DesDownunder
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*TR* wrote:
Also, the aerialist was, in my mind, as much a metaphor as a reality. I was visualizing the actual trapeze artist (a common synonym for bisexual or opportunistic homosexual) as a symbol for myself or others I know. Suicidal feelings or destructive life choices, etc.I think I felt the metaphor intuitively on my first reading.
You certainly got the feelings across. I was just not trusting myself to see it, which I do now very clearly.
Thanks. It is a splendid poem.
(Have you seen the old (1956) Burt Lancaster / Tony Curtis movie "Trapeze"? It is often seen as a parable of homosexual love. Gina Lollobrigida stars as the official love interest in the movie, but just look at the way the two men interact with each other.
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Firstly, I do not mind these political discussions as other people have pointed out that the net is the last stronghold of free-speech.
Graeme is right about compulsory voting being a legal requirement in Australia with one slight exception.
The law is that one must attend a poling booth on the appointed day to cast a vote by having their name crossed off an electoral list. There is no check to see that you have actually voted. If there was then it would not be a secret ballot and would be open to all kinds of abuse and threats.
This also allows for the democratic principle of the right to dissent from the majority view.
Your vote would then be informal which is considered by many to be wasted.
Compulsory voting in Australia is founded on the principle of taxation not being voluntary, therefore neither should the representatives who decide what is done with the collected taxes be elected voluntarily.
"There shall be no taxation without representation."
This point is constantly being argued in political circles but is stable at the moment.
(An interesting aside here would be that if you don't vote then you don't have to pay taxes . This is not likely to happen.)
As for the division of Left and Right parties being challenged by a middle party, here in Australia our Left party "The labour Party" moved its base platform to just right of centre. This had the effect of moving the Right wing party called "The Liberal Party" further to the right. The Labour Party was warned back in the 1980s that this could happen .
Our present Federal Government has many sympathies with the Bush administration and your Republicans.
Yet they managed to move, or appear to move, back to the centre on SOME policies which many people believed was an indication of a fairer party. This in itself pushed our left wing Labour Party further to the right if not on some issues then certainly on the way it presents itself to the electorate or the way they are perceived.
I think some of this tactic holds true in the USA and the UK making a true middle ground party difficult to achieve if not an impossibility. This of course suits the Left and the Right as they only want two parties.
The less conservative Left-wing parties appear too kookie to the majority of the voters, The Old Left -wing Parties are out on a limb by themselves and the conservatives are running amok with fear tactics.
So this might seem like nothing has changed. The position on Left to Right balance has certainly changed, but as, http://www.politicalcompass.org/ shows there are really two other aspects to politics apart from Left and Right, these are the Authoritarian and the Libertine.
Please explore this site if you are at all interested in an "unbiased" discussion on the nature of the political spectrum. I found it fascinating.
They have a wonderful test to show where the individual's sympathy lay.
You should take the test first, before exploring the rest of the site.
Now I should say that I have no affiliation with any political party or organisation, extremist or otherwise.
I do not condone violence of any kind and I have no desire to convince you to all think like me.
Heaven help us, one of me is enough.
The above points are just my current thoughts and references on the subject under discussion and I have been known to be wrong.
Having said all that I do enjoy these types of discussion provided we keep our cool.
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Wow! you are all so cool. Thanks for the help guys, you have given me much to think about.
I did have a web page with my previous ISP a couple of years ago which I did with Frontpage.
Had a lot of fun with it. I wanted to do a bit more this time though.
I will probably wait till our Christmas holidays here before I do anything else.
I will use the time to investigate all your great suggestions.
"desdownunder.com" is taken? Who do I sue?
Just kidding.
Thanks again guys err, dudes.
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Ok Time to reveal my stupidity,
Does anyone have any ideas about the best way to establish a personal web page?
I am thinking along the lines of so many other people who have a personal site where they keep their stories, poems. blogs, Views etc., open for all to visit.
Naturally I could use the local ISP's web-page service but they are coy about my "gay" content. Not that they object to anything gay in itself, blah, blah blah. but...
