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DarthMichael20 Blog

Leaving... thanks gamespot.

Since GameSpot decided to remove the leveling up as a part of our profiles (or so it appears to me as I have not been able to find my old profile) I will no longer be coming to the site anymore.... Unless of course I just can't find it.... Any help would be appreciated. Peace out folks.

My Brothers in Blue

It was with great sadness that I found out this afternoon about 4 fellow officers in Washington state that were ambushed at a coffee shop just off-post from McChord Air Force Base. What is it with people today?It is reprehensible that these people think they can murder 4 people who were tasked with safe-guarding the public. The only reason people hate police is because they are law breakers themselves. They take what doesn't belong to them, they go where they are not supposed to go, they hurt the innocent, and turn around and get angry when they get caught by those whose job it is to stop them. We are hated until we are needed. We are the ones who have to say no and mean it. We are the defenders of the defenceless. We are held to a higher standard and we accept it with dignity, professionalism, integrity, respect, and accountability. No one watches out for us except us. We are criticized and condemned by the media for responding to a dynamic flow of events. We have 1 split second to determine what to do.The right choice may land us at the mercy of the media, while the wrong choice may put us in the grave.Some will say that we are rude or impolite. Some of us may be, but I ask you this..... Do you know what that officer's last call for service was? Do you know that he or she just finished telling a parent that their child was killed by a drunk driver? Do you know that the call before was the rape of an 11 year old girl? Before you pass judgement on us, take into consideration that we see the worst part of humanity on a daily basis and still hold fast to what we consider right; YOUR SAFETY, YOUR SECURITY, AND YOUR RIGHT TO LIFE.

Home Ownership

It all started several months ago. I think it was late February or early March. My G/F and I started looking for a house. Apparently it's been a buyers market with the economy in this slump. We were also eager to take advantage of the $8000 tax credit we were supposed to get for being first time home buyers. It took a while and after some tenacious work by Mary-Jo, our realtor, we found a foreclosed home just a little south of where we were living at the time. It was a 2200 square foot,4 bedroom 3 bath home with a finished basement, laminate hardwood floors, and ALOT of minor problems. We closed on it on May 29th and have been in the house for almost a month now. Progress is slow due to both of us working our jobs all week. The only real time we have to do serious work to the house is during the weekend. On the other hand, the work is getting easier. Every time we complete one room we less stuff we have to move in order to get to the next room. The plumber guy was in and fixed our leaky faucet outside and the poor water flow in the guest bathroom tub. The cable/internet guy made quick work of the rooms we wanted hook-ups in. The guys from Best Buy delivered our fridge in decent time. The electrical guy fixed our lights.Fortunately, my G/F is off on Monday. The septic guy (or as my G/F calls him, the dookie dude) is supposed to clean the tank, the appliance guy is supposed to come back and fix the dishwasher and the TV repairman should be coming as well. This home owning thing is tough but in the end I'm sure we'll have something good.

Charter Communications Can Kiss My (Go Ahead And) Ask....

Here's the deal. Two days ago we lost our internet. I figured it was just out for maintenance or something. When it wasn't back on by yesterday evening I decided to call and see what was going on. The guy tells me that we weren't paying for internet so they switched it off. I've been paying the same rate for over two years and there never was a problem before. Why suddenly now? He said that "they" must have done on audit and found it. Audit Shmaudit!!!! I picked up the modem at the same time I got cable installed. They knew from day one that I had cable AND internet. The guythen proceeds to tell me that I had a rental modem. I called Bull Sh__ on that right away saying I purchased the modem. If I had a rental they would know I'm supposed to have internet right? I find it convenient that they don't know about a rental modem yet can pinpoint a supposed mistake that's been going on for two years. The short end of it is that I have to pay an additional 30 dollars if I want internet. This blows. Charter Communications.... I'm glad you guys are bankrupt!!!!

