JamesSavik

Canadians are cool. We need more of them.

Pay Pal, cashier check or a simple briefcase full of cash would get my attention. But seriously folks- there are any number of writers who could do this project. The trick is finding one [or several] who will. Screenwriting is a quite different from the traditional forms that most writers here are familiar with. It is a brutal area to work in because you are writing for a team: producers, directors, studio peeps, actors, actresses- all of which WILL want to have some input into the process. Writing is usually a solitary task and many writers have great difficulty adjusting to what is, by necessity, essentially a collaboration. Many writers of novels and short stories who see their work (mal)adapted to the big screen or television are horrified at the results. Last year I was part of a collaboration called Collision which was a novel written in round-robin fashion. IMHO it worked fairly well because I did my home work and talked to other authors that had participated in past round-robins and learned from their mistakes. I wrote a document called the Gameplan and the first chapter of the story (which was a mystery BTW). the Gameplan established the setting, major characters and their relationships. It profiled the main characters, what they drive, hobbies, what they listen to, background, etc. The setting was very generic: a mid-sized US city named Springfield (yeah we stole it from the Simpson's ). The first chapter kicked off the story, set the tone and set up hooks for the other authors to follow. For any collaboration to work, guidelines are necessary to maintain order. No one author KNEW exactly what the answer to the mystery was. We figured it out one chapter at a time and it worked very well. [Collision is hosted at Awesomedude, CrvBoy and Deweywriter]. I would suggest a fresh approach to the series. BREAK THE SHIT COM MOLD! Destroy it. Set it on fire. Discard the ashes. The genre is a frequently beaten dead horse and everybody is sick of it. Slop-operas are pretty tired too. Many people avoid them because they are tightly woven and if you miss an episode, you are lost. Rather than a shit-com or slop-opera format, I would suggest a PLAY HOUSE format. The most well known play-house type series are the Twilight Zone or the Outer Limits. The "play house" is an hour/half-hour show which is essentially a number of loosely related short stories. I have never seen it applied to a drama but I think it would work quite well. Create a set of guidelines that define characters, setting, maybe define plot elements that are static or dynamic over time. Basically set the canvas and invite authors to submit short-stories written within those guidelines. The results will be quite different from anything that is out there now and that's exactly what you want: something that sets this apart from the competition and is not the same old formulaic shit that the studios and networks excrete. If you look at what has been successful in recent years, it is the shows that are innovative, well written and dramatic. 24, Lost, Jericho: they are all serial dramas with strong characters, solid writing, and keep the audience spellbound. Good luck and if you decide to go this way, I would be happy to contribute an episode or two. I'll even fore go the briefcase full of cash.I just wouldn't want to try to write the whole thing.

>>From my (very) little knowledge of US laws, discrimination based on sexual orientation is illegal in many of the above situations. Having laws enforced is yet another problem. This sort of illustrates the red state-blue state divide in the US. Some states DO have anti-discrimination laws and they are, quite predictably, blue states. Red states are where the problem lies in more ways than one.

Gay marriage is a red herring and frankly I'm sick of it. It will never happen in the US but gay political groups pin all of their hopes on it. All gay people would be better served if we went after basic human rights like equal opportunity employment, fair housing and other anti-discrimination protections: bread & butter economic and civil rights that gay people DO NOT have in the majority of the country. If we persue these rights and protections as clear cut civil rights issues, we'll win. If we persue gay marriage, a misunderstood and contentious issue that puts us in direct conflict with powerful religious lobbies, we'll lose every time. It's a simple matter of numbers and they've got more.

No need to apologize Myr. I've been on GA for a couple of years now and you run a great site. In the wilds of the Internet, all sorts of things can go wrong: bad updates, bugs, hackers, malware, bad network connections... Truthfully- it's amazing that anything works. I've run UNIX boxes since the mid eighties: HP/UX, SVR4, Sun, Ultrix, Linux and so on. It's all good stuff. The SysAdmin's big gun is always kill -9 pid It wacks those wild processes like Sicilian him man.

