Graeme

It's been over a year since the massive bushfires swept through parts of Victoria (including near where I live) on what is now known as Black Saturday, but I'm still affected by stories on the subject. I just saw this one, and I have to share it. Blacksmiths fight fire with fire To all those from around the world who have been involved with this and other activities... thank you

What I liked was how natural the data dump was. By making it an interview, the characters were able to supply information that would normally be just assumed by them. There's certainly a lot of scope there for where it goes next James, you're really good with SF and I'd like to see more from you in that genre, if you are inspired to write it

Happy Birthday, Myr! :king: :king: :music: :king: :king:

Absolutely the right place! Welcome to GA:D

I'll start by saying I don't write sex scenes for personal reasons. I don't have an objection to them, I just don't write them myself and most of the time I'm not reading stories for sex scenes. The most successful sex scenes I've read have been those that concentrate on emotions, not mechanics. Mechanics can be included if they're unusual, or otherwise help the plot/character development (like accidentally head butting their partner because of they both bent forward at the same time, leading to a short section of laughter and apologies, before getting back to doing it 'right'). If you haven't done so, have a read of Dom Luka's Desert Dropping story, and check out the sex scenes. There aren't many, but they are important to the story and they are a natural part of the flow. Another one to read would be ShadowGod's Living in Surreality. Again, the sex scenes are not just there for titillation, but also serve important purposes in the overall story. Another approach, which is the one I use, is to lead up to a sex scene, but leave it to the reader's imagination. They know what's going to happen because the scene has been set, but they don't see the details. Alternatively, have the aftermath, so the readers know what happened, but only get to 'see' what happened next. Again, that can be good for plot/character development, especially to let the readers see what a character is like after they get what they wanted. I've only been tempted to write a sex scene once, and that was because of the unusual circumstances the story protagonist found himself in. I eventually decided to leave it out, but the story (The Price of Friendship) could easily have had a sex scene because the subject of gay sex was a major component of the story. It just didn't appear in the story...

Rules are there for a reason. What appears to be missing from the rules in question is common sense. The correct approach would be for a neutral adjudicator to make a call on the correct penalty, based on the situation. Many sporting events I've been to have the option for disputes to be lodged, and for those disputes to be then judged on their merits. That doesn't appear to be the case here, so the disqualification is valid, if frustrating and demeaning. I was going to make the point that rules regarding wearing jewellery in sports have a concrete basis. I used to be a basketball referee at the local competition and would tell players to removed rings and earrings before playing. Too many other refs didn't, so the players tended to think I was being overly officious. Okay, I was, but all I had to do was to tell them that I'd seen part of ear ripped off because the earring had caught on something/someone, and I didn't want to see that again. It wasn't true, but it was a lie in the spirit of the rule -- the rule was there for a good reason. The rules of the competition weren't unreasonable, in that they allowed an option. If the jewellery was taped over (rings or earrings, including studs), they could play. That goes back to common sense -- the rule was to prevent injury, and taping was an alternative to removal that would prevent injury. Thinking about it, I would probably have insisted on the removal of friendship strings, too, because if a player got a finger caught in one, it's possible that their finger could be bent backwards, causing an injury, before the string broke. Having said all of that, there's an essential difference to this particular situation. What was the risk involved with a friendship string in this particular sport? Pole vaulting is a non-contact sport (okay, so is basketball, technically, but we all know that that is a polite fiction) and unless there is a danger from it catching on the pole, I think the rule is overkill. On a personal note, I've had a case where I was 'unfairly' treated by a rule. Before I started playing and refereeing basketball seriously, I was involved in athletics. I used to do race walking (the only event I was any good at -- the rest would be poor to really bad). I was good enough to make the district finals one year (the last year before I switched to basketball). In race walking, you must keep one foot on the ground at all times and there are requirements about 'locking' the knee (to force it to be a walk, not a run). Judges around the course would report walkers who violated this rule. If you 'broke' three times, you were disqualified. The top six non-disqualified walkers would qualify to compete at the state level. I finished sixth... until I was told I was disqualified because TWO (not three) judges had reported me as having 'broke'. Why was I disqualified? Because the rules stated that the chief judge's reports counted as two, and one of those two judges was the chief judge. It took me a long time to get over that disappointment, and to accept that it wasn't 'unfair'. It was just the rules. It is up to the coaches and players to understand the rules. They don't have to agree with them, but they have to know them, and if they violate them, they have to accept that there can be a penalty. Was the penalty in the case above fair? I don't think so. It's a case of the penalty definitely not fitting the crime. But that's the penalty on the rules book, and so that's the penalty that was applied. Was the opposing coach right to point out the infraction? That's a more difficult question to answer. I think it was cynical and self-serving, but I think he certainly had the right to do so. He also had the right to refrain, and then have over-zealous parents of the losing team raise hell, pointing out that the other side 'cheated' by using a competitor that should have been disqualified (sorry -- I've seen too many over-zealous parents in my day to not believe it wouldn't happen). There are many sports where people play the rules to win. That's not only when there are high stakes (the America's Cup sailing races are more famous for the court cases than the actual racing), but also at much lower levels when there's little at stake apart from simply winning or losing a match. This particular case is sad, but, alas, not exceptional.

