The Herald: November 2007 Edition

Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday dear November-people
Happy birthday to you

• Ryan's Dog
  sometime in November

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To those of you who didn't tell us your birthday: Don't worry, we know who you are. Nevertheless, a happy birthday to anyone having a birthday in November who isn't listed here!

Wondering how to get your name here? You will find a birthday thread in The Herald board each month. Simply post there telling us the date of your birthday (if it is in the upcoming month), and you'll have your name put here, all nice and pretty-like.

Six days after shooting, Cleveland school opens


Right, teacher Michael Grassie talks about his relationship with the shooter, Asa Coon, and the result of being shot in the abdomen.
Image courtesy of myfoxcleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio - A 14-year-old student walked into SuccessTech Academy with two revolvers after being suspended from the school for fighting. After shooting four people, two teachers and two students, he shot himself. He was the only casualty. The shooting has caused Cleveland Public Schools to install metal detectors in all 110 of its school buildings and hire a larger security force to protect the 50,000 plus students.

Mother stabbed in front of child

LYNN, Massachusetts - Esther Kinyanjui, age 31 and mother of 2, was stabbed and killed in her basement apartment with her youngest child nearby. Her sister, Margaret Kinyanjui, was injured in the attack and is now speaking for the family. Patrick Waweru, the father of Kinyanjui's two children, was ordered to undergo 20 days of observation at Bridgewater State Hospital.

Click here to read the full article.

500,000 evacuated from southern California


Fires burn in Chula Vista, south of San Diego.
Image courtesy of cnn.com

SAN DIEGO, California - More than 500,000 people were evacuated from their homes as wildfires threaten the majority of San Diego County. Since the weekend, 17 wildfires have burned 425 miles from northern Los Angeles to southeastern San Diego. Fire crews are reporting that they do not have the manpower and equipment to fight these fires. Qualcomm Stadium, home of the San Diego Chargers, has become a temporary refugee camp for people who have been evacuated from their homes.

Click here to read the full article.

It was difficult to decide which angle to take for this review. We’ve got a cartoon band from the brain of Brendon Small. We’ve also got a five piece metal band complete with background stories. When I reviewed the band once upon a time, I played Brendon’s game and treated them as a real band and their background stories as plausible. This CD is going to get a more serious approach.

All vocals, guitars, bass, and keyboard are played by the man himself, Brendon Small. I’m impressed. Gene Hoglan is credited with “insane drumming”, and Emilie Autumn adds violins to the track “Dethharmonic”.

As impressive as it is that he practically IS the entire band, what is more impressive is the love with which this album was embraced. I tried to purchase the CD on its release date, but it was sold out in every store. Talk about the industry underestimating the project. Knowing it would be stocked again soon, I left the mall smiling. I, for one, am pleased with Small’s success. He’s certainly put the work into it. Now he is reaping the rewards.

Songs like “Murmaider” and “Birthday Dethday” get lodged in my head and I find myself headbanging before I know it. EVERY song on this album is gory, dark and exquisitely tongue in cheek metal. And the songs are GOOD. That’s the best part of album. The songs. Go figure! The fans seem to love how he sticks to his guns that Dethklok is manned by five metal musicians, and a force to be reckoned with. The show that is the launching pad for Dethklok, “Metalocalypse”, is brutally hilarious, so it’s fun to play along, especially since each and every song is gold.

The only negative thing I have to say is that I’m jealous of the success. You see, many years ago I was in a band, The Affected. That band had an alter ego called Vengeance Threshold, which was an exaggerated metal band. We painted our faces and teased our hair and gave ourselves new names. Mine was Bernadette Cruiser. But alas, we were god awful, so success was never had. I think it is enough for me to know that we weren’t the only ones with a desire to respectfully mock the metal genre. I applaud Small’s efforts and proudly paid full price for The Dethalbum.

6 out of 5 stars.

Skate by EA Sports (Demo for Xbox 360)

Personally, I purchased my 360 because I wanted to be able to play THP8 any time I wanted. Now I find that I'm playing Skate's 30 min. demo over and over.

I love the idea behind thumb stick controls. The left stick controls the body (rotation) while the right stick controls the board. The left and right trigger are used for grabbing the board with the left and/or right hand respectively. With the new game play it could be seen that the learning curve would be steep, but in actuality, after a small mandatory tutorial in the game, I found my self pulling off quad kick flips with ease. Landing them was a different story. Nothing beats a great 1,000,000 pt combo in Tony Hawk much like nothing beats a really smooth and clean 4,000 pt line in Skate.

