Nigel Gordon

Don't jump to the conclusion that the oldest boy was the ringleader. There has been some research in this area where it has been found that often it is the younger children in the group who instigate and lead such instances. The older boys go along with it as they do not want to be shown up by their younger friends. I can well remember an incident when I was eleven the small 'gang' I was part of broke into a disused factory to find a place to smoke. The oldest member of the gang was a boy of thirteen, but the person who instigated it all was my next door neighbour at the time who was like me eleven and the smallest member of the gang.

I always thought that was a requirement to be a Southern Baptist Minister - sorry forgot he is not a minster so has no excuse.

I agree, preferably an arm and a leg, though I would not object to a couple of heads too.

A new short story to be published shortly. Sometimes it is best to go along with the attack and use it for your own ends. Set in the English Black Country of the 1960s this is the story of how one Hippy Rent Boy makes the best of a bad situation.

David Bowie, who was very much a gay icon of my youth, has died at the age of 69. There is an initial obit., for him here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-35278872 Expect it to expand quickly. I know a lot of people criticised Bowie on not coming out openly about his sexuality - to be honest I don't think the question of sexuality mattered to him. He was equally at home with either sexual role that he might be cast in at any time. What he did do though was make it acceptable not to have a clear sexual identity. He also gave us some great music.

He has probably already got working on it. Hitler had it ready in advance and I am sure Trump has read the same sources.

I had read it before, it is a story I keep going back to re-read. Well worth a place in Dude's Pick from the Past. Anybody who has not read it should.

​So long as youngsters need to go to schools of this type it is a sign that there is something very wrong in the education system that needs to be sorted out.

It will be interesting to see how this story develops. If the start is any indication it is going to be good.

She has asked that it be noted that they are not her followers!

It is really worth revisiting - a great story well done.

Just finished a letter to a friend in which I put forward a theoretical scenario which could end up with Trump in the White House. First, Trump with the support of the Tea Party wins the Republican nomination. Second, moderate Republicans disgusted with Trump organise a breakaway and put up a rival candidate. Third, voters who normally vote Democrat vote for the moderate rival in a hope of blocking Trump, as a result the Democrat and the moderate rival both come in behind Trump. Unlikely maybe but it is a theoretical scenario that could work out. Now I have to nightmare political scenarios to worry about. The other is British exit from the EU.

There had been massive objections to the influx of Jews to Palestine from the very start. From 1920, when the British Mandate was established, to 1940 a major element in British foreign policy was, as is clearly shown in William Stevenson's "Spymistress", was to prevent Jewish immigration to Palestine because of Arab objections. At the end of the British Mandate in 1948 you get the first Arab-Israeli war - which was caused directly by Palestinian objections to the take over of their land. During the 1948 Arab-Israeli war the Grand Mufti called on the Palestinian population of Israel to flee the occupied lands, which many did, forming the Palestinian refugees. Israel ceased all the abandoned property. At the end of the war it refused to allow the refugees to return to their homeland and their property, all of which was confiscated without any compensation (technically a breach of international law). The establishment of a Jewish state in Palestine was opposed by the Palestinian population from the start of the Zionist movement in the 19th century. Now Israel is doing everything in its power to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state and a Palestinian homeland, mostly by establishing illegal settlements in areas of the West Bank which would form part of such a state.

Use them if you know why you are using them, otherwise leave them out.

A delightful story with an interesting twist at the end. Well written and well worth reading. You can find it here: http://awesomedude.com/graeme/all-i-want-for-christmas/all-i-want-for-christmas.htm

The god of Abraham is Yahweh, a aspect of a minor Sumarian God El, in the aspect of Yahweh is a minor war god. It seems he is living up to his designation. Particularly that of being the God responsible for ongoing strife!

A wonderful piece of writing, it brought a tear to my eye too.

Came across this on Facebook - everything stated is totally correct. We must remember there are at least two sides to any issue.

A remarkably well written piece of science fiction - using that term in the strictest sense. I agree with those above, this would make a fine beginning to a novel or series. My congratulations to James on a fine piece of writing.

If you aren't prepared to read anything that makes you feel uncomfortable you are not prepared to learn. If teachers are not making their students uncomfortable they are not teaching.

A great story well told and especially well written.

It is simple, people only hear what they want to hear and not what is actually being said. A friend of mine who was the son of a major figure in German history once told me that he found it very strange watching newsreels of Hitler. He had been at the events and remembered hearing Hitler speaking but he never heard what he hears now when he watches the newsreels.

Unfortunately I think Trump fully understands that, I suspect he would be just as happy having a war with ISIS as they would be to have the war. Think of all the money he would be able to make through he business interests.

There is a new petition on Change.org regarding the BBC Sports Personality of the Year. For those of you outside the UK this is one of the most important sporting awards in the UK. One of the shortlisted candidates is the boxer Tyson Fury, who has just won three versions of the World Heavyweight Championship. He is on the record as being very homophobic and making comments that have suggested that violence to gay men and women is permissible. The petition is to have him removed from the shortlist. If you want to sign it you can find it here: https://www.change.org/p/the-bbc-should-remove-homophobic-tyson-fury-from-sports-personality-of-the-year-shortlist?recruiter=87163785&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink

Yes, I know there is already a topic for this, there must be as I have posted to it in the past, but I cannot find it so have had to start a new one. Think it must be yet another topic that has vanished in the server move. Anyway, I am delighted to see this in the Dude's Pick of the Past. It has always been one of my favourite stories on the site and one I have gone back to time and time again to read. It has a real feeling of place, which is not surprising as it is about a special place, but that is something that is hard to achieve in any writing. The fact that it is done so well here tells you something about Sequoyah's skill as a writer. This is one story I would recommend anyone to read. Just a word of warning though, you are likely to find yourself sitting down and reading it all in one go, so allow yourself time to do it justice.