Retribution

[size=1]Well, I read a short story on them, and I've heard things about them. I believe (if I'm not mistaken) they become feral when they don't have human interaction that others have. It goes to show how primal and animalistic humans really are beneath the facade of civilization. And of course feral children are absolutely tragic -- they can never become functioning members of society. They missed out of essential human interaction during their formative years and cannot express themselves through language. They had no one to discipline them, to say that "Biting is bad!" or whatever. Annnd... that's about it...[/size]

[size=1]No activity really defines me as a whole, so I won't even try to think of one. I think that we're supposed to better the human race with our time here. Basically, it's birth-sex-death with productivity and usefulness in there. Even more importantly, however, is that you strive to be the best you can be. If you don't, well, hurry up and die already. ;)[/size]

[QUOTE=nukacola]:excited: well for my part I can only suggest a converter which was released lately. Its video (many formats) to animated GIF converter. :genius: If you will need Its aviable here [URL=http://www.geovid.com/VidGIF/]VidGif[/URL] :blowup:[/QUOTE] [size=1]Unfortunately, this thread is from March of 2005, and we don't really allow resurrection/bumps of these. Thread closed.[/size]

[size=1]It doesn't mean that you're a bad artist, it just means that you have room for improvement. It's a personal view of mine that an artist must overcome their crutch on other people's brushes if they ever want to surpass the level they're at. I mean, after all, a person downloading brushes only needs to download better-looking brushes to 'improve.' I'd recommend trying to do things without other people's brushes. Instead, look up tutorials for making your own brushes from random images and textures. It seems that you've got a general grasp on how your program works and a good idea of how to arrange the elements in your pieces. Really, it should be an exercise in learning how to do the things you're currently doing with brushes manually. And as a general sidenote, try not to overwhelm your pieces with effects/oversaturation (as Ezekiel said earlier, I think) and try making your text more effective. Either it's a pixel font in the corner or an underpowered, nearly invisible thing. Experiment above all, and you'll make leaps and bounds.[/size]

[QUOTE=Boo][size=1]Just something that I noticed, but in the Art Studio you have this really important sticky that everyone [color=red][i][b]MUST[/b][/i][/color] read. [u]Sticky: Constructive Criticism -- Read this before posting. [/u] Views: 22 I know one of those views was mine, there is probably a whole load of views by Retribution himself... Where are all of the views of the new people that started posting in the Art Studio after the hiring of Retribution? Maybe they only read the rules. Ha, that would be great.[/size][/QUOTE] [size=1]Yeah, I'm glad you noticed. And for the record, I only viewed it twice to make sure things were in working order. Basically, no one is listening to me, and I'm sick of being a broken record to every post in every thread. I thought that the sticky would help alleviate problems if members knew what was expected going in. And actually, I have noticed a decline in spammy posts (for the time being at least). I'm just hoping people start getting their act together in that crazy rating thread. The third strike is coming, everyone. Beware![/size]

[size=1]I'm rather amazed that this is still alive... I'll edit the opening post to include you, KW.[/size]

[size=1]Before I offer advice and critique on your banners, could you tell me if you've used pre-made brushes that you downloaded, or did you make them from scratch yourself? This will heavily influence what I will say. Thanks![/size]

[QUOTE=Cygnus X-1][COLOR=Sienna]I'm curious; didn't you learn anything in biology class or sex ed or anything? I mean, ask your partner or use a condom or, as the case may be, don't use dirty needles! I'm really sorry for you but seriously, this is the kind of thing that happens when your not responsible for your love life.[/COLOR][/QUOTE] [size=1]How do you know that Pixie_rich wasn't born HIV positive? It's not like this stems from people who don't use condoms -- it has to come from somewhere in order for it to be spread, right? Honestly, you don't need to sound holier-than-thou after they came and confided in us for support. How about shutting up, keeping your biting opinions to yourself, and offering Pixie some goodwill instead? Anyway, my heart goes out to you, Pixie. I really hope that you can live your life to the fullest and not waste a second of it.[/size]

[quote name='ChibiHorsewoman][color=#9944cc][font=lucida handwriting]I may be getting this wrong, but I think as soon as you either 1. have a kid over here or 2.) Marry a legal US citizen you can stay.[/color'][/font][/quote] [size=1]Yes, I'm certain if you marry a legal citizen, you're good to go. However, I have never heard of the law that if you have a child here you become a citizen. Either way, there are some folks who still want to deport everyone who hopped the border regardless of their current situation. I'm just saying deportation is logistically impossible assuming parents aren't naturalized.[/size]

[size=1]It's logistically impossible to deport all of the illegal immigrants. So you have 12 million illegal immigrants, let's say about 6 million children whom where born here and therefore are legal American citizens. Will we deport the x-million parents and leave 6 million orphans for our federal government to deal with? Of course not -- we have not the funds or the means to care for 6 million children. Will we deport them all? Of course not -- it's a horrid violation of the civil liberties of the legal citizens (the children born here). Deporting isn't going to work. We need a different way, and I'm all ears if you can offer me one.[/size]

[size=1]Right, this might come off as hostile but... Everyone who's whining about American Eagle/Abercrombie/Hollister can shove it and cry about it. I mean, who cares what other people wear? The only people whose apparel should concern you should be your son, your daughter, and yourself. Everyone can handle the choice of blowing $50 on a normal t-shirt with a logo on it. If you disapprove of that decision, that's great, but don't look down on someone just because they like the specific clothing line. I personally don't care for any of the said brands, but if they like the prep style, that's their business.[/size]

[QUOTE=The13thMan][FONT=Century Gothic] [COLOR=DarkOrange]I'd be an angel. Not one of those p***y angels that sit around on clouds all day singing or some crap. I'd be one of the ones with the sword protecting the innocent. I'd be one of god's soldiers. Later. [/COLOR] [/FONT][/QUOTE] [size=1]Wherefore must you steal my thunder? Uncool man. I was totally about to say that. I'd be an angel ... but I'm not completely sure that angels can actually protect anyone. The events explained by saying "my guardian angel saved me" can also be explained by physics and probability. If you fancy Revelation, I'd be an angel in God's army fighting in the final battle where good triumphs over evil.[/size]

[size=1]Although that's the week before finals for me, I'd like to see what I can do. I'll sign up and see how good I am at making something within requirements, as it's a career I'm interested in.[/size]

[QUOTE=xwoodlandelf]That is really good, u have a talent! ~*~ Cho-lin[/QUOTE] [size=1]Welcome to OtakuBoards, xwoodlandelf! Since you're new here, you really should read [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=53330][b]what's expected of your posts[/b][/url]. What you've said is nice, but it doesn't benefit the artist. Instead, trying saying what you think is done well and what could be improved. Thanks![/size]

[size=1]Race shouldn't be a problem, but it is. The sad fact is that the black guy doesn't get the interview -- he doesn't make it that far if he has an obviously black name. I think I posted the study conducted and the findings. I'm not bothering with further back-and-forth fruitless argument with neither side gaining any ground. However, I'm curious -- if AA isn't the answer, what is? Will colorblindness help minorities (since that is the primary point of AA) more than Affirmative Action?[/size]

