Graeme

Welcome to the club It was the same in my generation and I'm sure it was the same in my parent's generation. There is a natural tendency to think the lessons of the previous generation don't apply to the current one. Sometimes that's true, but sometimes it isn't. The trick is knowing which is which... Very well said! You've raised a very good point. I know my way around a computer and the internet, but I'm an IT professional. Having said that, I know that there are people who know a lot more than me because I'm naturally conservative -- I don't learn something unless I'm really interested or have to learn it for work. There are websites out there that could probably make my life easier, but I'm not motivated to find them because I'm happy muddling my way through things, and I don't have a peer group to teach me. Skills don't equate to intelligence. While the "young people" above have, to my mind, adequately responded, I'll add one more thing. The members of GA (and other similar sites) are not a representative group of today's society. They are a subset that: 1. Have relatively free access to computers. This is not true for everyone. I have two nephews who have only very limited access at home (dial-up access only, which means they can only use it if no one wants to make a phone call). I wouldn't be surprised if there are students in Australia who they don't have ANY internet access at home. 2. Have searched for and found this site for some reason. Few members would have been referred here by their local peers -- most would find it by themselves, or from referral from similar sites or from online referrals. This indicates a desire or interest that lifts them from an apathy about other things (you try starting a discussion about the merits of the different breeds of horses for use in dressage, and see what sort of intelligent response you get ). The topics put forward are ones that people on this site are interested in, and hence have a comment to make. I have encountered some exceptional people on the internet. Some of them I would consider to be in or near the "genius" category. I think that the number I have encountered is more a consequence of the filtering effect on how I encountered them in the first place -- the "dumber" ones are not interested in the internet or in being interested in a site like GA.

I'm glad that your move went smoothly and uneventfully. For some reason, there's always been some stress involved whenever I've moved.... Good news on the job (both not getting fired for not showing up, and for the leads on new jobs -- I hope one of them works out). Thanks for the update!

Not necessarily -- it could be that Eric is romantically involved with a relation of the sheriff (eg. daughter). The other possibility is that he's related to Thaddeus somehow (since Thaddeus is the sheriff's brother-in-law). I'm subscribing to the theory that Eric is Thaddeus's illegitimate son. Indeed, I think that theory has just had a boost -- could the marriage counseling be because Steve's dad still hasn't really forgiven his wife for having an affair with Thaddeus all those years ago, and he's blaming Eric (not his natural offspring) for disrupting the family?

Sorry, but no dice. You've told us that before, so it doesn't qualify as a spoiler OR spilling the beans.

Good luck, Luc! Life is rarely simple and cause-and-effect is often misstated. Try changing to see if things improve, but don't forget to put some pressure on the others, too -- you've taken a step in compromise and they need to do their bits, too. Graeme

It was still there five years ago My company had their Christmas party there one year, and I happened to be in Sydney on that day, so I was invited along. A very interesting place....

Another good chapter. Lots of action and lots of useful information. We still don't know what's going on (for sure), but unless CJ is an absolute bastard (always a possibility) we should find out what's on the data stick in next chapter. However, because I'm sure CJ is a bastard (no offense intended towards his mother), Dex is going to run out of money and the pay phone he's using will cut out at just the wrong time.... Taking photos with an unfamiliar camera isn't always easy, so it's not surprising about the result. The cameras in phones are not the best photographic devices.... Thanks, CJ! Another chapter I enjoyed.

An interesting question, but a lot tougher to answer. While we all feel better if there is a purpose to what we do, I don't think we can ever "know" if we have a purpose, or what that purpose is. However, if we act as if there is a purpose, and preferably a noble purpose, then I think that suffices. If you like, we search for our own purpose, and it should be one that satisfies us -- even if few others consider it worthwhile or interesting. On that basis, I have several purposes (father, husband, writer) which can be bundled together into one statement: I'm going to show the world that I'm the best gay dad that I can be.

Trust another Australian to pick up on that. Yes, I thought it at the time I wrote it....

But if they pass bills, how will they eat? Flamingos need their bills to feed....

