The Herald: March 2008 Edition

[The Herald]

Welcome to March, and the newest edition of the Herald! Quick announcements for Herald staff. We're welcoming Jon onto the staff. He's written two articles for this month, so be sure to check them out for some fresh talent. Also, we're welcoming back Tony (Tao Ren) to the staff as well. He's managed to chip in, and we're thankful for both guys' presence on the staff.

To some of you this edition may be late, but it's only 3PM my time, March 1st, therefore it's still on time, neener. Thanks to Car for helping with the cover image, and also give your thoughts and well-wishes to Tonya (SilverWings). She's out with a pretty long illness, and we all hope she gets better soon!

On a great note, March's edition happens to be one of the longest with a total of forty articles and reaching just over three pages. The largest still rests with September 2007's edition of forty-four articles and over three pages. I'm very proud of the Herald staff, and hope to push our potential even further and lengthening the Herald by all means. Thanks goes to both the staff and readers.

Kay

[The Herald]

Welcome to this month’s General News. I’ve gotten some pretty good feedback on the article, so I’d like to just say thank you for the comments, and if you have any ideas how to beef up the article, you know how to PM me.

Staff Updates

First we bid a farewell to long time serving moderator, then global moderator, Jonny. He’s been with us for quite some time, and he did a wonderful job and will always have a spot within SSD. We wish him all the best with his future, and Paperboy, you better keep up with your photography, and post it on dA. Good luck, Jonny. We’re gonna miss you.

On a greater note, (and I hate to have to praise myself) Gray and myself have been promoted to Global Moderators. I’ve been around for quite some time, and since Gray has joined the team he’s done very well . So…congrats to us, haha. We’ll do our best, and keep SSD moving forth with the help of the rest of the staff. On a funnier note, Gray is the only male in the (active) upper staff members. What fun we will have with him.

SSD Official Chat

Another official chat will be held on Saturday, March fifteenth, at the usual time of 9 PM GMT. There will be a post in the Chillout board about a week beforehand announcing it with a time converter if you’re unaware. Be sure to join in, there’s typically some kind of fun to be had and you can always poke fun at people, live. Keep an eye out.

That’s it for this month, I’ll see you again next month.
Enjoy the Herald!

Toodles,
Kay

[The Herald]

This month, Maggie has earned the title of MotM. Arriving with a bang back in October of last year, Maggie has made a real impact on the boards. Always bright and funny, her favorite haunts are the Chillout board and the Lit area.

When she's not posting entertaining pictures of herself in Chillout, she's proving that you don't have to be old to be mature and that you can have good grammar on the internet. Go Maggie! She has also received a few nominations in our recent Excellence Awards which just goes to show that you don't have to be "old school" to be noticed and welcomed here.

Congratulations.

<sub>If you feel that the above person doesn't deserve this title, take it up with the author of the article. They didn't ask for this recognition, so do refrain from making them feel despicable by telling them your thoughts.

Thank you</sub>




As the year moves on, so comes a new month. It's time for March, and I smell spring in the air! Well, not really. However there are birthdays, again! The following birthday wishes go out to:

• Assassinator on the 13^th
  
• deific on the 14^th
  
• $©Ø®Þ!@Ω™ on the 27^th

Perhaps you have a birthday in March yet it's not mentioned above? Next time be sure to post in the thread located in the Herald board every month. If the thread is missing, please PM me with a notice and I'll get it up right away.

Thanks! And have a wonderful birthday month, you guys.




Again it was hard to choose a winner this month because of lack of photos to choose from. Spring’s just around the corner, people! I know you can do some great photography, get a move on already. With that said, here’s the winner:

click image to see full-size

Tommy Huynh is the winner for this wonderful photo. Granted it wasn’t posted in the photography board, it was still around SSD, and deserves some recognition. I’m quite fond of how only his left hand is in focus at the neck of the guitar. Music is a great sense of expressionism and you don’t even need to see the guitarists face to know he’s having a good time.

Congrats Tommy, and keep up the great work!

[The Herald]

This month I had the honors to choose the avatar and signature of the month. As you all would know by now, instead of you submitting to us, we will go around looking for avatars and signatures we deem deserving of this award.

Of course, this makes the award more prestigious than it previously was. So without further ado, let me announce the avatar of the month for March 2008.

The Avatar of the Month goes to Vintage! Out of the many I saw, his was the one which stood up to me most. I like the mysterious feel of the lady and the texture works well with that, I feel. Great job, Vintage!

And now, the Signature of the Month...

It goes to Nathan! This signature caught my eye since a while back, and I really like the position of the fox. Almost inquisitive, almost friendly, it makes me want to pat its head. Great job, Nathan!

Till April, then. Meanwhile, start making more signatures and avatars!






Pandora's V for Vendetta illustration is a breath of fresh air from the usual digital art posted these days, as she skillfully brings out the mysterious and creepy atmosphere of V exceptionally well. The texturing has an almost "vintage" feel, and the mesh of dark and light colors work together in pure evil harmony.




As our March feature, I have chosen one of Piurek's button sets. A new member to SSD, Piurek contributed almost straight away to our database, this button set included.

Each button has a well designed icon that describes the button's action, as well as the button label. Each icon is brightly colored but not overpowering and the bold letter/first word on the labels is a nice touch.

[The Herald]

I find myself making a very odd and inspired choice this month, "Dancing Heads." by Maggie. Maggie has impressed me with her every effort so far. She has a natural talent and an unrelenting honesty in her style. Her writing is as unique as her. I've disregarded the lower case letters where capitals should be and went for pure content this time around. Congratulations, Maggie!

Dancing Heads.
by Maggie

Through the
thin needle
of an eye
pull threads
make irises
prick darkness
discover blood
skies fall down
memories collapse
the splinter that cripples
the heart that feels
quick textures
on me

dear life;
saucers are freckled
does that give them spunk?
a soul in a box
does that make it a dream?
a bruise that's yellow
does that mean you squish?
if we discover something
let's discover this.




