Gaian Record International: September 2006

[SkyeGear]

Gaian Record International, September 2006, Editor-in-Chief: Gear-Richie, Est. November 2004

They don't make planets like they used to
Discovery of new "planet" leads astronomers to redefine term

Whether your very eager mother just served you and your friends nine pickles, or you just know the names, all through school, students are taught that there are nine planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. But what if a discovery threw everything out of whack? What if the discovery of a new planet changed the textbooks to say...there are only eight planets?
Following the discovery of the icy hunk of rock known as 2003 UB313 by Michael Brown, scientists determined that perhaps Pluto, which is smaller than this new body, may not fit the definition of "planet." Unfortunately, the scientific community has yet to determine the actual definition of the word "planet."
Measured by the Hubble Space Telescope, 2003 UB313, nicknamed "Xena," is about 1,490 miles in diameter, about 70 miles longer than Pluto according to MSNBC.com. It's distance from the sun is about 9 billion miles.
While some believe that Xena should be christened the 10th planet in our solar system, others disagree. "Life would be simpler if we went back to eight planets," said Brian Marsden, director of the astronomical union's Minor Planet Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts in an interview with MSNBC. Marsden believes that neither Xena or Pluto should be classified as planets.
In mulitple ways, Pluto tends to defy the rules that the other planets hold. For example, Pluto, being the 9th planet in the solar system, is Neptune's neighbor. But it has a peculiar orbit around the sun, causing it to cross Neptune's path, making it the 8th planet from the sun at times, as it was from January 1979 until February 11, 1999. Also, all the planets farther from the sun than Mars are gaseous planets except for Pluto and Xena, which are balls of rock and ice, solid planets, like the first four. These "outer planets" also tend to be hundreds of time larger than Earth, while Pluto is smaller than the United States.

Facts about Pluto:

Pluto has three moons: Charon, Nix, and Hydra. Nix and Hydra were discovered in 2005.

While Pluto is offically a planet, many scientists consider it to be part of the Kuiper belt, several frozen bodies beyond Neptune just recently discovered. Just the number of them out there is what is causing the debate over the definition of "planet."

Pluto takes 248 Earth years to orbit the sun. It takes 6.4 Earth days to make one day on Pluto.

Pluto's name comes from the Roman god of the underworld. It was suggested by an 11 year old British girl.

Pluto's first confirmed satellite, Charon, was named after a mythological figure who ferried the dead across the River Acheron into Hades. However, the discoverer of Charon was also naming it for his wife, Charlene. Therefore, its offical prounonciation is "SHAHR en."

For a time, Pluto was debated as being a "double-planet system," with Charon as its parter planet.

Pluto was discovered when it appeared a strong gravitational force was altering Uranus' and Neptune's orbits. This calculation turned out to be erronious, but led to the discovery of the icy world.

Pluto is the only planet not to be visited by a spacecraft. Its distance from Earth is so great, even the Hubble Space Telescope has difficulty snapping detailed photos.

Like Uranus, Pluto is relatively turned on its side. This means that its equator is at a right angle to its orbit path.

Pluto can be seen with an amateur telescope, but it is nearly impossible unless you know exactly where to look and exactly for what you are looking.

Information courtesy of MSNBC.com and http://seds.lpl.arizona.edu/nineplanets/nineplanets/pluto.html

Facts about 2003 UB313:

Its orbit is over twice as long as that of Pluto's.

Its orbit is also eccentric like Pluto's; it crosses into Pluto's path much like Pluto does to Neptune's.

2003 UB313 is impossible to see with amateur equipment.

Even the Hubble Space Telescope is unable to get a decent, detailed picture of the frozen world.

Another possible name for the new planet is Persephone, the bride of Hades (Pluto) in mythology.

