Rigby Taylor

Lots of fun rhymes. I love this sort of poetry, It annoys me that it is so often dismissed as 'doggerel'. A ground-eating stride -- love it. This cycle of life, well, it waits for no one Swinging my legs in a ground eating stride My futile attempt to outpace what's been done It's time to let go of old tears I have cried

Ah Richard, I should have guessed that the man who shares his Avatar with the Tardis, would be interested in details. I'm very pleased you're reading on -- if only to see if your expectations eventuate. As my mother used to sigh - blessed is she who expecteth nothing, for he shall not be disappointed. However, I guess it isn't giving away too much to admit that you will not be disappointed; but I bet you can't guess how they will arrive at a suitably sticky end. 😀

Thanks, Richard. Great to hear from you again. I hoped a few people would read and understand. And 20 have. Not many, but better than I expected, as this sort of tale is not what GA is about. I hope you enjoy the rest of the story. 😍

Quote: "He made a list and left a note for his family – such a lovely word " Yes, it is. And this is a lovely chapter. I'm a sentimental fool, and the scene with Mr Archibald well and truly moistened my eyes. I love reading about two guys being easy about expressing their love in front of others. It was never possible for people my age, and our self-censoring becomes so ingrained that I will never be able to be even moderately affectionate in front of non gay people -- not even with such a pleasant and understanding Aunt.. 😂

Quote: "Patrick floated all the way in a cloud of infatuation....... and the besotted cardmaker actually managed to sort out his shop." A cloud of infatuation... Delightful! I do like Anthony and John -- excellent advice they gave, And Moster Grethe, of course I love her - what's not to like?

This such a sweet chapter! I love Peter's telephone conversation with his sister. Your writing style suits exactly Patrick's endearingly quaint, slightly old-fashioned views and behaviour, that make him such a likeable character.

Ah, very nice. I love it when guys chatter together, not worrying if it all make sense, just the joy of sharing. This line made me laugh. "he forgot about being upset and a needy virgin. "

You 'suppose' you'll forgive me? It's a wise person who knows their own mind - but I guess I'll have to be satisfied with that glimmer of hope for redemption. You are a perspicacious reader to notice the handshake. Yes, Rex is now Headmaster and Sebastian owns the place.

What??? No tears for Bindi? I wonder what you think of this line...'Parents are too young and inexperienced to be of much use except as providers'

They are more daring. I'm always too aware of possible disastrous consequences to behave with such dauntless derring-do. 😎

Thanks, Sef. Yes, the horror continues. Last night a TV documentary about a town in the Centre of Western Australia; locals saying how they love the isolation, the beautiful surroundings, and their festivals where the population swells from 250 to 2000; that they feel they really belong as they've been there for 30 years. Not one face in the entire 30 minutes belonged to an indigenous person, whose ancestors had lived in and loved the area for 50,000 years, whose parents and grandparents had been murdered, enslaved, starved, hunted like animals and driven from their lands so these while-fellas could tell the world they love the land so much they've filled it with sheep and cattle, drained the waterholes, bulldozed vast open-cut mines... The original inhabitants did not rate a mention -- tbecause to white Australia, and increasingly to the Asian and African immigrants, they didn't exist. I'm pleased you like Leon.

Jarek accepts he is a feral animal, like all predators. He's trained himself to survive in nature as much as possible, so it would be strange indeed if he reacted in any other way to a deadly threat. I hope I would react in the same way in that situation. As for Hank and Leon, I wonder if Leon is a bit too intelligent. We'll see. Thanks for commenting. It is always interesting to see what bits of a chapter attract comment. 😎

