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Post by urbancinderella on Mar 2, 2006 4:45:08 GMT
Welcome to the March Edition of the Herald! Here at the Herald Staff, we're hoping to welcome you all to the Green (and therefore best) Month with tons of articles sure to entertain. Also, I'd like to nudge you in the direction of any articles done by Xephra and Uzukami, who are making their debut as Herald Staff. Don't forget to leave any comments in the Comment thread, and enjoy the edition. urbancinderella & Kari Herald Editors
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Post by urbancinderella on Mar 2, 2006 6:55:52 GMT
As usual, the wonderful newsman is here to update you on the latest events around SSD. This is a rather difficult month for many people, due to school and out-of-school commitments, but we still hang in there. For most of us, it will be summer soon- and you can sprinkle it away on SSD. There were no new additions to the main staff team this month. However, we welcome Xephra to the Herald Team, whose articles you can see in this edition. However, there is likely to be some new moderators in the coming months. Recently, many of you have expressed interest at the idea of a new template. Whilst we are all fully aware that the current template has been in use for nearly 18 months, there will be a new one in time- but only when we are ready. That’s pretty much final, there will be no substitutes or bringing back old versions. We will have something completely fresh for you, but production can take a month at a minimum. When it is close to release, we will make the announcement. Until then, bake some scones or continue to be a part of SSD. The Art Group released a new collection based around Minimalism. We felt that it was one of our strongest collections yet. This then sparked the question about whether we could make some t-shirts or not. We got a good response, however, currently we don’t feel that we’d be able to make a profit or break even on this little venture, so it’s back to the drawing board for now. The Photography area is under going somewhat of a recent regeneration. We’d like to make it more of a fun place to be; Jonny will be sharing his passion for photography with you whilst he takes the time to critique your own work. Above all, if you’re thinking of posting in Photography, you want your thread to at least have a comment. Common sense really. That said, simple snapshots with no artistic value only reduce the worth of the board. So please think about what you’re posting. Towards the coding side of SSD- many of you may be thinking what exactly has PDC been doing for all this time. (What a bunch of weirdoes.) PDC is a little group of talented mice that are producing applications which are useful for websites. Initially, a blog system was in the pipeline. Due to various issues, something simpler - a news system - is being created. It’ll be free to download and for people to use with the aim that you will find it useful and from a reliable source. I hope you enjoy this edition of the Herald. Please remember not to operate heavy machinery while doing so. This includes your computer. Oliver Matthews Solidsnake Designs Owner/Administrator
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Post by urbancinderella on Mar 2, 2006 6:58:28 GMT
A little over a month ago, the Department of Justice asked various popular search engines (including Google, Yahoo, MSN, and AOL) for aggregated search records. These are compiled data of search terms that can not be traced back to an individual user. Google refused upon the grounds that the request to broad and oppressive. The DoJ asked the various search engines to do this to uphold the Child Online Protection Act, the law that currently forbids users under the age of thirteen to join a Proboards forum. More specifically, this law prohibits children from viewing pornography. The funny thing about this was that many news stations and weblogs reported it not as children viewing pornography, but child pornography in general. The questionable thing about the demand by the DoJ was that they simply asked for the search terms and results over a one week period at Google. The data was alienated from the information of the user who sent the query, meaning the DoJ would somehow have to guess on what percentage of the queries were made by children. Millions of people search Google every day, and most who do use it multiple times per day. Meaning that the DoJ would have to sift through tens of millions of search terms to find the pornography queries. Even before they do that, they would have to filter out all of the automated queries by such utilities as rank checking tools. For the most part, it just didn't make any sense. Since the time of the subpoena by the DoJ, the DoJ has asked a federal judge to force Google to hand over the data. While this story is a little old, it is still developing and I hope to keep you all updated as more news comes my way.
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Post by urbancinderella on Mar 2, 2006 7:08:43 GMT
ACoolie is a member who shows great community spirit with his active participation across the forums and in the Herald. For a person of his age, he provides us with very useful information regarding technology and coding. (Not to mention a great deal of sensible and mature posts.) All in all this makes him a positive example for others to follow. Congratulations! Avatar Of the Month& Signature Of The MonthBoth go to Xephra; the colors on both coordinate well. It doesn't look choppy whatsoever. The text is basic and simple. All around, it looks great. Awesome job! Serendipity's Thingar is a beautifully designed ProBoard template. It's simple look and cool colours make it great for any forum, but it is more useful as a calming influence on a board centered around hot debates. The banner is a gorgeous winter scene with mist flowing softly through bare branches and over a still lake. The images are simple, but something doesn't need to be complex to look good; Serendipity has taken full advantage of that fact. Something that I find quite nice is the fact that there are cute little additions to the template that you can't see just by looking at the preview. Little things- like the button to delete all the PM's in your inbox has been labelled "Toss All". PM's are reffered to as "Letters" and members as "Citizens". This template was obviously themed, but such little things like this make such a nice change when everyone calls features the same. The readme file is also full of this "cuteness". Serendipity is such a jolly person, and this shows through in the readme file. She seems to be trying to make something fun out of the otherwise tedious task of adding a full template, which is a very nice change. Everything in this template is well designed and flows well together; I suggest you take a look at it. While surfing through the piles of literature, I stumbled upon End my Eternal Misery by Sirius Wolfsbane. Although a little turned off by the often overdone rebirth themes at first, the poem soon regained