Chris James

Dude...perhaps as you view My So Called Life you will absorb the greatness which might have been. 19 episodes was not enough time to evolve the characters no matter how rich they seemed to be. No matter the hotness of Jared Leto's character, or the empathy I felt for some of the others, it was an ensemble cast that had such wonderful chemistry I could barely believe it was network television. Over the years following cancellation we learned that it wasn't just ABC becoming concerned about the gay story involved but that Claire Danes wanted out to pursue an acting career in films, which she promptly did. My So Called Life was a one season wonder that seemed to change the face of the viewing audiences...a positive event. I will have to go back and view these shows when I have the time and once again wonder at the character of Brian (Devon Gummersol) who seemed so geeky and felt like such a closet case. Given time and further episodes there may have been answers to my questions, but not now.

What an adorable collection of characters this story presents. Well done, Pedro. There is nothing complex in the plot of this story but it delights the reader with its simplicity. I always enjoy a story based upon a single element and in this case my mind paints the image of a small rustic bridge where much of the action takes place. Pedro gives us small village life peopled with interesting characters, some of them animals. I enjoyed all that local color revealed through the language in the dialogue, but as for the action sequences I think the cows stole the scene. Now I have said enough and everyone should go read this story...and here is a convenient link: http://www.awesomedude.com/pedro/saulius/saulius.htm

Does this mean you'll be running for President, Luggie? I mean there is a whole gaggle of honkers in the race now...you should go for it.

I remember commenting favorably when this story first posted, but the good ones always deserve a second read. Perhaps GW is responsible for the smattering of animal stories we had at the time, but this one is priceless. If only our human friends acted so well.

A well made video with exactly the right POV. And before I forget, Luggie should know that some of the most famous people on this planet were left-handed...go Google the list. But sorry, Luggie, I didn't see your name there but you know how incomplete these internet things are, give it time.

15 suicides in the past 12 years? There is something terribly wrong at this school...it needs to be closed and the students sent elsewhere. Not that any of that will bring back the victim of this school's newest death. What the hell is wrong here? http://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/family/bullied-12-year-old-girl-commits-suicide-after-school-allegedly-tells-students-to-toughen-up/ar-BBjPxSa?ocid=LENDHP

Blues icon, B.B. King has died at age 89. There will never be another like him. http://www.msn.com/en-us/music/news/blues-legend-bb-king-dies-at-89/ar-BBjOalF?ocid=LENDHP I spend three nights with him when he toured back in the early 70's and a kinder man I've never met. He was just thrilled to be bringing his music to everyone and played to packed houses. A sad day, but he has left us his music so in truth the thrill is not gone. Here we have two legends singing about it in an awesome performance: https://youtu.be/59P6Ly7zRc0

We often post such varied things in the forums and this is the most emotional thing I have read all year: http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/the-last-day-of-her-life/ar-BBjLJFE?ocid=LENDHP Would I have the courage, could end my life? I don't think anyone can answer that question when they are healthy and alert. I am an atheist, there is no afterlife for me, it doesn't exist. But those of us who believe this cling to life and wring every moment of pleasure out of it, Sandy did much the same. I don't see it as cowardly to end life like she did, just the ultimate desire to choose the time and place of demise. Her life had meaning, she did good things and will be remembered for them. Go softly into the night, dear lady.

I really like where this show is going. What we see in this video are the defining moments of a new generation because we know the young gay population is watching to see themselves...and isn't that grand. It was like watching an AD story come to life in the script...and don't we as authors wish that was so. Thanks for sharing, Dude.

The stupidity plague in Texas is spreading beyond the governor's office. God's Own Party in the legislature is showing their bigotry once again: http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/texas-republicans-stand-sex-marriage-30972386 Defying the federal mandates may seem like a good idea at the moment, but Jesus don't pay the bills in Texas and I can see a whole bunch of retaliatory measures headed their way if they defy SCOTUS.

I am sure that like you the news is all too negative and depressing...until you read this: http://www.people.com/article/joyce-dumont-north-dakota-raised-73-children There are some good people out there and she is one of them. Love just seems to be an inadequate term for the way this woman stepped up and opened her arms for these children. So many kids on the street or trapped in abusive homes, but not in her neighborhood. There probably isn't a single day that she regrets this life. When these kids call her Mom they do it with all the love and affection any person could want. Some people are just lucky.

Makes old Rick Perry, the former governator, look almost good, doesn't it? No? Well in truth it just means that Texas had had two idiots-in-charge in a row. I called the Mexican Embassy just the other day and they very politely told me they don't want Texas back. Can you blame them?