Thanks for your thoughtful response. It is important for same-sex-oriented people to know their sexual preference is not a choice, when society, laws, family and schools condemn them for 'choosing' to be gay, and try [sometimes violently] to change them back to heterosexuality. If there is irrefutable proof that our sexual identities are hard-wired in the womb, then such abuse will eventually cease. As you suggest, human sexual identity is a continuum from 100% same sex oriented to 100% opposite sex oriented, with every possible combination in between. When studying bisexuality, it seems the researchers did not take into account different environments that trigger sexual desire. In a mixed-sex environment, a guy might choose a female, whereas in a male-only environment [of which there used to be plenty until a few years ago] ...travelers, hunters, soldiers, sailors, deep sea fishing, prisons, work gangs, schools... men frequently formed sexual attachments to other males, that were also loving and long-term. Societies such as those of pre-European-invasion Papua New guinea, were examples where men married and bred with females, but lived and loved with males. It is an especially English disease to insist that everyone be to conform to a common behavioural norm, which is why the ex English colonies were the last western nations to decriminalise homosexual activity.

Apologies for omitting a link and for making you a tad wild; I have no desire to be a thorn in your side, I just thought the article interesting from the point of view of the causes of homosexuality. Here's the link to their book with a few reviews And another review of it. I'm very pleased you're a contented Bi, and agree with your contention that some people are equally turned on by both sexes.

