C James

That certinaly sounds good to me!

<shudder>. They admit that they want to make their vresion of religion a state religion (abloish the seperation of church and state). I wonder if these people have ever really read the words of a like-minded individul, by the name of Osama Bin Laden?

Nothing would surprise me. Arizona still has laws against both sodomy and adultery on the books, though so far as I know technically not enforced. BUT, the fact that they are illegal does have impact, such as when seeking adoption, law enforcement employment, etc. Also, here is another facet of Arizona law. Suppose two 17 year olds (regardless of gender) are involved in a physical long-term relationship. Suppose that one of them is a day older then the other (any age difference will do, but it can be as small as one day). When the eldest turns 18, if the relationship continues he or she can be prosecuted for felony statutory rape, including being given the life-long label of "registered sex offender". In practical terms, they don't bother enforcing this against females who happen to be a few days older than their boyfriends. However, if the boyfriend is the older one, it will be prosecuted if there is a complaint (by anyone). With gay relationships, it's even more likely to result in prosecution. Oh, it's illegal to hunt camels here in Arizona, it's illegal for Donkeys to sleep in Bathtubs, and any misdemeanor committed while wearing a red mask becomes a felony (though any other color is ok).

I have no idea what optimal would be. Mine, certainly, is often on the large side as I use it mainly to advertise projects and events around GA (though I did add my own story ). I'd love to hear what people have to say on this issue.

The Bible is quite blunt (far more specific than it is on homosexuality) on a lot of things that they prefer to ignore. Men must wear beards, two types of cloth my not be mixed, the prohibition of crop rotation, PI =3, etc, etc. However, as for abstinence, the state of Arizona is spending a bundle on a TV advertising campaign plugging total abstinence before marriage for everyone. So, that rather neatly raps up the issue in many eyes: Ban sex outside of marriage, and prohibit gays from marrying. (I've heard that very argument on several occasions).

Hi Nick! You have occasionaly posted things that I disagree with, but I admire you a lot. Heck, you came out at 15! At that age I was still years away from coming out to myself! I doubt that anyone here hates you, even if you do post Goat recipies. CJ

I have a hunch that many of the GA forums have slowed down, due to the start of the fall college semester in the US. I hope things will pick back up again soon.

Hi Kara!!! Thank you!!!!! I'll be posting a new story in a few weeks, plus Jason and Trevor are the main characters in the continuation of "No Shirt", which I'm also working on. Wow, a fellow Northern Arizonan! I lived in Phoenix for ten years before heading up to the mountains, and the climate where I'm at is about the same as Flagstaff: LOTS of winter snow. I had my first hard freeze this week, so winter is on it's way.

Thanks for the list, James! I hadn't heard of some of those.

Hmmmmm. I hope I'm wrong, but I have my doubts about it. It sounds a bit formulaic, and from my point of view it's troubling that it's being compared to "Lost", a show I found to be unwatchable.

:king: Happy Birthday!!! :king: Many Happy Returns!

GREAT NEWS!!! I'm really looking forward to reading it!! Now, if only I had enough posts (you need five) to get into that forum....

James, thank you for another extremely interesting article! I wonder, though, how other aspects of stellar density impacts the oxygen/iron ratio? In more conventional cosmic conditions, it's true that supernovae account for the vast majority or iron and oxygen, but that's only because it would otherwise remain in the cores of suns. Iron and Oxygen are produced in stars not much more massive than our sun, and normally would remain trapped within the star unless a supernovae occurs. However, the a region of high stellar density, other methods increase in probability. Stellar collisions or the gravitational disruption (including via a close encounter with the event horizon of a black hole) of a star would also release iron and oxygen into the interstellar medium. In a more crowded environment such as in the galactic core, these events would occur more frequently. Also, it is presently assumed by many astronomers that a super-massive black hole exists at the core of this (and other) galaxies, and that (stars crossing it's Roche limit and being torn apart) would also be a factor (in my opinion) for releasing Iron and Oxygen into the interstellar medium in the core. I wonder if any of this was taken into account for this study?

Graeme, THANK YOU! To be honest, I don't think I gave conscious thought to avoiding cliches. I hadn't done enough research, then, to realize that there were so many "gay writing cliches". Due to the nature of a short story (in needs to be, well, short. ) I didn't have a lot of room for extra characters. I knew I wanted them to meet at the beach, and I was writing "freestyle" (just making it up as I went, mainly) and it just came out that way. I had a blast with it, and I've been overwhelmed by the response. I'm now 100% hooked on writing, and have several stories underway (and soon to be in e-fiction here at GA) including a continuation of this one. Thanks Graeme, you made my day. CJ

I miss him too, and hope he comes back soon.