Avoid Statuetoys.com

Back in December of 08I ordered a Giclee as a gift for my girlfriend from a little site called Statuetoys.com. Everything was fine cuz I made this order with plenty of time before Christmas. It was around the 1st or 2nd. The reply email came and said that it would ship in one to two weeks. We are entering the second week of April and they have yet to ship the item. Over the last few months I have called numerous times and..... Big surprise.... No one is ever available to even answer the phone. My emails have all gone unanswered save for one. They said the item was on back order and should ship in one to two weeks. They wasted no time in taking my money. I always thought that these kind of sites didn't take any money from you until they shipped your item out.So back in February I sent a follow-up. Have my money back or my item to me by the end of the week. Still nothing. I have decided to contact the better business bureau and inform them of the situation. I may not get my item or my money but at least Statuetoys.com will get some unwanted attention. They also have a sister company that is worth mentioning..... GunsandSwords.com. Avoid them!!! Plain and simple.

Now that my rant is over I feel compelled to tell everyone I come across to avoid these two sites. Don't be fooled. Statuetoys.com and GunsandSwords.com are crooked sites. They will take your money and not give you what you paid for.

Avoid Statuetoys.com and GunsandSwords.com.

ASU Couldn't Pull It Off Twice

As some of you may already know the Appalachian State Mountaineers couldn't duplicate the success they had last year in their season opener against LSU this past Saturday. Their 34-32 win against Michigan last year was nothing less then jaw dropping. Fans and students from such places as Ohio State and Penn State cheered as ASU delivered the greatest upset in college football history to the Michigan Wolverines. Alas, a similar outcome would not happen against the power of the LSU Tigers, their running game, and their defense. Credit should be given to the Mountaineers for going out and giving their best against a much bigger team. As an ASU alum I am proud that my little school in Boone NC has the courage to compete against the Division 1 teams. They may not have won the game but they can still hold their heads up high in knowing that the LSU's, Michigan's, and other BCS teams take them seriously and that they will never be thought of as "easy wins."

If You Don't Like It..... Stay the F*** Out !!!!!

The other day I got suspended for 2 days because some little #@!* couldn't take a little dose of truth. WTF PEOPLE!?!?!?!? I had a journal entry that basically blasted the French and their cowardly ways and SOMEONE got their feelings hurt,:shock: The funny thing is that this journal entry was almost a year old. :lol: C'mon people, If you are going to get upset, don't wait around, do something about it then. I'd like to tell that little freedom hating worm something...... I live in America where the First Amendment to the Constitution gives me the right to say anything I please. I know that here at the forums I can't say EVERYTHING and get away with it, but I didn't use any foul language or tell any lies. Besides, I warned everyone who read that particular entry that it would offend some people. That particular person chose to over look that fact and went ahead and read it and then proceeded to tattle on me. Nobody likes a rat. Seriously folks, If you saw an article entitled; "France, Why Did We Even Bother?" What would you think?

The New and Improved(?) Game Spot.....

WTF!?!?!?!? Has anyone around here every heard the expression; "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!"? I remember a time when your level would increase a little every time you logged on. Over the last week I have come to this site and my level hasn't increased at all. Has this happened to anyone else. I tell you...... It would have been fine if they just left it alone. I can think of several improvements that would have been great. I have yet to see anything improved about this new look Game Spot. Has anyone? Give me your honest opinion here. One thing I would like to have seen is more space for sigs. The old way only allowed for 4 or 5 tags depending on their size. Considering you can be a member of up to 30 unions that doesn't even allow you to put half of your union tags in your sig. I know your can get your sigs animated to where several can be included into one but if you can't do it or someone else can't do it for you, you're out of luck. (BTW, The fine folks over at the Liquid Designs Union can do it for you but it might take a while.) I must admit that I haven't explored EVERY feature this new Game Spot has to offer but the ones that I have do not impress me. How about you?

Too Much Info.... EVERYONE MUST READ THIS!!!!

