Pastry Peculiarities

 I like Cakes/Cupcakes, but I do not like icing on them.

Seems a bit unnecessary.

Some Thoughts

No to Lobbyist, PACs, Corp Personhood.
Yes to Mandatory Service, Environment, Open Internet.
Need Regulation of Capitalism.
Need ISP's and CSP's to be treated as utilities.
Passive surveillance at local, state, and national levels within cities.
Facial recognition at all travel hubs/stations.
Enhanced (chipped) ID's for all citizens.
Citizenship required in order to vote.
Citizenship required for benefits.
Flat 10% Fed. income tax.
Reduction and/or elimination of Corp subsidies.
Support Farm Subsidies.
Support Exp./Imp. Bank.
Restitution/Support of Native Americans.
Give teeth to EPA, FCC, CPB.
Added Support of Border and Coast Guard. With closer ties to DHS.
Fed. Employees and Fed. Elected officials found receiving gifts and or funds from foreign parties to removed from their position, barred from public service and or elected position, property and assets seized and given a mandatory minimum 80 years in prison or execution for treason.
(Fed.,State,Local) Employees and (Fed.,State,Local) Elected officials found receiving gifts and or funds from corporations to removed from their position, barred from public service and or elected position and given a mandatory minimum 40 years in prison.
=======
Rockefeller Republican
Third Way
New Deal
=======
https://ivn.us/2016/08/03/50-ways-democratic-republican-parties-same/

Christmas

Can not stand people that talk down/over others. Self-righteous assertion rather than reasoned dialog. Christmas ...A time of greed and condescension.
Need to rest and recover, another year is on its way and that means ...well ...deal with it or don't; What can I say?

I DO, like Christmas until I have to deal with others. The lights, decorations, entertainment, and sentimental nostalgia; love all that stuff. BUT ...then real life interferes and well, you know how that goes.

On Trump

Personally I despise the man. I am well aware of his tactics in real estate and other business dealings.
However much you may share this sentiment is beside the point.
He is:
         Tactless
         Boorish
         Un-Subtle

And ... You should thank him.
He has shown you the truth of DC, stripped of its genteel veneer.
That's all I have to say for now.

Non-ownership of property

"The ultimate ownership of all property is in the State; individual so-called "ownership" is only by virtue of Government, i.e., law, amounting to mere user; and that use must be in accordance with law and subordinate to the necessities of the State."
US Senate Resolution #62, April 1933.

Found this in my drafts section, can't remember why I stared it or where it was going.
So...anyways here it is in its utter in-completion.

By the By....

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Huh!?

Wow
Remember when everyone was crazy about blogs? They were constantly posting the most inane things online, in what was almost a constant stream of consciousness.
Now its all shifted to smartphone social media.
But.... I was never that interested in sharing my thoughts in the first place.

TTFN

This is a Post!

This is a Post!
This post proves that I,m alive.
It is a post by the blogger, for the blogger and of the blogger.
This is only a Post!
👀

2016 Presidential Election

How can anyone expect the government to fix a problem that they created?

Politicians have Hijacked Democracy. Pandering to our hopes and fears. Using social programs to enslave the poor and destitute, Forcing the middle class to work longer and longer hours through wage control in order to keep them from truly observing and engaging in our nations politics. The current generation is hooked on immediate gratification; they have been raised on hedonism. Without corporal punishment they have never learned that there are consequences to their actions and have since come to feel that they are entitled to whatever they want without exerting any effort.

We have sunk into a pit of absolute apathy that has allowed our ‘leaders’ to run roughshod over all we once held dear.

Stand up people, reengage, don’t hide in a bottle or be swallowed up by that damn tv. If you want to see who is really responsible for the current state of affairs look in the mirror, point your finger and scream ‘Shame on You’. Because, you have allowed this to happen rights and liberties stripped away bit by bit over the years; hell most millennials think this is normal.

Bring back regulation; back to the colleges, Wall Street, the banks, service providers and insurance companies.

Affordable health care my ass, people are not signing up because they approve they are signing up out of fear; fear of financial reprisal. You are being forced to buy a private companies product, whose cost has risen beyond what it was before the AHCA. WTF!!! Its EXTORTION damn it.

You’ve got the government investing in companies that never produce anything and the taxpayer money that was invested ends up in campaign coffers.

