21 Lessons for the 21st Century, by Yuval Noah Harari: #BookReview.

416 pages Political History and Theory/Evolutionary Psychology This is an unusually truthful book, written in rational prose with a degree of honesty that will startle most readers. Presented in five parts, entitled, The Technological Challenge, The Political Challenge, Despair and Hope, Truth, and Resilience, with each section further divided, it does what it states in …

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Kos in a Time of Covid 19: 5th Day.

Entry to the Ancient Agora. Our morning started with a walk along Pamfylon, the street where our hotel was sited. We were curious to see whether we could reach the northern coast that way. It meandered past another hotel complex, apparently unoccupied, a few other isolated roadside buildings, and ended rather disappointingly in what seemed …

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Coping in a Time of Covid. A #Poem

Picture from Masum Ali via Pixabay Coping in a Time of Covid. Strange and sometimes frightening timesHow do we respond react survive copewhen so much is unknownso much more conjectured often falselyExperts juggle with factsconstantly changing asresearch experience experimentscombine to form new truthsLeaders with supporters colleagues advisorsare overeager to display their skillsin managing a phenomenonstill …

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Kos in a Time of Covid 19: 4th Day.

Kos harbour. Continuing the story of our recent stay on the Greek island of Kos. We walked to the harbour and town centre, intending to visit the castle, a historical site of interest. The harbour protects many boats, small fishing and pleasure craft as well as larger boats taking tourists to sea and other nearby …

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RAGE! A #Poem

Image via: http://clipart-library.com/anger-cliparts.html RAGE! How do you feel in thepresence of injusticeDo you rage at unfairnessDoes inequality ignite your ireDo you fume with furywhen you hear of a girl forcedearly into marriage with an old manwhen you learn of the boy deniedbecause his skin is another shadewhen the killer is set free to kill againwhen …

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Kos in a Time of Covid 19: 1st Days.

Beach near Kos town. For this short series of posts on our recent break, I’ll include pictures to replace the usual daily natural beauty shots I’ve been doing, so I don’t overload followers with too many posts! Travel overseas is risky and a bit odd just now: certainly from the UK. Always the risk rules …

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The Blind Watchmaker, by Richard Dawkins: #BookReview.

340 pagesBiological Evolution/Biology/Higher Education of Biological Sciences I came late to this seminal work, published 1986; a somewhat turbulent and formative period in my life. Wishing I’d read it at the time is pointless but nevertheless the case. It requires a special type of academic brilliance, combined with a good deal of experience, to tackle …

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An Eztraordinary Ezperience

Way back at the dawn of time, well, in 2014, I entered a contest with ‘Humour’ as its theme. My story, below, was shortlisted and appears in the 2015 anthology of winners and other commended stories. Christopher Fielden is still running this contest. For full details, click this link. This year’s contest closes 30th April …

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the little book of humanism, by Andrew Copson and Alice Roberts: #BookReview.

254 pages Science and Religion/Ethics and Morality/Practical and Motivational Self Help This book, subtitled, ‘Universal lessons on finding purpose, meaning and joy’ encapsulates ideas I’d already formed from life experience, wide reading, and a deep love of the natural world. Every religion has its individual text, presented as a guide for how to live your …

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Pride in Place? A #Poem

Image via Mapswire. Pride in Place? Born in slum or palaceyou have no say in youraccident of birthLocation status wealthof parents determineswhere you might emergeSo why so proud ofwhere this chance occurredYou made no choice hereIt was imposed on youPride in place is foolishWith no experienceof another placeyou can make nomeaningful comparisonYou merely echowhat was …

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Amazon Decoded, by David Gaughran: #BookReview.

326 Pages Authorship Reference/E-Commerce Web Marketing. I read this book after reading the author’s ‘Let’s Get Digital’. It’s a natural follow-on for those interested in marketing their e-books as indie writers/publishers. In fact, it also has a lot to say about, and to, mainstream and some small publishers, much of which might benefit the authors …

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That Final Edit

That final stage in progress. The title to this post is, of course, a show of blatant optimism, since I have completed my personal final edit, but the publisher’s team, kept locked in his basement, will undoubtedly come back with more. However, it is a milestone to celebrate. The MS ran to 79,079 words when …

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Fantasticon 2020

Each year, Dan Grubb and his publishing company, Fantastic Books Publishing, run a Fantasticon event in England. Always a great place for fantasy, sci-fi, gamers, readers of all sorts, and those who simply enjoy a bit of fun. This year, 2020, the Covid 19 pandemic has prevented such events going ahead because of social distancing …

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Fated to Meet You, by Despoina Kemeridou: #BookReview.

49 pages Time Travel Romance This short book has a gentle, naïve charm. It is, essentially, a fairy tale. But a fairy tale for adults. As a reader, I enjoyed the story. As a writer, I found some elements in need of editing, but that’s so often the case these days that it hardly merits …

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An Announcement

This sums up my current state! This is to let visitors know that my website may be disrupted for the next couple of days. WordPress works on 'Themes' and it appears my current Theme has been 'Retired', which means I have to choose another. That means I may have to completely redesign the site; not …

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