Labels serve a purpose by broadly categorising something. However, they can equally mislead because people then expect that all items with that label will have similar characteristics. People are too complex for that. I'll use myself as an example. I consider myself to be homosexual, even thought I'm in a monogamous (and happy) hetereosexual relationship. I refuse to call myself bisexual because that implies that I am attracted to women -- I'm not. I love my wife, but if I saw good looking strangers, it would be the males that I would be interested in, not the females. I say I'm gay because it give an 80-90% picture of my sexual orientation and is a lot simpler than to try to explain the reality. For those that need to know, I can go into more detail, but for most people giving myself the simple label "gay" suffices. The idea of not accepting a label of straight/bi/gay comes, I think, from a resistance to being put in a box. You love who you love, and you don't want to exclude a possible relationship because you've put a "wall" around yourself by implicitly telling people you are only interested in a subset of people. I have a good friend (the best man at our wedding, actually), who I recently came out to. In the conversation that followed, he said that several people have thought he's gay (he's in his 40s and not in any sort of relationship). He has in the past dated some girls, but he said he won't close the door to the possibility of a relationship with a guy. He doesn't expect it, but he's not going to say no if that turns out to be the person that he falls in love with. Labels are related to stereotypes and have the same danger. People see the label, recall the stereotype that is associated with that label, and think they know everything they need to know. Too many people don't realise that there is a broad range of characteristics within a label -- ANY label applied to humans -- and that they don't fully describe a person. eg. I'm an Australian. Australian's tend to be beer-drinking, sports-loving yobboes. I didn't start drinking beer until well into my 30s. I didn't start drinking alcohol at all until well into my 20s (comes from having a Methodist upbringing). I like sports, but I'm not mad-keen on sport, especially watching it. I'm just as likely to read a book as to watch a football game on TV. I've got a label that I'm proud of (Australian), but I don't fit the stereotype that goes with that label. The Gay/Bi/Straight label has the same problem. It's useful to provide an overall indication of behaviour in one particular area of human life, but it should be treated as just an indication, not a straitjacket.

Very nice. What I also liked was that the article was completely non-judgemental -- which is exactly the way it should be.

I will admit that I try to avoid having too many 14 year old characters in my stories. I try to make teenaged characters late 15+, as I find that easier to write about. As James has pointed out, there is a fair degree of variation in people so there is a lot of room for tolerance. If there are enough characters of a particular age, then there should also be a noticeable range in their maturity and general behaviour. When I started writing, my first novel involved a fourteen-year-old and a group of sixteen-year-olds. I still remember the comment from my editor -- Teenagers don't usually talk as if they had a PhD. My editor is a teenager and he made massive changes to my early writings to make the teenagers sound more realistic. I have (hopefully) learnt from that experience and my characters sound close to the correct age. I will admit that without that experience, my teenage characters probably wouldn't sound too realistic. So, to answer the original question, I have a group of teenagers read my stories before they get posted. They are not backward about telling me if there is something that doesn't ring true... and I really appreciate the effort they make to give me honest feedback.

Chicken Curry (from the Hip and Thigh Diet Book) (Serves 2) 2 chicken joints with all fat and skin removed 15 oz (425g) tin tomatoes bay leaf 1 eating apple, cored and chopped small 2 teaspoons oil-free sweet pickle or Branston 1 teaspoon tomato puree 1 medium onion, finely chopped 1 tablespoon curry powder Place all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Put a lid on the saucepan and cook slowly for about one hour, stirring occasionally and making sure the chicken joints are turned every 15 minutes or so. If the mixture is too thin, remove the lid and cook on a slightly higher heat until the sauce reduces and thickens. Serve on a bed of boiled brown rice. It's a very forgiving recipe. We tended to use tomato paste instead of puree, and slightly larger tins of tomatoes. We often made double quantity because it tasted even better the next day.

Frank! Long time, no see Welcome to GA. I'm too lazy to Google the answer -- can you edit your post to add a title and artist?