Federal government officials are receiving foreign funding for their political campaigns and we all know those funds come with expectations attached. How is this not considered treason?

Lately they have criticized Melania Trump for her speech, but does anyone remember the Joe Biden campaign in 1988? He not only lifted the speech, but the life of Neil Kinnock. He lied about receiving an academic scholarship to law school, lied about having 3 undergraduate degrees, plagiarized Kennedy, plagiarized Humphrey; and admitted to plagiarism throughout his entire academic and professional life.

THESE are the fucking people you keep electing. They are legends in their own little minds.  They shouldn’t be allowed to cut their own food much less be allowed to run a country.

Extortion

Extortion

Federal Government and the Insurance Lobbyists.

What more can I say.

Memories and Reflection

Today I tried to log into Xfire.
In 2005, I joined Xfire about the same time that I picked up a discount copy of freelancer from Gamestop.
With the death of Xfire as I knew it, 10 yrs of fond memories have surfaced.
The joy, disappointment and anger over the whole Hunters Association mess.
The creation and struggle to maintain the Vanguard Federation of Freelancers.
The Fall and resurrection of The Lancers Reactor.
The creation of (The Starport).
The recent demise of the -=EOA=- Players Consortium.
Microsoft pulling support and discontinuing the gunserver and the the creation of the fllistserver.
The dear cryosphere that is beginning to crumble.
The Freelancers Datapad, FlHook, Freelancer Clubhouse! - gone.

I could go on, but it would take to long.

Old friends:
Achilles of Doom
Predator & The Raven Clan - I still count myself among their ranks
Angel
Nemesis
the C.A.F. of which I was proud to be a member
Mutilator / Wyrmblight and his acerbic wit
DragoonX - he struggled constantly with his dyslexia and I was proud to know him
Rebel
Recon
Boltar - all seeing pain in the ass
captain_flint
Darth Malignant
GeneralDraxus
Goth~Chryis
GreyMark
Haunt
Hybrid
Iron_Mechanic
Lucid
Lynx
Necromancer
Odin
Okla08
Poseidon67
RavenLore
Sardaukar101
Sedition
Stupur
Viper420
Undertow / xXUndertowXx aka UdderToe
[IDL]Stranger530
[OC] Killer B - SOOOO Annoying
[OC]Remnant

These are all i can remember at the moment. As my Xfire account is queued for download.

I Hesitate to use the word "love" to describe my feelings, however, knowing these individuals and having been part of these groups was wonderful. The second childhood they brought about was certainly better than the first.

Respectfully,
- Whisper928 - {RaVeN}Seppuku - [CAF]V.A.D.I.M. - [BAF]Swan
                           [LOL]Pest

Now as I did so long ago while being hunted by a fleet of angry RaVeN, I leave you with these words:
[X]Whisper - oh hell ohhelll ohhellllllll ........BOOM
Player - [X]Whisper  - was killed by a missile.
{RaVeN}Predator - lol

Whatever

Haven't posted anything in quite a while.
So............

Here's a Post, Enjoy!

Health Care and ID's

Afordable Health Care

My Ass!

The company I work for is going to cancel their insurance, cause it's cheaper to pay the fine.
The insurance broker that lives next door informed me they are going to increase private insurance 80% and the co-pay 50%.
The government is going to "review" my fathers military disability.
My mothers doctors are no longer going to accept medic(are/aid), which is itself being cut.
Everyone sucking on the government teat will still get their freebies. (gotta buy that vote)

So, where does that leave those that work their ass off to provide for their families in the hope that one day they can retire in relative comfort.
With the way Social Security has been abused as a mad money account, even that small dream is quickly disappearing.

About the ID's

Gotta have an ID to drive.
ID to get a job
ID to get a bank account.
ID to enroll in school.
ID to cash a check.
ID to buy a movie ticket.
ID to buy cigarettes
ID to buy alcohol
ID to rent a motel/hotel room.
ID to get a loan.
ID to get a grant.
ID to travel.
ID to get a passport.
ID to get a library card.
ID to cash a paycheck.
ID to join the military.
ID when you get arrested.
ID to sign up at blockbuster.

What the fuck is wrong with having an ID to vote. I've got nothing to hide.

