MikeL

Chapter 16, Dave and Mike's Cookout, has been released. Jack treats us to another excellent chapter...no shooting in this one but lots of action of a more enjoyable sort. The plot moves a little but the characters make more interesting moves. We get to know better some of the principals and their outlook on life and relationships. Thad's roommate provides some sage advice. A certain senator is about to blow all of his political capital.

I think the kind of tendencies you mentioned are natural. By natural, I don't mean they are something we are born with but rather a reflection of our own experiences. It is natural for us to believe those ideas to which we have been exposed. Someone who is around a group of Christians may frequently hear about the evils of homosexuality. That person may or may not adopt that belief himself. He may consider himself a devout Christian and not harbor any ill will toward homosexuals. Or, he may be a Christian in name only and have a bitter hatred of the gay lifestyle. It is only natural that he would, given his environment. Indeed, some Christian groups never speak out against gays. The same situation may apply to a gay person who frequently hears other gays lambasting Christians for their attempts to impose their morality on everyone else. He may or may not develop a distaste for everything Christian. It is only natural that he would dislike or distrust church people. One thing Christians and gays have in common is the tendency to stereotype the other group. Such an approach is always wrong if you believe that everyone in a given group is like everyone else in that group. Everything is beautiful in its own way.

I'm sure you didn't intend anything negative about Tennessee, Benji. I mean, surely you are not prejudiced against, or guilty of stereotyping, the citizens of various states. Reading the full story linked clearly shows that the practices in a few school districts do not meet the policies which have been adopted, policies which are supportive of gays. Tennessee has 95 counties and some of the cities have their own school districts, resulting in 135 school districts in the state. Just because the Tennessee ACLU sent a press release to the media about several districts in the state doesn't mean Tennessee is the only state with a practice which might be considered discriminatory despite policies which prohibit such discrimination. It may mean only that the Tennessee ACLU is actively pursuing this issue at this time. You may wish to read this summary of recent ACLU press releases on similar cases. One of the these cases involved San Francisco. San Francisco? No big surprise there, right?

Chapter 15 has been posted now...title: Port in a Storm. Rory really does find a port in a storm. He meets someone very interesting in Palm Springs. And, he meets someone who will surprise the readers. I was thinking he might meet a certain Russian PI...he may yet.

American Idol has nothing on Britain's Got Talent. If you doubt that, watch this.

Gay Authors now has 7,000 members. Number 7,000 is zako2v31. Let's party!

Chapter 14 of Splash on the Web has been posted, title: Dinner for Two Redux. Oleg and Giorgio spend some quality time together. I'm confused about one thing...I'm not at all sophisticated about cocktails. It seems Oleg suggested a Cosmo with the appetizers, but Giorgio requested something else. Or was his suggestion just a variation on a Cosmo? If not, Oleg isn't the good host I thought he was; he served a Cosmo. Rory gets picked up. Senator Kirk hasn't a clue about what is headed for the fan.

Robbie, if you're still in the market for a replacement car, you might not want to rush into buying one. You should at least wait to see what Detroit produces after the government bailout/takeover is complete. Remember that the best minds in Washington will be involved in designing your new ride. For example: And remember, you new ride is backed by the full faith and credit of the Government of the United States of America:

Buddha Buddy, Congratulations on becoming a homeowner. I hope you will get the house at the asking price; don't hesitate to bargain. The bank knows that, if they end up foreclosing and selling at auction, they will get considerably less; that's your trump card. I would hazard a guess that the beginning of baseball season will inspire you to return to work on When I See You Again.

Antique reproduction

I am celebrating the birth of my second grandson today! He's cute!

Following a strong aftershock, the death toll has reached 207.

Was this part of an early release program?

We deserve the current mess because we are too little involved in our government. Since I retired, I've had time to meet with and/or write to my representatives on a variety of topics...taxes, zoning and Medicare being the most important to me. I have found my city councilman, US representative, and one of my US senators to be very responsive. I wish I had started getting involved years earlier. I also have Comcast and find their cable internet service to be very good...if you consider 12 Mbps to be fast enough...but pricey. They have excess usage penalties, but I haven't been affected; I guess I don't download that much. Their HD TV signal is horrible, so I swithced to DirecTV over a year ago.

Lots more action in Chapter 13. Rory is still on the loose, but a big target is about to fall hard. Never a dull moment in this story. Thanks, Jack.

This is another great chapter, Duncan. Thanks. It's good to see people caring for each other. There's very little jealousy among the three couples in this chapter. They all seem to really care for one another and they are trying to understand. Luc's exercising his damaged hand was very interesting and revealing. You show us his state of mind and his pain as he goes through all fifteen repetitions. That's the sort of unique approach that I have become accustomed to in your stories. And Luc finally opens up to Matt, starting to build the trust that true friendships require. I expect that will mean a lot to them as the story continues, that it will let a little light get in.

Duncan Ryder has released Chapter 10 of How the Light Gets In.

Les Miz (London) Starlight Express (New York) Phantom of the Opera (National touring company) I guess anything by Andrew Lloyd Weber; I think I've seen them all.

Toe rag? Need to remember that one!

Here's a cool Smart Car: If I remember correctly, the European version has an 81hp, 3 cylinder, diesel.

"Tump" should be a word. Actually, it is a word. My wife, the English teacher, doesn't believe it even when I show her the dictionary entry. The British use "tump" (rarely) as a noun to refer to a mound or hillock. In the Southern US, it is used as a verb (usually with "over") meaning to bump or knock something. How many times did my mother tell us "Don't tump your glass over."? Go ahead, check your dictionary...if you have one of those 50 pound, unabridged ones. Or, you can check http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/tump or http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/tump.

Congratulations and thanks to the administrators and authors who have been involved with GA over the last seven years. If I figured it correctly, Joe was 12 years old at the beginning. GA has come a long way.

Great chapter, Cliff. It is action-packed and well worth the wait. As usual, it ends in a cliffhanger or two. Will the C-130 escape detection? Or, will the ever-resourceful General have another trick up his sleeve?

I think the Italians call this pasta Penecello, which translates into English as "little prick".

Just an observation...the Smart car is a German automobile, not that you would want one. It's made by Daimler-Benz.