The planets' fates will be determined and announced at a later date. At the time that this article was written, the confrence was still in progress, set to end on the 26th of August, 2006. After all, "It's time we have a definition [of a planet]," said Alan Stern, who heads the Colorado-based space science division of the Southwest Research Institute of San Antonio in an interview with MSNBC. "It's embarrassing to the public that we as astronomers don't have one."

 

[SkyeGear]

Gaian Citizen Banned for "Botted" Item Possession
Mistake cleared up; user's account to be restored

Gaian user kiki fairy had another one of her accounts banned when she received several botted donation letters in her mule account, then made a trade to her main account consisting of gold and a nitemare scarf. "I believe it was mistaken that the trade I transferred is related to the "letters" and that is why I was banned," kiki fairy says in the moderators' defense. "After talking to an omnimod I found out my banning is related to a trade I accepted 4 wks ago - it concerns 10-12 letters donated to my mule. The items are still in that mule account and never transferred to my main account."
Despite the banning, kiki fairy does not claim to be particularly upset by this development, but she rather has seen good come of it. In a private interview, she stated, "Banned or not - I am grateful that people never fail to remember the things I did, I am also more than grateful that people I didn't know or didn't expect to support me fought for me. So instead of losing friends, I actually gained more right after my banning."
According to kiki fairy, the omnimod with whom she spoke informed her that her account would be restored, however it would take some time.

Is your backpack too bulky?
The American Occupational Therapy Association warns against excessively heavy packs at school

The American Occupational Therapy Association has declared September 20th 2006 to be the fifth annual "National School Backpack Awareness Day."
AOTA has for years warned against the medical problems that may occur in students whose backpacks are too heavy for them. According to the site's statistics, taken from the national estimated figures of the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, "More than 7,000 emergency room visits in 2001 were related to backpacks and book bags. Approximately half of those injuries occured in children 5 to 14 years old...Loaded backpacks [should] weigh no more than 15%...of a student's body weight."
AOTA also has tips for backpack-wearing students. They say that wearing the backpack lower on the body has the least effect on the student's posture. Following these guidelines has been reported to lessen the "pain and strain" in the back, neck, and shoulders.
Other strategies include loading heavier items into the side of the backpack closest to the student's back, and trying to arrange the items so they don't tend to slide around inside. If the items begin to exceed the 15% rule, other items should be carried by hand. When wearing the backpack, both straps should be utilized, as wearing only one causes the student to lean to one side, "curving the spine and causing pain or discomfort." Also, backpack straps should be well-padded, as "shoulders and necks have many blood vessels and nerves that can cause pain and tingling in the neck, arms, and hands when too much pressure is applied." Waist belts on backpacks help distribute weight more evenly, and students should never rest the base of the backpack more than four inches below the waistline.
The site states that wearing properly loaded backpacks in the proper manner will help prevent potential health problems of the back, neck and shoulders. For more information on National School Backpack Awareness Day or any other health tips AOTA has to offer, visit the AOTA website.

Donation items continue to inflate
At this rate, will we be able to afford anything by 2010?

Many people of Gaia donate money to keep the site running. In exchange, they get a special gift, a “thank you letter." Each month brings new gifts and new surprises. These gifts increse in value as time passes, such as:

Popular Questing Items:
Animal items: the Kiki was released in the “thank you letter for March 2005.” At the moment, its worth is around 118,500 gold. As for the Coco, it came in the “Thank You letter for October 2005,” its current worth being about 31,900 gold. Many Gaians are questing for these animals, and most Gaians that have one or the other know that their Coco and/or Kiki are special to them; they even go as far as naming them. Other popular quests when it comes to animals are Mochi the puppy, Winter fox mink, Snow yeti, and Pandy pack.

Some examples of harder to get items include the Fuzzy Penguin Slippers and Baby Seal Slippers, released in the “Thank you letter for March 2004.” Fuzzy Penguin Slippers are worth about 237,500 gold, and Baby Seal Slippers are going for 244,000 gold. Other highly expensive items include the Zony Discman, Chain wallet, and the Staff of angels, just to name a few.

