Hi All

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Welcome to my blog, this site is dedicated to my writing work, and yours aswell, if you

want to be read, then simply send your work via the contact tab and I’ll post it..

Thanks for looking….Neville

 

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Albert says “Hola”

International Woman’s Day

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International Woman’s Day

International Woman’s Day
Woman
Quite Interesting
That’s Amaaaaaaaazing
Random Joke



International Women’s Day is celebrated on March 8 every year. It is a focal point in the movement for women’s rights.
While the first observance of a Women’s Day was held on February 28, 1909 in New York, March 8 was suggested by the 1910 International Socialist Woman’s Conference to become an “International Woman’s Day.” After women gained suffrage in Soviet Russia in 1917, March 8 became a national holiday there, but has lost all political context through the time, becoming simply a day to honour the women and feminine beauty. The day was then predominantly celebrated by the socialist movement and communist countries until it was adopted in 1975 by the United Nations.



Woman
I’m not a size ten
Never been petite
Suffered throes of passion
Or lived with conceit
In height I’m bereft
No leggy lofty form
Not even 5 foot
The UK norm
My face is not symmetrical
No make-up would repair
No artists canvass
A painter would despair
But inside this frame
An esoteric fact
No yesterday woman
No submissive artefact
There beats a heart of a lion
Someone once said
But this strength lays within
My chest, my breast, my head
Society sees me simply
A frail and withered maid
But this country was built
On my slave trade.
So when you see me
Look beyond the shell
A soldier, a builder, a mother
The stories I could tell

The UN Women Report from 2015 showed that, despite women working longer hours than men when both paid and unpaid work is taken into consideration, women still earn an average of 24 percent less than men do worldwide. This wage gap is by far the worst in South Asia, where women earn 33 percent less than men.


This probably comes as no surprise, but women still spend more time on housework and childcare than men do. The UN reports that women spend one to three hours more on housework than men, two to 10 times the amount of time caring for children and the elderly, and one to four hours less per day on economic market activities. In fact, in the European Union, 25 percent of women say this is why they’re not active in the labour force, whereas only three percent of men can say the same.

Only 22 of Earth’s 197 countries can say they have women serving as heads of state.

As of 2014, there were 16 million women living with HIV, meaning 50 percent of all adults with HIV are women. It’s not uncommon for women living with HIV to experience violence simply because of their HIV status. The UN reports that at least 14 countries force HIV positive women into involuntary abortions and sterilizations.
According to a 2010 longitudinal study performed in South Africa, intimate partner violence increases women and girls’ chances of contracting HIV by 13.9 percent, and power inequity in relationships increases the risk by 11.9 percent.
Child marriage is more likely to kill girls in the developing world than war, AIDS, tuberculosis, or any other cause of death. In fact, complications from pregnancy and childbirth is the number one killer among girls ages 15 to 19 in the developing world.e the UN’s Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women back in 1993, currently, 1 in 3 women worldwide are victims of physical or sexual violence — and it’s usually at the hands of an intimate partner.
While the percentage of women married before the age of 18 has dropped in North Africa and the Middle East by about 50 percent in the last 30 years, globally speaking, one in four women alive today were child brides.

That’s Amaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaazing

China’s Yao Defen, the world’s tallest woman as verified by Guinness World Records, has died at the age of 40. Yao, who measured 233.3 cm (7 ft 7 in) when last documented, is reported to have passed away in the house she shared with her mother in a small village in China’s central Anhui Province

Random Joke of the Day



My wife says she’s going to leave me because of my poker addiction.

  I think she’s bluffing.
Want to see what other guff I write pop over to my Authors page on Amazon. Just paste the below link in your browser.



The Offer –

Have you got a kindle or e-book reader? Then as a gift from me you can now buy
my recent release, “Tales of the Unexpected” for the amazing low price of £1.99 (cheaper than a cup
of coffee) 




CHECK OUT THE 5 STAR REVIEWS –
B Silver
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great diverse short stories
28 October 2019
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
Love this writer I bought his previous books and in my opinion this is the best so far. The stories are much more diverse than the others. For a book of short stories there are a lot there, great to pop in and read as and when you want to. Read mine on the train, I laughed out loud at one point making my fellow passengers jump out of their seats. Recommended read….
Here is a link to this book – https://ift.tt/dDiEh9P
Subscribe – Like what you see ? want more content ? Hit the subscribe button.
e-mail – neville.raper@yahoo.co.uk


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International Clean Your Computer Day

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 In Today’s Dirty Issue

International Clean Your Computer Day
Virus
Virus Facts
That’s Amaaaaaazing
Random Joke

Clean Out Your Computer Day is a day to logically review, and delete old files and programs.

Most of us add programs and files to our computer with reckless abandon. After all, computers have huge storage capacity.  Many of these files and programs are forgotten over time. Overtime they clog memory and cause confusion during retrieval and use of other files. And, some may slow down your computer.

Somewhere along the way, a (most likely) computer geek or service person, created this day as an opportunity for us to remember to cleanup and delete old and unused files.

Virus

My laptop got a virus
I was surprised that it could
I tried to give paracetamol
But it did it no good

I poured in chicken soup
It works with my cold
But it just started fizzing
And the keyboard developed mold

I stuck in the bath
All soapy nice and hot
But it did not seem to like that
Oh, it certainly did not.

