Anguish of the Least; You Haven't Lost the War.

Zero in on the target,
Don't you forget why the wild sent you here;
Look to life,
Conquer fear,
Because where your going,
All feelings defy cheer.

Look on up, look on down,
Show the world that you won't frown;
Win the day, hear them say,
'My God this world will pay.'

From the sea,
To the sky,
The hidden truth,
The constant lie,

The updates from the front lines of life;
Why all the goddamn constant strife?
How the world, yes it spins;
Good and bad,
No one wins.

CHORUS:

There isn't anywhere for you to hide,
Because your demons come from inside;
When you know just how you failed,
You will see that no one prevailed.

But the water,
Oh how pure,
When the brave ones,
Touch the floor;

Because for me,
And for you,
The only way to fail,
Is to do wrong to,
Any and all that are around you.

Sarcasm; oh how cynical,
Oh how crushing to the pinnacle,
Oh how denting to persona,
You can't use one Swedish krona.

Don't you send me spinning circles,
With thoughts around my head;
Because with the world in this condition,
Someone might end up dead.

CHORUS:

There isn't anywhere for you to hide,
Because your demons come from inside;
When you know just how you failed,
You will see that no one prevailed.

Dark alleyways,
And very bright streets;
Busy overworked commuters,
Working for the corporate cheats;

Futile independence,
Charging cops with a sword,
Boom boom, crack crack,
Their life is all they afford;

The drinkers and the smokers,
Losing touch with their words,
Cough cough, hack hack,
All they've got is the last two thirds;

History's mark is left on my mind,
From Alexander's triumphs,
To the vikings great find;
From the change in the glaciers,
To this moment in time;
There's been good,
There's been evil,
There's been cruel,
There's been kind;

Let me find you,
Simply set on the bench;
We can fix this together,
Just pass me the wrench.

I know sometimes life seems quite distant,
And I know sometimes friends can be resistant,
Just don't let all that take you down;
'Cause then you'll be the one wearing the frown.

CHORUS:
There isn't anywhere for you to hide,
Because your demons come from inside;
When you know just how you failed,
You will see that no one prevailed.

**Please Note: This is a work in progress**

ORIGINAL DRAFT OF CHORUS WRITTEN BY JAMES FOISY; SLIGHTLY EDITED BY ME, KYRAN PATERSON-KING. THE REST OF THE SONG WAS WRITTEN BY ME.

Since My Last Post: To help me get it off my chest

Well, I'd like to give everyone an update on how I've been doing as it may help me to vent a little bit; but first, let me give you (at least) the jist of what I've been up to since my last post a couple of days past (which was, as everyone most likely noticed, Christmas Day).

On the particular day I made that special Christmas post, I received some very nice presents from my family: a brand new cellphone with a full keyboard, a world map for my bedroom, $25, a quirky model of a melting motorcycle, a pocket knife, and plenty of socks and boxers, as well as some presents I received the previous Friday during my Christmas with my dad (due to the fact that I would be with my mom on the actual date of Christmas) which were a 'Perfect Push-up' workout set with a routine guide, an acoustic guitar pickup, a couple of movies (How Hitler Lost the War and Fight Club; yes, the one starring Brad Pitt), as well a Lonely Planet book: 1001 Things to Experience (I'm pretty sure that's the exact title, but don't take my direct word for it. The book itself isn't in the room with me, and I don't feel like going all the way upstairs to check the title).

On the following day (Boxing Day), I decided to take a chance and attempt to use the Vancouver transit network to get from my grandmas place in Ladner, all the way to Downtown Vancouver (which, for those of you who don't know, is actually a fair distance in terms of being part of the same extended municipality) and I was entirely successful, albeit not without some slight confusion. First, I caught a bus from the Ladner Exchange to the Bridgeport Exchange in the neighboring city of Richmond, and from their boarded a Skytrain which took me directly into the Downtown Vancouver city center. I walked around there for awhile, checking out a few different book stores and the like, and then contacted a friend who was down from Powell River visiting a parent of theirs for a part of the Christmas Break, and agreed to meet them at Metrotown (on a farther end of the city to the east). So, once again, I found myself on a Skytrain, and ended up going back and fourth (in confusion) from the city center station to that particular routes terminus station; finally, I discovered the proper route I was meant to take, and was quickly whisked away to exactly where I needed to go, with time to spare as that friend of mine got caught in traffic.
I was dropped off at the Metropolitan Mall of Metrotown, which was filled to the brink as if it were a zoo; it was hard to not constantly bump into someone. I then met my friend, and we hung out for about an hour until I decided I needed to get home before it got to dark for me to know where I was going, and as such, I took a Skytrain back in the opposite direction, and was able to make good time due to the fact that I had figured out how to not get confused in the simple Vancouver transit network.
When I made it back to the Ladner Exchange, I picked up something to eat at the McDonald's which was placed directly in front of the bus stop, assuming everyone at my grandmas place would have eaten already, only to discover, as soon as I did get back, that their was KFC waiting for me; and I'm not one to decline a meal, so I had a second dinner.

I stayed up late that night (despite the early time I was required to get up at: 6:30 AM) watching the movie American Gangster on Move Central HD; it was quite a superb movie, I definitely recommend it to anyone who's into realistic crime movies, or simply good action.

The next day, I woke up early, showered, and was out the door as soon as I had changed as my mom had slept in a few minutes late, and as such, had woken me and my brother up later then had been expected. I didn't get a chance to eat breakfast until we got to the ferry terminal, where I had a cinnamon bun and a cup of coffee.
On the roughly 6 hour long drive back to Powell River, the weather began to deteriorate, and with it, I began to feel more and more depressed for reasons I wasn't entirely sure of (maybe I have that seasonal depressive disorder? I don't know, I just find winter a time when I get very easily affected by others actions, as well as my own actions, usually in a negatively emotional way; but hey, when I get old enough, I could always chase summer between the two hemispheres if I really wanted to) and I began to over-think the littlest things (which has been occurring lately for some strange reason since I was directly excluded from spending time with my friends one day, as I spoke of in my post Update from the Front Lines of Life) like sparse text message responses, to no text messages at all from neither my friends nor my friends contacting me in some way, shape, or form through Facebook. I know that sounds a little absurd, and I found it strange that I was really as upset as I was over it; although its probable that it would have been my previously existing condition, as well as my tendency to over-think things during this time of the year when my assurance, consolation, self-image, and self-esteem seem to go down the drain that caused me to be as upset as I was.

When we finally made it back to Powell River and had unpacked everything, I was forced to go upstairs by my mom because she wanted the living room for some 'alone time.' While I was up there, I attempted to drown out my thought by watching loud TV, which only caused me to become more upset, and I finally broke down into tears (not maniacally or anything, don't worry), and asked myself a series of questions about what was wrong with me, and answering a few of them. After I was done, I was still upset, but not as much as I was prior, so I decided to give everyone on my blog an update, as well as vent my feelings as best as I could; which brings us to this very moment.

So, thank you to anyone who actually took the time to read this, and even more thanks to anyone who may decide to respond, although I'm not expecting it.

Peace out. I hope everyone's doing better then I am/was.
Hopefully the remainder of everyone's Christmas Break is good, and I wish you all a very Happy New Year. :)

Old Saint Nick

Well, I guess I don't need to apologize for any prolonged internet absence, as I posted something only a few days ago as I remember; but for persistence's sake, I will. So I'm sorry, forwardly and truly.

Anyways, I just decided to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year (why Merry and Happy need to be capitalized is beyond me; it just didn't look right to me when I didn't), and hope that everyone got what they wanted, as well as, whether they did or didn't get the material possessions they had wished for, they realize that this time of year is about something entirely different then simply presents (as Wal-Mart and corporate America would have you believe); to some, it may be about Jesus, to others, it may be about Allah or the Sun God Rah, or Mars the God of War, who knows? As I see it, the 'Christ' part of 'Christmas' was simply a lift-off point that led to something much different, and possibly bigger (for better or for worse, it truly depends of the culture and the people).
It's a time to appreciate the people and places around you, to appreciate what you have and what you've obtained; a time to spend with family, and hopefully a few friends, as well as a time to lift or at least ease some of the stress brought on by the dismally cold winter months.
It's also meant to be a time to allow the current year to fade into history, and let a new, hopefully very promising year to bring to us whatever it may have in store.

So here's a quick preliminary goodbye to 2009, and a quick, preliminary introduction to 2010; also, I'd like to recognize that this blog has now been up and online for exactly one year and nineteen days, and has reached 122 posts (as soon as this post goes live).

So, I wish a Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good New Year, for lack of being close to nighttime, as well as considering the fact that it's now Christmas Day, not Eve; and I guess tonight will also double as Boxing Day Eve if you put it into a certain perspective; I'll probably be taking a bus into the city of Richmond tomorrow, and from there, I'll be catching the Skytrain to Downtown Vancouver to play tourist for a little while, as well as pick up some belated Christmas presents for a few friends (on a $40 budget).

Anyways, peace out everyone. If you haven't already had your Christmas dinner, I hope you have a good one. If you have, I hope it was good.

Update from the Front Lines of Life

As I traditionally do, I apologize for my long internet absence.
I've been riled up in the frontline of life for the past (at least) couple of days, with school finally letting out for Winter Break just this past Friday, as well as severe domestic strife which has led me to become slightly oversensitive to the actions and words of others towards me, although I have made one concrete find from all this; my name and likely hood aren't met with much respect or caring a majority of the time, but that may simply be my fault, despite how hard I try to make my friends happy as often as I can, as well as let myself be noticed with my happy-go-lucky attitude that usually gains me nothing but a hurt arm, stomach, or crotch.

