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larkin

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  1. I wish it was different but my stories do not appeal to everyone, even here on Awesomedudes. For that reason, I have included a story description, preface. Sometimes think my stories are important. I try to write from reality. I was just going to submit this story but figured that I would ask for editing help first. I made an effort to tame and compartmentalize scenes involving sex but I consider them to be essential to the plot. The set and setting is Southern California around, 1990. 12 chapters, 20kwords. I can submit it using most Open Office or Word, docs. Preface to, The Androgyno, (The Boy That Wasn't) Probably for most, the main character in this story is not exactly boyfriend material. Josey may reflect aspects of yourself and if you are ill at ease or at ease with the character may influence whether or not you will be drawn into the story. The main character is physiological a boy but a girl in many other ways. Some boys, through no fault of their own become obviously feminine as they grow into puberty. This can be a big problem, even a life threatening problem. What was it like? How do they pull through? The premise of the story was that many men like androgynous boys just the way they are. This was my point of view and this was the story I wanted to write. The story fizzled for almost a year. I cannot write about sex change because it is not in my experience. If I try to fake it and get it wrong, the entire story loses credibility, so relax. At best, I only approached it. Josey's eventual boyfriend, Clark, was all male who carried a gun. He was a tough guy and Josey's total opposite. Although he thought of Josey as a girl and treated him like a girl, he used him like a woman. As it turns out, it suited Josey just fine. There is something special about this affair. If the main character opts for a gender change, would Clark maintain the same interest in her/him? There is the risk that he'd look for another androgyno. There are times in this story when gender pronouns float or change from one sex to another. This is not done as an affectation but as a natural liberation occurring only at special times. In other words, Josey could go either way but that will be saved for the epilogue. The end can be left up to the reader.
  2. As an aside... Over the last few years I have noticed that PBS and more obviously NPR, now plays softball or shys away from important, serious and controversial issues, avoiding them in favor of corporate and government donors. Keep in mind that PBS and NPR have become subject to Koch brother's largess. Usually, a company or corporation that advertizes on TV, does so to improve their business through communication and product recognition. The Koch Brothers, Kellogg Brown and Root, Northrop Grumman and Raytheon all give money to public broadcasting. Why? It is not to sell their products directly to the public because individuals do not buy their products. They fund public broadcasting to influence the message conveyed by "listener and viewer supported" content. Influence plus a tax deduction.. Republicans and cost-cutters in Congress often threaten PBS with removal of funding. Gone is the heroic muckraking that was once indicative of Public Broadcasting. We need to look elsewhere...
  3. Donald Trump has never used his own money on anything.. He sells his name as a brand and he's not embarrassed to say so. Each one of these contenders are salesmen and that includes the Democrats. That's what they do. They could just as easily be selling Oxi-Clean on the HomeShopping Network. Both women candidates have stood before us and announced that they are up for sale to the military. These people are not leaders, they aren't even statesmen, they are proxies.
  4. I read the entire list and thought, “Is that what wrong with me?” I have always felt like a misfit. My perspective is of someone looking in from the outside. I earn my living as an artist which is good but meeting commercial demands compromises and saps real creative passion. Writing has become a world of my own. Except for here,....I think people are not interested because they don't read.
  5. Rolls eyes up to heaven...I think that one's Irish. It's not a good idea to use any idioms unless you are entirely at home with it.
  6. I concede, he would want to blend in. Unlike 50 years earlier in London when the Artful Dodger wore a crumpled top hat. He traveled the streets with his associate, Charlie Bates who Dickens referred to as Master Bates.
  7. I use 2 and sometimes period strings for emphasis. Which way to the scaffold? I really enjoyed that.. This one was entertaining as well and it used to be free on a CD. Eats, shoots and leaves https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eats,_Shoots_%26_Leaves
  8. Thank you Cole, I have that problem stemming from dyslexia. It's a wonder that I can write at all. I should have it edited but I get impatient.
  9. For the life of me I have searched for the name of front brim, flatten hat sometimes worn today by the stodgy older set or a person driving an MG with the top down. My character, Michael's hat was not snap brim. It was the sort of hat that if you pulled the brim up on 3 sides you'd have a colonial 3 corner. Front and back it would be what Napoleon might wear. Michael, being a boy who liked to stand out bent it back on one side and as boys might, wore it cock-eyed. Michael was not likely to wear a bowler or a top hat. Further on, the two plan to go to the West side piers on Thursday to witness the arrival of the Titanic.