And now its sound asleep
It doesn’t want to stir
I think I’ve killed the hard drive
As it no longer makes a whir

I’ll have to get some software
to inoculate it better
And make sure it stays dry
and never gets wetter.

I hope I haven’t killed
my little robot mate
It the virus I didn’t like
and those hackers that I hate!



About 70% of people, who prepare and disseminate computer viruses, are part of an organized crime syndicate. That means that their motives may be a lot more sinister that you could ever imagine.

About 40% of all households contain at least one computer, which is infected with a virus. That means that many of us are literally walking on ice. What is really frightening is the fact that many who are affected do not even know that their systems are infected.

About 90% of all emails are infected with some type of malware. The people that send and receive it are often unaware of what is going on until it is too late.

The “MyDoom” computer virus was the most costly malware ever made. It is estimated that it caused losses of up to $38.5 billion. That is a lot more than many third world countries make in a full year.

First human infected with a computer virus On 27 May 2010, Mark Gasson (UK) from the University of Reading,UK, announced that he had implanted an RFID(radio frequency identification)chip into his hand, which he then infected with a computer virus.



I grew up in a rough area. When I was a kid people used to cover me in Chocolate and cream and put a Cherry on top of my head.

Life was tough in the Gateau

Want to see what other guff I write pop over to my Authors page on Amazon. Just paste the below link in your browser.



The Offer –

Have you got a kindle or e-book reader? Then as a gift from me you can now buy
my recent release, “Tales of the Unexpected” for the amazing low price of £1.99 (cheaper than a cup
of coffee) 




CHECK OUT THE 5 STAR REVIEWS –
B Silver
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great diverse short stories
28 October 2019
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
Love this writer I bought his previous books and in my opinion this is the best so far. The stories are much more diverse than the others. For a book of short stories there are a lot there, great to pop in and read as and when you want to. Read mine on the train, I laughed out loud at one point making my fellow passengers jump out of their seats. Recommended read….
Here is a link to this book – https://ift.tt/cju7Nhi
Subscribe – Like what you see ? want more content ? Hit the subscribe button.
e-mail – neville.raper@yahoo.co.uk

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 In Today’s Tiny Issue

Small Things
How small are we
That’s Amaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaazing
Random Joke
Word (to your Mother)

Free audio play.

I write about big things.

But, it’s time to talk of the small,
of little pleasures of smaller joys.

A lick from the dog
Clean sheet smell
Chinese chicken curry
Melodious church bell

Sun through the curtains
A really good sneeze
Elvis on the radio
Quite a strong cheese

My spex with no spots
A pair of odd socks
Bacon and eggs
Soft ticking of clocks

Smell of cut grass
Old Captain Kirk
A free parking space
A weekend off work

A freezing cold pint
I nice new haircut
Batman and Robin
Nice clean smut

The laugh of a child
A fresh coffee pot
A blackbird’s singsong
A nose clear of snot

How Small are We ?

Our sun is one of at least 100 BILLION stars, just in the Milky Way. Scientists calculate that there are at least 100 billion galaxies in the observable universe, each one brimming with stars. There are more stars than grains of sand on all of Earth’s beaches combined. 

The Milky Way is a huge city of stars, so big that even at the speed of light (which is fast!), it would take 100,000 years to travel across it.

 Roughly 70% of the universe is made of dark energy. Dark matter makes up about 25%. The rest — everything on Earth, everything ever observed with all of our instruments, all normal matter adds up to less than 5% of the universe.

If the sun were as tall as a typical front door, Earth would be the size of a penny.

The sun accounts for almost all of the mass in our solar system. Leaving .2% for all the planets and everything else.

Edwin Hubble discovered that the Universe is expanding and that at one point in time (14 billion years ago) the universe was all collected in just one point of space.

 Four American spacecraft are headed out of our solar system to what scientists call interstellar space. Voyager 1 is the farthest out — more than 11 billion miles from our sun. It was the first manmade object to leave our solar system. Voyager 2, is speeding along at more than 39,000 mph, but will still take more than 296,000 years to pass Sirius, the brightest star in our night sky..


That’s Amaaaaaaaazing …

Smallest Hypothetical Object in the Universe: The smallest hypothetical objects in the universe is a thing which does not have any mass and dimensions. Its existence is also not proven yet. According to string theory, all universe is made up of tiny vibrating string-like structures which interact with each other and give rise to mass and energy.


Random Joke of the Day


My Dad always told me “Don’t be quick to find faults.” 
Great Dad, terrible geologist.

Word of the day: SCURRYFUNGE – to rush around cleaning before visitors arrive.

Want to see what other guff I write pop over to my Authors page on Amazon. Just paste the below link in your browser.