From "Insomniac anyone?" thread:

Carson:Thats not a stupid respinse.

Thats an awesome response.

Vintage: Spelling response, respinse, is pretty stupid.

[x]

From "Virt is gone" thread:

Ryan: Internet: serious business.

Carson: It might just be a forum but not acting like a wanker isn't a bad life lesson.

[x]

From "Oooh, Dishy!" thread:

Pandora: Here's to you! *raises a glass of jet-dry*

[x]

From "Hey" thread:

Lamaenic: Agreetings.

Luff the avatar, I made love to it twice.

Kay: I hope you wore a condom. Otherwise, you'll now be more of a fungus.

[x]

From "Super Bowl XLII" thread:

Kay: So when the Giants beat the Packers, I was stoked.

Tao Ren: Bad decisions lead to teen pregnancy.

Urban Cinderella: Haaaaaaaha.
Point, if the peanut gallery may say so.

~~~

Artos: Whore. >:3

James: Proudly am. Ask Kay.

[x]

From "Concerning Valentine's Day" thread:

ufc: Internerd? Did you spell that wrong or were you trying to be funny and just kind of failed...?

[x]

From "How many 5 year olds could you take in a fight" thread:

Tao Ren: Nah... I think you're just weak.

Artos: And I think that you lack anything but basic cognizance and are a stain on human existence.

But it's just what I think.

[x]

From "My girlfriend. :(" thread:

Artos: Kids these days. They're being forced to grow up so fast by outside influence; I remember those days being carefree and such as just trying to nab a Heracross to balance out all type weaknesses on my Pokemon team.

(Kai: Heracrosses suck. I like Scyther. And Scizor. They're much better than that damn beetle. Hell, even Butterfree is cooler. )

[x]

From "Okay Now, Wtf" thread:


r e lVl i x: I've heard laser noises, and what sounds like a Jihadist chanting.

Criminal Mastermind: Is your dads first name Osama?

Lamaenic: ooooch That was not cool Crimina xD

Carson: crimina?

What is he? A gangster rapper?

[x]

From "Sickness?" thread:

The Baron: There's been no illness here since we killed all the black people.

[x]

From "Slacking? Me?" thread:

Lamaenic: Stay tuned douchebags.

Pandora: There should be a comma after the word "tuned". ;D

[x]

From "Fight In My Local Burger King" thread:

Artos: ... And what the hell is a "bamf?"

James: ... Bad ass motherfucker.

I'm not one for... well, any sort of abbreviation, but for effect I felt it was a fair touch.

Artos: Oh.

BArtos.

Epic: I agree. After all, some one who worships the Seahawks as much as your self must be a real bad ass.

[x]

To submit quotes, click here.




I can't understand why people are frightened by new ideas. I'm frightened of old ones. –John Cage

If a million people say a foolish thing, it is still a foolish thing. -Anatole France

I haven't failed, I've found 10,000 ways that don't work. –Ben Franklin

Best friends are like diamonds, precious and rare
False friends are like leaves, found everywhere. –Unkown

When all think alike, no one is thinking very much. - Walter Lippmann

Imagination is the one weapon in the r against reality - Jules de Gaultier

If all pulled in one direction, the world would keel over - Yiddish proverb

Money doesn’t make you happy. I now have $50 million but I was just as happy when I had $48 million. - Arnold Schwarzenegger

Beware of the young doctor and the old barber. - Benjamin Franklin

Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going –Jim Ryan

It is wonderful to be here in the great state of Chicago - Dan Quayle, former U.S. Vice-President

The world is round and the place which may seem like the end may also be the beginning. - Ivy Baker Priest






Okay, for this Movie of the Month I decided that change was necessary. Terrible, terrible, change. Some might say horrific. I wouldn't say, but some might say.

So instead of the best movie of the month, I'm going to do a quick piece of the worst movie of all time. Now I'm sure some of you might think; Constantine, it must be Constantine or Pirates of the Caribbean: Worlds End...or even just any movie with Matt Damon in it.

But there are worse movies out there than Saving Private Ryan.

So who has seen Plan Nine From Outer Space? Even the title shrieks appalling B Movie kill me now before it starts to roll and it's too late, but this is the B movie. A quick plot summary is in order...Okay, so alien Martians - presumably from outer space, Mexico isn't quite as mysterious as it was back in pioneering times - decided to stop Earth from creating a Doomsday weapon by bringing all earth's dead back to life as zombies - causing havoc ripped tops and Vampira.

God I can't even be bothered talking about this movie.

Long story short; Humanity wins, but you are left wondering - oh so cleverly - did we really win if we're just going to destroy everything with a Doomsday device anyway?

Aren't those writers clever.

A Pyhrric victory for you to mull on while you throw up your popcorn and coke at the cheesy special effects and terrible acting.

[The Herald]

A Small Trip Around the World is updating its layout with each new edition of The Herald. If you have a suggestion for the layout of this article, please send a message to Sirius Wolfsbane. If you have any other questions or comments about this article, use the previously mentioned link and title your message "ASTATW Question / Comment"



Super Bowl XLII most watched ever
Monday, February 4, 2008


Giants coach Tom Coughlin and kicker Lawrence Tynes celebrate after the Giants' win against New England.
Image courtesy of cnn.com

NEW YORK - Nielsen Media Research reported Monday that Super Bowl XLII between the New York Giants and the New England Patriots was the most watched Super Bowl ever. The previous record was held by the Pittsburgh-Dallas game in 1996 with a total of 94.08 million. The Super Bowl for 2008 had 97.5 million viewers. The Giants ended the perfect season for the Patriots with a score of 17-14.

Click here to read the entire article.

52 dead in destructive storms
Wednesday, February 6, 2008


Students at Union University scramble around campus to help others in the aftermath of a destructive tornado.
Image courtesy of cnn.com

JACKSON, Tennessee - Union University was just one of the places that received millions of dollars in damage Tuesday night as dangerous tornadoes wreaked havoc on the south. The affected states included Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Mississippi and Alabama, causing the death toll to rise to 52. At Union University, reports came in that all of the buildings on campus had sustained some kind of damage, with the cost rising to over $40 million, causing the university to close for the next two weeks. Survivors talked with CNN and local news affiliates:

Ben Powell - Memphis, Tennessee: "I know it sounds cliché, but for a minute there I thought it was the end. It was pretty creepy. I've been in some tornadoes before, but I was just trying to stay calm, you know, and stay down."

