Zombie

Yes. But now it's back! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wrestling_at_the_Summer_Olympics Here's some hot college wrestlers celebrating with some intimate man-on-man grappling, squeezing, rubbing, grunting and... [sTOP IT!] As for Sochi, did no-one watch all those hot guys snowboarding? Here's Norwegian snowboarder Ståle Sandbech who took the silver medal ...and here he is after winning, getting cozy with fellow bro, gold winner Sage Kotsenburg

I don't disagree with what you say, Daddy, but it is their democratic right to pursue a political process. Logically, if you believe in democracy and the right to self determination, well, we may not want or like the outcome but the Scottish people - in fact any people - have the right to decide how they want to be governed. Right?

Yikes, a triple negative! Well I dunno, they do say there's no smoke without fire - allegedly conspiring to have the man beaten in jail. - acknowledged last year that he had smoked crack - public drunkenness - ranting, putting on a Jamaican accent, and using profanities to describe Toronto's police chief. - threatening "murder" in an incoherent rant. He seems, at best, a pretty tacky and unseemly kinda cove Oh, and all these smears are sourced from the true-blue right wing conservative Daily Telegraph http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/canada/10606235/Toronto-mayor-Rob-Ford-accused-of-organising-jailhouse-assault.html http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/canada/10496272/Toronto-mayor-Rob-Ford-tried-to-buy-crack-video.html http://www.telegraph.co.uk/telegraphtv/10595298/Toronto-Mayor-Rob-Ford-gets-stuck-in-a-lift.html

There are 90 hereditary peers in the House of Lords and the DoA isn't one of them but there are other Scottish peers in the House of Lords like the Earl of Caithness and Baron Aberdare and so on - I guess they would lose their seats. In terms of their titles they would not be affected. An independent Scotland would also retain the Queen as Head of State, just like the 16 Commonwealth countries that retain the Queen as their Head of State - like Australia

Polling is a minefield - and I didn't say "ever" increasing Wiki has put together a very interesting analysis of polling results and methodologies from 2011 through to 2014 - worth looking at. So, yes, you can make a case either way. But "passionate" is on the side of the "yes" campaign and so is "apathy" - "no" voters being less fired-up and therefore less inclined to put down that tasty deep fried Mars bar (in reality, more likely their 3rd or 4th ) and waddle off down to the Voting Station... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scottish_independence_referendum,_2014#Opinion_polling

It seems increasingly likely Scotland will vote for independence in September and become a separate nation state. Most people in England and Wales don't seem too bothered at the moment. Maybe that will change between now and September's ballot. Not that it will make any difference because only Scottish residents get to vote ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A lot of people have asked why is Scotland being given this ballot, including on this site. Well, if you believe in democracy then you must also believe in the right to self determination. The question then becomes at what point must people be granted their right through a ballot? And this is a practical question. There has to be some verifiable means to measure the level of pressure for separation. In the case of Scotland that pressure reached a tipping point in 2011 when the Scottish people voted-in the Scottish Nationalist Party with a "landslide" majority in the Scottish Parliament. So the answer to the "why?" question is... there is no other democratic option At best the other options are delay and obfuscation; at worst denial and oppression. And, as we know from history and what's going on right now in various countries, the end game there is violence and possible civil war. History also shows us that nation states are not fixed and permanent. Nothing is forever. And no generation can bind future generations. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ So what will these islands look like after the split? Obviously, the United Kingdom will become the Former United Kingdom - or FUK - and Hadrian's Wall will need to be rebuilt to keep out those wild-eyed and dangerous hairy men in skirts... More seriously, both sides are now engaging in the political battle that will dominate UK politics over the next 7 months. Recently the UK govt removed a financial problem by accepting liability for all debt, which would remain with England and Wales if Scotland votes "yes". Alex Salmond, the SNP Leader and Scotland's First Minister, claimed this means Scotland will get to keep the pound with a simple tie-in to Bank of England oversight. Well, no. The fact is Salmond has made hundreds of pages of assumptions in his White Paper and two weeks ago Mark Carney, the Canadian Governor of the Bank of England, had a meeting with him to correct a few of those assumptions Scotland's economic viability as an independent nation is absolutely dependent on EU membership. There are several problems here that Salmond hasn't dealt with. First, EU membership terms would be much less favourable - no rebate for example - and there'd be a commitment to join the Euro. But Scotland wants to retain the pound - which is a bedrock of its financial plan - so how could it do this and not join the Euro? And retaining the pound means Scotland would not have control over its tax and spend policies - a major purpose of separation - because final say on those would be with our friendly Canadian Mark Carney, not Alex Salmond And how is this all going to work if the promised referendum on EU membership ends up with England, Wales and Northern Ireland leaving the EU? And what will happen to the Union Jack? And the BBC? And, and... So many questions... *this is an update to an earlier blog here http://www.gayauthors.org/forums/blog/504/entry-13245-scottish-independence/ *

