The sorry state of the Union

As the clock winds down on Bush's presidency, the United States undoubtedly will need to consider its options on how to carry on once he's left and who of all people would do it the best. The war in Iraq was a costly mistake, global warming is making waves (pun intended) across the political spectrum, and traditional values are the foci of concern. With these issues coming to a head as the spectre of Islamist-fuelled Armageddon looms, we have been wishing, hoping, and praying for someone to see us out without bumbling through.

What we got were rock stars.

Ladies and gentlemen of the United States: Those of you over the age of eighteen and registered to vote will unwittingly make a lot of choices when you cast your vote. Some, like myself, are wise enough to watch the news every so often and give thought to who the candidates really are. And I've realised that the lot we have offer little promise. Right now we have Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Rudolph Giuliani, Fred Thompson, Mitt Romney, and others hogging the limelight, at least four of whom have attained rock star status through either breaking the trend or just being too well known. Obama has only been a senator for two years, yet his status as an African-American* has people believing him to be the Saviour of the Democratic Party. Giuliani has been hailed a hero for his swift actions following 9/11. Clinton has kept a dizzyingly high profile ever since her husband was in the White House, and she would be the first female executive to run the United Sates if elected. Romney was known for mandating health insurance in Massachusetts. Thompson was an actor who played the role of an American president. Few are actually known for their credentials in government more than what the tabloids report.

Worst of all, many of the problems I see with this country seem to be gravely mishandled — government handouts (tax-and-spend liberalism in a nutshell), the Islamism situation in the Middle East, and personal responsibilities. Many of these problems politicians skirt around just to get a voting base or two. However, the public has realised that pandering to a voting base will solve nothing. In order to get these issues down, you need to use your head:

Government handouts

Had I posted, say, six months earlier, I would have cast my vote for Hillary Clinton. One of her plans is to give each child $5,000 plus interest to pay college tuition or perhaps a mortgage. However, I now realise that that money is just a lump sum; it's not going to be earmarked for anything, so it can be spent willy-nilly if desired. The same I say for a Labour Party initiative to give £200 to each pregnant woman in the hopes that she'll eat well: Even though she'll have to see an obstetrician to get the grant, the money's not going to be earmarked. This means that the beneficiary could just dip into the account and cash out for booze and drugs. For the full gist of this argument, I refer you to the Have Your Say page on the subject; to summarise, with the poor and undereducated having more and more kids and seeing sex as a form of recreation, what better way to get money to blow on drugs or an expensive television set than to get knocked up?

Right now, people in the US on low incomes but with large families can use food stamp cards** or, if they're pregnant or their child is under the age of five, WIC checks to cover the cost of food. As a supermarket cashier, I see first-hand the most common abuse of the food benefits system: Even though they're given cash in the hopes that it'll go toward food that's actually good for them, not only do recipients not keep track of how much they're getting before they reach the till, but they use their credits on junk food. Instead of buying fruits, bread, milk, cereals, or the other basics for cooking and preparing, they opt for sugary juices, candy, and chips, much of which is subject to tax in New Jersey because of their content.

Solution: The WIC programme is nearly scotch-free because of its strict regulations on what can be bought. Such restrictions should also apply to food stamps. As a start, any food that can be taxed for its sugar content or lack of nutrition, i.e. soda or sweets, should not be covered by food stamps. Then, you move on to anything with more than 1 gram of trans fat per serving, or foods with high levels of sodium or carbohydrates (excluding fiber). Either way, only healthy foods should be eligible; if the parents want to buy soda or Li'l Hugs for their kids, they should work for it. That way, not only do the kids start to realise what little nutrition such things have anyway, but you also advance your assault on obesity.

Islamism

Conservatives love to point out that Islam isn't quite the loving and peaceful religion it's purported to be. Add to the mix the fact that most of said conservatives are Christian. The result is the notion that Islam is a spectre that needs to be vanquished in the name of Jesus Christ.

One thing is correct: Islam isn't exactly a peaceful religion — when the Qu'ran is taken to heart. But Christianity has been the same way — before World War I. From the inception of the Catholic Church to World War I, Europe was embroiled in religious warfare, and all partakers were Christian. The first wars — the Crusades — were fought for control of Jerusalem, as the Christians and Muslims had spiritual stake in the city. Eventually the Syrian sultan Saladin defeated a crusade led by King Richard, but he opened the city to Christian pilgrims.