The graphics are truly stunning. Even the railings have a real time reflection of the world, of course its only truly visible if you completely beef a landing. The players movements are works of art. Every detail down to the flick of the foot for the kick flip is nearly exact to RL. The physics in the game are just astounding. No longer can you rely on jumping from one grind trick to another to increase your speed such as in the Tony Hawk series. If you stay on a rail for too long you will lose speed, and not enough momentum could be the deciding point between your face and the pavement. Pure enjoyment. But that's not to say this beauty doesn't have a blemish or two.

With great beauty comes great glitches and flaws. One major flaw that will hopefully be fixed for the release date of September 24th is the camera. From the demo it shows no choices for alternate camera angles. Nothing is worse than crashing a great line do to the camera not getting back to position from a manual in time for you to see the 2 foot ledge bearing down on you. I feel that a TH angle should be implemented as a choice. A steeper angle and at a little more distance. After camera angles come the unexpected little glitches such as landing a trick you know could NEVER have been accomplished. While playing I was able to land a trick on my back then in some magical turn of events had a 90 degree rotation to land on my board. Although if the board has powers it would explain the occasional (few and far between) board flying into your chest as you sky rocket 6-7 feet into the air due to gravity no longer existing in-game. Again, amusing, but needs some tweaking. Not really a glitch as much as poor programming, is the A.I. of N.P.C.'s. Don't get me started on how the A.I. will show up, literally, out of nowhere to block your way in the bowl when you are about to attempt a vert trick.

If you are a die-hard Tony fan you may find the new controls a bit awkward and difficult to learn, so this game may turn you off from pulling insane combos and over the top tricks. Try it out and decide for yourself if it's worth your paycheck. But if you are like me, you want to see a change in skateboarding games and don't mind learning a whole new style of playing. Whether this be the final product or not, it's going to be a definite buy.

October 12, 2007
After being nominated for the Nobel Prize in Peace, former Vice President Al Gore had an exciting day today as he received news that he had in fact won the award. Gore, and the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate have been working tirelessly on raising awareness about global warming.

Gore was born on March 31, 1948 to Tennessee Senator Albert Gore Sr. Graduating from Harvard University with honors in 1969, he enlisted in the Army and was a reporter in the Vietnam War. He was a congressman for 8 years and a Tennessee senator for 7. He was elected as Vice President under Clinton in '92, and failed to win Presidency in 2000. He and his wife Tipper Gore, have four children and 2 grandchildren.

When asked about his big win, Gore responded- "I'm deeply honored," and then said, "The climate crisis is not a political issue, it is a moral and spiritual challenge to all of humanity."

Gore plans to donate his entire half of the $1.5 million to the Alliance for Climate Protection, an organization founded by him that tries persuading people to cut emissions and reduce Global Warming. The award ceremony will be held December 10, in Oslo, Norway.

CNN: A source involved in Gore's past political runs told CNN that he definitely has the ambition to use the peace prize as a springboard to run for president.

But he will not run, because he won't take on the political machine assembled by Sen. Hillary Clinton, said the source. If the senator from New York had faltered at all, Gore would take a serious look at entering the race, the source said. But Gore has calculated that Clinton is unstoppable, according to the source.

A great edition to the receivers of the Nobel Prize, Al Gore plans on expanding his goal and denies that he will run, but "Draft Gore", a couple of democrats trying to make him run, made a full page ad in The New York Times to change his mind -

"Your country needs you now, as do your party, and the planet you are fighting so hard to save," the group said in an open letter.

"America and the Earth need a hero right now, someone who will transcend politics as usual and bring real hope to our country and to the world."

Praised as being "one of the world's leading environmentalist politicians", Gore also gained an Emmy for "Current TV," a TV show co-created by Gore, which "describes itself as a global television network giving viewers the opportunity to create and influence its programming."

Gore is ranked among great politicians to receive the Nobel peace prize, including Presidents Carter and Roosevelt. Perhaps his time is coming up, and one day we may be able to say he is among the list as "President" Gore. Only time will tell.

“We have to share this information,” Tree said on the way back.

“What do we really know? We still don’t know what it is, or why the clouds are swirling. Where is the center of the…..vortex?” I couldn’t think of a better word than vortex.

“Maybe if we share this information, other Citizens can help us answer all the questions we haven’t been able to answer. This is too big for just the two of us.”

“Yeah…I know. Let’s make an appointment with the council,” I said. “Now that I see the swirling pattern, I can’t un-see it. I’ll probably see it in my nightmares.”

The night sky was a thorough black by the time we made it back to the base.


From the base of the hill, one man watched two figures melt into the black of the night. He pondered whether or not to seize them now or to follow their research progress closely. What did they really know? Not enough to see the big picture. Not yet. They weren’t even the first to see the expansive swirling pattern. Without a means to communicate over long distances, each of the Citizens’ bases were isolated and left with more questions than answers.

