Here I am at the edge

A different market to explore  Though there is a significant improvement in the amount of readers for my blog today, from Israel,  I am not considering the possibility of a sale for my eBook (above); though it is a romance / mystery set in Israel . Part of the mystery aspect centers in the section entitled "The ghosts of Masada ." The fort has held my fascination, nothing to do with religion , but from a military history point-of-view. Not being a Jew, you may think it hard for me to relate to how the people in the fort felt, but I can, is some ways understand their dilemna. To go against ones's beliefs, rather than see your family enslaved must have been a terrible choice.  Some of the people I used to know paid me the compliment of saying I think like a Jew; in some ways I do. The odd thing about the story is the only account is written by a Jew, under Roman control, he always wrote that the Romans had great vctories, but this was written as the story of a lost peopl...

                            Beruchim Abaim I wish to give a big welcome to readers from Israel today; it has taken time, but they got here. A few years ago, I wrote a romance book called Aliyah -  A Homecoming - the story is about the return of a Jewish writer solving a mystery which has haunted him for years. The main story is set in Israel. The actress on the cover is from France , her name is Anook Aimee ; she was a major film star in the 70's, what most people don't know is she is half-Jewish as her father is from Israel.

 Our cliffs are collapsing This is not a funny comment to get readers; this is a matter of fact; the geology of the South coast is mainly chalk, as such it is prone to erosion. Two months ago, several people were almost killed when a large area of the coast of Dorset collapsed, and yesterday a huge chunk of the coast by Newquay fell into the sea. It is a good thing, in one way, it happened now as in the near future there were plans to build luxury homes on the cliffside. If I had the money, I would not buy a house on the edge of a cliff for any amount. The worrying thing, other than the geology, is though the land is decreasing, with the endless floods of illegal immigrants coming here; the population is increasng at a frightening rate.

  Waheeda Rehman                                    Kaagaz ke Phool In 1957, actor/ director Guru Dutt directed a film that is classed as a classic of the cinema in India - Pyaasa - the film starring Waheeda Remhan was a runaway hit, and launched Dutt's carrer as a director into the superstar bracket. The story is about a poet seeking recognition for his work. Two years later, he directed Ms Rehman in the movie  Kaagaz ke Phool , this movie could be seen as - art imitating life - the film about a starlet going onto become larger than the person who started her career is seen as the end of Guru Dutt as a director; officially, he never directed another film, the film was both a critical, and a financial bomb as the audience could not understand the plot of the movie.

 Bargains for all This month will see the end of me selling on eBay ; while I have no axe to grind with the site, or the people running it. The problem is the same with most online shopping sites, you need to trust the buyers, and many of the ones I came across on eBay were running a scam . There is a way around the refund scam I wrote about earlier; that is to pay for the goods to be signed for; the problem with this is if you are only selling a DVD , the cost of the signing far outweighs the price of the goods. Scammers win A while ago, I wrote a blog about is Grace better than Sin? My answer now, is the same as it was then, cheats always win. I would rather come second knowing I did my best, than win by cheating, but these days that concept is out-of-date.

 Nothing new here I wasn't surprised to traf today that I had more blog readers in Russia , than n the UK ; I have known that for several years, if not since I began this blog. I cannot define the reason, I think it's because I can relate to the world of Socialism more than the world of Capitalism .  I am not, nor will I ever be a Communist ,  I am Soclalist who puts the needs of the family before his desires, which is why when I sell on eBay    https://www.ebay.co.uk/sh/lst/active ;I tend to buy from other sellers rather than save the money. 

 Some people do not understand the word NO! This afternoon, I spent over an hour trying to explain why I would not send some of my DVD selection to buyers on eBay , why? The people concerned had run a scam on me, only last week, and would not understand why I was refusing to play ball. One hand says, I could have lost some sales; but the other hand said, if you sent it, and they ask for a refund *again* you are doubly out of pocket.  As it turned out, another man who did a scam on me, turned around and said he would buy a DVD from me, then he bought another  version of the DVD from someone else.