The Offer –

Have you got a kindle or e-book reader? Then as a gift from me you can now buy
my recent release, “Tales of the Unexpected” for the amazing low price of £1.99 (cheaper than a cup
of coffee) 




CHECK OUT THE 5 STAR REVIEWS –
B Silver
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great diverse short stories
28 October 2019
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
Love this writer I bought his previous books and in my opinion this is the best so far. The stories are much more diverse than the others. For a book of short stories there are a lot there, great to pop in and read as and when you want to. Read mine on the train, I laughed out loud at one point making my fellow passengers jump out of their seats. Recommended read….
Here is a link to this book – https://ift.tt/cdnm2G7
Subscribe – Like what you see ? want more content ? Hit the subscribe button.
e-mail – neville.raper@yahoo.co.uk
FREEBIE –
A THYME FOR LOVE 
A short radio play










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Ekphrastic Poetry

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 In Today’s Issue


Ekphrastic Poetry
We Danced on the Sand
Trivial Top 10
That’s Amaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaazing
Random Joke of the Day

An Offer

Ekphrastic poetry explores art. Using a rhetorical device known as ekphrasis, the poet engages with a painting, drawing, sculpture, or other form of visual art. Poetry about music and dance might also be considered a type of ekphrastic writing.

The term ekphrastic (also spelled ecphrastic) originates from a Greek expression for description. The earliest ekphrastic poems were vivid accounts of real or imagined scenes. Through effusive use of details, writers in ancient Greece aspired to transform the visual into the verbal. Later poets moved beyond description to reflect on deeper meanings. Today, the word ekphrastic can refer to any literary response to a non-literary work.

Key Terms

Ekphrastic poetry: Poetry about a work of art
Actual ekphrasis: Writing about an artwork that exists
Notional ekphrasis: Writing about an imagined work of art

I was provided with the below picture and asked to come up with some writing to accompany it….

We Danced on the Sand


We sang as we danced and danced as we sang
Our help tried to shield us as best they could
With batwing brollies.
They tried but were no protection against that wind of change
How beautiful she was crimson dressed.
Our song carried and joined the gale force choir
It cycloned back as all things do.
But it had changed
We all danced now in red stained shoes
A staccato beat by musicians with a different flag
Their chords tight on white hot instruments.
I looked down and saw my shadow on rusted sand
She’s here with me again in that cardinal dress.
Her skin is so white and I can’t hear her song.
I look down and my shadow has gone
The shells are on the beach
The shells are on the beach

TOP 10 1st Wedding Dances 2021

10. Ed Sheeran and Beyonce – Perfect (Duet)

9. Ellie Goulding – How Long Will I Love You

8. Jason Mraz – I Won’t Give Up

7. Ray LaMontagne – You Are The Best Thing

6. Christina Perri – A Thousand Years

5. Elvis Presley – Can’t Help Falling in Love

4. John Legend – All of Me

3. Etta James – At Last

2. Ed Sheeran – Thinking Out Loud

1. Ed Sheeran – Perfect

That’s Amaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaazing
Kalamandalam Hemalatha has shown the world why she’s known as “the dancing queen of Kerala.” On January 6, Guinness World Records confirmed that she had set a world record for the “longest dance marathon by an individual.” Beginning on September 20, she shook her hips and wiggled her neck for 123 hours and 15 minutes

Random Joke of the Day

Got some insect repellent spray, it says on the can that it may cause hallucinations.

Personally I don’t believe it but the flies swear it’s true.



The Offer –

Have you got a kindle or e-book reader? Then as a gift from me you can now buy
my recent release, “Tales of the Unexpected” for the amazing low price of £1.99 (cheaper than a cup
of coffee) 




CHECK OUT THE 5 STAR REVIEWS –
B Silver
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great diverse short stories
28 October 2019
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
Love this writer I bought his previous books and in my opinion this is the best so far. The stories are much more diverse than the others. For a book of short stories there are a lot there, great to pop in and read as and when you want to. Read mine on the train, I laughed out loud at one point making my fellow passengers jump out of their seats. Recommended read….
Here is a link to this book – https://ift.tt/muR1EUy
Subscribe – Like what you see ? want more content ? Hit the subscribe button.
e-mail – neville.raper@yahoo.co.uk



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My Child

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 In Today’s edition.

My Kid

Kifs
That’s Amaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaazing
Random Joke
Buy a Book

My Kid

The levy broke
and waters ran
A portent of a new
lifespan
To a place lit
with sterile lights
of stainless steel
Chemical flights
Mop a brow
hold a hand
A soothing word
a useless man
A final quake
One cry is two
Orchestra of girls
One old one new
I hold the life
like mad parents did
and say hello
To my new kid.

KIDS

1. ‘Children’ is one of only three words in modern English which are plurals formed by adding the old suffix -en. The others are brethren and oxen.

2. Worldwide, the average woman gives birth to an estimated 6.89 children.

3. The highest fertility rate is in Niger, where women give birth to an average of 7.58 children. The lowest is Singapore at 0.8 per woman.

4. The average girl child reaches half her adult height at 18 months. For a boy it is 24 months.

5. According to research at Sheffield University in 2008: “Clowns are universally disliked by children”.

6. “Childhood: the period of life intermediate between the idiocy of infancy and the folly of youth.” (Ambrose Bierce, A Devil’s Dictionary)

7. Twelfth Night is the only Shakespeare play that does not contain the words ‘child’ or ‘children’.

8. According to research for National Teething Week 68 per cent of parents have left a public place because of a crying child.

9. According to a recent survey, ten per cent of UK children learn to use a touch screen by age two.

10. “Mankind owes to the child the best it has to give.” (UN Declaration of the Rights of the Child)

That’s Amaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaazing

Valentina Vassilyev and her husband Feodor Vassilyev are alleged to hold the record for the most children a couple has produced. She gave birth to a total of 69 children – sixteen pairs of twins, seven sets of triplets and four sets of quadruplets – between 1725 and 1765, a total of 27 births.

