I know ABCtales sell computers but they're still out of my league. My laptop is being repaired God only knows what it will cost, christ I may have to stop drinking to pay for it. But I need a VERY cheap back-up computer for when this occurs again, because I find it difficult composing anything while I'm surrounded by people in the library or internet cafe.

Just thought some of you would be interested in this:

December 3rd is the Saturday midway through the "MOP" (First "Meeting of Parties" to the Kyoto Protocol) Climate Talks in Montreal, 28th November-9th December. The London Demo is part of the International Day of Climate Protest with climate demos planned all around the world from Montreal to Japan.

Help create a global wave of protest to press for the urgent action we need to prevent the catastrophic destabilisation of global climate.

Assemble 12.00 pm at Lincoln's Inn Fields (Holborn tube)

So I had this idea just now about The Spike, returning soon to a writing website near you, and I just had to share.

[For those people playing at home who are more recent arrivals, The Spike is where stories used to go for manual checking if they appear to contain "mature content" but you tried to rate them lower than '15'.]

What if I added a similar filter to the forums which trapped only posts containing

a) multiple repeated use of the same punctuation marks, and/or
b) multiple repeated use of the same vowel?

jh

Perhaps it could feature a Shoe Tree Growing competition.

Just typed over the halfway point, and was smiling until I realized that now I've got to do a whole other 25000.

:(

*25000*

It's not too late to save the children!

Go on! Be a hero...like luke skywalker.

Take the R2D2 out of the kids.

Say no no no to toddler brain draining!

Let the BE FREEE!!

www.heas.org.uk

Think about homeschooling.

....it may be the best gift you could offer your loved ones!

Great to have you back. There are some beautiful poems in your collection and I really enjoyed having a read. Just don't tell the boss it was during work time!

I make a point of looking at the truth from all sides - it's easier to avoid that way.

I have to give a speech on the occasion of my sister's 50th birthday party this weekend - and after failing to come up with something sutiably amusing I decided to re-write Gilbert and Sullivan's Modern Major General so that it would fit in with her.

It was good fun and, I think, worked out quite well.

So how about re-writing the first verse and a bit for another ABCtaler. Be kind!

Here's the original lyrics for you to work from: