Former Member

I would think the boys would want to check in on how she’s coping with her loss…

Those who deal with the less well off often do not truly understand the people they wish to serve. Different backgrounds, different experiences, and cultural differences all contribute to misunderstandings. This is exasperated in non-governmental agencies by the demands of the funding sources – often governmental, family foundations, or religious organizations. Government agencies are very susceptible to legislative extremist who tinker with regulatory guidelines and use funding cuts as punishment of those agencies and their clients. Those who seek services often face conflicting demands, competing agencies that don’t cooperate with each other, and an overall lack of coordination. This leads to both incomplete and duplicate services. Funding usually targets specific goals of the funding source that don’t necessarily match community needs, sometimes ignoring basic problems in favor of more trendy and fashionable goals. My county has a county-organized database where client information is entered once and available to all participating groups, reducing the times that a client has to repeatedly provide identical information to numerous agencies. This improves accuracy, reduces wasted time, and assists in identifying additional services that might be beneficial to the client – even if the service is provided by a different agency. San Francisco is just now setting up a similar system. California applicants for CalFresh (aka SNAP or ‘food stamps’) and GA (General Assistance) are required to submit to fingerprinting and having their mugshot taken as if they were criminals. This sends the message to the applicant that the government believes you are guilty of a crime or are more likely to commit criminal acts. Those on the opposite end of the economic spectrum who apply for government assistance are not treated in a similar manner. The assumptions are very clear to anyone applying for CalFresh or GA. While much maligned, the homeless study funded by Mark Benioff will not only find out what the needs are, but also the best practices for meeting the needs of even the most difficult cases. The study will also compile the existing data from around the world, translate academic jargon, and make it available to others so they can build on what is learned. In many cases, no one has actually surveyed the actual needs before programs are designed.

I guess I’ve been around more than a few Gay men who had ‘fluttery’ hands. And some of the numerous cultures I am surrounded by are more expressive physically. Not all cultures are as repressed as the British, Japanese, and Scandinavians. ;–P

Even her hands being constantly in motion distracted Eric! ;–)

But at least you have the option of reading the next chapter immediately! Some of us had to wait until @MacGreg posted it. Cliffhangers are much less annoying when there’s no delay in your gratification. ;–)

Claire had to be an over-eager person to get a non-profit like Helping Hands off the ground. Others may have had similar ideas in the past, but only a pushy person could get it going. You have to have an aggressive personality if you want to find funding, recruit volunteers, and otherwise interest people in your work. A shy and retiring person either needs to become so passionate about their work that they overcome their natural tendencies, have deep pockets themselves, or have access to deep pockets through generous friends or relatives. But I think Claire overwhelmed Eric. ;–)

Someone has probably done it already (I avoid both genres), but I suddenly thought: Zombie Werewolves! On a full moon, they go hunting for brains! ;–)

Brad Pitt is a Zombie? Talk about a spoiler! No wonder he has trouble sticking to just one woman! ;–)

I wouldn’t worry about Kunal Nayyar too much. In 2015, he was tied for third on the world’s highest paid TV actors, tied with Simon Helberg, Mark Harmon, and Ashton Kutcher with US$20 million. In 2018, he was still third, but his income had risen to US$23.5 million. ;–) He was born in London in 1981, but raised in New Delhi. He married 2006 Miss India winner, Neha Kapur in 2011 and they live in Los Angeles. He guested on NCIS before he won the role on Big Bang. ;–)

You’re not turned on by conniving and scheming? ;–)

You spoil Game of Thrones for me, I ruin the ending of The Big Bang Theory for you! ;–) A boss at a long closed computer store was very excited to have met a woman who was kicked off the very first season of Survivor (possibly the first one to be eliminated). I am proud to say I have never seen any episodes of the show. Unfortunately, I saw much too much of Richard Hatch in Another Gay Movie.

My response to your new chapter was delayed by the series finale of The Big Bang Theory, the season finale of Young Sheldon, and the special about the ending of Big Bang. As far as series finales, Big Bang was relatively satisfying, but no contest compared with The Mary Tyler Moore Show or Bob Newhart. The stereotypically awkward Asian guy ended the show alone with even Sheldon and Stuart in relationships. So Kaleb & Davis are struggling with the babies. Jared & Mason finally got married and now Kasey wants a baby brother! Maybe you can help get @Wesley8890 a husband, a baby or six, and a large trust fund to pay for it all! The Waters family can’t absorb many more children in this generation. Some of the rest of us are not meant to have kids… ;–)

I’m sorry to hear about your mother. My mom (the oldest of five sisters) had memory issues that were finally diagnosed as a brain tumor. It seems to have been a trend because my Lesbian(?) Aunt (the second sister) and their black sheep middle sister also had severe memory problems at the end of their lives. None of them were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. My two remaining maternal Aunts seem to be okay. I think that the flip-side of our longer lives is that other problems have become apparent that would not have been noticed when people died in their sixties or younger.

