rick

FICTITIOUS NEWS FLASH!! This just in! Allegations have recently surfaced that Sally Kern changed her name to hide her actual line of descent. The original family name, Goebbels, was changed due to the outspoken hate speech promulgated in the 1930's and 40's by infamous Nazi Propaganda Minister, Joseph Goebbels. Whether the allegations prove to be true or not, one thing is clear: Sally Kern and Joseph Goebbels would likely have been best friends had they been born in the same generation. It takes a particularly warped and twisted worldview to even conceive such inflammatory nonsense, let alone to have the cojones to get up in public and make such ludicrous statements. Now, before the politically correct police climb all over me for making such an obviously false assertion, I will make the disclaimer that this is intended as farce, and is not intended to be taken seriously...well, except for the second paragraph. Sally Kern and her ilk would have made great foot soldiers for the Nazi party. While it is clearly their right to spout such ignorant garbage, they, in turn, surrender their right to be taken seriously by any right minded human being. They also surrender any protections they may normally have had to avoid being hoist on their own petard, especially as Joe Six Pack will believe any of this kind of hate filled rant, and will, in fact, cheer it on. What a sad place this country has become. Rick

Plot twists! Gotta love plot twists! Rick

And now for a little Raccoon Porn from Mssr. Powell's quiz: Wibby! What are you doing to that poor Beagle! ROFLMAO Rick

Okay, that may have been a little over the top, but it was funny in a vulgar sort of way. Still, if I was a recording artist and someone was using my stuff without permission, I'd probably be even less, ummm, cordial about it than this imitation article. Climbing on soapbox: begin rant. As I've said in other places, I respect Admiral McCain and the things he has done for this country, I just don't think he's the right person to lead us at this point in time: a position reinforced by his selection of a right wing reactionary as his running mate. We need someone willing to take a fresh look at things; someone willing to try things that are different. Is Barak Obama perfect? No. I seriously doubt there is such a thing as a perfect candidate, but after the mismanagement of the last 8 years, and their utter disregard for the constitution and bill of rights, I want something and someone new. Barak may turn out to be the biggest disappointment since James Earl Carter, III and George W. Bush, but he has expressed a willingness to work on things that matter to the average American without placing blind trust in the fairness of a free market that is only concerned with unrestrained greed and profit. Free markets need regulation to keep them from running amok, as recent events demonstrate all too vividly. Yielding soapbox: end rant. Rick

Well said, James, that was my thought exactly. America certainly has developed its own crowd of defective and/or wacked out people, as recent history can certainly bear witness. I personally suspect this is the end result of the attitude amongst some parents that the state is responsible for raising their offspring, and that they, themselves, have no responsibility for setting rules/limits, and for modeling proper behavior. Of course, it could also be the result of the parents being defective themselves, for whatever reason: drugs, abusive backgrounds, etc. Having said that, we've all seen cases where even the most loving and supportive of families can produce sociopaths. It is a sad commentary on the world we live in that we produce such people in the numbers we do. Rick

Reading as much of Mike Arram's and Graeme's writings as I do, I looked around and found the site shown below, which does a pretty good job of covering and defining English and Aussie slang...give it a try next time you stumble across some interesting slang you aren't familiar with... The Urban Dictionary Rick

Well, Des, the subject under discussion was young, HOT guys! Still Des, I knew I should have included a picture for you, so, by way of making amends, here you go! Gotta love them silverbacks! Rick

Shallow and unseemly! That's an apt description for the Raccoon Den! I didn't say Levi was ugly, just that I didn't think he was hot. I've never been a fan of hockey players...unless you count the one played by Rob Lowe in Youngblood. Now THAT was a hot hockey player! Okay, to satisfy Cole's curiosity, here's my idea of hot: Blond's have more fun, baby (even if they come from a bleach bottle)! Rick

I must, alas, respectfully disagree. Not my type at all.... Rick

The world is, indeed, a somewhat darker and colder place as a result of his passing. Requiescat in pace, Paul. Rick

This is a surprise to anyone? Consider my mind boggled. Rick

Another sad, but entirely too true point is that in any election year, there are probably close to 40% of the electorate who will vote a straight party ticket, probably divided roughly evenly between republicans and democrats. These are the sheep who give elections to bad politicians. I'll say it again: go out and vote, but for the love of God, PLEASE, make it an informed choice. Another four years of the same is not what we need. Rick