Anyways, I'll drift towards whats been affecting me the most lately: peoples attitudes towards me.
Most adult attitudes meet me with caring, potential, maturity, and respect, although sometimes with my mom its quite the opposite (although there's some justification as to why, but it has nothing to do with me).
On the other side of things, the basic teen attitude received from people who aren't directly part of my group of friends, and who in all likelihood I don't know incredibly well, is mixed. From some who believe they're better then not only me, but plenty of other people, its negative, although not intimidatingly outspoken; that's to be expected from people like that though.
From generally new acquaintances in different classes and such, it may be sparse at times, but its respectful and kind, and in some occasions can be quite fruitful conversationally.
From people I don't know, it's quite neutral which is, as I said before, to be expected. I guess I'm happy I don't have some automatic negative stigma on my head like some people do.
From my circle of friends, it's either been neutral, slightly cold/annoyed, on some occasions physically abusive for no real clear reason, and other occasions verbally abusive, or simply conversational in many different ways, shapes, and forms (both positive and negative).
For the most part, the negative occasions I mentioned may simply be due to the attitude that can be attributed to the time of year, which seems to being about an aura of negativity, unless lifted by either pure positivity from every front, or simply the presence of something innocent and mesmerizing; usually snow (which, as most of us here in the Canadian Pacific Northwest have noted, made only one premature season cameo, and is probably going to stay generally hidden by the constant wind and rain until after Christmas is over).
The real cementing of all these negative waves I've been picking up was recieved mainly due to the fact that my mom was also being quite negative and uncompromising towards me, which made me feel like everything and everyone was against me (the thing with my mom has been solved since though).

I honestly can't wait until spring and summer.

A Capite ad Calcem (From Head to Heel)

There was once a pitch black river,
A river which did not thrive.
It choked the land and all around,
So none who passed survive.

The men who toppled forward,
To the screaming cold of death,
Tinted the water blood red,
As they let sink one last breath.

The glowing in the distance,
As the embers dance so free,
Expulsion of all feeling,
As the river reflects but me;
The fire spreads ambition,
For man and mind to see,
But in this age of afluenza,
Man has all but glee.

This river sits so dormant,
Down on mother natures lap;
A testament to all that's died,
To a perpetually shifting map.

This fire won't fall short,
Until it's job is said and done;
And even once that's over,
It's but a beginning to 'the fun.'
Vengeance in its iron,
Will twist to all degrees;
Until the arsonist comes to heel,
And his life; how fast it flees.

Life seems so surreal,
When you wake to none but screams;
The glistening of a gun barrel,
Reality splits at the seams.
To stay alive at gunpoint,
Is not alive at all;
All that's left is conviction,
And an ever-fading call.

That river; oh how still it was,
On that fateful summer night;
When the real men got off their knees,
And fought their final fight.

"Sors Ventus Temerarus."
Fortune Favors the Bold.

Equilibrium

Your forward notion;
It's a living emotion;
And the winds will guide you,
As the forward,
It finds you.

'Cus the world will stand blind,
As an idle young mind,
It will think of your kind,
And trust you to find,

The planet we've lost,
To the greedy and shallow.
Bring them their justice,
From the knot of the gallows.

Fascism Versus Socialism: The Greater of Two Evils

To say that both Socialism and Fascism are entirely bad in any and every way, shape and form, the only real way these ultimately decided views are cemented is by the darkened memories of people such as Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, Francisco Franco, Joseph Stalin, and Mao Zedong; each with a shady past, and even shadier and dishonest time in power.

That’s not to say that these ideologies aren’t flawed; it’s to say that they’re just as flawed as any other past or present political ideology, and that includes democracy, which can be immediately tied to things like fascism when one brings into account the fact that Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler was (in technicality) elected into office by democratic, constitutional means, despite the fact that fascist revolutions are primarily remembered as coming to fruition through armed uprisings; although one can just as easily argue that some democracies (if not democracy in general) all came into existence both directly and indirectly as a result of armed revolt and/or conflict.

For example: the American Revolution expelled British colonialism from the United States, and established the world’s first modern democratic state; and the French Revolution (which, in the end, did lead to the rise of Napoleon who formed a French military dictatorship with incredibly expansive imperialistic intentions) began as an attempt to destroy medieval feudalism in Europe and directly convert to democracy, although, in the end, the majority decided that was too much of a disparity from what had preceded the revolution, and they quickly allowed themselves to be subjugated by a man with obvious intention.

Although democracy leaves a nations power where it belongs: in the hands of the people; many have also flirted with the idea of a ‘responsible dictatorship,’ in which the supreme leader of a nation would easily be able to override long political stalemates between the opposing left and right, and in which there would be no drawn-out stall in political response to different situations and circumstances.
As the Great Depression shows, the incredible lack of response to the economic decline in democratic states was primarily due to a lack of understanding for the inner and outer workings of economics, as well as constant infighting between the left, right, and center; and during that period of time, it’s easy to see the appeal of a fascist dictator or socialist movement, as it allowed the overriding of all political opposition, and an actual addressing of the problems which were clearly laid out right in front of them.

Coming from an angle such as that, humanity can reasonably say that temporary dictatorships or state intervention into national economics is justifiable under certain circumstances. The only problem is that these dictators and state interventions of the past have always been carried out with ulterior motive and no intention to give up that power without a good, long fight, even after the storm has passed. With that constant occurrence, it lead to even more storm clouds following the end of the depression, which eventually led to the Second World War, as well as the Cold War that followed, each being a clear clash of ideologies. So, let’s officially begin this essay with an obvious segregation of the two great ideological evils of the 20th century.

Fascism can be clearly defined as ‘ A system of government marked by centralization of authority under a dictator, stringent socioeconomic controls, suppression of the opposition through terror and censorship, and typically a policy of belligerent nationalism and racism.’ (Houghton Mifflin Company)
As true as this may be, it’s not the only definition of fascism there is. Fascist Italy under Benito Mussolini (often accredited as the creator of the fascist ideology) did not become a outwardly racist state until 1938 (Adler) after it’s relationship with the incredibly anti-Semitic Nazi Germany was strengthened ten-fold due to Hitler’s policy of expansionism and rearmament; as such, a separate, broader definition of fascism would be ‘oppressive, dictatorial control.’ (Houghton Mifflin Company)

Socialism, on the other hand, can be clearly defined as ‘a theory or system of social organization that advocates the vesting of the ownership and control of the means of production and distribution, of capital, land, etc., in the community as a whole.’ (Random House, Inc.)
Unlike fascism, there is a much more specific definition that applies better to this essay; and due to the nature of this essay (comparing the greater of the two evils), it seems necessary to give you the direct definition of totalitarian socialism (widely known as Stalinism): ‘The bureaucratic, authoritarian exercise of state power and mechanistic application of Marxist-Leninist principles associated with Stalin.’ (Whitefield)

To say that this totalitarian form of socialism is incredibly similar to fascism, most would agree with you. This form of authoritarianism seems incredibly right wing for a so-called ‘left-wing’ communist state.
So, instead of directly defining once again exactly what Soviet socialism (Stalinism) is, lets instead move on to define the different forms of fascism as applied to different countries: Nazi (National Socialist) fascism is most likely the most infamous form of government that has ever existed in the history of the world; not only did it advocate the simple manipulation and complete control of Germany’s people, but it also called for racist laws, as well as racial supremacy and racial extermination (usually by means of the infamous concentration camps).

The Nazis created a cult of personality around their ‘Fuehrer’ Adolf Hitler, who, in turn, with the major assistance of his close advisers, laid the foundations for the Aryan racial myth, which was, in a nutshell, the claim that all true German Aryans were descendants of the ancient Teutonic Knights, to whom were valiant warriors who built an incredibly advanced civilization whose heights of power and technological progress were never met by any of the other great powers of the time.

To attempt to build basis for these claims, the Nazi propaganda machine (under direction of Hermann Goering) reported the alleged ‘discovery’ of many ancient Aryan artifacts (all of which were proven false both during and after the Nuremberg Trials of 1945-46) as well as false confirmations of the Aryan ‘history’ by Nazi archeologists as well as outside sources to whom were either bribed or intimidated into falsely confirming the Third Reich’s claims. (Shirer)
Through this racial ideology, the Nazis gained an even tighter stranglehold on the German people, and were able to further exploit them for their own gain; it also provided justification for the discrimination of minority groups living within German borders, the most prominent being the Jews, 6 million of which were dead due to Nazi atrocity by the end of the war.
On the not-so-different side of things, Italian fascism gave root to the fascist ideology in the first place; yet Mussolini’s fascism, until around 1938, held one major difference from Nazi Germany; it didn’t advocate or practice state-endorsed racism; in fact, it was indifferent to every form of racism.