How to Quit Playing Video Games FOREVER

by Cam

Video games are without question one of the hardest and biggest obstacles to overcome when you first get involved in a journey of self-improvement.
I think we can all agree that they are also a major cause as to why you lack the skills necessary to attract women, network, and live the life you WANT to live, instead of the one where you are stagnant, procrastinating at home night after night.
When you have nothing else to do on a Friday night, what do you do? You play video games.
When you come home tired after working 9am – 5pm, what do you do? You play video games.
When you’re looking to just relax for a minute and kill some time, what do you do? You play video games.
And soon this turns into a major addiction: one of the hardest ones to break, in my opinion.
The fucked up part is that many of the people playing video games night after night are AWARE of this too! (Something I believe to be common amongst many addictions, but that’s a topic for another day.)
One night you decide that you have had enough and you try to quit. Maybe you even type “How to quit playing video games” into Google. What do the tips say?
A bunch of shit that doesn’t work at all, because the people that wrote the articles wrote what the OBVIOUS tips would be:

• Don’t quit playing them completely, just limit the time.
• Spend more time studying.
• Go exercise
• Eat healthier and drink more water
• Go to a friends house, or go to the mall
• Play board games instead

What the fuck? Would anybody actually do any of those? Seriously. These people are clueless. People aren’t going to stop playing video games by studying more. The reason they are playing video games is to avoid studying… Going to a friends house seems like good advice, except their friends are likely also playing video games, so now you are just making the problem worse, and limiting the time you play never fucking works at all.
Does anybody like hearing that predictable advice anyways? I don’t know if you’re like me, but when I read that predictable advice it just pisses me off. Straight up. These people are clueless to the real problems.
An example of this is the common advice given to people that are overweight (also known as “FAT”, which is how I will refer to them in this article. It’s 2011 people, let’s not be overly sensitive.) What’s the common advice you get when you’re fat? “Eat healthier and run.” Does that work? Absolutely. BUT a major reason these people are fat is because they are fucking lazy. (I know it’s not the only reason, but let’s be real here, it’s a major one. Sue me.) If someone is lazy, are they really going to go RUNNING? Are you kidding me? I’m an athletic guy, I’m driven, and the amount of effort it takes me to go for a god damn run is tremendous. If I were fat, running would be a huge challenge for me. Again, eating healthy is good and all, but that takes effort, and changing your eating habits is not exactly exciting. Which is why a ton of people don’t do it. So that advice sucks balls. The right advice is to find a solution to the actual problem: their laziness, lack of drive, lack of self-worth, lack of self-esteem, etc. Figure out that problem and you have a much better chance of getting that motherfucker on a treadmill. Ya dig?

Moving on…
Now, before I get into the nitty gritty of this article, let me first prove to you that I am a credible source on this topic. I don’t want to be another one of those clueless motherfuckers giving advice on this topic when I have no idea what I’m talking about.

Why should you listen to me?

Well, growing up I played video games as much as I possibly could. It got to the point that I would refuse to even do any chores around the house because that would take time away from playing video games. How absurd. I didn’t play video games casually either; I played them to an extremely competitive level, competed in tournaments and ran one of my teams like you would run a business.
My video game career (haha I’m not kidding, I viewed it as a career) began playing the original version of Starcraft when it first came out. From here I moved onto Counterstrike 1.6, which ended up being the game I would play the most. I competed competitively in Counterstrike 1.6, playing in both CAL and CEVO leagues. At one point I was an admin for the CEVO league. My CS 1.6 team would practice every day between 4-8 hours (as a team). When we weren’t practicing as a team, I would practice on my own. I took that game so seriously I actually took lessons for it from one of the best guys in the world. To improve my play I would study game film. I did whatever I could to get better. I played competitive CS 1.6 for many years.
After my CS 1.6 career ended, I started to play World of Warcraft. For the next year I played this game 16 hours a day, every day. If I didn’t have better things to do, I would login to my account and show everybody the total number of days played vs. the number of days I was active in the game. It would blow your mind. I’m not kidding: I played 16 hours a day every day for over a year. NUTS. I had the #1 ranked hunter on the server I played on, and after transferring to a new server (one of the more popular ones), I was recruited by a top 10 guild IN THE WORLD to be on their roster. This was ridiculous. Before joining this guild I decided to quit the game. This was right around the time that I decided to make a few last ditch efforts to save my relationship (which didn’t work). Shortly after I read “The Game”, which kick started my journey into what I do now. I started to play “DOTA” for a few months before I decided to take “pick-up” more seriously. I knew the absolute ONLY way this was going to be possible was if I stopped playing video games all together, so I decided that was exactly what I was going to do, and in October 2007 I quit them cold mother fuckin’ turkey.
I didn’t touch a video game at all for almost TWO whole years. Was I tempted to? Of course! There were days when I had a massive desire to go play, but I had to stay committed to not touching any of them no matter what. If a friend invited me over to play, I would decline. If people at my house were playing, I would go do something else. It took a strong will but I was eventually able to break the habit, and as time went on, it became easier and easier. The temptation faded.