Sad, but all too true. Rick

Pecman and Trab; Its funny, here we are having health discussions on a writing forum, but I, too, have gone through something related. I developed hives and a number of medicine allergies all at once. Not the small minor hives like everyone gets on occasion, no, I had to get these huge blotchy things that itched like crazy. At the same time, I developed an allergy to an entire class of pain relievers. I can no longer take any NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) like motrin, asprin, aleve, or indomethicin. They make my face blow up and my throat constrict, making breathing a tough problem. Of course, I found out about this the hard way, and had to go to the emergency room for an epinephrine shot. They did all the allergen tests and said the only thing I was allergic to was the evil peanut (which I already knew about) and the specific meds I already mentioned. Despite this, my blood work was exhibiting an out of whack immune response, which was never fully identified. They put me on two different types of antihistamine, Allegra and Tagamet, and I took them at very high levels for the best part of the last three years to control the symptoms. My system has finally settled back down, and I'm off the Tagamet completely, and am only taking one-half an allegra pill (down from two) per day. While I still have no explanation from the medical community on why this happened, I suspect that as we age, our body chemistry changes slightly, but that's my opinion, not a proven scientific fact. As Des pointed out, it could also be related to stress, something most folks have been entirely too familiar with for far too long. I guess I'm writing to say I understand the lethargy, loss of drive, and depression that can come with the onset of any chronic medical condition. I've experienced pretty much the same reactions to my medical issues, since they seem to hit you like a series of rapid gut punches: gout, allergies, diabetes, and the annoying lifestyle changes that go with those conditions are enough to depress anyone. In my case it made me face something I'd always pushed to the background: my own mortality, a scary thing to contemplate. Those kind of feelings led me down a pretty dark spiral for awhile, and while through it at this point, it still threatens to drag me back under once in a while. I have more good than bad days though, and in most respects things are looking up. Now if only I could find a stress free job that pays me a million a month, I'd have it made! I wish I had a solution to offer you, but it seems some of these things just have to burn themselves out, and we're just stuck dealing with them until they do. In the meantime, keep us posted and vent when you feel the need...it always helped me! Best Wishes; Rick

Let me clarify my lazy and dishonest points. First, the information I refer to came from a short interview with the librarian in question done by the national news media (yes, those left wing, liberal elites) shortly after Gov. Palin's nomination was announced. Now I will be perfectly willing to admit a fired librarian has a potential axe to grind, but if the lady says she felt she was being pressured to ban books by a public official, I'm personally going to give a librarian credence over any elected public official, democrat or republican, to whom lies and spin are second nature. I also think it is disingenuous to raise the issue of book banning with a librarian, and to then state it is only a "hypothetical" inquiry. Such inquiries from an elected official, from either party, would raise my ire. The difference here is that, in this case, it was a republican mayor, from a conservative christian church asking the "hypothetical" questions. The position of the christian right is clearly antithetical to the free exchange of ideas and information. They, and they alone, seem to crave the position of sole guardian and arbiter of the morality of public discourse, and want the sole right to ban anything they, and they alone, deem to be offensive to the public sensibilities. My viewpoint is slightly different again. If you don't like it; don't read it, don't watch it, and don't buy it. We are all, of course, free to accept the perspective of Factcheck.org, the Annenberg Institute, or either the democratic or republican propaganda machines. However, in my experience, there is no such thing as a non-partisan opinion. Everyone brings their own personal preferences and biases to any analysis. When reading said analyses, people filter that information through the lens of their own biases to determine its degree of accuracy. To many republicans, for example, Fox News is the only objective news network in the United States, when in reality, it is at least as slanted and biased as the rest of the news media, albeit in the other direction. Finally, I told no-one what to think here: I said that everyone should do their own research and vote their own conscience...after all, the only thing at stake in November is the future of our nation, and our own personal futures. In the paraphrased words of someone far more eloquent than myself: To this end we should mutually pledge our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor. Rick

I've maintained for years that you have to be at least a little nuts to want to run for public office, but thanks for the vote of confidence guys! Rick