  Cheats always win I used to believe in the honesty of people, these days I find it hard to believe people are not out to SCAM me - what does that say about me? eBay is not at fault, but many people on there are running a refund scam . The problem is as soon as they ask for a refund, they know you can't prove they have the goods.  If anyone wants a bargain in the next week, go to my eBay store https://www.ebay.co.uk/sh/lst/active , after this month I am closing it for good. I got paid over £50 this month, but paid back £35 of that; that is the price I paid for trying to bring entertainment to people; even without the refunds I was losing money .

  The UK are a distant fourth In a stange turn of events, Finland  shot passed the UK yesterday, to take the third place behind the USA , and Singapore for readers of my blog. The UK lies a distant, almost invisible fourth, not far ahead of Ireland . Finland is "supposed" to one of the happiest countries; that is a claim I would dispute. People don't realise, they have been at war with Sweden over a land dispute since Sweden became a kingdom in 1812; they are in an everlasting contention with both Sweden, and Norway over a patch of land - no larger than a soccer field - not because any of the states want the land, they don't want anoybody else to have it. The Finns had a winter war with Russia , which they won, before WW2 , during the Second World War they were on constant alert over the threat of an invasion by Germany , caused by the nuetrality of Sweden. I have been to Finland, many years ago, and from my experience I can say they are not the friendliest of peo...

 Online Shopping I would like to believe people are honest, but I am sure some of the buyers of my stock on eBay are running a scam , how? The site is not at fault, the policy of protectng the buyers, leaves the sellers open to dishonest people; I know, I am certain I have been scammed several times this year, that is why I stopped selling for months last year.  I have to retain my belief, or what does that say about me if i believe everyone to be dishonest?

Kobo expands  Excuse me, if I don't get excited about the news Kobo is expanding into Scandinavia . I have been around the block so long, little other than actual eBook sales would excite me; after all Draft2Digita l has over 30 outlets, each has 30 of my eBooks on; and if I sell an eBook it's a miracle.

 Mera naam Joker The English title for this film from India is my name is Joker. The movie is about a man - Raj Kapoor - who spent his life trying to please others, when he was in pain. That is a part I am well acquainted to playing; for many years, I played the fool, so well did I play the role the real me was rarely seen online. Like the best clowns, the real person remains hidden, which is why the phobia of a clown is one of the most common.

 Not that I needed the proof I didn't need proof, but today has given the evidence to me; for a long time, I susoected I was the only person in the UK readng my blog , and I know I am now, how? Today, I have been busy on eBay, and heiping around the house, so, I haven't had the time to check how the blog was going. Without those moments, this blog has only has SEVEN teaders today in the UK, and they were me - C'est la vie.

Khooni Mahal  This flm was banned in I ndia because the monster is seen having sex with a young lady. The cesors are a weird lot of people; while t is not allowed to show people being violently killed, it is alright if in a horror film a person gets a fork shoed through their body.

 Mahal Among the recurring themes in the cinema of India , is an aspect of the ghost story I never write about; the theme of past life experences.  I have seen several movies on the theme, all are very good the latest in Mahal featuring Ashok Kumar as the man who buys a house, to find out he had a life there earlier, the lady playing his lover in thid film is the unfortunate  Madhubala . To read about her sadm short life you can read my post   https://hereiamattheedge.blogspot.com/2023/11/the-real-tragedy-of-cinema-in-india.html .   I have no objection to collecting the ghost stories on the same theme, after all what is Star Wars ; the oldest story written.

Madhubala  To many people, actress Meena Kumari is regarded as the Tragedy Queen in Bollywood , but the true tragedy lies with the life of    Madhubala . The stunning actress died nine days after her 36th birthday, from blood poisoning - a disease which first showed in her late teens - her condition lead to one of the biggest disputes of the era. She was scheduled be play opposite actor Dilip Kumar in the movie Naya Daur , a story about the struggles to turn a farm from horses to horsepower. The director wished to do extensive outdoor shooting, as you would expect in a film about farming . Because of her illness, her father pulled her out of the film as he was sure the outdoor work would damage his daughter's health - he was probably correct - at the time, Madhubala, and Dilip were in a much-publicized relation ( the Richard Burton / Elizabeth Taylor of India ). The relationship broke up, and the father accused the director of having his daughter in the film, so the...

