YaP

I think i am a good listener. As for others, it does depend a bit on location and subject, and my mood. If i realize i am not really paying attention, it does make me feel strange. If it is a group of people talking about something, and i realize i zone out (and it is because i am not really interested in the topic), then i usually step back a bit to indicate that i am not actually part of the discussion. If it is one person that is telling me something, especially in person (not over the phone or on chat), i do listen. If somebody calls me on the phone just to chat, and i am not really in the mood, or my mind is busy with other things, i usually say so (in a polite way). I don't like the feeling when somebody tells me something and i am not really paying attention. Which at the same time states that this does happen at times (otherwise I wouldn't know about the bad feeling ). I suppose it happens to all of us that sometimes you are just not in the proper mood to listen.

Welcome to GA Michael, i am sure you will like it here . Looking forward to read some of your work soon ! Pete

Well, not everybody is a health freak ... and especially rock bands / singers don't really seem to care too much. Sex, Drugs and Rock'n'Roll .... i have seen (and played with) quite some singers (or other band members) that have been drinking (or worse....) before, on stage, and after a gig. I think its rather realistic that "the boys" get out of control once in a while I think getting the power somewhere in the motor area was/is a good idea. I would probably have gone for the battery connectors directly, if they are accessible (but you might have to open the hood to get there). And it is definitely a good place to hide the device itself. If you want to be sure to have a good signal quality for the GPS, an external antenna placed somewhere where it is as less covered as possible, like behind/in the radiator grill... or somewhere at the bumper, would do a good job. The antennas are usually rather small, and easy to hide/hard to spot. Of course that would require a bit more planning... but you can get an antenna for a GPS easily (at least here you can get them in many shops...).

yes, i can confirm that :-)

I think its good enough ! Please don't change anything !! (sorry, i didnt mean to make you change anything ) Lets assume the hood is not metal, but plastic . Technically, the problem is that the satellite signal for GPS is rather weak, and does not pass through metal (or other solid matter) well. A motor block definitely blocks the signal - so if it is attached close the motor block it can only get a signal from satellites that are on the other side of the block. The modern GPS devices have better receivers, and better error correction in the software than older ones, so they can (less accurately) calculate the position even if they have a signal from only a few satellites.. so i think a good GPS (the boys have enough money to buy a good one) may have at least picked up a position once in a while

yes, there is something brewing I still think its a bit unrealistic that the GPS actually picked up a signal being attachted under the hood at the site of an engine... but well, its fiction And the way the scar got rid of the manager was cool... but fast unprepared actions like this usually get you in trouble...

lol, i think (too?) many musicians would disagree with that statement. Some actually like to have a drink on stage . The appearance of an Echinada was really nice. And Eric actually treated him rather well, although he forgot about the ants. Well, at least it didnt have to stay in that suitcase for too long. Joe traveling with the band trying to make money by signing memorabilia ... hmmm, i still have the feeling he might be playing an important role.... The bombs are ready...the tension is building up... but CJ will let it build even higher i am sure

Coffee for breakfast and after lunch, Espresso style, black, no sugar. Lots of herbal tea all day - plain, hot, no sugar or honey (so year, another weakling i suppose, but i can live with that )

Like some others stated before, it doesn't matter to me, as long as there is tolerance/acceptance of other opinions/believes. I can't stand it if someone tries to convince me that his/her believes are the only valid ones... that would be a sure "no go".

I saw "Kite Runner" yesterday, and i think its quite a good movie. I agree, books are usually better than movies, but IMHO its a well done movie worth seeing.

I usually avoid drawing attention to myself. So dressing up for attention isn't really my thing. If i can't avoid it (like being on stage with the band, or making a speech in front of an audience) i always have a bad case of jitters . But luckily it goes away after a while, and sometimes i actually enjoy it then

Sorry, i have to disagree. I know some professional musicians, and their income has been affected significantly since the mp3 boom (and the piracy) started. In the "pre-mp3" days, the income from selling records was the major source of income even for the "big" players (Beatles and Stones etc. made their fortune with selling records, not with concerts). That has changed due to the illegal copying/downloading. Thats why the "famous" musicians now try to make their money through concerts, charging a lot for the tickets (it was much more affortable to go to a concert 20 years ago...). Not-so-famous bands cannot charge that much, so they have a hard time making money with concerts at all (you have to pay for the hall and the equipment and travel expenses etc etc...). I think its just fair to pay for music (or any other work of someone else that i use). A dollar (or Euro) for a song isn't really that much IMHO. I voted "It's OK just to check if I like something before buying it", having in mind mainly computer programs. As i make my living with programming, i depend on being payed for my work. I think its ok to check something out before i decide to use it - if there is no time limited trial version available i do at times use a copy to check if i like it and it does what i expect. If i use software, i pay for it. As for music, its just a fair thing to do. Everybody deserves to be payed for his/her work. As for drm protection: i agree, its annoying you can't copy the files that you payed for as you want to your own mp3 players and computers. If i payed for it, i think i should be allowed to use it (myself) in any way i want to.

I totally agree .. i don't think anybody is really 100% straight or gay. Its not "black and white".. its a rainbow of colors

lol, i like the "goat" option but i chose "fluid/open minded", with a focus on "open minded". To me it seems he is open minded, ready to experience whatever seems like fun at that moment - which might be gay sex if thats something that comes up.... yea, maybe its a "weaker" form of bi (well, if "bi" is in the middle of the scale between 0% = straight, and 100% = gay .. i think he is below 50%, but does not have any hang ups about giving anything a try he's just a horny bastard )

I would. Well, given that there is a relationship (i dont have random sex with strangers). And as trust and honesty is a requirement for that (at least in my opinion), i would assume i know it up front. I definitely would like to know, if i get into a serious relationship with someone, but i would suppose thats a given (trust/honesty etc...). If I would be HIV+ I would definitely tell before I get intimate, and i would expect the same. If i want to share my life with somebody, thats important information for the other, as it does have an impact on our life together (and, of course, the sex has to be "safe"), so i think its just fair to let the other one know (or unfair not to do that).