Then came Martin Luther. As soon as he nailed the Ninety-Five Theses, Europe was up in arms, with the Catholic Church struggling to counter the newly-conceived Protestant movement. For hundreds of years, the struggle for ideological control of Europe would carry on. In fact, the United States was founded on principles that its founders learnt from the warfare in Europe: People needed their freedom of religion, press, speech, assembly, and redress, which no religious faction in Europe could offer. The whole point was to avoid religious and ideological oligarchy — a point many Christians in this country fail to realise as they champion those who champion 'traditional family values'.

The Middle East has been fraught with religious warfare long before Europe has — from the death of Muhammad's grandson. One group thought the next holy ruler had to be a direct descendant of Muhammad — the Shi'as. The other, the Sunnis, considered any righteous person eligible. They have been fighting ever since they split over whom should be the unifying force, trading blows to push what they believe is true Islam. This has only been aggravated with the discovery of oil, a commodity the West has pursued ever since the birth of the automobile.

It would eventually take two world wars and a Holocaust to slap Europe awake to realise that religious rule was not the answer.

Solution: The Middle East needs a World War of its own — and the West must stay out. First thing to do would be to finish up what we need to do in Iraq and withdraw our troops gradually. Then, we sit back and watch the sparks fly as the Muslims kill each other off in the name of the Qu'ran. Soon, once their populations have dwindled and their economies have been torn to bits, they'll come out like Europe.

'Family values'

Is the United States a 'Christian country'? Is it based on the 'family'? Those who feel sentimental would be quick to say yes to either question. Many groups, such as the Family Research Council, want a country to which 'traditional family values' are central; to do this, they say, a Biblical code should be implemented. The argument here is that the United States was founded as a Christian nation, suggested by the presence of terminology such as 'our Creator' and 'divine Providence' in the Declaration of Independence. It should be considered, though, that such language was the best to be had in the day; you didn't have science, and you needed some outlet for ideas. Even Thomas Jefferson, the primary author of the Declaration of Independence, was atheist; the truth was that the terms so lovingly cited by the Christian right were purely metaphorical.

As stated above, the whole idea behind the Constitution was to distance the country from religious oligarchy. The Christian government these conservative groups want so badly simply defeats the point of the nation's existence. If you're not convinced, examine the row in the Anglican Church over the consecration of gays. When the Episcopal Church, the American arm of the Anglican Church, consecrated the openly gay Gene Robinson, Anglican factions in Africa cried foul. Last year, members of the Church met in Tanzania and gave the Episcopal Church an ultimatum: Stop dealing with gays or get out. If that's not enough, imagine that you find in the Bible cause to treat gays as your equal and the country's laws prohibit homosexuality — you'll have a rough time gaining a following. Even the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints faces pressure, even after the Short Creek fiasco, because of their supposedly divine support of polygamy, counter to federal law still supported by the pro-family lot. The point is that running a Christian nation would only cause friction through the many denominations present in the country who claim that their way is the way to go.

The issue of family is, in effect, something that the government should have no business in. What defines the family is something that the people should decide on their own terms — it is not to be dictated by law. We all know by now that the 'family' the Family Research Council has in mind consists of a bundle of children raised in a household supported by a man married to one woman. This is a decent family — for those kind of Christians. However, you have homosexuals who, bereft of attraction to the opposite sex, miss out on the love said to be needed to keep a household together. These people would love to have their own children themselves, but at the same time they don't find a woman that appealing. Imagine the case of former New Jersey governor James McGreevey: He seemed to be this happily married family man, with a wife and kids. As soon as lover Golan Cipel threatened to expose him for his vapid appointment to the state's homeland security department, the house of cards collapsed, and Dina Matos McGreevey ended up demanding hefty amounts in alimony. McGreevey and Cipel have now entered a civil union, and I can bet that one of the things on their mind is raising a few kids of their own.

If you need a more convincing argument: China has a policy that requires that families have no more than one child. This has resulted in a severe disproportion of males over females, even after gender selection has been outlawed. If you abhor the government there taking control of families, why would you want it over here?