Kevin Johnson - Southhaven, Mississippi[/b]: "Next thing I know, the doors shook. All I could do is dunk and dodge. It scared me. I saw the roof come off the building ... just pulled back."

Click here to read the entire article.

Baby dropped to escape fire
Wednesday, February 6, 2008


Looking into the eyes of the policemen four stories below, Kamil Kaplan knew it was safe to drop his 9-month-old nephew out the window to avoid the smoke caused by the flames.
Image courtesy of cnn.com

LUDWIGSHAFEN, Germany - In a port city on the west bank of the Rhine River, an apartment building sat engulfed in flames. Four stories up was Kamil Kaplan and his sister, as well as her two children. When the flames reached their floor, Kaplan was faced with a tough decision: let the 9-month-old baby try and survive the smoke, or drop him out of the fourth story window. Looking down into the eyes of the police officers below, Kaplan knew his decision, and a moment later, despite the protests of his sister, dropped the baby into the officer's safe arms. Unfortunately, Kaplan's two-year-old nephew was killed in the fire, one of nine people that lost their lives.

Click here to read the entire article.

Castro resigns as president
Tuesday, February 19, 2008


Fidel Castro took power in Cuba ion 1959 and has ruled since then with an iron fist.
Image courtesy of cnn.com

HAVANA, Cuba - President of Cuba, Fidel Castro, published a letter late in the night announcing his resignation. Castro, 81, published the letter in Granma, the Cuban state-run newspaper. No rallies or gatherings took place after the announcement. The streets of Havana looked like they always would on a normal business day. Castro wrote, "I will not aspire to, nor will I accept the position of president of the council of state and commander in chief. I wish only to fight as a soldier of ideas. ... Perhaps my voice will be heard."

Click here to read the entire article.

[The Herald]

Would you have sex with oliver?

On Tuesdays

What if bondage was involved?

No bondage. Unless you count us bonding as friends as being bondage. Which you probably don’t.

What if he dominated you?

Probably would. He’s bigger than me. But I wouldn’t allow it.

Who is going to win this hockey game?

Me definitely.

When are you going to have your cool car avatar back?

Now.

Why is everyone staying invisible?

Yeah, there are a lot of us now. Some staff are because if a spammer spams SSD, they will most likely do it when there is no staff online. Little do they know. . .

Devil May Cry 4 looks like it's going to be an awesome game doesn't it?

Yeah, but I probably won’t get it. I am looking forwards to Frontlines: Fuels of War, Grand Theft Auto IV and Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas 2.

Why does all that sound so hot?

Because you are one horny SOB.

Does the Tathagata exist after death?

No? I don’t know much about that topic. I know it has something to do with Buddha though, right?

Who're you?

I’m Gray whose only dream is to own a little shop in the countryside and live the life.

Can you give me $600?

Sure =)

Please?

Yep!

Why not?

Now I’m not. I already said I would yet you kept questioning me. Sux for you

If you died, and burial and cremation both were not options, what super cool way would you want your body done away with?

Super cool you say? Ummm dunno. Maybe put my body in a capsule with fish and let them eat my whole body then, burn them? Cuz its still me in a way ya know?

Would you haunt people as a ghost?

Like yea. Sounds fun.

Do you like green eggs and ham?

Never had green eggs but yes I like ham.

How random do you think I can be? xD

Judging by these questions. . . no your not random at all.

Do you sing in the shower? Perhaps moan, like in the herbal essence commercials? Because you know, that'd be hot too.

I do not moan unless there is a guest with me in the shower. I do sing sometimes yes. I think my voice is good so I sing a lot by myself. Its something to see.

What would you do with a Klondike bar?

I’d put it up firetemptress’s @$$ because he seems to like that stuff as evident in his responses.

What is it good for?

Whats that from? Absolutely nothing sounds familiar from like a song or something.

Or does it?

No idea what you are referring to.

Can someone please tell me what happened to the snowdens of yesteryear then?

Those fuckin communist bastards destroyed them.

What would you change if you were president of the united states?

Our foreign policy. As Ron Paul said, we are sort of policing the world which I don’t think is necessary. I love how we are trying to help all these different nations but sometimes when we intervene, the outcome isn’t always positive. I think we should take a step back and let nations figure issues out for themselves, then if things get violent we then should step in.

Are you happy I'm on Herald again now?

Of course. The more writers we have the better.

Favorite part of SSD?

I’ve always said this. I just love the community here. Even though things do get bumpy on occasions everyone here is close and that’s how I think all forums should be.

Would you rather have to lick people's faces to stay alive or have the uncontrollable urge to punch everyone you meet?

I love that game. Lick peoples faces. As long as they have clean faces and didn’t have like worms growing out of their teeth, I would definitely lick their faces if my life depended on it. An urge to punch everyone would be annoying and would most likely get me arrested knowing how jacked my muscles are.

Why can't chickens fly?

I thought they could for like 20 seconds at a height of 3 feet off the ground. Maybe that was a rooster I saw.

Did OJ do it?

Don’t have an opinion. Though I find it very intriguing how he won the case in court but lost it in a civil court.

are you going to answer my question?

No

why did uc decide to clean this thread? i mean.. seriously?

Cuz it was like full of ya’ll peoples spam yo. (I'm so cool)

Are men-women relationships like oil and water or peanut-butter and jelly?

Peanut-butter and jelly fo sho. I always tell people they are the peanut butter to my jelly. They just stare at me. =/

Why don't they understand?

Good question Artos. Why don’t they? Probably because they are not as sicknastysweet as us.

Is this the winter of our discontent?

Hope not. But, I don’t think so. It’s been fine for me at least.

Bryanic has this in his sig ''I got 8 excellence awards but I won't put them here because I don't want to depress anyone about how they can't be as awesome as me'' but really he got 7 excellence awards not 8, true or false?

True he should have gotten 0 if you ask me. I should have gotten all 50 or however many there were.

Do you like touching chicken boob?

Yes as a matter of fact I recently purchased one just to perform that same act you just described on a daily basis.