Random Joke of the Day



es, taking your children to the park can be exhausting. But when they have a great time, also very rewarding.
It’s swings and roundabouts.


By the Book –

Have you got a kindle or e-book reader? Then as a gift from me you can now buy
my recent release, “Tales of the Unexpected” for the amazing low price of £1.99 (cheaper than a cup
of coffee) 




CHECK OUT THE 5 STAR REVIEWS –
B Silver
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great diverse short stories
28 October 2019
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
Love this writer I bought his previous books and in my opinion this is the best so far. The stories are much more diverse than the others. For a book of short stories there are a lot there, great to pop in and read as and when you want to. Read mine on the train, I laughed out loud at one point making my fellow passengers jump out of their seats. Recommended read….
Here is a link to this book – https://ift.tt/nMQNRJ9
Subscribe – Like what you see ? want more content ? Hit the subscribe button.
e-mail – neville.raper@yahoo.co.uk



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“I’ll make you an offer you can’t refuse”

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 In Today’s “I’ll make you an offer you can’t refuse” edition.

Taser Trevor

Today’s Gangsters
That’s Amaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaazing
Random Joke
The “Offer”

Trevor the taser

Carriers a razor

He’s an old-school badun
Who carries a gun

It’s loaded and locked
Primed and it’s cocked

With Caps from the shop
It’ll only go pop

If only he birthed
When the Krays were on earth

Instead, he’s stuck
In the time of the schmuck

Now villains fake crime
Scamming people online

While gangsters so dapper
Are now only rappers

Fedoras all gone
So has Capone
The cost of organised crime to the economy is £40bn. The illegal drugs market constitutes almost half of that (£17.6 bn). Fraud is now worth £7.8bn to criminals. Spirits, tobacco and diesel smuggling has cost £4.1bn, people smuggling £1.4bn and fake DVD production £300m.
Tanning shops and nail parlours are sometimes fronts for crime. The most popular “legitimate” businesses which are typically fronts for criminal activity and money laundering are: licensed premises, car dealerships, solariums, nail bars (often Vietnamese-run stores which are run by cannabis gangs) and massage parlours.
Criminals like computers. Cyber crime is on the rise. There was a 250 per cent increase in 2008 alone in the number of computer bugs used by organised criminals to attack the IT systems of individuals, small businesses, governments and commercial organisations.
Guns are still the gangster’s weapon of choice. Almost one in five known organised criminal gangs – around 800 – are involved in the importing, modification or supply of guns. There has been a recent rise in revenge shootings over drugs turf wars.
Fraud is at its highest level since 1995. Criminals have taken advantage of the confusion caused by the economic crisis and bank mergers, especially by using “phishing” techniques. This involves sending emails to random victims asking to confirm their bank details. They use the answers to hack into the victims’ accounts. There has been a 75 per cent increase in such activity in first quarter of 2009.
Mobile phones are rife within British prisons. Jailed gang leaders continue to run their networks from within their cells. The Home Office is now rolling out a the use of mobile phone blocking technology in prisons after a pilot scheme was successful.
Gangsters move around to exploit the fragmented structure of British policing. Research has found that 73 per cent of gangs operate across the 43 different police force boundaries in England and Wales.
Gangsters start young. Children are exploited as drug runners or dealers, and sometimes used as gun “minders” because if they are caught they will not face a minimum of five years in jail.
People are not just trafficked into the UK. In 2008 officials found that vulnerable British males were being trafficked to Scandinavia by an organised crime gang. They were offered work, free travel, food and accommodation. However once they arrived they were exploited and paid just £20-a-week.
That’s Amaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaazing

The U.S. attorney’s office in Chicago estimated gangster Al Capone made $105 million in 1927 from liquor bootlegging, gambling establishments, dog tracks, dance halls and other illegal activities. In today’s money that would be over $1 billion in one year !!


Random Joke of the Day



The Sperm Count ~ probably my least favourite Sesame Street character.


The Offer –

Have you got a kindle or e-book reader? Then as a gift from me you can now buy
my recent release, “Tales of the Unexpected” for the amazing low price of £1.99 (cheaper than a cup
of coffee) 




CHECK OUT THE 5 STAR REVIEWS –
B Silver
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great diverse short stories
28 October 2019
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
Love this writer I bought his previous books and in my opinion this is the best so far. The stories are much more diverse than the others. For a book of short stories there are a lot there, great to pop in and read as and when you want to. Read mine on the train, I laughed out loud at one point making my fellow passengers jump out of their seats. Recommended read….
Here is a link to this book – https://ift.tt/MHWgAYL
Subscribe – Like what you see ? want more content ? Hit the subscribe button.
e-mail – neville.raper@yahoo.co.uk




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Coal Not Dole

In Today’s Issue

Industrial Action

Coal
Coale Not Dole
That’s Amaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaazing
Random Joke

INDUSTRIAL ACTION AN OPINION

That the UK is a low-strike society and a low-pay economy is no freakish coincidence. In-work poverty is at a record high in large part because working days lost to strikes are at record lows. When unions were smashed by a combination of legislation, defeats and mass unemployment in the 1980s, 
we lost the most effective means we have to ensure that workers get a fair slice of the pie they make.