It wasn’t until around the time Germany invaded Austria that Italy began reforming its racial policies to be strongly opposed to the Jewish minority.
To include Spanish fascism (under Francisco Franco), their wouldn’t be much to add due to the fact that it was virtually Italian fascism, with the major difference that the movement in general was inspired by Adolf Hitler, and lasted much longer then any of the other fascist states of the Depression era; in fact, Franco’s fascist Spain lasted until his death in 1975, after which power was handed over to Alejandro Rodríguez de Valcárcel, who in turn gave the power back to Spain’s hereditary Royal Family whose heir at the time was King Juan Carlos I. Juan oversaw the transition of Spain from a fascist dictatorship to a parliamentary democracy. (The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition)

Now, to be fair in the weighing of the two ideological evils, a detailed explanation of Stalin’s Soviet threat is in order, beginning with his apparent ‘left-wing’ fascist tendencies that seemed to be more than slightly similar to Hitler’s power-driving techniques: these tendencies included the purging of political opposition to his regime, as well as the systematic starvation and/or murder of minorities (by means of Russian concentration camps, who to be fair, killed close to 2 million or so, as well as an additional 7 to 8 million died by simple starvation or execution under Stalin’s reign). (Margolis)

It’s a deep shame to the Western world to say that, out of desperateness, we were forced to temporarily befriend this megalomaniac in order to defeat another dictator to who shared a lot in common with the man whose country he attempted to invade. Sadly, as was expected near the end of the war, this simply lead to further threat and further issue with the beginning of the Cold War, which is said to have officially begun in Berlin directly following the end of the Second World War, but it can also be argued that it began prior with the focused efforts of the Western Allies to beat the Soviet Union to liberating certain countries and/or geographical areas from Axis control (most notably the race for the liberation of the Balkans, which Stalin expressed interest in, yet British Commonwealth forces beat them to it).
The Cold War lasted for 45 long years of tension, in which both the Comitern and the Allies feared nuclear war, until the eventual dismantling of the USSR by Mikhail Gorbachev in 1991. (Clines)

To come to a final verdict on which was (and may still be) the greater evil of the two, we need to investigate the impact both ideologies had on history; and with this, we’ll start with fascism.
Fascism, through the Nazis, gave way for the renewed efforts of racially discriminatory groups (such as the Klu Klux Klan) as well as the formation of many new organizations like the American Nazi Party, renewed German Nazi organizations following German reunification, the formation of skinhead movements across North America; most prominently in the U.S. state of California, and general neo-Nazism worldwide.

Using the broader term of fascism, the creation of fascist political parties throughout democratic countries is nothing new. Despite the fact that these attempts to resurrect the fascist ideals, these parties have usually remained quite obscure and have never gained much of a momentum in any country, let alone even come close to gaining power.

The BNP (British National Party) which, although it does not directly identify itself as fascist, but instead as a far-right conservative movement, practices many fascist tendencies, and, although this observation may seem slightly bias to some, it would be quite easy to argue that the BNP is indeed a fascist movement, considering their immigration policies which are stated directly on there website which read:
‘The BNP’s policy is to:
- Deport all the two million plus who are here illegally;
- Deport all those who commit crimes and whose original nationality was not British;
- Review all recent grants of residence or citizenship to ensure they are still appropriate;
- Offer generous grants to those of foreign descent resident here who wish to leave permanently;
- Stop all new immigration except for exceptional cases;
- Reject all asylum seekers who passed safe countries on their way to Britain.’ (British National Party)

Also, seemingly for its own gain, on the page which details its policies on democracy, it is directly stated that ‘The British National Party is proud to be in possession of some of the most modern and progressive concepts of democracy which are firmly at odds with the other parties’ increasing totalitarianism.’ (British National Party)

To coast back to the to the central topic of this essay, lets look into the impact which Stalin’s totalitarian socialism left on the world; one of which holds quite a lot in common with one of the major impacts which Hitler and his National Socialist party left, known as Neo-Stalinism, which is favor of the restoration of Stalin’s cult of personality (which means the restoration of many old Soviet statues of the brutally suppressive dictator, as well as looking at him in a bias, positive light in the field of education as well as any contemporary works on the subject).

Constructive impacts which in all generality have stuck with Russia since the end of the Second World War include the transformation of Russia from a unindustrialized state lacking the basic necessities of today’s life (such as electricity and running water) into one of the worlds leading military and economic superpowers which, agriculturally, far out-produced the United States or the entirety of all the NATO countries combined, at least agriculturally, during the Cold War era, and in most regards continues to do so to this day. (Dlmick)

So, I guess it’s fair to say that Stalin did impact Russia positively when looking at it from a strictly economic point-of-view; but at what cost?
About 20,000,000 people died premature deaths in the Soviet Union before the end of Stalin’s reign of terror; about 10 million due to the Second World War (in which individual retreat was against the army doctrine, and if they turned to run from German bullets, instead they were shot by their commanding officers. That’s not to say retreat didn’t occur; but when it did, it was a collective decision, not individual) another 1,048,000 killed simply for having an ethnic background considered unfavorable to the state, another 4 million after being repatriated following the end of the war, and killed due to the perception that they had ‘Nazi-infected minds,’ and about 6 million more were also exterminated for either speaking out against Stalin, or simply because food wasn’t provided to them, and they ended up starving to death. (*Multiple Sources)

To say that these deaths don’t have impacts that still reverberate around the world today would be a lie, and with a combination of the knowledge of Stalin’s so-called Socialism, as well as Hitler’s so-called National Socialism, we are now able to predict and protect ourselves from such things ever occurring again.
In the case of Nazi German fascism versus Soviet Russian socialism, there is no greater evil; I’d have to consider it a fair draw.

Overall, in the case of fascism versus socialism as simple raw ideologies as opposed to actually applied to any particular state or historical period, the idea of socialism is of a much fairer and beneficial nature to the peoples progress, protection, and well-being; although that’s not to say that the raw ideology itself is without flaws; it’s just to say its incredibly humanely altruistic as compared to the inward greed of fascism.
Although, to be fair, to say that the raw ideology of fascism has no upsides or benefits would also be a mistake; yet, it would seem that it would only be a positive idea when applied to economic prosperity, not the general well-being of the people.

So in my final verdict, I’d have to say that fascism is the greater of the two evils, and that in generality, socialism is only an evil when applied to the century that came to an end almost 10 years ago, and that it’d be very possible for the ideology to make a comeback, albeit in a positive, democratic means, as opposed to a repeat of the Stalinist era.

Fascism won’t be making any sort of major comeback if I have anything to say about it.

Florentine Nights II

Part 2: Their Smiles Could Make You Cry

Nino Moretti couldn't help but to pick at the scab on his right index finger formed after gripping a pistol abit to tight more than once.
He was growing impatient as he waited to meet with Don Esposito regarding his next assignment; he was hoping that this time, he wouldn't have to work with his long-time counterpart, Lucio Rizzo.
Lately, he had been growing more and more impatient with both Rizzo, as well as, respectively, life in its entirety; he could feel his sanity slipping through the cracks little by little.
Florence had never been for him, yet neither had his home of Sicily, where crime was just as rampant and organized as it was here. He had come to Florence seeking asylum from the violent underworld of southern Italy, only to discover that it was no different to the north.

In vain, he attempted to settle down into a normal life in ancient Florence, only to have the deja vu of his entire past take a 360 degree spin when he was reintroduced to heroin.
Inevitably, after 6 months of a heavy addiction to the drug, he was both run out of the job, and run to the brink financially; that's when he rediscovered the mafia.
Around the time that the Originale Kimora collapsed in on itself, Nino saw the light of opportunity arise from Eric Esposito's Nuevo Kimora.
He arranged a face-to-face meeting with Esposito himself only three days later, during the climax of the Nuevo Kimora-Salvezza war, with Eric only agreeing to the proposal in a bid to gain extra cannon fodder for his brutal stand against the Salvezza.
Nino and Eric quickly came to an agreement; the Nuevo Kimora would provide Nino with housing, as well as protection, but, most importantly to Nino, they would provide him with a monthly supply of heroin as so he could satisfy his lethal addiction.

Through a blank-check obligation to Eric's cause, Nino was conscripted to fight on the mean streets. He showed exceptional combat skills, and due to this, he was partnered with the neurotic, yet incredibly efficient young rising star of Esposito's criminal enterprise, Lucio Rizzo.
Together, they single-handedly assassinated both the Don and Consigliere of the Salvezza, effectively ending the war and amalgamating the remainder of the now dead empire into the now flourishing and ever-expanding Nuevo Kimora.