Genetic plays in being gay, say authors Science has so far trodden carefully in the controversial debate about whether gays are born or made. Disparate pieces of evidence – such as homosexuality running in families, and identical twins having more similar sexual preferences than ordinary siblings – have long suggested that biology rather than upbringing shapes sexual preference. Now two researchers are throwing out the caveats in an attempt to "out" the bald scientific truth: we are born either straight or gay and nothing will makes us otherwise. In their book Born Gay: the Psychobiology of Sex Orientation , Glenn Wilson, reader in personality at the Institute of Psychiatry in London, and Qazi Rahman, a psychobiologist at the University of East London, declare that "the accumulation of evidence from independent laboratories across the world has shown that the biological differences between gay and straight people cannot be ignored . . . our sexual preference is a fundamental and immutable component of our human nature". Wilson and Rahman's account goes beyond whether there is a gay gene – there is no single gay gene, but genes do contribute – and considers the effect of sex hormones to which foetuses are exposed in the womb. The boldly titled book says the research leaves absolutely no room for parental or societal influence on this intimate trait. Children cannot be seduced or otherwise led into homosexuality and, however overbearing the mother or absent the father, no amount of poor parenting can waylay a child born to walk the path of heterosexuality. No serious, evidence-based scientist, they charge, would deny that sexual orientation is fixed at birth. The authors also speculate that we face an evolutionary future in which homosexuals become more prevalent. The genes that are implicated in gayness do not just influence sexual orientation – in low doses they might confer personality advantages to heterosexual men (such as making them loyal, empathic and considerate), turning them into attractive mates and thus propagating those genes further. Rahman says that his view of corrective therapies designed to turn gay men straight is simple – they will never work: "You just can't do it. If people suggest they can, I ask them, 'Can you turn someone from straight to gay? Show me the evidence'. But it's never going to happen, is it?" Andy Forrest, communications officer for Britain's Stonewall, a charity that campaigns for gay equality, says the book's central message rings true for most gays. "Most people I've come across say they've always been gay and that their upbringing has played no part in whether they are gay or not. They would say it's an innate part of who they are, not something they need to be 'cured' of." According to Wilson and Rahman the biological origin of sexual orientation means that discriminating against gays and lesbians is as justifiable as discriminating on the basis of eye colour or ethnicity. They have declined to reveal their own sexual orientations. So, why are some men born gay? Homosexuality tends to run in families, prompting a search for the so-called gay gene. In June biologists in Austria discovered fruit flies can be turned gay by altering a single gene. It is almost impossible that a single gene determining human sexual orientation exists: identical twins, who have identical genes, do not always have the same sexual preferences. But it points to genetic influence. "Gay men tend to have more gay brothers than straight men," Rahman says. "Heritability is thought to be around 30 to 40 per cent, which means that around 30 to 40 per cent of the variation in homosexuality is down to genes. Strictly speaking, it's better than zero (which would imply no role for genes) but that shows there's significant environmental variance." And this, Rahman says, is where a "massive misunderstanding of the concept of environment" comes into play. Studies have shown that the popular idea of environment – parental upbringing, peer norms, the family home, schooling – have no effect whatsoever. For example, the psychoanalytical idea that distant fathers or overbearing mothers sabotage their sons' sexual development is not borne out by evidence. Wilson and Rahman dismiss such theories as "beyond the pale of science". In conversation, Rahman is more brutal, dismissing "95 per cent of psychology as rubbish". Initial sexual experiences do not appear influential – one study showed boys educated at single-sex boarding schools, where early same-sex experiences are relatively commonplace, are no more likely to become gay than other boys. What about the seduction hypothesis? Men who, as boys, had gay encounters with men have reported that they already knew they were gay before the encounter. Adopted children of gay and lesbian parents are predominantly heterosexual. The missing environmental link, the authors argue, is the womb. This would fit with findings in the early '90 that the brains of gay and straight men differ slightly. Rahman explains: "We argue that genes produce differences in the brains of pre-straight and pre-gay foetuses and those differences might affect certain receptors in the brain that influence the activity of male sex hormones." Put simply, Wilson and Rahman suspect that some male foetuses absorb low amounts of testosterone in certain parts of the brain: full absorption is needed for full masculinisation. "In a foetus which has a genetic predisposition to be gay, these receptors are not as effective at soaking up testosterone. The result is that this slightly insensitive part of the brain follows the default development route, which is female." orientation – in low doses they might confer personality advantages to heterosexual men (such as making them loyal, empathic and considerate), turning them into attractive mates and thus propagating those genes further. Rahman says that his view of corrective therapies designed to turn gay men straight is simple – they will never work: "You just can't do it. If people suggest they can, I ask them, 'Can you turn someone from straight to gay? Show me the evidence'. But it's never going to happen, is it?" Andy Forrest, communications officer for Britain's Stonewall, a charity that campaigns for gay equality, says the book's central message rings true for most gays. "Most people I've come across say they've always been gay and that their upbringing has played no part in whether they are gay or not. They would say it's an innate part of who they are, not something they need to be 'cured' of." According to Wilson and Rahman the biological origin of sexual orientation means that discriminating against gays and lesbians is as justifiable as discriminating on the basis of eye colour or ethnicity. They have declined to reveal their own sexual orientations. So, why are some men born gay? Homosexuality tends to run in families, prompting a search for the so-called gay gene. In June biologists in Austria discovered fruit flies can be turned gay by altering a single gene. It is almost impossible that a single gene determining human sexual orientation exists: identical twins, who have identical genes, do not always have the same sexual preferences. But it points to genetic influence. "Gay men tend to have more gay brothers than straight men," Rahman says. "Heritability is thought to be around 30 to 40 per cent, which means that around 30 to 40 per cent of the variation in homosexuality is down to genes. Strictly speaking, it's better than zero (which would imply no role for genes) but that shows there's significant environmental variance." And this, Rahman says, is where a "massive misunderstanding of the concept of environment" comes into play. Studies have shown that the popular idea of environment – parental upbringing, peer norms, the family home, schooling – have no effect whatsoever. For example, the psychoanalytical idea that distant fathers or overbearing mothers sabotage their sons' sexual development is not borne out by evidence. Wilson and Rahman dismiss such theories as "beyond the pale of science". In conversation, Rahman is more brutal, dismissing "95 per cent of psychology as rubbish". Initial sexual experiences do not appear influential – one study showed boys educated at single-sex boarding schools, where early same-sex experiences are relatively commonplace, are no more likely to become gay than other boys. What about the seduction hypothesis? Men who, as boys, had gay encounters with men have reported that they already knew they were gay before the encounter. Adopted children of gay and lesbian parents are predominantly heterosexual. The missing environmental link, the authors argue, is the womb. This would fit with findings in the early '90 that the brains of gay and straight men differ slightly. Rahman explains: "We argue that genes produce differences in the brains of pre-straight and pre-gay foetuses and those differences might affect certain receptors in the brain that influence the activity of male sex hormones." Put simply, Wilson and Rahman suspect that some male foetuses absorb low amounts of testosterone in certain parts of the brain: full absorption is needed for full masculinisation. "In a foetus which has a genetic predisposition to be gay, these receptors are not as effective at soaking up testosterone. The result is that this slightly insensitive part of the brain follows the default development route, which is female." In other words, the neural circuit that promotes sexual desire towards women is never laid down; the result is a male who is attracted to other men. This also explains, the authors claim, why gay men show a "mosaic" of female-like and male-like cognitive traits. In their handling of language and in their spatial awareness, for example, gay men are more similar to women than to heterosexual men. As Rahman puts it, this makes gayness just one item in a package of traits hewn in the womb. In 2003 he showed that the startle response – how people respond to sudden noises – was different in gay and straight men. As this response is instinctive and cannot be learnt, it was viewed as further evidence that gay and straight men are neurologically different. Why should some male foetuses absorb less testosterone than others? It is possible, the researchers say, that there is a chemical battle between the mother and her foetus, much like the clash of blood types that can cause a mother to develop antibodies to her unborn child. The antibodies can stay in the blood and threaten future pregnancies. The idea that the womb environment may have consequences for future siblings is interesting because researchers have noted a sibling pattern among gay men called the "big brother effect". The more older brothers a man has, the more likely he is to be gay. It is possible that maternal antibodies developed in early pregnancies may cross the placenta in later pregnancies to disrupt testosterone absorption. Lesbianism may also be due to hormonal conditions in the womb (although scientists stress that lesbianism cannot always be examined as a direct parallel of male homosexuality – there is no "big sister effect", for example). "There's a protein in the womb that protects female foetuses from excessive exposure to male sex hormones," Rahman says. "Perhaps this protein doesn't kick in early enough in lesbians." Some brain circuits then follow the male development; a sexual preference for women may be a consequence. Lesbians show more male-like language production, which strengthens the theory of "neural sexual mosaicism". As for bisexuality, there is no biological evidence that some people are turned on equally by both sexes. Physiological studies show that self-declared bisexuals exposed to straight and gay erotica are aroused by either one or the other but not both. Academics suggest that bisexuals may be omnisexuals with libidos so high that the gender of the target doesn't matter.