Such a dated piece of propaganda, but it could have been produced by any of the radical right wing groups of today. Young people rarely hitchhike these days, probably because no one will pick them up for fear of being robbed. Years ago I used to give rides, but only if I knew the boy on sight from my neighborhood. A man sitting alone on a park bench these days seems to scream pervert to the paranoia of modern parents. I had such an experience years ago in my thirties while waiting for a work crew to arrive on a job site. The police officer who approached me had a preconceived notion that my presence was a threat to the kids playing in the park. He asked for identification and I showed him my driver's license, then he asked what I was doing there and I explained the working crew was going to arrive any minute to set up the stage for the summer in the parks events. I could tell he was still suspicious so I asked why he had chosen me and was told a parent had reported a single man watching the children at play. This was a public park with lots of people around and I was the suspicious character, it seemed absurd. Fortunately the crew arrived and then we had a dozen single men who set about unloading trucks and setting up the venue. Believe it or not, the whole time we were there the park police had an officer watching us.

Excuse my ignorance...I cannot find this story on the AD story page. Is there perhaps a link I am missing? Maybe someone will provide it after such a glowing review.

The Fosters pushed so many buttons with a kissing scene between two boys and I wonder where it will go from there. Not that there was anything new in the negative reactions that appeared after this episode aired, they were already out there. I have to say that ABC as a corporate entity has grown up considerably in the past twenty years. Even now it takes courage to sponsor a show with gay characters and not fall into presenting stereotypes like many shows in the past. Perhaps we are over the Will & Grace era. The Fosters seems to include so many points to ponder: two women in a multi-ethnic relationship, the adoption of young foster children, teen children with emotional issues, and now a budding gay situation. A real cornucopia of plot ideas and angles for the characters to portray, if only the producers keep the excesses reigned in. Twenty-some years ago this was not the case with the ABC television series My So Called Life. A light drama about teenage angst, it failed because the network suddenly confronted the harsh reality of gay characters evolving into serious situations in the script. After twenty episodes ABC pulled the plug to the howls of indignation by the young and old fans of the series. Of the handful of young stars in the show only a few went on to further their careers. Clare Danes and Jared Leto moved on to films quite successfully. (Danes receiving a Golden Globe for her performance in My So Called Life and just recently Leto taking an Oscar for his role in Dallas Buyers Club). But what of Wilson Cruz, the young gay character in the series that fostered all the controversy? As a gay man he has gone on to perform at many levels in film and television leaving behind the sad legacy of his first television series role. Not his fault, blame ABC, at least his fans do. We are all familiar with the concept of an ideal before it's time and My So Called Life was just that. The final image from that series was a battered gay boy having been tossed out by his family and being nurtured by a gay teacher and his partner. We can accept that now, it's real enough to make the grade in our minds. My So Called Life is available on HULU for those who want a glimpse. I would recommend it if only for a good look at the smolderingly handsome visage of a young Jared Leto. Clare Danes was not the only one who had a crush on that character. The Fosters seems to be leading the way into the future of gay characters on television and I hope they are up to the task of creating a legacy for other shows with LGBT characters. No matter that there are hate groups out there who condemn anything gay positive, we are here to stay…and it gets better every year.

Bad dog...pure evil...no wonder cats don't trust them.

Like many authors I don't put a lot of thought into the names I use for my characters...at least I don't make a study of it. I value short names because I dread typing them over and over again. The fact that these names might have some long ago hidden meaning doesn't come to mind, but here we are presented with dozens of names and the history behind them. Once you accept that you are going to learn something from this story it becomes a delightful piece that often made me smile and be thankful that my name is rather simple. A well conceived plot to present the study of names. Go give it a try. http://www.awesomedude.com/pertinaxcarrus/whats-in-a-name/whats-in-a-name.htm

The English definitely have a wicked sense of humor although sometimes it seems obscure to the rest of us. But to give equal time to the Americans: The gay beach in Rehoboth, Delaware, is located at the end of Queen Street on the Atlantic Ocean.