The sound of footsteps cut Nino off in mid thought, and he looked up just in time to see his Don enter the room; "Good evening, Mr. Moretti! I apologize for keeping you waiting."
Hiding his discontent, Nino replied, "It's of absolutely no relevance, Don Esposito. I can wait as long as you need me too."
"Your as flattering as always, Nino, but still, I apologize. Anyways, I assume you're wondering why I asked you here."
Nino said nothing; he simply nodded.
"There's been a new... development.. in our relations with the Guerrilla Kimora."
Nino's stomach clenched, just as it always did when he could already tell what was coming.
"In retaliation for our defeat of the Salvezza last week, the Guerrilla's have attempted to cease our expanding influence before it reaches them." Eric said, a strange irony biting his tongue.
"Last night, they took the original Kimora headquarters from us."
"I thought the old headquarters were abandoned?"
"Generally, yes; but the location is symbolic. Whoever controls the original compound, controls the legacy of the original Kimora. As such, I took the necessary measures to protect it with an armed contingent of men."
"And still, the Guerrilla's somehow tore through it with their meager numbers?"
"Never underestimate a fellow Kimora, Mr. Moretti; as splintered as we may be now, none of the groups have lost their flare or determination to conquer."
Skeptically, Nino nodded in partial understanding.
"And my involvement in all this is what?" He asked.
"You and Lucio are going to raid their main headquarters and kill their Don and Consigliere, as well as their respective families. You're going to show them that any with war with us is a short war. No resistance will be tolerated. You're going to reunite our two splinter factions, just as we did with the Salvezza."
Nino winced as he heard Lucio's name, and his hopes of avoidance sunk.
"What about the police on that end of the city?" He asked.
"Don't worry about them; they're on my payroll now."
Nino couldn't help but to admire Eric's quick efficiency when it came to making pivotal plans like this; but he quickly realized one thing still remained. The plan itself.
"How are we supposed to pull this off?" Nino said, attempting to hold back his nervous twitches at the thought of such a deep cover mission like this.
"I'm getting to that, but first.. this is going to be a long assignment, Mr. Moretti. Do you think you're up to the task?"
"Whats the payout?"
"Big."
"How big?"
"200,000 euro."
Nino winced. He had never dreamed of such a large payout. In immediate follow-up, he replied, "I'm in."
Eric smiled; he had got both the answer he had expected, as well as the answer he had wanted.
Producing a map of the city from beneath his desk, Esposito quickly pointed to a large, fortified building in old Florence. To its left, a large, open plaza.
"Your going to infiltrate the Guerrilla's Palazzo Vecchio."
Nino winced once again, doubt quickly striking his mind.
"With all do respect, Don, how the hell are we supposed to do that?"
"How? You gain their trust. Once you gain their trust enough to enter their compound, both of you will come and see me. From there, we'll organize a date and time to plant bombs inside the Palazzo. The next day, as if you're still their simpleminded, loyal foot-soldiers, you'll set off the timed detonators. Make sure you're both far away from the area by the time the bombs go off."
Slightly offended by Esposito's statement of the obvious, Nino squirmed uncomfortably in his seat. All that was running through is mind was the fact that he was already bound to do this.
He had let money get the better of him.

"Now take this map, find Lucio, and explain the assignment to him." Eric ordered blankly.
He could no longer hold his nervousness in. As he looked up, his lip began to twitch as he said, "Ye-ye-yes.. Of course.. si-sir."

Florentine Nights I

Part 1: The Mind of an Urban Warlord

"Don't smile, you sick fuck." Nino Moretti hissed to his counterpart.
"Come on... you've gotta have some sense of fun in this line of work, my friend! I mean, look at him!" Lucio Rizzo said, smiling neurotically as he stared at the bloody, limply body of their latest victim, propped-up to make it seem as if he was picking his nose.
"You need some serious fucking help, Rizzo. Really. Who does this kind've shit?"
"Apparently I do." Lucio sarcastically shot back.

Sighing, Nino holstered his gun in his pants waste, an angry disgust flashing across his face as he averted eye contact with the chuckling Lucio Rizzo.
This was simply another act of brutality in a string of violent crimes striking the ancient Italian city of Florence; yet another take down in a seemingly futile struggle for control of the European drug trade. In a sense, it was a war lacking a victor, and any victory won was always short-lived, as the following day it seemed normal to discover that another of your acquaintances was killed in a quick, meaningless exchange of bullets after running into a member of a rival faction while shopping at a metropolitan mall.

The original gang, the Kimora, used to have a tight strangle-hold on the entire city and a large majority of the peninsula until infighting caused it to shatter into multiple seperate gangs; originally, it had been fractured into only 4 seperate factions: the Guerilla Kimora, the Salvezza, the so-called Originale Kimora, and the Nuevo Kimora, each out to re-establish the once flourishing Kimoran criminal empire under a new banner and new leadership.
Eventually, more infighting followed, causing each group to fracture once again; the Originale Kimora became so fractured it virtually disbanded itself, its former members either winded up dead, or ended up dissolving into the criminal melting pot of the Florence underworld.

"Ahhh, Nino Moretti, my friend, we will be rich someday, I promise you, and all this will seem like ancient history; a sort of surreal nightmare. Nothing more." Lucio stated reassuringly.
"You say something similar everytime we kill someone, yet we've been doing this for several years and still nothing has changed." Nino retorted.
"These things take time and patience... as well as loyalty and conviction. I can feel our time for freedom and salvation though. It's close at hand, just trust me."
"You're one crazy motherfucker, Lucio." Nino said, allowing abit of a smile to peak out from beneath his veil of insecurity.
Laughing loudly, Lucio said "And you're one hell of a man, Nino."

* * *

"Smile for the camera, don." Photographer Victor Riello said, grinning broadly from cheek to cheek.
"The war with with the Salvezza is finally over! Their don and consigliere have finally been dealt with." Riello continued, attempting to satisfy his dogmatic loyalty towards the Nuevo Kimora by flattering its don, Eric Esposito.
Eric, being part American on his mothers side, had grown up under heavy mafia influence in New York City under the motivating spirit of his Italian mafioso father.
The 'mean streets of the Bronx,' as they were known, had taught him almost everything he would ever need to know about the workings of a criminal underworld; from extortion, to intimidation, to establishing powerful ties, to how to keep yourself uncompromised when it came time to exterminate a life for a bouquet of reasons, the New York underworld had given him a place to establish, and later fine-tune his hereditary skills.
When he turned 18, he made the decision to go to the University of Philadelphia, where he took a hands-on business-ed course; yet his real hands-on experience came when he established a campus-wide empire of drug dealing under the anonymous alias of 'Doctor Ex-Fed.'
The 'Doctor Ex-Fed' business later expanded to include large chunks of the area surrounding the campus, and came to be known for its high quality, as well as incredibly high quantity, which was provided by his fathers 'family business' back in New York.

He later withdrew from his university studies, but through a series of bribes and intimidation, he was permitted to remain as a resident at the university dorms for another 4 years.
From his dorm room, he organized the building of a much larger imperialistic criminal enterprise that would remain more than semi-autonomous from his fathers entrepreneurial ambitions.
It took him only 2 years to build more then half of the empire he had envisioned, and he quickly became nationally known; with this gain of national fame, he also gained a sense that ruthlessness and brutality were the only things that were going to expand and maintain his already flourishing empire, and on the eve of the Iraq War, he demonstrated just how far he was willing to go when he murdered not only one defiant businessman who had not capitulated to his expansionist demands, but massacred both him and his entire family.
It was clear who was ultimately responsible for the murders, yet evidence was severely lacking and the coalition investigation which included the NYPD, PPD, and FBI could tie up none of the loose ends.

Two years of heavy investigation and scrutinization passed, until finally some damning evidence appeared from what seemed like thin air, directly implicating Eric and his entire criminal enterprise in the multiple homicides.
Eric, fearful of federal prison and the shattering of his entire criminal facade, was quickly bailed out by his father, and with the help of the money he had made during his quick and complacent reign, fled to the United Kingdom.
In London, he quickly discovered there was no longer any room for new criminal empires, so he decided to dig even further into European criminal affairs, and attempt to join the Florentine Kimora, who seemed to be on the brink of self-destruction, and who, if the right circumstance permitted, may present him with a unique opportunity; one which he was more than ready and willing to take.

"Don Esposito!" Riello called, "Your chaperon has arrived!"
Lifting himself from his armchair, Eric walked towards the door, a smug grin quickly spreading from cheek to cheek as he realized just what he had gained.
What he had gained, was absolute power.
But absolute power came with a price; and a large one at that.

As was obvious to not only himself, but also his close circle of personal advisers, all of which were quite religious, was that he had also earned eternal damnation.

He didn't seem to mind.

The Final Solution

The hardwood, oh how cold it is,
On my frail , aching back.
Denial of the simplest things,
A perpetual state of attack.

The damning screams of Germany,
Sees the end of so many lives,
From France to Luthuania,
The war machine arrives.

Enough can't be enough,
For the man who wants it all.
The clueless blue eyes of Bavaria,
They all heed the false call.

The Gates of Hell swing open,
Admitting old and young;
'A dead Jew is not a working Jew,'
The taste of cold metal on my tounge.

The smell of blood and iron,
Mixed with intoxication,
Oh how damp,
'The child is no use to us,'
So he's sent to seperate camp.

The last thing I remember,
As I stood above that pit,
The crying of old ladies,
As they finally cease all belief and quit;
Is the whispers of my father,
As he said 'you'll get them back,'
The crack of bullets tear the calm,
As he drops atop me like a sack.

Preying in simple disbelief,
I sooth my beating heart,
As I realize I'll get revenge,
And this is but the start.

Ok, so maybe I take to much notice.

Ok, so maybe I take to much notice of anything and everything that has to do with life; and maybe that's a bad thing, or a good and bad thing, I'm not sure... but I've been analyzing peoples attitudes towards me lately, and they've been quite mixed, although none have been downright positive or negative.

I've taken note that if I wish to spend time with anyone, I'm always the one taking initiative; I can't clearly remember the last time someone actually decided they wanted to hang out with me, and asked me if I wished to (aside from a single person who I think may have a crush on me, but I'm not very attracted to them, and even they only asked once, stating, whether it was a cover up or not, that they 'had nothing better to do').
I've also noticed that despite the slight rise in my social standing inside and outside my main group of friends, that even other people I have quick and casual conversations with seem to attempt to shut me up by giving me sparse replies after only about 30 seconds to a minute of conversation; that's not to say my close friends do, but they will from time to time for seemingly no real reason aside from the fact that they don't wish to talk with me.

I also rarely ever receive texts from friends (aside from that one girl, who constantly texts me), which I've taken note of lately.
I know I'm not a bad person or anything... but I'm just wondering why it is that no one really wishes to make much of an effort when it comes to me. Is it just that time of year? Or is it because they think lower of me for some reason? Maybe my oddness is too much to take for alot of people (even if I'm not odd outside of my close circle of friends)?

