Wednesday, 21 November 2018

Words for Wednesday








This meme was started by Delores a long time ago.  Computer issues led her to bow out for a while.  The meme was too much fun to let go, and now Words for Wednesday is provided by a number of people and has become a movable feast. 

Essentially the aim is to encourage us to write.  Each week we are given a choice of prompts: which can be words, phrases, music or an image.   What we do with those prompts is up to us:  a short story, prose, a song, a poem, or treating them with ignore...  We can use some or all of the prompts.

Some of us put our creation in comments on the post, and others post on their own blog.  I would really like it if as many people as possible joined into this fun meme, which includes cheering on the other participants.  If you are posting on your own blog - let me know so that I, and other participants, can come along and applaud.


The prompts will be here this month.

 
This week's prompts are:


  1. transparent
  2. solve
  3. theory
  4. loot
  5. take
  6. wing

And/or

  1. demonstrate
  2. graduate
  3. justify
  4. strain
  5. stain
  6. blackmail

Have fun.

82 comments:

  1. The public had a theory and no matter how often the government said how transparent they were, the public didn't believe them. the public deigned to solve the mystery of where all the loot was going. Try as they might they could not blame it solely on the left nor the right. They just couldn't prove who was the worst culprit on the take.

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    1. I have to laugh at this, mine is pretty identical, interesting where our imaginations went to the same place!

      XO
      WWW

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    2. Linda Starr: Sadly this is true the world over.

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    3. Wisewebwoman: I look forward to reading your take.

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    4. one mob will shake you from the toenails up and the others the ears down.

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    5. Voicing the thoughts of many... :)

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    6. Blame is an easy game to play, what's really important is how to stop it all.

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    7. Well said! I think you just described how most of us feel about the underbelly of politics.

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  2. For her thesis she had to justify her theory. If she was to graduate without a stain on her reputation, she had to demonstrate the proof to her professors. The pressure was becoming unbearable and the mental strain was almost the end of her. Just when she thought all was about to be solved she learned the other students in competition with her had begun to blackmail many of the professors for their own gain.

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    1. Linda Starr: Power corrupts seems to be a bit of a theme today.

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    2. Cheats lose out in the end....

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    3. The ivory towers are a cuthroat world.

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    4. Hi Linda - sounds to a point: like life today - as EC says Power corrupts and is 'the theme' today - cheers Hilary

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    5. Well, bummer. Let's hope she chooses the honorable path. (Or is she planning to go into politics?)

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    6. Well written and intriguing! :)
      ~Jess

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    7. Most winners are those who are able to afford the heaviest artillery.

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  3. Replies
    1. laurie: Thank you. I am really looking forward to seeing where the prompts take people.

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  4. Billie was a graduate (summa cum laude) from the school of hard knocks. Leonie was her daddy's Princess. She was born with a silver spoon in her mouth and now has the entire silver service at her disposal.
    The same age, the same job. Both were on probation, with a prestigious position as an executive assistant to a powerful and influential man the prize. It is completely transparent who needs to job more, but who wants it most is a different question.
    Billie's approach was methodical and analytical. She arrived at work early and left late. She studied hard, and took on extensive research for the influential man's projects. Her theory? Demonstrated excellence is rewarded.
    Leonie 'winged' it. She saw no need to strain herself to impress. She arrived at work late, full of tales of the 'people and contacts' she had met the night before. She took long lunches, and left when it suited her.
    So who will 'win the loot'? Need you ask? Leonie of course. That powerful man has a hidden stain or two on his character, and Leonie's father is not above a little blackmail to ensure his little girl gets what she wants.
    Both justify the decision by saying 'it is not what you know, but who you know'. And useful Billie is offered a back room job as assistant to Leonie, which solves another problem...

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    1. Many are the leaders in our world who know what is required but have to rely on other people to provide the expertise to get the job done.

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    2. Great, EC....a common situation, wide and afar.

      Billie's career will be more successful in the end, hopefully...and will have satisfying longevity.

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    3. If Billie plays her cards right (and she is so far), things will turn out much better for her.

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    4. Hi EC - excellent ... I'm sure that's the way most times ... and yes Billie will be more successful and useful to society ... I'd rather be Billie - cheers Hilary

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    5. Beautifully written, dear Sue, but arrrrgh! You guys are screwing with my rose-colored glasses today! (I soooo want to believe the hard worker wins in the end...)

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    6. Sad, but true! Very well written EC!

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  5. Here's mine, just posted.
    https://wisewebwoman.blogspot.com/2018/11/words-for-wednesday-on-tuesday.html
    XO
    WWW

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    1. Wisewebwoman: I loved it - and was amazed at how well you packed the words into such a small space.

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  6. I have been up since 4am , have prepared todays dinner and have Written my story. which is on my blog.

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  7. Gaggle

    Wednesday, 21 November 2018
    Words title this week is "THE BOARDING PARTY".
    Words to be used are Transparent. Solve. Theory. Loot. Take Wing. Demonstrate. Graduate.