credit with the strength of the imagery. Combined with the firm structure of the stanzas and re-emphasis of the main statement, End my Eternal Misery has taken a large step towards the salvation of teenage angst. Flower and Lighthouse by Whit Oh gosh, shortly after writing this little ditty, I looked at the dates of which the photos I’ve chosen were posted on the board...it turns out I overlooked these from October and they were bumped up by somebody in early February. Yet, I want these to get a Photo of the Month as they’re a couple of the few film shots I’ve ever seen on this board. You may notice I’ve posted two photos this month (“OMG ur not aloud 2 du dat”). I can, I will, and I have ‘cause I’m the one wearing the photo mod orange here (-cowers from glaring higher staff-). Anyhow, onto topic again. The main reason I chose both of these is because they have wonderful tone, are fantastically shot, and have been taken with a skilled user as they were taken on an old manual camera. Both of these shots have a beautiful warmth about them - something that really suits the subjects - and not only that, but they have that fantastic retro film feel about them; I love it! Thank you Whit for posting these wonderful film images! Well done Whit!"His ignorance is encyclopedic."Abba Eban"Moral indignation is jealousy with a halo."H. G. Wells"Glory is fleeting, but obscurity is forever."Napoleon Bonaparte"Don't be so humble - you are not that great."Golda Meir""Captain, my religious belief teaches me to feel as safe in battle as in bed. God has fixed the time for my death. I do not concern myself about that, but to be always ready, no matter when it may overtake me." He added, after a pause, looking me full in the face: "That is the way all men should live, and then all would be equally brave""From General Stonewall Jackson"People demand freedom of speech to make up for the freedom of thought which they avoid."Soren Aabye Kierkegaard"Give me chastity and continence, but not yet."Saint Augustine"A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on."Winston Churchill"The artist is nothing without the gift, but the gift is nothing without work."Emile Zola"Don't stay in bed, unless you can make money in bed."George Burns"C makes it easy to shoot yourself in the foot; C++ makes it harder, but when you do, it blows away your whole leg."Bjarne Stroustrup"The power of accurate observation is frequently called cynicism by those who don't have it."George Bernard Shaw"Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake."Napoleon Bonaparte"Women might be able to fake orgasms. But men can fake a whole relationship."Sharon Stone"I'm all in favor of keeping dangerous weapons out of the hands of fools. Let's start with typewriters."Frank Lloyd Wright"God is a comedian playing to an audience too afraid to laugh."Voltaire"He is one of those people who would be enormously improved by death."H. H. Munro"I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them."Ian L. Fleming"Maybe this world is another planet's Hell."Aldous Huxley"Blessed is the man, who having nothing to say, abstains from giving wordy evidence of the fact."George Eliot"I've had a wonderful time, but this wasn't it."Groucho Marx"Black holes are where God divided by zero."Steven Wright"An acid net?
Is that where you cover some with a net, and then slowly give them so much acid they die?
Or, is it where you cover someone with a net and the acid slowly seeps in from the net killing the person?"
"Do you have to get technical? It's just killing someone, jeez!"Uzukami and LPF in response...i'm going to ignore you now.
*ignores*FireTemptress"Anchorman and Elf made me want to wage war on some poor country.
(LORD ARTOS MOMENT....)
LORD ARTOS: Urigaliozalanavia, I will invade your country and slaughter each and every one of you because every time I watch the canned comedy of Will Ferrel, it causes a little piece of my soul to die. Really. He is not funny; you will pay for that with your lives.
I also want to annex your black market coconut trade.Artos"Criminal Mastermind, [Madonna] is 47/48; she's old enough to be your mother."Oliver"Once there was a great superpower, that going by the name of SolidSnake Designs. It thrived with code and graphic requests and duels, the databases were flooded with new submissions. This once is now no more.
Now we debate whether to pronounce the name of a sugary foodstuff with an E or an A.
Let us bow our heads now and say a short prayer."Criminal Mastermind"Hey Ms. E! glad to be ur butty!"˜'Önìkínš'˜N¤¤b™"A man walks into a bar...
...ouch."Assassinator"Not ACoolinese. We have just the right number of people. Not so many we are crowding the streets, but just enough to pwn you."ACoolie"My bike."Mitch, in response to the "What do you drive?" thread"Barbie bikes are bigger than they look you know..."Jonny"I like the coke packaging the best, I can't comment on the drink - it all tastes the same to me."Internet/Web/UserXFun with Dick and Jane first started out as a film in 1977 starring George Segal and Jane Fonda. Its subject matter is of a middle-class, suburban family who turn to crime. The 2005 remake, of which I write now, stars Jim Carey and Tea Leoni in the lead roles. Dick works for a company called Globodyne, and early in the film is promoted to Vice President of Communications. As he gives a report on the company’s financial status to a television show called ‘Money Talk’, the shares in Globodyne suddenly drop, and Dick finds himself without work. The first third of the film deals with this issue; Dick searching for work, Jane (who resigned her job upon her husband’s promotion) doing the same, and all the while their property is being taken away. Personally, I felt this went on too much. Yes, it served a purpose, and certainly parts of it were funny, but it seemed a long time before they started on crime. When they do, the antics are, in typical Carey-style, very entertaining. Raiding shops dressed as Bill and Hilary Clinton or robbing a house using voice-synthesizers (which Dick finds hilariously funny) and other such activities make the crimes very funny. This again lasts for about a third of the film, and the last third involves Dick, Jane and the embattled former CFO of Globodyne attempting to bring down the CEO, who has made away with millions of dollars when the former workers have no pensions. In an exciting series of scenes, the couple do their best to prevent the CEO from transferring the money to a private bank account. Do they succeed? You’ll have to watch it yourself. Certain parts of this film dragged on, I must confess. That said, it’s not a particularly long film, and looking back it made sense to focus a lot on the regression of Dick and Jane’s lifestyles as their money problems grew worse. It’s a good film – what comedy with Jim Carey isn’t? – but it’s not a motion picture classic. The acting on behalf of Carey and Leoni is excellent, and the film is a good concept. I shan’t shout from the rooftops that you ‘MUST SEE THIS FILM!’, but if you’re bored one day and there’s a cinema near by, I’d recommend Fun with Dick and Jane.