I don't know... maybe I'm just being abit to over-analyzing; I'm not sure. Either way, it can occasionally hurt slightly, although most of the time it just leaves me asking myself what just happened.

You've Just Got To

You've gotta run,
Run for your life,
Run for loved ones you know,
Will stick by you no matter the strife.

You've gotta jump,
Jump for your friends,
The ones you know will still be there,
After your heart mends.

You've gotta try,
Try for the world,
For the place you were born,
And all the plans you've unfurled.

You've gotta love,
Love for the one,
Love for the masses,
Until all is said and done.

You've gotta hope,
Hope for better conditions,
Hope for brighter ambitions,
And no need for munitions.

You've gotta see,
See with you eyes and your mind,
See that not all are bad,
But in fact some are really quite kind.

You've gotta swim,
Swim for the shore,
Swim for the lovers and haters,
Who regardless, they open a door.

You've gotta know,
Know all that you can,
Know that there's goodness,
And you've got at least just one fan.

You've gotta stop,
Stop all your wrong moves,
Stop all the violence,
Tell both sides theirs nothing to prove.

You've gotta row,
Row for the falls,
Row for the winners, the losers,
And all those strip malls.

You've gotta like,
With an young, open mind,
With a sense of completion,
So all you know find out your kind.

You've gotta fight,
Fight for all that is right,
Fight all the bad men,
Who keep truth so far from the light.

You've gotta compromise,
Find agreements for all,
To create peace and good people,
With no need for segregating old walls.

It's A Friendly Inferno Finally Forms

Well, I really have to start off by apologizing sincerely for my very long absence; alot has been going on in my life that's led me to have either little or no time for this blog.
To start with, that 'new girlfriend' I mentioned a few weeks ago dumped me about 2 weeks ago now (yet I really don't entirely know why, but I don't think I'm allowed to really disclose alot of details).

Another thing is that I've been looking to my post-grad future quite seriously lately, and have decided I wish to go to UVIC (The University of Victoria), but to do so, I'm required to switch from my current Essentials of Mathematics 11 to Principals of Mathematics 10, which would then lead on to Principals of Mathematics 11 the following semester (both which I will be doing next year; my Grade 12 year).
As to avoid being the oldest person in a Grade 10 math class, I'll be taking the course online, although in the school and during school hours.
I've also been urged to continue with my Math Essentials course, as so if I'm to fail either one or both of the Principals courses, I can still graduate (yet without the requirements I'll need to get into UVIC. If something of that sort occurred, I would still move to Victoria with my friends and attempt to find any loophole that's feasibly possible).

Right now, though, I'm looking forward to winter break which begins after school on December 18th, and runs through until January 4th, which is the longest winter break any school I've ever been to has ever had.
Also, during that time, the band me and Brian Raimondo (of To Contradict Kyran) have been looking to form for quite some time will finally be coming to fruition, and will most likely bear the same name as this very blog, although that'll be put up to a vote when the time comes.
It'll be a very open-ended band, and any genre will be permitted, as I really don't care, as long as I'm not the one drafted to sing for screamo songs.

Well, I should probably get back to studying Spanish, as I've only got exactly 50% in that course the last time I checked, and I'd rather pass it than fail it; so peace out everyone, and have a great week.

The Thrones of Epiphany

Sit, you angels,
Upon your thrones,
Theirs nothing at all left here,
Except your skin and bones.

The surging forces topple,
Through the iron laden gates,
And from the depths of Sevastopol,
Lies the eternity of fates.

From the brightened streets of London,
To the windswept streets of chance,
So many wait in silence,
In some deepened sense of trance,
The wild winds are blowing,
From the alleyways of France,
The languages that we don't speak,
Begin their elegant old dance.

The searing pain of poverty,
Flashes through the dark,
As if all that was, was not enough,
To set off one last spark.

Second chance is our last hope,
A lifeline for the lost.
Forgiveness is the only answer,
Slight anger but the cost.

To win a war of mental minds,
Is a single step away.
Virtue is the thing we need,
You'll see I'm right someday.

Ihrer Wilkommen Amerika Timeline Notes

January 1933- Adolf Hitler and the N.S.D.A.P (Nazi) Party come to power in Germany.

March 1936- German occupation of the Rhineland.

November 1938- Crystal Night in Germany; Jewish businesses viciously attacked by German citizens as well as Nazi stormtroopers.

March 1938- German annexation of Austria.

October 1938- German annexation of Sudetenland.

March 1939- Czechoslovakia given an ultimatum; ultimatum refused; Czechoslovakia invaded and occupied by German forces.
Slovakian puppet state set up by the Nazis in the East.

Summer 1939- Danzig and 'Polish Corridor' threatened by German forces.

August 1939- Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact signed; U.S.S.R. and Germany plan to invade and partition Poland in half.

September 1939- Poland invaded by Germany from the west, and Soviets from the east.
Britain and British Commonwealth, as well as France, declare war on Germany.

September 1939 to April 1940- Phoney War; Germany ceases westward advance due to unfavorable winter conditions. Allies prepare for war.

April 1940- German forces invade Denmark and Norway. The Phoney War ends.

May 1940- Germany invades neutral Holland and Belgium; pushes into France.

June 1940- France surrenders to German forces; Vichy French puppet state established in the south, lead by Henry Petain.

July 1940- Battle of Britain begins with German bombing of British military targets.

August 1940- German bombing of British military targets does not cease; yet with dwindling RAF numbers, Germany is able to spare enough planes for bi-weekly bombings of London.
RAF defeated by the end of the month; Germany owns the skies.

September 1940- Operation Sea Lion begins; German forces launch across the Channel from Brittany, Le Havre, Antwerp, and Amsterdam, landing in the cities and towns of Plymouth, Southampton, Ipswich, and Norwich, as well as paratrooper attacks launched from Paris, Vichy, Brest, Amiens, and Rotterdam, and landing in Oxford, Bristol, Cardiff, and Leicester, with a large concentration in London.
Churchill and many members of his cabinet flee to Glasgow.
*Initial victory over German forces in first wave during Battle of London.
Germans pushed back in Cardiff; yet eventual victory followed in every other assault, bringing all of southern Britain (from the northern outskirts of London) under Nazi control.

October 1940- German forces are reinforced; begin blitz pushes to the south, reaching Birmingham within 3 weeks.
German forces push until reaching Scottish border; advance ceases temporarily.
German forces begin major spearhead assault towards Glasgow; they encounter heavy defensive resistance.
*OPERATION: VICTORY BOND*
British commandos escort Prime Minister Winston Churchill to the western Scottish shore, where he is to take a steamship to Northern Ireland where he'll be flown to Canada as to form the British Government in Exile; they meet slight resistance from flanking German forces.
Churchill and his cabinet are forced to disguise themselves. The Germans catch wind of the plan.
Churchill and his associates successfully reach the steamship, and begin the short journey to Northern Ireland under heavy naval escort; yet the Luftwaffe finds them and bombing commences.
Most of the naval escort is decimated, and Churchill's steamship itself is sunk, killing several members of his cabinet; Churchill himself and 6 members of his cabinet (all thought to be dead), are rescued by passing Irish fisherman the following morning from their leaking lifeboat.
They are brought to a port near Dublin, where a British military escort arrives on October 31st to escort Churchill to Northern Ireland.

November 1940- German forces seize control of Glasgow; the remainder of the British Parliament surrender unconditionally on behalf of the entire nation.
Nazi occupational districts are established and German forces launch amphibious assault on Northern Ireland, meeting little resistance from British forces which have refused to surrender.
Churchill successfully makes it to Toronto, Ontario, Canada via plane. He is driven to Ottawa to meet with Canadian Prime Minister William Lyon MacKenzie King.

Here's To You.

So here's to all you fighters,
Living beat by beat.
Carrying but your lighters,
You travel in bare feet.

And here's to all you soldiers,
When day means life or death,
No office and no folders,
You live to aim and hold your breath.

Here's to all you mellow men,
For you, the world spins slow,
To sit or do or touch again,
Is simply part of the flow.

And here's to the depressed,
Who fight alone at home,
Missing all their social friends,
They won't pick up the phone.

And this ones to the arrogant,
The egos and inferior,
Who march throughout this strange old world,
Believing themselves superior.

But here's to all the fair men,
Who do as they see fit,
Yet never simply drop the fact,
That this world needs to be lit.

If Sorry Wasn't Enough.

This isn't another stupid rhyme,
Far from me,
I know it's time,
The dizzy spins,
I cannot cease,
I did much wrong,
Piece by piece,
I took you down,
The world,
Your frown,
It led me on,
To thoughts unknown,
Things unsaid,
And chances blown.

I miss you.

A sore head lead to this quick update.

Well, it seems as if I've got a bit of free time at school here due to the fact that my entire Social Studies class has decided to go outside and work on the field for reasons that I, myself, am not fully aware of. The reason I write to you now is because I've got a cold and don't wish to go outside, even if the temperature is only moderately chilly, it causes my entire body to squirm and feel strange and uncomfortable.
Anyways, I would like to apologize for my long absence (aside from posting a couple of my 'originally-Facebook-oriented' poems.) I've been quite busy with school and life for the past couple of weeks, and have barely been able to find the time to actually do anything related to the internet aside from occasionally checking my email.
As I often do, I promise that another full-fledged article is on its way in the not-to-distant future (by which I mean probably mid-November, if not possibly this weekend).