Then there is Yahoo but that seems somewhat impermanent or impersonal.
Seems like some providers have legal requirements and rules that are then forgotten or not enforced.
What does anyone think about all this.
I am confused and would be grateful for any input.
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Camy, when I was younger I did my best to find out the number of gay men on planet Earth.
I think I gave up after verifying the first 5000 or so, and I hadn't even left Australia.
I stopped my all important research in 1981 because of the threat of HIV/Aids.
I have met other "research workers" who have been able to verify numbers much in excess of my own feeble attempts.
I don't know about there being an awful lot of closets out there, but I can certainly tell you that many people were found huddled together in small rooms at the local sauna.
Seriously, the basic possibility for people to have a gay experience is quite high, but those people do not define themselves by those experiences. Now if we defined sexual orientation, by the "potential" to be gay, then the figure would go through the bedroom ceiling.
Many Str8 people I have spoken to have admitted that HIV has saddened them, not only because of it being a debilitating, horrible illness not to mention a senseless epidemic, but also because it has impeded there own daydreams about a same sex encounter.
I think that is a very telling response about human sexual interaction.
Never fear! We are everywhere.
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I figured it out!
Ostriches are the ones that hide their head in the sand.
Emu are the ones that don't hide it because they have such good head.
Is that right Camy?
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TR,
I like this. You allow me to feel what the aerialist feels.
I particularly like the the juxtaposition of the "murmur of magic" a to a line later. "..arcane
science of trajectory
bodies in motion,
physics of flying."
I swear I can see it.
The last line has me worried though. Was it a death leap?
I hope not.
Nice work.
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Of course, Cicero was outed when the scrolls containing lascivious messages that he kept sending to the boy pages who apprenticed at the Roman Senate were discovered by Antony and sent to Caesar.
Both of whom were violently jealous because they had only been to bed with half of the pages whose names appeared on the messages.
As Julius said when he got stabbed, " Infamy, Infamy, ...They've all got it in for me."
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TR, Great comment, I had forgotten most of that.
You left out Cicero was also a politician.
That explains it all.
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Outstanding!
Truly magnificent and very very clever.
A Classic!
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Graeme, Camy was last seen worrying about a net site on over-masturbation. See next thread: "Beware!"
I think he is Ok at home trying to cum to terms with it all.
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hmmm, seems to me the people at that site need to get laid or at least play with themselves a bit more often.
Question: Do you know why yuppie business managers are all dickheads?
Answer: Because they have forgotten how to masturbate so they play with their brain-cell instead!
I think it was Cicero in ancient Rome who advised youth to not masturbate every time the thought of doing it occurred to do them.
However, from my reading it seems that the subject is absolutely riddled with personal bias to stop people from enjoying themselves. In the case of the above site it seems like there is a profit motive involved as well.
It seems from various sources that there is a three day cycle in natural sperm buildup, and that each production is a 6o day cycle in itself. How much of each buildup is ejected at any particular sex session, including masturbation depends on degrees of stimulation and affects the frequency of further desire.
However we can override that with plain old libido stimulation, such as reading erotic stories, or just being near an object of stimulation like watching the hunks at the local gym. Some of us are even stimulated by being near our partner.
Question: What is the greatest aphrodisiac in the world?
Answer: Wanting it!
It is important however to seek medical advice from your doctor in the case of any pain, abnormal discharge or indeed just to discuss any concerns that maybe in your mind.
If your doctor is reluctant to discuss such matters, it maybe time to see a different doctor. Older men might like to investigate a zinc supplement. Check with your doctor as to your suitability. I am not a health-care professional.
Denial of ejaculation can be painful also. Overall there is also the individual capacities. As much as it may seem unfair, some people can just do it more often than offers.
I am doing it till I need I new glasses.
Question: Why do men need glasses as they get older?
Answer: So they can see themselves cumming.
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My apologies if I was unclear in the intent of my remarks re Parts A into Part B.
