A Quest For Speech

We spent years worrying about our son's development. He didn't speak until long past his second birthday, and then only when he had to. At first we were concerned that he was hard of hearing, but subsequent tests proved that this was not a problem at all. Added to his late speech development, his behaviour was sometimes indicative of autism.


After a few years, we managed to get some help with speech therapy while living in Ireland. When he was just about to start primary school, we moved to the UK and found the transition not only difficult for his feeling of security, but   also in terms of getting the speech therapy started up again. It was an extremely difficult time for all of us.


Recently, I was astounded to come across a site which would've been perfect for us a few years ago. It's a speech and language website which assists in the assessment of children 3 months to 5 years. They also provide some very enjoyable activities to help parents provide targeted therapy in the comfort of their own homes. 


It's too late for us, but if this is your need, I recommend checking them out. They're called, Speech Quest.

Would Susan Boyle Do 'Pants On The Ground'?

When Susan Boyles’ audition for Britain’s Got Talent garnered more than 100 million views in nine days, the world erupted in a bizarre Susan Boyle-esque mania. Women all over the world, cut and permed their hair. (Not really). She later went on to convince the universe of her astonishing talent by out-selling Lady Gaga in Britain.

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Watch the You Tube link here. (They won't let you imbed the code any more) or here

Who would’ve thought that a over year later, 62 year-old General Larry Platt’s American Idol’s audition would’ve attracted this kind of online media attention.

Granted, his ‘talents’ can’t be classed in the same continent as Susan Boyle’s, but I have a feeling that his ‘Pants on the Ground’ video is going to cover every Internet surface for the next couple of months.
(I loved the way he simply ignored Simon Cowell and kept singing long after he was told, ‘that’s enough.’)


To be honest, I quite liked his audition. There has since been a string of spoof performances swallowing up the web. I liked this one from one of the most respected artistes in the industry, Neil Young (before NBC Universal banned it just a few second ago). Who's next to gobble up the 'Pants In The Ground' mania? Personally, I would love to see Susan Boyle do it. Wouldn't you?

Brand New or Used: That's The Question

ford mustang pics 



It’s not that I want a new car. In fact, I was looking for houses in our local papers when I came across some ads that genuinely shocked me.


Has anyone else seen the huge discounts offered on new and used cars lately? Add to this the government’s scrappage scheme of allowing £2000.00 off a new car when you ‘exchange’ any car over 8 years old, and you come up with an irresistible bargain.


I’ve always maintained that I never want a brand new car. I want to save myself the stress of having to be extra careful about the tiniest of scratches (I concern myself with the bigger picture). For me, once I have the first scratch, I can relax after that. Is this just me, or does anyone else feel that way?


During the first week of taking home my nice, shiny, used car, I check it constantly for little damages and scrapes. Thanks to car vandals, I don’t have to worry about this for very long. One day I’ll go to the supermarket, and when I come out with my groceries, there will be a long scratch right down the side where someone has taken it upon themselves to ‘christen’ it.


This doesn’t just happen to me, mind. I look around the car park and most other cars have been kindly keyed as well. I almost think it’s worth doing it yourself to save them the bother, and you get the satisfaction knowing you’ve done it yourself. I feel sorry for the people driving better cars than mine though. I see them jumping into their ford escape, chevrolet camaro and honda fit and think how angry I would be if I bought one of those sleek, brand new cars only to be keyed by vagabonds on my first drive out.

So, even though cars now seem to be almost dirt cheap (so cheap I find myself thinking that after all, a brand new one may not be that bad), I don’t think it’s for me. While I’m a very careful driver, I don’t want to be too fussed about scratching the side of my car on my hedge when I drive in. Besides, now that I proudly wear my keyed side when I go out, my car is no longer attractive to people looking for something to do with their idle minds.

Radio Playlists

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 Whatever happened to all the songs we listened to and loved in the eighties and nineties? My local radio station plays only the ultra latest releases, and over and over again. Their motto says ‘we’re original’ and ‘we play songs you don’t hear anywhere else.’ Meanwhile, in reality they regurgitate songs released in December 2009, almost in the order they were played on the first day the list was put together.

This makes me hate songs I previously enjoyed. I get to saturation point and don’t ever want to hear certain tracks again.

I sympathise with the artists they play. After all, many of them have impressively long lists of records and albums. Playing just one song – his/her latest - makes you think the artistes are only as good as their last song. This can’t be fair to them.

You’re probably thinking that I should change the radio station I listen to. I have in the past two months. I really have, but the new one is no different from the old.

Back in the days when I was a radio broadcaster, I produced my own shows and picked my own music. I made sure I chose songs I hadn’t heard in months (there are millions of them) from different genres. I didn’t want to bore my listeners to death with the new stuff. Forget playlists and music producers’ requests! Give us diversity! (Yes. I know it’ll never happen because lots of money is involved).

I have now made the decision to switch to a classic radio station that plays 'golden oldies.' At least I love this type of music and will be given the chance to hear a variety of songs.

What does your local radio station play?

