wildone

Welcome Trenton. I glad to see another Canadian join up to help out with our world domination of GA, Muwhahahahaha. Feel free to pop into chat anytime, I think we don't have any of the biters left . If you need help or anything just ask any member or any of the staff that are here. We are all here to help. Enjoy your stay

I really enjoyed the Las Vegas Trilogy . Ones that had me waiting for the next update. Jack was a great contributor here and I personally liked his easy going writing style. Rest in peace my friend

:music: Happy Birthday Eric28 :music: Hey, how come you are Eric 29? Hope your birthday is a great one with all the attention on you

I am really in shock of the current events of today in Ottawa in our Nations Capital and on Monday in Montreal. I guess I always knew that this one day may have come, but still, it doesn't lessen the deep sense regret that our lives will be changing going forward. I will try to sum up the events of the past 3 days, based on the latest news reports and the just finished speech from our Prime Minister Steven Harper. On Monday, two Canadian Armed Forces members, one in uniform, one not, were hit by a speeding car which changed its direction to run them over. One soldier died later of his injuries. The driver of the car was caught and shot dead by the Police. This person has been described as being a radicalized member of ISIS a year ago. He had his passport seized by the government when he tried to leave the country to go to Turkey and then onto Syria to join ISIS. Today, this morning, a normal morning in our Nations capital of Ottawa. A gunman jumped out of a car and shot a soldier, Corporal Nathan Cirillo, 24, who was doing ceremonial duty at the National War Memorial, the tomb of the unknown Soldier. He was unarmed. He was shot in the back. The gunman then went into the Parliament Buildings and started opening fire in the Hall of Honour underneath the Peace Tower. He continued to fire his weapon and made his way to where the Prime Minister was meeting with his caucus. The shooter was confronted by the Sargent of Arms, a ceremonial position for the security of Parliament. A former RCMP officer, he shot the gunman dead. Thank god for him being armed. Just recently it has been learned the gunman's name is Michael Zehaf-Bibeau, 25, from Quebec. He has a lengthy criminal history for drug and some assault charges. He too has recently had his passport seized by the Government for going overseas to fight with ISIS too. The fact that all of this has happened on Canadian soil is something that we have never seen before. I am always amazed how places like Great Britain and the US and other countries have kept a stiff upper lip (a British saying) as they deal with this. Now, I guess it is time that Canada will be doing the same. How this will change us? I'm not sure. I really hope that things that Canadians hold as values don't change. We are generally a peaceful nation that doesn't really have gun issues except with gangs that is everywhere. We believe we are safe in our homes, at work and at play. I imagine you are asking why these people were free when they had their passports seized? As the police said, you can't arrest and lock someone up and take away their freedom for their thoughts. I generally agree with this, but I imagine this will change too. The RCMP have said that there is 90 Canadians across the country that are 'persons of interest'. I know that these people may be looking at increased scrutiny from law enforcement since these two incidents have happened this week. Another thought of mine was, would we have been better off to have just let them leave and go join ISIS? Immediately I knew this was the wrong. As I personally grieve for the two soldiers lost, I know that we have to take care of the ISIS threats within our own borders rather than let them join the groups in Syria and Iraq. There, they could be part of killing thousands. No life is expendable. Some say it shouldn't be a surprise. Al Qaeda and as recently as a month ago and ISIS has declared Canada as one of their targets. The US, Britain, France and Australia are the others named. I guess when you don't have any experience with dealing with this, just how are you supposed to react? Now, why I put this in my blog, I'm going to get a bit political. Canada has basically 4 national parties. The right of centre Conservatives who are currently in power, the centre Liberals, the left of centre (some refer to socialist) New Democrats, the official opposition, and the far left Green Party. Parliament recently debated sending Canadian fighters to Kuwait to participate with the alliance to do bombing runs against ISIS in Iraq and Syria. With a Conservative majority the motion was passed and yesterday the planes and support staff left for the Persian Gulf. All opposition members voted against it. What irritated me beyond belief was the speeches made by the the Liberals in Parliament and outside. They recently elected Justin Trudeau as their leader, the son of the former long term Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau. I will not share my opinion of his father, as this could go on for weeks. Justin had the gall and audacity to not only insult our Military in this country but said Canada could do more good by providing food and aid to the people in the Mid East fighting ISIS. He insulted everyone's intellect by saying that no Canadian military action was necessary in the Mid East. I will give the New Democrats credit, they voted against the mission based on ideological reasons, but did not insult or demean our Military or anyone. Well I wonder what the Liberal Party's messiah is doing now? Was he in Parliament today putting his body behind his words? Was he trying to go out and buy lunch for the gunman and talk to him to show him the error of his ways? I think we all know the answer to that. Probably was under a desk screaming for someone to protect him, (my opinion). I grieve for the family and friends of these two dead soldiers. I grieve for the change in what we maybe knew would happen, but actually has. If anything, this blog has helped me put my thoughts down in order. One last thing. I work with a Muslim lady at work. We have discussed how the MAJORITY of Muslims in Calgary and Canada speak out and actually help the police and such with identifying the radicals that are hiding within their community. She personally has told me that if one of her family members were to go down the wrong path, she would ensure they were held accountable but would still have the unconditional love a mother would have. She was nearly in tears today as the news came out. I have to agree with her. Not only does she grieve for Canada, but because of what, 90 people, millions will be judged going forward. Not only is this a horrible day for me, but for the 99% of Muslims that will have absolutely nothing to do with ISIS or other radical Islamic groups. Please do not turn this blog into a racist, hate filled commentary on Muslims in general. You will do yourself nothing but exposing the flaws of your logic....in my opinion.

