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Talo Segura

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Everything posted by Talo Segura

  1. I think the UK is negotiating an agreement part of which includes a new agreement on fishing in UK waters, paying for this access or granting access possibly with reduced quotas in exchange to free unhindered access to the European single market. Either way it looks like time has run out. If, as is likely, there is no agreement then let's not forget the EU is trying to impose the toughest conditions upon the UK of any (trade) agreement between any countries ever.
  2. In a last ditch attempt to reach agreement between the UK and EU over exit terms from the European Community, Boris Johnson, the blond guy with messy hair and a Churchillian demeanour, had a word or two to say about fishing rights (all the fish the EU take from the sea are in British territorial waters and the EU have proposed to maintain their right to fish as part of any exit agreement, and should there be no agreement to still keep the right for one year. No change). Boris told the EU, "You can't have your cake and eat it!" (Meaning: you can't not agree exit terms and keep fishing in UK waters like nothing's changed). Although Boris was prohibited from talking directly to both the French President and German Chancellor ( EU fears of dividing the community), Mr Macron, nevertheless, replied saying, "I only want my part of the cake!" Brilliant, he only wants his part of the cake. It is a shame Boris did not tell him: "Excuse me, Mr Macron, but it is NOT your cake to have a part of." Perhaps the EU is about to face its Waterloo!
  3. Nothing wrong with a school dress code, the problem arises when you differentiate between male and female, which wasn't clear from the article. If girls are not allowed nail polish, then the boy deserves the suspension. All depends on the regulations, doesn't it?
  4. It looks like someone went and cleaned the website, it renders so much clearer now. Anyone else notice how bright and sharp it just got?
  5. All the stories posted on here are complete and being serialised, at least as far as I know. I didn't think part finished books were posted. Maybe this needs to be clarified, because I would like to know if a story is complete or not before reading it. I had just assumed they all were?
  6. It’s now been over 90 years since a single French soldier slain on the battlefield of the first World War but whose name and origin remained unknown, was buried on November 11, 1920, under the monumental Arc de Triomphe at the top of the Champs Elysees avenue in Paris. But every year since then, on November 11, the date which marked the end in 1918 of World War I, once optimistically but mistakenly hailed as “The War to End All Wars,” France solemnly celebrates the occasion with a high-level wreath-laying ceremony on the Unknown Soldier’s tomb at the Arc. However, nearly a century later, what few recall are the complex origins both of the ceremony and the selection of the unknown soldier to be so honored. The idea that some symbolic honor be bestowed on a French soldier who had died fighting for his country in the 1914-18 war against Germany first was broached in November, 1916, long before the end of the war, by a local official in the city of Rennes, which had figured in much of the fighting. Little by little the idea gathered backing until finally, in December, 1919, more than a year after the end of the war, it reached then French Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau. He formally approved the idea but originally proposed that a suitable tomb for an unknown soldier be installed in the Pantheon, the honorary burial place in Paris for France’s major historical figures. French veterans’ organizations argued, however, that the unknown soldier’s burial place should be in a prestigious location reserved for him alone. They favored the Arc de Triomphe, originally built to honor military who died in the French revolutionary and Napoleonic-era wars. And so it was decided. What then remained was to find and choose the soldier to be honored.The physical search, having received parliamentary approval, was begun November 8, 1920, with, however, some basic guidelines. In order to allow each French family who had lost a soldier in the war to consider that the honored one could, perhaps, be theirs. one body was ordered to be unearthed and chosen from each of eight major areas of conflict during the war. Every precaution was ordered be taken to be sure the the body selected was indeed a French soldier. That was not always an easy task because not even the nationalities, much less the identities, of many of the dead bodies recovered on the battlefields could be established with certainty. Nevertheless, by the 9th of November eight bodies had been selected, placed in oak caskets and transported to an underground chamber in the Citadelle of Verdun, one of the heaviest battle areas of Eastern France. On the way, placement of the caskets was changed constantly so that, on arrival, it deliberately was virtually impossible to tell which one came from what area. On the 10th of November, with the