Anyways, I won't give much detail, but I've got a new girlfriend; as usual, I'm not going to reveal her name as I respect personal privacy as well as any international law related to internet privacy (I can always ask tomorrow in my Law class if any such legislation exists).
Another thing I would just like to add: I am currently getting 91% in my Social Studies 11 course, and hope to make it close to 98% if possible before the end of the year as I'm a 20th century history buff and would like to have something to prove it aside from sparse questions asked by friends and family.

Well that's all I've got for today... remember to keep on the lookout for my next article (what it'll be about, I have yet to decide), but I hope everyone who finds it in themselves to read this post has a great day, a great week, a great month, and a great year (and etc.)
Peace out, people of the planet.

Semper Fidelis (Semper Fi)

Trapped in the night,
With nothing but his fright,
The little man,
He cries,
As he contemplates the lies.

The world around him spins,
As he does not know his sins,
Sink deep into the earth,
As he forgets just what he's worth.

He acknowledges his love,
For someone he can't have.
He cannot find the glove,
Of happinesses hidden hand.

He's falling for her hard,
Like damond emerald,
She's slipping through his hands,
And into foriegn lands.

His love of life,
It fades,
As strange feelings,
Commit large raids,
Against the common sense he holds,
His resolves, it falls and folds.

Then out of the pitch black,
The one he knows he lacks,
Appears holding a lamp,
Saying, "I would like to make a camp,
And maybe it will grow,
If we simply follow flow,
And maybe, hey who knows?
We could always build a home."

He tells her that he loves her,
Withdrawing just as such,
He knows she may not feel it to,
As he feels she is his crutch.

No, he's not the rebound,
That much he see's clear.
But he might end up a dead hound,
Because loving involves fear.

These Fields, They Move...

These fields move,
Like the surface of the sun.
The task of living life,
Is never truly done.

When one life does pass,
The world does not stand still,
Instead it moves much faster,
After swallowing a pill.

When you smell what you smell,
See what you see,
Breath what you breath,
Be what you be,
There is a stop-loss for words,
A cessation of power,
A deafening silence,
A collapsing old tower.

When you do what you do,
Touch what you touch,
Feel what you feel,
Add others as such,
Love comes with ease,
Hate without reason,
Like without leave,
And you acknowledge no season.

As the end grows much nearer,
The lyrics grow clearer.
The chorus dies out,
But with one final pout.

You feel but gravity,
Asserting its force.
You touch but depravity,
In its natural course.

You get lost in her eyes,
A trance of deep caring.
You forget all the lies,
You heart, it mends tearing.

What I'd Love to See in a 4th Generation iPod Touch

This is a very appropriate way to post this new entry, as I'm doing so via my iPod Touch 2G.
Albeit without further a do, I'll cut to the chase:
Here's a list of new features and such that would compel me, personally, to purchase a new iPod Touch, even if the one I'm currently holding still worked like a charm:
-First and foremost, a camera that would take both videos and still photos in high quality,
-A solid copy and paste feature (which I believe may be included on the newest firmware update),
-FM radio, as is included with the new iPod Nanos,
-Cheaper 32 or 64 gig models,
-Some sort of built-in word processor that would be similar to Microsoft Word (only suited to work with the iPod touch),
-The option to sign up to a 3G network,
-A built-in microphone for both video recording, and other uses (maybe instant messaging),
-and last but not least, a version of Adobe Photoshop exclusivley for the iPhone/ iPod Touch OS.

Ihrer Willkommen Amerika

March 17th, 2011, 9:02 AM EST
Gestapo Headquarters, New York City, New Prussia, Amerika

“Our Fuhrer, Ulrich von Duechelberg, leader of the German Reich, died this morning of heart failure at exactly 7:31 AM Eastern Standard Time while asleep in his palace in Berlin. The Gestapo and other authorities in Berlin seem to agree on the fact that his death was of natural cause, and that no foul play was involved. Regardless, Gestapo chief Even Himmler, son of former Fuhrer and Hitler’s right hand man Heimrich Himmler, will lead an investigation as to tie up all loose ends. Meanwhile in Russia, it has been confirmed that unsolicited celebrations of our Fuhrer’s death by Russian rebels have been met with fierce and lethal action by the brave soldiers of the Wermacht…”

The Gestapo Chief of New Prussia, Virgil Seibs, switched the plasma-screen television off, quickly sticking the universal remote into a hidden pocket in his trench coat.
So von Duechelberg was dead. It had been inevitable, considering the state he was in prior to death, but it still took the wind out of any esteemed Party official who was truly devoted to the Reich; one of which was Virgil himself.
He sometimes found it strange as to why he was so devoted and proud of his position due to the fact that he was 75% American, and only a quarter German on his fathers side.
He had disowned his father following the end of the war prior to his military tribunal, which, after 3 years of imprisonment, ultimately led to his execution due to his participation during the war as a Sergeant in the United States Army, and his later participation as a partisan rebel on the West Coast.

He had abandoned the rest of his family as well, although his mother was the only one he still truly loved and seemed to miss on rare occasion.
His older brother, Jordan Seibs, had once been his idol as a top SS Officer as part of the ’Amerikan Relations Act’ in which he had been sent overseas to assist with security at the Vichy Meetings in Paris, Germania, which were staged as to seemingly negotiate the one-sided proposition of the annexation of Vichy France by the Third Reich.
He had continued to be a great role model for Virgil, until the day he was caught attempting to plant a bomb outside of the Reichstag in Berlin during the 7th Annual Germanium Games.
He was executed only two hours following his arrest, but Virgil wasn’t informed for over 2 weeks.

The streets were nearly completely empty, Virgil observed, something which was utterly uncharacteristic for New York, as it had always been, even prior to the Reich’s liberation of the so-called ‘United States.’
In Times Square, there was no sound but that of projected Wermacht recruitment ads on the large high-definition plasma screens embedded on the sides of large commercial buildings.
“Come, hear your true calling, become a true part of the German Reich. Join the glorious, brave Wermacht. Join the fight in Russia to crush the vile rebels who massacre innocent Eurasians every day…”
Were the words that continued to ring throughout the bright, empty streets.

Virgil began to wonder; did von Duechelberg really deserve this respect?

September 25th 1960, 10:33 PM PST
West Florence Ave, Los Angeles, Greater California District, Amerika

Eric Seibs stood back, behind the mob of pro-German American’s who continued to throw anything they had within reach at the group of several Jews who were lined up with their backs to a wall.
Two German SS Officers stood on each side of the line, Luger’s drawn and pointed at the crying, screaming Jews who were fearfully attempting not to keel to their knees or topple over as to not risk execution.

Eric looked down into the striking bright blue eyes of his new and youngest son, Virgil, who had only been born several days ago.
Eric couldn’t take that his son would have to grow up in this cruel new world. He would never know the pleasures of liberty, and the freedoms of democracy and constitution. He would always be under the shadow of a Swastika now, and there was very little that could be done about that right now. The German’s were to powerful, to authoritarian. Even those who strongly disagreed with their policies wouldn’t dare stand up to the Nazis due to fear for themselves and there loved ones.

The war was over. America had lost.
Eric felt partially responsible for this outcome, as he had been a Sergeant with the 67th Infantry Regiment of the United States Army during the invasion of Boston, as well as the American counterattack following the original defeat.

There was a scream as one Jew finally keeled over after getting struck in the nose by a brick. The SS Officer to the far left of Seibs was quick to fire at the crying, bleeding man, bringing his life to a horrifying conclusion.

Seibs turned his back in disgust, and began to walk in the opposite direction towards his home.
Virgil began to cry just as Eric neared the door, making it unnecessary to knock as Eric’s wife, Janet, was immediately drawn to the sound of her sons cries.

As soon as he had walked in the door, the first thing Eric heard was the muffled chatter of men in the kitchen. Turning to his wife with a worried, quizzical look, neither said a word.
Six year old Jordan, Eric’s oldest son, shuffled quickly out of the kitchen and into his room on the far left of the hallway. Eric entered the kitchen and curiously looked around; he quickly recognized all seven men who sat before him.

“Eric, we’re glad you could make it,” one named Mickey said.
“Yeah, we thought you were going to be stuck watching that massacre on Florence all night.” another named Joseph added.
“I thought I’d be stuck there to. Of course, I’ve never been one to follow rules. I left.” Eric replied.
Mickey let out a light chuckle, then said “Look, Eric, there’s a reason for our being here tonight.”
A bulky man, closest to Eric and the exit door to the hall named Damian gave Eric a concerned, understanding look. Eric knew he was about to find out why.

“And that reason is, Mickey?” Eric said; he had a bad feeling about this.
“That reason is exactly what you think it is.”
“And what, per se, do I think it is?”
“Take a wild guess, Eric. I brought six men over with me. Each armed with a pistol and a knife as to protect both themselves and me. I can’t be seen on the streets anymore after what I said about the Nazi occupational government the other night.”
There was a pause, within which Janet walked into the room and took the baby from Eric’s arms.
“These men are animals, Eric.” Mickey said, breaking the silence.
“What are you proposing, then?”
“Again, take a wild guess.”
Eric sighed, leaning against the fridge with one hand on his hip.
“You suggest armed rebellion?” He said.
“Not rebellion, no. We have far to little support for an all-out rebellion.”
“Then what, Mickey? Just give it to me straight.”
“Rebellious acts; espionage, assassination, sabotage. Things we can do by the dark of the night as so we have a chance to get away.”