Here is a nice article https://ca.news.yahoo.com/goliath-encounter-puppy-sized-spider-surprises-scientist-rainforest-125720953.html sends a plane ticket to Zombie to Guyana

Sad news indeed. I started reading Jack's work when I first joined GA. I found his works an easy read that kept my attention and moved at a good pace. We had communicated a bit by PM, especially when we switched from eFic to GA Stories. Unfortunately I lost contact after him. On one trip I was going to pop out to the desert and meet him, but instead got drawn up to visit Benji instead . Rest in Peace Jack, you will be missed.

Thanks Marzipan. I was a wild ride to write as well. Even when I look back at it, it gets a bit emotional (I'm a big softy). I appreciate the review!

Please remember before posting the rules regarding religion: What should never be posted: Offensive posts - Racist, homophobic ,anti-religious, or misogynistic posts (or other posts targeting protected minority groups) are completely prohibited. Slurs of any kind will NOT be tolerated.

Me late too :music: Happy Birthday Chris :music: Hope you had a great day and many more to come over the next year!

:music: Happy Birthday Elijah :music: Hope you had a great Birthday!

:music: Happy Birthday Dark :music: Here's hoping your day is a great one! It happens to fall Canadian Thanksgiving this year, so I'm thankful you are here (hug)

:music: Happy Birthday Solarmaxx :music: Sorry for being late to the party Hope it was a great day!

Oh, should mention that the Promising were ahead all week long, then a Signature who shall remain unnamed (cough, Mann, cough) posted to tie it up!! Great job Everyone!!!

We are fully into the month of October and lots has happened this past week here at the GA News Blog We started off the week with Cia presenting us with a bit different of a CSR this month. October is the Seasonal Spooktacular where we are featuring 5 different Anthologies to get us in the mood for Halloween at the end of the month. We have Vampires, Witches, Were-Creature, Mutants and Ghosts oh my!! Rise of the Serpent by Celetheiel, Magic in the Air by Andy78, Midnight by Mark72, Ones and Zeroes by Mann Ramblings and The Harpsichordist by Carl Holiday, are all being featured this month. After checking out these great stories make sure you take part of the CSR Discussion day on October 27th!! Premium Tuesday had Renee presenting us a brand new Premium story that started last week; The Harvest: Taken by M.A. Church. Having read the first chapter last week has me intrigued to see where this story will take us! In addition to featuring this new story, there is several links to help anyone out who is interested in becoming a Premium Member here at GA. Wednesday was another departure from the usual with Renee taking look at some of the fun that can be had in the Games and Humor Forum. We got a quick synopsis of the most popular forums; Last Post Wins, Word Association, Questions, Questions, Questions and LolCats. These ever popular forums have been going for almost as long as we have had Forums! Friday had us return to Prompt Me. Comicfan enticed us all with two new prompts. In the first creative prompt we were given the first line of "Why do I even bother?" In keeping with our October theme this week, the second creative tag entitled "The Fair" We have all gone to a local county fair or similar gathering, but what if this year something sinister decided to come with it? Finally Valkyrie71's prompt from the week before was featured. Anthology Announcements: ***NOTE: All Deadlines are for submission to the Anthology Proof Team*** 2014 Winter Anthology: Chain Reaction - Due December 3rd 2015 Spring Anthology: Full Circle - Due March 3rd ***NEW READING*** In Premium: The Harvest: Taken by M.A. Church By our Signature Authors: Streak by Mark Arbour; Book 15 of Chronicles Of An Academic Predator (CAP) Fortitude by Cia Finding Alex by Nephylim Sword of Kings: Forged Out of Necessity by Bill W Global Explorer by David McLeod Leopard Spots by Graeme; Book 2 of The Lilydale Leopards Priest and Pariahs by Mann Ramblings; Book 3 of Ship Logs of the Santa Claus By our Promising Authors: Redemption's A Bitch by Sasha Distan Sole Scion by JMH; Book 2 of The Sole Scion Cycle: Second Cycle of the Centurion Chronicles Barbed Wire Heart by Cole Matthews A Wolf And His Man by Sasha Distan Vintage by carringtonrj Thorny Poetry by Thorn Wilde The Art of Being Gay by Cole Matthews Don't forget.... Read, Write, and REVIEW!!!