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Post by urbancinderella on Mar 2, 2006 7:15:43 GMT
“Oh come on mom, can we please go? We have our own money!” Harmonee said hopefully. Hollee sat eating a piece of veggie pizza and giggled to herself while she watched her twin sister beg. Ranae Carlyle shifted her weight from one foot to another as she was washing dishes; she glanced at the lap top computer sitting on the counter behind herand sighed. The clock on the computer read 5:25pm. Harmonee looked at her with hopeful eyes. Ranae’s cell phone rang. Anything else? she thought to herself as she dried off her hands. She grabbed the cell phone and flipped it open; exasperated, she said “Hello?” She heard silence at first. “Hey brat!” Ranae broke into a grin, “Hey honey! It’s kind of weird to hear from you by phone, I haven’t talked to you in 8 months!” Ranae sat down. “I know I miss you! But great news!” “What?” “I’m coming home!” Ranae squealed with delight as Harmonee and Hollee stared at her with curiosity shining in their clear blue eyes, just like their father's. Holle mouthed “What?” without any sound escaping. Ranae covered the mouth of her phone and whispered, “Your father is coming home!” she had sparkles in her deep chocolate brown eyes. Hollee put down her piece of pizza; she had just lost her appetite. Hollee loves her father, but she blames him not being there, not being around as much, to see them grow up. Ranae continued talking but Hollee tuned her mothers voice out. Smiling, Ranae shut her phone. “He will be here on Sunday, the day before his birthday!” Ranae turned and looked at Harmonee, “Yes you can both go, but Harm don’t forget that Ryan is staying over with D.J. tonight. You are going, you are going to Damn’s, and Hollee?” Hollee looked up, “I’m taking the bus home; I will be careful.” Hollee stood up, grabbing her Havermale ASB key chain and putting it around her neck. Yelling over her shoulder her mom, she said “Have a great time at the Y.” Harm (Harmonee), Hollee, and Ryan all took the city bus down to the Y. It was a typical Friday night- swimming, basketball, music, and dancing. When it got around to 11pm, Ryan left, saying bye to Harm and Hollee. He got in the car with D.J. Dawn’s mom pulled up and Harm and Dawn said bye to Hollee and left. Hollee looked at her watch. It said 11:05pm; she started walking back to the bus plaza. Hollee got on the bus. About fifteen minutes later, Hollee grabbed the bag she had her swimsuit, body spray, makeup, and cell phone in; she got off at her bus stop and started walking towards her house. Hollee didn’t even get as far as the church behind her house when she looked up to her left. A silver car with two front black bumpers pulled up alongside her. Panic sprang into Hollee’s mind as she recognized the car right away; it was the same one that had followed her and Dawn home after the Lilac Parade about 3-4 weeks ago. The car stopped and a guy that looked between the ages of 19 and 25 got out. “Hey baby! How are you?” Hollee automatically froze; looking up she plastered a fake smile on her face. “H-hi,” she stammered. He walked up towards her, he stuck his hand out, “I’m Nick.” Hollee hesitantly took his hand into her own clammy hand and shook it. “I’m H-Hollee Marie Carlyle, Ranae Carlyle’s daughter." "I know who you are,” said Nick. Hollee was starting to hyperventilate. “H-how do y-you know me?” Nick got a wicked smile on his face, “Lets put it this way, my father has a past with your mom's sister.” All of Hollee’s thoughts were jumbled up in her head; she felt like she was spinning. She glanced back up at Nick as he grabbed her wrist and started to drag her towards the car. Hollee opened her mouth to scream; she felt a strong hand clasp over her mouth, shutting her up. She felt herself being thrown into the back seat, hitting herself on the head. She was knocked out cold. Ranae got out of bed the next morning. This is odd, she thought. I didn’t hear Hollee come in last night. Moving quickly, Ranae did a quick inspection of the house. When she saw that Hollee was nowhere to be found, she started to panic. Grabbing her cell phone, she hit 6, the speed dial for Hollee’s cell phone. There was no answer. Then she hit 5, the speed dial for Harmonee’s cell. Harm picked up on the second ring. “Hey Harm, it’s Mom. Is Hollee with you? ...What do you mean you haven’t seen her? ...Well she never came home last night. ...I’m calling your brother; I want the both of you home pronto.” Throwing on some jeans and a tank top, Ranae grabbed her car keys. Adam was suppose to be home after eight months of being in Iraq; this couldn’t be happening now. Grabbing Chris and putting him in the car, she started her 2006 Escalade. Backing out of the the driveway and taking a left, she went down the road that Harm, Hollee, and Ryan would usually travel. She speed dialed Ryan’s cell telling him to be home ASAP. As soon as she shut her phone once more, her attention focused on something out of the corner of her eye. Ranae pulled over, putting the emergency break on for a precaution, Ranae got out. Stumbling over the gravel, she bent down to retrieve something off the ground. It was Hollee’s leather jacket, and with a tear in it. Choking back sobs, Ranae dialed 911. The cops arrived only two minutes after she got off the phone with the 911 dispatcher. Explaining in as much detail that she had knowledge of, she filled the cops in. A rookie cop picked up the leather jacket and placed it in a plastic bag. Detective Mark Start assured Ranae that they would do anything and everything to find her daughter. The rookie cop followed Ranae home to take a statement and to get a current photograph of the teenage girl. As Ranae handed over one of their pictures from their last birthday, she said, “Be careful, she has a twin sister named Harmonee; the most distinctive feature telling them apart is that Hollee has her tongue pierced and Harmonee doesn’t.” The rookie cop looked at her like she was utterly insane for letting her 15 year old daughters have piercings. Ranae ignored the look, shutting the door behind him. Her eyes were rimmed red from crying so much. She just so much had shut the door when it came flying open again. Harmonee came in out of breath with Ryan riding his bike in behind her. “Where’s Hollee? Is she ok? What am I saying? I’m sure she is fine. Is she in our room?” Harmonee went full speed for the room her and Hollee shared. She came back out with tears streaming down her face. “Sit down Harm, Ryan, Chris you too. We need to talk.” Instead of stalling Ranae just blurted it all out, “Hollee is missing. She never came home last night, and we found her leather jacket with a tear in it. Her cell phone isn’t on, the police tried to trace the location of it, but since it’s off there is no luck.” Ranae heard Harm let out a sob and run to her room, slamming the door behind her. "Mommy? Is Hollee ever coming back?" Chris asked. Ryan smacked him upside the head, "Of course she is coming back!" Ranae sighed, "Ryan don't hit your brother, and Chris, yes she will be back. I promise." Harmonee stuck her head out the bedroom door, "Don't make promises you don't know if you can keep or not." with that, she slammed the door once again.