caskets lined up in side-by-side rows of four each, the choice of the soldier destined to rest forever under the Arc de Triomphe was to be made by a locally stationed simple soldier considered to have been valiant on the battlefield. However, the one originally scheduled fell ill and, in haste, a replacement from the same Verdun-stationed unit, had to be chosen.The pick went to 21-year-old August Thin, chosen just four hours prior to the ceremony that would officially designate the Unknown Soldier. In the circumstances, Thin was considered valiant enough because his father had been killed in battle and he had participated himself in some of the fighting and indeed had been gassed on the battlefield. Hastily outfitted in a new, cleaned and pressed uniform and wearing a steel soldier’s battle helmet, Thin then was taken into the casket-laden chamber of the Citadelle and told to make his historic choice. While buglers in attendance played a muted Taps and army drummers rolled a soft-background accompaniment, Thins walked quickly once around the flag-draped coffins and then on a slower tour laid a bouquet of red and white violets given him by the Minister of Pensions Andre Maginot on what he deemed to be sixth of the eight caskets before him. The Unknown Soldier had been chosen. From the Citadelle in Verdun, his casket was taken on a horese-drawn 75 millimeter cannon platform to the train for Paris accompanied by a rifle-toting military guard of honor that included Thin. Arriving in Paris on November 11, the casket was put on another, larger 155-millimeter cannon platform and taken briefly to the Pantheon where then French President Raymond Poincare made a laudatory speech to a massive crowd of Parisians assembled for the ceremony, The casket, still on its horse-drawn cannon platform, then moved on to the Arc de Triomphe where, in front of another massive crowd of spectators, the officially chosen Unknown Soldier was finally laid to rest. Back in Vernon, at the same moment, Thin participated with comrades of his regiment in another ceremony that returned to earth in a local cemetery the caskets of the seven unidentified soldiers who had come close, but not quite close enough to eternal glory. Three months later, Thin left the army at the end of his required service period and returned to his job as a baker. He later explained that he had taken the number 6 because, looking for a logic for his choice, he decided to take the total of the three numbers of his 132nd regiment. Although Thin’s role in the Unknown Soldier epic remains virtually unknown, the logic of such a commemorative gesture by France did not go unnoticed by other countries that had engaged in the battles of 1914-1918. Subsequently, for example, Belgium, Great Britain, the United States, Portugal, Romania and eventually, Canada all similarly have paid honor to one of their unidentified soldiers who perished in the “War to End All Wars.” Photo 1 This work (M. Markovitch devant la tombe du Soldat Inconnu), via Gallica.bnf.fr) is free of known copyright restrictions.
  7. You would do what you must to survive, there are no heroes. 92-year-old Robert Middelmann uncovered a secret about himself when he was very young. Keeping it was a matter of life and death. But, after many years, Robert decided to share that secret, along with the rest of his extraordinary life story, online. It all started in Nazi Germany… Be careful when waving the patriotic flag, righteousness is a dangerous emotion... https://www.wbur.org/endlessthread/2020/01/31/robert-middelmann-nazi-germany I was picked, I don't know why, but I was picked for special commander’s, tank destroyers. And I knew what that meant. That it is a suicide mission. And there was no way out. I tried to escape, like in my mind. And if you didn't have the proper proof I.D. where you're going and what you're doing, they hang you right there, you know, it happened. And put a big sign on your back, “I was a coward.” And they hang you. They hung teenagers in the trees right on the country road. and the door was open to anyone to come in and let your frustrations out on them. At least I was innocent. I was not one of them, but American soldiers, two of them, came in and I recognized that one was Jewish. He asked me if I was a member of the Hitler Youth. And I was trying to explain my situation, that really I’m half Jewish and I had to hide it. I couldn't, I had to join the Hitler Youth. Well I didn't get that far. He'd grabbed — he was furious, so he grabbed me and smashed me against the wall. Broke my jaw. And we were thirsty and it was bad. I thought, okay, now suicide is painless. My chin wasn't up anymore. I thought not before they torture you to death. I do it myself to escape more. If I would have found anything like a sharp thing would have cut my wrists. Definitely. To finish me off. A number of people might read your story and say that they would have been braver in the circumstances. Like, for instance, not hide their identity or refuse to take part in the Hitler Youth training or join the Nazi army. What would you say to those people? Robert: Well, would you volunteer to go to the gallows? Radio broadcast - audio and transcript.