By way of explanation, it is a standing joke in my technical/engineering environment that Part A fitting into Part B is a sexual innuendo. I had (mistakenly, obviously) that your reference was the same for that remark. I took it that the innuendo was somehow universal in all technical worlds, hence my tongue in cheek reply. I had meant it as fun. So convinced was I that you had intended the innuendo I did not bother to enhance my reply with an emoticon for clarity as to my light-hearted intentions.
I am a stickler for using emoticons and disclaimers to assist "net body language", but in this instance I misinterpreted the comment and that led to the present embarrassment for me.
This comes down to simple misunderstanding based on an assumption that was incorrect on my part.
I would like to see some cool, calm, discussion on the ethics and moralities of various boundaries, but even that is problematic, I should think.No, I don't have a problem with that at all.To clarify I was not saying you specifically had a problem with it but that any discussion on such matters of ethical and moral boundaries was in itself difficult and fraught with problems.
I would never state someone's reaction or point of view would be problematic, only that a matter under discussion might in general, pose a problem.
In reality I can only emphasise that I am in agreement with your view on most of the issues raised here, including those in your most recent post.
It would be a shame to let local language customs and personalities interfere with our fruitful cultural exchange. As a rule I try not to invoke direct accusations at people except in light hearted fun and even then with care for the other person's feelings.
To me a forum is not a place to attack other people but to raise and discuss issues of common interest or to make a stand on an issue that is important to me.
It is of course possible that I have over-reacted in this reply, but I thought I should attempt to clear the air as it is not my desire to further any unpleasant interaction.
We are after all, on the same side as far as I can tell.
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Check out WinLame. It's free, easy and does the job without a lot of harassment.
Sorry to be dense, but lame needs to compiled. How do I do that? Did I get something wrong?
I Googled Winlame and got:
http://winlame.sourceforge.net/
I think that might be what you are telling us about?
I'll try that.
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Edit, result: Yes that works, Thanks for the leads, just what I need.
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I had not meant for "Part A into Part B " comment to be taken other than as friendly fun banter.
I have no argument with your discussion points at all. I too would defend the right of the individual to "set their own limits and boundaries." to quote you, Pecman.
I would like to see some cool, calm, discussion on the ethics and moralities of various boundaries, but even that is problematic, I should think.
Oh Well Just a thought.
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Camy,
We ar all under surveillance
Your proposed title is very funny, and quite accurate.
Alliterate? How wonderful. Great word.
Graeme,
Great minds think alike, -dynamic update the actual number of views.
That actually occurred to me whilst I wrote. Too funny.
Thanks guys.
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Poetic Psychosis ?
By DesDownunder
I wait,
It is done.
I have done it.
I thought about it,
I was unsure about it,
They said I should try it,
I said I would do it.
It was something I wanted to do
I promised I would do it,
And at last I did it.
Now I wait
And wait
Two minutes,
And still I wait
Waiting for it
Should I sit?
Or Should I stand?
Should I fold my arms?
Or clasp my hands?
Should I hold my breath?
How long have I waited for it?
Seems like years,
Three minutes,
It takes that long to read it,
Will they understand it?
What if no one sees it?
What if no one replies?
What will they think?
What if they think it is lies?
What if they laugh at it?
What If they hate it?
What if they think I?m a stalker?
Or something worse,
Like a slack arsed talker.
Oh no! Can I get it back?
What have I done?
I?ve done nothing wrong,
I?ll make some tea,
Bread some butter,
Wash the cat,
Feed the dishes.
Five minutes have gone by
Still no word,
No reply,
Nothing heard,
Why did I try?
Am I alone
On this planet?
Did I scare them all away?
Did I spell check it?
Is the grammar right?
Did I send it?
Did it arrive?
Six Minutes
And counting
I?m being silly,
I shouldn?t care,
It doesn?t matter.
I?ll go to bed
I can?t sleep,
It is too hot.
Is that the moon?
Or an early sunrise?
Did I offend?
I?ll delete it,
I?ll never write again
I?ll sleep on it,
And throw away my pen
Alarm!
Awake!
Wood!
