A young man's life is ruined---so too are those to whom he preyed upon!

Once again 'P' (Methamphetamine) has reared its ugly head. Today we hear news of a young man involved in this dark and dangerous world, who now faces a prison term, leaving his business in ruins. Not only has he damaged himself, but the people at the other end of the 'P road,' who are enslaved in this 'life damaging' scourge. In my communications with people re my blogs and publicity re my book (ROSKILL) I am reminded that the figures pertaining to the people involved in the drug, are vastly underestimated. Sure, the numbers they claim are anecdotal, but even if they are only partially correct, the numbers are huge. I feel a sense of despair, when I read their claims, wondering if NZ as a nation will ever get on top of the problem, not just re 'P' but 'substance abuse' in general. I include of course, alcohol in this. I think about the families who are torn apart by 'P' and the damage that the children are suffering. By the time they get to secondary school, it is very hard for the schools and other agencies working with them to counteract the 'flow-on' effects of the above drug(s). There are many 'out there' who do not want to know. This is reflected in some of the comments I receive when I write a post like this, where words like 'losers' and statement to to the affect that they 'just don't want to know' about 'P.' We all live in this fine land and until we own these issues,' talk about them, seek solutions that entail looking at the gaps between segments of society, what sort of future we want for our kids and putting resources into early childhood providers, to identify where we need to put the effort in, then we are doomed to see a continuing downward trend. That is why I wrote ROSKILL, in a style that is 'accessible,' readable and offering that quality we must never lose----HOPE! Follow the links to my book for an eBook download or contact me directly for a cheaper deal for hard copy. neilcolemanauthor@gmail.com www.authorneilcoleman.com

Windows 10-----damn, I'm not good with 'change!'

Windows 10 is out. Fantastic, I thought. All my 'troubles' will be resolved re the issues I had with Windows 8.1. Well, that's the theory and then there's the 'Neil factor!' I remember many years ago, teaching the concept of 'Future Shock' to an unwilling Social Studies class---way back in the 1970's I am sure some of those dear students (now aged in their early 50s will be reading this blog and will no doubt give me some stick. That's OK, because I love to hear from them. I AM SUFFERING from that debilitating affliction. Yes, I had complained about how useless Windows 8.1 was and how it affected so many aspects of my 'life online.' I came to an accommodation with the devil that I knew and sort of managed. You must have noticed less negativity around my utterances. So yesterday I finally got the go ahead for the much vaunted Windows 10. I downloaded it and had a few glasses o9f wine while it did its thing---why?---Because I said to sit back and relax---I just added the wines for good measure. Once completed, I was immediately struck by the afore mentioned Future Shock. I had no idea what I was doing.24 hours in to the brave new world' of Windows 10--I am slowly---every so slowly coming to terms with the newbie on the block. BUT---it is a painful process; one which entails asking questions, reading and clicking on various icons, hoping for 'magic.' Will I get there? Yes, I think I will, but there will be blood on the floor, tear stained sleeves and a great deal of extreme language. Such is progress!

It was supposed to be ------just me on the beach with Perdy---but-----

I love my weekends, which usually start with a quiet walk on a beach or in a park---with Perdy, of course. That doesn't really live up to the opening statement, given that no walk is ever quiet when accompanied by the said beast. Perdy knew that she wasn't going to the 'doggie care pet hotel,' in Mangere. No----we were heading to the city and then onto Mission Bay. When I pulled into the car park, her excitement was approaching 'leakage territory!' As soon as the leash was disconnected, it was off across the sand, chasing her beloved orange ball. In between toileting and chasing the ball and waiting for me to dispose 'correctly' of the solid stuff, she explored, chased, sniffed various canine bits and pieces and generally befriended anyone and everyone. I was hoping to gather myself with a gentle ramble, but Perdy had other ideas. She soon 'trapped me' in conversations with other dog owners and couples with a 'wanna dog' vision. Towards the end of our sojourn, we settled into an 'inspiring' conversation with an elderly gentleman, who exuded wisdom. He was a good deal older than me and still works. Our verbal union was full of surprises and left me thinking---hey, as long as one has reasonable health, there is indeed life beyond 65 and it does not have to be in AUCKLAND. He too was about to jump ship to somewhere on the Coromandel Peninsula. I loved his openness, his willingness to share his experiences with life and the 'encounters' he has lived through. Oh to be as satisfied with life as he is when I reach that age, in the not too distant future. He has lived life without regrets! Now-----Perdy---look after the house for a few hours, while I go and visit a friend---no----you are way too boisterous for this one!

Amazon AP for Kindle---how good is it?

I rely on people downloading the free AP from Amazon for a Kindle, ti enable them to read ROSKILL on a device of their choosing. However, i am hearing conflicting reports about just how that AP is. Do let me know. I'm just curious. As with all 'reports,' one has to be careful as to the 'accuracy' of such opinions. I find it hard to believe that of there were difficulties, Amazon would 'fix them.' Hey---they rely on their product being efficient and problem-free too, don't they. Given that I want most of my sales for ROSKILL to be downloads, in NZ at least, because of the high cost of postage from the USA, then I have a vested interest in everything being easy to use. Don;t forget to email me direct at neilcolemanauthor@gmail.com for a hard copy order within NZ. No one has told me how much ROSKILL costs for readers in the USA----let me know.

http://amazon.com/dp/047325655X Please use this link for ROSKILL

I get many requests for a hard copy link to ROSKILL or for the ebook download. I know that the cost for the hard copy version is expensive from Amazon. If you are in NZ (and probably Australia)the postage alone is about $32, so if you add on the cost of the book, well---you get my drift. I will give you a much cheaper option of you lve in NZ---$25 all up! If you don't want to pay the higher cost for the hard copy from Amazon, then use the ebook option. If you go to the link http://amazon.com/dp/047325655X click on it, follow through and it is really cheap. What---you don't have a Kindle?! NO problem---there is a free download for the AP amd if you can stand reading a book on your phone or tablet---well---there's your answer. Please let me know if you decide to follow that option. I'd love feedback. Don't forget to share this post! Happy reading. For direct purchases in NZ, go to neilcolemanauthor@gmail.com www.authorneilcoleman.com

Nice to see Switzerland reading my blogs!

Every so often I notice a bit of a hit from a 'new country,' leading me to assume that they are reading my blogs or my FB page. Of course the two are interconnected, so a bit of 'over-flow' is to be expected. It was encouraging to see Switzerland hitting my site today and I hope it continues. I am always curious as to whether it is multiple readers or one person reading various blogs. Whoever you are---thank you. Hopefully you have ordered either hard-copy of Roskill or the download. I am curious to know what it costs to get 'hard-copy' via Amazon, in Europe, so do let me know. I know that the cost is really prohibitive if one does so from NZ, hence my encouraging people to order the book directly from me at neilcolemanauthor@gmail.com. It is a great deal cheaper for Kiwis to do it that way. Spread the word, dear reader in Switzerland.

To my USA and Canadian readers! Buying Roskill via Amazon

Thank you to all of my readers everywhere, but in particular to the USA and Canada. I have only just realized how expensive it is for NZ readers to buy my book from Amazon. I guess that applies to other countries outside of North America. It seems that the postage alone to NZ is $32, making for a very expensive read for 'locals,' here in NZ I have suggested that they buy directly from me via neilcolemanauthor@gmail.com whereby the price will be half that of getting the hard copy from the USA! If you are wanting hard-copy and you live outside NZ, just click on the link below and it will take you to the page,which include the download option. Thanks for your support and happy reading. http://amazon.com/dp/047325655X