Gaian Record International - October 2006

[SkyeGear]

Forget Poaching
Zoo Theft is the New Trend

Endangered animals are facing an entirely new threat: being kidnapped. As more and more animals are being labeled "endangered" more and more zoos are finding themselves victim to the most recent crime wave. Zoos all over the world are having there exotic animals stolen!

In 2000, sixteen lion cubs were stolen from a zoo in Jakarta, India. The corrupt zoo manager claimed that the cubs had been eaten by there mother. Last November, a lion cub was nabbed from a zoo in the Gaza Strip. In 2000 in San Francisco, teenagers burgled a pair of koalas. On August 23, one man was arrested at a London zoo for trying to steal a squirrel monkey.

Many zoos take measures to prevent incidents like these. Security systems, cameras, and even microchip identification is being put into use, but despite all this, the crime continues.

It is probably worst in Europe. John Hayward, former police officer in charge of London's National Theft Register, reports that Britain's zoos have suffered an average of a major theft each week for the past several years. This has resulted in the loss of rare, endangered animals worth thousands of dollars.

Says Hayward, "We live in a designer world and people are not satisfied any more with a budgie or a canary — they want something more exotic." So, how long will it be until this crime trend comes to a finish? As long as there is a market for it, this plague will continue.

Stephen Robert Irwin
Born: 22 February 1962; Essendon, Victoria, Australia
Died: 4 September 2006; Queensland, Australia
Steve Irwin began handling crocodiles at age nine, and grew to handle more reptiles as time progressed. He began to capture reptiles that were a danger to populated areas and placed them in the Queensland Reptile and Fauna Park where he grew up.
After taking ownership of the park and renaming it the Australia Zoo in 1992, Steve Irwin met his wife, Terri Raines, and went crocodile catching during their honeymoon. It was videotaped, and soon became the first episode of The Crocodile Hunter, the show for which Irwin would become famous. He was also known for the movie Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course, winning an award for Best Family Feature Film at the Young Artist Awards.
Iwrin died due to a stingray attack that punctured his heart while snorkeling near the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. He is survived by his wife Terry, his daughter Bindi Sue, and his son Robert Clarence.

 

[Flypipe Rogancryd]

SAT scores hit a whole new low
Extended SAT test drops scores, College Board in defensive stance

According to Yahoo! News, the national Scholastic Aptitude Test score average has made the largest drop in 31 years. Although the score drop was more significant in males than females, both sexes saw significant decreases in the math and reading portions of the infamous exam.
For the high school class of 2006, the year meant a new SAT, reported to be longer, with changed question types and more completion time. The math questions are reported as being more advanced, and the reading section's analogies section (X is to Y as Y is to X) has been replaced with more reading comprehension questions.
The College board, the company that makes and owns the SAT, takes a defensive stance on the dropping grades, saying that the lengthening or changing of the test is not to blame for the sharp drop in scores. They cite that the students no longer take the test twice but only one; the usual increase in score during the second examination tends to rise significantly, about thirty points on average.
Other sources state that the decreased number of students taking the SAT instead is also impacting the average. Most colleges will accept either SAT or ACT scores, allowing students a choice in the type of test they take, and there has been a documented increase in ACT tests taken. Also, the decrease in SAT takers may be also blamed upon the increased testing fee, having risen from $28.50 to $41.50 per examination.
The Collegeboard's downplay of the score decrease has led to some critical review of the test owners.

Yahoo! News

"It does show how meaningless the test is as a measure of educational quality, that technical changes in the test can significantly alter the (scores)," said Bob Schaeffer, an SAT critic and public education director of the group FairTest. "It's the test, not the education, that's being measured."

Christine Parker, executive director of high school program development at test-prep company Princeton Review, said the College Board has always called even small increases important, so it's surprising to see it downplaying the decline.

"This is just the latest in a long line of bad news," she said. "They're in a very defensive posture."

Although upset by the decline in test scores, the academic community is not surprised. These declines in scores had been previously predicted and were expected.

Deli worker wins million dollar lottery twice
A woman who won $1 million from a state lottery game four years ago has improbably hit the jackpot again.

STLToday.com - News

(9/09/06 - NEW YORK) -
In 2002, her winning ticket in the Cool Million scratch-off game, which has since been discontinued, was a shot of 1 in 5.2 million, according to the New York State Lottery. Last month, she beat odds of 1 in 705,600 when she got the $1 million prize in the New York lottery's Jubilee scratch-off game.

Overall, her chances of winning both games were a slim 1 in 3,669,120,000,000.

A lottery spokeswoman verified Wilson was a Cool Million winner in 2002, but declined to confirm her latest win until a planned news conference. There have been only two previous repeat million-dollar-plus winners in the lottery's history, according to the state.