Thank you, WireBomb for your perceptive and complimentary comments. I've written ten novels, each of which are about the search for love and contentment, but also about other things that I deem to be important. I have the impression that too many young men allow themselves to be pushed around by circumstances, instead of taking charge of their own lives. All my 'Heroes" are fine, decent young men who confront difficulties instead of complaining about life's unfairness.. If they see a guy they like, they say so to him to clear the air. they don't race to a female friend and ask what to do.... To be at peace with ourselves we have to face the devil within... all that stuff. But they're also very human -- definitely not supermen. I understand your comments about my 'lecturing'; I try to keep them as short as possible. I hope you will read my other stories I think you will find them more exciting and uplifting than sad -- at least that's my intention, your honest opinion is very welcome.

Thank you WireBomb for your honesty. Perhaps where you live the destruction of the few remaining bits of wilderness is not a problem, but in Australia it is. And it is carried out by super rich consortia and their bully boys who seem to have undue influence on governments. At the moment, for example, we are fighting a giant foreign mining corporation that is about to construct the largest coal mine on the planet, and in the process will pollute ground water, drain fragile water systems and waterholes, destroy the last fragile ecosystem of its type along with rare wildlife, and destroy forever the sacred sites of indigenous people who have lived there for over 40,000 years. The Northern Territory is about the be 'fracked' endangering underground water supplies. The delightful wetlands and coastal rainforests have gone forever from Eastern Australia. Our ever expanding cities have gobbled up prime land and forests, interfering with water - a huge problem, leading to the consumption of treated sewerage. And the racism endured by Karmai, is real. I understand your reaction. The vast majority of 'gay' fiction is either about the problems faced by young gays coming out in their communities, or mindless erotica. Both bore me witless after a while. I write stories in which the problems and solutions are more universal, but taken lightly. Just enough background to make it real, but not so much as to become polemical. I have clearly failed. As you pointed out, I am only preaching to the converted, and those who don't want to leave their comfort zones don't continue reading. I'm thrilled you like my style of writing, and the humour. But a whole book of smart aleck prose soon becomes dull. There is humour in the rest, but more subtle, less obvious. The impossibly dreadful Miss Ann Thropist and her inelegant end; Frankie's wondrously bizarre theatrical performance with Prudence; the crazy equal opportunity University, Frankie's insanely impossible efforts to bring balance; Prudence's guests; Frankie's hopes for 'enlightenment in a monastery in the Himalayas... ... are all exaggerations intended to bring a smile, not a frown. While his adventures become ever more impossible, they remain almost believable, and, I had hoped, amusing. All my stories are 'about' something. Jarek is about the way we educate boys, Fidel about Religious interference in a secular state, Mortaumal about Death. [treated amusingly]... All with likeable heroes who have no problem with their relationships, only with those who would try to prevent them from living as they choose. Thanks for reading so far. If you do manage to finish it, I'd be interested to read your conclusions. 😎