    My story Follows
    . It was on the wedding day, or Princess Elisabeth and Prince Phillip, November 11 - 1947, When at around 9AM Myself and hundreds of another navy men were leaving Portsmouth England for the Mediterranean aboard HMS Illustrious an Aircraft Carrier.

    There was no transparent theory other than we were expected to solve the problem of replacing the time expired Navy personnel on several different ships serving in the Mediterranean.

    Ten days later I joined HMS Mauritius at Valletta in Malta. Then less than 24 hours later Myself and others about 20 in all and All about my size and age, were sent to a training barracks where a very large but amicable Royal Marine Sergeant enlightened us to why we were here.

    The sergeant explained he would take us under his wing for the next two weeks and there would be no drinking or smoking and any loot like tobacco or booze would be confiscated; and when you leave here you will be the fittest guys on your ship, Maybe some of you will resist but in the end you will benefit.

    The sergeant explained we had been selected for boarding parties, the task for your ship was to prevent illegal immigrants from entering the British mandate territory of Palestine, then take them to Famagusta in Cyprus where eventually 1,000 souls each month on a first come first to enter the promised land( The reason for this being the Palestinian infrastructure could not cope and as a result which most migrants were blind to would be they would starve to death.should they arrive enmasse

    We went through a gruelling programme of physical fitness and instruction on how to use batons and pistols. and were suitably dressed for the occasion with boots and gaiters plus shin and arm pads, not forgetting the leather backed helmet and the necessary cricket box to protect our manhood.

    We looked and were a tough bunch and Our training served us well, however never was there an occasion where we had to use force it seemed our presence was enough. Plus onboarding we were given packets of cigarettes to hand out to the unfortunate people aboard these boats and ships; who came to realise we had a job to do.

    As a result from all of this malarky, the unarmed combat instruction Came in handy and provided with a great deal of confidence particularly when I was confronted with a large Irish guy who for some unknown reason wanted to get me during a drunken stupor He was given the surprise of his life, but oddly Paddy Slavin became in later years an Irish heavyweight Boxing champ(true)

    After boarding several vessels including the Pan Crescent with 7,000 souls We finally and thankfully left Haifa on May 14 -1948 amid small arms fire when the ship HMS Mauritius sailed for England.

    Vest Daily Gaggle.
    at November 21, 2018 No comments: Links to this post
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    Saturday, 17 November 2018

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    1. Vest: I am glad your training served you so well.

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    2. Another good story related by you, Vest....thank you. :)

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    3. I deleted and re-posted my amended post...I noticed I'd left out one of the given words in my original post...

      "The Department of Children’s Services, otherwise known as “DOCS” need to be more TRANSPARENT. The department needs to DEMONSTRATE to the wider, concerned and angry community positive actions.

      Words and transparent promises are not enough.

      The Department of Children’s Services have to be made to JUSTIFY their actions... or, more precisely, to describe it correctly, inaction...to the general public. A public who demand they do their job, and do it well.

      Far too often DOCS, who are supposed to be the protectors of children, are a STAIN on our society. Far too often it feels we, the people, will have to resort to BLACKMAIL to force the department to stand up and TAKE stock of its weaknesses.

      In THEORY, the DOCS’ dossier may read well, but their actions prove time and time again they WING it, and as if by burglary, they LOOT the public treasury, the public purse.

      Their flow of empty words, likened to the lofty STRAIN of a campaigning politician, fall on weary ears.

      Words are not enough; words must GRADUATE into action. Already, too much time has been wasted.

      They must SOLVE the problems...their weaknesses. Time is of the essence....

      Suffer the little children...too many abused children are falling through the cracks."

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    4. Vest, you should write a book about all you have been through.

      Lee, i've seen DOCS work both ways, with abused children left to suffer, and children taken from good parents who never did anything wrong. As for the solutions, that's for wiser heads than mine.

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    5. messymimi. Already done. 250 pages.Available from Amazon. or sales@trafford.com ISBN 1-4120-3384-5.
      Or ask River if she has it available still or Andrew at High Riser they may be finished with their copy. I have none available except one for my own use..

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    6. LEE. It is so sad to hear of the children of unfit parents constantly being abused there is no need for this although my late lady wife had a handy hand for our boys , not painful but it got their attention my method was to sit any dissident children (BOYS) on chairs back to back in the garden and tell them not to speak for a half hour. time was added should they do so. I personally never ever hit out at any of my sons.

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    7. Nov 11 should read Nov 20 the date of the wedding.

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    8. messymimi; I still have a copy of Vest's book and can send it if you email me your address.

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    9. Vest- You have a million stories to tell, don't you? Thanks so much for sharing them, and you always do a terrific job telling them via the list of weekly words.

      Lee- You story could be about the state of children's services in our state. I know there are some really good dedicated people working in the field, but there also a bunch of incompetents. Far too many children have died at the hands of their caregivers because the authorities were slow to investigate or chose not to remove the children from the home.