(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

More from this article...

Who says lightning - or should I say, Lady Luck - doesn't strike the same place twice?

While she is not the first, and probably won't be the last, such slim odds are nothing short of amazing.

According to ABC13.com, Wilson resumes her job at Emma's Deli and Catering; she has expressed plans to continue working until at least December.
The prize will be paid out in $50,000 installments over 20 years. The first $1M went to buying houses for her three children.

Valerie Wilson

"This one is going to be for me...I'm going to live a little bit."

 

[Jasmine Perishing]

GRI Warning: The following article may be too intense for younger readers, and those sensitive to the events that occured on September 11, 2001 and subsequent occurances. Please proceed with caution.

Many people can remember it as if it happened only yesterday, rather than the five years that have since transpired. Terrorists hijacked airplanes while in route, and used them to attack various areas of the country in an attempt to scare and interrupt the American way of life.

Backing up

It was Tuesday, September 11, 2001. American Airlines flight 11 from Logan International Airport in Boston to Los Angeles, California is hijacked. The transponder deactivated, two F-15 fighter jets prepare to intercept, but are unable to locate the plane. 0846 hours EST, Flight 11, carrying 88 passengers, crashes into the north tower of the World Trade Center. Another flight, United Airlines 175, with the same origin and destination, is also hijacked. 0903 hours, Flight 175, carrying 59 passengers, strikes the southern tower. 0906 hours, the Federal Aviation Administration halts all flights that would land or pass through the New York, and almost the entire Northeastern sector of the country. President George W. Bush is alerted about the second strike, however, he continues his reading to the students of Emma E. Booker Elementary, not wanting to alarm them. At 0926 hours, for the first time in history, the FAA bans all civilian aircraft from taking off in the country, with no regard to point of origin or destination. Threat conditions in military bases are increased.
At 0937 hours, American Airlines Flight 77 out of Virginia bound for Los Angeles, crashes into the western wall of the Pentagon, killing all 66 passengers, as well as 125 Pentagon workers. At 0945 hours, no plane anywhere is permitted to take off, and all planes in the air at the time are ordered to land at the nearest airport possible. Canada does the same.
At 0959 hours, the south tower of the Trade Center, the second one hit, collapses. The collapse resulted in debris and dust rushing through the streets, causing more harm and deaths as it travels.
At either 1003 or 1006 hours, (the time is debated) United Airlines Flight 93 crashes into the ground in Pennsylvania, not far from Pittsburgh. Later reports indicate that the passengers onboard the plane attempted to resist the hijackers following cellphone calls alerting them of the attacks. The hijackers downed the plane in the field to prevent the passengers from making it through the cockpit door. The original target is believed to either be the Capitol building, or the White House. At 1028 hours, the North Tower of the World Trade Center, the first one hit, collapses.

When the carnage was finally over, the death toll was was still undetermined. To this day, the death toll is still not certain, as bone fragments are still being found in New York. The current confirmed count is 2,973.

The Immediate Effects
Some of the earliest references to the attacks compared them to a "second Pearl Harbor." On December 7, 1941, the Japanese launched a strike against Pearl Harbor, the first strike on American soil since the War of 1812. The September 11th attacks were compared to this, though the death toll from them was much higher than their predecessor. Regardless, one linking factor between the two incidences is the incredible increase in patriotism. People put out flags, mourned the losses, and banned together so as to deliver the message that the United States would not be a pushover. The phrases "United We Stand" and "God Bless America" were repeated frequently by the citizens. America placed its heroes up high: the emergency workers, such as the Fire Department employees, the Paramedics and Rescue Workers, and New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who also won Person of the Year in Time Magazine for 2001.
Unfortunately, not all the responses to the attacks were positive. The times following saw many incidences of harassment and negative actions towards those of middle-eastern decent. A Sikh is a person of a specific religion, not related to Islam. However, they have a "middle-eastern appearance" in that they wear Turbans amongst other characteristics that make them appear to the stereotypical person to be Islamic. In a tragic "retaliation" response, many of these people's lives were claimed. The overall total of people (sikhs amongst others) murdered as part of this retaliation backlash is nine. However, not all incidences resulted in death. Many people of middle-eastern decent were harassed with negative words and looks in public settings.
Other countries also responded to the attacks. The French government, though usually critical of the United States, ran a front page headline reading "Nous sommes tous Américains," which translates to "We are all Americans." Ireland was the only country other than the U.S. to hold a national day of mourning.
The majority of the Muslim nations condemned the attacks. However, the leader of Iraq, Saddam Hussein, was one of the few exceptions. Some middle-eastern countries saw celebrations take place over the attacks, infuriating Americans even further, and more backlash was provoked.
The travel industry was affected greatly, significantly in the realm of flight. To this day, the airline industry has yet to recover from the severe blow taken by the fear of flying instigated by the attacks. During the week in which the stock market was reopened after the attacks, the largest drop in one week in the history of the country was seen. U.S. stocks lost 1.2 trillion dollars in value.
One week after the September 11th attacks, suspicious letters were sent to members of the media and two U.S. senators. (See left picture.) The letters were revealed to contain Anthrax, a bacteria that causes an infectious disease that can affect the digestive system, the respiratory system, and the integumentary (skin) system. Seventeen people became sick, and five were killed. The letters themselves were marked with return addresses from a non-existant elementary school in Franklin Park, New Jersey. The letter in the picture was sent to Senator Tom Daschle, and killed two postal workers in its delivery. A second note was addressed to Senator Daschle and Senator Patrick Leahy, and read,