That is the first part of it, the second part will be in next months edition. Hope you enjoyed it!
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Post by urbancinderella on Mar 2, 2006 7:18:07 GMT
Musicals.What are they? Why do some people think that musicals are just for rich, snobby people? No matter who you are, musicals can be for you. There is a musical or a song from a musical out there for everyone. When I first surveyed people from SSD on how they reacted to the phrase "BROADWAY MUSICALS," I got some very interesting responses. I soon realised that broadway musicals were not a, how do I say this, a popular music choice among SSD-viewers. I, for one, love musicals. I find that so much can be expressed in them. For instance, in a Broadway musical, a character can turn to the audience after a long scene of emotions and simply sing to the audience and describe what they're feeling with a rhythm and a beat. I'm willing to bet that you wouldn't see that in Shakespeare or in a movie! Just so I keep your attention, I'll include some of the responses I got to my question of "What do you think of when I say BROADWAY MUSICALS?". For the sake of those whom I asked, I'll keep these anonymous. 1) Death 2) Ugly guys dancing with pretty chicks 3) Team America: World Police 4) Flamboyant/metrosexual/homosexual men with high voices, umbrellas, and a sense of hippie-like design. After I read these answers, I realised that SSD must be educated about Broadway Musicals. Now, I know that as soon as you see this coming I'm sure most people will run away as fast as they can pulling their hair out, but... Musical theatre, (or Broadway Musicals) is a form of theatre combining music, songs, dance, and spoken dialogue. It is closely related to opera, frequently being distinguished by the use of popular music of various forms (and thus usually different instrumentation), the use of unaccompanied dialogue (though some musicals are entirely accompanied, such as Les Misérables, and some operas have spoken dialogue, such as Carmen), and the avoidance of many operatic conventions. A musical can be anywhere from a few minutes to several hours long; however, most musicals range from two hours to two hours-and-forty-five minutes. Musicals today are typically presented with one intermission ten to fifteen minutes in length. A musical will usually have around twenty to thirty songs of varying lengths (including reprises and underscoring) interspersed with book (dialogue) scenes. Some musicals, however, are "sung-through" and do not have any spoken dialogue. This can blur the line between musical theatre and opera. A musical's moments of greatest dramatic intensity are often performed in song. Proverbially, "when the emotion becomes too strong for speech, you sing; when it becomes too strong for song, you dance." A song must be crafted to suit the character (or characters) and their situation within the story. A show usually opens with a song that sets the tone of the musical, introduces some or all of the major characters, and shows the setting of the play. Within the compressed nature of the musical, the writers must develop the characters and the plot. I urge all of you to give musicals a chance. As I stated above, these is a musical for everyone. For instance, if you are more of a rock-type person, I strongly suggest the musical Rent, which has songs such as "One Song Glory" and "Another Day," which to me are indistinguishable from any other rock song, as they use alot of electric guitar and drums and rock-type vocals. Of course, if you are still not into that, but rather you are into the style of the 60's, I suggest Hairspray. Because the musical is set in Baltimore, USA 1960, the music was written to compliment this. The result is songs like "I Know Where I've Been" (a female slow song, very 60-ish), and "Welcome to the 60'S" (which uses alot of saxophone. As well, all of the music from Hairspray uses a typical motif used in 60's music with lots of choral "oohs" and "aahs." Of course, there is a type of music out there that can only be described as a musical. These types, such as Godspell and Phantom of the Opera, are the types that I love the best. These are what I guess people call "Real Broadway," but I think that all musicals, as long as they are put on right, are good. Some really good musicals to check out are: WickedRentPhantom of the OperaHairsprayChildren of EdenThat's a good mix of new, old, and less popular musicals for you guys!
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Post by urbancinderella on Mar 2, 2006 7:19:38 GMT
One of President Bush’s so-called ‘bushisms’ – mistakes he has made when speaking – is famously “There ought to be limits to freedom.” Naturally, he has been criticised for this… but is he right? I write, of course, in the wake of the infamous Muhammad cartoons, which caused (and, I presume still are causing, though as ever the media have the attention span of a gnat and have flitted onto other stories) considerable controversy, and a real culture clash. The attention that the story did get, however, sparked a debate about where the line between freedom of speech and offence is drawn. Only recently a British historian in Austria has been sentenced to three years in jail for denying the Holocaust (a crime in Austria, Germany and a few other countries). According to the religion of Islam, creating images of the Prophet Muhammad is the first step in idolatry – the Koran makes it very clear that Islam worships Allah (God), not Muhammad – though wise, he was still just a man, and the greatest in a string of prophets of God, including Abraham, Moses and Jesus. Because of this, any image of the Prophet is forbidden. So when a European cartoonist not only drew a dozen images of the Prophet, but made them satirical jabs at Islam – including Muhammad with a turban in the shape of a bomb – it caused outrage. The Islamic community were shocked and insulted, and fair enough; their faith teaches them that imagery of the Prophet is wrong. But the faith of the cartoonist did not. Why should he be prevented from drawing or publishing these cartoons? Muslims have every right to be insulted, but the action taken in response to these cartoons was worse than the images themselves. Fundamentalists walking through the streets of Europe bearing banners exclaiming ‘Behead those against Islam’ and ‘Slay the infidels’ seemed only to prove the very point the cartoonist was making. Are these placards freedom of expression to? No, they are incitement to murder. As for burning down an embassy – property of a foreign nation – that could be taken as a declaration of war. The response to these cartoons was a breach of freedom of speech and expression. The publishing of these cartoons was not. A Muslim is free to turn the page of the newspaper – or indeed not even purchase it if they are publishing these images. But in a Western society that has different values and beliefs, it is the Islamic community that should adapt to the ‘Western way of living’ – not the other way round. If I were a British woman moving to Saudi Arabia, I would take the necessary cultural adaptations; coverage of the hair, et cetera. I don’t expect Saudi Arabia to change its entire cultural attitude for me; frankly, nobody should expect the same of Europe. Freedom of speech is the right to say anything, short of incitement to commit crime. People have the right to say something insulting, and people have the right to be insulted. Free verbal expression is fine; physically attacking people and property is not. In my belief, it is fine for someone to deny the Holocaust – it’s their right to do so. It is fine for someone to draw pictures of the Prophet, and it is perfectly reasonable for a Muslim, in response, to not buy the paper the cartoons are in. The moment we start curtailing people’s freedom to say things that ‘insult’ a specific group or ‘cause offence’ is the moment we stop saying what we truly feel; an integral part of democracy. Should freedom of expression be limited? No, because limited freedom is an oxymoron; it isn’t truly free.