Computer!
Messages!
Click!
None?
Well it?s only been 6 hours,
Maybe no one has seen it.
I?ll look at the views,
Wow! Eight people looked at it.
But no reviews.
Shower,
Clothes,
Coffee,
Breakfast,
Messages.
None
I?ll ring in sick
Not go to work
I?ll wait all day,
And even pray.
Ding ding!
A message,
Hooray.
Oh! It?s just the boss
Waiting for me to come in today,
He wants to know if I sent in my poem.
What reactions did I get?
Eight of the best.
Edit: inserted missing word
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From what I see we need a forum called "Pet's Corner"
Or is that even scarier?
I'm scanning in my dead cat photos.
Oooops that didn't look right.
I mean I am scanning in photos of my dearly beloved, but departed cats.
I miss them very much.
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I agree that downloading and printing for personal use would not worry me.
I would be delighted to know that my work was being read.
I copyright my work, hence the little c in a circle by the title.
I started saving the stories to my hard disk when, some years ago, an author lost his files and requested if anyone had any of his pages to please send them to him so he would have copies.
All of which brings me to my own somewhat not quite legal practice. I usually save each chapter of a story to a folder of the story's name. I do this by going to file/save as/ then choose Web page, HTML only.
Now as I am the only one with access to my computer and have only ever provided other people with the web site to go and read the story I do not really feel I am doing anything wrong.
As I have become adept at reading on my 19" screen I don't print them out. Oh dear am I bragging about size?
As the page is already in my Internet Explorer cache, I consider all I am doing is giving myself easier access to it.
So I took one of my saved pages of "Someday Out Of The Blue" opened it in Internet Explorer, went to Edit/Select All then copied by right clicking the selection and chose Copy.
I opened a blank word document and clicked paste.
Yep worked perfectly for me.
(Word 2003 on Windows XP SP2)
If Little Buddha does not want me to save his story I will of course abide by his request.
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Got carried away Jason, sorry,
I really wanted to say how much I like the images you paint,
especially:
"Silken robes of sunshine.."
So vivid I could see it immediately.
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...Must be the Aquarius in me.
Yeah, I have one of those and I do mean my boyfriend.
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Hi Pecman,
Stephen King has been asked many times, "why do you write about horror?" And his answer was, "do you think I have a choice?"When Margaret Mitchell wanted to start writing a book, she asked her husband what should she write about. He told her to write what she knew. "Gone With The Wind" was the result.
...I have written professionally before for 20 years, mostly technical articles...Hence your dislike of descriptions of part A fitting into part B?
I agree. Some people introduce their characters by having them describe themselves from their personal, user's manual. Sometimes you just have to get passed that to find that the rest of the story is OK.
I don't think there can be a better audience than writing for yourself, as long as you enjoy what you do.Stanley Kubrick once said that he made movies for himself and hoped like hell that enough people would like it sufficiently to pay to see it, so he could make another one.
And I guess that is why we need our readers feedback so we feel encouraged to write again.
As for boundaries and censorship, (self imposed or otherwise) I think we are on the verge of a new age of socially manipulated restrictions to limit freedom of expression and thus our thoughts.
But that is a whole other can of taboo worms.
I hadn't really considered that I have been enjoying reading "Gay teenage romance" but yeah you are right, that's what it is. On the otherhand I'm rather inclined to want it to be more, whatever that means.
Thanks for your reply and thoughts.
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Thanks Pecman,
My story is held up by end of year work schedule.
I find I need the inspiration, a continuing self-dialog and a sense of unlimited time to write.
Interestingly enough this doesn't seem to apply to my recent resurgent interest in poetry.
After 35 years I suddenly became motivated (by the AwesomeDude site's existence) to write the two poems I recently posted on AD. The first began life over 30 years ago as a prologue to a never finished play. The second popped into my head after a brief nostalgic memory of an old flame. Yes he was the one with the hair oil. The rest is fiction. Neither of these poems have any relationship to my novel so I think the creative process is busy within my head building the burst of reserves I need to get on with it.
