W_L

The Phoenix on the Dragon Chair By W.L It was beautiful bright sunny day: birds were singing and children were running around the schoolyard waiting to return to their homes to the X-BOX in the living room. Yet beyond this Hallmark image of an ideal world, there lurks something beneath. Behind the schoolyard, a solitary building, a small wooden bungalow, sat awaiting guests. Shrouded men with various bags and suitcases would come and go throughout the day, but this place was no ordinary place

A story about the Chinese Triads, including traditions, customs, and power struggles. This was originally an idea for the Anthology "Choices".

Video games are definitely art, the best video games have great stories, music, and scenery that combines the best of written, audio, and visual art into a higher form of interactive art. The first game I associate with art is Homeworld: Especially, this mission was the saddest thing I have played in any video game:

Actually, the posting thing to me seemed pretty natural. Whether it's facebook or youtube, kids just like putting their lives on display to get other people's attentions. (The kid, who posted this video, probably will make a good marketing executive or political campaigner. It's not really right or wrong to them, it's about acknowledgement from the world.) If you want a talking solution, without any threat or punishment associated (you can't stop the kid from going online or grounding them to their rooms as teenager, they'll just run off to their friends house), then you really got to first know your kids and acknowledge their problems, no matter how trivial or insignificant it is in reality. I don't think a talking solution will be effective for everyone as the concept of reason is still new to these kids and their rebellious instincts make it rather difficult to hold onto. A bit of discipline and reason should be used. or...you can use this approach: Brave New World, isn't it? I've seen a few parents take their kids out for walks like this.

"Two guys and a whip", sounds classy Whip it good boys! $578K is good amount of money, she should be able to retire properly with that. My family also has history of teaching, my grandmother and grandfather were both teachers during the Cultural revolution of China, so I do understand the bigger issue of over-relaxed tendencies against tighter discipline and rules. Respect can be earned, but a threat is also necessary to enforce it. The strength of threats from adults in today's society is no longer as strong as it used to be. Back in your parent's days Tim, a teacher using a ruler to student's forearm was not out of order. Today, it's a multimillion dollar lawsuit and a media circus. I am not saying that teachers should be allowed to discipline the kids in that manner, but I would relax the restriction against parents from doing it in their own homes without fear of Social Services deeming it child abuse; there are real cases of abuse and there are cases of overreaction due to society's heightened fears. You should not be beating your kids to the point of death, nor can you let them get away with behavior that would be destructive to others. Teachers can send letters and notices home for disciplinary action, but as long as there is no enforcement rules other than a mark or two on these kids' permanent record, which almost no one looks at outside of school systems, what enforcement provision do you really have? Also, I do wonder about the differences between inner city public schools, suburban public school, magnet public schools, and other divisions. I come from a magnet school background, so I have different experience than a kid from an inner city school. My best friend from elementary school went through the system as well, but he did not end up at a magnet school, he ended up never graduating and just took a job at CVS, been trying to get him to at least go back to community college.

Myr made my point for me a few post up, I think there's a serious problem with the policies that a school district establishes and the enforcement of rules. I can understand that teachers and bus monitors in particular cannot seriously enforce discipline on kids with the huge legal battles and bias in the media. Even parents are now on a short watch, when I was a kid, my dad had whacked me on my hands for stealing some candy, a girl called the police. Seriously, I did something wrong, but if I were punished, then it is the adults at fault. If adults cannot enforce the discipline, then what is holding back kid's from bullying them or bullying each other? If there is a logic to human actions, it is that cruelty is essentially part of our basic nature. There is no such thing as "true" Tabula Rasa or the "blank slate", all human beings are born with innate desires along with innate potential. We can rise above it through education, effort, and effective management, but unless some one can enforce discipline, then chaos will ensue. I feel bad for the woman and disagree with Tim on enforcement grounds; she can't forcefully discipline a child without raising hell in today's society, where "think of the Children" mantra from the 1970's has become a living message. (Funny thing, since the same woman, who made that stance was advocating it against gay people as evil and perverting youths.) Well Cia, I hope you're right and this will not get pushed into the Soapbox with me joining the fray.

Ooh! Which one do you use?

No one shall survive my infinitely spawning swarms of zergs I wish the protoss had a time dilation unit that freeze an area of the map as a super weapon, but there is still one more expansion.

Yes, we're only in the mid 90's, Lacey come back home, Boston misses you.

Seriously, what is you favorite app of the moment? I am getting hooked to Magic Piano right now: Anyone else?

Believe me, I had three cups of coffee and a shot of espresso at the Watergate coffee shop before I met up with Cassie. I am not usually that discombobulated, unless it's tax season. As Cassie can tell you, the first thought, when we met was me correcting her about the floor and levels of the hotels on the elevator. PS: thanks Cassie for not thinking I was too weird with my number crunching; it's just due to the lack of sleep and coffee.

Y_B don't pull a Sandusky (that will be probably adopted as a phrase knowing how media hype has made it) GA though still has standards and controls from its founders and leaders. I think Cia's kids, once they are old enough, could join and meet her crazy fellow GA writers and readers. Most of us are decent people, we have our fights and disagreements, but at the heart of it, we are sort of a hybrid between social network and a support group, like an AA for gay writers and readers I hate to say bad things about other people's sites, but another "alternative story site" had relaxed its rules in the past and unleashed a huge deluge of issues. They used to have a lot of good stories and authors with a good support system youths, too. I think most GA authors know the site I am talking about and their chat rooms.