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Post by urbancinderella on Mar 2, 2006 7:20:33 GMT
Is it me, or is the being critical of one's taste in music getting annoying? I hate the fact that people will insult your music tastes based on the population's beliefs and sterotypes. I've been called "gay" multiple times for listening to Coldplay. Not only that, but in "The 40 Year Old Virgin" it makes a reference similar and now it's becoming widely accepted for people to quote that movie. People, seriously, if you have a problem with someone's music taste, oh well. Get over it. I also started listening to Keane recently, and that didn't go over well when someone(who will remain un-named) tried cutting me down for it. I guess people desire to be "cool" so much that they resort to petty insults regarding music. I love music. It's one of the most important things in my life. Music is a very influential entertainment and art form across the globe. Why must we insult another's taste? You wouldn't diss someone for liking a certain type of food, would you? This is basically the same situation. Every music artist puts in an equal amount of work, and from experience I can tell you, it's a lot. Sometimes an artist spends weeks developing and producing a single track. Sure, you may not like it, but there's no reason to bag on it. But, it gets worse if you're insulting a peer for listening to it. So next time you see a friend listening to a questionable music, don't insult their preference; accept it. Everyone is unique; we have free choice.
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Post by urbancinderella on Mar 2, 2006 7:22:22 GMT
Madonna – Confessions on a DancefloorShakira-who? Anastasia-what-now? Cher-where? That’s right ladies and gentlemen, the Queen of Pop is back – and you know you all love her. Yes, Madonna has released her eighteenth album to great success: number one in no less than forty countries! But has the queen retained her crown, or are there just too many wrinkles on this material girl? The answer is no and yes, and not in that order. Madonna has returned to her roots: gone are the ballads and anti-war messages of the late 90s and early 00s, in are the disco dancing tracks! Now, Madonna is an acquired taste, and I am sure the amount of Madonna fans on this place we call home is far less than other places, but I will be damned if there is anyone who can listen to such sizzling tracks as ‘Hung Up’ (number one in twenty five countries) and ‘Sorry’ – the next to be released single. Certainly, Madonna prancing around in a leotard dancing as if she were in the 70s makes you only want to mimic her moves. Despite her age, Madonna doesn’t mess up the songs with complaints about back trouble and greying hair – indeed, her singing is perfect as ever, harmonious and angelic. Hah. Confessions on a Dancefloor has thundered into the charts, shaking the international music scene and putting everyone back in the discoing mood…are you ready to put on your dancing shoes? Track Listing Hung Up (5:37) Get Together (5:14) Sorry (4:41) Future Lovers (5:01) I Love New York (4:35) Let It Will Be (4:20) Forbidden Love (4:22) Jump (3:58) How High (4:03) Isaac (5:59) Push (3:32) Like It or Not (4:35) Recommended TracksHung Up Sorry Let It Will Be Jump Oh heck, all of them. RatingAnd as a footnote: I’m perfectly confident in my sexuality. Indeed, I must go…I’ve got a candle-lit dinner with Oliver in an hour. All my love, Madon Morgoth.
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Post by urbancinderella on Mar 2, 2006 7:23:34 GMT
A lot of you will undoubtedly wonder why I chose Modest Mouse. Some people say that they are horrible and, not to mention, they aren't very popular. Well that's exactly why I chose them. They have a very unique style that is often imitated, but never duplicated. They are the meaning of indie. Listening to their albums can inspire you. I often enjoy listening to music that makes me think about the lyrics. Modest Mouse gives you a view like no other - listening to a song on repeat to get what you want. They're poetic in an amazing way; you can derive your own meaning from their lyrics. I've collected almost all of their music aside from maybe two EPs and a few other demos. If you don't want to listen to them, at least give it a try! I'll recommend a few of their songs for you. Popular Recommendations:Track Name -- Album
3rd Planet -- The Moon And Antarctica Alternative Album: Baron von Bullshit Rides Again
Float On -- Good News For People Who Love Bad News
Ocean Breathes Salty -- Good News For People Who Love Bad News Other Recommendations: The Good Times Are Killing Me -- Good News For People Who Love Bad News Alternative Album: Baron von Bullshit Rides Again
Paper Thin Walls -- The Moon And Antarctica Alternative Album: Baron von Bullshit Rides Again
The View -- Good News For People Who Love Bad News
Alright, to conclude this, here are some websites for Modest Mouse: One of their many websites Website on Epic Records Best Modest Mouse site
Well, that's all I have to say, you’ll have to hear it for yourself.
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Post by urbancinderella on Mar 2, 2006 7:24:54 GMT
This month I will be reviewing the newly released, Star Wars: Empire at War - available now for your PC. Thanks to IGN.com for the image.