Amazing! NJ is Sweet 16! (Not really, NJ is always sweet )

V1280 Scorpii = Nova Scorpii 2007 (February 7, 2007) Source: American Association of Variable Star Observers IAUC 8803 announces a new nova in Scorpius, independently discovered by Y. Nakamura and Y. Sakurai. The position is 16:57:40.91 -32:20:36.4 J2000 and the unfiltered magnitude is about 8.3 (T. Krajci, 2007-02-06). Spectra indicate blue color, no emission blueward of 540nm, but Halpha emission with P-Cyg profile. Report observations to the AAVSO as: 9999+99 V1280 Sco. Please be sure to indicate what you used for comparison stars. Thank you for your astronomical efforts and contributions! This special notice was compiled by: Arne A. Henden _________________________________________________________________ No- this isn't a super-nova. They are bigger and more dramatic. This is an outburst of a recurrent nova- a white dwarf that has an extremely unstable outer layer. Here is a good explanation of how they tick: Nova at Wiki This Nova is special because it is the brightest one in several years and is fairly easy to see. If you go outside to look for it, it is the "new" star inside the curl in Scorpio's tail.

>>Chinese guys are soo cute LOL- well there is that. Vietnamese and Thai guys aren't bad either.

Happy birthday Nono! Best wishes for a wonderful year!

In my experience the best room mates are cats. You never expect a cat to pay bills or even rent. Cats don't do drugs, throw wild parties, listen to rap music or hip-hop or get the cops called. Nor will they run up the phone bill, borrow your stuff without notice, wear your clothes, scratch your CDs, lounge around the place in boxers, download spyware and virus infested porn, bring home an underage date, change the thermostat, or move out the day before rent is due. While cats can be annoying, they are much easier to cope with than people.

I agree with Colin. NEC makes a very good monitor. A few years ago they merged with Mitsubishi and are the heir apparent to "Diamondscan". For a very long time I installed Mitsubishi monitors for my customers who bought new PCs. Of the several hundred that I installed, I replaced only 1 which was the best record of any manufactuer. If you go NEC, be picky about the model you get. Look at some sites that rate hardware like PC magazine or Tom's Hardware and make good and sure that youb are getting exactly what you want. I bought an HP flatscreen at a steep discount when I bought my PC. It is sturdy and steady and I have no complaints.

I think that he does needs a cure- for being a 2-faced sack of >Censored<

Setting Goals is important for getting things done. I encourage young people to do exactly what you are doing. There are a few things that you should keep in mind: Keep your goal realistic- if you are 100 pounds, you are unlikely to become a dominate linebacker in the time allowed. Don't overbook your goals- learning calculus, physics and C programming is a bit much for 3 months but you might do it in 6. Have a plan to succeed- this is the difference between goals from wishes This goal is your own- it is for you and no one else. Don't let anyone discourage you or tell you that you can't or that its not worth it. Success/failure is by your own yardstick- it is about the journey, not the destination Make it a priorty- goals slip away when day to day crap crowds them out I wish you luck and stand ready to buy a copy- and hope you'll sign it. JS

Luc- My condolences for the loss of Pretty Baby. They really do become family and I know how much it hurts to lose even one. Cats can have a number of congential and other sorts of problems that can lead to sudden death. [usually involving the heart, kidneys, liver or vascular system] From the limited amount of information that I gathered from your blog, this sounds like it is probably the case. For some reason cats with Tortiseshell coats are prone to strokes which is how I lost Sissy a few years ago. They go to sleep and just don't wake up which is an easy way to go but a foul surprise to their people. Most of the other things that could have gone wrong have symptoms that would have been hard to miss so I seriously doubt that you have a pending "cat plague". James

Jack Bauer Interrogates the Moonites __________________________________________________________________ What? You guys don't watch the news? Sigh. OK- here's the set up which makes the video hysterically funny. These are Mooninites- obnoxious 2-dimensional creatures from the moon. They are recurring characters from Aqua Teen Hunger Force: a cartoon that appears in the wee hours of the morning on the Cartoon Network and enjoys a cult-like following among slackers and potheads. Aqua Teen Hunger force has a stunning array of idioticvillians who are only slightly dumber than the heroes of the show: Frylock (a large order of McDonald's fries), Master Shake (a milkshake) and Meat-wad (a lump of hamburger meat with a suitable IQ). To promote the show, a New York ad agency, using Guerrilla marketing put a number of displays in major cites all over the country that look like this: Boston authorities pushed the panic button and thought that it must be a bomb. It has electronics, led lights, batteries and a message that we don't understand. It must be a bomb. Right? CNN: Two held after ad campaign triggers Boston bomb scare (P)MSNBC: Cartoon promo causes panic in BostonMarketing ploy for

Razor- One never knows what the different seasons of life may bring. We really don't know who we will be 10, 20 or 30 years down the road. Many gay people have proven to be excellent parents- when they are ready and up to the task. What we go through as kids often gives us an understanding and/or empathy that str8 parents just don't come with. Never say never. Never is long, long time. James

At least you are still young enough that birthdays are a cause for celebration rather than commiseration. Have a great year!