I feel old, now. I never heard of Habbo either. Back in my teenage years, I was most active on Neopets (if there are other neotopians around can you check if my pet is dead yet, I stopped feeding him in college like 4 years ago ) I think in any community, there will be a risk, but there is only so much we can do. In the end, once a kid has hit the age of curiosity, you probably should sit them down and tell them about some facts of life, before they discover it from a website with a flash video.

Weeps... I have a soft spot for gay thinkers, from Da Vinci to Turing, the world we know today was born of great minds, who had seen decades and even centuries beyond their time. Maybe one day, we will create an AI, but I don't think human beings will treat them any better than their creative father .

Stupid Microsoft is trying to steal a unique feature of my Asus Transformer Prime, where's the lawyers in the room Although, I hear that a Microsoft 8 version of my Transformer Prime will be out soon (NO!!!!!!!!!!).

Yeah, she's way tougher than me and I like the heat. I think we hit 95 in Boston, probably more with humidity today.

Mortal Kombat !!!!!!!!!!!!!! Also, might have been Street Fighters without the secret fatalities

This is unfair....He didn't do a seductive strip dance after the goal, when he showed off the underwear, for sex appeal :

I think they're either really neat Crypts or poorly layed out escape exists for the Capitol that we found Great trip

I realized something today, everyone that argues, whether liberal, conservative, or libertarian. Rich, middle, or poor. We are all arguing about the same point. One or Many? It can't that simple, but it really is that simple. On a side, you have people advocating for individuals defining themselves, their actions, behaviors, and even destinies as they choose. On the other side, you have people advocating for groups whether it is a society, a state, a subset of human beings (gay, black, or whatever) defining their actions, behaviors, and fates as a collective based on whatever measure they choose (majority, minority with power, or even a singular dictatorial will). We are stuck in that argument, but I want to add a breakthrough point. To the one's arguing the individual points or "One" point, like Libertarians, tell me, Can a person make a pure individual choice without any input from the outside world or other individuals? If you say Yes, because everyone has free will and can make their own choices, I have a big revelation for everyone. Each choice is made with conscious effort of other people's actions, direct and indirect, around you; thus, there is never a choice based on "One". A simple choice like Cereal brand you eat during the morning is made possible by a million other choices from the farmer in the fields, the factory worker on the line, the trucker on a deadline, and the super-market choices of supplier. I can point to the same factors based on any example you can pick, even choosing going right or left on a road is made possible by a million choices from others. Causality nullifies choice. As for the people arguing the point of the society or "Many" point, tell me, Can a group make a decision without a single person making their own choice? Each person has many choices in how they interact, some desire many things, others desire simplicity. However, each person can only hold to certain choices; thus, without individuals, no group can be created. If a group of politicians need to make a law on increasing taxes of stuffed animals, how does each arrive at their own vote? Each must think about their own experiences with stuffed animals, how fluffy they were as kids or even as adults keeping their childhood toys right next to them. Maybe some have a strong hatred for stuffed animals due to working in a assembly line stuffing these fur balls. That might be an outlandish idea, but it highlights how individual experience affects the group. All these experiences occured to produce a result. Causality nullifies goals. So what does my breakthrough points mean: I think whether you are trying to seek an individual solution or a group solution, one cannot deny that both sides co-exist on many levels; there can never be an ideal Libertarian solution as long as everyone affects each other in how their choices work, nor can groups effectively create lasting laws if each individual can determine their own choices based on experience. The problem between the two is a paradox, neither can be ideal and neither are truly achievable in reality. I have been thinking in terms of Causality a lot lately.

New Hampshire used to be similar outside the major cities like in derry, where my mom used to live, the doors can be left unlocked and it would be safe. (The state also is very free with gun owners too, so i wouldn't go into a random house uninvited ). As for honesty boxes, i used to do it all the time in the office. It was the coffee fund, whenever some one makes a cup of coffee they put some money in. I usually prime it with a dollar and some loose change each morning after a cup. It was stopped and changed to a general donation.

Good i don't need a box of kleenex tissues

In the Chinese Zodiac, I am the hare or rabbit (The smartest and cleverest of all the Animals), Western Zodiac placed me as the Crab (the most emotional and sentimental creature), and according to the Quiz, I am: You are a Owl! (your score: 28) Characters: Etar and Nathas in the Aspect of Crow trilogy Powers: Human lie-detectors Owls are keen, perceptive and skeptical. You're adept at getting to the truth, making you an ideal investigator or attorney. Your insights into the less honorable side of human nature can make you a bit cynical, but your numerous friends appreciate the dark sense of humor it brings. Best matches: Hawks, Foxes, Spiders Watch out for: Wolves, Horses, Otters I am betting if this was norse mythology, I'd be Wodin for sure as most of my aspects seem to hold intellect and out of the box thinking at their hearts

Interesting concept and movie, (basically, it's a gay boy in a girl's body, who falls for a gay boy ) In substance, it's similar to the American "Boy's Don't Cry", based on the true story of Brandon Teena, except the topic and perspective shifts to our own perceptions.

Wow, I am blushing at the compliments. You nailed a lot of points about my story and I hope I had given you some inspiration as well for future stories. I think the point of GA is not merely to be a place filled with isolated stories, but a community that learns and build from one another's insights into storytelling. I can't wait to read your story on life and death