The man tried to tell himself that it was best to let them go instead of stirring up suspicion. Who could tell how many of the Citizens’ Council knew what those two were studying out here, and why? If they seized every Citizen who studied the sky, they would know the Government was hiding something integral to the war’s outcome.

‘But what if the bases had a secret means of communication that the DOGS had been unable to observe?’ He dismissed the thought immediately. ‘No way. The Government controls the skies, radio waves, satellites, etc. They’re watched secretly, monitored very closely. They’ll never put the puzzle together.’

The man also tried to convince himself that his familiarity with the girl had nothing to do with him letting them go. She still had the same ideals, stolid front, and the same innocent eyes he remembered from childhood, except they looked stronger and more capable, more intelligent than ever.

He smiled and bowed his head before heading back to his superiors. “Belle,” he said out loud, “You are still an idealist. You are the same little girl you were five years ago. You still insist on standing up for the underdogs, the less fortunate, the lower caste. They’ll drag you down, Belle. You deserve better.”

Martin made sure he wasn’t followed as he started back on the path to his own outpost.



The meeting with the Citizens’ Council was casual. They listened to our words intently, and the mood of the room was grave.

Our base had three Council members, three very fair individuals who believed in the flow of information and treating all Citizens with dignity and respect. Even when crimes were committed, the criminals were heard. Punishment was reasonable. The legal system was now very simple and personal out of necessity.

“Please, step outside while we confer. Thank you for your efforts. You took a risk for all of us. Let’s just hope it helps.”

“Oh, Tree,” I said after the door was closed behind us. “I’m so tired.”

“Me too. We’ll feel better after a good night’s sleep.”

“No, I mean my brain is tired. My soul and my spirit are tired. So much energy we just expended to find out what? Some tiny piece of a puzzle too big for any of us to see clearly. It’s exhausting.”

Judging by the circles under Tree’s eyes, I knew he understood me all too well.

The door opened after only a few minutes of waiting.

“We talked and we all agree. The two of you are to be given an assignment, one that requires you to take a vow of secrecy. We will swear you to this oath now, and the council bears witness.”

“I swear on the revolution,” I said, hand on my heart.

“I swear on the revolution,” Tree echoed.

“We are sending the two of you to a base in New York State. Most of the way can be traversed by means of an underground tunnel. There will be times when you must detour to the surface, and the risk will be much greater than that of this evening’s excursion. There are underground check points so that we may track your progress. Runners are at every checkpoint. If you need to get us a message, that will be the way to do it.

“Sleep tonight. We will be waking you before dawn to prepare you.

Tell no one.”

We were dismissed with more gratitude and handshakes. They didn’t offer medals for our bravery. They didn’t offer a ceremony. They’d given us a way to perhaps make sense of all our hours of research. We had before us an opportunity at a slight chance to turn the tide of this war.



That night I had a very long dream. The Government took the final step and eradicated every Citizen base. The vortex began swirling furiously and lightning bolts sporadically lit the sky from within the clouds’ mass. Our base was obliterated, but for some reason I was the only one to see it happen, the only survivor.

I awoke at 4am sweating, gasping. The first thought in my head was, ‘What is stopping the Government from doing just that?’ Our defenses couldn’t match theirs. We had a perimeter guard, but they could have mowed us over like so much crabgrass without a thought. The only answer I could conjure was, ‘They aren’t threatened by us.’

I never felt smaller than I did in that moment.

“Rise and shine, rebellious one. We’ve got work to do.” Tree was shaking my shoulder to wake me.

“I’m awake already!” The nightmare images flew from my mind.

Someone from the bunk in the far corner angrily shushed us.

“I sympathize,” I whispered, stifling a giggle. Every minute of sleep during training was like gold.

I couldn’t help but be excited about my first assignment. I’d been working hard and steadily improving my fighting, tracking, studying and endurance skills. It was all for this journey. I was finally doing something as important as what my parents did when they housed refugees. They would be so proud of me, somewhere in the ether.

I savored my hot bath, which would probably be the last one for a while. We hit the armory after we were clean and dressed. Our packs were weighty, but manageable. We had enough food, first aid, water, batteries etc. to get us from Scranton, PA to Ithaca, NY, just shy of 110 miles. We were given a map and the names of the people we would meet at each checkpoint, along with a password for each stop. The passwords were not written, but given to us verbally, to be memorized.

The female Council member approached us. “You’re ready. You will work at our sister base, with people just like you who are trying to uncover the truth and help build a land that is ours once more. Their library will make your jaw drop.” She smiled as we departed. I turned and waved and smiled back. I think she would have gone herself if she were my age.


The saga continues next month...

