I came across this BBC article about the UK's "Child Exploitation and Online Protection centre" which is somewhat similar to Allie Burns' department.

Perhaps, one day, we will see Allie visiting the UK?

URL http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7359589.stm

Posted at Fictionmania by Tigger. It will whet your appetite for Aunt Jane and Seasons House and being from Tigger, I know that it is a good as his other Seasons House Stories. I will not give away the plot, you have to read it or your self.

Here we are again, the end of another weekend with work lurking just over the horizon. Once more I feel that I haven't done very much at all, didn't do a bike ride or write another masterpiece, only fiddled about and achieved very little.

I hope this is set up right, I so seldom use it. I figure no one wants to read about me anyway, they have their own problems. But, I figured why not?

"It's not my knife," said Nolan, waving the switchblade around.

Birdsong 14 at Fictioneer.

- Erin

I know I've been more than a bit 'melodramatic' over the past few weeks. All I can say in my defense, is that I have been wrestling with old, bad memories and present day fears. It's taken a couple of days of "alone time" recently, to wrestle with my demons, major and minor, and at the end of that, I found myself with a new purpose, or a redux of my original purpose.

Good thing I'm ambidextrous. :) Mousing with my left hand isn't hard but my desk isn't set up for it. I may not be doing much more today, it's not a bad burn so it should be okay tomorrow.

- Erin

Nolan wants his money, Max is being stubborn. Where's Birdsong?

Birdsong 13.

I was in Church tonight when the teacher asked what would happen if the sign said " Homosexuals And Lesbians Welcome Here." That sparked a lively debate.

I wonder just how many churches actually welcome all into the church? I would hope that there were more Churches that would open their doors to all.

I have become aware that a number of the parents that I know have followed the same protocal as in the story. Happily, all the boys have tired of the practice and moved on to other things. I wonder what sort of teens, men, husbands these males will be?

Don't know if anyone's seen this yet...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7350099.stm

Hope it's a bit more sympathetic than the Little Britain TVs (tho they were frighteningly accurate)

According to Sol Steinmetz, lexicographer and dictionary editor,(author of Semantic Antics), speaking on the BBC Radio 4 programme, Word of Mouth, 15.4.08, the original meaning of the word girl, was a young child of either sex.

For anyone wondering what happened to cyberbrats chatnet, which is home to the gabyzone channel, please note there are only name service issues. Chatnet itself is still online and running. For anyone wanting to get in, please use 88.198.48.47. This is one of the european servers of CyberBrats Chatnet.

These characters are some of the most thought provoking in T.G. literature and each story is unique in its setting and style. Each story has its merits and fan base in T.G. literature.

This week's column from Tristan Taormino takes a look at what she characterizes as a new wave of "tranny porn". She reviews a number of movies featuring transmen. The reviews are explicit. The films don't sound like ones I'll be looking for, but I merely pass this column on for educational purposes in case anyone is interested.

While out with friends today, Saturday, we stopped at our local mall Waldenbooks store. I casually remarked, while checking out with our books, that if I ever saw MY book in the place, I'd probably faint. The clerk, as we were leaving, asked me, "You have a book out?"

I have in the past been accused of being a prude when it comes to writing my stories but I can honestly say that I am not a prude but I write my stories for a different reason. I don't write for the tittilation factor but rather to see the building of characters and plot. Too many stories, IMHO, are based solely on sexual content and no plot. That type of story I don't read.

I've spent the last fortnight alternating between the throes of nicotine deprivation and guilt from succumbing to it - I am too weak.

I've written nothing, though I've had a few new ideas, and earlier this week I - accidentally - half sold the idea of 'Midnight Angels' to one of the commissioning editors in work - like I need the pressure!

The jury is in. Our collective apprehension about the contents of the pop up ads has been put to rest by experience. Whatever filtering process Erin is putting them through works just fine. Hope they put lots of pennies in the hatbox.

Hugs to all, Daphne

Things are looking up for...

"A good lawyer could get her off..."

Apparently not going to happen.

So. The naysayers that wanted the project killed are going to be happy, at least. I received a total of 7 nominees. I wanted at least 1 nominee per category -- I didn't think it was too much to ask.

Ah well. Was probably a dumb idea anyway.