That’s why the Governments proclamation that work is the best route out of poverty is trolling the nation from the prime ministerial pulpit. Most people living in poverty are in work. They may brag about healthy employment figures, but the fact that they are accompanied by an unprecedented crisis in 

living standards exposes the inequality baked into our economic model as people’s wages cannot meet the rising inflation in prices.

Millions of workers are deprived of a comfortable existence in large part because organising for better wages and conditions has been 

made so deliberately difficult. That the Tories are planning to further hobble an already battered labour movement should be understood as yet another assault on workers’ living standards.

In response to the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport balloting its members in support of industrial action, ministers are threatening legislation 

to make effective strikes illegal. The motivation for the proposed action is very straightforward: pay freezes – or, given inflation hit a four-decade high of 9%, a real-terms pay cut – and 2,500 job losses.

Those opposing the action highlight the supposedly exorbitant salaries of train drivers, which range from £20,000 to £65,000. They are the same people, of course, who wail about the “politics of envy” if the booming salaries of millionaire bosses are questioned. But the wages of train drivers are an advertisement for striking, not against. By taking industrial action – rather than being resigned to their lot – drivers have succeeded in driving up their pay.

The Bank of England governor, Andrew Bailey, has pleaded for workers to exercise “pay restraint”: an easy demand to make when you’re paid half a million each year, rather than say a care worker on £17,000, nearly 30 times less. However, surging prices have not been caused by rising wages, but by supply chain issues in China, rising energy costs and companies taking home windfall profits.

The response of workers to a crisis imposed upon them should not be stoic acceptance of their lot. We’ve had, regrettably, far too much of that. According to the High Pay Centre, the median CEO is paid 111 times more than the lowest-paid worker. We spend tens of billions of pounds a year on in-work benefits and personal debt has ballooned to unprecedented levels.

Workers who are unionised benefit from a so-called “wage premium” of between 10% and 15%, while the pay of non-unionised workers is dragged upwards by trade unions, too. The government doesn’t lack tools to fi​​x the cost of living crisis, such as hiking the minimum wage and social security entitlements, but strengthening unions is a no-brainer. After all, does anyone really think that countries such as Sweden – where nearly nine in 10 workers are covered by collective bargaining agreement, and where living standards are substantially higher than our own – are economic disasters?

Expect an escalating media blitz against the unions. Ours is a society in which working-class people are demonised for being too weak – for supposedly languishing in poverty because of a lack of aspiration; and for being too strong – for daring to fight for a just share of the wealth they create with their hard graft.

Yes, strikes are inconvenient, but is a day of disruption a more painful intrusion into millions of lives than leaving working people without enough money to pay their bills or feed their families?

If an example is to be made of Britain’s train drivers, it should be that they provide inspiration for workers to fight back. Low pay is a scandal and a national emergency, and it can be addressed if workers have the strength to demand what is rightfully theirs. If train drivers have the courage to reject collapsing pay, then so, surely, should a workforce that has resigned itself to stagnation and decline for far too long.

COAL
I work in the dark, deep underground
I toil in the muck where all light is drowned
In the dirt and the dust
I hack and I pick.
Shovel and crawl
My blood it runs thick
My skin eats the dirt
Tattooed with coal
The carbon that eats
Right down to my soul
But now it’s all gone
On a political whim
We import our power
From some pseudonym
The men were so proud
To toil for their pay
To ensure we had the means
To turn night into day
They worked underground they worked in their sweat
We owed them more, forever in debt

The 1984 Miners’ Strike was a last attempt by the mining unions to stop mining closures and the loss of jobs.

The biggest strike in the post-war era (at its height, 142,000 mineworkers were involved), it was also one of the bitterest industrial disputes in British history

The strike ended on 3 March 1985 with the NUM having failed to achieve concessions from the government

In March 1984 more than 187,000 miners came out on strike when the National Coal Board announced that 20 pits in England would have to close with the loss of 20,000 jobs.

It was the start of one of the most confrontational strikes ever seen, marred by picket line violence and clashes between police and miners.

Miners in Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Leicestershire eventually followed Yorkshire pits and came out on strike.

But some miners continued to work and were branded as “scabs” by their colleagues when they crossed picket lines.

The Government branded the striking miners as “the enemy within”.

When the strike ended 12 months later, it was estimated that the total cost had been £3 billion.

Over 11,000 people had been arrested, and around 5,000 miners stood trial for a variety of offences.

Many of the threatened closures took place in 1992.

Mining communities throughout the country were scarred, and many never fully recovered.

It was the end of the industry that had once been the backbone of industrial Britain.

Collapse of an industry
In 1984 there were 170 collieries in Britain, employing more than 190,000 people.

The last deep coal mine closed, in Yorkshire, in 2015.

THAT’S AMAAAAAAAAZING

The record for filling a 508 kg (0.5 ton) hopper with coal using a banjo shovel by a team of two is 14.8 seconds, by Brian Coghlan and Piet Groot (both New Zealand) at the opening of the Brunner Bridge, South Island, New Zealand, on 27 March 2004.