Thanksgiving Day makes me think of my family. I’m not the best daughter, or sister, or aunt. I’m a very private person, and I spend a great deal of my free time writing, thinking, being a bit anti-social. It leaves my family wondering how I am since I become a ghost to them, sometimes for months at a time. Thanksgiving Day makes me a bit ashamed because it reminds me of how little I show my gratitude to them.

It is easy to distance yourself when you are separated from your family by 1200 miles, lack of vacation days, and zero funds to plunk down on a plane ticket.

I am incredibly grateful for my family. They taught me and raised me and kept me safe. I love them. I KNOW I should tell them that more often. I expend all my energy on the philosophy, “If you can’t be with the one(s) you love, love the one(s) your with.” My boyfriend, my friends and my co-workers get to see my generous, caring side, my social side, my silly and fun side. By the time I’m ready to settle down into my private thought time in the evening, I’ve no more desire to be on the phone. *sigh*

Maybe for Thanksgiving this year I’ll actually give thanks to those I’ve neglected. I plan on writing long letters of gratitude and mailing them to my brothers and sisters and parents. Maybe it will be a new tradition for me.

A few Solid Snake Designs members have shared their own feelings on gratitude and memories of the turkiest of holidays, and I in turn am sharing them with you.

Enjoy.


What I am most grateful for are "Mein Angelheins", german for My Angels. They are the 12 people I love more than anything in the world. I am eternally grateful for them because they have been there for me in times when others just turned their heads.

~Vincent Fury


My family is really big, and usually it is only us, my Cousins, and the Grandparents. Yet we still manage to pull off 20+ people, and things can get very hectic. One year, after my Grandfather's death, things were really crazy, extra crazy. He died about a month before, and a lot of us were still hurting. Even with everything going on, it still proved to be a wonderful Thanksgiving.

We decided to all get together at my Grandparents house and eat over there. My Grandma is Italian, and makes the BEST food, and boy, does she make a lot. Pasta, Chicken, Turkey, Stuffed Mushrooms, Potatoes, Acorn Squash, you name it, we most likely had it. This particular year was like those Thanksgivings you see in the movies; everything went wrong. The Turkey burned, the Pasta was overcooked, there weren't any Cranberries, and it seemed like a real disaster.

My Grandma though, man, she really pulled it together. She stood up extremely well considering, and it had to be one of the best meals I have ever had. Everyone being there and everything only made it better. So, that is my story of one of my best Thanksgivings.


~Ryan/Gimli


You know, when I think about what I am thankful for it is my ability to write a poem. So this is my contribution.

The thing I am most thankful for,
the memory I most adore
is finally standing on the shore

Of Hilton Head Island.

I'd never before been by the sea,
and what a wonder it was to me
I was all I'd ever want to be

On Hilton Head Island.

We ran amok the soft wet sand;
to me this was my promise land.
Nothing here could count as bland

this was Hilton Head Island.

I look back now upon that date,
And realize it wasn't all that great
But I know in my heart
That my thanks goes in part
To that fateful day by Thailand
I go back to Hilton Head Island.

~Lamaenic


What am I grateful for? Freddy Mercury had his fat bottomed girls, Layne Staley had his smack...What can a poor farm boy from east Plockton like me be grateful for. Wine? Women? Song? No...I've got something better...I've got '...'.

.... is like sex, only better - and without the unnecessary social fallout.

Fucking a girl over 400 pounds? It’s true you can roll her up in flour and aim for the wet spot...but then eventually you are going to run out of flour.

Scag’s all right, if you are into that, but when you can't see your kitchen floor for tinfoil and you have more used syringes than spoons...you know you might have a bit of a domestic emergency on your hands.

So what can I say? Forget the rest and go for the best. '...' is the best. It makes your whites dazzling white, your teeth shine like Las Vegas, and those wittle crow's feet around your eyes smooth right out. '...' is the greatest thing since sliced bread. I can't contain my love for '...' Give it to me now.

... is life.

Leave grateful for the Native Americans.

~Bryanic

(Who says gratitude has to be couth? )





Image from blessed2bless.us

I'm sure you've all noticed the sketchy tattoo parlors that litter practically every corner on the cheap side of town and cater to those drunken idiots who decide to get their latest hook-up's name tattooed on their arm, but have you ever actually looked at tattoo art as a whole?

The art form started out generally as an ethnic, culturally-based art. The Samoan and Egyptian cultures used tattoos to symbolize a coming-of-age, while Indian cultures have utilized henna- a similar technique- to decorate the body on important occassions.

Though tattoos had originally taken on a social taboo- owed largely to the group who used them: sailors, gangs, etc. - they are now becoming much more socially acceptable. As they become more wide-spread and the tools necessary become better, tattoo art is becoming increasingly more detailed. Where there might once have only been sailors with "I love my ma" in a heart-shape, there are now full van-Gogh's decorating body parts.