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Showing posts from June, 2012

Shimmer

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Writers Online One Word Challenge My entry to the Writers Online One Word Challenge Prose - June 2012 Word - Shimmer Painting by  Stewart Platt       First Born A hot June day. Sleek fronds of sea weed lie sweltering in the sun’s rays at the water’s edge. Pebbles smoothed by endless tides piled in mounds where they’ve been deposited and tiny pieces of shell and glass glint in the strong light. I stare out to sea.    The boat was your pride and joy. When other’s named theirs Lady Mary or Sea Breeze, yours was “First Born” and you cherished it as such. My feelings could hardly compete with the empathy you shared with this wood and canvas. Sailing with only seabirds for company was the best time spent and I understood because you were my child, now grown.   If life had not impeded on your chosen simple one, maybe things would have turned out differently. Solitude is not for us all, but for you it was everything and though I knew this, somehow I fail

I Am Neveen

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I am Neveen. I am Palestinian.This is my sto­­ry. This is the Palestinian Story. I'd like to take you back to 64 years ago, to the fertile rolling hills of Palestine. To the land of orange, lemon and olive trees, to around mid May1948. My Grandmother, heavily pregnant quickly picks 2 or 3 oranges. She hastily feeds the chooks, cuts homemade cheese taken from brine and spoons out salted olives from a large clay pot .She packs red, ripe tomatoes and bread. Her father rushes to hurry her & help with the children and Grandmother locks the wooden door placing the key in her clothing for her return. They leave scared, but certain they will return soon. She walked and walked travelling a long journey to safety. She gave birth along the way, to my Uncle, her third child. Fear, cold, hunger, thirst and the ghost of death, were their companions, in fact they would be for many years to come She did not return within weeks as she had thought. Nor would 900,000

Conversations With Neveen ....

Today I am proud to introduce Neveen, an aspiring writer and poet and a very good one at that. Neveen is a Palestinian girl and lives in Syria. She is going to introduce herself and share some of her thoughts and writing on this blog. I asked her this morning if she is well and if she is doing any writing. School has finished in Syria for the summer months and the situation is becoming worse by the minute. This is what she said : It is painful to write when you know that nothing will ever change. Writing about it just makes it more clear and raises the pain level. But Neveen will continue to write and share her thoughts. And we will be fortunate enough to share. Write- Place  gives Neveen a very big welcome !

I have "Mummy Porn " on my Kindle !

Thought that might catch your eye. But it's true. Seems I have had downloaded onto my Kindle for a number of weeks now "Mummy Porn"  and it has shocked me, for a few minute anyway. After all I am not only a mummy but a Grand mummy too.  I'd never heard of this genre of fiction until reading a BBC online article by Will Gompertz   Have to say I 'd never heard of him either until yesterday. So, what is this pornographic material that I have not only downloaded but paid for as well ? It's Fifty Shades of Grey by EL James.  Apparently, Fifty Shades of Grey sold 205, 130 paperback copies in the past week The sequels, Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed sold 132, 174 and 115,086 copies.  That's more than on next 50 bestselling paperback novels. Now I do appreciate that by writing about this 'phenomenon' (as I have now heard it called)  that I am giving free promotion to the author and as this blog is read by millions I am sure sales wil

Storing "Mummy Porn" on my Kindle ...

Yes, it caught my eye too ...   Mummy Porn ? I've only just come across the phrase today in an online article by the BBC 's Will Gompertz   (I've only just heard of him today too) Anyway, seems I have had, downloaded onto my Kindle for a number of weeks a book which comes under this heading. Have to say I've shocked myself, especially as I'm not only a mummy but a GRAND mummy !  So what is this pornography that I have downloaded and stored without realising it's genre ?Well it's Fifty Shades of Grey by E L  Fifty Shades of Grey sold 205,130 paperback copies in past week alone Sequels Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed sold 132,174 and 115,086 copies respectively That's £1.93m spent in total on 452,390 copies More than on next 50 bestselling paperback novels combined

How Smart - Algorithms, Passwords & CAPTCHAs

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Thought that might catch your eye. But it's true. Seems I have had downloaded onto my Kindle for a number of weeks now "Mummy Porn"  and it has shocked me, for a few minute anyway. After all I am not only a mummy but a Grand mummy too.  I'd never heard of this genre of fiction until reading a BBC online article by Will Gompertz   Have to say I 'd never heard of him either until yesterday. So, what is this pornographic material that I have not only downloaded but paid for as well ? It's Fifty Shades of Grey by EL James.  Apparently, Fifty Shades of Grey sold 205, 130 paperback copies in the past week The sequels, Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed sold 132, 174 and 115,086 copies.  That's more than on next 50 bestselling paperback novels. Now I do appreciate that by writing about this 'phenomenon' (as I have now heard it called)  that I am giving free promotion to the author and as this blog is read by millions I am sure sales wil

Another New Look ?

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All prepared to write a blog on a particular issue this morning to find the announcement that "Blogger has a new look" . Well, I'm very pleased for you Blogger. Maybe you have decided to give yourself a different image and colour scheme - a sort of Spring clean that cheers you up as well as your bloggers, especially in this dank, dreary weather we are having here. Actuallly, the sun is trying to struggle through here right now, but the forecast is rain, rain and more rain and some strong winds to accompany it "Flaming June" is the phrase that comes to mind, as it's probably better to use the word flaming instead of another profanity. I would like to say people at Blogger, that I love the new look and it has really given me inspiration to get blogging and reading blogs a lot more. Unfortunately it wouldn't be right for me to say that as basically, I can't see any difference to the last time I looked.  But I am writing and reading and I am coping

Conversation with Damascus

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Survivor - One Word Challenge entry May 2012

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Writers Online One Word Challenge               May 2012             "Grotesque"                                                                                                                                                                       Survivor         They came by force into our homes                    to tear our lives apart with shouts of “Allah Akhbaar”  with hard fists clutched to the heart. While others hid in shock and fear  and envoys talked of ways  of making resolutions  in the coming hours and days I just played dead …                                               and listened to the sounds of death and pain not understanding how these “men” could be so inhumane. I heard the crack of gun shots I felt my father’s shame  I cursed the ones who gave birth to the feared Shabia’s name. Kalashnikovs and rifles,  sharp knives of gleaming steel, a grotesque show of atrocities, a n