Which brings me to the first and absolute most important puzzle to quitting video games: You MUST have a FIRM COMMITMENT to not play them. You can’t limit your time; you can’t use it as a reward. You must quit cold turkey, 110%. You MUST make that decision. You MUST make the decision not to touch them at all ever again. I’m not talking about making this decision like you make other decisions, which you aren’t really serious about. I mean, you fucking seriously have to mean it. If not, you will end up playing them again and again, wasting your days playing some stupid ass video game, justifying it in a thousand different ways.
A firm commitment is absolutely crucial, but it isn’t enough. This is something I found out in September 2009, when I started to play them again. I had just moved to Victoria, BC. I moved there to get away from Calgary and to experience something new. It was also a challenge to myself to see if I could move to another city and make new friends. At least that’s what I told myself at the time, but the main reason (looking back) that I moved was in order to escape from the life I was living.
I had just moved into a new house with two roommates who I didn’t know very well. A day or two after I moved in, one of my roommates, Ben, and I began to discuss our previous involvement in competitive video games; specifically the game Starcraft. I mentioned how I took the game very seriously and “was very good”. He joked about buying the game again so we could play. I told him not to do it, because I wasn’t playing any games anymore.
Later that night as I was working away on my computer, he came home and placed Starcraft in front of me. The fucker had gone out and bought it. He thought this was funny. I was laughing on the outside but inside I was pissed. I knew this was going to end poorly.
I gave in and played a few games with him, where he absolutely crushed me.
I don’t think he was expecting me to react the way I did.
Humble in defeat, I made the decision that I was going to do whatever it took to make sure I could crush him anytime I played him from here on out, without cheating of course.
For the next 5 months I played Starcraft 12-16 hours a day. I would spend my time studying strategy, watching film, and playing as much as I could. I pretty much did nothing else. I improved rapidly, and as I began to get better Ben started to play more and more as well. By the end our games became extremely intense.
Why did I get so serious about Starcraft again? The second and third pieces to the puzzle explain it perfectly: Video games are a CHALLENGE. And being challenged can be an extremely motivating factor for someone. The challenge of the game is one aspect to why you become as addicted as you do. They also provide an avenue where you can see constant, measurable growth.
Just look at two of the best and most addictive games out right now: World of Warcraft and Modern Warfare 2. In both games, you LEVEL UP (constant measurable growth). It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that leveling up is a very addicting aspect to the game.
After 5 months of doing nothing more than playing Starcraft all day long, I moved back home to Calgary. When I got back home, I still didn’t have much to do, other than work and party (something which I wasn’t overly interested in at the time), so what did I do? I started playing Modern Warfare 2. This went on for a few months before I ended up quitting games again and since then (March 2010), I haven’t touched any video games, and I highly doubt I will ever again.
Now there’s ONE last core piece to this puzzle. On there own, all the pieces I’ve talked about thus far are important and do a lot of damage independantly, but this last piece is the real x-factor: all good games are SOCIAL. The social aspect of these games is what really draws you in. That’s why playing a non-multiplayer game is fun, but only for a limited time. Eventually you get bored and do something else. But the games that keep you around for a long time are the ones that are social. Think about World of Warcraft, or Modern Warfare 2. These games added a major social aspect to each game, and that is why they have millions of players worldwide, millions of players who play them for a long long time. You no longer have a reason to go out and meet people if you can just log into a video game that is a ton of fun, let’s you escape from reality, let’s you see constant measurable growth, and continues to challenge you every time you play. When you are still interacting with people, staying home on a Friday night doesn’t look so bad now does it?
If you look at the best and most addicting games out there, they all comprise these core pieces. They are challenging, but you can also see constant growth and improvement over time. They allow you to escape, even if only temporarily. They are SOCIAL.
So now you’re thinking:

“Ok Cam, this all makes sense, I understand how these games are operating and the areas of my life they are filling, but how the fuck do I stop playing video games and start living my life!?”

