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Posted: Mon Sep 15, 2008 4:55 pm

01 October 2008 | Executive Editor: Gear-Richie | Est. Nov 2004

zOMG is coming
The long-awaited battle system enters the beta-testing phase

In 2004, the Gaian administration first began hinting at the prospect of Gaia having an interactive battle system. Four years later, after Gaians expressed feelings of anticipation, doubt, and fear, it has been confirmed that the staff has made good on their promise. Beta testing has started on zOMG, Gaia's own Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG).
There are 117686 users registered in the beta testing guild, but it is unclear how many of those are actually participating in beta testing. The entire affair is shrouded in mystery, as those participating are sworn to secrecy, and face disciplinary action if they break the silence agreement.
More information will be provided as it is made known.

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Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2008 1:23 am

A full-length novel in a month
National Novel Writing Month approaches

National Novel Writing Month is an annual event in which amateur writers from all over the world attempt to write a 175-page (50,000 word) novel in thirty days, starting on the first of November, and ending on the 30th. Writers are encouraged to focus solely on producing work; the quality of the novel is not an issue. Those who complete the 50,000 word deadline by the midnight that brings in December 1st are declared winners.

According to the site, "the ONLY thing that matters is output...The kamikaze approach forces you to lower your expectations, take risks, and write on the fly." Writers, at times, have no plot or character development before starting, but simply begin to write, as "a story spins itself out in front of you."

With 119,153 writers signed up as of the end of September 2008, NaNoWriMo.org is one of the biggest writing events each year, with some of the more talented writers getting publishing deals, their stories becoming bestsellers.

The key behind NaNoWriMo is a lack of editing. According to the site, a large part of what takes novelists so long to write their books, as well as what causes several aspiring novelists to give up on their books, is the editing phase. During the writing phase, many aspiring writers will edit as they go, backtrack, edit more, and eventually make very little progress in the plot over an extended period of time. Due to this, the book takes too long to finish, or never gets finished at all, the entire idea being dropped due to frustration or other priorities. Those who complete a novel in NaNoWriMo often end up "writing a lot of crap" according to the site, but in the end, can "write without having to obsess over quality...make obscure references to passages from [their] novels at parties...[and to] mock real novelists who dawdle on and on, taking far longer than 30 days to produce their work."

More information can be found at the National Novel Writing Month website, at http://www.nanowrimo.org

My Gaia is not My Friend
Are the My Gaia page glitches too much to handle?

The new My Gaia has several glitches, and has not been accepted warmly by all members of the Gaia community. 790 Gaians signed a petition on this page, asking for Gaia to remain the way it was. Their petition went unnoticed and the change went ahead, although the "Feeds" section of the new My Gaia page was not up and running immediately.

Another feature that is not perfect in the My Gaia design is the Account Preferences Page, which is causing problems for people who wish to change their preferences. Users have reported that when they check the box to see Daily Chance, for example, the Daily Chance cart does not appear as expected. This is because due to a glitch in the settings page, some options are acting oddly. Each option has to be checked and then unchecked, and then saved. This will correctly check the box. No information is available on when this important feature will be fixed.
Other users have found, when they try to change their profiles from current to classic style, the option has disappeared! It is nowhere to be found on any of the Accounts pages.

The angry Gaians of the aforementioned petition have complained about the glitchy new features, and received the following reply.

Lanzer

We actually have a list of bug fixes and changes that go out twice a week. We fix at least two dozen bugs a week, and new features like zOMG has over 700 that we're trying to fix. Do check out Panagrammic's journal when you get a chance, and you'll see a portion of the changes and fixes that we regularly update, but otherwise, we continue to listen and address bugs and problems, but with the size of Gaia, it's just difficult to fix everything at once.

So it looks like we will soon have the liberty to change settings, but until then, you can just use the method described above to change them: check, then uncheck, then save.

