Bill W

Happy Birthday, Wings!

Welcome to the GA family, Benedicte. You should find plenty to ready here. Enjoy!

Zombie, you obviously misinterpreted what I said. I wasn't saying this phenomena had anything to do WITH the survivalists. What I was saying was that at least the survivalists were teaching their kids where the food actually came from and were doing their families a service. Unfortunately, not enough children understand this fact. Therefore, they misunderstand many of the issues today and think ob cattle, chickens, turkeys and other food sources more as pets and expected them treated as such. They are also upset if they see a slaughtered animal. I mentioned in another forum some time ago that a housing development was built across from an old farm near where I grew up. Shortly after the first groups of people moved in, they started complaining about the farmer on the other side of the road, because he hung slaughtered cows and pigs from his barn to drain the blood. They were offended and didn't want their children to see this. What we thought of as a normal part of life whe we were growing up, they were offended by, yet they weren't vegetarians either. Besides, what did they expect when buy a house in a rural subdivision across from a farm? If some tragedy did strike, they would have no idea how to survive, because they don't know the basics generations of children had been familiar with.

Happy Birthday, Mattie! I hope it's a good one.

When I was a kid, everyone around us raised animals for food. As kids, we were warned against naming the animals, because we'd become to attached to them and then would have trouble dealing with it when it came time to slaughter. It was, however, a part of life and part of growing up. Kids now are often too sheltered from the harsh realities of life. I'm not a fan of the survivalists that are constantly preparing for the end of the world, but in a way they are doing their families a service. They are teaching them what it will be like if a major disaster strikes and the world suddenly is cast back into a more primitive existence. If that happens, how will some of these complainers and naysayers survive? Then again, it will be their problem, won't it?

Now I know what my editor was trying to tell me.

Maybe dosages should be based on a combination of factors, such as gender, age and weight. I'm sure each has some impact on the drugs effectiveness, yet me are always instructed to take so many of the OTC pills, without these other issues being pointed out. The only exception is for children under the age of x. Go figure.

We had a party line too and a nosy neighbor that used to listen in on everyone's calls. You had to learn the difference in the ring tones to know if the call was for your house. There was one short for one family or one long for another. Then someone else had one long and one short ring, while another family had either two short rings or to long rings. You just couldn't pick up when the phone rang. Our rotary phone was even an older style than the ones used in the clip and I remember when the touch-tone phones made them obsolete. When I was young, telephone numbers were just five digits. Then before I was a teen, they added a two-letter prefix. ST stood for Stillwell, PI was for Pioneer and RA was for Raymond, so if you told someone your phone number, you would say, "Call me at Pioneer 8-7432." It was fun to watch the kids reactions.

Gene, I'm glad you liked the way it ended and that it relieved your concerns.

Gene, I'm sorry you suffered a similar situation and hope this doesn't cause too many bad memories to surface.

Ok, I hope you hang in there.

Graeme, give him some latitude to sate his curiosity. If not, he may start going behind your back and doing things in real life, that can be much more harmful. I had two boys go through that and mostly it's just curiosity. It comes with the age.

Congratulations, Sharon. That's quite an accomplishment.

Maybe if they face financial retribution for their actions, bigots might think twice before committing such mean-spirited acts.

Unfortunately, the recent trend is not only toward the board shorts, but there has also been a move away from more revealing shorts in sports. Look at what the college and pro athletes wear in basketball, soccer or lacrosse, even when compared to what they wore in the 80s. I certainly hope the trend goes back the other way soon. I definitely prefer seeing fit guys in a Speedo or short-shorts.

It makes you wonder if she isn't someone who has had manuscripts turned down and she has transferred her disappointment to Rowlings. If not, what difference would it make who writes the books. If they're good they'll sell. If not, they won't. Think of all the authors that published more books than Rowlings. Should we have stopped them from being so prolific? This is just another of those comments you have to take with a grain of salt.

Another who will be missed and who died too young.

Congratulations, Mark!

Nancy has definitely held up better over the years. Even though the rivalry led to a ratings boom at first, the conflict between the pair certainly left a blemish on the skating world. How could such a graceful sport be marred by such treachery and violence?

Happy Birthday, Will. I hope it's a great one.

Thanks, Suvitar. I'm glad you enjoyed the way it turned out. Thank you for the feedback.

This is an inherent problem with subjective sports. Is isn't like hockey, basketball or softball, where there teams score or events like track, downhill skiing or the marathon where the event is timed. As long as the basis is subjective, there will always be room for scandals.

Yes, Leo has always had his doubts, so he expected some of this. It probably doesn't make it any easier, but you'll see how it turns out.

Yes, Colt had a rough start and is very insecure because of it. He's starting to loosen up and make new friends, so what do you think might happen next?

Suvitar, yes you should read on. The answers may become clear later. I don't want to give anything away.