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    10. Thank you Susan for your kind words.

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  8. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    1. Lee: Sadly DOCS are damned if they do, and damned if they don't. And have to work on ever decreasing budgets and through the courts. They really are on a hiding to nothing. While I agree more work is needed, I wish that the parents who fail their children were given stronger treatment too.

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    2. Certainly, EC....I agree - the parents should be given no mercy whatsoever...but our courts are not to be relied upon for severity of sentences.

      The latest case of the innocent baby...the nine-month old little girl found, dead, washed up on the shore at Surfers Paradise three nights ago is once again, sadly, proof of the weakness of the system. Thathomeless family (domestic violence as part of the scenario) was known to the department...

      That dear, sweet baby and its older. two-year old sibling should have been removed from the parents long ago.

      The system failed that poor innocent little soul.

      The system shouldn't fail when it comes to dealing with the parents, but it will. I have no sympathy for the "parents" - I used the word "parents" very loosely. I know what sentence I would hand out....I will say no more....suffice to say many would probably be up in arms with what I would do to them!

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    3. Lee: Sadly this is more likely to be an issue relating to our legal system than it is to DOCs. As it stands at the moment I believe that they have to convince the courts that the child is in danger. Which isn't a speedy process and takes away desperately needed 'bodies in the field'.

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  9. It's TRANSPARENTly clear to me that in order to SOLVE my current lethargy problem I should make myself stick to a routine as I used to. Which sounds good in THEORY, but I too often JUSTIFY my stay-in-bed and sleep-all-morning by telling myself "it" can all be done tomorrow.
    I'll have a story up by Friday. Right now I need to read all the comments here.

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    1. River: I also have a lethargy problem. A big one. And am looking forward to your story.

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  10. Everyone is having fun writing their tales.

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  11. I don't have much time for thought but looks another fun choice of words. Just popping in first thing to say hello. Got company coming and am cooking for Thanksgiving, trying to get a head start for tomorrow :)

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    1. Denise inVA: Thank you. Enjoy your Thanksgiving and your company.

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  12. Next chapter of my continuing story is up here I feel it's a bit lame, but time will tell.

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    1. Tomorrow, I'm going to read all of your stories. Now it's time to go searching for mittens and scarves. Winter is near.

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    2. Uglemor: Not lame at all. I thoroughly enjoyed it and the blend between familiar and unfamiliar worlds.

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  13. Mind on my blog post...http://peppylady.blogspot.com/2018/11/wednesday-meme-number-twenty_21.html

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    1. peppylady (Dora): Great take on the prompts - and thank you for joining us.

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  14. Maybe I'm not transparent, but I'll solve my lack of participation shortly. In theory, a half idea will grow a wing, leading me to some creative loot hidden in my cranium.


    What could go wrong with that?

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    1. Absolutely nothing Mark ... glad to see you participating ... cheers Hilary

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    2. Mark Koopmans: Lovely to have you join us. If you find the secret of teensy weeny ideas growing a wing - let me know. Please.

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  15. Hi EC and friends ... thought I'd posted but I hadn't - first set:

    What loot taken on the wing – transparent Honesty without seeds knows its mate, could solve the theory of the puzzle … where has the loot gone … follow the seeded Honesty … planted seedlings will appear … like magic – breath over a wing … nature solves its own problems and produces its own loot …

    Cheers Hilary

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    1. Hilary Melton-Butcher: Only this week I noticed our Honesty plants are in flower. I do look forward to the 'silver dollar' seeds.

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    2. Oh good - glad you realised the plant connection ... I do love those seed pods ... with treasure or without - cheers to your springing Spring - Hilary

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  16. Mine has been posted here: sparrows I will read and comment on everyone else's over the weekend since we will be busy getting our house ready to move into. The seller's did nothing to clean or remove their personal items, so we have quite a bit of work to do before I will feel comfortable bringing the fur-kids into it.

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    1. Cindi Summerlin: I really enjoyed your continuing tale - and hope the preparation work for your move goes really, really well.

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  17. You ask me to demonstrate my feelings more. But I am a psychology graduate. I couldn't possibly justify the strain that it would place upon my patients. It would also stain my professional reputation, and could even open me to blackmail!😉

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    1. Ygraine: This is such a different (and clever) use of the prompt words. Thank you.

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    2. Excellent Ygraine! I agree with EC, a very different and clever way to use the words!

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  18. I'm impressed with this group's diligent, high-quality works. I love Ygraine's concise entry. I can relate. Excellent.
    Be safe and well, EC.

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    1. Rawknrobyn: I am so often blown away by the creativity. And grateful for the support - including yours.

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  19. Amazing to read the different stories …
    Well done and thank you to all.

    All the best Jan

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    1. Lowcarb team member ~Jan: There were some amazing stories this week weren't there? And Wednesday is approaching again. Fast.

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  20. Sorry, I am so behind in blogging EC! Big Hugs! Well done everyone!

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