Graeme

I will add that we haven't yet identified the real author of Our Unique Moon. While it's possible that that is an original piece by DKing23, given the number of stories under his name that we know are not his, we have to assume that that particular story is also not his. Sorry, Graeme

Let's keep the politics out of here, please There's already a post in The Soapbox regarding the politics of the Queensland flood levy - feel free to create another thread there on whatever you want There's been one reported death so far, and two people reported missing. The death was from someone running a generator in an enclosed room and they died as a result of the fumes. Also, just for clarification, Australia uses a different scale of cyclone ratings to the USA's hurricane rating. In particular, a category 5 in Australia is the equivalent of a category 4+ in the USA.

As an aside, I always heard the second line as Yeah, buddy, that's his own thing. When you combine that with the next two lines, it comes over as being very positive - that there's nothing wrong with being a 'faggot'. I was quite surprised to learn that the last word on that line was 'hair'....

Yeah, that one hit me pretty hard

My best wishes to all the GA Queensland members, and also to all the people of Queensland. 75% of the state of Queensland is currently a declared disaster zone, mainly from massive flooding. To put that into perspective, that's an area bigger than the combined states of Texas and California. Or, if you like, a size around about 15% the size of the USA.... The confirmed death toll is currently still low (nine, including some children), but there are around 66 people still unaccounted for after what was described as an inland tsunami went through the city centre of Toowoomba. The death toll is expected to rise. Australia has received offers of help from around the world, including New Zealand, China, USA, the European Union, Indonesia and East Timor. Our Prime Minister has publicly thanks all those who have offered help, but I'd like to add my own thanks. It's just under two years since the Black Saturday bushfires went through the area where I live. I still remember that there were floods in Queensland at that time, too, and that some of the Queenslanders who had received financial help after those floods had immediately turned around and donated that money to the Victorian bushfire appeal. I haven't forgotten and I believe I never will Now it's my turn

Coming out is a process, with lots of steps. The first step, though, is one of the hardest.

With a missing father and a dysfunctional mother, teenager Brat Smith is the only parent his younger siblings possess. When the authorities try to separate them, Brat will do whatever it takes to keep his family together.

It was a long time ago, but I still remember the day my life almost changed. It was 1981, and I was in my second year at university. * * * My friends and I were in one of the large rooms on the first floor of the Union Building, in the middle of Melbourne University. About half of us were doing science degrees, with the others doing law or arts. We had originally met through the Melbourne Uni Dungeons and Dragons Association – MUDDA for short – and had been playing role-playing games for a

Brat Smith waited. He wanted to make sure that Stephen Baxter would be the one serving him. Stephen was the reason he tried to schedule his shopping trips for after school and weekends. When the opportunity arose, Brat stepped forward. “G’day, Brat. How are you today?” “G’day, Stephen. I’m good.” Brat started to unload the basket of fruit and vegetables. Stephen smiled. “You’ve got more than usual. What happened?” Brat bristled but made sure it didn’t appear on his face. He didn’t li

With Darren's parents away for several hours, Simon and Darren have planned a fun filled day of sex. Unfortunately, things start going wrong almost immediately...

Simon Petersen grinned as he took one last look in the mirror. He had spent a lot of time picking out the right T-shirt to highlight his upper-body muscle definition. It was going to be a special day, and he wanted everything to be perfect. The sea green of the shirt brought out the colour in his eyes, which Darren MacArthur, his boyfriend, regarded as one of his best features. Simon’s grin broadened as he recalled the other features Darren liked. After looking around to confirm that his door

Human existence on Earth is nearly over. Only the occupants of the handful of moonbases have any chance of keeping the human race alive...if they can survive the overwhelming psychological trauma of being the only survivors.

Admiral Joshua Riley gazed at the peaceful beach scene. He had always found the view of waves gently caressing pristine white sands to be restful, but for once it wasn’t working. His rigid stance, with hands clasped firmly behind his back and shoulders squared, was better suited for the parade ground than for his office. “Administrator Riley is requesting entry,” the computer announced through the earpiece in his left ear. “Permission granted.” Joshua didn’t turn as the door behind him

When looking at state benefits, you're correct... for as long as you live in a state which recognises civil unions and grants equivalent benefits. However, you currently don't get federal benefits (I'm using the word 'benefits' in the generic, not legal sense, because I'm including the ability to submit joint tax returns as a 'benefit' of being married) because civil unions are not recognised federally (and neither are same-sex marriages, but 'marriage' itself has federal benefits, even if some marriages are not being recognised by the federal governemnt). As for the major companies, though, I agree with you. I've worked for two major American companies and both offered same-sex partner benefits, and included mandatory anti-discrimination training that made it clear that sexual orientation was a protected category, as were as marital status, religion, ethnicity and nationality.

Craig is a street kid. Kicked out of home at a young age, he does what he has to if he wants to survive, but when another street kid is beaten up, Craig wonders if it's all too much.

Street Life By Graemee — Descent — Craig sagged against a telephone pole and watched the car disappear into the night. His professional half smile faded to a look of weariness as he took stock of his situation. With a misty rain falling, he didn’t expect many more customers. There would still be a few, so he had to stay out, but it wasn’t going to be a good night. He hoped he wouldn’t catch a cold. Barely making ends meet, if he missed more than a couple of nigh

Bushfires are destructive, but Brian didn't realise what one was about to destroy.

Bushfire By Graeme Brian Wren glanced up at the sky. Strong northerly winds were pushing the clouds at a considerable rate, and he estimated that the sun would shine through in about five minutes. While awaiting the sun’s appearance, he rechecked the focus on his Pentax M50 SLR camera. Hiking through the forest for an hour on such a hot day had been a pain, especially while lugging the camera bag and tripod, but he wanted to photograph the small waterfall, no matter the effort required

Besides my thanks to the authors, editors and beta-readers, without who there wouldn't be an anthology, I'd also like to add C James to the list of people who helped out. A number of stories were formatted by him when I ran out of time to do them myself. I'd also like to give a special hug to Steph for her help over the last couple of years. Next year we should be posting the anthology in the new GA Stories (and a big thank you to Myr, Cia, Wildone, Lugh and everyone else for all the hard work they're putting into getting that up to speed as quickly as possible) and hopefully Steph will be able to take a break from all my demands

They know who the killer is, but they can't prove it.

Justice By Graeme Greg Priestly slammed his fist against the steering wheel. “Why now, of all times?” Fuming, he pulled over to the side of the road. He saw no point in driving any further. He hit the button to activate the Bluetooth connection to his phone. “Please say a command now,” a dulcet voice announced. “Phone Jill,” Greg said. He waited for the phone to recognise the instruction, and then for his personal assistant to answer. It was a Saturday night, so he kept his

A great story, incorporating both major interpretations of the word 'Haunted' -- someone haunted by an idea (porn) and then haunted in the paranormal sense. I didn't see the ending coming, but I loved it! Since I don't check out porn sites I'm safe, but what about the rest of you Thanks, Comicality!

Georgie Porgie, pudding and pie, kissed the girls and made them cry; When the boys came out to play, Georgie Porgie ran away.

Mark and Frank have had an absolutely fantastic time on their uncle's farm.

By Graeme Georgie Porgie, pudding and pie, kissed the girls and made them cry; When the boys came out to play, Georgie Porgie ran away. Georgie Porgie sighed. He knew he wasn’t popular, but he didn’t know why. With his parents owning the town bakery, he thought he would be the most popular kid around, but it hadn’t worked out that way. He stuck his thumb into his third pie and pulled out a plum. He stared at it. “Can you tell me what I have to do to be popular?” he aske