09-11-2001
YOU CAN NOT STOP US
WE HAVE THIS ANTHRAX
YOU DIE NOW
ARE YOU AFRAID?
DEATH TO AMERICA
DEATH TO ISRAEL
ALLAH IS GREAT.

Despite the content of both notes, there is no evidence tying any middle-east countries to the anthrax attack. In reality, the attacks are said to be possibly domestic in origin. The time proximety to the WTC attacks heightened suspicion amongst American citizens, and increased overall fear of attacks and death. That year, it was reported that many parents refused to allow children to Trick-or-Treat during Halloween due to an irrational fear that the candy received from neighbors might contain the Anthrax bacteria. To this day, the mystery is not solved, and the investigation is dying down, with less leads and less investigators on the case.

Five years later
The fifth anniversary of the attacks saw a massive memorial at ground zero (bottom right of photo) where family members held photos of their loved ones lost in the calamity. Moments of silence were observed at the times in which each plane had struck the towers, as well as when each tower collapsed. President George W. Bush spoke on matters of the incident, as well as the war in the middle east, prompting democrats to say he was using the memorial for political gain, a further example of how the country is divided politically as a result of the attacks. A recent "docudrama" from ABC called "The Path to 9/11," was slammed by the Clinton administration for being "inaccurate and unfair" according to Newsweek. The docudrama apparently depicts Clinton as being too preoccupied with the Lewinski issue to properly deal with the events that led up to the September 11th attacks, and passing up opportunities to put an end to Osama Bin Laden and al-Qaeda's potential for attack. Blaming Clinton for these attacks is rather opposite of the Democrats' general stance that the Bush Administration is to be blamed. The Clinton administration contacted ABC, telling them to either change the docudrama, or cancel it altogether.
It can be seen that even during the process of mourning the losses in the attacks five years later, political turmoil still rages over many issues caused by them. Some say that even though the citizens aren't truly divided, the terrorists still got what they wanted, tearing the country apart. How this war will end, what will become of the country's political status, the perpetrator behind the anthrax attacks, all of this information has yet to be determined. Only time will tell.

The preceeding information courtesy of Wikipedia, CNN, MSNBC, Newsweek, Time, and the Associated Press.

Winner of the Second Future Writer's Search

The Future Writer's Search once more held the contest in search for future writer's as a means to find talent that would be willing to join the Gaian Record International. Out of the stories that were written and turned in to be judged, Soul's story was the best story given her rein, of this go round, of being a winner. Congrats!

Her story:



The small child ran up and down the hospital corridor. His trainers were too big for him and slipped occasionally off his feet. The shiny floor made a perfect place for his sliding championships. He took a breath, and then pounded along the tiles before dropping to his bottom and sliding a few feet before halting in front of his Daddy. For some reason Daddy didn’t look happy. The small boy, with bright rosy cheeks and blonde hair askew, scrambled onto the seat beside his Daddy. This Daddy was his daddy, and he seemed to understand that another being was about to arrive in the next room. This would mean that there would be competition for his daddy. No, this little boy certainly didn’t want that.

There were lots of noises coming from the next room. They were Worry Noises. The little boy bit his lower lip and a frown creased his round face. Daddy suddenly got up and ran into the next room, through a pair of swinging doors. The little boy shrieked with delight at discovering these were swingy doors. But after a while, he was worried again. Daddy hadn’t come out again. No one had. He cautiously tiptoed forward and pushed on the swingy doors. In the room were lots of big, metal monsters and blinking lights. Everywhere was white. Too white. He screwed up his eyes. Then he noticed something odd.

Lying a few feet away from him was a little glass box. In the box was something very small and very pink. It looked all wrinkled and very peculiar. He walked very slowly towards the glass box. He stared, wide eyed, inside. Two dark little eyes stared back. The little boy’s mouth was puckered into an ‘O’ shape. He leaned over towards Small And Wrinkly and whispered in his ear. “Hello.”