Newest:
At the moment the newest items are Gwee the dragon and the Angelic microphone. These items are new to the marketplace and are going for about 12,000 each. As for the looks of it, they would appear to be a real hit with the Gaians. Many of these items have been bought, and many more are expected to be bought in both the near and far-off future.

What will happen to the newest items? Will they sky rocket in price, or will they remain in range for the Gaian on budget? Given the instability of item pricing in the marketplace, this reporter gives Gaians a piece of advice: if you want any of these items, get them now.

Comic by: Flypipe, Digital Image Editor

The years just keep getting longer
School used to start in September; should this trend be revived?

In years past, Labor Day marked that the first day of the new school year is just around the corner. Recently, however, this has not been the case. Many schools are starting in mid-to-late August, shortening summer vacation significantly. Where summer vacation used to be 12 weeks long, it now often averages between 8-10 weeks long.
According to MSNBC.com, parents and students are banning together to try and revert the start of school back to September. But the experts point to the numbers, saying that students have a tendency to forget material over the summer vacation.
“Teachers typically spend four to six weeks each fall re-teaching material that kids should have learned the previous year,” says Ron Fairchild of Johns Hopkins University in an interview with MSNBC.
But other arguments state that students are missing out on fun from summer vacation, and even some of the learning experiences it provides in the form of parks, museums, and other educational trips taken during the summer. The debate over the start of school continues to rage.  

[SkyeGear]

Future Writers Needed
Using the Future Writers Search to find news-worthy staffers

I recently started The Future Writer Search, a thread with which I hope to find people that were willing and able to write stories or poems worth reading. The Editor-in-Chief of the Gaian Record International, Gear-Richie, and I voted on a story out of three entries that, in our opinion, was the best-written, and whose author seemed to have the higest potential for feature writing. The winner of the Future Writer's Search, Doublemint_Twin, was kind enough to join in the contest and won 2,500g as a prize.
Doublemint_Twin in real life, Charlotte, was age 16 as of August 18th, and is living in one of the smallest towns in Michigan. The youngest of four, she still living with her parents. Her three older brothers having married and children of their own, she spends time with her four nephews and one neice. "To be honest, I'm never very fond of my writing," she said, but still decided to write. When asked what made her enter the contest and why she wrote this particular piece, she simply answered "...I saw the contest when I was considering what contest to enter my story in. I was very interested by the concept of a Gaian newpaper, so I gave it a shot. I got inspired by a line in a song and started writing (it started out as a song) about someone who lost a friend. Then I got a thread of an idea and ran with it and when I finished, I felt fairly satisfied." When she wrote this, it was "at about four in the morning after listening to music." It also turns out that writing isn't her only talent either. "I love to sing and my friends say I'm 'amazing', but of course, I'm not so sure. I write songs and very little poetry and I make a unique brand of pixel dolls. I call them 'Sketch Dolls' since what I do is draw on a doll base in paint and add solid colors. I liked the looks of them, so I make them from time to time." When asked if she'd be interested in writing for the paper. I was given a hearty, "I'd love to."

Her winning story:

Big Brother

Christopher is my best friend. Not only is he almost 17, but he’s way cool. I may be a lot younger, but he doesn’t treat me like a kid. He listens to really cool music and wears baggy pants and I want to be just like him when I grow up. He lives across the street from me and he works at the café his uncle owns. Sometimes he buys me French fries when I get out of school. He doesn’t go to school, though. He dropped out at 16 when his Mom died and he had to get a job to help pay the bills until he moved in with his uncle when his dad went to jail. I dunno what he did, though. Christopher wouldn’t tell me, he just got this look on his face like he was sad and he changed the subject real fast.