Solution: The answer to the two questions is no. For my full take on abortion and same-sex marriage, both of which I support, I refer you to my televangelism piece. The point is that the family is only what the ones involved make it out to be. Christians can raise their families as James Dobson recommends; that's their choice. They cannot, however, impose this on those who don't agree with Dobson or his so-called research council.

* Obama's father was Kenyan. When I say 'black', I refer to African-Americans who have American lineage going back to times of slavery.

** Electronic food stamps were introduced after paper food stamps found themselves on the black market, usually pawned or exchanged for drugs.

*speaks*

Given the many times I have tried to speak on the subject of my fights on the Internet — including the one with the Pokémon Community, you would have thought that I would have heeded the final words of Arcanine: ‘Get a life CW.’ This marked the last post I wrote before I wrote a message to Articuno Avianos to remove my account from PC through illegal access to the administrator control panel — I gave Lightning a copy of the PM, and I was banned for ‘instigating a severe hack threat’. This unceremonious expulsion, which followed six months of wrangling for my Other Voting Polls position back, led me to believe that I, in all respects, had just proven that I had no consideration for what others thought, and I have been wallowing ever since.

Little did I know....

The Composition lesson I had in college today involved an essay called 'Caring for your Introvert', written by a man who considers himself an introvert over the fact that he wishes to have his time alone. He wrote of introverts that ‘to be alone with our thoughts is as restorative as sleeping, as nourishing as eating’, and extroverts ‘are energized by people, and wilt or fade when alone’. He also debunks popular speculation that introverts are arrogant, stating that ‘this common misconception has to do with our being more intelligent, more reflective, more independent, more level-headed, more refined, and more sensitive than extroverts’. In other words, an introvert would rather be alone for some time, but they are just as functional as extroverts in large social scenes, albeit for a shorter time.

Of all the criticism I have received on the home front and on the Internet, you would figure that my recoiling would be the result of introverted tendencies. I even thought this was so, inferring from my imbalanced attention to my own needs. I may be on the computer a lot — but I have WLM open whenever possible, ready to receive IMs at any moment, and I normally find myself on a message board. And I have said from time to time that I loved attending the youth summits in Rhode Island due to the fact that you’re almost invariably around other students, and talking to them even if you have absolutely nothing in common.

After reading Jonathan Rauch’s screed, I saw all this in a new light — I am an extrovert.

Here’s the truth, folks, and it took me a long time and a lot of pain to come to this conclusion. The fights I have had were not over a mod spot, although I can attribute my clinging to the post as a result of Asperger’s syndrome. Rather, it is the fact that the loss of the position, which is incalculably worsened by the ban, effectively cuts me off from the other members, and I’m reduced to hearing what others have to say only when they send me a message on WLM or post on their LiveJournal or Facebook blogs. Indeed, now that I’ve come to realise my status as an extrovert beleaguered by Asperger’s syndrome, I’ve seen the company of members as infinitely more valuable. Indeed, I’ve felt that just mentioning and making it clear that I was an ‘aspie’ — rather than suppressing the fact, dismissing it as a sympathy hook — could have saved the situation (yet as far as Andy personally goes, I doubt he’d have any sympathy, given his overall attitude — and possibly the fact that he was homeschooled and most likely sheltered from ‘wayward’ society).

I’ve had to grapple with this practically since I began attending school in Brigantine. It was sometime in elementary school when I realised that my intelligence amounted to admiration from others, including teachers themselves. I have said before that I would brag about how I could multiply and divide and the majority of the third-graders had yet to learn it — that in particular was successfully muted when, as challenge, my teacher handed me an advanced multiplication sheet and I cringed in fear, and then the following year when I turned up a ‘dismal’ C in the first grading quarter. I also remember memorising the names of the presidents of the United States, but bragging about it led to the current stops on the street from people who just want to use me as a walking almanac. I would also use big words — Roget’s Thesaurus put an end to that. While I’m sure it’s nature for kids my age to brag about things other kids don’t have, I’ve seen mine to be acquired other than material; one kid could brag that he had a PSP whereas I ‘just’ had a Nintendo DS, whilst I’d counter that he couldn’t name the book of the Bible from which he’d draw his conclusion that Adam and Eve spurned humankind*.