Then, he looked around. He saw his Mummy lying in a big white bed. He smiled and toddled over. But Daddy was on a chair next to her. Daddy looked very, very upset. His face was all wet. He was stroking Mummy’s face. Mummy’s eyes were closed. Mummy wasn’t moving. Daddy looked up, bleary eyed, and saw his son.

“Mark.”

Mark opened his mouth, and screamed.

____________________________________________________________


Mrs Langley smiled at the two newcomers. The older one had fair hair and a round face. The younger one had dark hair that flopped over his green eyes. He was holding his older brother’s hand with a firm grip. They stood in the middle of the circle and many eyes stared at them. The elder boy shifted from one foot to the other uncomfortably. He spoke.
“I’m Mark. I’m seven. And this is-,” Mrs Langley intercepted.
“I’m sure this young lad has a voice of his own.”
Mark scowled at her but shut his mouth. The plump, jolly woman pretended to take no notice and instead turned to the small, unspeaking person.
“Now, what’s your name?” The little boy looked up with wide eyes. He spoke in a clipped, small, factual squeak.
“Mark.”
“No, that’s your brother’s name. What’s your name?” The small boy just stared at her blankly. She coughed. Mark sighed.
“His name’s Ben.” He said in a ‘don’t say I told you so’ sort of voice. Then, he took his brother and pulled his hand. They walked out of the circle and both curled on bean bags in the corner of the room. Mark picked out a book for Ben. Mrs Langley was quite shocked by this blatant disobedience. She came over to them. She decided to be gentle.
“Are you sure you don’t want to play with the other children?” Mark paused in his reading and gazed over at the group of small persons across the room.
“No, not really.” Mrs Langley drew in a breath.
“Well!” She turned and stalked away.
Mark felt a small poke in his shoulder. Ben was smiling at him. Mark smiled back. This was how they liked it.

After the small school has closed, Mark helped Ben with his coat. He took his hand again and gave Ben his lunch box. They walked out of the school and down the lane. They walked through the village and passed the stream. Over the bridge and round the corner where the red phone box sits. Pass the orchard and the elm trees. They reached a small, grimy cottage. Mark stopped Ben at the end of the path. He whispered in his ear softly.

“When we come in, Daddy will wake up. Daddy will be angry.”
“Why will Daddy be angry?”
“Because that’s what Daddies are. Angry.” Mark knew this to be a fact.
“Oh.”
“When Daddy is angry, he may try and hit us. So, as soon as we enter the door, you have to run up the stairs as fast as you can. Don’t you dare stop ‘till you’ve reached the attic and shut the door. And don’t you dare come out, either, until it’s quiet. When it’s quiet, go straight to your room. What do you do in your room?”
“Shut the door and don’t make a sound.” Ben was used to this routine.
“Good.”
They walked up the rest of the cracked pavement to the cottage. Mark placed a hand on the door knob. “Ready?” he whispered.
“Yes.” Ben whispered back.
They opened the door.


________________________________________________________________


Mark fell on his back with the third blow. He raised a hand and felt blood trickle from his forehead. Suddenly, one of the heavy boots his Father wore struck his side, and he curled up in a ball and winced in pain. More blows rained down on him. Fists struck his stomach, legs and head. He clutched his abdomen harder, trying to squeeze out the pain. His father suddenly picked up a chair and ripped off one of its legs. He delivered one final, fatal blow on Mark’s leg, causing him to howl with pain. He sobbed, his tears intermingling with the blood that was coursing down his face. His father stormed out of the room.

Moments later, Ben was there. He gasped at the state of his brother. His leg was twisted into a position it wasn’t supposed to be in, and the pool of strong, red, vile liquid was spreading silently across the floor. Mark lay unconscious because of the ever increasing pain. Ben felt tears on his cheeks. He knew he had to do something. Without even taking a coat, he ran outside into the pouring rain.

It took him half an hour to run all the way to the village. He arrived soaking wet and mentally and physically exhausted. He made it to the police station, and they sent an ambulance straight away. Ben was concerned to see a police car as well. He pulled the towel tighter around him, and spoke to the police officer across the room.
“They’re not going to do anything to my Dad, are they?”
“What do you mean?”
“Are they going to take him away? The officer sighed.
“I’m afraid it may come to that. But it’s for the best...”
Ben started to sob, knowing what he had done to his family.

Twenty minutes later, Ben was able to see his brother being loaded onto a stretcher. Before they closed the doors, Mark opened his mauve and red blotched arms. Ben ran forward and squeezed him, sobbing uncontrollably. Mark pushed him away.
“Hey, hey! You’re getting me all wet, buddy!” Ben did a hiccough laugh and wiped away his tears.
“Listen, you saved my life today, Ben. One day I’m going to do the same for you.” Ben looked into his brother's eyes and he knew that was a promise.

