by soothing sights and wistful vistas, and your psyche will be dry-cleaned...
Resurgam
Do not presume me dead because I sleep - It has happened before, on both these and distant shores Nor assume there are covenants I shall not keep - Merely because I have arrived at a point of gentleness. In your well-planned show of force in streets that welcomed you...
Nomenclaturia Pedestria
I have a little ADHD and a little OCD, which means I always change my mind about what I’m completely obsessed about. Consider these the stable, enduring, bedrocks of my TikTok generation attention span – my articles of phase, if you will. A regular long form feature in which I write about random topics that really require years of in depth analysis but was just particularly appealing to me between tea breaks on that particular day.
From odes to code to the odd homage to fromage… what can I say? A mind is for changing.
Defending The Dark And Demented
“Fiction,” said one Stephen King, “is the truth within the lie.” He also speaks at length on the catharsis of scary stories in his non-fiction examination of the horror genre – Danse Macabre. Or take Hitchcock: “I aim to provide the public with beneficial shocks. Civilization has become so protective that we’re no longer able to get our goose...
Defending The Dark And Demented
“Fiction,” said one Stephen King, “is the truth within the lie.” He also speaks at length on the catharsis of scary stories in his non-fiction examination of the horror genre – Danse Macabre. Or take Hitchcock: “I aim to provide the public with beneficial shocks....
Mind The Gap
When some folks hear I make films, they assume I’d do anything to be given a shot in Hollywood. The truth is I am not interested in Hollywood – at all. I am interested in telling good stories, and I would of course like the stories to be seen as widely as possible. I...
The Eye Of The Entrepreneurial Storm
There’s a lot to be read on the subject of entrepreneurship. Some nuggets, some nonsense. Entrepreneurs are lots of different things… including very juicy targets for every two-bit hustler with an online course or self-published book to sell. Sigh. There are some...
Humanity’s Most Important Try-Fail Cycle
The importance of story in the human psyche and polity can't be overstated. Without the power of stories, there would be no human civilisation - tribes of semi-advanced primates could maintain at most alliances in the hundreds, as Yuval Hariri illustrated in his...
Reflecting On Coronation Weekend
This weekend, aside from a handful of nuts and attention ho rumblings from passe peed-off intellectuals, the whole country celebrates the coronation of His Majesty Charles III. I am, perhaps, the world's most unlikely monarchist. Grew up a white trash little Dutch Boy...
Short Stories
Short Story: Better Angels
In a future rife with inhumanity, Bob Hadfield's work exposes him to the worst of it. And in this conquered city after the next great war, even doing your best work can get you in real trouble.This is by far the darkest short story I've written. Set in a distant...
Short Story: The Home Stretch
Those things are out there, and it’s every man for himself. So far, Andy survived by sneaking and hiding. He doesn’t want to die – not like that – not flayed open and skinned alive. His tactics seem to be working, until he meets another survivor. You can now read The...
Short Story: The Friend
Mr. Swindley lies for a living. True, he’s a charlatan – but the people he ‘helps’ with his psychic abilities get peace of mind – so that’s fair game. But he’s latest job may reveal far darker things lurking in shadows than he ever pretended…You can now read The...
FineFinds
A collection of tantalising tales, fabulous finds and riveting reads, these are more recommendations than reviews. I skip everything I don’t like and pass on only the best of the best to you. Don’t expect high literary criticism, however, I’m providing context to nice people, rather than pontificating critiques. Critics are eunuchs in a harem, it has been said – and I’m hardly qualified to be one of those.
The Best Old Thing
The investment world is full of BS. More than marketing - if you can believe such a thing. A lot of guys who did relatively well at mathematics consider themselves the smartest guys ever, and so they play, and then they offer you their games for fees, and very often they close. Not just because their next best thing is so shiny and bright, but...
The Best Old Thing
The investment world is full of BS. More than marketing - if you can believe such a thing. A lot of guys who did relatively well at mathematics consider themselves the smartest guys ever, and so they play, and then they offer you their games for fees, and very often...
Abundant Heart
If you have a young person in your life - a nephew, a son, a daughter, a mentee - and you want to give them a few books that will really help them along in their lives, close to the top of that reading list should be a book by a Jewish Rabbi, whether you are Jewish or...
Peace Of Mind
Mention my name and ask people what jumps to mind, and the words "spiritual" and "mental health" are sure to be mentioned right of the bat... right? What do you think? BS? Obviously. I'm not known for being a giant of general spirituality. Nor am I the most indulgent...
Your Brain On Narrative
Reading about writing and learning to perfect one’s craft as a beginning writer is important. The problem is, there is a whole cottage industry aimed at ripping off new writers. And like any semi-lucrative con, there are plenty of bad books on the subjects. As already...
Negotiating Like Some Else’s Life Depended On It
There's this whole subgenre that I like to call ex-books. They can be found in the business category and they were all written by ex somethings: ex Navy Seals, ex marines, ex CIA agents, ex FBI guys, ex SAS operators, ex somethings. These books bring the front line...