Thanks Jeffrey. I too am approaching a 'certain age'. What lies ahead is a bit of a worry, Like so many men I'm used to independence and the prospect of losing that is distinctly unappealing. Meanwhile, I wish you a comfortable and pleasant New Year.

My favourite character in the Saki stories is Clovis - the extrovert friend of Reginald, but it would have been pretentious to name my hero after such a paragon of wit, so I called him Sebastian, after A friend who was a bit like him - seldom wearing clothes. As I was born at the tail end of that era of arrogant British colonialism and social privilege, I imagine the stories appeal more to me than to contemporary readers, born in more egalitarian times. H H Munroe's cutting elegance of wit and words are priceless. He was an acute observer and commentator of political absurdity, the wiles of women, and the foolishness of men. But like Clovis, was neither fooled nor seduced. 😀

Thanks, I was under the spell of the best short story writer of all time [in my opinion]-- H H Monroe, who wrote under the pseudonym "Saki".. Short stories are difficult to write -- having to set the scene, create an interesting event, then end with a bit of a twist, all within a few thousand words, requires great restraint. Yes, I was a bit over the top with the descriptions of clothing and action -- I wanted to emphasise the difference between the free spirit of Sebastian and the imprisoned ego of the 'missionary'. I'm very pleased you like it. It is my favourite.

Thanks so much for reading to the end. Yes, Farzdbuck's punishment is the correct one - an 'eye for an eye.' I always think death is far too easy a punishment for genuine evil doers, it only punishes those left behind. The two young men find all sorts of excellent things to do with the money, and Seb enjoys performing for fun. {Have you read 'Spreading the Word'?} Their tale is continued briefly in 'Jarek', and completed in 'Fidel'.

Thanks for your comment, Timothy, I sometimes wonder if losing total control of the mind might only be bad for those around us. I recall a silly ditty as a student that went, "The Happy little moron, he doesn't give a damn, I wish I was a moron -- my god, perhaps I am." Certainly, to know you are slowly losing your sanity must be a terrible thing. I'd be so consumed by guilt at the trouble I was going to cause my partner, that in a sane moment I'd follow in the footsteps of the thousands of other elderly men in Australia -- and I suppose elsewhere, who choose to leave when they realise living is no longer a pleasure.

Canuk. Love your comment. An ego boost as always. Much appreciated. A significant birthday eh? Proves you're still a youngster. You're not old until you stop acknowledging them. I can't recall my last dozen...😎

Oh Okiegrad, while relishing your praise, I have to humbly confess that I am not always excellent. Yes, there is a tendency to pretend the old and infirm no longer feel the same as us youngsters, but unless dementia is present, the only changes are physical things such as the elasticity of skin and strength of muscle. Of course you have time to find someone to love! You are lovable -- perhaps even adorable.

And thank you, Parker Owens, for your thoughtful comment. I hesitated to post this, wondering if it was out of place on GA, but your words indicate it isn't, so I'm doubly grateful.