Operation Computer  Today, I began a revised edition of my Operation Download ; it is revised because instead of having a failing Dell laptop to use for download ing the films of the 1970's from India , I have a computer, which though old is far better than the laptop . The main reason I am downloading is I cannot buy the films; if I could buy them, I would gladly buy them. Some of the films I am downloading go back to the era of the partition between India, and Pakistan - 1948.

 Why I stopped selling on eBay I have never had any issues with eBay as a site, but the more I used it, the more I was convinced there are people using it to SCAM . The best example was last month; a man sold me a double-disc (?) when I checked to see why it hadn't arrived, he hadn't sent it as the disc has been out of circulation for decades. I stopped selling a few years ago for the same reason as I do now; I keep being told to repay buyers for DVD s which didn't arrive (?). The buyer cannot prove it didn't arrive, and I have no proof it did arrive. If I am selling the disc at a loss, I can't afford to pay the extra to have it signed for. If I was to beleve all buyers are running a scam , what does that say about me? This means I will need to view my purchases closer, as I have stopped using the site for a sale .

 Top Dollar This film is at the top of the price of £15.00 for me, no matter who is in the movie . My growing Raj Kapoor collection is crossing over wth several other selections of films I have recenrtly bought from eBay ; this means along with checking the film choice, I need to check it isn't a repaet, there are exceprions.  Two sets I am in line to buy I shall get because both the Nargis Dutt , and the Dilip Kumar box sets I plan to buy have fikms that are unable to buy outside of the collection. I decide not to buy the Sharmila Tagore set I was planning; I had one film, and another I have no interest in, so  deided to buy the other films as indivuduals. This will cost an added £5.00, but it's more manageable over time, than a £40.00 bill in a month

 An added Bonus This is the bubdle I am bidding on this week on eBay ; with the confusion of being sent another package, I would happily pay for both sets when the auction ends next week. I will need to check what the movies are to recall the ones I want; I know I was bidding on only half of the set.

 Not what I was expecting A parcel arrived from eBay this afternoon that caused me some confusion , why? First, I wasn't expecting a parcel - a small package the sise of a letter, yes - only one of the five titles had I looked at on the site, so what had happened? The error was the seller sent the wrong selection . I am not complaining, the set I was sent is more to my liking than the one I am bidding on. In this package are films with two of my fave ladies in Bollywood , Aruna Irani and Reena Roy .

 I was right Last month, I thought I had bought this DVD off a buyer on eBay ; after waiting weeks, I checled to find he'd taken the money, but not sent the disc.  I thought he was running a SCAM on me, tonight, I am sure he is. He's claiming a disc I sent hadn't arrived so he can get his revenge for having to pay me for a sale he had no claim to make. This is the problem with online sales , I can't prove he has the disc, and he can't prove he hasn't - it's a buyers dream.

Two of my fave actress are not in the top  In my research into the Nagin series, I am going to be homest in my views; my opinion, or likes has no influence on my reports. So far, two of the films I wanted to see have fallen flat for me.  The one with  Vyjayanthimala  in  because the film is more about the warring factions than the serpent she became, and the other with  Rekha in because  despite being made in the late 80's the CGI is worse than  puerile despite the growth of technology available.

 A waste of time If you follow this blog, you may recall I am trying to run an objective survey on the film from India , Nagin Many people consider Sridevi (above) as the best Nagin. I can't pass a judgement as I haven't seen her versions; I can say she will have a top three spot, not hard when you make two films out of the eight, and were classed as the Queen of Bollywood for a long time. For a while, I was wondering how many episodes the new series has? Today, I found out, how can you make 490 episodes from a 90 min film, and expect quality? The dress designers loved the series I bet, think of all the dresses they had to design. My favorite for the role is Reena Roy , not only because she was last NOT be measured against Sridevi, her Nagin came two years earlier, but I think she is not only more attractive, but also a better actress.