I was a teenager when the riots occurred in Washington, D.C., following Martin Luther King's assassination... it was inevitable. Angry mobs tore up 14th Street and the surrounding area, burning and looting businesses in their own neighborhoods...but why? Many of the rioters were there for material gain, robbing the very stores they had patronized for years. But the black community had no real stake in these businesses other than to be overcharged for the goods they sold. Their anger became focused on Asian and mostly white business owners because they were handy. But in the looting and burning they hurt themselves since many business owners did not rebuild and the services were lost to the community. The situation in Baltimore is not too different. I worked in the city for years and well understood the demographics of the city and it's neighborhoods. The current riot is on Baltimore's west side, a poor neighborhood where a CVS Pharmacy was a leg up for the needs of the community and now it is gone. Should these people be so angry? I say yes because the death of Freddie Gray is nothing new in that city, it just received more attention by the media. Years ago the city chose to rehabilitate the Inner Harbor downtown and turn it into a tourist attraction while just a few blocks away the blight of poverty was ignored. Yes, that angered many and still does because the poor population had no say in these decisions, just the very political businessmen who control the city. The state stepped in and tried to boost employment. Government contracts dictated that even the lowliest worker on a job site had to be paid to their scale. That meant a man pushing a shovel was being paid thirteen or fourteen dollars an hour. Contractors dropped out right and left, they could not afford the demands. When desegregation laws went into effect and mixed the neighborhoods in schools many of the white population took their kids out of public school. This was a poor decision since many of these kids never went back and the level of illiteracy was staggering...and still is. Government did a poor job of social engineering and didn't solve the problems. There has never been a good relationship between the authorities and the inner city population. There is mistrust at many levels and the city has one of the highest incarceration rates in the country of black men in the prison system. Poverty breeds contempt, lack of education seems to assure this will continue. Look at the images of the Baltimore riots and the kids throwing rocks and looting. This is an old and all too familiar pattern of life in this city.

I am beginning to believe that our dear friend Des of Downunder fame has been holding out on the rest of us. Why else would he not share the following images of Ed Bale? http://verasbiggayblo.blogspot.com/2015/03/ladies-and-gents-ed-bale.html Those of you with fragile constitutions beware. This is not porn but you might want that box of tissues for something other than blowing your nose.

A quote from Dr. Fred Berlin, one of the foremost experts on sexual disorders in the US. Q. The problem of sexual abuse of minors has gotten a lot of publicity since the mid-'80s. Is this a new problem? A. No, it's absolutely not a new problem. Some of the cases that are coming to light now were from before the '80s. What is new is our paying attention to the problem, recognizing the degree of distress that it can cause, the sense that the criminal Justice system is going to deal with matters more sternly, and a recognition that we cannot cure, although we can sometimes successfully treat, these sexual disorders. So there are new aspects and new ways of understanding, but the problem itself, very sadly, has been with us throughout history. You can read the whole interview which is mainly about abuse by the clergy here: http://www.diocesetucson.org/restore5.html

Or LGBT Kingdom...does it really matter? Doesn't it figure that the men and women from down under would be the first to declare a national status for themselves. Next up they will be looking for recognition at the UN. No matter how it goes, this looks like fun. And we know the Aussies are all about fun. http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/04/18/australia-s-lgbt-only-island.html

I reference this article with the comment that this is the neighborhood where I grew up in Maryland. Boy, have things changed. http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/the-murky-law-on-free-range-kids/ar-AAb9m6M?ocid=LENDHP I suppose there is always a risk for children unattended by an adult but this situation could have involved me as I was growing up. I confess...I was a free range child. I must preface that comment by saying that from the age of five to twelve I grew up in Tokyo, Japan, thanks to my father's job. From second grade onwards I took the streetcar by myself across a city of fifteen million people to my school and never felt the least bit concerned. But this was in the 1950's, perhaps a different and more trusting mindset existed back then. Weekends I biked all over town as I explored the city and the people. I came home to the states and lived in Maryland exactly where the kids in this article are today. Needless to say I was a total free range kid by this point and spent my teen years going places under my own control. Were there issues? Yes, because I had several men ask me if I wanted a ride but I always said no. Children who are in control of their lives need the freedom to explore this world and only the fear of adults, stoked by the media, prevent that developmental stage. Is it less safe now? I don't think so, but I would have rebelled if my parents tried to put a leash around my neck. As a society we have become so focused on preventing something that might not occur, and in doing so we have lost trust. The trust that our children will do just fine out there by themselves rather than being stuffed in the house because of the alleged boogey man in the bushes. Needless to say I am on the side of the parents in this argument.

I always look to obtain an education when I read one of Mihangel's stories, the subjects are always so diverse and this exceeded my expectations. I love the characters, and one of them would have to be the old mill. I never realized that milling operations were so hard and that the wind could be so fickle. Well done, Mihangel. I guess it pays to maintain your interests for so long because they came alive in this story.

Sorry to report the death of Percy Sledge at age 74. For those of you who are old enough to remember soul music. His song When a Man loves a Woman was released in 1966 and stayed number one on the charts for a long. long time. In the following decade it kept cropping up on the radio just to prove how enduring the emotional song was at the time, and still is. There was a boarder at my high school who must have played this song fifty times a day, but then he never had great luck with the ladies. Too bad, we would have welcomed him to the dark side :) This song still keeps going round in my head: https://youtu.be/7lp7FtJXp7k (sorry about the 15 second commercial intro)