They hugged one last time, before the ambulance drove off into the night.


___________________________________________________________


Ben raised a hand to his eyes, and glinted in the sunlight. He gave a final effort to heave the armchair up the last step. He lost his balance, and managed to have the armchair land on his foot. He yowled with pain and grabbed his foot and hopped up and down. Just has he was letting out a stream of swear words Mark appeared. He had a half empty beer bottle in one hand and had the other arm around a young blonde. He took a drag from a cigarette, letting the smoke escape from his lips. At least it wasn’t crack. He playfully punched Ben in the arm.
“Language!” he cried and feigned shock. Ben didn’t smile.

“You know, I wouldn’t be doing this you know if you started doing some work and stopped ******** every female you lay your eyes on!” He turned to the blonde. “By the way, you’re the third one this week. I think you will still be able to find that brunette’s brassiere still in Mark’s underwear drawer!”

She abruptly whacked Mark’s arm off her shoulder, shoved him into the wall, and stormed down the stairs. Just before she stalked round the corner, she turned round and screamed at him. “And here’s your ******** gum!” She spat a pink splodge that landed, with incredible accuracy, on the tip of Mark’s freckled nose. She flicked him off then left. Mark, red faced, turned towards Ben with his arms outstretched. Ben grinned. “Aww, you wanna give your little brother a hug?” He darted into the flat, slammed the door and turned the key in the lock. The *click* only enraged Mark more, and he pounded on the door.
“Ben, when I get in here, you’re DEAD! Open up! Jeez.... Open the door you little ********, Mark! What kind of example are you setting?”

He collapsed on the floor, howling with laughter. Sure, Mark would get in eventually, and then in the morning he probably wouldn’t be able to feel his legs, but this was so worth it. They had been in this council flat for a month now, since Mark had turned eighteen and had left the orphanage. Ben was allowed to stay with him, but they had visits from the social worker. Personally, the way Mark was behaving, he saw himself going back to the orphanage in less than a week.

Just then, there was a small tap on the door. Mark’s voice came through.
“Ben. Open the door.”
Ben opened. Mark was standing there holding a letter in his hands. His face was pale.
“It’s Dad. He’s in hospital... and he’s dying.”
Ben stepped forward, and read the letter himself. He gazed up at the brilliant blue sky.
"Nice day for a funeral."
Mark didn't smile.

__________________________________________________________


Mark shifted the heavy rucksack on his shoulders, grimacing as it rubbed against the huge, fully-formed blister on his left shoulder blade. Shutting his eyes, he set off again in the frosty December cold. The others were far ahead, and he knew that he was going to pay for his weakness later. Now he was nineteen, and since his father's death he realized he had to do something with his life. Before he ended up like his dad. Now he considered that joining the army was maybe not the best thing he could have done. The constant hiking, marching, cleaning, and shouting was taking its toll. Although Mark had grown taller, he was paler and his face had a gaunt look about it.

Several hours later, he arrived back at camp. The drill sergeant was standing waiting outside. The sweat was running down Mark's face as he clicked his heels together and stood to attention. The sergeant nodded.
"Wright, you gotta visitor. This way."
Mark dumped his rucksack and followed the sergeant. Who could it be? His jaw dropped when he saw who was waiting.

"Ben? What are you doing here?"
His brother looked terrible. Incredibly pale and clammy. He stared at Mark.
"Mark... why? Why did you join up?"
"I just... wanted to prove myself. To find myself. Oh, I don't know why I did it! Can anyone explain why they do these things?"
Ben clasped his hands. Mark saw there was something going on. He sat down besides his brother.
"What's happening, Ben?"
Ben let out a sob. "I just... can't face it anymore. I've done something terrible, Mark. Something really bad." His eyes swelled with fear.
"Ben..."
Ben grasped his brother by the shoulders and looked him straight in the eyes.
"I've killed someone, Mark. Our Dad."
Mark sat, speechless. Ben continued.
"If it wasn't for me fetching the stupid bloody police, Dad would still be here. Prison tore him apart, and I did that."
Mark breathed heavily.
"Ben, you had to do it. If you hadn't done it, I would have died. Dad would have almost certainly killed me."
"A life for a life. Mark, you promised to save my life one day. You don't have to. I saved your life, but murdered our father. We're even."
"Our father had already died many years before. The day mum died. He was already lost."
Ben laughed, in a manic but triumphant way. "And, why did mum die? Because I was born. There, you see."
Mark closed his eyes.
"Ben, no matter what the hell you say, I'm not about to blame you for what happened to Dad. Bye, Ben."
"Not so fast."
He stood up and looked his brother straight in the eyes.

