Chris James

Okay, I am not a television fan. Perhaps a news program, a nature show, but that's about it. I did manage to look at several episodes of Modern Family when it first arrived on ABC because of the gay content. Now after this article appeared I get the feeling that a gay couple in a series is now considered the norm. Gay parenting has been a topic here before, and even in a fictional situation it offers challenges: http://www.washingto...Ys6P_story.html I fully expected this article to be another moment of gay bashing from the conservative right wingnuts, but I was wrong. I do understand the parental concern about small children using adult language but the producers did it correctly and I am sure it's funny in this situation. But complaints aside, kids tend to replicate the language they hear in the home or at school. Let's face it, kids will say the darndest things at the most inopportune times. We just need to smile and get over it.

Interesting choice. Spanbauer is an excellent author. Of course our local library won't have the book but it is available from Amazon for about $7.00 + shipping. (paperback) Now is the Hour isn't a new book, written in 2006, wonder how I missed it. About 12 years ago I came across Man Who Fell in Love with the Moon and I thought Spanbauer was really taking a risk with his portrayal of Native Americans. But I loved the book and realized that his commentary was larger than the words on the page, he is quite the philosopher. I would recommend that one, too. Thanks for the suggestion, now where is that list of other books I want from Amazon?

Back to you on the Rick Beck and Altimexis stories: It looks like Rick is winding up to give us another complex love triangle, but he hasn't committed his characters yet in Chapter Two. I may have to let this one post a few more chapters before I delve back into it. Meat, sir...I need more meat to read! Altimexis and his ongoing series. I realized it would be foolish to go on and wait for the next chapter to From the Ashes once I realized it was a continuation of The Binary Planet story...silly me. So I invested some hours reading the first part of the series and I'm glad I did. Sci-fi can be difficult, but not the way Altimexis writes this one. Despite the addition of some complex science necessary to the plot I actually understood what he was saying. Aliens abound but we are only given one of them to see, feel and understand. I like furry creatures and the hero in this one is adorable. I always wondered about the sexual differences between humans and aliens, but not anymore. Altimexis gets a gold star for getting me to read a sci-fi story and I don't pass those out easily. In my youth I read Heinlein, Asimov and a few others, but I thought those days were behind me. But now I have a confession to make: About five years ago I started this silly little story to see if I could write sci-fi. It involved a clever human boy whose family had been planted on Earth centuries ago to assure that when the time came the alien invasion would go smoothly. When the scout ships arive this human meets his first alien boy and they fall in love. They vow to save the human race and...this is where it got complicated, the science stopped me. So I have four or five chapters that will go nowhere because Altimexis has written that story far better than I ever could. I guess I am doomed if he starts writing adventure/romance stories. What, you haven't begun to read these stories? Better get with it!

This drug will not go over well with Canadian hockey fans...can you say Labatts?

I manage to drop into the site every day, and I am always glad to see new stories posting for the entertainment of the readers. This week we have two new stories to contemplate and I felt the desire to say something about them, even though they are still in that first chapter phase. Rick Beck has given us Discovering Love. Not an entirely new subject, but there can never be enough ways to examine a feeling that often eludes so many in the human race. Chapter One has only given us the introduction to several of the main characters in what appears to be an emotional story in the making. Rick is often hard to second guess, since he is fond of large emotional moments of thought that sometimes take an unexpected twist. I like that, it keeps me involved. I am looking forward to future chapters and sharing the discovery so far evident in the nature of his characters. Altimexis is back on track with From the Ashes, another science fiction/fantasy based story. I will be the first to admit I am not a fantasy fan, perhaps it is because so much must be explained for me to grasp the concept behind the story, and yet I am reading this one. We have so many end-of-the-world scenarios thrown at us in film and literature these days I am taking a slow approach to reading this story just to make sure I get it right. I suppose in any fiction story we are asked to suspend disbelief and accept the author’s view of the scenery before us…working on it. I have to respect any writer who puts so much effort into getting the readers to believe in what they are saying. Readers invest a lot of thought in what they see and that means an author must be willing to go that extra mile in building an intellectual appeal. Chapter One’s are hardly the place to judge a story, but if they build a desire to read Chapter Two then I think a story is successful. Keep me entertained, give me something new to ponder, and I will follow you anywhere. Let’s see what these two have to offer. And yes, Lugnutz, this is a chance to get my name off the top of the forum thread here…so there!

Did anyone doubt that she was history the moment this appeared: http://youtu.be/IrFt9CTJ5xA

Aren't they such a delight at age three? Why? Such fearless little men out to explore the world. Why? I dreaded the loss of the why stage because when that curiousity was satisfied then I would have to explain that most things had complex answers and went way beyond that simple why. Ah, to be three again. The innocence. Thank you for sharing.