December 13th 1981, 7:44 AM
German Consulate, Vichy, Auvergne, France

“… and as such, I’m confident that the French State would be much more prosperous as a direct part of the glorious Reich as opposed to being a separate political entity.” Private Heintzmehn explained in his thick German accent.
Senior Security Officer Jordan Seibs listened intently to the nationalistic words his co-worker sputtered in broken English, attempting to disallow the biting cold of a Vichy French day to throw his focus off.

“Do you truly believe every word you say, Heintzmehn? Don’t you think you Germans have swallowed up enough of the world by now?”
Such words would be considered blasphemous to any other German, but Heintzmehn saw Jordan for what he was; the last in the dying breed of true Americans, and he understood what it was to take pride in ones country. Someday, he thought, Seibs would realize that Germany had always been the one and only worthy country to ever grace the face of this planet, and when that day came, he would seek out Heintzmehn, and he would apologize for the questions he asked on this day.
“The point you constantly seem to miss, Herr Seibs, is that you to are German; as far as the Fuhrer is concerned, all true Brittanians, as well as North Americans, are simply offspring’s of the great German Empire who experienced rebellious days of youth, but have now returned to the mother nest as to feed off of its glory.”
“But North America was colonized by Great Britain.” Jordan countered.
“Ah yes, Herr Seibs, it was… but there would be no Great Britain if the Saxons hadn’t migrated there and created the Saxon offshoot we all know today as the Anglo-Saxons, and the Saxons are the epitome of the glorious German race. Do you see where I’m going with this?”

In fact, Jordan did indeed see where Heintzmehn was going with this, but the rebellious words of his father still echoed throughout the hallow enclaves of his mind… “Those Nazi bastards are not true Germans, nor are they true human beings. They are a race of monsters; the absolute epitome of human evil… the absolute show force of what humanity is truly capable of… never buy into it, son. Not for a moment. Never become one of them, or so help you God.”…. at this point, he had no choice as to what to let his body give in too, but he still held heavy sway over what his mind may subject itself to.

“Tell me something, Heintzmehn, if you will?”
“Of course, Herr Seibs. I will tell you anything you like. You know I never speak of the conversations we have together.”
“Heintzmehn,” Jordan said sharply, “Tell me; are you a German, or are you a Nazi?”
Heintzmehn’s face suddenly sunk into an imposturous looking perplexity.
“Why, Herr Seibs… I don’t understand what you mean by that.”
“Are you of sacred Germany? Or are you simply a lackey of the so-called Aryan Nazis?”
“Well, I can tell you I am certainly no lackey, Herr Seibs… every Aryan is equal in the eyes of the Fuhrer, as well as the eyes of God. ‘Nazi’ is simply another word for a sacred German.”

Jordan sighed. There was simply no way of getting to this man; his mind was to far gone.
“Is there anything else you would like to ask, Herr Seibs?” Heintzmehn asked expectantly.
“No, I suppose that’s all for now. I wonder how the meetings going inside.”
“As do I, Herr Seibs. But our place is not to know as it happens; its to know when everything has finally come to fruition.”
“If you say so, Heintzmehn. If you say so.”

March 17th, 2011, 12:09 PM EST
Seibs Family Ranch, Sandpoint, Montana District, Amerika

Janet Johansson Seibs sat alone in her cold, empty kitchen, sipping slowly at her cup of tea as she stared blankly at her broken stove.
Sometimes, she wondered why she had moved back to Montana to live on her deceased husbands ranch; it had been, as it still continues to be, a fruitless venture that simply added to the downward spiral her life had been taking ever since her husband had decided to take part in underground partisan activities against the Nazi occupational forces in Los Angeles back in 1960.
She was old now; old and feeble, yet she had no one to tend to her needs since it seemed her youngest and only surviving son Virgil had abandoned her, as well as the family legacy, for the monsters that had destroyed the family in the first place. He also seemed to take pride in that fact.

She hadn’t eaten a proper meal for over 3 days, mainly due to the fact that the vintage stove the Seibs family had bought during the now-extinct era of the United States had finally given out after over 70 years of use, and was cemented by the dismal facts that her phone also happened to be broken, as well as her vintage 1960’s car she had managed to maintain, even during the Los Angeles Riots of 1964.

She assumed that someday, she would be driven off of the ranch simply by her sheer force of will, and her need for social contact with the outside world. She had already gone a week without seeing a single soul, and realized she might be going a little stir-crazy when she began ranting on and on to herself about how Eric had thrown her, as well as the rest of the family, into this irreversible mess with the help of his revolutionary antics.
Well, she thought, you can’t really blame him. I mean, these fascists are a major step back in terms of human progress. If only we hadn’t forced Germany into signing the Treaty of Versailles, we may have been able to avoid this mess entirely.. It’s such a shame..
It had been that single arrogance of the Triple Entente during the First World War, that had led to the eventual subjugation of the entire planet to German hands. No, not German hands, Aryan hands. Nazi hands. Germany was just the host of the Nazi virus; it to was subjugated to the will of another.

Subjugated to the will of Adolf Hitler.

Janet was exhausted. Even though it was only just past one in the afternoon, not being to eat anything more than cold beans at her age tended to make her want to just slip back into bed, and let reality dissipate like a fog in the bright of a summer afternoon; and that, was exactly what Janet Seibs did.

January 7th, 1965, 1:05 AM PST
Seibs Residence, Los Angeles, Greater California District, Amerika

5 year old Virgil Seibs stared up at his snow-white ceiling; he hadn’t been tucked in by his father for over 2 weeks, and he was beginning to become curious as to where his father had disappeared to.

Finally, after nights of restlessness, he decided he was going to confront his mother on the matter.
Slipping out from beneath his Captain America quilt, little Virgil shuffled quietly into the hallway, trying his best not to drag his feet as he made his way towards his mothers room.
He rapped his little knuckle against his mothers bedroom door as hard as he could; hearing the shifting of blankets and bed sheets, Virgil said, “Mommy?”
“Virgil, darling, is that you? What are you doing up? It’s very late, sweetheart.” Janet replied.
“I need to ask you a question!”
There was a moment of silence, and then Virgil heard his mother get up, and walk towards the door.
Carefully, she opened it up with a sort of grace that only a mother could have, lifting him into her arms as soon as she had.

“What is it, darling? Did you have a nightmare?” She asked softly.
“No.”
“No? Then what’s wrong, sweetheart?”
“Where’s daddy? I miss him!”
Janet’s eyes sank; yet, she continued to smile.
“Daddy’s… busy, son.”
“Busy doing what? Is he fighting rebels?”
“No, not exactly, sweetie. But he is fighting bad guys; he’s trying to make the world better for you and Jordan.”
“But the world is ok, isn’t it, mommy?”
“No, sweetheart… the world isn’t ok. The world is hurt and confused.”
“I don’t understand.”
“You don’t need to. Someday, I hope you will; but right now, leave it to the adults, ok darling?”
“Yes mommy.”
“That’s my boy. Now, go and get some sleep, alright?”
“Ok.”
With that, he gave him mother a kiss and shuffled back towards his room. On his way there, the first thing he noticed was his 15 year old brother standing at his bedroom door.
“Don’t worry, kiddo. Someday, you’ll get it.”

**This is NOT the story's conclusion. More will be added with the final draft.**

New Divorce Laws

-Both of the divorced get an equal share of material property.
-Material property will not be argued over unless outside of court and outside of the justice system.
-Each material possession's name will be written on a piece of paper and put into a device that will shuffle them at random. Each belligerent will blindly take a possession name out of the shuffle device, and will now legally own it for themselves.
-The latter will not apply to possessions which were owned prior to marriage by a single belligerent.
-If mental disorder is the grounds upon which one parent wishes to have full custody of any offspring, the disorder must be of a nature that may endanger the well being of the children, and the disorder must be medically as well as psychologically proven prior to divorce trial.
-Unless the latter is proven, both parents must agree on equal amounts of time to be in custody of of the children, unless one parent wishes for less time, and the other agrees to the reduced time.
-Unless both parents agree, neither parent can leave municipal or provincial boundaries well in custody of the children.
-If one parent decides/needs to leave municipal, provincial, or international boundaries while the children are in there custody, they must allow the other parent to have custody for there duration of absence, unless otherwise decided by both parents, in which case the children will be put in the care of a certified and qualified guardian.
-If two individuals have a child, yet aren't married, the rules of children during divorce will still apply during separation.
-If two individuals have been engaged in a romantic relationship while living together and sharing possessions for over 3 years, yet were never never married, the property laws of divorce will still apply.
-All divorce laws apply to same-sex couples as long as they live together or have adopted a child, whether they are married or not.
-Shared residences are not to be an article of property included in the Property Possession Shuffle.
-During divorce, shared residences must be sold by both belligerents, unless previously owned by one belligerent prior to marriage, or unless both belligerents agree to one belligerent paying the leaving belligerent the difference in the amount of the housing purchase; otherwise, both belligerents are required to find new housing.
-Alimony will not be paid by or to either party. Only child support will apply.
-If a restraining order has been issued by one belligerent against the other, it will not apply when the custody of children is being exchanged, unless a dangerous mental disorder in one belligerent has been proven prior.
-If, collectively, both belligerents share possession of an uneven amount of property (ex: 7 pieces of property, in which one belligerent would otherwise get 1 more article of property than the other), the belligerents will be given 2 options: 1: sell the piece of property to the state for the price it was purchased, regardless of damage (unless utterly severe) and split the amount of financial gain equally, or 2: one belligerent gains the consent of the other to pay them the difference in price of purchase (once again, regardless of damage unless severe).
All material possessions purchased by the state will be used by the state in any way the state sees fit.
-Cost of a child's schooling and school-related materials will be split evenly between both parties, as well as any medical expenses.
-If both parents share different religious beliefs (ex: one is a Christian and the other is an Atheist) neither will be allowed to push there religious beliefs on the children. The children may make an informed decision on there own.
-Once a child turns 18, the jurisdiction of divorce law becomes entirely obsolete.
-When a child turns 14, they may choose to stay full time, or spend more time, with a single parent if they so wish. If they decide to stay full time with one parent, that parent may now leave the municipal area (whether to move, or simply go on vacation) without the consent of the other parent. HOWEVER: the parent may not leave the province or country with the children without signed permission from the other parent.
-The parent who does not have custody of the child will continue to pay child support. However, the amount paid may be cut in half if there is only one child, and the parent with full custody makes over $50,000 annually (after deductions).
-The parent without custody may appeal for custody for one weekend every month (that would be involuntary on the child's part) until the child turns 16, at which point the child can make the decision to no longer allow the One Weekend Policy to apply. Otherwise, visiting is voluntary on the childs part of any time agreed to by both the child and the parent without custody, despite any conflicting wishes of the parent with full custody.
-No parent may preach hateful things to the children, whether it be about the other parent, ot about personal opinion regarding peoples of different race, religion, ethnicity, or sexual preference.