  10. I have been in a slump.. I am trying very hard to tame my work but it is slow and laborious and it leaves original story lines disjointed and irreparable. A Monograph. New York, April 1912. Never called Mike or Mickey but always Michael. A sweet name for such a sly little rake. For someone who didn't know him, the pretense of formality gives him a saintly air. Already on his own, Michael is a young pick pocket. Roving from here to there, the boy has become a seasoned opportunist. I've learned to stow my valuables when he shows up which is usually unexpected. Standing at my door wearing bent brim hat, a vest, worn out knickers and shoes with laces dragging. I commented, "Michael, you really should sit down and learn to tie your shoes properly." He holds up and dangles before me a gold pocket watch that he has surely nicked. "Ten bucks?" I said, "That's a little too much, how about five?" The little thief said, "Ok". I gave him an Indian-head gold piece. This was what he had hoped for all along. As a street trader, Michael starts out high but in his mind, he has already settled on a price and knowing him, I guessed it. He smiles and hands me the watch. It makes me feel good to please him. Money wasn't the issue for me because I'd probably make the watch a gift to someone. Reselling it would make me a partner in his crime and that particular crime is not one I want to be a party to. However, there are other crimes that would find me more willing. "Dyu got time for me Mr. Alfred. I've been out all night." I discourage myself from thinking too hard about what Michael's nocturnal activities might be.. I admit the surly, less than 5 footer into my flat. He looks around and then crawls onto my bed like he owns the place. He buries his face in my pillow and feigns sleep. When I bring him wine and pastries he sits up eagerly. "Dyu kno Alfred, you're not like most that treats me like a stray dog,..which I am. You're different, even after I stole that dollar you still treat me so good." I smiled, appreciating the compliment. "Michael my boy, I am your biggest fan. I've a dollar hid away in one of my pockets . See if you can get it without me knowing and it 'll be yours." He laughed at my folly but the challenge was genuine on my part and right up his alley. Michael liked that I approved of his nefarious ways. Pick pocketing and selling his bottom was just survival and nothing more. How else is a boy suppose to eat? For an honest living he might hitch a ride to Pennsylvania to sort and break up coal or take the train up to New Bedford to work in the mills or to stay here in the city and sell newspapers for a few pennies. Green eyed Michael was too impatient for anything like that and besides, he likes masturbating too much. I tugged off his shoes one after the other. Michael raised himself up on his elbows a little and looking at me he said, "Ja kno what?" I said, "No Michael, what?" In a strange and serious tone he said, "I'm a little bastard. I never saw my father and my mother's gone off somewhere." It was as if the real meaning of the words had finally been revealed to him. "Mrs. Riley over 9th street told me that's what I am and then told me what it meant and then she chased me away. She told me I was no good, which I probably am, but it made me feel bad." I smiled and pulled myself close to him. "So what? It makes no difference to me whether you are or you aren't. If I was one how would you know? Would you dislike me if you found out that I was a bastard?" Michael was quiet and silent until he softly said, "no." "So you see, it makes absolutely difference to me and it shouldn't to you." I felt his body relax and his smile returned. A threatening storm had passed. "Can I sleep here tonight?" I said yes. If anything, Michael was bold. "And another glass of wine please." I refilled his glass. Nothing brings me more pleasure on this earth than a languid and pliable boy. He drinks and lowering his glass, unconsciously showing me his tongue. I could tell that Michael has already secured a taste for wine. He was calm and relaxed in my close company. I encircled him with my arm. "Mr. Alfred, why is wine red?" Before I could answer, Michael was asleep. I did the washing up and from the alcove I watched him gently jerking in his slumber. I thought to myself for a long moment. Michael should be my son. I would care for him like a precious treasure. I would make sure he was educated and despite people's expectations he could become an admired man, noble in stature. I undressed him and he roused himself only long enough to slip under the covers. When I came to bed he embraced me with both arms and legs and he did this without even waking.
  11. One of the aspects rarely mentioned when people like Ms Davis objects to tolerance towards homosexuality in defense of a religious conviction, is that it was these very same prejudges that were used to destroy lives in prison, insane asylums and often overlooked, the German extermination camps. Many people subscribing to Ms Davis' religious beliefs actually approve of these remedies that justify the religious freedom to oppress others. Ask yourself why this idiot receives so much encouragement and support?