Wow! Thank you everyone! While it's still my birthday in some parts of the USA, my birthday was actually yesterday, my time (Krista -- you made it in time, your post came through yesterday afternoon). I haven't responded until now because I've been away. The boys and I went camping for the weekend and we've only just gotten back. I didn't get the presents until just now, either. I got a complete set of Wii console, controls and games. The boys are busy playing them now... As an extra special present from the boys, they let me pack up the car for the trip by myself, and then let me do most of the work of setting up the camp site. Aren't they wonderful? Oh, and NaperVic, as the eldest boy has just turned eleven, I sincerely hope I won't be a granddad anytime soon. I'd love to thank everyone individually, but I've got to get back to the rest of the family. My wife has cooked one of my favourite dinners (a roast) and then we'll be watching the latest episode of Merlin on TV. After that, I expect I'll be crashing as it's been a long, but fun, weekend. Thanks again, everyone! I really appreciate the birthday wishes!

Vegemite is an acquired taste. One of the biggest mistakes a newcomer makes is to spread it too thick. It's not like peanut butter or jam/jelly. Think of it more like hot English mustard -- the flavour is intense so you only use a very, very thin layer to give the flavour. Vegemite and cheese toasted sandwiches are one of my favourites

If it becomes overly heated, we may move it, but there is nothing wrong with having discussions like this in The Lounge Please don't think that The Soapbox is the only place for debates. If the subject is a hot-button issue (eg. politics, abortion, religion, Kylie Minogue) then it's appropriate for The Soapbox. If it's just an interesting topic that people probably won't get hot-under-the-collar about, then it's fine to stay here.

I heard about this on the radio when I was driving to work this morning. They played a short piece of this clip. And he's only in grade 6, from what they said.... There are also apparently clips on YouTube of him doing some original pieces, too.

They're not just hockey players. They're Olympic Gold Medalist hockey players You have obviously never been hit by a hockey ball.... At the speed these guys hit them, those things really hurt when they hit. And, unlike some wimpy people who play on ice , only the goalie gets to wear any significant sort of protection.

You've obviously never been hit by a hockey stick How about I send over a few members of the Australian hockey team to 'educate' you?