"Municipal (Toronto) Government 1. Leave Rob Ford the fuck alone. He was elected to be the Mayor of Toronto, for which he is doing a fine job. He was not elected to be the Moral Compass of Toronto. If he doesn't want to go to Pride? Fine, no problem. I don't blame him, I don't want to go either. Norm Kelley is a tool, also." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Isn't there something a bit worrying about political dynasties though? They seem like irrefutable evidence that democracy's been pushed aside. Maybe they can be stomached if they're outstandingly competent and show some respect for the dignity of their office and country, but this guy seems to revel in scandal, tawdriness and being a Class A obnoxious git. Kind of rubbing your noses in it don't you think? And then there's the small matter of him being an ignorant homophobic jerk... (Ford denounced Toronto providing $1.5 million to help prevent AIDS saying that most tax payers should not be concerned with AIDS because "If you are not doing needles and you are not gay, you wouldn't get AIDS probably, that's bottom line...those are the facts.")

Don't beat yourself up about being in the closet. Not everyone feels able to come out. And forget the "choice" thing if you mean about being gay. No-one chooses to be gay. You'd have to be certifiable to make such a crazy choice You believe in God - I don't - so you must also believe that God created you. Which means your god created you. You are made "in his image". Even a non-believer like me knows the Bible says that And since God never makes mistakes there is no forgiveness to ask for. It's simple logic You're gay but I guess you love your children and I bet they love you back. Likewise your wife, even if you'd rather have sex with a man. We live in the here and now, and so we should, but one day you may feel it possible to be honest with your family. Especially if you've brought up your kids to be decent, accepting people. In the meantime you've already got a lot more than probably most people have in this world. And you've got all of us here at GA The most important thing is accepting yourself and liking yourself for who you are. With that in place you can face anything.

the experience is indelibly burned into my memory *is now flicking through therapy brochures... *

you'd like German thrones then - the, er, fruits of your labours, sit steaming on a nice little platform to enable you to have a real good look, or even a prod, before you hit the flush button and consign your pride and joy into subterranean oblivion with a titanic cataract of water... TMI???

Michael Crawford did all his own stunts. I've watched this clip many times and am always incredulous how the producers agreed such a sequence and to take such risks with their star actor - party pooper insurers would never allow it now... As a bonus the theme you remember plays at the end

like the sheep said

Riveted by your diary story, Krzysztof ! You're given an insight into a London that I knew existed but, thankfully, have never experienced myself. The exploitation is shocking but perhaps not so surprising - except when the exploitation is by the very people who themselves once were new immigrants just like you who and must know what it's like to be in your shoes. Maybe there's a vicious cycle of exploitation - what I have suffered you shall suffer too - but your writing does more than merely convey the hardships and horrors, it is full of subtle humour and comic scenes - I can see them in my head Never mind the minor grammar issues, this is excellent writing. Please continue - I can't wait for the next installment

Hi Jon and welcome - hope you have fun here

Dolls Houses - where evil dolls live... there's something I forgot to tell you - about Dolls Houses Yes, it's important to destroy evil dolls - beheading and burning are good, or gifting to people you don't like - but what about their nests? Because that's what dolls houses are. So if you find yourself in an old empty attic, with an old dusty dolls house in it, do NOT walk up to it and most definitely do NOT bend down to see what's going on inside...

most people are probably happy to forget about all the empty promises they made to themselves so its brave of you to want a record to be accountable against - good luck with them

In Armageddon wouldn't it have been a better idea to train astronauts to be drillers?