 Don't Panic I caused a small stir, two years ago when I went for the booster jab; I keep getting email s that with my condition, I am a priority for the booster, but I never go, why? I figure, it is all a pharma scam ; you get the jab, and don't get Covid, but who is to say you would not have got the vrus without the jab? I am a beleiver in letting the body fight the war, rather than pump my system with Lord knows what because someone making a profit tells me. As our young daughter said years ago, "Dad, with your problems, if anyone was gong to get the virus it should be you, and you're fine." Back to my post, when the doctor asked if I'd noticed any new coughs, I said "yes." He looked anxious, then I continued, "But, I know what caused it." He now looked puzzled, so, I ended up saying, "I used to drink a lot of coffee, so a hacking cough is to be expected."

I was a demon When I began the jounrey into the world of writing , people I used to know told me it takes 10 years to be recognised.  That was back in 2009, and where am I now? The journey has been over for several years, and barring a miracle, it won't be going on. Back then, I wrote lke a man possessed , I believed my time would come - maybe it did - and n the flash of a bolt of lightning it passed. I can agree with the people who said I peaked too ealry, I had some success with my science fiction series back in 2014 , but nothing since.

 Not going there I expect I am like the majority of people, we have places we would like to visit, or return to, how many of us make a list of places which no amount of money , or persuassion would we visit? I have never wanted to visit Egypt . Last week, it dawned on me that most of the places I'd like to visit are above the equator, there again below the equatori s mostly water. I have never wished to visit either China , or Japan , Add to the list is South of the Texas border. I would have liked to visit either Australia , or New Zealand . For personal health issues North Africa  is a no-go areas for me. I have no desire to go to either Turkey , or Cyprus.

 It isn't only the weather Hotels in Egypt have always been a high-risk area, escpecially for ladies; as Muslim men prowl like rabid wild dogs. The crimes mentioned in my story -    https://hereiamattheedge.blogspot.com/2023/06/project-india-update.html  - are docimented online, if you don't believe what I have written. It isn't only the backward treatment of women , the terrible health record, or the bad food preparion you need to worry about. To add to the growing list of reasons NOT to visit is the risk of Carbon Monoxide poisonng; there are reports online of a British who stayed in a LUXURY hotel, and got poisoned because the room next door was being fumigated for bugs.  When I worked in the Museum service in Bristol, if we had to fumigatem, which we did often, there are STRICT RULES; the most important one being ALL the ways the poison could escape MUST be blocked, and NOBODY is allowed in until the room is cleared by a Health Inspector. There again, wh...

Chess  Years ago, I used to play Chess against a computer ; only at the lowest level - mainly because it took so long to make a move - and twice, in an hour I beat it using the same set of moves. The reason for my victories is the difference between men and machines. While I was planning the win, the computer was planning a win with as few losses as it could. I rarely play racing games on a computer, as soon as the flag drops you have lost; there are some exceptions, again showing the difference between man and machine . The race in question was the Monaco GP , held in Monte Carlo . The race is one of the hardest, and most boring races in the F1 calendar, why? The track is so narrow that once you get the lead, if you can, unless you mess up, or have a mechanical failure you've won as you cannot be passed, much the same as Detroit . At one point, there is a sharp left hand corner, being a computer game all the cars in the race took the shortest route, how did I win? The same w...

 I have no idea how I resisted A little-known aspect of my life - I am not one for telling people all about myself - is I have been asked several times by young ladies for a date, and I have always politely declined, even when my marriage was going through its harshest times. I can give no definite answer, I had been tempted to accept once or twice. The only explanation I can give is the young ladies are young enough to be my daughter; I realise to some men that would be a great turn-on, but as my wife reminds me I am not like most men. Don't get me wrong, I don't see myself as a holier that thou type - I have, and have accepted my flaws - as one lady  used to chat to who lived in Newcastle used to say "I'm a dinosaur." What she meant is in a world of lessening values, I have stuck to my code of morals, and in some cases paid the price.  One thing some ladies found charming about me is that unlike many men, if  see a lady online, the only thing I think of is she...

  A hard thing  for me to accept I spent years as a writer burning the midnight oil, well into the early hours of dawn; and now I pay the price. Though I am no longer writing short stories, my mind won't relax until betweem 0330 - 0400. The issue is the more I fight it, the more my mnd refuses to relax; so, in the end, I have to accept 0330 as my sleep tme. Yes, I still get ideas for my short story collection, but NO, I am not adding to my collection of short stories (even ones I began will remain unfinished).