Wtf?

I didn’t do anything

So gray, now that you have this information has your opinion of Bryanic lowered?

Not really. Its typical of him.

Some one has a high opinion of me?

This questions sounds weird unless I post the text its referring to, so I won’t.
Yes, I have a very high opinion of ya.

Are any of these really good questions? Cause it seems to me they are just being perfectly dumb and talking to each other in question form to you, right?

Hah yea I realized that. Whatever I don’t mind it.

fucking hell, why is that so hard?

Someone’s in a bad mood. . .

Gray would you say that you are obliged to ask every question on here? Including Uc's?

Haha, basically.

Does Car have a bulging vein in her forehead that could erupt any day?

I think it is dormant now. So no.

Will a traditional art piece EVER get to be a featured image?

Haha keep drawing and if your work impresses me as some of your past pieces have, I will feature it. We almost did feature zephyrs work remember? But I left for vacation and it was too old to feature. By that I mean a week.

Is this going to be a crappy article because everyone is trying so hard to show off & be funny?

Well, I guess that’s what this thread. A place for you to ask me funny questions. I don’t mind it but I would appreciate more serious questions next time if there is one. . .

Bread or toast?

Toast. I don’t really like bread its too plain. Actually garlic bread isn’t bad.

Snow or rain?

Snow cuz we can get off from school and rain pisses me off.

What's the biggest feat you had to overcome?

Losing in the Cal Ripken Jr. World Series. My team had to win 8 games to get there and we blew it. Though, I got to be on T.V.

Why is the weather in canada so shitty?

Don’t know. Haven’t been there long enough to notice it. I am 50% Canadian though. Mom was born in Regina, Saskatchewan

why is "that" the question?

I always thought it was “to be or not to be”. O, wait haha I see how “that” is the question because he says “that is the question” (duh) but I think he is reffering to “to be or not to be”

To be, or not to be: that is the question. Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, or to take arms against a sea of troubles, and by opposing end them?

I am sick of Shakespeare tbh. So, regrettably can’t answer the question. We just finished Romeo and Juliet in class and I am getting annoyed of that language. This kid in my class thinks he is cool becaused he talks in that Shakespearin-age language and it just annoys everyone. Our teacher told him he wasn’t funny at all and he felt so rejected. Funny moment.

who are you?

=( This is the second time I’ve been asked that question in this article.

That aside, Gray, If you were on a island for thirty days only with a saw, a compass, and a packet of matches and on the thirty first day you saw a boat float by but it was only big enough for the upper half of your body would you be willing to saw the lower half of your body off in order to save yourself.

- The boat is weird shaped
- You'd probably bleed out but lets pretend you wouldn't

I am not that gutsy and courageous so I would probably wait.

Do you like Shakespeare Gray?

I like one of his plays Romeo and Juliet but I just can’t stand his language. The plot in that play was brilliant I thought. Read two other of his plays in school and they bored me to tears.

[The Herald]

Name: Haley Wilson


"And it is Must Have Cookies."


Age: 16


Sex: Female

Website: none


What made you join Solid Snake Designs? more like who


You are a writer, what is that like for you? I like it alot.


What is your favorite thing about designing? Do you have any other hobby, such as coding or writing? writing i don't really design


Do you have a role model or hero? If so, who? ummm, idk



Is designing something you would choose as a career? no, but writing is!



What is your . . . .

• Favorite Color?

purpley-blue (sort of like rainbow fish's scales)

[/li][li]Drink? tea

[/li][li]Food? caeser salad

[/li][li]Movie Genre? hard to choose... musical or horror? or animation?

[/li][li]Reading Genre?[/b]anything basically, as long as it is fiction
[/li][/ul]

Anything interesting you would like to add?
i'm a person, not a people.
i'm pretty random
ummmmmmmmm, ask if you wanna know anything else.


Finally, if there was one SSD member you could choose to be, who would it be, and why? i don't really know anyone on here yet.

[The Herald]

Our world has come across some great women. We use to be treated very unfairly, and considered second-class citizens in the nineteenth century. Since then we’ve come a long way and made some pretty decent improvements. Granted there are still those individuals that are sexist and think that us women shouldn’t have a “man’s job”, most places provide equal opportunities these days.

The Civil War marked a time that was crucial for women, and three activists that had enough courage to stand up and voice their words should be well known. Slave-born, Sojourner Truth, along with Elizabeth Stanton, and Susan B. Anthony made a point to lecture the government about the unfair treatment of slaves and women. They came to the belief that once the war was over, both women and slaves would be granted the same rights as the white men. However, when the war ended, the government saw the two problems as individual ones to be dealt with. They ruled that the time was for the slaves and to focus on freeing them. Women’s rights were pushed to the side for the time being.

It wasn’t until 1919, however, that amendment XIX was passed by both houses of Congress and 1920 when it was ratified under the presidency of Woodrow Wilson. There were two parts to the amendment. For those whom aren’t aware:

Amendment XIX
1. The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.
2. Congress shall have power to enforce this Article by appropriate legislation.

Ratified August 26, 1920

Women’s National History day is March eighth. The theme for 2008 is Visionary Female Artists. Honorees will be chosen and announced accordingly. So join in with the rest of the word and celebrate the female power. We play a major role in this world, one that we’re more credited for now (in some countries, anyways). C’mon men, without us you wouldn’t be here.

Thanks to History.com and Wikipedia for information.

[The Herald]

It’s almost time to indulge in Irish mead, bangers and mash and wear tons of green. The celebration of Saint Patrick’s, one of the patron saints of Ireland, is just around the corner and each year is gaining more and more recognition. It's been a holiday since the 17th century, and has been a recognized day in over 20 countries, but never an official United States holiday. And in Ireland they have a 5-day festival compared to the single day, March 17th, which everyone else celebrates.