  8. Sleep my darling, on my bosom,Harm will never come to you;Mother's arms enfold you safely,Mother's heart is ever true.As you sleep there's naught to scare you,Naught to wake you from your rest;Close those eyelids, little angel,Sleep upon your mother's breast.Sleep, my darling, night is fallingRest in slumber sound and deep;I would know why you are smiling,Smiling sweetly as you sleep!Do you see the angels smilingAs they see your rosy rest,So that you must smile an answerAs you slumber on my breast?Don't be frightened, it's a leafletTapping, tapping on the door;Don't be frightened, 'twas a waveletSighing, sighing on the shore.Slumber, slumber, naught can hurt you,Nothing bring you harm or fright;Slumber, darling, smiling sweetlyAt those angels robed in white.
  9. Interesting article on sci-fi predicted disasters... now read on. Algorithms rule the world. You can't process all the data collected without them. Problem is, not even the engineers who write these algorithms know exactly how they work. First of all, there’s virtually no regulation of data-collection in the United States, meaning companies can create detailed profiles of individuals based on huge troves of personal data—without those individuals knowing what’s being collected or how that information is being used. In Europe it's a bit better and you have to consent, plus you have the right to correct and delete. But back to the point, all this collected data is processed by algorithms. "...as algorithms become more complex, they become more dangerous. The assumptions these filters make end up having real impact on the individual level, but they’re based on oceans of data that no one person, not even the person who designed them, can ever fully interpret." https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/09/not-even-the-people-who-write-algorithms-really-know-how-they-work/406099/
  10. I took a look at Safari and the only way to adjust the screen appearance is with font smoothing - see item 4 and how to change it: https://www.wikihow.com/Change-the-Appearance-Settings-on-Safari It's worth a try!
  11. You might try this: Go to Internet Settings, you will find it on the menu where the address bar is, far right, three horizontal bars. Click the three bars. Click Settings. Scroll down until you find High Contrast Mode, toggle it ON. Those black on black menus will now be clear in green on black. Note: this works for versions of Chrome browser other browsers may vary, but it is High Contrast you need to switch on.
  12. This is a weird thread about the story. Is it old, new, written by someone else, or simply a theme common to similar stories? All that apart, I picked it up and started reading. As I wrote the author, I'm not going to critique it. Only say the story was interesting. It was a pleasant read - so far. Although I thought chapter one condensed weeks into a couple of days. Oops! I'm starting to critique. Guess it's unavoidable? Are there really any nerds at school anyway? Sure, there are the so called cool people, and the studious people, the non-sporty people, but I don't recall at my school any isolated kids. The so called nerds had their own group, the dopers another group, and the so called cool kids another. You were bound to get into one or the other, but had to work at it and would always be a sort of outsider, new comer. Besides all that, there were no gay kids. I mean there were, but you'd rather die than anyone found that out!
  13. This story is well worth checking out, the writing is excellent if you are willing to forgive the differences occasioned by an author for whom English is not the mother tongue. Nevertheless, what counts is the story and plot and how it's put together. https://gayauthors.org/story/gor-mu/southward/ They say misfortunes never come singly. For me, my parents' divorce came along with the news that I would be leaving my town, the country I'd been raised in, and the best friend I'd grown to love, all at a moment's notice. From that point on, it was a race against time to lay it all out and bring myself to tell Noah how I really felt about him. Our protagonist ends up in Argentina and Noah is a remnant of the past who he has left behind. The description of adapting to a new life, a new culture, another language is very real and there is also a certain person to deal with. This all becomes apparent on his eighteenth birthday...
  14. No you didn't and I didn't mean to imply you did. Where did I find that little blurb of yours, well I was looking around. It's on here, on your page, just a little way down your blog. But I was, truth be told, looking around the net and stumbled, as you do, on a review of Cole's work. I think it goes back some years, but it was extremely interesting. The sort of review that might have it's place here, because it examines a lot of issues brought up by what Cole has written about over many years, basically teenage gay relationships. Anyway, that is for another discussion, but somehow one thing led to another. None of you do yourselves justice, you know. Because you are such interesting personalities with a lot of history, and a lot to say about writing, gay writing in particular, and your experience over a good few years of publishing stuff online. Maybe you think people aren't interested, but I think they are. I learn a lot from just listening to what you have to say and looking at your achievements. Better open the windows to give your heads room to expand, I don't usually lay on praise in such measure, but your track record is impressive. 😎
  15. I suppose I am in danger of labouring the point about a synopsis being good for a story and helpful to readers. I can't help this because some responses are full of contradictions. This is not about Cole, but all authors, and online publishing is still publishing,. Besides Camy, sometime back around 2011 you wrote your own blurb for your own book, Hellion. Far from the hustle and bustle of London, way to the west of the madding crowd lies Hellion, a Cornish village that has almost magically remained apart from the modern world. The Hellion Arms has been run by Moon’s for generations. Now, though seldom seen, Talek Moon is the landlord and the pub run by Kenver, his son. A strained meeting with the family solicitor and a wax sealed envelope gifts Digory Olver with news he has inherited his great aunt’s cottage in Hellion, a place he can barely remember from his childhood. Excited at his windfall, Digory sets off for Cornwall. But the nearer he gets to Hellion the stranger he begins to feel.