He keeps telling me to stay in school and get good grades, even when it gets real hard. I’ll do it, too. I wanna be a writer when I get older. I’m gonna write books and dedicate them all to Christopher. You know, he calls me ‘little brother’ even though he’s not even my family or anything. He’s the closest thing to a big brother I’ve ever had, so that’s what he is. He’s my big brother.

His girlfriend calls him Gopher, but he gets all red. He says it’s an embarrassing baby nickname. She’s kinda okay I guess, for a girl. I guess you could call her pretty, but she’s always wearing skirts and makeup. Gross.

What was I saying? Oh, yeah. Christopher is my hero. He saved my life, you know? Almost a year ago I was playin’ basketball outside his house waiting for him to come down, but his dog, Maxine kept trying to bite the ball. I threw a tennis ball for her, but it went in the road. I knew better than to run after it, but Maxine didn’t. She ran right out in front of a car. I didn’t see what happened, but I heard her yelp and I ran after her. I should’ve known better. I heard Christopher calling after me to stop.

He sounded scared, like when my baby brother Mikey fell off the couch and bumped his head and Mom had this look in her eyes when she ran to him. Sort of a hurried look, I guess. That’s what he had as he ran after me. I saw Maxine as I came around the side of Christopher’s old green Buick. She was laying there and there was blood everywhere and cars were still zooming by like nothing had happened. I ran out to her and I could almost hear Christopher screaming at me, but all I cared about was Maxine and I had to see if she was hurt. Her eyes were glassy and her body was crushed.

I’m sure I didn’t hear the car horn as I started to cry, but I felt the burn of the sidewalk against my face and elbows and I heard that sickening thud. Looking up, dazed, I saw I was safely out of the road, facing my house, but I didn’t know how I’d gotten there. I turned my head back to the road and I saw Christopher. He was just laying there in front of the now immobile car. He was lying on his side and it looked like he was bleeding. I ran over to him and grabbed his face. I was crying, even though big boys aren't supposed cry.

Someone called the hospital, but I don’t know who. All I remember was my mom pulling me away from him and I kicked and screamed and cried until he was in the ambulance and she promised to drive me. That car ride was the longest I think I’ll ever have, even though the hospital wasn’t that far away. The air felt heavy and I could swear my mom was crying. Even Mikey was crying, but that’s what babies do. But, just maybe he knew what was happening. I didn’t. Not really.

I didn’t fully understand everything until we were sitting at the hospital and a doctor walked up and sadly shook his head at my mom and Christopher’s uncle. I didn’t know what he meant, so I asked Mom, but she just started crying and held me tight to her chest. Even Christopher’s uncle was crying, clutching his fists so tight that you could see the veins in his arms pop out. I think I realized it then. Christopher was dead.

My best friend, my big brother, was gone. Forever. All because of me. I started to cry, too. Pride be flushed, I couldn’t stop crying. Not until we were home and I sat in my bed, staring at the ceiling. My eyes hurt and I was so tired, but I couldn’t sleep.

Mom knocked on the open door and she smiled at me sadly. “Honey, there’s some things you have to understand.”

I nodded and sat up, leaning against the wall so she could sit on the bed with me. Instead, she kneeled and held my hand. “This wasn’t your fault and don’t you ever think that. Never, you hear me?” Her voice was stern, so I nodded. She just looked at me for a moment, but then she smiled a little soft-sad smile. She swallowed and looked me straight in the eyes. I got the feeling she was going to jump right to the point.

“Christopher will always be with you. Okay? No matter what. He’ll always be there. So, don’t think about him like he’s gone forever okay? Promise me.”

I was a little confused by what she wanted, but I nodded and she squeezed my hand. Then she kissed me on the forehead and left me with a ‘Goodnight, baby. Get some sleep.’

I laid back on the bed again and thought about what she’d said. This wasn’t the end of Christopher. I’d see him again and it’d be just the same, so I had to keep him alive in my mind. I didn’t know how to do that, but I thought maybe if I didn’t think of him as being gone then it’d keep him alive to me. So, I promised myself that I’d always think of him in the present. That way he’ll stay alive and he’ll still be here.