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Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2008 1:25 am

The Amazing Potato Spiel

Imagine, if you would, a typical Valentine’s Day scene. You get a bunch of roses for the one you love and you think to yourself, “What a wonderful gift.” It’s beautiful, and it shows how much you love him or her. Then you start thinking of the other meanings roses can hold. For instance, like a joke online goes, “Roses only last a couple of weeks, provided you leave them in water." They really only exist to be pretty; so that's like saying, "My love for you is transitory and based solely on your appearance." Giving a rose to your significant other could in turn hurt you as the roses die like your love for him or her.

A potato, however, would make a much better gift. Unlike the rose, a potato doesn’t die if left alone; it sprouts and grows like your undying love. A potato — perhaps the world’s most versatile food source — is a wonderful symbol of your love. Like the Great Irish Potato Famine, without your lover, you would starve to death from the deprivation of love. Potatoes were and still are the main source of food — the main source of life — for many people. It provides so many nutrients that it is no wonder so many people lived on it. Like the potato, your lover provides you with so much care, you couldn’t live without him or her.

That’s only the beginning of it, though. Potatoes are versatile. They can be used in a number of dishes as well as in a number of crafts. The magnificent potato can be used in nearly any dish as support or it can be the main course itself. We Americans love it as French Fries, Hash Browns, Potato Chips or just Baked. But the list doesn’t stop there. Some form of potatoes is always served at every big family gathering or holiday — for example, mashed potatoes.

Now move out of the food world and into the rest of the world. People use potatoes as batteries or stamps. The are handy for removing broken light bulbs,or even warts. Potatoes can be used for so many different things that listing them would be impossible. Everyone loves potatoes for their versatility, thus, it's like telling your lover that you love them because they can do so many wonderful things. You love him or her for who he or she is and not what he or she looks like on the outside.

Continuing from the aforementioned joke, “Potatoes may be ugly, but they're still awesome." So that's like saying, "It doesn't matter at all what you look like, I'll still love you.”

When thinking of something to give to the people important to you, don’t turn to the routine flowers or candy; turn to the potato. Potatoes have sustained both life and fun so don’t you forget it. And did you know that 2008 is the International Year of the Potato? There is no better time to celebrate the beauty of the potato.

Thank you all for coming today to listen to the amazing potato spiel.

The Origin of Halloween

Halloween is a favorite part of many children's years. Free candy is given out, parties are held, and many make costumes. But how did this well-known tradition begin?
It began in Ireland, where the Ancient Celts celebrated the feast of Samhain on November 1st. This feast was to commemorate a time when the world of the dead was thought to be closer to the world of the living than at any other time of the year. The heads of slaughtered enemies were displayed, or failing that, carved turnips with a light inside to show the dead man's soul. When this tradition was brought to America by Irish immigrants, the turnip was replaced by a pumpkin, hence the current Jack O' Lantern.
Another Halloween tradition that started with the Ancient Celts was the practice of wearing masks or face paint. The Ancient Celts believed that if they dressed as dead people, the spirits from their afterlife would not bother them. And still today people wear masks and face paint, but for different reasons.
The name Halloween comes from All Hallow's Eve, hallows meaning ghosts. This slowly became contracted to Halloween or Hallowe'en. So this year when you are trick or treating or carving out your Jack O' Lantern, think back on the origins of the Halloween tradition!

Lifestyles of the Rich and Richer
Halloween Costumes for those with way too much money

Total Value: 127,249 Gold
[Item Information]

Item List:
Vampire Hunter Hat
Jack's 2k7 Headphones
Warm Male Goth Starter Shirt
Really Jacked Up Shirt
Lidless Demon Armor (Boots)
Masterpieces
Really Jacked Up Pants

Total Value: 340,295 Gold, 8,200 Tickets
[Item Information]

Item List:
Hermes' Moon
Elemental Wings
Black Wool Top
Silver Prince's Rapier
Kelp o' th' Loch
Kelp o' th' Loch 2nd Gen.
Jack'd Mask

Total Value: 278,358 Gold
[Item Information]