There are a number of good authors out there who have their stories set in non-North American countries. Apart from the UK though, which I would guess to be the second most popular location after North America, there's only a handful of authors for each region. I'd struggle to list more than maybe five authors who set stories in Australia or New Zealand, for example (taking my neck of the woods). I remember how excited I was when I first stumbled across a decent story that was set in Australia (this was while I was still coming to accept myself, and well before I started writing). I want that excitement to be available to people from other nations, too. That story, by the way, was After We Danced, by Mark Peters. As for India, we've had a couple of authors submit stories to the anthologies here that are set in that region, but that's about it. India has the largest English-speaking population of any nation in the world, but there's a distinct lack of quality stories set in that region. At least as far as I know There may be many, but only on specialised sites. Very true, and there's not a lot we can do about that, apart from encouraging authors from different nations to keep writing

No forgiveness required As there was an offense committed, but it was so long ago, it made sense to think that the statute of limitations would apply. Since the band is still getting royalties for that song today, it could be argued that there are new offenses being committed all the time, but the copyright laws are the major factor, not the statute of limitations. As for why did it take so long for it to be picked up, the answer is that it came to the general public's attention during a TV music game show here in Australia. The show, Spicks and Specks asked a question about the similarity between the flute riff and the old folk song. Even there, the contestants weren't sure. However, the court case started soon afterwards. Yes, it's not obvious when you listen to the Men at Work's song, but it becomes clearer when you look into it further. As an aside, that's a great show. They play for a large prize ($0) and as a consequence, they take the game as seriously as you would expect for that sort of prize money

This thread is now closed. Thank you everyone who has posted and offered Riley your advice and support. If you wish to continue offering advice and support, you are free to do so directly with Riley. Graeme Forum Moderation Team

No comment

One big area that is very light on is non-North American stories. There are a few, but not many, and even there they tend to be located in specific countries (eg. the UK). Readers like to read stories to which they have a cultural connection. I can read American stories, but I'm disconnected from the culture because I'm not American. This is one reason why the majority of my stories are set in Australia. Besides being a place I know reasonably well, I'm also appreciative of the readers from Australia who are looking for stories set in their world. But where are the stories set in the Philipines, in India, in New Zealand, in South Africa? These are all countries that have significant English speaking populations, but stories set in these places are few and far between. And that's just looking at a few English speaking countries. There are also a need for stories for people who live in Spain, Italy, France, Germany, Russia, China, Japan, Brazil, Costa Rica....

While I've known about hockey for a long time (Australia is, after all, a consistent contender for the Olympic gold medal in the sport), it was only recently that I learnt much about that variation known as Ice Hockey, which some people incorrectly call 'hockey'. My introduction was as part of an article that explained the Winter Olympic program. To quote from the article: If you don't understand, read the rest of the article, and it'll make perfect sense.

The song was written more than 70 years ago by a teacher, Marion Sinclair, for a Girl Guides competition. Mrs. Sinclair died in 1988 and Larrikan Music owns the copyright. One of the earlier decision in the case was to settle the copyright ownership, as it was disputed by the defendants. If I recall correctly, the copyright expiration clock starts from the death of the creator of the work. In Australia, that will be either fifty or seventy years after their death, depending on when they die, so the copyright is still valid until 2058. From section 33 of the copyright act: Of course, I'm not a lawyer, so I may have my interpretations wrong

There are different types of authors and different types of readers. Some people read/write as escapism, some people read/write as a release for something they have experienced, some people read/write for education, and some people read/write as a statement on the human condition. No one should expect any author to meet all of these (and many other) reasons. And no one should complain that a story wasn't in the category that they were expecting unless the story was advertised as being in that category (eg. a blood-and-gore horror story that was marketed as a romance). James tends to write about things he's experienced, or about the human condition. He's not a romance author (though I suspect he could write such if he ever felt inspired) and no one should expect that everything he writes has a happy ending. I tend to write romances, but that's not all I write. Not everything I write has a happy ending. While some have sad endings, some are just neutral -- because that's the way life is. As I keep telling my boys: we're all different. We shouldn't expect everyone to like or want the same things.