Typically, when you hear the words "Star Wars" and "videogames," it is safe to assume that the resulting game will be, well, crap. Now, there are some exceptions, such as the massively popular Battlefront games, but, come on, let's not be in denial here. However, Empire at War is different. Empire at War takes place between Episodes Three and Four. When stripped down to the essentials, the game is a cross of Sims-like gameplay (in building and maintaining your bases well enough so you dont get your ass handed to you by an invading force, but not too much you go into debt) meets the role-playing-based action of any decent RPG game. But let's get back to the matter at hand. Presentation-wise, this game is amazing. Empire at War stays true to it's roots and is actually worthy of the Star Wars name. The game allows you to take part in massive battles that mimic the importance and scale of those in the movies. Not to forget, the game brings the classic appeal of completely destroying your enemies with all those classic Star Wars ships, weapons, warriors, heroes and so on. Nothing like TIE Figther dogfights or watching your platoon of Clone Troopers walk all over an invading force. The game has two campaign modes and, as you easily could of guessed, each campaign is for the different sides in the war- the Rebels and the Empire. The story is pretty solid for the most part, but it leaves a few untied ends. However, since almost every living person has seen the movies one way or another, it really doesn't matter as you already know what happens. Graphically, the game is sub-par. Those expecting graphics among the same lines of the Battlefront series need not apply. The graphics, at best, are similar to those on the Nintendo DS. The graphics are two dimensional, with a faux sense of three dimensions. How Gameboy Advanced. However, given what we have to work with, the graphics do their job. The battles still look amazing (even though they could be better) and the images of things seen in the movies are good enough so that die-hard fans will not turn away. Now- on to one of the game's stronger points: strategy. The game keeps along with the movies in the fact that each side has advantages over the other. For example, the Empire has a much better ability to assemble fighting forces while the Rebels have a stronger ability to gather intelligence. Also, when building your strongholds, depending on what side you are on, certain items may or may not be available. I mean, come on, how weird would it be if the Rebel Alliance had the Death Star on their side? When it comes to the actual fighting, the game balances out what forces you have. What does that mean? It means you can't have an army of all Wookies for instance, in hopes of evening the playing field. So no hope of invading a planet with a force of all Wookies. However, there are exceptions to that unwritten "rule." When you aquire a mighty force on your side such as, oh say, the Emperor (despite his age, he does kick some serious ass), the battle easily turns to your side. He could easily take out any defense of the planet you are attacking and/or invading. Unfortunately, the game's replay value and ability to keep your attention is pretty poor. It's not so bad it turns you off right after you pop the CD in, but in the long run, don't expect to be craving to play it. The battles do get repetitive and until you start planetary battles, the action is quite dull. The game is good for a casual fan or someone who just wants to experience the Star Wars legacy for themselves and not those hardcore Star Wars junkies who live and breathe the series. Overall, Star Wars: Empire at War earns a three out of five.
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Post by urbancinderella on Mar 2, 2006 7:26:06 GMT
February was another slow month in the gaming world. Not many new games were released, but that is to be expected. Not only is that the effect of following the holiday season, but let's not forget we're also in a transitional period between generations of consoles. However, the lack of games did not stop big news from breaking. While it may not seem important to some, Atari will be sold. Due mainly in part to extremely low sales over the last fiscal year and high costs, the CEO of the company has decided to shut down and be sold. How this will affect the industry remains to be seen. On the next generation front, Nintendo has kept silent. Once again, no surprise there. However, Sony has broken it's period of silence, if only for a brief amount of time. The company said their next-generation console, the Playstation 3 is still being aimed for a Japanese release in the spring, however, the system might be delayed due to technology not being complete and some implications that were not expected. But what does that really mean to the consumer? Don't get your hopes up for the spring release, boys and girls. You can bet your hard earned bucks that the system will be delayed. Even if the system is released on time, we will most likely have to wait about six months for the system to debut in the United States and Europe. What's most interesting about this is the timing of the statement. Right now, Sony should be deep in development, approaching completion for E3 in May. However, many critics always hint at delays. So, perhaps, Sony could of been taking its time or riding on the interest in the system and start development later. Had that been the case, they probably waited too long and know they can't release it in the spring. That's just hypothetical and my opinion, so do not take it as the truth- but do take it into consideration. Looking out into the upcoming months, you can expect March to be another slow, transitional month. As we move on into April and especially May, you can expect Nintendo and Sony to start talking again and Microsoft trying to divert your attention from them at all costs. In April, we can expect some amount of news about the consoles, but May will easily be the most important month of those two, and quite possibly out of the entire year for the industry all because of E3. We'll just have to wait and see.
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Post by urbancinderella on Mar 2, 2006 7:29:07 GMT
- Cataract Awareness Month
- Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Awareness Month
CFIDS Association of America Web site: www.cfids.org
- Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month
www.preventcancer.org/colorectal
- Craft Month
- Deaf History Month
- Feminine Empowerment Month
- Foot Health Month
- Frozen Food Month
- Furniture Refinishing Month
- Gardening, Nature and Ecology Books Month
- Hemophilia Month
- Humorists Are Artists Month
- International Hamburger & Pickle Month
- Irish-American Heritage Month
- Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month
- Music in Our Schools Month
- Middle School Month
- Mirth Month
"International Mirth Month was created by 'Mr. Jollytologist', Allen Klein, to help people turn their Maalox Moments into more mirthful ones."
- Noodle Month
- Nutrition Month American!
"National Nutrition Month® (NNM) is a nutrition education and information campaign sponsored annually by the American Dietetic Association (ADA). National Nutrition Month is March 2004"
- Peanut Month American!
National Peanut Month had its beginnings as National Peanut Week in 1941. It was expanded to a month-long celebration in 1974.
- Poison Prevention Awareness Month
- Professional Social Work Month
- Red Cross Month American!
- Rosacea Awareness Month
- Science Month
- Social Worker's Month American!
- Talk with Your Teen about Sex Month American!
March is National Talk with your Teen about Sex month. Make sure your child is equipped with the knowledge to make responsible decisions about sex in the future. Make sure your teen knows your values regarding sex and sexual relationships. For more information on how to start these conversations, visit: www.talkingwithkids.org
- Women's History Month American!