Was it ever found? To the best of my knowledge, this thread has always been about 25% on some silly story, and 75% of general chatting and playful banter. We just need to get that first percentage down a few more points and I'm sure everyone will be happy.

Last night was frozen pizza cooked in the oven -- it had been a long day. Normally, I'd do pasta with a meat sauce and freshly baked bread rolls, but it starts to get frustrating when only half the family eats what you cook... We've got a really nice Chicken Curry recipe from a low-fat cookbook, but I can't send it to you until I get home. Let me know if you want it. It tastes even better the next day.

But, CJ, I'm sure that flash photo was just part of Chris's clever plan to stop them from cutting up Steve's Charger! Look at how well it turned out -- sheer brilliance, if you ask me. Chris definitely has potential in undercover work -- knowing just when to break cover to save the day is a critical part and he appears to have mastered that....

LOL -- for those that don't understand the reference, Jan is referring to a round-robin mystery that was completed last year. I think Chris and Steve are more than adequate for this job. Chris, in particular, shows talent in undercover and covert operations.....

It was a small business trying to grow to being a medium-sized business. This meant that they had the workload of a medium-sized business, but not the income, and hence not the personnel. The personnel they DID have (eg. my wife and I) were overworked and stressing out constantly. We both worked in the support department at that time -- the highest stressed area. Effectively, all we did all week was receive complaints from customers. We rarely got to hear of happy customers, because they didn't contact us (they were happy, after all). I got to the point of giving them an ultimatium -- find me something else to do, or I'd leave. They sent me to the UK for 12 months to help out the office there, and my wife went with me. There were a lot of complications with that, but overall it got us out of that rut and allowed us to move on.

I'm neither pro- nor anti-Eric. I simply would like him to receive just desserts (desserts are something to be prized, so I'm sure he'll love to receive them). As for who decides what is just... I'm happy for that to be Chris, Steve, Mr. Williams or Betty. I'd do it myself, but I'm a little busy at the moment.

I confess that I used to drive to work, hoping to have an accident along the way so I wouldn't have to go. The scary part is that my wife was doing exactly the same -- wishing for an accident (we worked at the same company -- that's where we met). I'm happy to say that both of us have moved to other jobs since that time.

The article stated that the grandparents were her guardians. I was asking the question why. It is possible (though, I'll concede, unlikely) that her parents split up because the husband came out of the closet, and that for some reason the grandparents ended up as the guardians. In this case, Brokeback Mountain could very well be traumatic to the girl in question. The point I was trying to make was that just because most people would not be traumatised, that doesn't mean that no one would be. It is possible that there was a legitimate injury here -- though the grandparents seem to have gone for an obscenely large amount of money as recompense.

The Logical Song by SuperTramp When I was young, it seemed that life was so wonderful, A miracle, oh it was beautiful, magical. And all the birds in the trees, well theyd be singing so happily, Joyfully, playfully watching me. But then they send me away to teach me how to be sensible, Logical, responsible, practical. And they showed me a world where I could be so dependable, Clinical, intellectual, cynical. There are times when all the worlds asleep, The questions run too deep For such a simple man. Wont you please, please tell me what weve learned I know it sounds absurd But please tell me who I am. Now watch what you say or theyll be calling you a radical, Liberal, fanatical, criminal. Wont you sign up your name, wed like to feel youre Acceptable, respecable, presentable, a vegtable! At night, when all the worlds asleep, The questions run so deep For such a simple man. Wont you please, please tell me what weve learned I know it sounds absurd But please tell me who I am. This came on the radio yesterday and my eight-year-old son asked me to turn the radio up so he could listen

100% agree with everything above. If you try to codify rules, there will always be an injustice. Some people who drink and drive deserve all the scorn and ridicule they can get. Others deserve compassion and understanding -- it doesn't fix things if something has gone wrong, but life is rarely black-and-white. For the record, a good friend of mine lost their license once because they were over the legal limit. It wasn't malicious, they weren't rolling drunk -- they had just had a little too much alcohol for their body mass and didn't realise it.