Blogs

The Trial of Louise Woodward, ITV Thursday 11th November 9pm, ITV Hub

Posted by celticman on Sat, 13 Nov 2021

https://www.itv.com/hub/the-trial-of-louise-woodward/10a1090a0001 Matthew Eappen would be around twenty-five now, had he lived. Nineteen-year-old nanny, Louise Woodward was accused and found guilty of shaking the eight-month-old baby in her care so hard it caused subdural hematoma and killed him. Her trial, soon after the death of Princess Diana in 1987, was a media event—I don’t remember it, but watching footage Woodward’s pasty face was...

The Investing Game

Posted by OtterMan on Sat, 13 Nov 2021

5K - 52 Weeks - 20 Penny Stocks One Winner!! Current Status ( -$3,419.92 ) Week - 39 The Dying Breed! ------------- What is Compassion..? --------------------------------- My wife suffers the effects of arthritis. She receives a drug infusion at a nearby clinic every few weeks. In her most recent treatment this past week, she had an unusual encounter which she then related to me. A somewhat elderly woman had also been there for a similar reason...

Story and Poem of the Week and Inspiration Point 12th November 2021

Posted by Insertponceyfrenchnamehere on Fri, 12 Nov 2021

As difficult as ever to choose. Drew Gummerson’s WIP continues to reach his own very high standards. If you haven’t been following it start here if you have, go here Also of note were Turlough’s autobiographical piece ‘Chocolate, Tobacco and Horse Muck’ and Marandina’s scabrously funny look at a government that in no way resembles our own, no sir, continues with ‘A Lorry Load of Sleaze’ Do take a look, it’s very funny indeed. However our Story...

Aidan Martin (2020) Euphoric Recall

Posted by celticman on Thu, 11 Nov 2021

‘My name is Aidan and I am an addict.’ So what, you might say. You probably know the trajectory that follows. You’ve got Damian Barr, who grew up near Ravenscraig steelworks, a solid working-class town. Him being gay wasn’t his fault—or even a fault—but being a fucking Tory, Maggie & Me , was just a step too far. Deborah Orr, Motherwell: A Girlhood , which just about sums it up. You’ve got Kerry Hudson’s whimsical, Tony Hogan Bought Me an...

Story and Poem of The Month

Posted by Insertponceyfrenchnamehere on Sun, 07 Nov 2021

Our Story and Poem for the month of October, very kindly chosen by rjnewlyn: What a great month! Well done to everyone who posted in October – it has been a tough choice. Obviously the heart of autumn/fall brings out the nature observation, particularly in the poetry and in this vein I recommend having a look at Angusfolklore’s Autumn Things ( https://www.abctales.com/story/angusfolklore/autumn-things ) and Di_Hard’s October Robin ( https://www...

The Investing Game

Posted by OtterMan on Sun, 07 Nov 2021

5K - 52 Weeks - 20 Penny Stocks One Winner!! Current Status ( -$3,462.34 ) Week - 37/38 The Yin and Yang of Ageing! ------------- The Circle of life giveth, and sometimes taketh away.. --------------------------------- I work for a company which supplies fire alarm equipment to large commercial and healthcare institutions. Been in the business for something like 40, maybe 45 years. I’ve seen them come and I’ve seen them go, so to speak! On...

Fiona Scarlett (2021) Boys Don’t Cry.

Posted by celticman on Fri, 05 Nov 2021

I find reading Acknowledgements instructive. Writing is a singular process, but a team game. When you write, or try to write, you look at books differently. You look at the cover and artwork [tick]. You look at the publisher: Faber [tick]. Fiona Scarlett has got the backing of the one of the major league publishers for her debut novel. You look at the blurbs on the back. What famous writers have been hooked in to add for added publicity,...

Story and Poem of the Week and Inspiration Point

Posted by Insertponceyfrenchnamehere on Fri, 05 Nov 2021

There's been some really amazing work posted on ABCTales this week - and halloween has proved a wonderful inspiration for much of it - please keep it coming! My picks for this week: Poem of the Week goes to Ewan for his brilliant A Northern Song - certainly no need for levelling up on ABCTales with writers like him! https://www.abctales.com/story/ewan/northern-song Story of the Week goes to someone who hasn't posted for a while (and I hope he'll...

Samuel Shem (1978) The House of God.

Posted by celticman on Tue, 02 Nov 2021

Samuel Shem (1978) The House of God. You might have read, Adam Kay’s This is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor , or Jed Mercurio’s Bodies (before he became a multimillionaire screenwriter). You know what to expect an insider account of naïve young men and women moving outside the world of books and into a cult into which they will work day and night, with little sleep and little idea what they are doing, while wearing a white coat...

The Exorcist, BBC 2, BBC iPlayer, writer William Peter Blatty and director William Friedkin.

Posted by celticman on Mon, 01 Nov 2021

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m00116dq/the-exorcist I was around ten, big for my age, but not big enough to sneak into the La Scala and watch The Exorcist . The media warned us—don’t go. Rather than see it, there was talk of church boycotts and a spate of suicides. And those that did see it fainted, spewed up, or went insane. But my sister was made of stronger stuff. Jo even smoked and drank vodka. She wasn’t eighteen, but there was a...

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