I have gained permission to use names by those who are mentioned in my posting.

I want to thank those who posted comments to my 'blog'. As stated, the events are true because my husband, Grover, and I have and are still coming to terms with what is going on between us.

I am sitting here feeling very confused and disillusioned. I am no longer sure that any of this transgender stuff is anything but a delusional fantasy. The thing that makes it really bitter is that I believed it all. I'd had these drives for 57 of my 61 years and my siblings say it was evident even before that. I'd been led to believe that the solution for the problem was the surgery that I had.

Jezzi has said that she would like to continue The Challenge and I look forward to seeing her chapter.

Sue.

I finally got around to joining British Cycling, which for those not in the know, is an organisation dedicated to sport and leisure cycling. I'm already a member of the Cyclist's Touring Club, which is the main lobbying group for cyclists.

A nearly empty nightclub, a tall, skinny man with no expression at all stands in a pool of light....

From Yahoo News:

A transgender man who kept his female reproductive organs despite his transformation is now five months pregnant and will appear on Oprah Winfrey's television show, the talk show said on Tuesday.

"I'm a person and I have the right to have my own biological child," Thomas Beatie, of Bend, Oregon, said in excerpts from the show, which airs on Thursday.

Someone recently created an account here for the sole purpose of posting a blog to complain that a BC author with a similar name got a higher Google rating than he. After thinking about it and deciding it wasn't really an April Fowl Joke, I unpubbed the blog and blocked the account. Essentially a whiny troll who didn't even know how to provide a usable link to his site, he got me to thinking:

I'm Sorry about the long wait and apparent death of my story. For the longest time I could not see where I wanted to go with it and I finally found my muse again.
I sould have chapter 3 up by next week (hopefully)

Remember I am still sort of new at writing for others to read so I am looking for any way to improve.

A warm Thank you to everyone who has commented or voted for my stories.

I was looking around for a icon or picture I could use in creating a title page in more than one book

I just now found out that MaddyBell.com and the GabyZone are both back up now. Thank you Piper for fixing the glitch.

Hello all:

I am continuing my Tarja story, but I had a little writer's block. However, while I was dealing with my writer's block, I started a new story, 'April & Rain', and last month I started - for the short story contest - a 'short story', but since the contest is over, I decided to make in into another story.
I hope those 2 will be up this week.

TG Sine

I met the Kajira side of Gwen.

I got myself invited to work as an assistant to a person who does Shibari rope bondage. :) Yyyyaaaayyyyy ! ! ! Did I have fun? Yeeeesssssss! All I really did was recoil the ropes as they were untied from the person who had been tied up. It was my first experience with anything like this and it was soooo much fun.

I haven't been able to access Gabyzone since early today. is it just me or is there a problem?

Hugs
Sue

I will be catching up on the shortcuts tomorrow. Sorry about the couple of day lag there, to make up for it, there will be a couple of days with an extra-large Shortcuts box.

Edeyn

I have noticed that I became a member here a year and a week ago, which for some is probably 53 weeks too long. I have frequented this site for a few years but previously as a reader, particularly attracted by Wanda's 'Kelly Girl', which I still consider one of the best stories here. In those days I was just an occasional reader.

Last night, after I got through reading the latest "Bike" chapter, I went to bed early. But for some reason, sleep was hard to come by.

I was sleepy, but as soon as I lay down, I began to have chills and I felt like I had just run a marathon. I finally went to sleep after a bit, but I still feel weak.

Oh well, this happens every now and then, but I wish that it did not.

I just wanted to congratulate and salute the sterling performances put in by the British cycling team last night, winning three golds.

Well, It's been a while since I posted an update... I've done some updates on a person 2 person basis, or to small groups in the GabyZone chat-room, but it's time to get everyon caught up...

Kim left Deborah Heart and lung center, 2 or 3 weeks ago now.... I'm not sure exact dates because my schedule is all turned around...

I am, it seems, experiencing some mental aberrations. I've ranted and raved at friends. I've been rude and even cruel to some who didn't deserve it. I've been experiencing wild swings in my emotions, laughing one minute, crying uncontrollably the next.

I'm going to try to start something here, and I dare anyone to try to top it. ;)