  12. I apologize for my salty language but it couldn't be helped.. I am sure that you've read the recent story in the news about the weasel, hedge funder who purchased the company that manufactured a drug essential for treating toxoplasmosis. As a marketing strategy he raised the price 5500%. Forces unseen, have compelled this little weasel to sell the firm back to the original owners who have quietly doubled the old price. If you think it was a humanitarian gesture, think again... Currently, thanks to the affordable care act, the US government cannot negotiate wholesale drug costs. Why? Because it was the pharmaceuticals who wrote the legislation and whores that they are, our elected officials greedily took the money.. They got this guy in a corner and said, "You can't do that! You're gonna f*ck-up a good thing for all of us!" The truth is they are all egregiously over charging. Thanks to the passive compliance of the government and with great precision, these corporations are pushing as far as the traffic will bare... In concert, they have a system and they can't have this little weasel coming in and ruining everything. A side effect of this situation is that people with insufficient funds are trying to order from foreign pharmaceutical outlets most commonly in Canada. The Fed's response is one: "Don't trust medications purchased abroad, they'll kill you!" And 2: They use the Post Office to confiscate drug purchases considered illegal, depriving desperate people of their medication. In a truly free market place you should be able to purchase drugs anywhere at the lowest price. These big corporations want a free market for themselves,...but not for us. Do you see the contradiction? Ask yourself, "Who the is the government working for?"
  13. Mr. levy has made two important points for me. The first one was not to be so quick to judge a story on grammar, spelling and structure problems, but to look a little deeper. The second is that big publishing is going through a crisis similar to what is happening to music and retail record distribution. The risks in the book market causes them to only want to gamble on a sure thing that will have the broadest appeal. The film industry is undergoing much the same crisis and look how crappy Hollywood offerings have been lately. Add to that, many publishers will not even read new offerings and go so far as to say, "Don't even send them." This site and a number of others are devoted to writers and readers is an indication that, for better or worse, many people want to write and even without financial reward, are driven to do so. Corporate heads presiding over the mass market will say that artists will not create if there is no monetary gain.. I don't believe that. Writers and artist will move towards a profit making model rising up out of the new media if they can but a good writer is not going to say, "There's no money in it so I'm just not going to write.. I would expect that the same would be true for a gifted musician. However, the corporate head will not be at his desk.
  14. larkin

    To Serve Man

    Keep in mind that I am not a computer genius but I have taken the first step. I had a bug ridden computer and I did a fresh install of windows and from there I did a duel boot install with Windows 7 and Unbuntu (Linux). When I turn it on, it gives me a choice between the 2 operating systems. It was easy and it will just take a little getting used to. No virus and no annual $89 virus protection fee.
  15. Many years ago there was a Twilight Zone teleplay entitled, "To Serve Man" It was a 30 minute sifi epic about big brained visitors from another world. They came bearing gifts. A cure for all diseases, the end of all war and methods to grow more than enough food for everyone. They were called the Kanamits and they communicated telepathically. Carrying a large book, bearing the title, "To Serve Man", the leader addressed the UN and said, "We come in peace." When the initial fright of aliens among us wore off it gave way to fascination and interest. People took trips to visit the Kanamits far away planet and many settled there. Suspicious code breakers studied the book that the Kanamits had brought with them but they were frustrated. The only thing they had was the title. "To Serve Man" One of them decided to take a trip the Kanamit's home planet. Just as he was boarding the alien ship his assistant came running through the crowd yelling. "Don't go! The book, "To Serve Man, it's a cookbook!" http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/aliens/images/4/4f/Kanamit.png/revision/latest?cb=20121120113235 ~ This is exactly how I feel about Facebook, Google and Microsoft. I am not against high tech but this goes way beyond what we had conceived of when we first heard, "You've got mail!" Today they are collecting information but tomorrow they may be managing our lives to suit a larger entity. They betrayed us already by eliminating our anonymity and inviting the police into our homes. I also know that there is no way to stop it and every day, there are fewer and fewer places to hide from this colossal organism. We are unwittingly constructing the Matrix and it will be the death of the individual.
  16. The case of the disappearing start button: Most of the reviews on new versions of Windows are about cosmetic issues like cool new wallpaper or rearrangement of commonly used applications. Not everyone, including me, is a computer expert and we must relearn each time they decide to upgrade and they do this just as we are getting comfortable with the old system. The missing START button caused momentary chaos but it was soon resolved and we all received calming reassurance from Microsoft. What people do not realize was that the START button's disappearance was a political and coercive manipulation. It was grooming the public and getting them used to and accepting to "ALWAYS-ON" as a default mode. Why turn off your computer? Just let it go to sleep. The bulk of each new Windows up-grade is not about us, it is about further refinement of data collection and surveillance at the point of origin. The user, (you and me) are the resource, not the customer. ALWAYS-ON even while in sleep mode, allows Microsoft collect and keep track on a minute by minute basis using all the senses built into the computer. (microphone, phone, and cam.) in addition to your personal data. About 18 months ago, it was revealed that the new Microsoft-XBox1 was loaded with just such applications, including facial recognition for non-playing family members. One of the provisions was that if you unplugged the unit, disabling the ALWAYS-ON mode for a certain period of time, you would lose your subscription including the ability to play games already purchased. There was a firestorm over it and Microsoft was forced to disable them. These applications may be disabled but they could still be enabled at a later date. And why wouldn't we think that the same application protocol would not be included in each Windows Operating system? Because the demand is great, you can make a request for Windows 7 as I have just done on a new computer. They are giving a free upgrade to Windows 10 from 7 and 8 because the big change down the road will be ongoing monthly or quarterly charge just to use Windows operator system. Solution: Learn Linux, It's free. Consider getting a duel boot on you spare computer just to get used to it. It is becoming more and more indistinguishable from Windows. Google, "Linux Ubuntu" Open office is free. Comparable to Microsoft Office. Gimp is free. Comparable to Photoshop Inkscape is free. Comparable to Adobe Illustrator The day I am compelled to move to Windows 10 is the day I'll go to Linux full time.