Well, other than having that firm commitment, you need to fill all four of these areas with NEW activities. But don’t forget, you play video games because you enjoy them, they are FUN, so you can’t fill any of these areas with things that you don’t ENJOY! You have to fill them with activities that you like, ones that you like A LOT. You have to have fun doing these, otherwise you will just want to go play video games again, because you aren’t getting the same “fix” that you were from them.

To recap what these areas are:

• A temporary escape
• Constant measurable growth
• A challenge
• Social

So let’s bounce some ideas around. What activities did I start doing to fill those voids, allowing me to not need video games for that “fix”?
I started to work on my social skills, and began learning how to pick up girls. This worked out really well. But only because I took it very very seriously. If I wasn’t “in-field”, meaning, at the club, I was at home studying (reading articles, watching videos, talking with people about it.) This is something I’ve noticed with a few different students of mine. A lot of them like to play video games. This is no surprise. There are some that have been successful in kicking that desire, and others that have not.
The ones that have been successful are the ones that have actually gotten serious about improving their lives, and since I’m going to assume that most people reading this have a full-time job (or go to school), they only have so much time in their day for a few things. “Social Dynamics” obviously offers all 4 of those areas, which is why taking it seriously works to get over your video game addiction. But it only works if you take it seriously. If you half-ass it, you won’t get the same results.
And that’s the exact reason why the students I’ve had that weren’t able to get over their addiction weren’t able to do it! They didn’t take this new endeavor seriously enough to fill those voids. So they would find themselves bored at home a lot, and when you are bored at home, video games are an easy solution to that problem.
But what if you don’t want to take improving your social skills that seriously. What else could you do?
Well, anything you are actually passionate about will work. If you want to learn how to play guitar, do it! But remember, playing guitar is missing one key piece: the social side. So instead of playing by yourself in your room all the time, play with a buddy a couple times a week. Start a band or something. That would make a big difference.
Any activity you enjoy will work! You just have to find something that you enjoy and take it seriously, whether that’s learning how to pick-up girls, learning how to play guitar, or starting a side Internet marketing business (with a friend!!!). You just need to make a FIRM commitment (110%, no half-assing it), and then make sure you fill all 4 of those voids, and you’re golden!
If you have friends that just sit around all day playing video games… get new friends! It really isn’t that hard. Sure, sometimes that sucks, but you need to remember that this is your life and if there’s ANYTHING you should take seriously, it’s just that: YOUR LIFE. You aren’t going to please everybody, but if they aren’t down with it, fuck them. Seriously. None of my friends sit around all day playing video games, because we share common interests. They all want to grow and develop other skills. I have friends that dance. Others that play in a band. Personally, I’m learning how to DJ.
You need to find some type of lifestyle activity that you LOVE. Something you are PASSIONATE about. Find this and you’ll seriously never have another desire to play video games. Eventually your life will get to a point where you straight up just don’t even have time to THINK about playing video games. I’m extremely busy, and this causes me not to DJ as much as I want, so if I have any free time, I do that! But I also don’t always do it by myself. I have a few friends that share that same passion so we hang out and do it. DJing allows me to escape from life temporarily and to relax. It’s also a ton of fun, I can see constant measurable growth, and at the same time, it’s always challenging. See a pattern here? I’ve covered all 4 pieces! Now I’m at the point where playing video games just seems completely ridiculous to me.
I hope this article helps you guys out. If you take it seriously and implement the principles I’ve talked about, you WILL BE ABLE TO DO IT. You will finally be able to quit playing video games once and for all, giving you the time you need to live the life you want to life.
Peace!