YouTube And Video Streaming Services

Recently I’ve been considering if creating a Youtube account is worth my while. After all, the entire population seems to have some sort video streaming service or another.

I don’t really understand (yet) how video sites relate to my work as a writer, but I know of quite a few writers who’ve made video trailers about their books. I have yet to research how advantageous this is when it comes to marketing, but it just seems like the next step to take.
Aside from being able to link your existing websites and blogs to your YouTube account, the possibilities of going viral with your video clips are endless. I can understand the attraction this presents.

More and more people on the Internet are reading less and watching more. Articles have long since been tapered to small bites, separated by bold headings to satisfy the web-reading market. Pictures have been used to convey messages instead of words, and now a simple video trailer seems to suffice.

As a writer, I can’t say this is good news for me. Words are what I do. Nevertheless, have you as a writer used this forum to market yourself or get your material to your target audience? If so, is it worth the time and effort?

Profile Yourself For A Date With Simon Cowell

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First of all, please complete the profile test below. Your answers will reveal if your application will be processed any further. Please give the first answer that comes to your head, as this will be the most honest response. Genuine applicants will go further than those attempting to fake their scores.

Send (a), (b), or (c) answers on a post card to the address below with your age, photograph and contact details.


1. People who have plastic surgery seek to enhance their physical appearance because
(a) They just want to look their best and are brave enough to do what it   takes.
(b) They know that more people fall in love with you if you look good.
(c) They’re hollow inside and the outward validation they seek by false pretences reflect their inner weaknesses.


2. When it comes to talent, people who get discovered on reality shows are:
(a) Better than others who make their own way.
(b) Worse than those who get discovered in other ways.
(c) The same as others. The only difference is the process by which they get discovered.


3. As it relates to natural beauty and the majority of the world’s appreciation of attractive women.
(a) Blonde women are generally more beautiful.
(b) Dark haired women are generally more beautiful.
(c) Hair colour doesn’t matter. It’s what’s on the inside that counts.


4. Wealthy men and women should always sign pre-nuptial agreements because
(a) Their money belongs to them and not their spouses.
(b) Only the money they earn while married should be shared in case of a divorce.
(c) All the money they have and have ever made should be split in half in the event of a separation.


5. As it relates to age in relationships.
(a) Age is just a number. It doesn’t matter if people love each other.
(b) Simon Cowell thinks people should date within their own age groups.
(c) Men should always be older than the women they date.


6. In the world of fashion.
(a) I think it doesn’t matter if a man has good dress sense or not.
(b) It’s vital that the man I marry should have great dress sense.
(c) I want to be the pretty one. If a man has better dress sense than me, I won’t date him.


7. Where it concerns common sense.
(a) I think getting mostly (a) answers in this profile test makes me a perfect match for Simon Cowell.
(b) I think this profile test is nonsense. But I love Simon Cowell and will do anything to go out with him.
(c) I think Simon Cowell doesn’t need web profile tests to get a girlfriend, and I’ve just wasted 5 minutes of my time with no date to show for it.


If you answered (c) to the last question you’ll be right. My guess is that Simon Cowell can get his own date in his own time.


The point of this? You did it. You decide.

The time to kill is now

Ecclesiastes Chapter 3: 1-13 (NIV) says:
                      

There is a time for everything,

   and a season for every activity under heaven:

a time to be born and a time to die,

   a time to plant and a time to uproot,

a time to kill and a time to heal,

   a time to tear down and a time to build,

a time to weep and a time to laugh,

   a time to mourn and a time to dance,

a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,

   a time to embrace and a time to refrain,

a time to search and a time to give up,

   a time to keep and a time to throw away,

a time to tear and a time to mend,

   a time to be silent and a time to speak,

a time to love and a time to hate,

   a time for war and a time for peace.

What does the worker gain from his toil? I have seen the burden God has laid on men. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil—this is the gift of God.

As humans we’re given the exquisite ability over all other creatures to understand and relate to the concept of time.

An elephant does not know, nor can it appreciate the fact that it lives longer than a hyena. Even if it lived only as long as a flea, the elephant would still go about its business walking through the jungle in search of food and water. It would still wash itself with its tremendous, extended nose and die and be buried by the members of its group when it was time.

A dog’s heart does not yearn for fulfilment in retirement. That the place deep down in its soft middle does not crumple when his continued efforts to build a successful career flop down around his feet in his forties. He does not shed a tear for the happiness of his children and he cannot appreciate grey hairs and old age.

As humans we look ahead at the start of each year because this is the only way we know to measure the quality of time passed. To God, one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years, like a day. In January we chart with good intentions, to make the best of the time we’re given. We pile on un-kept, halfway resolution after resolution without killing some of the things in our lives responsible for holding back these planned advancements.

We cannot possibly achieve resolutions without throwing away the very stumbling blocks that stand in our way of attaining them.


This year, let us only resolve to find the time to kill. Kill hate and laziness. Kill time wasting and lying. Kill negativity in its infancy because only by throwing off the things that hold us back will we be able to heal, thus achieve our goals.

Animals we’re not. Time is gifted to us alone. Let us take heed and use it well.