Video
Freshly served and directly from the Peter van der Walt YouTube Channel, here you will find all the latest productions from Privateer Media. We’ve got trailers, we’ve got behind the scenes, we’ve got short films and webseries and shorts. Occasionally, we might even have weird experimental stuff – photo galleries set to music and such things – what I’d call my French Stuff.
Mind’s Eye Theatre Episode 2: The Home Stretch
Those things are out there, and it’s every man for himself. So far, Andy survived by sneaking and hiding. He doesn’t want to die – not like that – not flayed open and skinned alive. His tactics seem to be working, until he meets another survivor...Episode 2 in Peter van der Walt's illustrated short story series, Mind's Eye Theatre. The Lounge...
Mind’s Eye Theatre Episode 2: The Home Stretch
Those things are out there, and it’s every man for himself. So far, Andy survived by sneaking and hiding. He doesn’t want to die – not like that – not flayed open and skinned alive. His tactics seem to be working, until he meets another survivor...Episode 2 in Peter...
The Story of Stories – Episode 1
Episode 1 of a casual web documentary exploring the history and development of English storytelling. Episode 1 looks at Anglo-Saxon and Middle English stories, and ends with Chaucer, Shakespeare and the Renaissance. Watch now for free - on the Peter van der Walt...
The Friend (Mind’s Eye Theatre Episode 1)
Mr. Swindley lies for a living. True, he’s a charlatan – but the people he ‘helps’ with his psychic abilities get peace of mind – so that’s fair game. But he’s latest job may reveal far darker things lurking in shadows than he ever pretended… Audio and Illustration -...
Mind’s Eye Theatre: The Friend Trailer
Hitting your screen this Friday.... https://youtu.be/OEdVxfJXdwU
Trailer: Mind’s Eye Theatre
If you like dark short stories as well as podcasts, audiobooks or radio dramas - you'll love Mind's Eye Theatre. The Trailer for the first season is now available to view over on the YouTube Channel - link below. Mind's Eye Theatre brings together the stories of Peter...
Flash Fiction & Poetry
Stonestare
for shaun numbers and letters how they fail to convey the depth of your night the glow of your day a name and a date how utterly incomplete a draft of the story of your fall at my feet 'he will be missed' a rhetoric refrain imparts to us not your joy nor your pain...
The Photograph
I was rummaging around the backroom and found an old photograph, of me and my dad. I started crying. The picture was old and faded with age. The corners curled up or down. A cruel indent slashed across it, as if it disapproved of its own sepia colours and the memory...
Legion’s End
The mists curl around you like skeletal clutches. The silence is weaponised to play on your insecurities. And in those woods are people unbelievably savage – practicing all kinds of obscene magics and worshipping vile and foreign gods. The missions to this land have...
Visiting Post
Assorted assortments & miscellany: links to external articles and guest bloggers. This regular long form feature either brings guest writers to the Extremely Foreword Platform, or takes Extremely Foreword writers to other platforms. The Visiting Post allows for some cross fertilisation and a variety of voices.
Extremely Foreword has some visits planned already. We’ll call you🙂
Visiting Post: The Aesthetics of Power
Power looks good, doesn’t it? Those who wear it well look great in it. You see it at Davos, where the people parade as if their forum was a catwalk. Those in the know can detect who is wearing who – you do not need to see the label to know, darling. They look good because… well… they must be good. It is not just the suits; it is the confidence....
Visiting Post: The Aesthetics of Power
Power looks good, doesn’t it? Those who wear it well look great in it. You see it at Davos, where the people parade as if their forum was a catwalk. Those in the know can detect who is wearing who – you do not need to see the label to know, darling. They look good...
Visiting Post: Pete’s Hollywood Lament in Biznews.com
Nothing like a good moan to clear the palette. I recently made a quick turn in the publication Biznews.com. And what better way to make a turn than to whine about Hollywood? Read the full piece >>HERE<<
Visiting Post: When The Jester Is The Wisest Man In The Kingdom
By now, the wisdom of some jesters are well established. Comedians are like tyrant vaccine. Having protected us from the faux outrages and overreaches of a moralistic and inflexible right, as Lenny Bruce did, some are brave enough to also protect us from the puritan...
Visiting Post: The Story Of Malik Ambar
Born in 1548, a captured Ethiopian herdsman is sold as a slave in Yemen, taken to Baghdad and from there to present day India, Malik Ambar not only raised his own armies, but casually replaced kings when they became annoying. A remarkable true story that is not nearly...
Visiting Post: Scruton in the New Criterion
Pete is off sick - and likely to only be back within the next few days. In the meantime, what better way to celebrate his absence than with this top notch piece of political writing? Because there is a shortage of unsolicited political opinions online, you know....
Updates
2023 upDates
Supreme Lovelies, Dear Readers and Viewers, Snoopers, Tire-Kickers, Friends, Family, Brethren All... As we get toward the downslope of 2023, I can report that I am happy, and in good health, and very, very tired. 2023 has been quite the year - laying a foundation that...
The Lounge Club October Letter
Members of TLC - find the October Letter in your inbox this Friday. For your eyes only. 🙂
September 2023 TLC Newsletter
VIP Newsletter this Friday, only for members of The Lounge Club.