Random Joke of the Day

I went to the palindrome shop yesterday. “I’d like to make an exchange please” “What are you offering?” “A nut for a jar of tuna”



Bargain Book

Did you get a kindle or e-book reader for Xmas? Then as a New Years gift from me you can now buy
my recent release, “Tales of the Unexpected” for the amazing low price of £1.99 (cheaper than a cup
of coffee) 



CHECK OUT THE 5 STAR REVIEWS –
B Silver
5.0 out of 5 starsGreat diverse short stories
28 October 2019
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
Love this writer I bought his previous books and in my opinion this is the best so far. The stories are much more diverse than the others. For a book of short stories there are a lot there, great to pop in and read as and when you want to. Read mine on the train, I laughed out loud at one point making my fellow passengers jump out of their seats. Recommended read….
YOU CAN FIND IT ON AMAZON NOW !

via Blogger https://ift.tt/zj3p6Gv

International Bubble Wrap Day

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Bubble Rap

In Today’s Pop(ular) Issue


Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day
Bubble Rap
Bubble Wrap
That’s Amaaaaaaaaazing
Random Joke

Feeling a little stressed lately.? Then, this special day is made for you!
It’s Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day.
As anyone who has ever come in contact with it knows, bubble wrap is not just a protective wrapping for things. It is also a wonderful stress reliever! Just squeeze the bubbles in the Bubble wrap, and feel the stress disappear with each POP…POP…POP.
So, grab a piece of bubble wrap today, and go to town!

BUBBLE RAP

Little blisters of air
Bubbles suspended in plastic
How they get there I don’t
Know, I think it’s fantastic

Protective convex covering
Almost see through
Peek into the packaging
Your prize just in view.

But forget your purchase
It’s the wrapping raps
For it the joy of the pop
When you squeeze in the gaps

A stress release
Tiny small joy
Blahdy Blahdy Blah Blah
Helen of Troy
(I think I run out of steam a bit there)

 
USES FOR BUBBLE WRAP

Sleep on air while camping: 
Get a better night’s sleep on a camping trip. Take a 2m roll of wide bubble wrap to use as a mat under a sleeping bag. If you don’t have a sleeping bag, just fold a 3.6-metre-long piece of wide bubble wrap in half, bubble side out and gaffer-tape the edges. Then slip in and enjoy a restful night in your makeshift padded sleeping bag.
Its original purpose was wallpaper: In 1957, in an attempt to create a textured wallpaper, engineer Alfred W. Fielding and Swiss inventor Marc Chavannes sealed two shower curtains together in such a way that air bubbles were captured, giving the wallpaper a textured appearance.
It can insulate your windows:
Is your home feeling drafty? Simply cut a sheet of bubble cushioning to the size of your window, spray the window with water, and place the flat side against the glass for instant insulation. Since it’s clear, you won’t lose the natural light.
Protect Produce in the Fridge:
Line the crisper drawer with bubble wrap to prevent bruises to fruit and other produce. Cleaning the fridge will be easier too – when the lining gets dirty, just throw it away and replace it with fresh bubble wrap.
Stress Relief:
Get popping! Research shows that one minute spent popping bubble wrap relives as much stress as a 30 minute massage.

THAT’S AMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAZING

The most people popping bubble wrap simultaneously is 2,681, achieved by the Denver Area Council, Boy Scouts of America (USA) at the Peaceful Valley Scout Ranch in Elbert, Colorado, USA, on 19 September 2015.

Random Joke of the Day



I met this bloke with a didgeridoo playing Dancing Queen. I thought “That’s ABBAriginal!”

Bargain Book


Have you got a kindle or e-book reader? Then as a gift from me you can now buy
my recent release, “Tales of the Unexpected” for the amazing low price of £1.99 (cheaper than a cup
of coffee) 




CHECK OUT THE 5 STAR REVIEWS –
B Silver
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great diverse short stories
28 October 2019
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
Love this writer I bought his previous books and in my opinion this is the best so far. The stories are much more diverse than the others. For a book of short stories there are a lot there, great to pop in and read as and when you want to. Read mine on the train, I laughed out loud at one point making my fellow passengers jump out of their seats. Recommended read….
Here is a link to this book – https://ift.tt/l2Z5JjW
Subscribe – Like what you see ? want more content ? Hit the subscribe button.
e-mail – neville.raper@yahoo.co.uk

via Blogger https://ift.tt/2b5nLVE

Two Sentence Horror

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 In Todays Issue –


Two Sentence Horror

Trivial Top 10

That’s Amaaaaaazing
Random Joke of the Day
More of this stuff
Subscribe



Two Sentence Horror

Two Sentence horror is a great example of ‘FlashFiction’.

This form of writing isn’t new; two-sentence horror stories have been floating around the internet and for years. They’ve even inspired a TV series.

Google the phrase “two-sentence horror stories”, and you’ll find many examples. This site has quite a few to get you started, but here are some just to illustrate how cool they are:

I just noticed a picture of myself sleeping in my phone’s gallery. I live alone.

The daughter ran up to her father, arms outstretched for a hug. Her father recoiled; he buried her three months ago after the accident.

A body was found in the basement. Strange, since I placed two in there just yesterday.

Two-sentence horror stories can help and reinforce some essential writing skills.

You have to use precise and concise language, and have to be choosy about the words used. The ability to choose the exact right word is a great consistent practice.

One of the biggest mistakes writers make when they write two-sentence horror stories is that they give too much away. For example, I’ve read plenty of stories that read something like “The chair floated in the air. It was scary because there was a ghost.”