"If you're joining the army, I am too."
"You're only seventeen!"
"I look eighteen."
"No way, Ben. I'm your brother. You can't do it."
Ben glared. He was a stubborn four year old once again.
"Oh yeah? And who's gonna stop me?"



-----------------------------------------------------------


There was a ripple of machine gun fire overhead. It exploded into the forest around him, shattering the bark of several trees. Then it was gone, and the silence mirrored the intense darkness of the night. However, he could still see the glint of rifles. He could sense the snipers… they were never gone. He lay crouched in the mud, and it slowly absorbed into his skin, into his camouflage kit. He shuffled, adjusting his heavy gun, and trying to make out shapes in the night. He glanced at his brother, lying just feet away.
They both knew that they couldn't stay any longer. It was pointless, they'd be found eventually and they were just getting colder every second.
He tipped his helmet. He held up one hand and signaled.
One.
Two.
Three.

In an instant they both leapt to their feet, hitting the ground at the same time as the bullets started. They both ran.
The blood thudded in their ears, fear clouded their eyes.
There was another shot.
The one just behind yelled, grasped his leg and fell.
The other kept going.
He kept running.
Until he burst into the open, falling, and clutching the safe, soft green grass.
He looked up.
A second shot.
The other man had stopped calling.


----------------------------------------------------------------



The group of mourners, dressed in black, looked surreal against the brilliant August sunshine. They huddled at the foot of a graveyard, surrounded by green grass and tombstones. Nobody seemed interested. Nobody cried. Most were just too hot, and stood there, wiping their necks and fanning their faces. As soon as the vicar said 'Amen', they all trouped up the hill, heading for the cool sanctity of the air-conditioned church.

Aside from the other people, there sat another man. He had been in the shade, under a willow tree, watching the whole ceremony quietly. He stood, slowly, shielding his eyes from the sun. He was carrying a small bouquet of sunflowers. He walked, slowly, towards the grave, and knelt down beside it. He traced the name on the small, black stone with a finger. He stood again, tossed the flowers down, and quickly turned away. His eyes glistened in the sun.
"Nice day for a funeral, little brother."
He then walked slowly back up to the church.  

[T.A.C.]

Entertainment section editor: T.A.C.

Movie Review
The Covenant

Seen: 9/14/06
Starred: Steven Strait, Sebastian Stan, Laura Ramsey, Taylor Kitsch, and Toby Hemingway.
Review: Hot!!!!! I'm talking about the guys in the movie. Loved, loved, loved this movie!!! Well it was about these five families with these powers that had to form a covenant of silence, seeing they lived during the time period of when witches and such were burnt at the stake and all that because others thought they practiced witchcraft. Well, during the whole of the movie we were under the impression that there were only four families because the fifth never had anyone to descend their power to. The four boys had these awesome powers. The only restriction towards their powers, were the fact that they weren't fully in power, they had to wait until their 18th birthday until that happened, and their bodies would eventually wear out on them after using so much of it. Well, for the most part, the boys were using their powers for little stuff, helping to get away from the cops, helping to win a bet, to look up girl’s skirts, boy stuff. Well, turned out there was another descendant of the Ipswich Colony of Massachusetts. He had had to grow up away from the other boys, while all the other boys were able to grow up together and understand their powers, to learn how to use them. Well the fifth boy showed up, but he wasn't really there to "join the group". He was there more to gain more powers. Known to him, one of the boys was going to come into full power soon so all through the movie, we're able to see how he uses his power in the events to gain the other guy's power. Don't want to give any more away, but the movie was great! If you're into stuff like that, people with power, with at least one that knows the right way to use them, then you'll defiantly like this movie. If you like hot boys, you'll defiantly like this movie.
Rating: Two Thumbs up, 3 stars.

The opinions expressed in the above article do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of The Gaian Record International staff or Gaia Online.