He’ll always be my big brother. No matter how long before I see him again. He’s here.

Doublemint_Twin was the winner of the August 2006 Future Writers' Search contest. The prizes won include 2,500 gold, the winning story featured in The Gaian Record International, and an offered position on staff, "Feature Writer." If you are interested in entering this contest, visit the Contest Thread.

Art Shop Winner of the Month
Silent Banner and Signature Shop

The Silent Banner and Signature Shop was the winner of the September 2006 Gaian Record International Art Shop of the Month contest. If you have an art shop and would like to enter it in the contest to see it here, please PM Gear-Richie with a link to your shop. We also are trying to get together a thread of the month, but there have been no entries. No purchase necessary. See Gear-Richie for details.  

[T.A.C.]

Movie Reviews for August

Clerks 2-
Seen: 7/29/06
Starred: Brian O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Rosario Dawson, Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith, Trevor Fehrman, Rachel Larratt, Jennifer Schwalbach Smith, and more
Summary: The movie was basically about a couple of friends, Dante Hicks and Randal Graves, played by Brian O’Halloran and Jeff Anderson, that had been working together for a very long time. At one point, the placed they once worked at burned down and they were able to find another job together. Taking in the atmosphere of the new place, it seemed that everyone got along. Even the manager was on extremely friend terms with one of the friends, but he was getting ready to move on in his life with his fiancée. As the days were winding down, we get an understanding of how the workers treat customers, and how the friend, Jeff Anderson, decides to throw Brian O’Halloran, a going away, Bachelor, party. We meet, once again, Jay and Silent Bob, played by Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith. As the two are back out of jail, and supposedly trying to live a good life, not necessary clean as they are back out doing what they had gone to jail for, dealin’ drugs, but supposedly under the….guidance of turning over a new leaf and believing in God and the bible. Love seems to find a way to clear Dante’s mind and he makes things right by calling it quits with the fiancée.
Review: Unfortunately I didn't see the first Clerks, but this movie had it's moments of funny stuff. Rated R, this movie was obviously not for those under the age of 17. Nudity scenes occur as well and some unnecessary language usage, ethnic slurs. I had been basically dragged to see the movie, and I found it unpleasant and terrible.
Rating: Half a thumb up, 1 star.

The Devil Wears Prada-
Seen: 8/18/06
Starred: Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, Stanley Tucci, Tracie Thoms.
Summary: Ever feel like you went to school for one thing, and you get a degree and everythng, yet the next thing you know you find a job in something one, you never thought you'd ever participate in, and two, a job you never thought yourself capable of? That's how Anne Hathaway's character felt in this movie. She'd gone to one of the best schools and yet she found herself in a career she thought she'd only have temporary. Just something to pay the bills sorta speak. Mind you we do have to start a some point in our lives, it's just sad though, when that part of our life is taken over by something that completely takes up most of the time that we have, may it be friends of family. In this movie, it was the typical girl needs job, job needs girl, girl decides she wants this job. Well, the job turned out to be a lot more than she could handle at first, then it just lead to being a even a bit more than she could handle and there was the much decided need to quit, but she stuck with it and even got a lot of help along the way. Once she found herself in a comfortable bubble, she was able to keep up with all the work, but her private life was taking the toll. The ever known feeling of having a choice, yet not having a choice played a large role in this movie, and the moral, be who you are on the inside and out. This movie was great.
Rating: Two thumbs up, 4 stars.

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.

Nintendo Wii: A revolution or a flop?
As usual, Nintendo's new system makes a bold statement; will it be able to hold up against its competitors?