:|Too Much Info:|

In this day and age we all need to take care of just how much information we decide to share over the web. A few years ago a young girl (13 or 14 I think) was chatting on line with a young boy about the same age who lived half way across the country. The actual story is below. She told him all sorts of thing about herself. They talked about everything from her favorite color to her favorite sport, her jersey number, what school she went to, and their mascot name. A few weeks later she was playing a game of softball at her school and noticed a much older man staring at her and smiling. At first she didn't think a thing about it. On her way home she started thinking about this strange man who had been looking at her all during her game. She started to get a little unnerved and began walking a little faster. When she finally arrived at home she was all set to tell her parents what had happened. She walked inside and saw that the same man who had been staring at her was standing in her living room talking with her parents. It turns out that this boy she had been talking to was in fact a 40 something year old man. This young lady was extremely lucky. This 40 year old guy was in fact a cop who lived alot closer then he had indicated while posing as the young boy. He was trolling the web as a part of a task force in search of child molester and kidnappers. He just happened to come across this girl and got what he needed. He found out where she lived by getting her to open up about herself. It doesn't take much. Once he figured out her school, her number, and her mascot it wasn't all that hard to find out when their next game was. From there, he just had to take a peek at the team roster to determine her name. Finding out wher she lived wasn't all that hard either. He explained to her parents what was going on and told them exactly how he found her. THIS IS THE SAME WAY SEXUAL PREDATORS FIND THEIR VICTIMS. I work in a prison and I deal with these types of scum bags on a daily basis. I've read their crime stories and know exactly how and what they have done to children. It is disturbing to say the least. This is mostly aimed at all you kids out there younger then 17 or 18. I know you all probably think it won't happen to you but guess what..... Every victim of molestation and kidnapping thought the same thing. Please, I beg of all of you, be careful. Watch out for yourselves as well as your friends. I don't want to think that the next new inmate we get may have hurt one of you. May God watch over all of you.