Everyone wants to be Irish on St. Patrick’s Day, a common saying showing that even non-Irish love to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. Argentina, Canada, Great Britain, Germany, Denmark, Montserrat, Mexico, South Korea, and the United States are all other countries that have a large population of people who follow and celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.

The most common form of celebration for St. Patrick’s Day is by way of parade. The largest parades of Ireland happen in Dublin, Cork, Belfast, Derry, Galway, Kilkenny, Limerick and Waterford. And the United States also pack a mass load of cities that host large St. Patrick’s Day, Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, Morristown, Buffalo, Savannah, Carbondale, Chicago, New Haven, San Francisco, Scranton, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Kansas City, Buttle and Rolla, all cities within the United States that hold large festivities.

Green food and Irish food are gobbled up in bars and homes across the world. Green vegetables, green dyed rice, green dyed bread, green jell-o, green pudding, key lime pie, lime sherbert, green Kool-Aid, green lemonade, and much more green food items scatter the plates of hungry Irish wannabes. Traditional Irish meals like corned beef and cabbage, bangers and mash, Irish stew, Sheppard’s pie and much more also are common meals.

Green dyed beer, a common treat in bars on this holiday.

St. Patrick’s Day is also a day for leprechauns to come out and be worshiped as idols… lol. Don’t be mean to the little people. But everyone can enjoy the other item that people look forward to, and that’s green beer and Guinness.

The Chicago River on St. Patrick’s Day during the 2005 celebration.

In Chicago in 2005, the city dyed the Chicago River a rich green to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day and now carry out doing so in following years. I personally can’t imagine seeing this, I would love it, and I am amazed by Kansas City, the city of fountains, dying much of the water within the city fountains green, a truly goofy sight to see streams of green water being shot into the air, pulling the old Nickelodeon moments from the past back to my memory.

Green water!

www.proposition317.com/ is a website where Guinness is trying to support that St. Patricks Day becomes a recognized National Holiday. So, some day soon, you could have a day off of school if it doesn’t fall during your Spring Break, like it does for me. So enjoy your St. Patrick's Day and drink responsibly.

[The Herald]

I’m supposed to cover the history of a whole country in one article. Balls to that. Just cause America has a history you could write on the back of a grain of rice doesn’t mean the rest of the world is as equally historically devoid…Bah

Ireland, hmmm. Good things have come from Ireland, like The Stiff Little Fingers and the Pogues, but then very very horrendous things have come from Ireland…like Bono and U2.

Now that’s fucked up.

Why did the home country of two of the greatest bands in the world also spawn the band with the most obnoxious front man in the world…madness. Now I know the Pogues didn’t come from Ireland, but they were Irish, so that’s got to count for something.

Okay, but yeah, history.

Urgh. Go read the Wikipedia you ignorant fucking hicks. I guess the most interesting part of modern Irish history is the troubles…and the bastard Orangemen - bunch of fucking wankers who actually want to be English, who wants to be English? England sucks. But, yeah, they want to be English and they go so far as to actually have carved out a piece of what is Ireland – or to be more precise the English have systemically abandoned the south of Ireland to the Irish – and called it England. I blame Cromwell for the Purgings really…The Irish have had a pretty shit time of it altogether to be honest.

I don’t know why they persevere.

Probably cause they’re silly wankers that spell whisky with an ‘e’.

Wait I just realized. I’m supposed to be celebrating Irish history. That’s the problem…Okay forget the potted history. Ireland a lovely place...filled with gold and leprechauns and what not.

I recommend you visit if only so you can see that it’s the failed prototype for Scotland.

[The Herald]

I’m not going to lie to you. Doing research for this article was excruciating. There were songs, people, songs dedicated to Pi. With videos. I’m not talking about ultra-charged, excellent music with intriguing videos. Oh, no. I’m talking about amateur rewrites of already terrible songs, rewritten so that they may awkwardly rhyme common math terms. It’s enough to make even a math enthusiast like me hang up her protractor. Perhaps I’m being harsh considering I don’t know the age of the people who made those videos. All I know is that they did the opposite of what reading ahead in my Pre-Calculus text book did for me, which was excite me exponentially. Pun intended.

Pi Day, held on March 14th (as in 3.14, the abbreviated number that represents Pi) is supposed to be about celebrating Mathematics, about getting students interested in its relevance to everyday life. It affects our logic and problem solving abilities in all the right ways. It accounts for patterns in nature and even patterns in chaos. It is in Art, Architecture, and in living organisms.

An important key to understanding math in nature is proportion. A nautilus shell is beautifully spiraled, but most people don’t realize the mathematically perfect representation of the “Golden Section” the shell is, a pattern repeatedly found in the most remarkable places from that tiny shell on the beach to the vast almost incomprehensible swirl of a galaxy and all it contains. Both can be neatly broken down into geometric sections, proportionately the same though the difference in size is dramatic. Similar patterns are everywhere, and you only need to open your eyes to see them.

Pi Day doesn’t have to be one corny pun after the other. You don’t have to eat pie and play “Pin the Pi on the Equation”. I suggest celebrating the day by renting the film “Pi” by Darren Aronofsky, a black and white path to insanity brought on by the main character’s obsession with the never ending, never repeating number that represents “Pi”. Then take a walk with your Geometry goggles on and behold the shapes and patterns that hold your world together. Finish the day by curling up with a good book, preferably “The Geometry of Art and Life” by Matila Ghyka so that you may have sweet dreams about great golden spirals.

Whatever you do, don’t dismiss Math’s consistent relevance, even if it is just during this one very obscure holiday.


Picture from www.acceleratingfuture.com

[The Herald]

Yeah right, okay. Here we are again.