Although no release date has been set at this point, Nintendo has said that they intend to release their newest console system since the Gamecube, the Nintendo Wii, during the fourth quarter of 2006. Nintendo says that during September, the price and release date will be revealed to the public.
The Wii, formerly known as the Nintendo Revolution, is the newest console system from the video game giant, packed with new features and supposedly groundbreaking games. Perhaps the most famous (or infamous) new feature is the "Wii-mote," a remote control that uses motion-sensing technology to interact with the game. This development has led fans of several games, particularly the Legend of Zelda series, to speculate on the new gameplay methods that will be available. It would appear that the Wii-mote would permit the player to immerse him/herself in the game on a higher level, swinging the wii-mote around like a sword and striking opponents in this way. For the library of older titles promised to be downloadable onto the Wii's hard drive, a classic-style Nintendo controller is attachable to the Wii-mote.
Innovative controllers are not a new trend of Nintendo. The company was the first to debut the 4-way d-pad with the release of the NES on 18 Oct 1985. The Nintendo 64 debuted the 360 degree control stick. Now with the debut of the Wii-mote, Nintendo may be intending to step up the game once again.
However, Microsoft and XBox developer Bill Gates does not believe the Wii-mote to truly be beneficial to the video game realm. In an interview with MTV, he was quoted as saying, “There’s room for innovation here, but moving that controller around — it’s… not mainstream for most games… It’s tough because sometimes you move the controller, and you don’t [mean] to fly into the ground. You just want to put the controller down.”
The Wii-mote controversy aside, Nintendo has released the launch titles for the Wii when it makes it's debut. The list is as follows: (taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/wii )


Avatar: The Last Airbender
Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WWII
Blitz: The League
Call of Duty 3
Cars Rainbow
Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2
Dragon Quest Swords: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors
Elebits
Excite Truck
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers
Far Cry
GT Pro Series
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Madden NFL 07
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance
Metal Slug Anthology
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
Monster 4x4 World Circuit
Need for Speed: Carbon
Open Season
Rayman Raving Rabbids
Red Steel
SpongeBob SquarePants: Creature from the Krusty Krab
Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz
Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam
Trauma Center: Second Opinion
Wii Sports

The data in this article is regarding a video game system that is still in development. All the information in this article is subject to change prior to the release of the game console.

Comic by: Flypipe, Digital Image Editor

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.

The Count of Monte Cristo

Every anime and manga fan has that one favorite that will always stick with them no matter what. Even if we eventualy grow out of anime, we all know that in the back of our minds, there will be at least one story that we can look back upon fondly. Being an anime fanatic myself, I hope never to lose my love of anime and manga, however should such a thing ever happen, I know I will always hold dear the story of The Count of Monte Cristo, or as the Japanese call it, Gankutsuou.

The original story was written almost two hundred years ago by the french writer Alexandre Dumas, and sinse has been recreated through plays, numerous movies, and finaly, the animated series Gankutsuou. It has also recently been adapted into a Manga series. The anime spans 24 episodes, is directed by Mahiro Maeda and is produced by Gonzo.

The story contains many different genres throughout, though the main theme of both book and anime is revenge. Plain and simple? I think not. It's a complicated and convincing story line revolving around one mans life, his downfall due to the betrayal of his closest friends, and finaly, his return under the perfect guise.

Set in the year 5053, it takes on an element of sci-fi action, not something that would usualy interest me, though I must say that while much altered from the original story, it is retold masterfully enough to leave one speechless after watching. It also contains strong elements of Fantasy, Drama, and Romance. However, despite its futuristic settings, the anime retains the feel of France in the 1800's (the timeline in the book), especialy regarding social classes. The main protagonist of the anime is Albert Morcerf, a young viscount who is endearingly naive, though sometime to the point of putting himself and friends in danger. Albert, along with his best friend Franz d'Epinay, travel to Luna, where they first encounter the impressive Count of Monte Cristo. Albert, in all of his naivete, is awed by the Count and wishes to befriend him, and for all appearances, it would seem that the Count wishes to befriend Albert and Franz as well. Franz however, is distrustful of the mysterious Nobleman and, it would even seem, jelous.