Item List:
Kelp o' th' Loch
Hermes' Moon
Romani Grey Slacks
#FFFFFF Complex Shirt M
Doggy Style Steamer Gloves
Doggy Style Steamer Boots
Red Riding Hood
Outlaw Wolf Pup

Total Value: 7,808,065 Gold
[Item Information]

Item List:
Jacked-Up Shoes
Jacked-up Shirt
Jacked-up Pants
Jacked-up Gloves
Jacked Up Cape
Jacked Up Boots
Jacked Belt
Jack's Inner Tube
Jack's Beard
Jack's Bat Clip
Jack's Bat Clip
Jack's Bat Clip
Jack's Bat Clip
Jack's Bat Clip
Jack's Bat Clip
Jack's 2k7 Pumpkin Earrings
Jack's 2k7 Headphones
Jack's 2k7 Armor Plate
Jack's 2k7 Armor Gloves
Jack's 2k7 Armor Boots
Jack'd Hat
Jack Visor
Jack Uniform Shoes
Jack Uniform Shirt
Jack Uniform Pants
Jack Uniform Gloves
Jack Uniform Coat
Jack Uniform Cap

Total Value: 369,773 Gold
[Item Information]

Item List:
Elemental Hair
Fausto's Bottle 8th gen.
Jack's Disgust
Oculus Magica
The Jack-et
Really Jacked Up Pants
Jacked Belt
Jacked Up Boots
Really Jacked Up Gloves
Really Jacked Up Shirt
Jacked Up Cape

Total Value: 104,927 Gold
[Item Information]

Item List:
Orange Star Face Tattoo
Jacked Up Boots
Waste Glamrock Headband
Orange Torque Shades
Black Ops Gear
Morgana's Gloves
Really Jacked Up Shirt
Orange Stripes Bottom Tattoo
Orange Stripes Right Arm Tattoo
Orange Stripes Left Arm Tattoo
Jack's Bat Clip
Black Glamrock Jeans

Total Value: 293,336 Gold
[Item Information]

Item List:
Gray Polar Expedition Pile Jacket
Antarctic White Polyester Necktie
Black Wool Top
Rough Black Jeans
Kelp o' th' Loch
Four Horsemen
Death Whisper (6th gen)
Alruna's Rose
Smashing Cities

Total Value: 244,376 Gold
[Item Information]

Item List:
Hannya Mask
Dashing Gentleman Silver And Black Cane
Coal Gunner Boots
Kelp o' th' Loch
Belted Pants
Belted Top
Alruna's Rose

Total Value: 624,423 Gold
[Item Information]

Item List:
Celebrity Snare Snoop Dogg's Dobermans
Kelp o' th' Loch
Elemental Wings
Demonic Pendant
Demonic Mood Bubble
Nike Sparq Shirt
#0000FF Complex Pants M
Assassin's Guise
Black Wool Top
Buttoned Down Fauna Boots
Black Gloves
Hockey Mask
Old Machete

Total Value: 21,389 Gold
[Item Information]

Item List:
Dead Sexy Wine Bat Cravat
Dead Sexy Midnight Trousers
Four Horsemen
Four Horsemen
Skeleton
Wraith Cloak

Total Value: 207,434 Gold
[Item Information]

Item List:
Dark Monk's Robe
Dark Monk's Robe
Shadow Spirit
Shadow Spirit
Skeleton
White Drome Egg 2nd gen.
Death Whisper (6th gen)

Total Value: 82,589 Gold
[Item Information]

Item List:
Chain Of Command
Elemental Hair
Skeleton
Skull Biker Black Leather Jacket
Skull Biker Black Leather Strides
Skull Biker Black Gloves
Skull Biker Black Boots

Total Value: 829,255 Gold
[Item Information]

Item List:
Shadow Spirit
Death Whisper (3rd gen)
Death Whisper (3rd gen)
Death Whisper (5th gen)
Death Whisper (5th gen)
Gothic Veil
Black Body Dye
Alruna's Rose 2nd Gen
Ghost Cape
Damascus Armor
Obsidian Tatsu Helm
Damascus Armor
Damascus Armor
Damascus Armor
Damascus Armor
Exalted Rook
Death Whisper (3rd gen)