This article is on the Spring Equinox and for that sake I’ll summarize it here briefly. In short, the spring equinox is some sort of hippy new age shit that this article was supposed to rattle on about for god knows long. Instead though, I’m going to capture a few themes; something about the handmade blade the child’s balloon eclipsing both the sun and moon, something about seasons and something about times of passage empowerment - all sorts of bullocks.

What does the equinox honestly have to do with anyone’s life? Ever? It’s like a placebo without any actual beneficial effects. I could have spent my time doing something creatively important crucial to my emotional and physical development, like drinking or sleeping, instead I had to read a 20+ page Wikipedia article – or at least I’ll maintain that for the sake of claiming that I actually did any ‘research’. I will say it here and say it now; the Spring Equinox is a bunch of shit. Which brings me onto my first incredibly important point – mark it, for there’ll be more, this is the real truth right here.

The Spring Equinox represents everything that’s wrong with our culture; tradition and hippies, distraction and confusion, constant confusion. All of this shit is just to distract you from the real issues. These gross intra-societal monstrosities of tradition and received wisdom

Goddamn. Goddamn. Goddamn.

A sickening cultural salute to apathy, funny coloured rocks and the creeping red menace. Yes, commies, commie bastards. They are responsible for this like they are responsible for everything. They corrupted our youth and only great minds like Thatcher, Ronald Reagan, and that lovely Gentleman from Germany could see the threat posed by Communists - and by Hippies and every other threat to Western freedom. They hate our free, and that’s why I say Ban Worship of this false god! Only Christ, Sweet Jesus, can possibly save the planet from its dire straits and sick rat bastards and trying to cloud his way back to life - in this Glorious Month of Easter – do he can save the planet and make George Bush - our rightful ruling master – President of the United States of the World forever.

Forget Obama or that mean bitch Clinton - don't let me get started on that soviet plot waiting to happen, never mind that she has never shown any sign of it before, I Can Tell - there is only one vote you should make, the vote with your Gun. Automatic weapon in hand I expect all true patriots to march upon Washington and fight, fight, to keep President Bush in power. You have that constitutional right for a reason and that reason is to support your government without a thought for your own life.

Fuck you Hippy commie scum, fuck you in your Anti-American Faces.

[The Herald]

Well this is one of the most popular and unpopular animes. I figure this is a good enough show to review, and I'll begin by reviewing some of the main characters.

• Yugi Mutou: The main character. Skilled at Duel Monsters. He was given the Millennium Puzzle from his grandfather. Upon piecing it together, he unlocked an alter ego, Yami.
  
• Yami Yugi: Yugi's split personality; fiercely skilled at Duel Monsters, and is the spirit of an ancient Pharaoh in Egypt.
  
• Joey Wheeler: Best friend of Yugi. Skilled Duelist.
  
• Tea Gardner: Close friend of Yugi's; isn't the best Duelist, but is a great supporter to Yugi and friends.
  
• Tristan Taylor: Close friend of Yugi's; isn't the best Duelist, but is a great supporter to Yugi and friends.
  
• Seto Kaiba: Billionaire businessman. He is a great Duelist and is Yugi's rival. He invented the new style of Duel Monsters.
  
• Mokuba Kaiba: Seto's smaller brother.
  
• Solomun Mutou: Yugi's grandfather. He was the one who discovered the Millennium Puzzle.

The series starts out with Yugi piecing together the Millennium Puzzle. This is an ancient artifact that his grandfather found in a tomb on an excavation in Egypt. It is an upside down pyramid of gold, with an eerie eye on the front of it.

When he put the pieces together, he awakened the spirit of the Pharaoh. To his delight, this spirit is an excellent Duelist. A big hit in the world at the time, Duel Monsters is on a rampage. Everyone is into this sport! As Yugi continues to play through tournaments, games, and just friendly duels, he is chased by various villains who lust for the powers of the Millennium Puzzle. These people harness the power of the Shadow Realm, a place where the soul is helpless, and pursue him with great interest.

Yugi soon finds out that there are seven other Millennium Items, and that his pursuers each have one. However, the spirit of the Pharaoh is strong, and they overcome each obstacle in their path.

Yu-Gi-Oh! is a great series, satisfying strategy and plot. I recommend it, except for Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, which isn't a good show at all. DON'T WATCH IT!

[The Herald]

Throughout history there has been countless novels published that could be considered an American classic. Countless. However, one novel strikes me as a true American classic: Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

At some point in our school career, every good little boy and girl has read at least a part of this novel. It's a timeless classic, not only breaking the mold in regards to its view on slavery, but opening the eyes to each and every person that reads it. Yes, things like this did happen and yes, children like Huck witnessed them.

But the book doesn't focus on that the entire time. The story involves a young boy, Huckleberry Finn, and his search for adventure. That's all he wants his life to hold, adventure. Whether it's gallivanting around with Tom Sawyer in a gang of "murderers," or sailing down the Mississippi with a runaway slave, Huck does everything in his power to make sure his life is packed with adventure.

And adventure it has. Our story starts in little St. Petersburg with a clean Huck living a clean life. It's a life he can't stand, but one he must conform with. After being kidnapped by his father, Huck stages his death, grabs a canoe drifting down the Mississippi, and starts his adventure further south into slave territory.

His trip is filled with many interesting people. On his way down the river, he picks up Jim, the runaway slave of the Widow Douglas, as well as the King and Duke, two older characters that fill Huck and Jim's lives with laugh and danger.

The story all ends with Huck, Tom, and Jim at Aunt Sally's home. Huck, as Tom, and Tom, as Sid, create a plan to release Jim from the hold Tom's uncle has over him. Not wanting Jim to be a slave, Huck and Tom dig and dig under the small hut Jim has to live in. They create an elaborate plan involving many of the items around the house, items which Aunt Sally finally notices are missing.

In the end, Jim is free, and Huck is deciding whether he wants to conform to a clean life or escape to the Western Territories.

[The Herald]