The intelligence thing, as can be inferred from the above, was invariably coupled with social crutching. I began to depend on the fact that I had a photographic memory and could list things for my social needs. In middle school you could see me hanging out outside kids’ homes around a basketball net, although I wasn’t necessarily inclined to partake in the sport; being smart and well-known was enough in their eyes to validate my attendance. I would eventually make the cut for a trivia team called Think Day, which eventually competed in a gym hall at a high school in Linwood, but I was too confident; we ended up in eighth place after I hijacked many of the questions (although the position was still respectable as there were thirty teams present, and, looking through school report cards later in my life, many of the questions asked would stump most students at higher levels of public education). Through the years, my grades would not be very exceptional; I even ran the risk of failure twice. Intelligence, I would later learn, did not equate to brains or responsibility; it was merely the ability to figure things out from the raw, and nothing more.

Then I learnt that I had Asperger’s syndrome.

Reading books on the disorder explained most, if not all, of what I needed to know — I was insanely intelligent, but responsibility and social skills were impedimenta. At first it didn’t seem to faze me in school, but it soon sent my perfect, delicately balanced world crashing down during high school. I met a student, who came to resent my intelligence, and I framed him for deletion of school files; we did not reconcile until graduation. I tried to go for the method of passing at minimum to save face until I met my physics teacher — who turned out to be my uncle; his class proved to be the hardest, and I credit my protection from a failing grade — and being the top student in his class the following quarter — to doing mountains of extra credit.

It was also in high school that I met the Internet. The first forum I joined, as you know, was PKMN.NET**. Being a rising SuperCheats.com star, I expected them to know who Cross Stinger was — but after snapping over a prank censorship of the word ‘Muuma’ and increased unwelcome involvement with staff affairs, I was forced to re-examine who I was. Even when I vowed to start anew at the Pokémon Community, I expected people to recognise me; they didn’t until Wikipedia got involved, and that, coupled with being promoted to moderator over those circumstances, brought me into the chaotic world of PC staff drama, which I lived off as someone still recovering from railing against Jeroen the previous year. In the end it was quarrelling over how the forums should be run and grumbling over my reduced seniority as moderator of Other Voting Polls — being invited to staff chats satisfied my social need but led to me feeling horrible once the chat finished, as I would be hard-pressed to mutter anything good and would eventually give Andy the impression that I was a stuck-up suck up who was rigidly against what Encyclopedia Dramatica would call ‘lulz’.

Whatever the case, I’ve seen this today as a warning that I would have to keep my mouth shut about how I was better in order to move on; in fact, I still think about the past and hold it tantamount to the present and future, as I believe that these three things shape the human psyche. I’m sure that had I refused to state unequivocally that Andy was right on the n00bs thing, I would have survived — yet at the same time I wonder whether ignoring the Wikipedia incident altogether would have made things a little easier. I’m sure that had I not spoken out against pairing and ‘families’, I would have had a lot more dignity engaging in it two months after I was given the mod job (which means Andy pulled the ‘paired up just to get modded’ assumption right out of his ass). The truth, ladies and gentlemen, is not necessarily that I should have just kept my mouth shut and been more consistent — I should have tried to look for the positives of families and pairing up, and probably left Kelsey alone as she genuinely had a relationship with Jorge.

And for all I have come to beforehand, I always feel as if I cannot bring myself to act upon these emotions. I hold the past in high regard, in an attempt to make myself clean. Why can I not just live with the errors I've made? The fact is that I do not have any incentive as of yet. More accurately, if a grudge I have is considered to be obsolete by most, I don't give up until an official announcement is made. That's why I have fought, while others hated it; that's why I placed great emphasis on forgiveness all these years.

I should have said this as soon as I set foot on the Internets — I have Asperger’s syndrome, and I am prone to explode if I feel alone or miserable. This is how I am. I might never change that.

* Observing as a Protestant growing up in a Catholic and Republican town, it's hard for any kid to say otherwise, unless they're Indian. I am not a creationist, and I respect the beliefs of those who are, but arguing over it on the street in front of the arcade when you're under 25 — actually, at any age — is just silly.

** I joined PKMN.NET on 7 July 2004. The SuperCheats forums did not come online until 31 August 2004.

Encyclopedia Dramatica

Link not safe for work.