Sorry, everyone, but the court case on the subject finished in early February 2010 and the judge decided that they had incorporated two bars from Kookaburra Sits In The Old Gum Tree in the flute riff. "Two bars, is that all?" I hear you cry. Well, yes, but that entire song only has four bars, so that's 50% of the song. That's way more than fair use allows. Copyright laws look at how much of the work was copied, not the size of the work it was copied into, so this is a sizeable 'theft'. The judge, in his ruling, said that he took into account the fact that one of the band members had admitted to sing the phrases from 'Kookaburra' in some concerts, rather than the official lyrics, and that the person who did the flute riffs chose that music to add to the 'Australian' flavour. There's no reasonable doubt that the two bars were inserted deliberately. Yes, it doesn't really sound the same in the song, but when you look at the printed score, there's no doubt it's the same two bars. Last time I checked, the judgement had been made, but no penalty had been assigned. The judge was still deciding that. The music company that owns the copyright was asking for 60% of the royalties, but I hope they don't get that. The riff in question is only a very small part of the whole song, though admittedly a very memorable part. I'm hoping the judge limits it to something like 10-15% of royalties by looking at the percentage of the total song, and then applying a penalty factor for not acknowledging copyright when they originally took 50% of the 'Kookaburra' song. I've included a link to a news report above, but I remember tracking down the actual text of the judge's ruling. It's available on the Internet... somewhere If people are interested, I can try to track it down again.

Nephylim, I'm shocked!!! I know the UK has some weird things, as I lived there for 12 months many years ago, but I never knew they sold rotten tomatoes in tins.... :wacko: Riley, I haven't read your story (sorry -- way too many things to read and not enough time), but it sounds to me like the problem was not what happened, but how it felt out of context and didn't feel part of the story. Been there, done that! In my case, though, I had some people I trusted who would read the story before I posted it, and they told me that they didn't like what I had written and gave me reasons why -- not personal taste, but story reasons why what happened wasn't realistic. It meant a significant re-write on my behalf, but what I wrote was better as a consequence. You've got fans here, that's obvious. The ones who have said how they felt about that chapter are the ones you need to keep hold of and use. Ask one or two of them if they'd like to read early copies of your chapters in exchange for constructive and honest criticism. Use their feedback to improve your story so what's posted is that much stronger. Don't give up We all have our hurdles from time to time, and this is just one. That's how we learn

I don't think there are any studies on this subject outside of the US, though it's possible there may be some in Europe. However, all the studies I've seen (not that I've gone looking) have been USA based. LOL -- we don't really have tech school in Australia any more, either, though there's some talk about bringing them back. They served a purpose -- leading students towards apprenticeships if they didn't want to proceed to further education.

Certainly schools today are different to schools back in the 70s. However, I think it's more an American vs Australian school cultural difference. I don't know a lot about schools in the USA but I get the impression that they have a much higher focus in a student's life than they do in Australia. eg. The schools are a social hub in the USA, while they aren't in Australia. So the point I was trying to make may be more applicable in Australia than it is in the USA. That is, because Australia doesn't have a central social hub during the school years, the social interaction that does occur at the schools have a much higher importance than it does in the USA. Seriously, I think that is more an attribute of your school than single-gender schools. Some schools handle bullying well and some poorly. Your school sounds like they handle it well, so there is less bullying. The fact that your school is a single-gender school is probably only a minor factor in the equation. I do remember that there wasn't a lot of talk about girls at the school I went to, too, and that was the same with my best man. However, there are a lot of other topics that can be used to split people into groups of 'losers' vs 'winners' -- removing girls doesn't change that very much. My best man made the observation that BECAUSE there was less talk about girls at the school he went to, he learnt a lot less about them and how to interact with them. Thus, like me, he was socially stunted when it came to interacting with girls after he left school. If you like, he and I were in the beginners class on social interaction when we left school and went to university, while those who went to a co-ed school were doing graduate studies on that subject. Naturally, girls liked the guys who were graduates in social interaction much more than guys who were still learning the basics. After considering it, I had to agree with him. Academically, we were successful. Socially, we were high-school dropouts.