Richie faces a very rough transition from being a 15-year-old ‘adult’ who took care of his dying mother as well as his younger brother and sister, to having his long-absent father move his new family into Richie’s life and home. Richie’s father immediately tries to assert his authority over a son who had become used to making his own decisions. To add insult to injury, they move his father’s stepson into his room while he’s in school! Richie’s life is falling apart all around him. Ronyx takes us on a journey along with Richie that’s more painful than his other stories. Richie definitely learns about himself and others as he progresses in his life. We see Richie's emotional growth and maturity. He is not the same person he was by the end of the story.

It still seemed like Richard bought Richie’s increased tolerance with the silver Civic. I think I would have appreciated a few more signs of Richard showing he was aware of Richie and Freddy’s relationship and his acceptance of it. I feel like he was still clueless about one of Richie’s biggest fears. If spending money was his only way of showing he cares, maybe he should have surprised the boys with a queen- or king-sized bed when Richie moved back in. ;–) Could you explain your thinking behind Richard’s motivations and actions, please? Who accompanied Melinda in the amusement park, Linda? I’m surprised Melinda didn’t insist on having a friend join her too. But I guess she’s used to being outnumbered by all the boys! ;–)

Gabe’s big mistake was not spending those two hours he dreaded at the amusement park with Earl! ;–)

I thought that all realty TV shows intentionally kept an irritant contestant on the show as long as they can to help amp up the chaos, tension and drama. If everyone gets along, there isn’t as much drama or frustration. And drama is one of the key methods producers use to get and keep your attention. Even (especially?) if the producers have to create the drama themselves. Puck was included on Real World: San Francisco (Season 4) to antagonize other cast mates like Pedro Zamora, Judd Warnick, and the now-Dr Pam Ling. Jimmy Kimmel has regularly joked about how certain crazy or entertaining bachelors/bachelorettes get roses due to the wishes of the producers on The Bachelor/Bachelorette. UCB’s William Hung was included on American Idol precisely because of his lack of musical talent.

When I was reading about David’s fashion choices for the second concert, I was thinking they resembled the design that Charlie had created. But I don’t pay too much attention to formal clothes. I’m a jeans-and-tee-shirts kind of guy, a product of my Seventies California upbringing. ;–) I guess David really wants to have an instantly recognizable cover with the Overalls look. I can imagine what a contrast it would be compared with the usual formal wear, nature shot, or stylized drawing on most classical music album covers – I’m imagining the giant posters that Tower Records artists used to create from album artwork and their feature endcaps that focused on specific genres like Classical Music. (I really miss Tower Records!) ;–)

Teaching the guerrilla force sign language would mean that they’d have a way to silently communicate complex messages with each other. Definitely an advantage over the usually very basic hand motions used by soldiers and paramilitary groups like the police. Besides, who would suspect kids of being a significant part of the enemy’s defense?

Then maybe the GSA can add a new redheaded transfer student… ;–)

Is this war being inspired by an evil Child of Lilith? It seems like there’s a single force behind the attacks. The earliest skirmishes seem to have been just tests of the strengths and weaknesses of their enemies.

Oh no! Cell tower is down and the guys never heard the radio report of a pack of unusually large wolves in the area! ;–)

When I read that in the story, I figured it was something like a French Drain. And after looking at pictures and the Wikipedia page, I don’t think I was far off. I did wonder about earthquakes and the Wikipedia page does mention its unsuitability in earthquake prone regions. I like the idea of green roofs, too, when the space is not used for solar panels. Growing sod or other greenery on the roof provides insulation as well as reducing runoff caused by other forms of roof coverings. This basic concept was used when farming replaced previous uses on the US Great Plains.

I don’t think I hate Silverwolf (or were stories in general), but my solution is to just ignore when you post new chapters of the story. It seems very simple to me. I do not insist that everyone share my taste in free reading material (or anything else). ;–)

This story is not @Wayne Gray’s primary focus. That would be his werewolf story. This one is posted more erratically and less frequently.