Video Game Review
The End of Time

With all the new high-tech graphics of video games that boast impressive explosions, state of the art 3-D rendering, and fantastic new storylines, the gamers of this generation have lost sight of where these games come from. I am referring specifically to Role-Playing Games, or RPGs, which require copious amounts of time, effort, and interest to play. Even more specifically, I am referring to, as the title suggests, to an RPG known as Chrono Trigger.
When gamers of the new generation are asked whether or not they like Chrono Trigger, their response was more often than not: "Chrono what?" The development of better graphics and new systems overshadow the 16-bit predecessor. Many gamers dismiss the prospect of playing these older games because they have the notion that "Better graphics = better game". The old school gamers like myself will tell you it's anything but true.
Here's a little background on Chrono Trigger.
Gameplay: Like most RPGs, CT offers a the traditional Active Battle System. You wait until your time bar fills up, you take your action, rinse and repeat. Unlike most RPGs, CT utilizes that system and combines it with Secret of Mana's field battle system. In other words, instead of having a battle screen and random battles, 90% of all monsters are visible on the main map, and when a battle begins, it takes place on that map. In addition to that, each character learns a series of special attacks or "Techs" that later involve magic. These Techs can later be combined with those that other characters have learned, opening access to "Double-Techs" and even "Triple-Techs", which involve all three active characters. Their techniques combine into a single, powerful, and often fantastic attack.
Storyline: The main premise of the game is Time Travel. The story begins in the year 1000AD, where the country of Guardia has featured the Millenial Fair. There, our main character Chrono meets up with a beautiful, and strangely familiar young girl whom you later find out to be Nadia, princess of Guardia. While participating in a teleportation experiment created by Chrono's best friend, Lucca, the princess is transported back in time to the year 600AD. During this time frame, history states that the Queen was kidnapped and supposedly returned safely by a brave knight whom you will know as Frog. Because the princess looked so much like her ancestor, they called off the search for the real Queen, which would eventually lead to her death, and the non-existence of your princess friend. You set off on a quest to find her, and when you safely return her home, you are arrested by the guards for kidnapping her, put on trial, and sent to jail for execution. Every good RPG includes a prison break; CT is no different. While escaping the authorities, you enter another time gate which takes you to a bleak and distant future where the world has been completely destroyed. You find out later that the perpetrator was an enormous being known as "Lavos". That is where your true adventure begins. Throughout your journey, you will learn powerful magic, pick up useful items, find new friends, and travel back and forth through time in an attempt to save the world from a world-wide catastrophic fate. The game also offers a New Game+ option that will allow you to access CT's 12 differeent endings. Can you unlock them all?
Music: Two of the finest composers in the RPG business wrote the score for this game: Yasunori Mitsuda, the composer of the music for Xenogears, and Nobuo Uematsu, composer for the Final Fantasy series. CT offers wonderful and unforgettable themes that will have you whistling them for days on end.

Gameplay: *****
Storyline: *****
Music: *****
Replayability: *****
Overall: ***** A perfect score.

Movie Review
Gridiron Gang

Seen: 9/16/06
Starred: Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, Xzibit , Kevin Dunn, Leon Rippy, Jade Yorker.
Review: This movie reminded me of Remember the Titans. Real life brought forth, but anything with the Rock in it is worth seeing at least once to me. It was a sad movie, with a few comical areas, but it made you think, and realize how good some people in life have it, while others aren't so lucky. The movie centered on boys in a detention camp and a man, probation officer, who was tired of seeing the same kinds of boys, over and over, watching them do nothing with their lives and head off to jail. Finding himself willing to do something about it, he formed a football team. At first, many other schools were reluctant to allow their students to play against such, "harden" criminals, but one Christian school gave them a chance. Watching the boys progress some street hoodlums, to men with understanding of teamwork and respect. All in all, this movie wasn't too bad, not something I'd go out and buy, but again, since the Rock was in it, I, of course, will be buying the movie. If you're into football and/or you're in to people that are able to make a difference for others, then you'll like this movie.
Rating: Two thumbs up, 2 stars.

The opinions expressed in the above article do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of The Gaian Record International staff or Gaia Online.

Movie Review
Disney Channel's High School Musical

Spoiler Alert: The following article contains plot items in the aforementioned movie. Read at your own risk.

It took me several months, but I finally managed to get myself to give Disney Channel's High School Musical a shot. Somewhat of a modernized musical, the movie stars Zac Efron, Vanessa Anne Hudgens, and The Suite Life of Zack and Cody's Ashley Tisdale. The movie premise is set around a chance encounter between Zac and Vanessa which led to an impulsive attempt to take the lead in the school play from Ashley.
I have to say, the music wasn't as terrible as I thought it would be. Granted, it's not something I'd download to my MP3 player, but at least it was tolerable. However, I am disappointed that this movie was no exception to the seemingly unwritten rule that musicals must contain people bursting into song for no reason. While sometimes the songs were led up to properly, there were other times in which it was not only unannounced, but also completely ignored the plot of the movie. For example, the school's basketball team, having loudly spoken disapproval of Zac's decision to try out for the musical, starts to sing about the horrors of trying new things.
The movie had a problem of its characters having major mood swing issues. For example, the entire basketball team and the academic decathalon members very quickly changed their tune about Zac and Vanessa's participation of the school play. And Ashley certainly became a sweet, loving team player as a result of everything going wrong for her, singing along in the movie's closing number, We're all in this together.
However, one must keep in mind that this movie is a musical, and a children's one at that. Plus, if you compare it to some of Disney Channel's less than savory movies (The Cheetah Girls and their horrible cheesy catchphrases and terrible music being a prime example), it tends to shine the movie in a newer light. So, keeping that in mind, I give High School Musical...

