In 1952 off the coast of Nova Scotia, Canada, fierce winds force a small boat into port. The sailor of the boat is the eccentric Captain Charles Johnson, who then takes up residence at the small inn run by a young boy, Jim, & his mother. With each day, Captain Johnson becomes more & more valuable to the family & changes the fortunes of their previously struggling business.

But it soon becomes clear that the stranger living in their midst is more than just a sailor. Who is this man who tells such vivid stories about sailing on a pirate ship? & how can he possibly know so much?

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In 1952 off the coast of Nova Scotia, Canada, fierce winds force a small boat into port. The sailor of the boat is the eccentric Captain Charles Johnson, who then takes up residence at the small inn run by a young boy, Jim, & his mother. With each day, Captain Johnson becomes more & more valuable to the family & changes the fortunes of their previously struggling business.

But it soon becomes clear that the stranger living in their midst is more than just a sailor. Who is this man who tells such vivid stories about sailing on a pirate ship? & how can he possibly know so much?

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He lists his former occupation as 1st division criminal. He was a member of the Kray fraternity. He spent 6 years in an approved school & borstal & 20 years in prisons including Strangeways, Brixton, Dartmoor & Wandsworth. He was the last man to be flogged with the cat-o-nine-tails.' People say that truth is stranger than fiction, & in my case it is definitely so. Who would believe, looking at me today, that most of my years have been spent in a sinister underworld of crime, corruption & murder? A gangland world where the famous & the infamous -including stars like Frank Sinatra & politicians
- & the most ntotrious criminals in British history not only socialised but did business together. ' The Brutal Truth is a startling & sensational account of a world far removed from normal, everyday life
- the world of gangster Eric Mason, one of the underworld's most feared & respected figures. One thing Eric Mason soon learned was how to look after himself, a necessary skill during terrible years in a home for young delinquents. He moved on from there to form associations with, among others, the Kray twins, Frank Mitchell (the ' Mad Axeman'), Jack 'the Hat' Mc Vitie, John Mc Vicar & the Great Train Robbery gang. The Brutal Truth tells the truth about penal establishments
- the torture, corruption, injustice, the homosexuality & sadism that pervade the whole system. Some of the stories here have never been told before. Some of them could never have been told before. Eric Mason tells us the whole truth & nothing but the brutal truth.


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Nichiren Daishonin Buddhism encourages the belief that, through its faith & practices, spiritual & material blessings & benefits can be available to everyone in this life. Needs can be met, & success achieved, not merely for oneself but for others (and the world) through dedication to the Lotus Sutra, a central teaching of Buddhism. It combines these personal objectives with the commitment to world peace, ecology & the easing of suffering, especially, AIDS. Attracting such well known followers as Jeff Banks, Sandie Shaw Tina Turner & Roberto Baggio, Nichiren Daishonin Buddhism is rooted in a Buddhist tradition going back to the teachings of Nichiren in the 13th century, & is part of an international movement based in Japan. ...

According to Christopher Titmuss, the beneficial influence of the Buddha falls into three primary areas: non harming, meditation & wisdom. By taking apt"ations from the vast number of talks (over 10, 000) which the Buddha gave during his 45 years of teaching, Titmuss offers one thought-provoking excerpt for each day of the year
- & so helps illuminate these three important themes. This is a book readers will want to keep for many years, & dip into time & again.
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Ed is having a hard time
- at work, in his love life &, well, generally. Then he meets an unlikely Buddhist
- who drinks

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Buddhism is one of the fastest growing religions in the world today -and THE BUDDHIST HANDBOOK is the best introduction to the teachings of Buddhism, the main schools, the Buddhist world-view, leading Buddhist teachers, Buddhist festivals & meditation. ' There is a great need to come to terms with Buddhism AS A WHOLE. John Snelling's book is an admirable attempt to do just that. ' GOLDEN DRUM 'A clear, up-to-date survey. ' CATHOLIC HERALD ...