FORTITUDE

Without some degree of fortitude there can be no happiness, because, amidst the thousand uncertainties of life, there can be no enjoyment of tranquillity. The man of feeble and timorous spirit lives under perpetual alarms. He sees every distant danger and tremble; he explores the regions of possibility to discover the dangers that may arise: often he creates imaginary ones; always magnifies those that are real. Hence, like a person haunted by spectres, he loses the free enjoyment even of a safe and prosperous state, and on the first shock of adversity he desponds. Instead of exerting himself to lay hold on the resources that remain, he gives up all for lost, and resigns himself to abject and broken spirits. On the other hand, firmness of mind is the parent of tranquillity. It enables one to enjoy the present without disturbance, and to look calmly on dangers that approach or evils that threaten in future. Look into the heart of this man, and you will find composure, cheerfulness, and magnanimity; look into the heart of the other, and you will see nothing but confusion, anxiety, and trepidation. The one is a castle built on a rock, which defies the attacks of surrounding waters; the other is a hut placed on the shore, which every wind shakes and every wave overflows.

~BLAIR.

* * * * *

THE IVY IN THE DUNGEON

The Ivy in a dungeon grew
Unfed by rain, uncheer'd by dew;
Its pallid leaflets only drank
Cave-moistures foul, and odours dank.

But through the dungeon-grating high
There fell a sunbeam from the sky:
It slept upon the grateful floor
In silent gladness evermore.

The ivy felt a tremor shoot
Through all its fibres to the root;
It felt the light, it saw the ray,
It strove to issue into day.

It grew, it crept, it push'd, it clomb--
Long had the darkness been its home;
But well it knew, though veil'd in night,
The goodness and the joy of light.

Its clinging roots grew deep and strong;
Its stem expanded firm and long;
And in the currents of the air
Its tender branches flourish'd fair.

It reach'd the beam--it thrill'd, it curl'd,
It bless'd the warmth that cheers the world;
It rose towards the dungeon bars--
It look'd upon the sun and stars.

It felt the life of bursting spring,
It heard the happy sky-lark sing.
It caught the breath of morns and eves,
And woo'd the swallow to its leaves.

By rains, and dews, and sunshine fed,
Over the outer wall it spread;
And in the daybeam waving free,
It grew into a steadfast tree.

Upon that solitary place
Its verdure threw adorning grace.
The mating birds became its guests,
And sang its praises from their nests.

Wouldst know the moral of the rhyme?
Behold the heavenly light, and climb!
Look up, O tenant of the cell,
Where man, the prisoner, must dwell.

To every dungeon comes a ray
Of God's interminable day.
On every heart a sunbeam falls
To cheer its lonely prison walls.

The ray is TRUTH. Oh, soul, aspire
To bask in its celestial fire;
So shalt thou quit the glooms of clay,
So shaft thou flourish into day.

So shalt thou reach the dungeon grate,
No longer dark and desolate;
And look around thee, and above,
Upon a world of light and love.

~MACKAY.

HUMANITY

During the retreat of the famous King Alfred at Athelney, in Somersetshire, after the defeat of his forces by the Danes, the following circumstance happened, which shows the extremities to which that great man was reduced, and gives a striking proof of his pious and benevolent disposition:--A beggar came to his little castle, and requested alms. His Queen informed him that they had only one small loaf remaining, which was insufficient for themselves and their friends, who were gone abroad in quest of food, though with little hopes of success.
But the King replied, "Give the poor Christian the one half of the loaf. He that could feed live thousand with five loaves and two fishes, can certainly make that half of the loaf suffice for more than our necessities." Accordingly the poor man was relieved; and this noble act of charity was soon recompensed by a providential store of fresh provisions, with which his people returned.

Sir Philip Sydney, at the battle near Zutphen, displayed the most undaunted courage. He had two horses killed under him; and, whilst mounting a third, was wounded by a musket-shot out of the trenches, which broke the bone of his thigh. He returned about mile and a half on horseback to the camp; and being faint with the loss of blood, and parched with thirst from the heat of the weather, he called for drink.
It was presently brought him; but, as he was putting the vessel to his mouth, a poor wounded soldier, who happened to be carried along at that instant, looked up to it with wistful eyes. The gallant and generous Sydney took the flagon from his lips, just when he was going to drink, and delivered it to the soldier, saying, "Thy necessity is greater than mine."