Posted: Fri Sep 26, 2008 11:43 am

Bridging the gap
Batman: Gotham Knight links two movies together

Batman: Gotham Knight is a direct-to-DVD movie from DC Comics that was made to fit into the Christian Bale Batman continuity. Falling between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, this animated film features six shorts, some connected, others not, and each written and animated by different people. The segments all have a distinctive animation style that separates it from the others, not unlike the modern Batman comics.
In the movie, Batman faces off against a high-tech criminal, mediates a gang war, and takes on The Scarecrow, Killer Croc, and Deadshot at various points.
The first thing that caused me to breathe a sigh of relief was Kevin Conroy reprising his role as Batman. (He was the Bruce Wayne/Batman voice actor in Batman: The Animated Series, Batman Beyond, Justice League, and other cameo appearances in the DC Animated Universe, like Static Shock.) His voice acting was as flawless as ever, and he portrayed Batman in the way that so many of us know and love.
The animation quality varied from segment to segment. The first segment was terrible, looking horribly warped and cartoonish, even going so far as to make Batman look like an overweight middle-aged man. Other segments, however, like Deadshot portrayed him in rare form, looking like the Dark Knight he was always supposed to look like. So the animation tended to range from poor to superb, depending on what segment you were watching at the time.
The writing is excellent. The writers give a true feel for Batman's personality and the way he thinks, as well as giving some true insight to the villains' motives and thoughts. We also get a rare glimpse back into Bruce's days training to become Batman, and just how he got to be who he was.
Despite what animation flaws it had, this movie is a definite must-buy for any Batman fanatic.

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The views and opinions stated in this article belong solely to those to whom they are directly attributed, and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the Gaian Record International staff or its affiliates.

Tyler Perry's The Family that Preys

Rated: PG-13
Starring: Alfre Woodard, Sanaa Lathan, Rockmond Dunbar, KaDee Strickland, Cole Hauser, Taraji P. Henson, Robin Givens, Tyler Perry, Kathy Bates, Sebastian Siegel, Kaira Whitehead, Ron Clinton Smith, Jeff Rose, Andrew Masset, Crissy Collins, Benjamin Brown.

Seeing this movie, I'd have to say, that title fit perfectly. The film was enjoyable. It gave you hope that family does mean something. There was a lot of laughing, but then again, there were parts that made you mad, and parts that made you want to cry. There were times when you'd feel adventurous and want to join in, others where you wanted to stay wrapped up in yourself. I believe the film was very good, with lots of surprises and enough of a story to keep you watching.

My grade: User Image

The views and opinions stated in this article belong solely to those to whom they are directly attributed, and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the Gaian Record International staff or its affiliates.

You Don't Mess With the Zohan

Rated: PG-13
Starred: Adam Sandler, Rob Schneider, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Nick Swardson, John Turturro...

I believe this movie was good. It was hilariously funny, but had crudeness to it. For the majority of the scenes, one would believe that rating it "R" would've been better than PG-13. Amazing feats were captured turning the, "Top Israeli commando," nearly into Superman, the Flash, and Jackie Chan, all rolled into one. Not necessarily a family oriented movie, but one could watch this on a date, or with friends.

My grade: User Image

The views and opinions stated in this article belong solely to those to whom they are directly attributed, and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the Gaian Record International staff or its affiliates.

SkyeGear
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Posted: Fri Sep 26, 2008 11:46 am

Posted: Fri Sep 26, 2008 11:47 am

Aquariums Are Full of Cracks
Would a bank be a better investment?

As you Gaians have heard, the latest project the developers are working on is the Aquarium. We're supposed to be able to feed fish, and take care of them like virtual pets. Now, Gaians, I ask you this; is it really needed? I don't think so.