The anime and the actual book differ widely, from the timeline to certain side plots, and even to the ending of the story, though both are quite amazing. Another important fact to note is the way it's animated. Gankutsuou is one of the first anime to take advantage of Photoshop's texture and layering features, and actualy make it look good. No, good is not strong enough a word to describe it, the animation for it is marvelous, as it literaly left me marveling over it!

The first five volumes(dvd), containg episodes 1-20 were released in the US on July 11, 2006, and the last volume is set to come out on September 12, 2006. The show features cloths designed by fashion designer Anna Sui and music by the European Rock group, The Stranglers. The official English website is www.montecristodvd.com, which includes character profiles, synopsis, dvd and box set offers, official interviews and other fun stuff. It was also voted "Best of Year" the the anime fan site www.animeondvd.com.

I have seen many anime and read much manga, but Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo, will always be my favorite, and it will always live on in my heart as a beautiful tale of betrayal and revenge.

Information from Wikipedia.org, Google and montecristodvd.com.

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.

Video Game Review
Fire Emblem: Path of Radience

This game, admittedly, is an older game, and I will attempt to review newer games in the future. Unfortunately, my realm is limited to Nintendo, so until I get some Sony and Microsoft guru writers, this is all you're getting.
At any rate, the game I'm reviewing is called Fire Emblem: The Path of Radience. This game is part of the Fire Emblem franchise, released in America some time after the release of the Gamecube. Two major characters (from other FE games), Marth and Roy, debuted in Super Smash Brothers Melee before the FE games were released.
In FE razz ath of Radience, the storyline takes place on the continent of Tellius. There are two races of creatures that live on this continent: the beorc and the laguz. Beorc is the name given to people, as the word "human" is dubbed a negative term. The other group, the laguz, are "demi-humans," creatures that resemble beorc sometimes, but can transform into animals. Many beorc consider laguz to be "sub-human," which has led to hostilities across the continent.
When the beorc country of Daein suddenly attacks its neighboring country of Crimea, the latter is brought to its knees. That is, until Princess Elincia Crimea locates a group of ragtag mercenaries led by the young Ike, and commissions them to lead an army against Daein with the help of the laguz from the country of Gallia.
The situation gets more complicated when the raven clan of laguz team up with Daein to fight Ike and Princess Crimea. Additionally, the entire war is very tense considering the negative relationship between the beorc and laguz. Storyline-wise, this game is on top of it. I eventually found myself trying to finish the game missions as quickly as possible just so I could get to the next plotline advancement or cutscene.
The gameplay is in a military-strategic style. You start off with a preset number of troops, and you move each one individually, attacking or being attacked. You and your opponent alternate movement between phases of the battle. The player has no control over the outcome of the battle, but if stats are read carefully, the outcome can be determined with reasonable accuracy before engaging in the fight.
One of the most well-known characteristics of this particular game series is character death. If one of your characters falls in battle, he or she can never be used in battle again. Most of the characters just die, but some remain alive and return only in cutscenes to advance the plot. Some argue that this is too difficult a challenge to overcome, while others claim that it's a legitimate challenge. Regardless, the farther the player gets into the game, the more often he or she will be hitting the reset button when a character falls.
Another interesting factor is gaining allies. When you progress through the game, you will aquire and lose allies due to plotline advancements. When characters join you, they could be very strong, or they may be weak. This causes a major imbalance in your gameplay strategy at times, as you must send weaker characters into risky battles in order for them to gain experience points and level up. If you rely too much on stronger characters, like the Paladin Titania, you'll end up with a few strong characters, and a slur of weaker ones.
Final Report:
Storyline: *****
Gameplay: ****

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.  

[ValentineWiggin]

The Cartoon Network: Not what it once was
Compared to its early performance nearly fifteen years ago, has CN taken a nosedive?