Frederick, King of Prussia, one day rang his bell and nobody answered;on which he opened the door and found his page fast asleep in an elbow-chair. He advanced toward him, and was going to awaken, him, when he perceived a letter hanging out of his pocket. His curiosity prompting him to know what it was, he took it out and read it. It was a letter from the young man's mother, in which she thanked him for having sent her part of his wages to relieve her in her misery, and finished with telling; him that God would reward him for his dutiful affection. The King, after having read it, went back softly into his chamber, took a bag full of ducats, and slipped it with the letter into the page's pocket. Returning to his chamber, he rang the bell so violently that he awakened the page, who instantly made his appearance. "You have had a sound sleep," said the King. The page was at a loss how to excuse himself and, putting his hand into his pocket by chance, to his utter astonishment he there found a purse of ducats. He took it out, turned pale, and looking at the bag, burst into tears without being able to utter a single word. "What is that?" said the King; "what is the matter?" "Ah, sire!" said the young man, throwing himself on his knees, "somebody seeks my ruin! I know nothing of this money which I have just found in my pocket!" "My young friend," replied Frederick, "God often does great things for us even in our sleep. Send that to your mother, salute her on my part, and assure her that I will take care of  both her and you."

Verse 75: Who can enjoy the treasures of life?

Why are the people so hungry?
Because their grain is devoured by the rich in taxes.
That is why the people are starving.

Why are the people so rebellious?
Because the government deprives them of liberties and rights.
That is why the people are rebellious.

Why do the people not fear death?
Because their lives are made so miserable that death seems no worse than life.

Thus, no one can enjoy the treasures of life- neither the rich who squander their humanity, nor the government which tyrannizes the people, nor the people who have nothing to gain from life.

~Lao Tzu

Guide: Running a Freelancer Server.

As a Freelancer veteran, I know a thing or two about running a Freelancer server. Recently, I tried to look up some more info on running one, but there doesn’t seem to be much documentation on this subject. So, I decided to write my own guide!
Step 1: Choosing a Server Operator

While just running FLServer.exe may have been fine back in 2003, these days you’d only use just FLServer.exe as a makeshift OpenSP or small LAN server. Now, nearly every server needs a Server Operator. In the past, many people struggled with just using IonCross Freelancer Server Operator, which is now outdated and unneeded. These days, there’s two major server operators out there: FLHook and FLAC – FreeLancer Anti Cheat (Don’t be fooled by FLAC, it’s much more than just an Anti-Cheat measure). FLAC is only given out to select people, and it’s paid software. FLHook is open source, and IMO better than FLAC. While FLHook is console-based, contrary to the GUI-based FLAC, you will easily overcome that limitation with some tools I’ll bring up later.

Now, what ARE server operators? Mostly, they’re tools to make the admin team’s job easier. They integrate into FL, so you can type command using FL’s chat functions. However, while some of these commands are admin-only, the bulk of FLAC’s and FLHook’s commands are made to assist with trivial tasks in the game – Replying to a PM, PMing your target, transferring credits, transferring ships, reading server rules, etc.

As I said, FLHook is console-based, and isn’t very n00b-friendly. That’s where Secondary Server Operators come in – They’re mostly used to do what FLHook or FLAC could do, but with a different GUI, and often come with features of their own. The two major SSOs today are DAM – Disco Account Manager, and Ioncross FLSO (FreeLancer Server Operator). While IonCross is very outdated, some people still may want to use it due to being familiar with its UI, being used to it, etc. DAM on the other hand, was made as a replacement for IFLSO, and a damn good one at that. It’s able to be extended by being integrated into FLHook, and can do many of the things FLHook can do, but with a GUI and other batch-based functions.
Step 2: Choosing a mod

These days, no-one plays Vanilla Freelancer, and 1.0 servers are very rare. Now, nearly everyone runs a mod, in one form or another – The biggest FL server, Discovery Freelancer RP 24/7, runs the Discovery mod. Other notable mods are Crossfire (FL-based), The Underverse (The Chronicles of Riddick), The NSU mod (Various Sci-Fi Series), 88 Flak (FL-based), and so on. It’s also easier to run a modded server, since the mods are often made to integrate with server operators. Note though – Not all mods are released to be run on a server.