It's erm, magic....

No payment necessary... unless you feel motivated to write a sequel: New Brother.. the College Years.

Graeme is an asset to any forum and his writing is top shelf. I've been a fan since I stumbled upon New Brother. New Brother in addition to Falls Creek Lessons and Heart of the Tree are some of the best writing that the web has to offer. Graeme's novels are powerful, written with great skill and a gentle, good-natured innocence that is as unexpected as it is welcome. His short stories are pure gold too. If you haven't read any of his stories, then what's keeping you!? Off you go! Just remember to pack a lunch because you won't want to stop until you are done.

Oprah Alert!

Super-Bowl Chili If you come to one of my super bowl parties, you will find plenty of chili, hot dogs, nachos and whatever the other guests might bring. The chili is critical. The nachos and hot dogs depend on it! This is my best chili recipe: Start with: Bear Creek Darn Good Chili 1 med. red onion. 1 can light kidney beans 1 can dark kidney beans 1 can Rotel (plain or chili fixings is OK) 1 8 oz can of Hunts tomato Sauce (Hunts tomato sauce for chili is OK too) 1 can tomato paste 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef 1 tsp red pepper 1 tsp black pepper 1 tblsp salt Instructions Cut into fine pieces red onion Set up crock pot Put 6 cups water in crock pot. Set crock pot to slow simmer. Open package of Bear Creek Darn Good Chili mix, put in crock pot Put beans, spices and tomato sauce into crock pot Take a sauce pan, put in 1.5 pounds lean ground beef + onion Brown meat and onions, drain any fat. Add to crock pot. Cook in crock pot over night on lowest setting. Serves a small crowd. Goes particulary well on hot dogs and nachos. Serve with crackers and cheese. Suicide Dogs all the way: regular hot dog + chili + cheese + saurkraut + spicy brown mustard + chopped onions + jalepinos

Like gumbo, red beans & rice is an improvised dish traditionally made on Mondays with red beans, vegetables, spices, and pork bones left over from Sunday dinner. Like gumbo there are as many variations on red beans & rice as there are cooks. Here are a few things to look out for: RB&R is often sold in a box at grocery stores: just add water simmer and... I say BAH! Real RB&R- the beans & sauce and rice are cooked seperately and not mixed until served. Red beans or kidney beans can be found canned or dried. If dried, they must soak overnigh before you used them. I've looked around the net for some suitable recipes. Here are a few that look promising. Bayou Beans & Rice [more to come, gotta run]

Spicy Cajun gumbo is just the thing for cold winter days. Gumbo is a soup or stew that is served all along the Gulf and as far up the Atlantic coast as Charleston, SC. There are hundreds of recipes for gumbo: some that take all day to cook, others an hour and a half. Some are based on shrimp and crab meat. Others chicken and sausage. The big reason for this is that gumbo was created by poor Cajuns who had to cook with what they had. Gumbo in its traditional form is almost always an improvisation with its variations based on whatever the cook has lying about the kitchen. So giving you a recipe for gumbo is like sheet music for jazz: it just ain't cool that way. Here is a good beginners recipe for Gumbo. It is fairly authentic- note that for meat, it calls for: chicken breast, duck, wild game or sausage or shrimp. The meats can all be used in combination, one with the other or individually So you can see that gumbo is made from whatever you've got in the kitchen. One of Gumbos more devine aspects is how it good smells when it is cooking. Make a big pot and neighbors and relatives you haven't seen for years will suddenly appear. Here is another recipe for gumbo that only takes a 1 1/2 hours to prepare. This one is one of my favorites and only takes an hour and fifteen minutes. This recipe is loaded with seafood and is ready in an hour and 10 minutes. Note: For those of you that can't get some of the more authentic ingredients, for andouie substitute spicy beef or pork sausage. Red onions are the soul of Cajun- when in doubt use a red onion. Cayenne pepper is widely available but it is often packaged and sold as "red pepper". Check the label. Tabasco is authentic Cajun made hot sauce available nationally. Louisiana or Crystal hot sauces are somewhat local to the south and have a more understated flavor. Even if you are not a big fan of okra, use it anyway. The seeds add a special flavor to the gumbo. You can always cut back on how much you use. Let me know if you want to hear about Red Beans & Rice.