:music: Happy Birthday Rustle :music: Hope you are having a great Birthday!!!!

:music: Happy Birthday Sasha :music: Hope you are having a great day!! Ditto on whatever Faxity said

Guess what? I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack Been a busy week this week with lots of great information shared through the GA News Blog. Monday was a surprise for Renee, as there was a conspiracy behind her back to have her story Joined By Blood as the featured background for the month of October. This story will surely get us all in the mood for Halloween only 26 days away Make sure to pop by the Blog to download the screen savers, one with a calender, one without! On Premium Tuesday there was a review of Rob Colton's The Cassini Mission. Not only did we all get a quick review of this great story, there is four easy links to help anyone interested in becoming one of our Premium Members. For as little as $7.75 a month, you can be an integral part of keeping GA the site it has become as well as remaining mostly free! Wednesday had us have the much anticipated Ask an Author brought to us by Dark. This Blog is so successful since we get great questions from you the members putting forth great questions to Dark to ask our selected authors. This time around we hear from authors comicfan, K.C., and reddirtwriter. Friday had us return to our regularly scheduled Prompt Me. Our resident prompt guru Comicfan gave us two new and challenging prompts to take a try at. First was a list of words to use in a story; fall leaves, rain storm, blue jeans, kitten, and a pizza (I read a story in premium this week that included in all those, but I don't think it counts). For creative we had for a lack of a better description, involved adopting a dog, which benefits not only the dog, but you too! We also had the 2nd Poetry prompt which is write two Haiku. One what you observed in a secluded patch of nature, and one of a urban setting. We can thank AC Benus and Irritable1 for bringing these prompts to us. Lastly we got to see Aditus' response to the previous prompt that was posted. Anthology Announcements: ***NOTE: All Deadlines are for submission to the Anthology Proof Team*** 2014 Winter Anthology: Chain Reaction - Due December 3rd 2015 Spring Anthology: Full Circle - Due March 3rd ***NEW READING*** In Premium: Do Over by dkstories *reposting* The Harvest: Taken by M.A. Church *NEW* By our Signature Authors: Finding Alex by Nephylim A Class By HImself by Comicality Lost Inside by Cia; Book 2 of Carthera Tales The Secret Life Of Billy Chase 8 by Comicality; Book 8 of Billy Chase Chronicles Global Explorer by David McLeod Streak by Mark Arbour; Book 15 of Chronicles Of An Academic Predator (CAP) GA Writing Prompts by Dolores Esteban Leopard Spots by Graeme; Book 2 of The Lilydale Leopards GFD 12: Blood Ties by Comicality; Book 12 of Gone From Daylight HMS Valiant by Mark Arbour; Book 7 of Bridgemont Priest and Pariahs by Mann Ramblings; Book 3 of Ship Logs of the Santa Claus By our Promising Authors: Redemption's A Bitch by Sasha Distan Thorny Poetry by Thorn Wilde Barbed Wire Heart by Cole Matthews A Wolf And His Man by Sasha Distan Vintage by carringtonrj Sole Scion by JMH; Book 2 of The Sole Scion Cycle: Second Cycle of the Centurion Chronicles The Art of Being Gay by Cole Matthews Don't forget.... Read, Write, and REVIEW!!!

:music: Happy Birthday Houdinii :music: Hoping the Birthday was GREAT!! Sorry I'm so late passing on my wishes

:music: Happy Birthday MJ :music: Hoping that today's birthday is the best one so far. If not, make plans for the next 365 days to make the next one better Enjoy your day!!!

OMG WOW (okay, no more caps) The fact that Sasha said he was going to live a life of luxury I'm hoping is the beginning of him understanding he has two lives and can move on. The one, the one that Ryland made for him was Ryland's undoing..so to speak. Now if, and a big if, Sasha survives, I can't help but feel he won't be scared of anything with his family around him, especially James. I guess we will have to wait and see. Any chance you are just about to post the next chapter

:music: Happy Birthday Yetti :music: Hope you had a great Birthday!!!

's to Everyone!!! Thank you so very much. I really appreciate each and everyone of you and your wishes Spent most of the day enjoying doing some reading of some of my favourite chapters and remembering why I love this place so much, the people here Then a visit with my nephews capped off the day. Thanks again

12 years!! GA is heading into their teen years, do you think you are up to the task Congrats on the Anniversary Myr. It has been a pleasure being part of the ride on the latter half of the journey and I really look forward to being here for many more!!! Thanks for all the hard work and dedication you have put in to make this such a great place to be

:music: Happy Birthday Totallyy :music: Hope it was a Totallyy great day

:music: Happy Birthday Cele :music: Hope you had a great day!! Just how old are you in Elf years?