You should try to hint at why a situation is scary without giving it away. Remember Show. Don’t Tell.

If you’d like to share your example to a wider “global” audience use the links on the blog, or drop me a line at neville.raper@yahoo.co.uk.

Good luck.

So here are a couple of mine.

Carbon Copy? 

I took a selfie.

The clone bank is yet to realise. 

Baptize 

I felt the cool sweet water wash away all
my sins

As I watched the last bubbles of air leave
her open mouth. 

Once upon a time. 

“Kiss me,” said the frog. She did and all
her dreams came true.

Mainly due to the hallucinogenic quality of the
frog’s skin.

You know the Drill.

Power tools have really come on in the last
couple of years, I was always running out of extension lead.

Now, cordless means I always catch them.

 

The Trivial Top 10

Highest-Grossing Horror Movies Ever

  1. 1 It (2017) ($327.48M)
  3. 2 The Sixth Sense (1999) ($293.5 million)
  5. 3 Jaws (1975) ($260 million) 
  7. 4 Ghostbusters (1984) ($242.2 million) 
  9. 5 The Exorcist ($232.91 Million) 
  11. 6 It Chapter Two ($211.59 Million) 
  13. 7 World War Z ($202.36 Million) 
  15. 8 A Quiet Place ($188.02 Million) 

9 Get Out ($176.04)

10 US ($175.08)


That’s Amaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaazing

The most successful horror film series is SAW with a total gross of $733,271,976 (₤481,525,920.92) throughout its 6 installments. This record considers the global grossing of each one of the SAW movies…. YUK


Random Joke of the Day

So I’ve decided to use one of my Two Sentence Horror stories as today’s joke (I used to use this in my stand up act)

Night Night

Go to sleep there’s no such thing as ghosts.

I wish you’d leave me alone Mum; you’ve
been dead for eight years.



Bargain Book

Have you got a kindle or e-book reader? Then as a gift from me you can now buy
my recent release, “Tales of the Unexpected” for the amazing low price of £1.99 (cheaper than a cup
of coffee) 




CHECK OUT THE 5 STAR REVIEWS –
B Silver
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great diverse short stories
28 October 2019
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
Love this writer I bought his previous books and in my opinion this is the best so far. The stories are much more diverse than the others. For a book of short stories there are a lot there, great to pop in and read as and when you want to. Read mine on the train, I laughed out loud at one point making my fellow passengers jump out of their seats. Recommended read….
Here is a link to this book – https://ift.tt/H8hpsCD
Subscribe – Like what you see ? want more content ? Hit the subscribe button.
e-mail – neville.raper@yahoo.co.uk

via Blogger https://ift.tt/b9sV5KC

Well it’s Been Awhile

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In Todays Issue –

It’s Been Awhile
Micro Fiction
Superman

That’s Amaaaaaazing
Random Joke of the Day
More of this stuff
Subscribe



It’s Been Awhile.

Well what a year that was.

2021 brought us yet more Covid, climate anxiety, Brexshit, a Government more interested in lining its own pockets than serving the nation, an orange loon inciting violence on his government, Matt Hancock squeezing someone’s bottom and, it would seem, for some, lots and lots of parties. But, in spite of it all, we found a way to live … and watch more Netflix.

If 2020 was the original novel then 2021 was a sequel that went down a much darker even more depressing narrative.

The rise and rise of mis-information crushed social media into a bipolar filth fest.
People sharing opinions as facts. Rabid attacks on the vaxxed, not vaxxed, masked and not masked tribes.
“Influencers” always seeking for a way to make a quick buck, jumping on the bandwagons exchanging likes and shares for social responsibility.

Conspiracy theorists given a free platform to share their nonsense to the ‘hard of head’ who’s main mantra and argument, if you dared to disagree or challenge them was calling you, ‘sheeple’. The screaming right wing who supported Brexit and freedom of choice railing against people who chose a vaccine and a mask. I could go on….but I won’t.

Luckily these loud screamers are in the minority. Most of us still care about each other, their wider community and society around them.

To you people I say well done and thank you. Love and Hope, not hate, will win through.

Thank you for reading this – Neville

Micro Fiction

Micro Fiction: Tends to be stories that are 100 words or less. Some publications have stretched this to up to 250 words, but in general, 100 words is the sweet spot for defining stories in this category.

I have recently been asked to write some micro fiction for a horror/fantasy web site. I the next couple of weeks. I will post my submissions. Please let me know what you think.

Man of Steel

“Up, up and away”
Launching himself from the tallest building in Metropolis he revelled in the feel of cool evening air on his chiselled face.

“Jumper?”

“Yep”

“Any ID?”

“A Mr. Clark from Ashford”

“Where’s that?”

“Kent”

Superman facts you probably didn’t know –


1. It’s not just about the glasses.

Clark’s disguise isn’t as simple as slicked back hair and glasses. The lenses of his glasses are slightly tinted, changing the shade of his eyes. Thanks to incredible control over his muscles and vocal cords, Superman actually gives himself a different voice when he’s Clark Kent. Looser clothing and slouching over gives a different impression of his body. And thanks to studying some acting techniques, he completes the disguise by employing very different body language as Clark. T

2. Clark Kent and Superman HAVE been seen together.

The DC Universe has heroes with various abilities. On occasion, friends of Superman who have the ability to shape-shift have masqueraded as Clark Kent, allowing the famous reporter and the Man of Steel to be seen and photographed together. To the general public, they are friends who simply bear a great resemblance to each other.