For example, let's talk about banks. In the beginning, Gaia didn't have banks, but fortunately, a smart Gaian started up user-banks. These were regular banks run by the users of Gaia. Ever since 2007, however, moderators had to ban the user-run banks due to frequent scams, so for nearly a year now, we've had no banks in which to store our gold. We've had various things come to Gaia, but there's been no update on banks. Many feel that banks are needed more, but the moderators decided that an aquarium is more important.

A petition has started to request updates to the banking system. If you are interested, click here.

The views and opinions stated in this article belong solely to those to whom they are directly attributed, and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the Gaian Record International staff or its affiliates.

John McCain
Past and Future

Senator John McCain, Presidential candidate of the Republican Party, recently selected Sara Palin, Governor of Alaska, as his running mate. This could prove to be a wise choice. Being a woman, she could bring in extra support, especially since Hillary Clinton did not win the Democratic nomination for 2008’s presidential elections.

Recent figures show McCain to be beating Barak Obama by 2% of the votes. But this could be McCain's last chance to be elected. As the oldest man to run for president at the age of 72, he may be too old to be elected four years from now. He will be 76, which is very long for a human to live. He may die of old age.

Yet, no matter how old McCain is, he has had a courageous past. He was a strong soldier in the army. He was a prisoner of war for five years, after which time he had the option of going home or continuing to fight, and he bravely chose to stay in the war.

The views and opinions stated in this article belong solely to those to whom they are directly attributed, and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the Gaian Record International staff or its affiliates.

Barack Obama
Past and Future

Barack Obama still has a chance of winning this memorable presidential election. He has the support of many black voters who are anxious to finally witness the existence of an African- American president in the United States. Barack's heritage, however, shows just how non-racial he is, with a Kenyan father, and a white mother.

Obama is a very intellectual man, in his 40’s, with a superior command in education, having gone to Columbia University and Harvard Law School. He is the Democratic candidate of this year’s election, and will be facing the oldest candidate, ever, John McCain.

New Hampshire Senator and once presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton, supports Obama and thinks he is the one who should lead this country.

The views and opinions stated in this article belong solely to those to whom they are directly attributed, and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the Gaian Record International staff or its affiliates.

Sara Palin
Past and Future

Alaskan Governor Sara Palin is the running mate of Senator John McCain for this year's presidential election. She has 5 children; three girls and two boys. One of her sons has Down's Syndrome. People born with this condition are mentally challenged in a way similar to autism, due to an extra #22 chromosome in their genetic makeup, which also causes very characteristic facial features.

Concern has been voiced about how Sara Palin will be able to handle the pressure of caring for and supporting her children while helping McCain run the country. Yet, McCain has raked in many votes because he selected a female vice. Hillary Clinton, recently out voted as the Democratic presidential nominee, could have taken many of those votes as a candidate. But now, the closest thing to a female president is Sara Palin.

The views and opinions stated in this article belong solely to those to whom they are directly attributed, and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the Gaian Record International staff or its affiliates.

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Posted: Fri Sep 26, 2008 11:49 am

Executive Editor's Note: The following comic was run in a previous issue of the Gaian Record International, but the series was not completed. The comic is being rerun so that the saga presented can be continued in further issues of the GRI.

By: Cartoonist1

Never ask where they got their costume if it looks good.

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Posted: Fri Sep 26, 2008 11:51 am

Thank you for reading this month's issue of the Gaian Record International. All of us here at the GRI News Media Corporation hope you enjoyed this issue, and have learned from our sage writers *cough* and perhaps gained some awesome Halloween ideas. We also hope to see you next month for our Thanksgiving issue.

Did you enjoy this month's paper? If so, please feel free to drop us a comment in the main forums. There will be a specialized thread to tell us what you liked or disliked. Also, the GRI is always hiring, so send me a PM if you're interested in a position with the paper. If you want to continue to see the paper each month, feel free to join the guild. Also, small contributions to the user "GRInternational" will not go unnoticed or uncredited.

Again, thank you for reading, and we hope to see you next month!

Gear-Richie
Founder/Executive Editor
Gaian Record International News Media Corp.

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