- Youth Art Month
First Week in March:- American Summer Camp Week
[/li][li] Drug and Alcohol Awareness Week[/li][li] Federal Employees Recognition Week[/li][li] Pet Sitters Week[/li][li] TV Turn Off Week[/li][/ul] Second Week in March:- Girl Scout Week
- Procrastination Week
Third Week in March:- Campfire Boys and Girls Birthday Week
- Chocolate Week American!
- Inhalants & Poisons Awareness Week American!
- Poison Prevention Week
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Post by urbancinderella on Mar 2, 2006 7:31:07 GMT
What is the origin of March Break? Why do us north-westerners have this salvation week in the middle of a bleak, harsh time of white and cold? I asked this very question just a few weeks ago. I eagerly started out on my quest. I soon realized that this would be no easy question to answer, so I recruited the help of many talented scouts trained in the art of Google-searching. They worked long hours- they put in even longer overtime hours. They searched every nook and cranny of the Internet. I, myself, contacted many highly-practiced and experienced searchers to assist me in uncovering this mystery. After finally scouring every possible website with even a miniscule prospect of having some helpful information, I came to a conclusion. I have finally discovered the amazing secret that has been hidden by the world's leaders for decades. The revolutionary concept dating back to the 600's is.... Hold on, just let me formulate this into a full sentence. Just give me a moment, it's a pretty large idea to fit into one single sentence. It's almost there.... Alright, I'm ready. Are you? The amazing, revolutionary, defying concept dating back to the 600's of March Break is... ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! That's right. You heard it here first. The only reason that we have this lovely break from a long stretch of cold days strung together to create "winter" is because people wanted it. Those business men who used to rule the world decided, "this week is a good one to have a break. VACATION TIME!". If you think about it, it's the perfect time. It's almost smack in the middle of the winter period, and by the time you get back, it's already getting a tad warmer and you feel refreshed.
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Post by urbancinderella on Mar 2, 2006 7:32:38 GMT
March is the last official month of winter, and, at the same time, the first official month of spring. While that may sound like the temperature magically goes up come the first day of spring, we all know that it doesn't happen like that. But do not fret, for you have made it through the long haul of winter. As you surely have noticed, there are always subtle reminders that winter is not everlasting, but will eventually end. However, since some are less noticeable than others. Below is a compiled list of signs that the seasons are changing. Some Signs Spring is Coming:- The temperature is actually above 50 degrees one day and everybody shows up to school wearing shorts
- Spring sports signups in February
- You find yourself day dreaming about summer and beaches
- One day there is two feet of snow on the ground and by the end of the week, all of it has melted away
- Spring clothing sales in January
- Easter decorations and supplies are stocked in stores during February
- Shorts and t-shirts find their way into your closet again
- 40 degrees is considered a heatwave
- You wonder which color will be hot this season
- You buy three new bathing suits and a pair of flip flops
- You vow not to wear another sweatshirt again
- Snow no longer feels cold in your hand
- The wind doesn't make you shiver and cringe
- You have a countdown until spring starts
- When you finally notice the start of spring is tomorrow
- You are reading this article in the March edition of The Herald
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Post by urbancinderella on Mar 2, 2006 7:33:42 GMT
Sunday, March 5, 2006. Quite possibly the most important night of the year for actors, actresses, directors, and anyone in the film industry. Why? The answer is right in front of you. That Sunday night will play host to the awards ceremony for the Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars. All of the wars waged between films to be crowned best will be decided that night in a single moment. Box office earnings will mean nothing. You have to win the votes of the Academy in order to win. All the hard work of the film industry will be honored in one amazing night. Legends will be honored and new ones born. All by the hand of a humble, small group of critics and movie lovers called the Academy. As a preview of the upcoming ceremony, here on SSD the writers working for The Herald set up a poll where you could send in your votes for what films you think should be honored with the prestigous award called the Oscar. Many of you sent in votes and SSD has spoken. Below are the movies that all of SSD decided should be honored. Best Picture: MunichAchievement in Directing: MunichBest Actor: Joaquin Phoenix, Walk the LineBest Actress: Reese Whiterspoon, Walk the LineBest Supporting Actor: George Clooney, SyrianaBest Supporting Actress: Rachel Weisz, The Constant GardenerBest Original Screenplay: CrashBest Adapted Screenplay: MunichAchievement in Cinematography: Batman BeginsBest Film Editing: Cinderella ManBest Art Direction: King KongAchievement in Costumes: Charlie and the Chocolate FactoryAchievement in Makeup: Star Wars Episode Three: Revenge of the SithBest Original Score: The Constant GardenerBest Original Song: "Hard Out Here for a Pimp," Hustle and FlowAchievement in Sound Editing: War of the WorldsAchievement in Sound Mixing: War of the WorldsBest Visual Effects: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The WardrobeBest Animated Feature Film: Tie, Tim Burton's Corpse Bride, Wallace and Gromitt: Curse of the Were-RabbitBest Animated Short Film: 9Best Foreign Language Film: Joyeux Noel (France)Best Live Action Short Film: The Six Shooter Best Documentary Film: March of the Penguins Best Documentary Short: The Mushroom Club
Well there you have it. All the winners as voted on by the members of SSD. Thanks to everybody who voted on behalf of The Herald.