  17. I couldn't locate the piece.. LA Times doesn't seem to have a search for non-subscribers.
  18. This is the 3rd story I've read from BiJanus' roster and my favorite so far. His story was so vivid and true to life that I could see the waters of the Gulf just before a down-pour. I had a similar experience during the same war only on the rocky Pacific coast. I have a real appreciation for well-written short stories and this one..
  19. Being an atheist, I consider it all barbaric nonsense.
  20. The first casualty of war is the truth. This is not to say that the New York Times story by Rukmini Callimachi about the enslavement and rape of Yazidi women and children is not true, but perhaps the story had a higher purpose. It certainly inflamed the public against Islam and in many minds, justified a continuation of this disastrous war. As it turns out, the Kuwait babies yanked out of incubators and left to die on the cold hospital floor was not true, but at the time, we all thought it was. The result was to gain public support for the 1991 invasion of Iraq. The US is squeamish about putting troops on the ground so it has been carrying on checkbook offensives by hiring groups to do their bidding. From sources on the net, I have been hearing that ISIS is actually a CIA asset designed to foster chaos. Others say that this was true but they lost control. And to be honest, I don't know what's true anymore. New York Times reporter, Rukmini Callimachi took literary license to add color to this story. (The fighters initially agreed and laid out a blanket, where Ms. Saleh placed her heart-shaped pendant and her gold rings, while the men left crumpled bills.) When the US forces invaded Iraq in 2003, the resistance was limited to fighting at the borders and then it collapsed. The US army was triumphant when it rolled into Baghdad and yet, somewhere between 100,000 and some estimates as high a one million died, more than half were women and children. "The loss of one life is a tragedy, the loss of a million, a statistic." Josef Stalin. What has happened in Kurdistan is ugly but since when is war about following the rules, you can expect more where that came from. This is an appeal for healthy skepticism when reading mainstream media...
  21. DesDownunder, Thank you for the thoughtful response to my comment. Actually, we are in agreement. I prefaced my post saying that I was glad that the choice to marry same-sex now is possible but my personal decision would be no.. My comment is based on my own choice and my tendency to be suspicions towards the motives of the State coupled with the volatile and unreliable nature of sexual liaisons, especially in men and even more especially in the young. If you are older and desire just to settle down for companionship reasons, do you really need to marry? The need for social service would be a practical consideration but isn't a state pension available whether you are married or not? The social services in the US aren't very good. It should be obvious to you by now that I do not have much faith in the institution marriage, same-sex or otherwise. But, that's me and not everyone else in the world..
  22. With all due respect, I disagree... Let me preface this comment by saying that I am pleased that we can have marriage between same-sex people and that those that want to, can. I am more pleased that homosexual relationships no longer have to exist in the shadows or risk imprisonment if discovered. This is the real advance that has made the difference and gay marriage finally legitimizes it. That being said, personally, I am against it. If you are in an accepting church or on a beautiful beach at sunset with friends and family, do you really need the State's participation and involvement when swearing an oath between yourself and another person? When it comes down to it, in the eyes of the State, heterosexual marriage is about heirs and property. Love has nothing to do with it. If you want to buy a house with another person, form a limited corporation that has terms of dissolution built in. If you want a your partner to receive your assets form a reciprocal trust. In my mind the only practical reason for a binding marriage contract is for child adoption or death bed visitation. If you think I am against advancements for gay people, I'm not. I would make the same recommendation for straight people. I see gay women and the GBLT, politically correct factions as the driving force sheparding homosexuals into socially acceptable conformity. I consider gay marriage a Trojan Horses with all the bad things about heterosexual marriage concerning divorce and alimony. If an oath between yourself and another person falls apart, do you really want the State to come in and force resolution? Considering that many gay men, like myself, make bad choices, do you really want to be liable for your partner's dishonest debts? I could go on.. It is good that we can marry if we want to, but is it really a good idea?
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