I voted "no" on both. Although i think it doesn't hurt to have the blessing of parents and friends, its not something I - or the relationships I have - depend on. Thats something purely between my partner and me. Even if it is a long-term commitment, I don't see the need for the blessing of the parents. Of course it would be nice to have it, but it wouldn't be the end of the relationship if they don't give their blessing.

YW Have lots of fun with your new toy

Speakers are speakers ... not much changed there in the last 50 or so years The only problem could be if your sound card does not have an amplifier build in (which i doubt - but its a possibility). I suppose you have a surround card, if you have multiple outputs. on my PC, the color code is : gray = side speakers black = rear speakers brown = center bass green = front blue = line in red = mic in i have my speakers attached to the green (front) output, which works fine for me. If you use Vista, you may have to enable the output on the speakers. Maybe you can set your soundcard to "stereo output" (instead of surround) - as you have only 2 speakers attached... but that depends on the sound card.. the card may "detect" on which outputs the speakers are attached (mine does) to set the proper mode (stereo or surround sound..). Make sure to attach the speakers to the green outlet, maybe even before booting the PC. Pete

Lol, well, i think it has to do with the severity of the cliffhangers. Yes, others use cliffhangers too. Of course. Its part of what keeps us readers waiting desperately for the next chapter . For me CJ has mastered this art. He may not use more cliffhangers than others, but some of them are soooooo mean, that you just have to love em God s(h)ave the queen !

I agree that everybody should be held responsible for their actions, and nobody should get away with committing a crime. But for me there is a big difference between a 14yo and an adult. As mentioned by others here, kids mature very different. A 14yo may be quite mature, and aware of consequences of his actions - or (s)he may not be aware of those at all. German laws are quite different when it comes to treating minors. I don't know if it works better, but to me it seems to be a good/fair approach. Kids under 14 are not held liable for crimes they commit. The parents are. The kids may be put under foster care, or in a children's home, if the judges decides that the parents are not able to keep care of their children. Teenagers between 14 and 18 are always handled by juvenile court (never treated as an adult). There is always a social worker or psychologist consulted to determine the maturity of the culprit. If they are sentenced to jail, it's always a juvenile jail - where they concentrate more on education than punishment, trying to give the kids a chance to re-integrate and get some kind of school/qualification. Young adults between 18 and 21 may be handled by juvenile court or may be treated as adults, depending on their "maturity" - again a social worker or psychologist is consulted on that. This of course doesn't prevent juvenile crime (neither does treating kids as adults). If there would be a recipe to prevent (juvenile or adult) crimes, the world would be a much better place for sure. Sadly i don't know of any. It is a rather complex problem. It seems that the environment/parents play an important role. Lack of good role models is IMO another point - most politicians and celebrities aren't really good role models, are they ? And churches don't seem to be able to provide a value system that matches with the demands of todays societies - they disqualify themselves by ignoring the reality. I think working on that is one of the biggest challenges we face today. The rising numbers of shootings, the spreading violence in schools etc. is only an (one) effect, a reaction to the underlying problem. If we don't manage to provide a better environment for the kids (and all of us), the violence will not decrease, no matter how harsh the laws are.

LOL ! :-) As to the question.. I do like kids. I would like to have kids, but - at least to start with - I would like to share the responsibility with a significant other. Well, so far it didnt come up (neither the significant other, nor the kids). So i stick with the warm and fuzzy cat for the time being .

lol, yes... aren't they really cute together

Thats not curing the cause for the violence at all. Its just about revenge. Eye for eye. Never worked, never will work. I doubt very much it would prevent a single kid that goes ballistic from shooting. Just makes it an even bigger media event. I didn't say banning guns would solve the problem either. As you said, we had a very severe and sad case of school schooting here, although we have very tight laws about guns. The laws didn't work in this case. But i still think the harsh laws have prevented more shootings here.

Of course it is the person who pulls the trigger that does the killing, not the gun... As i said before, i don't think that the (compared to other countries) "easy" access to guns is the sole reason for the shootings. There is a reason why people cross the line and get violent like that. If they don't have access to guns, it wouldn't end in a shooting, but might still end in violence, like stabbing (although i think it takes far more to kill someone with a knife - its much more "personal" than pulling a trigger, you have to get in much closer contact to the victim...). Having tougher gun control laws like in Canada, or over here, at least seems to reduce the number of shootings, so IMHO it's not a bad idea. I personally don't see a reason why "normal" people need a gun anyway - i am happy to leave that privilege to the military and the police etc. But in order to stop the violence, we have to find out what makes people go ballistic in the first place, and work on that.

I think that weapons are so easily accessible in the US is one (but of course not the only) reason why this happens so often in the US. Its much harder to get hold of a gun here, and we have much less shootings here - not only in schools, but in general. I don't think the brutal "eye for eye" approach would help at all to prevent shootings. Answering violence with violence never helps. Quite contrary - a society that openly uses violence teaches that it is OK to use violence, and actually encourages brutality. There is a reason why some kids flip out and have such a low barrier to use violence. There have to be signs that a kid may go ballistic before it actually happens. If the social environment (parents, friends...) care enough to pick up those signs, i think there would be a good chance to stop it from happening.