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Post by urbancinderella on Mar 2, 2006 7:34:51 GMT
The Recording Industry Association of America(RIAA) is essentially a collection of the United States' largest and most popular recording artists and labels. Some major members include: Geffen (Blink-182, Lifehouse, Weezer), Epic (Audioslave, Modest Mouse, AC/DC), and many other very large labels. The RIAA not only fights against piracy- it also conducts tons of research and market studies. Included are studies on trends, quantity, demographics, and feedback. Recently, the RIAA has had a diligent effort in stopping piracy (particularly online music theft). The RIAA has made many strong statements that were very harsh. Some things are being heavily protested; there's a lot of ridiculous laws and restrictions regarding music. Recently they claimed that putting music on your computer and then your iPod was illegal. Of course, that's outrageous and not reasonable at all. In my opinion the RIAA has been worthless to date, and are making people not want to listen to music. In our current era music is undoubtedly the most influential form of art that has ever been fathomed. People's lives revolve around music; music can be a tool for many things. The RIAA claims to be the friends of artists and musicians, but you can judge that for yourself. www.riaa.com
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Post by urbancinderella on Mar 2, 2006 7:36:06 GMT
The internet- the international super highway of information. The world of the internet is like no other. The internet is like a parallel universe. You can be whoever you want to be on the internet, whether that be good or bad. Strange things with it. The phenomenon surrounding this alternate universe is almost surreal. On the internet, Chuck Norris is a god-like figure who can do almost anything and everything. Morbidly obesed ten year olds dress up like Ash from Pokemon and start singing the theme tune in their Pokemon-filled bedrooms and two lads from California going by the name of "Smosh" gain huge followings by miming to popular theme songs from TV shows of the past, such as T eenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.The world of the internet is the worlds largest gossip column; it is in print twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, three-hundred-and-sixty-five-and-a-quarter-days-a-year. However, things a fastly escalating out of control and it is only a matter of time before it comes crashing down.
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Post by urbancinderella on Mar 2, 2006 7:38:10 GMT
Names: Grace Callaghan, c130. Hobbies: Yeah. I love Unreal Tournament 2004 and Thief 3; when I've got a few hours to kill and I can't be bothered with Photoshop, I'll play one of those two games. I also like taking the bus into Glasgow just for the sake of being out in the city. Love drawing and arty things on the computer too. Music, movies, goofing off. Favourite Website(s):Oracle For Hire - Dominic Deegan, [url=www.dilbert.com[/url]Dilbert[/url], DeviantArt, Google, Urban DeadWhat brought you to Solidsnake Designs? It had a reputation for being the best design site on Proboards. I was a noob to graphics, but I had been holding off joining up because I never considered myself skilled enough to fit in. Eventually, after joining a couple of other smaller graphics Proboards and doing graphics requests at a gaming forum, I decided it was high time I gave SSD a go. I joined up and immediately got hooked by the clan board. Who is your favourite designer? Why?Edd We think on the same wavelength, but he's always a few paces ahead of me. His work is great and unlike a lot of the other good/well-known designers on dA, he's down to earth and his head isn't in the clouds. Outside of the web, H.R.GigerHe designed the Alien movie sets. Amazing work, very inspirational. How long have you been a designer? How did you get started?I like to think I've been a designer for three years. That's a lie, I first picked up a 3D program about four years ago and started putting my god-awful scene renders online about then. I picked up Photoshop about two years ago, after wondering how people made the awsome artwork that they did, and for months I was a tutorialised filterwhore n00b. Eventually I learned about design forums, and I joined one. Very rapidly I started moving onto my own style of things, and learned the ropes quickly. What programs do you use now?Photoshop 7 is my main program of choice, though I've also learned Cinema 4D, Flash MX, and Illustrator CS; I use them whenever I need something specific. How would you define your style of artwork? What is your favourite style?My favourite style changes every few months. Currently my favourite styles are graffiti/urban, clean illustration, and sci-fi (painting, drawing, modelling; anything). My own style though is really eclectic (you might call it random) - every piece seems to be a totally different style from any before it, so my gallery is pretty patchwork. I love trying new things, so I don't really have a style of my own other than my love of vector and bright psychedelic colours. How would you define your level of skill in graphics?Intermediate. I've still got heaps and heaps of improvement left to do before I can consider myself above average. I'm getting there though. Every piece I make is an improvement on the one before, so it feels good to see the progress when I look at my gallery. Have you thought about going Professional?Yes. If I get the grades I need this year then I'm hoping to leave school and do a portfolio course at college over next year. After that I want to go to Edinburgh College of Art to do a degree course in Graphic Design, Animation or Illustration - I haven't decided which yet. After that I'm hoping to get employment in the creative world and start making a name for myself. Uzukami: I can see it now! GRACE CALLAGHAN, head of the art world!Do you have 3 pieces of art you're really proud of you'd like to show us? Yeah I've got three I'm proud of... Any advice to aspiring artists, digital and traditional alike?Practice. Learn. Improve. Practice some more. There's no substitute for putting the hours in. If you've got a natural flair for what you do, then it'll show itself very quickly. Also, the main thing that gets overlooked so often is originality. It's okay to copy other people's work if you're doing it to learn from it, but when crowd after crowd of new designers are copying each other's work and more experienced artists' styles, the ones who break the mold are the only ones who move past brushwhoring and copying. If you ever wonder why you're not as good as you hoped you were... it might just be time to try something new.
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Post by urbancinderella on Mar 2, 2006 7:39:13 GMT
sainterra.deviantart.com/I happened to stumble across Sainterra’s wonderful gallery while browsing through some other deviant’s page. One of her traditional drawings was displayed as a favourite and, intrigued, I clicked the link to investigate further. Her gallery may be small, but if you look into it, it packs quite a punch. mydeadpony.deviantart.com/You have no idea how long I had to search to find a vector artist with quirks. Mydeadpony’s gallery is full to brimming of different types of images – my favourite one being “Pig”. Hey, anyone who can make a pig look good/remotely arty is automatically cool in my books. nissun.deviantart.com/Nissun is another artist with a wealth of different mediums and different concepts being used in their gallery. Colourful, eye-catching and simply beautiful, I recommend a look. sundreaming.deviantart.com/Sundreaming is one of those artists that you stumble across and think “wow”. A range of different photographs – a lot with the use of sepia toning – spans his gallery. Worth a look. aquapell.deviantart.com/His gallery is the epitome of beauty. With landscapes that I would have paid to seen, it’s one wish of mine to venture to places as wonderful as the places that aquapell manages to capture.
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