Yes, it is getting a bit big, isn't it? I'll be trimming it down on Friday, never fear. YAY hehee I'm glad that this shy, quiet lurker could oblige. Aaron, that's nice pic! And I'd like to see a pic of Kevin's new hairdo, too! Don't be shy, Kevin! After all, even a shy, quiet lurker like me has his personal pic in his profile.

I think this would look great somewhere inconspicuous, like, say, my siggy? Oh my gosh!!! You wouldn't!!! hehehe, yikes, I'd die of embarrassment, even if it were in the sig. of a shy, quiet lurker like you ***Starts looking for ways to pay off the goat*** hmmm, new shades perhaps? Would sweet, innocent me really do such a thing? -------------------- The Great GA Scavenger Hunt is now underway! play here! RHawes has Ch. 22 of Replay up! Author Chat with Viv! My first story No Shirt? No Problem!. Please rate it :-) my favorite quote; "God! I look so HOTT"~AFriendlyFace, 9/19/06 Psyche!!!!!!!!!!! Nah, as you say, there would be any point in putting it in the siggy of a shy, quiet lurker like me, because no one would ever see it due to me never posting... As for paying off the Goat, I think the "shy, quiet lurker like you" statement will be plenty! I'm just so happy that someone finally admits it.

From an economics point of view, I think it will be very interesting to track the economy of the area over the next few years. South Florida seemed to come back better than ever (economically) after Andrew, and I'm wondering if Katrina will end up causing a permanent economic upswing in the areas it hit. I'm not saying it would make Katrina a positive thing by any means (far too many lost their lives, and even more lost everything but their lives) just looking for a silver lining, plus feeding my curiosity regarding economic theory. I am glad to hear your relatives are doing well, and that their home rode out Katrina largely intact. The Katrina storm surge, if I recall, is the largest ever recorded, anywhere, from a Hurricane or Typhoon. Camille was a stronger storm (Cat 5) than Katrina, but Katrina was much larger and had been Cat5 until shortly before landfall, so it had a monster surge. It's good to have you back, James! CJ

Kevin, you raised some great points!!! This was one heck of a blog entry! You have a unique talent for portraying a negative thing (the claim of self-loathing) in a happy and up-beat way, which also makes you a shining example of the fallacy of said claim. I'm happy you found a hairstyle you like! Hope you cant get it to look at least close to that way again without the two hours in the barber's chair. BTW, apropos of nothing, I've been looking for a quote. I think I've found one. I think this would look great somewhere inconspicuous, like, say, my siggy?

I'm with Graeme: I'm definitly not going to ask. I wonder if DDR would work with four feet? Happy Wobbling, Graeme!

An excelent point! I also think that another factor might be that the definition of "Gay" is by no means constant across cultures. In some, only being the "bottom" is considered "Gay". BTW, I sure agree with your point about people not being designed to fit into neat little boxes and definitions!!!

Yeah, but you've got two right feet, too (at least every goat I've seen has, so I'm assuming you do, too). How that complicates your dancing ability remains to be seen, but it opens up some interesting possibilities.... Yes, but dance steps seem designed for the two-legs.. Humph, discriminating, I say! :2hands: As for four-footed dancing, wouldn't you know? Or don't Echidnas Dance?

James, I think I've got you beat for the title of worst dancer at GA: I've definitely got two left feet!

ROFL! And here I thought I picked a meaningless date! Mine! I aspire to be many things, but Lunch is not amongst them! ACK! Prey not! Looks like plenty of people are goat hunting! :2hands: Well, between this thread, and Nick posting Goat recipes in Dom Luka's forum, I'm getting a bit nervous around here!!

You are very welcome! I sure hope it works out for you, as being without wheels is a major pain! 2k to change a gas tank?!?! YIPES! That's $1785US at current exchange rates! Good grief, I don't care how much stuff needs moving, that's an insane charge! And as for leaking like a sieve, I'll bet they put the fuel gage seal on wrong, as that's about the only way they could make it leak, and those are a simple gasket! Ugh, either that, or they forgot to tighten a clamp on the fuel line. GAH!!! In my opinion, learning basic auto mechanics is a good idea for anyone. Even if you never do a thing yourself, it could save you a bundle if a mechanic is trying to rip you off. It can also be real handy if you break down in a remote area, and need to jury-rig a repair to get to safety. It's also great to know the warning signs, as that can catch a problem early before it causes major damage. Let us know what happens, and good luck!!! CJ