3 Stars  

[Flypipe Rogancryd]

Administration Takes a Break




Conversation Gone Strange

 

[T.A.C.]

Fortune cookie value declining
The quality of the fortune cookie isn't what it once was

Fortune cookies. Everyone loves them, right? I mean, the cookie's pretty good, and you get a little paper fortune inside that will tell you your future. Whether you believe in it or not, it can be pretty fun to read...At least, that's how it's supposed to work. But let's look at the modern fortune cookie, shall we? While the cookie remains unchanged, still hard, crunchy, and sweet, the fortune isn't what it should be. Having ordered chinese food a few times this week, I feel compared to share some of these so-called fortunes to prove my point.

For starters, a fortune is synonymous with the words destiny and fate, both meaning "what is to come."

Fortune Cookie

Reasonable people endure; passionate people live.

That's nice to know. But what's the fortune there? That's just an interesting fact I didn't know. Whoopee. If I want that, I'll read a medical textbook.

Fortune Cookie

You are broad-minded and socially active.

Seriously, what were those fortune cookie writers thinking? (And how much do those people get paid? I mean, that sounds like a pretty easy job, despite how bad they are at it.) Thanks for the compliment, but what does that tell me about tomorrow? And what's worse, it's totally wrong! I'm not only highly-opinionated, I also freeze up in social situations! This wasn't a fortune cookie, it was a complementary cookie, and a bad one at that. (Yes, the pun was intended.)

Fortune Cookie

You have a charming way with words. Write a letter this week.

That's another complement, plus an order! This cookie is ordering me to write a letter! If I wanted to be told to do something, I would have spoken with my sergeant so he could tell me to scrub a floor somewhere! No, this too is a terrible example of a "fortune."

Fortune Cookie

Do not allow the winds of change to blow you from your goal.

Great advice. So, now what am I supposed to do?

As you can see, the modern fortune cookie gives no fortune whatsoever. Their little scraps of paper are totally off topic, and even tell you what to do at times, being a total insult to the basic concept of a fortune cookie.

The above article was purely satirical in nature, and the opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of The Gaian Record International staff, its affilliates, or the Gaia Online staff.

Where do the votes come from?

Ah, a nice relaxing Saturday. Done with chores, school hasn’t started yet so homework’s not an issue, and I have just enough free time to spend a half hour or so in Gaia’s art arena, enjoying and critiquing the artistic creations of people who’s skill, most of the time, is far better than mine could ever hope to be.
I click on the link and the familiar page pops up, with a fabulous oekaki picture of a girl with long, flowing red hair, and clear, crystal blue eyes on the verge of tears. The drawing is amazing. The lighting, shading, proportions, expressions. Everything is fabulous. Naturally, I live a comment. Something along the lines of the all-inclusive but functioning, “WOW! That’s amazing! Cool!” Then I rate it a 10 and the Gaia art arena in all its magical wonders whisks me off to another piece of fine art. The page loads, but before I look at the next drawing, I take a moment to check how other people rated the last piece.
As I suspected, everyone loved it and it got…. A 5.0043/10?!?!?!?! WHAT KIND OF ART-DEPRAVED MORON WOULD RATE IT LIKE THAT???? Okay, yeah, I understand the “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” but even with the subjectivity of all art, there’s no denying that talent created that.
It’s frustrating to see artwork on Gaia rated so lowly. Was it some flamer, jealous of the other person’s skill, or just some kid out to get their kicks by rating everything a zero? Either way, this rating is unfair to the artist. Sure, there are some sub-par works out in the art arena, but for the most part, the art in there is fantastic. The creator deserves to know how fabulous their drawing really was. I can only hope that the comment I left will show them what the people who actually looked at it thought. And I really, really hope that when I start posting my art, it won’t end up with a 2.3046/10, but who really knows? I guess I’ll just cross my fingers and hope that the flamers get hearts.

The opinions expressed in the above article do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of The Gaian Record International staff or Gaia Online.  

[SkyeGear]

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Thank you for reading this month's Gaian Record International. Special thanks to Flypipe, Managing Editor, and T.A.C., Vice Captain, for putting this paper together in my absence. I returned just in time, it seems, to put together the closing comments, and I found they did an excellent job, far above my expectations.

If you have questions or comments about this month's issue, please leave them in the thread designated for such topics. If you wish to advertise, or to enter the "Thread of the Month" or "Art Shop of the Month" contests, PM Gear-Richie for more details. Once again, thanks for visiting the Gaian Record International Guild.