Any chance McCain had of earning my vote went out the window with the selection of Sarah Palin. Speaking as an avid reader and sometime writer, I have absolutely no use for someone who attempts to suppress writings and ideas they don't like by banning books, something Palin tried to do as mayor of her little town in Alaska. When the Librarian stood up to her on the issue, Palin later found a pretext to fire her. The republican party used to bill itself as the party of ideas. Today, they are so bereft of ideas, they had to steal their campaign theme from the democrats. Today, they are the party that is afraid of anything that is new or different, especially if it contradicts one of their pet concepts. Central to this seems to be a complete lack of tolerance, driven by those on the extreme right of the party, for whom change and diversity is frightening. The republican party has become stagnant, centered around two or three core concepts that they cling to like a lifeline. Heck, they used to be the party of fiscal responsibility: yet this same party is responsible for spending away the national budget surplus while doubling the size of the national debt. This country was founded by radicals, people willing to try something bold and new when it became obvious that the old way wasn't working anymore. Those radicals framed the Constitution of this nation, and enshrined protections for the people into the Bill of Rights, led by the mighty first amendment: ?Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.? What part of that simple clear statement do they not understand? This is not 1939. Book banning and burning is, and by rights should be, a thing of the past. I have no use for anyone who attempts to restrict what I read or write, and anyone who thinks such things are not at risk need only look at the odious "Patriot Act" to see how easily scared politicians can flush our liberties away in the name of security. The upcoming election is important for those who cherish their rights and the free exchange of ideas. Its time to toss out the people who have run roughshod over the Constitution they have never read, and replace them with people who have new ideas: people with a bold new vision of America the way it is supposed to be; not the America that condones torture, the America that conducts preemptive war, the America that locks its own citizens away without recourse, the America that hates and fears the scapegoat of the week. Its time once again for America to stand for its ideals, to once again be a beacon for justice, progress, and equality: time once again to reclaim the moral high ground, to be the nation I was once proud to serve. I don't have all the answers folks, there are lots of people out there way smarter than I am. All I ask is that you go out and vote, and that when you do, you look deep into your heart and vote for the people who represent this nation at its best: people who will move this nation forward again, uniting all of us in common purpose. Ask not, what your country can do for you... Rick

Still, despite the minor linguistic differences between the branches of the language, English, which is an outgrowth of early Celtic, Viking, Roman/Latin, German, and Old French influences all tossed into the blender, has proven its strength and resilience. Sure its a contradictory old cuss on occasion, owing to its various roots, but that also means it is flexible and adaptable, easily incorporating new words and concepts. So lets hear it for the Queen's English, the various American English dialects, Canadian English, Aussie English, and Kiwi English, with all their quirks and peculiarities!! Hip, hip, Hooray! Cheers! and Huzzah!

Dan is an excellent and imaginative writer...I have to thank AJ for pointing out that Dan had started posting 'Dreams of a Father' a few weeks back, right after I had finished the latest installment of 'Rich Boy'. I've enjoyed everything Dan has written, and check his page at least once a week for new stuff. 'Dreams' is off to a great start! Rick

Des, thanks for the Shields Up link. I ran the tests and the only issue identified was that the system is still responding to Ping requests, everything else is operating in stealth mode. Does anyone know how to shut Ping response down in ZoneAlarm? Rick

I think I have to agree with Cole, here. When writing short stories, I seldom do any outlining and let the story go wherever the muse leads. When writing longer novels, however, it is important to have at solid idea where the story is going, so I do a very minimalist outline, starting with what the book is intended to cover/convey, and then write a brief statement for each chapter explaining what that chapter is intended to do towards moving the story along to its conclusion. Like Cole mentioned, I too have gone back and made changes in a story to accommodate story and character development, albeit rarely. Still, I tend to let the characters take the bit and run with it. The result is that niche characters have turned into major players in the story because I understood who that character was, and how I could use them to solve a given problem. The biggest challenge with writing epic fantasy is character management. It would be entirely too easy to invent a character every time you need one, leading to having a cast of thousands, so I try to hold the actual characters down to the bare minimum needed to keep the story moving realistically, after all, no hero, however great, can do everything himself. Keeping all those folks, and their characteristics straight can be a real pain. In all likelihood, there are probably as many different systems as there are writers. Use whatever works for you, and the heck with the folks telling you how it should be done. Rick

In many parts of the US, pavement refers to the asphalt used in the main part of a street. Ask our English and Aussie cousins what they call that! Having lived in the UK for two years, I know the answer, but lets get the answer straight from the horses, erm, Emu's mouth, umm, beak, or whatever! Rick

I knew there was a reason not to install the Google toolbar.... Rick

You've got to admit they're pretty inventive! Rick

I second the motion. 'Tim' was one of the first good pieces of gay fiction I ever read, and is certainly deserving of being on the "Best Of" list. Rick