Personally, I love running servers with the Discovery mod. It integrates perfectly with FLHook and Disco Account Manager (Well, DAM was made for Discovery, after all), and it has a large install base, meaning any of the people who already have Discovery can easily hop onto your server without needing to install your mod.  It also caters nicely to Vanilla players, since Discovery’s goal is to expand the FL universe while leaving the gameplay and graphics intact.

Other notable mods to run a server on would be 88 Flak (which comes with its own version of FLHook), and the Freeworlds mod. Of course, if you know how to mod Freelancer, you can easily edit FLServer.exe to run the mod of your choice – BUT the reason most modders don’t do it themselves is because they don’t want players running their mods on servers.
Step 3: Hardware and misc.

Of course, as with running any server, you’ll need to have the necessary hardware. You’ll need at least a relatively good connection to run an FL server, and of course you’ll need a router, and in some cases you may have to set up port forwarding. Of course, you can always just rent a server and set up the tools manually. ;)

Of course, it never hurts to ask around! The biggest and friendliest FL community out there is by far The Starport, so ask there if you run into any trouble! Of course, I’m always willing to help, so feel free to leave a question in the comments.

Jim Stone Quote

” A society can be judged by whom it chooses to reward most highly. The closer the reward scale is to the contribution scale, the better for the nation’s future. A trader may be brilliant and honorable, as many are, but their work is not of the sort that will keep America a great, strong nation. That  problem is not so easily correctable. We have wagered our place in history on our relative strength in finance. Bad bet.”

EMO

"Emo" is not short for "Emotional." "Emo" does not mean Taking Back Sunday and Dashboard Confessional, despite what MTV has lead you to believe in the last few years. "Emo" is not side bangs, tight pants, and male vocalists who sing like little girls about their failed relationships. "Emo" is not the use of diluted, meaningless metaphors and similes such as "My arms are like pine cones," and most definitely is not the rampant use of words such as "autumn," "heart," "knife," "bleeding," "leaves," and "razor-blade."

I just thought I'd clear that up after all of these "definitions" in which I have encountered an unbelievable amount of people who try to pass off their blatantly false pretenses as fact, and are slowly infecting others with their high-horse, holier-than-thou bullshit. Because honestly, with your ridiculous definitions, Beethoven, George Gershwin, and Britney Spears are/was "emo bands."

Now, onto the real definition.

In the early 90s there was a movement in the hardcore genre that came to be known as "Emotive Hardcore," spearheaded by Rites Of Spring. Harder-core-than-thou kids, who swore by Dischord Records a la Minor Threat, actually coined the term "Emo" as something of a put-down for the kids who really liked Rites Of Spring, Indian Summer and this new wave of "Emotive" Hardcore bands. That's right, "Emo" was once not something kids called themselves. The field exploded outwards from there - Level-Plane Records has always been the most famous Emo label. Acts like Yaphet Kotto, I Hate Myself, Saetia, Hot Cross, A Day In Black And White, Funeral Diner, I Would Set Myself On Fire For You, You And I, and hosts of others came in the next decade. Most emo bands have since broken up, but there's still the occasional hold-out (again, the majority of Level-Plane Records' roster has been a procession of emo acts). Like most DIY hardcore/punk of the time, a majority found its way onto vinyl and not much else. Some people consider bands like Fugazi, and later Sunny Day Real Estate, a progression of emo, but personally, I don't quite follow that philosophy.

Often, more recently, this gets intertwined with post-hardcore, and understandably so - that's nothing to make an issue of, since well shit, at least it's close.

Since the late 90s, though, bands have been emerging in the vein of Taking Back Sunday, Dashboard Confessional, and the thousands of their clones. As far as I can tell, some lazy journalist somewhere, writing an article about them, decided "Well, fuck, no one knows what emo is anyways, so I'll call these bands "emo" - sounds more appealing than bubblegum pop rock..." and the spiral continued downwards into the current amalgamation of bands MTV has told everyone is "emo."

Somehow, people decided that "emo" meant "emotional," which is obviously bullshit, as 99% of bands make music to illicit emotion, which would make "emotional" a completely all-encompassing genre from classical to opera to pop to rap.


Hope that helps.
Taking Back Sunday, Senses Fail, and My Chemical Romance falls under the "horrible pop rock" genre, not the emo genre.

Rites of Spring is emo.

by Chelsea Mar 2, 2005