WORTH READING. For those of you with children and/or grandchildren, please take note. Shannon could hear the footsteps behind her as she walked toward home. The thought of being followed made her heart beat faster.  "You're being silly," she told herself, "no one is following you." To be safe, she began to walk faster, but the footsteps kept up with her pace. She was afraid to look back and she was glad she was almost home.Shannon said a quick prayer, "God, please get me home safe."  She saw the porch light burning and she leaned against the door for a moment, relieved to be in the safety of her home. She glanced out the window to see if anyone was there. The sidewalk was empty.After tossing her books on the sofa, she decided to grab a snack and get on-line. She logged on under her screen name ByAngel213. She checked her Buddy List and saw GoTo123 was on. She sent him an instant  message: ByAngel213:   Hi. I'm glad you are on! I thought someone was following me home today.  It was really weird! GoTo123: LOL. You watch too much TV. Why would someone be following you? Don't you live in a safe neighborhood? ByAngel213:   Of course I do. LOL. I guess it was my imagination cuz' I didn't see  anybody when I looked out. GoTo123:   Unless you gave your name out on-line. You haven't done that have you? ByAngel213:   Of course not. I'm not stupid you know. GoTo123:   Did you have a softball game after school today? ByAngel213:   Yes and we won!! GoTo123:   That's great!  Who did you play? ByAngel213:   We played the Hornets. LOL.Their uniforms are so gross!They look like bees.  LOL GoTo123:   What is your team called? ByAngel213:   We are the Canton Cats. We have tiger paws on our uniforms.They are really cool. GoTo123:   Did you pitch? ByAngel213:   No I play second base. I got to go. My homework has to be done before my parents   get home. I don't want them mad at me. Bye!  GoTo123:  Catch you later.  Bye meanwhile...... GoTo123 went to the member menu and began to search for her profile. When it came up, he highlighted it and printed it out.He took out a pen and began to write down what he knew about Angel so far.  Her name: Shannon Birthday: Jan. 3, 1985 Age: 13 State where she lived: North Carolina Hobbies: softball, chorus, skating and going to the mall. Besides this information, he knew she lived in Canton because she had just told him.  He knew she stayed by herself until 6:30 p.m. every afternoon until her parents came home from work. He knew she played softball on Thursday afternoons on the school team, and the team wasn named the Canton Cats. Her favorite number 7 was printed on her jersey.He knew she was in the eighth grade at the Canton Junior High School.  She had told him all this in the conversations they had on- line.He had enough information to find her now.Shannon didn't tell her parents about the incident on the way home from the ballpark that day.  She didn't want them to make a scene and stop her from walking home from the softball games. Parents were always overreacting, and hers were the worst.  It made her wish she was not an only child.Maybe if she had brothers and sisters,her parents wouldn't be so overprotective.  By Thursday, Shannon had forgotten about the footsteps following her.  Her game was in full swing when suddenly she felt someone staring at her. It was then that the memory came back. She glanced up from her second base position to see a man watching her closely.He was leaning against the fence behind first base and he smiled When she looked at him. He didn't look scary and she quickly dismissed the sudden fear she had felt. After the game, he sat on a bleacher while she talked to the coach. She noticed his smile once again as she walked past him. He nodded and she smiled back. He noticed her name on the back of her shirt.He knew he had found her.Quietly, he walked a safe distance behind her.  It was only a few blocks to Shannon's home, and once he saw where she lived he quickly returned to the park to get his car.Now he had to wait. He decided to get a bite to eat until the time came to go to Shannon's house.  He drove to a fast food restaurant and sat there until time to make his move. Shannon was in her room later that evening when she heard voices in the living room."Shannon, come here," her father called. He sounded upset and she couldn't imagine why. She went into the room to see the man from the ballpark sitting on the sofa."Sit down," her father began, "this man has just told us a most interesting story about you."Shannon sat back. How could he tell her parents anything? She had never seen him before today!  "Do you know who I am, Shannon?" the man asked. "No," Shannon answered. "I am a police officer and your online friend, GoTo123." Shannon was stunned. "That's impossible!  GoTo is a kid my age! He's 14.  And he lives in Michigan!" The man smiled. "I know I told you all that, but it wasn't true. You see, Shannon, there are people on-line who pretend to be kids; I was one of them. But while others do it to find kids and hurt them, I belong to a group of parents who do it to protect kids from predators.I came here to find you to teach you how dangerous it is to talk to people on-line. You told me enough about yourself to make it easy for me to find you. You name the school you went to, the name of your ball team and the position you played. The number and name on your jersey just made finding you a breeze."Shannon was stunned. "You mean you don't live in Michigan?" He laughed. "No, I live in Raleigh. It made you feel safe to think I was so far away, didn't it?" She nodded."I had a friend whose daughter was like you. Only she wasn't as lucky.  The guy found her and murdered her while she was home alone.  Kids are taught not to tell anyone when they are alone, yet they do it all the time on-line. The wrong people trick you into giving out information a little here and there on-line. Before you know it, you have told them enough for them to find you without even realizing you have done it.  I hope you've learned a lesson from this and won't do it again.  Tell others about this so they will be safe too?"  "It's a promise!" That night Shannon and her Dad and Mom all knelt down together and thanked God for protecting Shannon from what could have been a tragic situation.  *****NOW***** Please send this to as many people as you can to teach them not to give any information about themselves. This world we live in today is too dangerous to even give out your age, let alone anything else.  EVEN FORWARD THIS TO PEOPLE WITHOUT KIDS SO THEY CAN SEND IT TO FRIENDS WHO DO HAVE CHILDREN OR GRANDCHILDREN.

For everyone above that age you need to be careful too. Why? Two words..... Identity Theft. Perpetrators of this crime use the same method.

n00bs

n00bs

Why is it that whenever someone new shows up to a message board they are usually bombarded with comments about being a n00b? Just because you have been here longer then they is no reason to make fun of or insult them. Does it make you feel superior to belittle others simply because you have been here longer. We must remember that we were ALL new at some point. It's no fun when you are the new kid in town. I was the son of a career military man. Every three years we were at a new location and I can tell you that it wasn't fun having to make new friends with people who had known eachother their whole lives. The one person I really considered a life long friend I met back in 1993. Now we don't really keep it touch. When we would move around it would take me a while to make new friends. Then, once I started to get to know people we would end up packing up and moving again. So, I ask you to not dismiss the new people when they ask a question. Remember, while you may have heard and answered that particular question dozens of times, it is their first time. Be nice to n00bs. They are the ones who will bring a different perspective to the message boards. They are the ones who swell the ranks of the unions. They are the ones who take over when you leave.

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