 I don't wear my ring This is a rare post; I don't often post about myself. If you were to look at my left hand, you would see I am not wearing my wedding ring; this isn't for vanity , or to see if ladies find me attractive without a ring, but for health reasons. To clear the air, here is the reason - one night I was sitting in a hotel room in Cheltenham - while I was waiting for the time to be near for me to go to the concert  was twiddling with the ring, When I glanced at my had, I was shocked, the ring had caused my fnger to swell to the extent t was lover than my joint. It was then I made the choice to take the ring off, and leave it off.  If I didn't do that, I saw myself with two choices ahead, either have the ring cut off, or lose the finger. As I am not vain, I never considered myself attractive to the ladies, knowing how they viewed me was one of the reasons I came online about 25 years ago.  It came as a shock to ne when a lady said she thought I am attr...

  The Dalesman Magazine Years ago, at this time of the year I would look forward to the Christmas / New Year edititon of the Dalesman from Yorkshire . December is the month for a ghost story. I am sure, reading the magazines is one of the reasons I tried my hand at writing , and became noted for my ablity to write a good ghost story . Both ny wife and I have had experiences with the world of spirts. Yes, we do believe n ghosts; I always have, and always will, unless someone can prove beyond doubt that they do NOT exist.

 Religion To understand this joke, you need a little information on the hard-line Baptist faith. I am not sure about modern Baptist faith, but in my parent's time children were not to be seen in public, untl they's been baptised, In the md-30's there was a break in the faith, which caused the rise of the Anabaptist faith. The difference is Anabaptists leave it up to the individual if they wish to be baptised. The vicar was walking through the village when he came across Joe, he stopped, and said, "We don't see thee much in church, Joe." Joe replied, "Aye, vicar, and thee's not likely to either." "Why is that?" Joe ruefilly smiled, then said, "The first time I went, I was nearly drowned, the next time I had a woman shackled to me; so, the next time you'll get me in church will be for me funeral."

  A way to help nature One of the best ways to encourage nature to your garden is to put out some broken biscuits , or small portions of dog food for the hedgehog s. These wonderful creatures are great devourers of slug and snail populatons, so having them n the garden not only helps the garden thrive, but keeps down the creatures that kill plants. PLEASE BE CAREFUL Contrary to popular belief, the hedgehogs cannot eat bread , or drink milk . They are gluten , and lactose intolerant; bread cannot be digested and swells in their stomachs, and milk to them is as good as poison.

A Devdas collection  If had to decide on a target for my eBay buying, I think it would the film Devdas . You may ask, if you want the collection, why are  selling the copy  https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/404608535766 you have? The answer is that while I have the 2003 version with Shah Rukh Khan , Kirron Kher , Madhuri Dixit , Smita Jaykar , and A ishaiya Rai . For a small price I have been offered a double, the second version is the 1965 version with Dilip Kumar . I know I won't get all the copies as many are not for sale, and many are lost to the pressure of time.

I am enjoying a romance from India  When I began watching this film, there were two things against it for my taste. I wasn't a fan of Shah Rukh Khan , or rom-com s. To some extent that has changed in the watching of the film. I may be tempted to write a romance , if I thought people were interested in what I wrote.

eBay hunter                                       Raveena Tandon You may wonder if my hunt on eBay has a purpose? While I am buying older films, I do have a modern series I would love to buy - Aranyak featuring Raveena Tandon - at the same time, I know it won't be released for at least five or six years by Netflix , if ever.

Support your local Terrorist group  As expected Rent-a-mob , the yob element of the Terrorist supporting Labour Party was in full flow at the Remembrance day service. Instead of showing their ignorance by attacking the Police , they should be thanking a vet for their freedom. If you want a fight, all you need do is contact your Labour Party, and for the price of a few beers they will send these thugs.

Between a rock and a hard place  For many years, the question was could I write a novel ? The answer is yes, now the question is could you convince me to write it? The answer is very unlikely. Money is not the issue - I was a writer long enough to know the equation between time against earnings is a no-brainer, unless you get a contract - the question I keep asking is who will read it?