I've got hardened arteries just reading this!

Andrew Cotton, a plumber from Croyde, Devon, is waiting to hear if he has set the world record for surfing the biggest wave. He was filmed riding a massive grey wall of water at Praia do Norte, Nazaré, Portugal on October 28 last year, 2013. The monster wave has been estimated at 80ft (24m). The film is currently being analysed and an official decision is expected soon. It's also been entered in the Ride of the Year category of the 2014 Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-26029812

I'm guessing Cia means don't publish! Writing now is fine - in fact it's best to do it while you're experiencing something because all the details are still fresh and you'll capture stuff you'd maybe otherwise forget. A diary is a good way - actual dialogue, your emotions, anything. It needn't be structured - bullets, random thoughts, interesting facts, characters you encounter. This will all be excellent source material if you do later decide to work up a story around your experiences

Andy's right Schools have banned parents from taking photos / vids of their kids at school shows because of "child protection" - er, protecting them from what, exactly? Oh, yeah, that would be from their own Mums and Dads, and others looking at pics in a family photo album. A teacher was suspended for driving home a pupil who was stranded at the end of the school day when their ride never showed up, and for giving her number to another pupil suffering bereavement in case they wanted someone they could talk to about their grief. And a new law was planned in 2009 to ban parents from giving lifts to other kids unless they were first checked and registered with a new anti-paedophile database. Vigilance is necessary. But so too is trust and common sense.

I'll take you word for it - even though according to the German food critic, Wolfgang Fassbender, "the biggest challenge when eating surströmming is to vomit only after the first bite... rather than before" .

I've just been re-reading Second Wind, by Mickey S, about a guy, Joey, who has a very young child, Connor, and a new boyfriend, Ben, who he's only known a few months: "Although I teased Ben about his ulterior motives about getting a crib for Connor, I was thrilled with the idea. I wanted some 'alone time' with Ben in his bedroom as much as he did. But I was even more pleased about what his thought meant. I had heard single parents complain about the problems of dating when you have kids. It wasn't just finding time alone. If you got into a serious relationship the other person had to love your kid nearly as much as you did. " I don't know when this story was originally written, but would someone with a new partner really feel that way today? When I was a child it was normal for adults I came into contact with at home to play with me. I loved the rough and tumble, being rolled over and tickled by relatives, uncles and family friends,and they would engage with me - talk to me, find out what I liked, what I was interested in. But move forward to the present and I find I can't do that - because that could be interpreted as potential "grooming". The unremitting news of one child abuse scandal after another has created a climate of fear and suspicion about children. In some respects rightly so, especially as we now know that many cases of child abuse involved close friends and family members. But in other respects this is toxic. It's like the shutters have been pulled down on families - inside is the immediate nuclear family unit, outside is everyone else, with those inside looking out at every one else with suspicion, questioning every approach, every contact, wondering... Tbh I just can't be done with that. Who wants to be a suspected paedophile every time they play with or just even talk to a child? So, effectively, for a long time now I've switched off all meaningful contact with anyone not "adult". It probably wasn't even a conscious choice to begin with, just an "awareness" of other people's possible fears. But over time it became a default behaviour, and maybe a defence. After all child abuse is the worst possible crime, probably ranking above multiple murder in the public mind, and the mere misinterpretation of normal and innocent behaviour would have devastating personal consequences. But the really sad thing is this has included my interactions with children of my own friends and family. It's been very business like - certainly no physical rough and tumble, nothing like the real, uninhibited and unsupervised contact I experienced with many adults and loved as a child. I hate myself for having done it - not fighting against it - and I despair at society, what it has become, and what it has lost. I see no way back to the childhood innocence and relationships with many adults that I enjoyed and learned from

Oh dearie me, justice fugitive Justin's just been spotted committing yet ANOTHER crime right outside the Toronto police station where he's just been booked for assualting his limo driver... Listen up Justin, that look is just sooo last millennium - your Dad was wearing backwards baseball caps back in the 1980s! You want to look like your Dad? Why not do the whole retro thing and model yourself on this cool dude :funny:

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