Die Hard 4.0: Live Free or Die Hard

Spoilers Below!

A whole twelve years after Die Hard with a Vengeance, comes the forth installment in the action series. These days John McClane wants to take things slow and keep an eye on his estranged daughter. Taking things easy doesn't last long for John as a simple escort task turns nasty.

McClane is given the seemingly simple order of taken computer hacker Matt Farrell (Justin Long) into police custody but terrorist Thomas Gabriel has other ideas and sends his men to kill Matt. Gabriel and his group plan to initiate a 'fire sale' hitting America through its everyday use of technology, by disabling all traffic and transportation hubs/systems, disrupting financial sectors and telecommunications and disable water/electric utilities, nuclear systems, and anything else tied into computers, the whole country's infrastructure is in danger. What’s good about this plot is it's believable. You could see something like this really happening in today’s technology dependent world, in today’s digital age.

Shortly after the failed attempt to eliminate McClane and the computer whiz-kid they start to travel to a power hub in West Virginia to defend it. They are met by yet more terrorists, including a helicopter which McClane takes down with a car 'I was out of bullets' he declares. Although bordering on ridiculous it does look realistic because of the films diminutive use of GCI, the director Len Wiseman and Bruce Willis wanted to limit the use of GCI 'because we’ve got Transformers and other big CG movies coming out, this one has to feel more real' well I say, mission accomplished.

I don't want to give too much more about the film but I will say this, there is a outlandish scene in which McClane is driving a truck and Gabriel; the head honcho of the terrorists, renders a hack to deceive the pilot of a jet to attack McClane's truck which leads to a lot of destruction of the freeway. Now that is what some call 'over the top action'. This scene is one of the few cases where the film uses CGI, a miniature model and a full-size prop were both built to assist in digitally adding the jet into the scene.

John McClane may be older and balder, but ultimately he's better. There is something about him this time around that is more physically imposing than before. Willis is in top form and Justin Long is a pleasant surprise, playing a somewhat different role than he did in Dodgeball, and playing it convincingly. Die Hard 4 delivers a lot of action, plus a fair few humorous wise-cracks. This movie proves itself to be the best action movie in the series and possibly one of the best action movies of the year.

[The Herald]

Hey guys, Jamie here! Thought I'd show you guys some things about literature! I'm gonna tell you the importance of punctuation, and how we group it with our words. When you use punctuation you need to understand how you are affecting the words you write, because you could mean one thing but say another with a punctuation mishap. For example, look at this letter from Jill to Jack.


Dear Jack
I want a man who knows what love is all about you
are generous kind thoughtful people who are not
like you admit to being useless and inferior you have
ruined me for other men i yearn for you i have no
feelings whatsoever when were apart i can be
forever happy will you let me be yours
Jill

Notice that no punctuation is in this letter. With punctuation and correct capitalization it can look like this:

Love Letter:

Dear Jack,
I want a man who knows what love is all about. You
are generous, kind, thoughtful. People who are not
like you admit to being useless and inferior. You have
ruined me for other men. I yearn for you. I have no
feelings whatsoever when we’re apart. I can be
forever happy – will you let me be yours?
Jill

all the way to a

Hate Letter:

Dear Jack,
I want a man who knows what love is. All about you
are generous, kind, thoughtful people, who are not
like you. Admit to being useless and inferior. You
have ruined me. For other men I yearn! For you I
have no feelings whatsoever. When we’re apart I can
be forever happy. Will you let me be?
Yours,
Jill

Our punctuation gives us an edge over whatever we wish to say.

You may notice that the two letters were the exact same word for word, but exhibit two completely different meanings due to misplacement of the punctuation.

This gives a greater disposition and a larger view on the importance of punctuation. Armed with this information, you should be able to produce a sentence with proper punctuation and meaning.

Cheers!

[The Herald]

These days so many things are taken for granted. Life being the main fixation; I think that speaks for itself. What I want to talk about is two specifics; love and time.

Why?

They both intertwine with one another. Love is time, time is love. You can’t have one without the other. My main inspiration for this was seeing the movie, P.S. I Love You, in it, the main female character loses her husband to a tumor. She never really knew how much she loved him until he was gone. Life’s cruel like that, we never are struck with that realization until it’s too late to step back a couple of paces.

Love is taken for granted in so many ways. You have those that use their loved ones. Whether it be a parents, sibling, friend, or significant other. A lot of the time it’s for money and/or shelter. We walk all over them and just grasp at the material objects. Sometimes petty fights break out and you speak very hateful words to the other. Next thing you know there’s a car accident killing them and your last words were, “I hate you.” Nice finishing touch, right?

When people say that words don’t hurt, they’re dead wrong. Words hurt more than physical pain. A lot of words scar individuals for life, unknowingly of course. The teenage girl that grew up without a father after him promising her he’d never miss another birthday, or another girl whose mother is always calling her fat and ugly so she starts throwing up in hopes to satisfy her mothers needs. Or what about the little boy who eats and eats yet can’t manage to gain a pound so he’s called a skinny runt? To some of us those may just be jokes or you may shrug them off. Numerous people don’t stop to think that maybe that person isn’t as strong as you and I to move past that situation and make something good of ourselves; better ourselves.

Combining love with time, that’s a whole ‘nother scenario that gets under my skin that I see constantly. Hell, I’ve even lived it. You fall in love with someone, they return those feelings. You’re not together. Why the hell not? There are contributing factors, but oddly enough you can’t seem to pinpoint the exact reason. All you know is that crying yourself to sleep at night no longer works. You yearn for that person’s touch and presence right next to you every night. Not being able to help yourself, you wonder if they have those same feelings. Quickly you shove them to the back of your mind thinking, “Nah, if they had these thoughts they’d be next to me and I’d be asleep peacefully in their arms.”