  Moving in circles  I will tell no lies, the reason I started to watch the film  Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna was because the lovely Rani Mukerji is in it. I have several of her films in my Bollywood section, yet I have seen few. I didn't think I would like this because Shah Rukh Khan is in the film; as a rule, I tend to avoid his films, but that can change. Again, one of the lesser known cast shines as his mother, Kirhon Kher has played his mother in several films. Rani comes from a highly-regarded Bengali film family, even though she was born in Mumbai (Bombay). A few posts ago, I questioned the marriage of Saif Ali Khan to  Kareena Kapoor  as being more for control of the cinema in the north of India, than for love. My wife pointed out that being at the top, you have a limited range of possibilities.

eBay to the rescue  With two of my three disputes with sellers on eBay resolved, my day has a feel good factor of close to the top already. The case yet to be resolved is the annoying case, not only has the seller had my money for the above DVD for over a month, and not sent the disc - or a reason for not sending - he's made no attempt to refund me, and blames me for contacting the site rather than him. As for the DVD , I can only get a copy of this from the USA , at over twice the price, so instead of having a nice double I will need to buy the singles.

 That's a joke When I am depressed, which as a writer , is most of the time; my friend in Seattle reminds me that in the world of Indie / Self-published writer I could be classed as a bestseller . If that is so, then no wonder there are so many repeats, I checked my sales for the year, and I wasn't surprised - I haven't sold an eBook a month. I have lots of ideas, but thanks to my desire to stop a dream turning into a short story ; that is as far as they go.

 A question I was asked many times Many times in the last decade, I was asked do you think you could write a novel ? For several reasons, I doubted my ability to write over 40,000 words, mainly I thought it was beyond me -until I did write the novel - now the reply is the same, but the reasons are not could I write a novel, but why should I? These days. I find it hard to write enough for my blog ; I can't motivate myself for the few people who do read this blog.

Research does pay a dividend  I have ben in contact with a seller on eBay for a few days, we were searching for this box set of films by Nargis Dutt  and another set by Dilip Kumar . In our project I came across another anomaly which could confuse a buyer - as I was earlier this week - the issue is the above set had been labelled as these films by Sharmila Tagore . Both ladies are attractive, in my opinion, and both are excellent actress, but there is a MAJOR difference at the time Nargis was popular in India, Sharmila had just been born.  Nargis's heyday was the late 40's and early 50's, Sharmila wasn't born until the late 1944. My issue is about a film called Bemisal featuring A mitabh Bachchan ; however the information on the image is about a film called Amar, Akbhar, and Anthony  also with  A mitabh.  In my case, all I want to know is which movie is coming? I don't mind as I wanted both.

I belong in a world that passed a long time ago  This month on eBay , I was shown to live in this world, you need to forget honesty . I shall repeat what I said many times; I have no issues with the site, only with a few dishonest people using it to scam trusting users like me. What caused this reaction? Five weeks ago, I ordered a double Raj Kapoor film set; being the honest person I am, I assumed the non-arrival was caused by a delay in the post. I checked up yesterday, he hadn't posted the disc, despite taking my money. When I contacted the site about the delay, his reaction was to ask why didn't I contact him? Why should a buyer need to contact the seller? I had to laugh, he has the audacity to ask me to change my rating from 1 star - which I reluctantly have - to a 2 star LMAO. He's been on site since 2007, so I can only think he chose to ignore the late posting reminders are sent.

 eBay refunds Today, the first segment of eBay reunds was paid into my bank. To cut a long story short, this is how it went down. Seller A has had my money for over a month, and not sent my order - when I put a negative remark on his site page, he asked to have it changed - if I could,  wouldn't. eBay sends me reminders if I am late sending goods.  Seller B sent me the wrong film, and the other part of the order I have no what to expect - the photo on the sale does NOT match the info about the film, so, I have no idea what to expect (if it arrives). This order is already a week overdue. Seller C didn't send either of my disc, but took all the money for the order. When I asked why they were late, it turned out one film was delayed because the quality control blocked; when the company checked their stock, all of their selection of this film was found to be damaged. The second disc, well, I can only assume they do NOT have a copy as it's over a week overdue, and there has be...