Not much in the way of ranting.

Well, I hope everyone can excuse my long 'cyber-absence' as I guess you would call it; I've been quite busy with school, friends, and short periods of relaxing over the past few weeks.

I was hoping to get another full-fledged article up before the end of September, but by the looks of it, that may not be possible. If it is, it's coming your way this weekend; otherwise, your waiting until the beginning of October.

This is just a quick update on how I've been and what I've been up to, so I suppose I should get to that: I guess the few main highlights of the past few weeks would have to be the fact I was (and still am) attempting to get my Essentials Math 11 course switched to an online course (which would be the same class, just myself doing it independently in a quiet, more favorable environment.)
My mom, on the other hand, seems to think there's some sort of moral dilemma involved in simply signing the paper as to allow me to get out of my noisy Prep-filled math class that, I openly admit, I get jack-shit bugger-all done in; or, when I do, most if not all of it ends up being wrong (today being a prime example due to the fact that I did an entire 5 page package, and everything on one page was correct, while everything on every other page was entirely incorrect.) God I hate math so much.

Anyways, aside from the juicy little bit of info that Brian Raimondo (from To Contradict Kyran) broke one of my guitar strings and I haven't played guitar (my guitar, anyways) since the end of summer break, that's all I've got to say today.
Be on the look out for my next full-fledged article either this weekend, or at the beginning of October.

Peace out, everyone.
And to everyone who is enrolled in any sort of school, I wish you all the best of luck this year.

Social Groups and Cliques in My School

Over the past 4 years, I've observed as new cliques and social groups have slowly formed or suddenly sprung up all throughout the schools I've attended; in this article, I hope to show my readers the groups that have been formed over the course of those 4 years.

PART 1: THE CLIQUES

Cliques, by definition, are almost exactly the same as social groups with a few major differences: they do not permit just anyone; they are exclusive to a select few (or a select many, depending on the size of both the schools population, as well as the community). Unlike social groups, many members of a clique are forced to either pretend and/or adopt the same interests, styles, friends, and hobbies of the rest of the group. In this part, I will be introducing you all to both the main cliques themselves, as well as the spin-off and wannabe cliques. Please note that these cliques don't name themselves, nor do they identify by these names. These socially identifying names have been labeled both by me, as well as by the schools general public. Lets begin with:

Area 1: The Prep Hierarchy

THE ULTRA PREPS:
are very materially obsessed, as well as very materially oriented. In other words; if you don't have the right bling, the right clothes, the right hairdo, or the right attitude you are either exempted from the group, or you are a target of psychological bullying, as well as possibly physical harassment.
They often use drugs and drink alcohol, but not to any addicting or lethal extent; just enough to show "what they're worth" to the other members of the clique.
These people tend to either be narrow minded, or hide there open-mindedness as to remain part of the group.
This group demands respect throughout the school. If they are disrespected, consider yourself lucky if all you get is constant psychological harassment. In most cases, they'll challenge you to a fight, or preemptivley attack you in or outside of school.
Every other clique identifies with them to some degree; most more than others.
Some members become so popular with other groups that they may end up branching off and creating there own minor clique.
People of this clique tend to be very into sports; both on the TV screen as well as on the court or field. They also tend to think they're better then almost everyone else, and as such act quite smug.

THE MIDDLE PREPS:
Tend to be people who want to be part of the bigger group, and as such are accepted by them to an extent, but not to an all-involving extent. As such, they tend to have most (if not all) of the same qualities of the Ultra Preps, just to a blunter effect. They are also more accepting, but not by much. When accepting a new member, they are quite reluctant with them to begin with.

THE SEMI-PREPS:
Although accepted to an extent by the other higher Prep Cliques, this clique has much less restrictions, and tends to be a bit more open-minded when it comes to almost everything.
Although they still dress in the same basic form as is typical to all preps, and partake in the same sort of drinking binges as well as drug parties, they will socialize with people who are members of social groups, or who are of a lower Prep ranking as they are.
Despite there widened horizons of acceptance, they are still very picky and restrictive when it comes to new direct members.
They also tend to refrain from intimidating other people for any reason whatsoever, although it isn't unheard of that it can happen from time to time.

Area 2: The 'Other' Cliques

THE WANNABE PREPS:
Usually unaffiliated with any of the other Prep Cliques, this group is constantly striving for some sort of acceptance from either the Ultra Preps, or the Middle Preps. Although the very odd member of the Wannabes is indeed accepted into either one of the cliques on rare occasion, they are usually treated with less tolerance then the other members of the clique.
Semi-Preps are the only direct members of the Prep hierarchy to directly socialize with this clique; and even they find them to be quite intolerable at times.
Some (if not most) members of this clique tend to suffer from the psychological disorders known as the Inferiority Complex, or the Superiority Complex (although it's debatable that alot of the members of the actual Prep hierarchy suffer from the same problems).

THE DRUGIES: Also known as the Stoners or the Skids
This clique is only restrictive for one reason: the only way you can become a member is if you do drugs. Otherwise, your out.
If not for that obvious fact, this clique could be identified as an all-accepting social group; alas, there single restriction is a large one for most.
The Drugies are one of the only cliques to show no interest in the Prep Hierarchy, although some members would be more then happy to hang out with any of the Prep groups, providing all they're doing is either drinking or smoking.

THE GOTH/EMO'S:
don't identify or socialize with any other clique or social group. Although low in numbers, they are very obvious and distinctive in a crowd.
There group is oriented with things like Satan, violence, darkness, evil, anime, and occasionally witchcraft (as such, this group corresponds with all its required features as seen by popular culture).
This clique is probably one of the most restrictive and narrow minded of all the cliques, and accepts very few people.
They also engage in probably the most dangerous amount of drug use as compared to every other clique (even the Drugies).

PART 2: THE SOCIAL GROUPS

A social group, by definition, is a group of friends with similar interests, who are more then willing to accept new members at any given time.
Despite this, there are still a few distinctively labelled social groups who, despite there close ties with other social groups, are still divided to an extent.

THE DRIFTERS:
are people who drift from one social group to another. Despite there wide acceptance of everyone, it can be risky on occasion because sometimes a Drifter can inadvertently drift on the path that leads towards cliques such as the Prep Hierarchy (although I've only seen that happen once).
They tend to be rightfully popular and spend alot of there time hanging out with friends of different social group origin.

THE CAFFETERIANS:
tend to spend most of there time at the tables in the cafeteria (when not in class). The only reason they aren't part of an entirely unified social group is simply due to there location. They are visited by Drifters at very frequent intervals within the time frame of a week.

THE DORK NERDS:
Although a social group, they tend to keep to themselves despite there physical proximity to any other social group (usually due to feelings of inferiority and low self-esteem).
They tend to excel in the the academic half of school, but are a constant target of both physical and psychological harassment from the Prep Hierarchy.
Most, if not all of the members of the Dorks tend to be quite clumsy and do indeed stay true to the stereotype.
They never go to anyone, but if someone was to come to them as to become a part of there social group they would accept them after a very short while. Drifters will occasionally visit them, but will usually refrain mainly to avoid becoming a target of Prep cruelty.

THE ATTRACTIVE NERDS:
tend to be quite popular, even occasionally among members of the Prep Hierarchy. They succeed both academically and socially, and are usually sportsy and outgoing. They can, on occasion, be mistaken to be Preps, but always turn out to be quite the opposite. Drifters will commonly visit them.

THE WANNABE POPULARS:
are always searching for acceptance from the Preps, but still tend to be quite outgoing, as well as very open-minded and accepting. Some of them only wish to join the Prep Hierarchy as to start a school-wide revolution to bring the Preps to an end, while others plan to either hide there open-mindedness and acceptance in favor of the Prep state of mind, or convert Preps to join different social groups. They are largely unsuccessful, but on the odd occasion, we see the nest being shaken abit.

THE NEUTRALS:
Largely left alone by the Prep Hierarchy, this social group is full of people either to shy to make new friends, or simply unwilling. On occasion they can be a minor target for the Preps, but it most cases, they stay true to there name and are left alone. If they do make new friends, its usually with visiting Drifters.

Well, that's my analysis of my school life that I've been observing over the past 4 years; I hope you all enjoyed. Peace out.