I have a confession to make: While I have decided to venture into smilie territory, I will not use textspeak, and I'm not fond of using FAIL — as with any other Internet quip like 'r0xx0rz' or 'haX0r', unless I'm using them in a context that defames such users except in the case of Fark.com). As someone who has come to revile the evils of the Internet as far as attention and drama are concerned, one site that has come to my attention is Encyclopedia Dramatica, a compendium of Internet fandoms, quips, trends, and insanity. Ladies and gentlemen, this is the reason things like Schadenfreude and FAIL exist — to be preserved and consecrated in this little library.

I'll seize the opportunity to capitalise on those who are amazed to find that it rests on a wiki by noting the type of articles that are written as to emphasise the beauty of the lexicon they know. Rule 34 is quick to have raw porn, as does the entry for 'rape', and even the one for 'Pokémon'; it even has a longer screed on Chris Hansen ('Why don't you have a seat?') and Dateline: To Catch a Predator than Wikipedia can muster. The Guardian has even written an article about the tl;dr (too long; didn't read) entry, which, appropriately is filled with incoherently placed texts. True, a lot of it can be offensive, but when it comes down to it, the collection of quips and expressions this encyclopaedia has to offer leads people to decide whether it would be a good thing to have their own little trend immortalised there or a bad thing to have rude anecdotes made about you.

Of course, following a ban from the Pokémon Community, I end up being mentioned on its 'Pokecommunity' entry, which echoes the little Wikipedia tiff last year. No matter, the article might be thrown anyway given their policy regarding Exhibits A through D.

SPECIAL REPORT: PPN shutdown

The following has been posted as part of the newsletter circulated by PokéZam:

I thought I'd begin this article with a Pokemon site closure that happened just a few days ago. PPN had been a major Pokemon website for over 5 years. It was best known for its frequently updated Pokemon news and for being a founding member of the Pokemon Community, one of the most active Pokemon forums on the Internet today. If you try to access PPN today you will get a message from the webmaster, Steve, stating that his website was shut down by Pokemon USA due to copyright infringement. This seems suspcious to me because Steve has always worked closely with Pokemon USA and didn't have anything such as ROMs on his website that would get him shut down. In a subsequent news post from TSS Killer, a news poster on PPN, Steve is claiming that his house was raided by the police with everything from his computers, Nintendo DS, and even posted notes taken. This seems like a bit much if he was just breaking copyright laws. It is fact that Steve is a registered sex offender in the state of California, which may have lead to his house being raided. Also, if you may recall, Steve disappeared for over 6 months last year with no explanation of his whereabouts. We will keep you informed as this news story develops. This is easily the most bizarre situation I have ever experienced as a Pokemon webmaster in the past 8 years.

Blimey. The sex offence claim surfaced back in March, when Kylie-chan posted a notice on PC alerting members to the fact that Steve was on the Megan's Law roster in California (the webmaster of Pokézam has since told me the listing had been removed in negotiations). But all the while, it seemed the PC admins were sweeping this all under the rug:

(9:59 AM) Informant: how old are *you*?
(9:59 AM) --: 19. ;;
(10:00 AM) Informant: You're a creepy paedophile
(10:00 AM) --: Like Steve.
(10:00 AM) Informant: Steve? The admin?
(10:00 AM) Informant: yeah XD
(10:00 AM) --: Yeah.
(10:01 AM) --: Did you see that webpage?
(10:01 AM) Informant: technically Joe's a paedophile too
(10:01 AM) Informant: no o_o
(10:01 AM) --: Oh.
(10:01 AM) --: So you don't know that Steve really -is- a paedophile?
(10:01 AM) Informant: No
(10:01 AM) Informant: OMG
(10:01 AM) Informant: I WANT LINKS
(10:01 AM) --: Kay, one sec. Gotta find it.
(10:02 AM) --: While you're waiting. Answer this question. Who's more awesome, me or Sassy?
(10:02 AM) Informant: Kelsey, she's a chick
(10:02 AM) Informant: Sorry XD
(10:02 AM) --: Thanks, I wanted that. XD
(10:03 AM) Informant: I know. XD
(10:03 AM) --: XD
(10:03 AM) Informant: But he really is a paedophile? DX Is this why Erica left? XD
(10:04 AM) --: No, they all knew for a while before she left.
(10:04 AM) Informant: Oh. ...Then why did they stay?
(10:04 AM) --: Because they loved PC I guess.
(10:05 AM) --: Found it.
(10:05 AM) Informant: This better not be some stupid prank. XD
(10:05 AM) --: [Defunct register listing]
(10:05 AM) --: It's not. XD
(10:06 AM) Informant: HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT'S STEVE?!?!?!?
(10:06 AM) --: Well, the name.
(10:06 AM) Informant: How'd you know his last name? XD
(10:06 AM) --: Pokesph
(10:06 AM) --: Stephen Patrick Heffron
(10:06 AM) Informant: OHHHHHHHH.
(10:06 AM) Informant: So you're 100% sure?
(10:07 AM) --: His birthday is the same.
(10:07 AM) Informant: O___O;;; all this time we were on a forum by a PAEDOPHILE. ew.
(10:07 AM) --: The age is the same.
(10:07 AM) Informant: He's older than my Mom.
(10:07 AM) Informant: O___O;
(10:07 AM) --: And, the conclusive evidence.
(10:07 AM) Informant: yeah, he got those kid's addresses didn't he?
(10:07 AM) Informant: kids'*
(10:07 AM) --: The zip code.
(10:07 AM) Informant: running those competitions and stuff o___o
(10:07 AM) Informant: Did Kwesi kick out Steve? And who found out this?
(10:07 AM) --: Yeah.
(10:08 AM) --: No, as far as I know, Kwesi always knew about it. And one of the higher staff, I forget who.
(10:08 AM) Informant: Does that make Kwesi an accomplice?
(10:08 AM) Informant: Uh... Bobby/
(10:08 AM) Informant: ?*
(10:10 AM) --: Don't think Kwesi is an accomplice. Unless he kidnapped the children for Steve.
(10:10 AM) --: Did you know Bobby is only 14?
(10:10 AM) Informant: No
(10:10 AM) --: He told everyone he was in his 20s.
(10:10 AM) Informant: I know O_O;;
(10:11 AM) --: But one day he confessed to Jorge to being 13.
(10:11 AM) Informant: Maybe Bobby literally was Steve's lapdog
(10:11 AM) --: Yeah, I know.
(10:11 AM) Informant: Uhhh... did that guy who ran VR know?
(10:11 AM) Informant: holy crap! I bet Steve got off to the picture thread O____O;
(10:11 AM) --: Casey? I dunno.
(10:12 AM) --: But, I PMed all the admins with that link and none of them replied to me. XD
(10:12 AM) Informant: Hm, maybe we should report PPN to that site, and they can look up the whois information, and if it's masked, they can get in contact with the host
(10:13 AM) --: Go for it. Because I have no idea what you just said..XD
(10:13 AM) Informant: Do any of the members know, by the way? XD Or is it just some huge staff scandal?
(10:13 AM) Informant: Well
(10:13 AM) --: No.
(10:13 AM) Informant: When you make a site, you have to give your contact details -- the valid ones -- to the webhost
(10:13 AM) Informant: And you can get them to fill up your whois with crap XD so no one can stalk you
(10:14 AM) --: Some of the staff decided that nobody outside of the higher staff knew about it.
(10:14 AM) Informant: you can look up any site, whois it, and find out their details, unless it's whoisguard'd, in which case you try to get in touch with their host if it's legal stuff
(10:14 AM) Informant: but isn't that technically wrong?
(10:14 AM) --: That's what I said.
(10:15 AM) Informant: Would parents want their kids on a site run by a molester?
(10:15 AM) Informant: Knowing he runs competitions and stuff?
(10:15 AM) --: People have a right to know if they're in contact with a convicted paedophile.
(10:15 AM) Informant: =/ It's wrong morally and probably legally.
(10:15 AM) Informant: I think someone should just troll post it.
(10:15 AM) Informant: ...Can I do it?
(10:15 AM) Informant: I don't give a shit about PC anymore. XD
(10:15 AM) --: Go wild.
(10:15 AM) --: XD
(10:15 AM) Informant: OMG, thank you --. I promise I won't blame you. XD
(10:16 AM) Informant: ...how many themes does Jake make a month?
(10:16 AM) --: Meh, they'll most likely know it came from me. I haven't exactly been keeping it a secret. XD Too many.
(10:16 AM) --: He has about four more in the works too.
(10:16 AM) Informant: including the theme contest? XD
(10:17 AM) --: No, these are just his own ones. XD
(10:17 AM) Informant: Oh. XDDD What happened to the theme contest? O_o;
(10:17 AM) Informant: did he ever bother finishing it/
(10:17 AM) Informant: ?*
(10:17 AM) --: I have no idea, I didn't even know there was one. XD
(10:18 AM) Informant: XDDDD People kept bitching to him to get it done. We ran a contest for members to submit images and stuff and Jake would code their layout. It probably never happened
(10:18 AM) --: Probably not, Jake gets lazy when it comes to doing themes that he hasn't created. XD
(10:18 AM) --: Ew, PC's new default theme is fugly.
(10:20 AM) Informant: is Jake still Mr. Power control guy?
(10:20 AM) --: No idea.
(10:20 AM) Informant: I'm so tempted to be a retard and title my threads J'accuse... eh, I should probably plan this for a more lulzy, full-out attack
(10:20 AM) Informant: I mean, is he still bossing everyone around? XD
(10:21 AM) --: Erm, I guess. XD
(10:22 AM) --: I don't think any of the staff on PC has really changed since I was first modded there way back when.
(10:22 AM) Informant: Awww. DX Except some got more annoying XD
(10:22 AM) --: Well, they all grate on you at some point. XD
(10:23 AM) Informant: XDDD Some never.
(10:23 AM) Informant: You, Kelsey, Karli, Jorfe... some others...
(10:23 AM) --: Aww.
(10:24 AM) Informant: come on, you lot are cool XD
(10:24 AM) Informant: Kaga never pissed me off either
(10:24 AM) Informant: god I miss him
(10:25 AM) --: I didn't know him. He came just as I left and he left before I came back.
(10:25 AM) --: I think he was just a myth.
(10:25 AM) Informant: no he wasn't
(10:25 AM) Informant: he was real xD
(10:25 AM) Informant: he rocked
(10:27 AM) --: What happened to him?
(10:27 AM) Informant: http://www.whois.net/whois_new.cgi?d=pokemonpalace&tld=net Aww crap, I don't think his whois is gonna help. He must have a dedicated server or something o_O I'unno, I'll ask