My thanks to all of you who read the story and made such kind and wonderful comments. And yes, many of you were right about the location for the story. It was so much nicer to just reach back in my mind to the place I grew up and use that setting for my characters. Since writing a mystery story was something new for me I figured it was enough of an issue to concentrate on the plot and not worry about the ground where my characters were standing. I did manipulate the details for fictional purposes, but I doubt of much of that bothers anyone. Mystery is a diffcult genre, I have to admit that. Tossing out subtle clues here and there allowed many of the readers to query me as the story was posted. I like that chance to exchange thoughts without giving anything away. But when the mystery ends so does the story and I am not planning any sequels for these characters. Something new on the way in a short while. If you are afraid of the dark then I suggest you get some new batteries for your flashlight before you read this one.

I read a definition of rap music the other day: Wannabe musicians who can't afford musical instruments or lessons because they spent all their money on drugs. I don't agree that all rap artists are on drugs, but from the few videos I have seen they all ought to be on the sex offender list. How old is that girl? Perhaps I could modify that definition: Rap Music has a place in our society, probably in a North Korean torture chamber.

Rap Music is a conundrum to me. I have heard it expressed as the new poetry of the street and I can see that in light of the beat poetry of the 1950's. As for the music angle, rap seems to be all rhythm to my ears. I accept it as an expression of a different generation, doesn't mean I have to like it because I don't. But education must go with the flow and a teacher creative enough to allow a current trend into his lessons needs to be commended. I remember the rhymes we used as the means to memorize, but perhaps they were a wee bit more lyrical than rap.

Goodness, I have read a few of those authors, what a great deal! Ditto, GW, so much for laboring at the keyboard for the rest of the day. Thanks for the heads up, Camy.

The film was a good choice for me, the new ET. Being one of those behind the scenes guys I really, really enjoyed the Special Feature included on the DVD about the director and how he got started...making 8mm films as a fourteen year old boy. It was that flashback, and his early involvement with Spielberg, that made the film all that more enjoyable. He had an empathy with the story line because he had lived it, or some of it. I was delighted to see that the unknowns could act, and that is what kept this from being a "B" movie. The plot was full of holes, but then so was ET. So I gave it a "B" since it was almost mindless entertainment and yet I had fun. Worth seeing just to talk about.

I understand, Des, yes I do. In my youth (and presumably yours) the education available was only as good as the local library. Today we have the world at our fingertips and thousands of libraries, documents and blogs filled with knowledge...or what passes for knowledge. We had to learn to find our way through those books and research a subject carefully. I think the internet throws so much information at you that unless you choose carefully the documents are worthless. The credibility of information concerns me now, especially in this open information gathering system we know as Wiki...Wiki-everything. Those who pass along information have a point of view, and even in the most reputable of publishing situations the authors have an agenda. Books are like that, but you know what you are getting when you pick it up. Bad information is the same as no information, and I have been astounded by some of the intelligence spouted by those without real knowledge. You need look no further than the current political campaigns here in the US. The fact checkers are having a field day with all this disinformation, and from what I gather none of the politicos are telling the truth about anything. Should I be surprised? It seems we are all to be considered cattle to be prodded one direction and then another by the words of the pundits. I am reading less news as time goes on which means by November I should be completely ignorant of the American political situation. Hmm, maybe I should run for President.

Then I suppose you never told the undergrads at the University they should sign up for underwater basketweaving for an easy 'A.' Somehow I have always sensed a little of the rebel in you, Cole...a quiet prankster perhaps? Or do you just bake three and twenty blackbirds in a pie? :)

A stirring speech...timeless. Chaplin would have understood the message in context with the times and the suffering endured by all of Europe in the 30's and 40's. It's always good to be reminded of our common humanity, especially here in the United States where so often it seems to get misplaced like an old shoe. I look at the discourse about the Occupy movement and the significance of putting bodies on the street in protest. It reminds me a little of the Vietnam War protests we held in the late 60's, except we brought joints to smoke and the Occupy folks bring Starbucks. By comparison the AIDS marches of the 80's were somber affairs but a chance to show the rainbow flag on the evening news. There was a certain euphoria about standing at the fence of the White House and giving the finger to the symbol of the President and screaming "Shame." (of course, he wasn't home) But my (our?) generation saw the need for public outcry against those things that assaulted our humanity, something that would have shocked my father's generation. I know several of my compatriots from those ACT-UP DC days, and the war protests two decades earlier, who went to work in government. Change from within was the objective, a noble cause that seems to have had little effect. I think Chaplin would have understood the role he played in The Great Dictator gave voice to the screams that eminated from Europe. I am sorry to say we have no hero to stand up and speak for the screams people utter today...and that worries me. The Occupy Movement is only the first wave and civil disobediance is a mild response to the times...I fear much worse in the days ahead. Perhaps the country needs another revolution. I would hope the "American Spring" pushes forth a voice of reason, but this is an election year and all we hear are lies. Let's hope the cries on the street don't become "Lock and Load."