So what are you going to do when one day you get a phone call saying that the person you love has been killed, or that they’re in the hospital in a coma? You’re gonna wish you had said the words that had been kept unspoken, you would’ve wished that you’d been there every night with your arm around them, enjoying the scent of their hair and dreaming about the fun time you’ll have this coming weekend with a surprise snowball fight you have planned. Looking over at your love you soon realize that won’t happen because you’re too late. If you’re lucky, you’ll be given another chance. Are you going to take that one for granted too?

I’ve loved, I’ve lost. Do I have regrets? Yes, major ones. Do I wish I could go back? Yeah, I most certainly do a lot of the time. Sometimes I think I’ll get another chance, but then I stop and remember, “I’m the one who wants to take another round, I’m the one who loves him unconditionally, but it doesn’t rest in my hands, it rests in his. He’s the one who needs to figure out what he wants and if he's truly happy with where he is, before it all fades away.”

Life is full of agony from the bullets it throws at us. Why add to that agony by not embracing the people you love when you have the chance to do so? Take the time to show them and tell them how much you truly love them. Don’t be afraid to stick with them. Because honestly, who can tell when their time, or even worse, your time could be up.

Think about it. Would you rather wake up next to that amazing person that you can truly say you love, or would you rather be sitting in their funeral dwelling on what could have been. Time is something that we have no idea how much we have. Why take it for granted? Everything you do, can involve another person.

In English our final was an essay on, “Can I choose my own destiny?” I wholeheartedly replied with a simple yes. The decisions that we make map out the road ahead of us. Whether we take a left turn, right turn, or keep going straight is our decision. No one makes that decision for us. Some take that road alone, some would prefer company. Just remember, loneliness will only grow. Make the right choice on who you have at your side, you don’t want to waste your time on someone who isn’t what you want, or waste your time being lonely when that special person could be there the whole time.

[The Herald]

You catch each other’s eye at a party, at a dance club, in a library, on a bus, wherever. You talk, sparks fly, and before you know it you’re in a bonafide relationship. Life is wonderful. Rose petals fall from the heavens everywhere you two walk. The sky is extra blue, and the birds are chirping your song just for you! Ah, amore.

Fast forward to the not so distant future: You’re left carrying all the bags through the mall, you’re compromising friendships you had since kindergarten, your grades are the ones slipping, and then one day you vent your frustrations and explode all over your significant other in a most unpleasant way. It’s over.

Question: So, whose fault was it?

Answer: You both earned the blame.

Yes, you were taken advantage of, taken for granted and your feelings were rarely considered, but who kept their mouth shut? Who bottled the growing anger until the bottle could hold no more? It takes both of you to dance the delicate dance of a relationship. In the above scenario, you were the one limping along like a dead fish while your love was dragging you mercilessly across the dance floor. Hardly an effective tango, if you ask me.

Even while dancing, a couple communicates. Words or no words, the subtle body language tells you what your partner’s next move will be. Your eyes meet, and you both seamlessly slide into the next move, and the next. Smoke billows around you and it is just the two of you in a cloud, cheek to cheek one minute, then an arm’s length away from each other, looking in opposite directions, only to be pulled back into each other’s arms, surrendering completely to the love you feel.

Like a relationship, the Tango tells a story. It may be a common tale, but it is a complicated one none-the-less. Bringing the dance to life requires communication, give and take, balance and passion.

And practice! One fight should not be the end of a relationship. It should be a learning experience. When the pain of the argument subsides, talk about what started the fight. You’ll be amazed at how strong your love can grow from such unpleasant conversations. The more you test the waters of communication, even when it comes to very sensitive subjects, the stronger you will be for each other, and the dance will be that much more beautiful.

[The Herald]

Put yourself in the shoes of a man. Just think for a minute. You're in school, sitting at your desk, watching the clock for the period to end. You have five minutes before lunch starts! One minute left until the end of the period...

It's the longest period of your life.

Your legs are crossed, your feet tapping, your hands sweating. Your insides groan, causing you to frantically look around the classroom to see if anybody noticed. You look back at the clock. It's only been 20 seconds.

You really have to pee.

But finally, oh! Finally, the bell rings. You bolt out of your chair, roughly pushing it back under the desk, as you run towards the door, hoping everybody will stay out of the way.

Pushing through the hallway, you're hoping you don't pee yourself. You bump in between people, muttering a sorry each and every time. Finally you reach the bathroom. There's an open urinal. Unzip...and you feel better.

For a minute.

You see in the shiny glass plumbing of the urinal a male walking up behind you. You recognize the kid - he works with you. Walking right up next to you, his fly comes down...and he starts talking to you. Asks you how you're doing. At this point, you're a little freaked. Who talks to somebody while you're taking a pee?

But he doesn't stop when you give him a short reply that you're doing okay. He goes on about work, about the pay, all standing here taking a pee. You're done, actually, but you don't want to be rude and leave. But it's...awkward. You don't look at him, he doesn't look at you. You're talking to the wall.

But finally...he's done. And you're gone.

Have you ever had that happen? Some males find it appropriate to continually talk to others while they're taking a pee. Some of them even turn to look at you, causing you to subconsciously push yourself closer to the cold porcelain.

Ever had this happen? Let me know your stories! Send me a message and maybe, just maybe, I'll continue the article in the next edition of The Herald.