Tales from the Arcade IV: More smoking, with 100% more iPhone

Three days ago, I finally got a mobile phone — an iPhone, that is. It set me back $200 out of pocket ($600 altogether, excluding plan, but my parents paid for part of it), and for the money I'm really enjoying it. What I do most of the time is use the Safari browser or run the camera.

It was yesterday, though, when I decided to take it to the public. Many people were fascinated, some downright jealous, ever since I decided to just take it outside. And yes, some kid made a point of using it to attract the attention of girls in the group. It happened, yes, but this kid dramatised any effect of taking your iPhone out and allowing someone to test it. Tonight, it was one of the talks of the group forming outside the arcade — aside, of course, from smoking. This time around, nearly everyone had graduated from the cigarette to some brand of flavoured cigar — and this time, my chest tightened when I came near some of the smokers, and whenever they tried to release the ash it came off in hot cinders and clouds of smoke, instead of the normal issuing streams.

Those who have read the previous Tales from the Arcade pieces will know that smoking has been a problem at the arcade. Back then, not many people, I'll admit, smoked — today, though, I saw so many smoke that many I suspected otherwise were in on it as well. One kid now had eyes so red it seemed as if he had been badly beaten up. Eventually the smoking offended two girls from northern New Jersey, and once they turned to avoid someone's explosion of ashes on the pavement, they all puffed away from them.

After my stomach began to tighten and the kids started moving to the convenience store to watch a fight, I just went home and took a shower. While Brigantine has had its share of druggies and chavs, it never occurred to me until tonight how common it was in this day and age, and how it's hardened into a social foundation. I have never smoked — I owe that to scary commercials and my participation at youth summits — and having to smell my acquaintances smoking irks me somewhat. I probably have less respect for under-age smokers — or smokers on the whole — than televangelists; anyone who engages in an act to undermine their lifespan in the name of acquaintance has little merit (no pun intended) in my book.

I wish I were Neal Boortz. He can criticise smokers on his show and feel good about it. Although I don't think it's always the case that it's the 'second time her prom dress has come off' if she's smoked during prom, but it makes a lot of sense.