Boxing? Hmm, no thank you. Chess? Well yes, a thoughtful game. But I prefer a much more elegant sport that combines strength with talent and this certainly has that appeal. It doesn't hurt that he is such a handsome lad:

Ruth Gordon had to have been the most salty old lady on the silver screen in that Eastwood movie. I do, however, find her characters in "Harold and Maude" and "Where's Poppa" the most delightful bit of acting. Sadly she passed away in 1985. I guess we are never thrilled to open our doors and find Mormon missionaries on the threshold. I have spoken to a few but never invited them in. I place them in the same category of "unwanted contact" I usually feel towards telemarketers that call during dinner time. If I want something I'll reach out for it, you don't have to bother me to sell anything, be it Veg-o-matics, paint brushes or religion.

Isn't it wonderful when the good guys win? Thanks, Cole, an uplifting story.

Names can be a burden, mostly to my characters. The star character in my next AD story will go by his initials, MT. That would be short for Marion Cotswold Teague...any wonder? But then he is a southern lad from Georgia. I also have a story started, not sure where it is going, except it is about a boy who works at a large shopping mall. His nick name inspired the story, he calls himself Spaz. I worried about the connotations of that self inflicted wound, but then his name is Spencer Anthony Zorn and Spaz is the derivitive. Names do inspire, but I like them short in any case. If they are unique all the better.

The unfortunate circumstance is that we are a society steeped in violence and far too often that is the method used to solve disputes. I agree that adolescent minds are often incapable of rational thought, young males are driven by hormones, and Brandon McInerney is no different. But our society is run by adults and in this sensless act, this crime, there was an adult that enabled the boy to carry out his horrific plan. Where did he get the gun? I think any adult that allows a child to gain access to a firearm for the comission of a crime has to be considered an accomplice. I don't care if the father was a white supremacist or an avid pacifist, if he enabled the crime by allowing his son access to that gun he becomes a participant in the murder. What does any rational, and in this case irrational, adult think a child will do with a gun? If the boy had become angry about some punishment at home he might just as well have shot his parents, we read about that all the time. In many ways Brandon was victimized by his father who doesn't sound like a very good parent. In all I have read I also come to the conclusion that Larry King pushed too hard against the emotional instability of his classmate. In some ways the teasing Larry focused on Brandon ought to be considered bullying because of the effect it had. Perhaps Brandon should have used his fists in retaliation and that would have created attention on the issue which needed resolution. Larry did not handle himself well, and without proper adult guidance we see the results, Brandon came to his own very wrong means of solving the problem. The adults at the school and in the classroom did not handle this well either. Larry and Brandon should have been separated at the first indication of something going wrong and should not have been in the same classes. The political correctness of allowing Larry to dress up at school was a bad choice and only served to enable his actions. And now Brandon will have years to think about that moment. He will not leave prison an older and wiser person. Instead the judicial system has delivered him into the arms of the supremicist gangs who will feed him a steady diet of hate and misinformation. I would be more concerned about the adult he will be upon release.

LMAO...does this mean if we tease GW at the end of every story he will write more? Don't go there, it will keep him from his other stories which we are all waiting to see. A brilliant comeback, GW, but then you own the thoughts that created both stories so I guess you are entitled. Years ago my father met the Queen at a press reception in the British Embassy in Washington, DC. She gave his hand a single shake and said "How-cha-do." End of report, and there was no tea.

What a delightful story, and it ended well. How interesting it would be to see the Nation's Capitol overun with angry citizens out to toss the leaders on their ear. I am especially grateful, GW, that you added the postscript about suicide prevention. It is a very real problem, more than a media event, and so preventable. I am, however, distraught that Jeffrey never had tea with the Queen, but at least you gave them a good dinner. Cheers!

Parents are responsible for their kids, and sometimes they even listen to what their children say: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/identical-twin-boys-transgender-brother-sister/story?id=15142268 I'd say these parents deserve a lot of applause for understanding and doing the right thing.

WOW!!! What talent.

I think George was being kind. Neither Bill Shatner nor Carrie Fischer could act their way out of a wet paper bag. I remember cutting afternoon class in college to get home for Star Trek, probably because it was the most innovative show on the air. But I give credit for that to Roddenberry not Shatner. Spock was the thing, and still is. I also sat through the opening of the Star Wars film at midnight on the very first day of showing. The computer graphics outshown the acting in that film. But I empathize, Des...no one should have to sit through repeated viewings of Twilight. That ought to qualify you for disability payments. On the other hand, glad to hear you are up and about: working. Projectionist is a highly technical job these days, but at least you probably get free popcorn. Just keep your eyes off all those cute young ushers or I will be jealous. I have to pay full price to ogle the boys with the flashlights.