I know from previous experience that once the writing is given "free reign" it is very hard to stop. Just look at this post.
or maybe I am just rambling?Graeme's self imposed (at his wife's request) to not have explicit sexual writing in his work is quite admirable, but I do not mind reading erotic sex acts. Porn for the sake of it in a story is a bit like a film that suddenly has the two leads humping because the film industry thinks that is what will sell the film. Well, they might be right, but I won't be very interested in watching. Do you know that the sex scenes are timed so that by the time you have found the fast forward button on the remote control, the sex has finished?
Porn by itself is a different thing altogether and can be fun for all the reasons that it is porn.
I have read sex descriptions that have almost had me in tears, they were so beautiful.
So I am not against sex in stories but I do prefer it to be necessary to the plot.
How explicit the description is, is best left to the author's vision and talents.
I am fascinated by your term, Pecman, "this genre". Do you mean "gay fiction" or something else?
Gay without sex is a phrase all too often imposed on us all. I certainly do not want to be seen as part of any group that does that, even if the sex is just in my imagination or comes from someone's writing.
My thanks for getting me thinking about all this.
We need an emoticon for thinking.
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Errrrr, now this is one life's interesting problems.
If I tell TR where the Nifty chatroom is then will he go there instead of using AD chat.
On the other hand if I don't tell him where it is he could spend hours, days even looking for it and we would be deprived of his wisdom.
Hmmmm? OK! Here is the link but you have to promise to come back to us
http://www.nifty.org/nifty/chat.html
Dude. I made it small so perhaps no one else will see it.
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or maybe I am just rambling?
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Poetry 'performance' - a question
in Poets' Corner
Posted
Camy
My opinion: Performance or not.
These days anything goes.
It is usually considered that the author of a poem is "his own worst enemy" if he tries to read it for others.
The reality seems to be that some poets can do it quite well and some are ... errr, not up to it, to be polite.
One of the things that has pleasantly surprised me on AwesomeDude Radio is the high standard of the voices of people who have made promos.
However, even if the poet does a "read" it is still technically a performance, just one without embellishment if you like. A hundred years or so ago this was called a "recitation" if done from memory or a "reading" if it was read from the written word.
There were people who were employed to perform poetry with great flair and style. They were usually actors or social poseurs.
With some notable exceptions, radio announcers and singers as a rule do not make good choices for thespian activities of the voice as they do not usually have an understanding of the required "dramatic " motivation or are unable to choose the appropriate meter for delivering the verse. Radio voices requires a different set of motivations and rules from most thespian activities. (Imagine if you like if the radio personality announced the time as if he were Richard the third: "NOW, is the eighth hour after the midnight of our discontent." etc,. Similarly advertising the specials at Wal-Mart is really not good voice preparation for singing a Puccini Opera.
...)
And therein lay the problem. Choosing the appropriate form of delivery.
Basically you have to listen to the finished recording and judge whether it sounds corny or exaggerated.
If it does then do a straight reading, unless that is your intention.
Never take any notice of what you think your audience wants or how they like to hear it.
If you want it "over-the -top" or mellow or without emotion, then that is how it should be.
Find your own voice for each poem. How did you hear it in your own mind?
There is a natural rhythm in English that can be ignored or exaggerated, and both or either can be correct, local accents not-with-standing.
Even rap is shifting to a more harmonious delivery in some recent performances I have heard. Very interesting.
Speaking plainly and letting the words speak for themselves usually fails to get the message across.
Having said all that it is somewhat surprising and wonderful when someone gets up and recites a work in a way that ignores what the author wanted and yet still manages to communicate the intention of the verse to the audience. These "interpretations" can also be deplorable or of "fresh inspiration."
It is a good idea to rehearse for someone whom you will not mind telling you what is not quite right with your delivery.
On the other-hand watch out for praise from those who have a strong attraction to seeing you draped in your bed linen.
As far as our wonderful community here at AwesomDude is concerned, I think we will just be pleased to hear a voice that goes with the poet whose poems we have come to love and admire.