  16. It is not easy to write a good synopsis, I looked around for advice sometime ago and to a certain extent used the guidance below as a basis. I use three paragraphs usually, in this pattern: (1) About Character #1 / about the tension in his/her life. (2) About Character #2 / about the tension in his/her life. (3) What they face together in this book, and a sentence to sum up the story in its entirety. Your blurb should address: The genre (romantic suspense / romance / crime / paranormal etc).Your main characters / protagonists.The overall mood of the book (hard-boiled / sweet / erotic / thrilling).The critical issues in the plot (though not in detail). Spoilers?? Definitely not! We’ve all read blurbs/ reviews and seen movie trailers that show so much, you don’t feel you need to see the whole thing. Intrigue the reader, if you can, though try not to manufacture needless melodrama. Will self-employed accountant and author Clare ever manage to escape the rabid robot werewolf and paddle up the Amazon in time to save the world? Don’t lie! How annoying is it when you buy what appears to be a thriller but the drama is wrapped up in 3 chapters and the rest is steady plodding? However, look on it as a sales pitch in itself – as a mini story. Use it to showcase your style, with a thrilling race against time rather than a trip to her auntie’s. If your character is snarky, reflect that in the blurb. If s/he’s under pressure, use a clipped tone. Should it end on a question? It’s a familiar technique. Will he or won’t he? Can it ever…? Who’s the person who’s…? I use them less myself nowadays – it feels too contrived. Your mini-story should create enough of a gateway to the book that you don’t need more teasing. Good luck, and good blurbing! (yes, it’s a word, I just invented it ) I think it's very hard to do everything you have just read there. For Cole's short story I simply jotted down what struck me as the essence of the story, used some and discarded other bits, wrote it as well as I could. Were it a book, and my own story, I would spend more time getting it right, but for a short story a synopsis is not essential. This is what I noted and used to write the summary: Small safe Midwestern town the kind of place people like to bring up a family Celebration upcoming A shy boy Derrick Given his chance at the front of the band Talented player Chance to fulfil a wish to play with his granddad Parents disinterested Granddad grandson complicity Environment description reflected their emotional relationship Sharing a secret The band leader Tad and his partner I hope this little exercise inspired by Cole is useful and encourages authors to add a synopsis. Rather like having someone read the story or getting the book edited, it is not an absolute requirement, but it does improve the finished article.
  17. Sorry about that (I changed the summary), I think like Derrick I was distracted by Brandon 😉
  18. Haha, I'm always up for a challenge @Cole Parker or was it a ruse to get everyone to read your short story 😃 In a small Midwest American town everyone is preparing for an upcoming celebration. Derrick is a rather shy boy, but a promising musician who holds his place in the school band as a soloist. He welcomes the chance to share the school's performance on the big day with his grandfather, because parents have been invited to play alongside their kids. Derrick enjoys a wonderful complicity with his grandfather and they are perhaps closer than he is with his parents. Playing in the school concert together is not the only wish Derrick might like to see fulfilled, the two of them also get to share some surprising secrets.