If I have it right, it was during the year of 1992 that my cable company first picked up the Cartoon Network. My parents said, "Who would watch a channel that only plays cartoons?” I did, however, as did all of my friends. I remember my favorite shows: The Centurions, James Bond Jr., Captain Planet and the Planeteers, and The Pirates of Dark Water. Of course, they had all the classic favorites, too: Scooby-Doo Where Are You?; A Pup Named Scooby-Doo; The Flintstones; The Jetsons; and others. The network also hosted specials like June Bugs, a continuous airing of Bugs Bunny cartoons all throughout the month of June, and Christmas in July, where all month, they played Christmas-themed cartoons just to be different. Many of these shows can now be watched on the Boomerang channel from CN, although it’s not carried on all cable packages.
Despite the network’s apparent commitment to quality children’s programming, however, it wasn’t long before they started down a path composed of bad cartoons that could never measure up to the classics, both in entertainment and propriety.
According to Wikipedia, it was during the years of 1996-1998 that the Cartoon Network began airing a show called “World Premere Toons,” which would later be renamed “The Cartoon-Cartoon Show.” The show debuted several six-minute cartoons, many of which are still known today, such as Johnny Bravo, Dexter’s Laboratory, and The Powerpuff Girls.
In my opinion, it was the creation of the shows Cow and Chicken, and The Powerpuff Girls that led to the fall of the Cartoon Network. While CN originally specialized in humorous, adventurous, and low-violence action cartoons, they turned to more vulgar and violent cartoons. One of the more recent examples is The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy, a show about two kids who are friends with the Grim Reaper. In one episode of the show, a pimple comes to life on Billy’s back. Mandy and the Grim Reaper melt it into a liquid and place it in a sack, which Billy subsequently drinks. Why would we want such vulgar displays of distasteful behavior to be seen by our children?
In the show Cow and Chicken, there is a naked devil-looking creature whose name changes throughout each episode. One such time, he sported the pseudonym “I.B. Horny.” Why does Cartoon Network feel the need to expose children to sexual innuendo in their shows?
What’s worse, and more famous, is Cartoon Network’s late-night endeavor known as Adult Swim, a segment of cartoons and shows targeting a higher age group.” There is a warning for all younger viewers to “get out of the pool” when this segment starts, however, I believe that would only serve to entice some younger viewers to continue watching. Opponents of my stance often state that children aren’t up that late watching TV, but the truth of the matter is that they are. When I was much younger, I’d be up until midnight watching TV during summer vacation. Back then, CN played Late Night Black and White, an airing of old black and white cartoons, and Toon Heads several short cartoons like Looney Tunes and Popeye that followed a specific trend or theme. But now with Adult Swim airing shows like Family Guy, Futurama, and American Dad, we can no longer allow kids to stay up late during their vacation and watch TV unattended. Furthermore, with crude humor coming on during the day, including programs such as the Ace Ventura movies, it doesn’t matter what time of day the children watch TV, as they can still be exposed to this kind of crude humor and inappropriate content at any time.
We can’t just rely on the parents to regulate what is being watched. Try as they might, there may not be any surefire way to regulate what is seen. The parents can not always be there to make sure the kids are being monitored. I was a latchkey kid myself when I was younger, and was left to fend for myself until my parents got home from work hours later. With channels like Cartoon Network attracting kids to watch vulgar shows, how can our kids be safe watching TV?
Don’t get me wrong, it’s not the fact that shows such as these exist that gets me writing these editorials. It is, however, the fact that a so-called “children’s network” would play these kinds of shows instead of leaving it to other networks to do so.
Overall, the Cartoon Network has no similarity to its former self other than its name. It’s no longer safe for children to watch CN without parental guidance like it once was, and therefore, in this reporter’s eyes, is no longer a children’s network, but rather a crude, vulgar, and violent adult programming station with a few children’s shows mixed in.

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.  

[Flypipe Rogancryd]

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