3. The “S” isn’t just for Superman.

The famous S-shield is not just Superman’s family crest. First hinted at in the 1978 feature film, in the comic book story “Superman: Birthright” and the series “52,” we learned that it’s also a Kryptonian symbol that means “hope.” Interestingly, drawing the S-shield upside down changes the meaning to “resurrection.”

4. Even superheroes need safeguards.

Clark actually wasn’t thinking about secret identities when he started wearing glasses as a freshman in high school. Around this time, Clark’s full powers were finally emerging and he had a tough time learning how to control them. Martha Kent had noticed that his heat-vision didn’t burn through the rocket that had brought him to Earth, so she took glass pieces from its window and put them into frames. Now if Clark’s heat-vision ever sparked up accidentally when he got excited, the glasses would block it and no one else would be the wiser.

5. It wasn’t always the “American way.”

Originally, Superman’s catchphrases called him the “champion of the oppressed” and said he was dedicated to “truth and justice.” Folks didn’t say he also fought for “the American Way” until the 1940s during radio broadcasts of that era, and the phrase became an iconic part of Superman lore when the TV series starring George Reeves began airing in the 50s.

6. Superman’s a time traveller.

As a kid in high school, Clark was visited by the Legion of Super-Heroes, super-powered teens from the 30th century who had been inspired by his legend. Seeing he was desperate for a chance to hang out with kids who were more like him, the Legion regularly brought Clark into the far future to join them in adventures. Whenever Clark returned home, part of his memories were clouded so he couldn’t alter his own future. These trips with the LSH helped Superman learn to become a hero and are part of the reason he maintains an optimistic view of the human race. He believes we’re worth it because he’s seen what we achieve 1,000 years from now.

7. He wasn’t always able to fly.

When Superman first appeared in 1938, the comic said that he was incredibly strong, could withstand anything less than a bursting shell from a tank, and was able to leap 1/8th of a mile. And that was it! His ability to fly first showed up in the radio series and his original cartoons. In the comics, he officially gained the ability to fly in 1941, nearly two years after his first story. In the years since his creation, he’s been given new abilities and had some later taken away. Nowadays, his arsenal includes heat-vision, incredible strength/stamina, enhanced senses, X-Ray vision, arctic breath, super-speed, increased healing, near-complete body/muscle control, and a skin-tight force-field that makes him invulnerable to most forms of harm.

8. He didn’t always date Lois Lane.

Reporter Lois Lane is his wife, but she wasn’t the first one to capture Superman’ attention and heart. In high school, Clark had deep feelings for his best friend Lana Lang, who was also the first person outside of his foster parents to learn about his strange powers. As a teen, Clark also had a crush on Saturn Girl, a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes. In college, he seriously dated a girl named Lori Lemaris, who turned out to be a mermaid from Atlantis. During a time travel adventure to Krypton’s past, Superman became involved with Lyla Lerrol, a famous Kryptonian actress. And for a while, Superman had a crush on Wonder Woman (hey, who wouldn’t?).

9. Batman owns Superman.

Okay, that’s an exaggeration, but you’d be surprised how much Bruce Wayne is a part of Clark’s life. Bruce owns the building that Clark and Lois live in and, in fact, gave them their apartment as a wedding gift. And some years ago when it needed a new financial backer, Wayne Enterprises bought the Daily Planet newspaper, where Lois and Clark both work.

10. Kryptonite isn’t his only weakness.

Superman has faced many alien and superhuman enemies whose strength rival his own and whom have been able to injure him. Since he draws his power from our yellow sun, standing in the light of a red sun (such as the one Krypton orbited) immediately robs Superman of his powers, leaving him vulnerable to fists and bullets like anyone else. Clark also lives in a world where magic is real and simply being an alien offers no special protection against most sorcery. In fact, the chaotic energies of magic disrupt his force-field, meaning demons, vampires and werewolves can draw blood if Superman lets them get close enough.

That’s Amaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaazing

Marco “Superman” Zorzin has soared into the new Guinness World Records Blockbusters! 2017 book with his record breaking superhero collection with a total of 1,518 Man of Steel-related items.

Random Joke of the Day

“I’ve taken a vow of poverty. To annoy me, send money”


Bargain Book

Have you got a kindle or e-book reader? Then as a gift from me you can now buy
my recent release, “Tales of the Unexpected” for the amazing low price of £1.99 (cheaper than a cup
of coffee) 




CHECK OUT THE 5 STAR REVIEWS –

B Silver
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great diverse short stories
28 October 2019
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
Love this writer I bought his previous books and in my opinion this is the best so far. The stories are much more diverse than the others. For a book of short stories there are a lot there, great to pop in and read as and when you want to. Read mine on the train, I laughed out loud at one point making my fellow passengers jump out of their seats. Recommended read….
Here is a link to this book – https://ift.tt/lRCoYXmyb

Subscribe – Like what you see ? want more content ? Hit the subscribe button.
e-mail – neville.raper@yahoo.co.uk

via Blogger https://ift.tt/wch9Wbr7J