  19. It's not a summary of what your story is, but an introduction, like the fly leaf on a book, or in TV listings, not so much the trailer for a movie, but an idea of what the story is about. Is it fantasy, apocalyptic, teen romance, sci-fi. I certainly don't want to know the story in advance, I detest some movie trailers which are virtually the film in five minutes, but suppose your story is about werewolves or zombies, I'm not into those kinds of stories. If it's a sexual fantasy about schoolboys in shorts, like something I read on another site, that doesn't interest me either. I suppose I sound very picky, but I don't mean to. It's simply nice to have a little idea of what type of story it is. I like a broad range of genres but I tend to choose books from another site because the authors give that little info up front and there are tags to give more indication. I rather feel here that readers are locked into authors they know and like. If I look at my own story posted on a number of sites, basically, I have only one story. On here for example and another site with no summary intro I received one email from a reader. On the sites with the summary, which include non-gay sites, I got more reader reaction. It sort of indicates more readers picked up the book to read it, because they were interested enough to start chapter one. Then it was up to my writing. Honestly, I do tend to ignore the new stories on here unless someone writes a recommendation. I've read great stories here by recommendation, but for others it's too much like gambling on what you might be getting. I don't know if I am odd saying this, but lots of authors mention not much feedback and it seems to me the more you can do to encourage/sell your writing the more readers you might get. My ideal is to know the genre, an intro, a cover, and a nice to have is reviews, but that's for completed stories. I wonder how other readers choose which books to read? At random I picked an example to indicate what I am saying. Story Title Action Adventure Fantasy After spending his entire adult life going from battlefield to battlefield as a soldier, Trian is dealt a crippling blow and has to find a new path for his life to follow. Its not the best intro, only a couple of lines, but it does give an idea of what I will be reading.
  20. I wrote exactly this to another site owner, there is something missing, and it is a story summary/synopsis. New stories get put up and the reader has no idea what the story is about. Perhaps it would be possible to put a synopsis with the cover or before chapter one. Who starts reading a book, watching a film, without first reading what it is about? And that is something seriously missing here.
  21. Films from the Seventies and Eighties. There are films from the Seventies and Eighties you might loosely label "art house." They break boundaries, are innovative, and out of the norm. Often produced on a budget and frequently with non-professional actors, these films can be interesting. At the same time, they demand you approach them with expectations somewhat reduced, these are not the same as you might usually expect from the cinema. Anthony Aikman, an interesting person in himself, produced one such film in 1972, titled The Genesis Children. It premiered in August of that year in Los Angeles, but was withdrawn a few weeks later because It was deemed unacceptable by the public at large. It remained controversial due to lengthy scenes of full nudity showing teenage and preteen boys. It was felt to be "very benign" by the US ratings board and given an X rating. The film expresses a mystical naturism and is a very earnest expression of naturist philosophy. The script is non-linear and a little difficult to follow. It is summarised here: The plot, such as it is, concerns eight American lads (ages about ten to sixteen) living in Rome, who are lured to a small Italian coastal town by a newspaper ad calling for boys `to act in a play.' Along the way, they encounter a man (played by Vincent Child) who appears to them in various guises: a priest; a teacher; a policeman; a politician. Directed by him to a secluded beach and finding themselves alone, they hang out for several days, swimming and sunbathing au natural. Indeed, this may be the ultimate skinnydipping movie. While there, they have some adventures. They explore a cave. They raise and repair a sunken rowboat, only to have it sink again. They attempt to steal food from a local farmer. They drive an abandoned van and end up wrecking it. Much of Genesis Children is Tom Sawyerish, but ends more like a milder `Lord of the Flies.' On the surface, it's quite innocent except for an act of vandalism near the conclusion, which causes the boys to argue and breakup, some returning to civilisation and some choosing to stay. Also, there is a brief, ambiguous conversation between one of the younger kids and an older boy implying sexual activity. On the downside, the production is rather amateurish and the acting a bit wooden. The cast is obviously made up of nonprofessionals. On the upside, the color photography is outstanding with gorgeous shots of Rome and the Italian towns, countryside and coast. There is also a catchy musical score. It must be said that Genesis Children is not intended for all audiences. Many would be offended by the extensive nudity parts of the film. I would think its appeal would mainly be for those interested in naturism and lovers of unconventional movie making. The film can be viewed online for free using the link below. There is another site, but they require registration, so I haven't included it. https://m.ok.ru/video/88935631530 Link to Anthony Aikman: http://www.anthonyaikman.co.uk
  22. I don't know if this is the right place to post but when I looked at my author name on CodeysWorld home page, the link to my story is dead. I found other links which are also dead including the email address link webguys@codeysworld.org If the same people who run this site also run CodeysWorld then maybe you could take a look and fix it. The site looks in need of an overhaul.
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