[QUOTE=Anime Elf]These are just two examples that came to mind of how the Supreme Court has recognized that reverse discrimination exists in America today. As for a handout, to me it would be like walking up to a well-off businessman, who got to where he was by hard work, eating somewhere fairly nice, and then having someone offer him some money to buy food because he's black. That's a bit insulting isn't it? Anyway, I'm sorry you feel that minorities are virtually unable to escape they life they were born into without federal mandated help. This isn't the pre-Civil Rights Movement in America. There are a whole lot of ways for people to raise themselves up without needed to be given a handout. The EEOC comes to mind.[/QUOTE] [size=1]I don't approve of letting someone severly underqualified beating out a white guy simply because of their race. I believe that if there are to people with about the same credentials, [i]that's[/i] when AA comes into the picture. I'm sorry your blind to the socioeconomic cycle. It is [i]much, much[/i] harder for a minority to rise up to the level of most whites, and I'm saying they should have help to get there, as they'd have to work harder just to be on the same playing field. It's possible for minorities to escape the life they were born into, but it's highly improbable, and the government should be there to help the people who are trying to get out of the ditch. I honestly don't see what's so wrong about this except for your whole "But it'd make them feel bad!" argument. Very few minorities feel as if their pride has been hurt when they get a job due to AA. [quote name='The13thMan']Retribution, we can do anything we set our minds to. You misunderstood the statement, i don't believe he said you can do the same thing any other person can with the same amount of effort. Maybe you should go back and check, you seem awful confused by it.[/quote] I understood what he said. I also don't honestly believe that you can do anything you set your mind to. Humans are finite beings with limitation, and unfortunately, bias still holds minorities down from achieving as much as a white man. This is the simple truth. I'm also saying that when you write off minorities as not trying hard enough, you're being completely foolish and blind to the factors that keep them chained to the lives they lead. Not everyone can become an Andrew Carnegie -- he was an isolated case in the sea of millions. [QUOTE]The fact of the matter is that minorities (or anybody for that matter) born in a crappy area is going to have to work harder to get out. That's the way it should be. If you're born trash and grow up trash then your kids are going to be trash because you didn't care. If you're born trash and grow out of it into something better then your kids will be a little better and so on and so forth. This is the only way that we'll ever destroy poverty. If everybody had that mindset then our nation would be much better off. Of course the chances of that ever happening are slim to none and even if it did happen the process would take a very long time.[/QUOTE] This is how it should be? That some people are less fortunate than others and are forced to work much harder just to get to the starting line of success? It's the way it should be when an "trashy" child is born? I guess I'm mostly objecting to your diction here. You're right -- we should all be working harder to become better, and these are the people I'd like to help. If they're making the conscious effort to become better and rise out of poverty, I want to help them through the glass ceiling. [QUOTE]I recall somebody saying earlier that if you put money in the school systems they wouldn't improve. I'm sorry, but that's ridiculous. That's like saying a hungry man wouldn't buy food if he had money. If schools had more money they would improve. If we made the salaries better for teachers then more people would want to become teachers and we would have better teachers. If we had better teachers our kids would be smarter and we could raise the ridiculously low standards in our education systems. Things WOULD get better. AA is not helping any of this. AA is simply promoting mediocrity. If a black guy was working his a** off and then found out about AA he'd maybe take it a little easier. If a black guy was working his a** off and didn't find out about AA he'd continue working his a** off. It's as simple as that.[QUOTE] A public school in the area got one million dollars from none other than Michael Jordan. This particular school has some of the lowest scores in the area. The one million dollars did nothing to change things. Sure, it [i]helped[/i], but throwing money to a school and doing nothing else isn't helping anyone. We can throw money at impoverished countries in Africa, and we have been doing that for decades. However, there is no improvement in standard of living over there. It's the exact same dynamic. I agree that teachers should be paid more, and that offering increased salary would help, and that newer learning materials would help too, but the first thing you must change is the minds of the students. If they still don't care, and now they go to a ritzy school, nothing willl change. AA is giving people a shot at things they thought they'd never have, not making them slack off. No black person I know is slacking off because they know they can make it into colllege on AA. If anything, AA is motivating the students who are already academically-oriented to keep going, and that's what I want it to do. I don't want it giving some 2.3 GPA kid a Harvard acceptance letter just because he's black. I want a 3.7 GPA kid getting that benefit. I know I'm working my *** off even though AA will help me. I could get into Princeton without it, and I'm not slacking off because of it. [QUOTE]Discrimination of race or sex is a horrible thing, nobody will argue with ya. The problem is that AA promotes discrimination by saying that black people deserve handouts because they are black.[/QUOTE] Because they are black and have been (and still are) discriminated against and need a way helping hand out of the rut they're in. [QUOTE]One o' these days discrimination will be non-existent because we'll all be gray. That'll be the day.[/QUOTE] I sort of want everyone to meet on the same level playing field, and we can do away with AA. I think that's the entire point of it.[/size]

[QUOTE=sakurasuka][size=1]Hrm. I'm going to tell you guys a story. I grew up in a trailer park until I was about 10. My dad left us before I was 1, we lived with my aunt until my mom married my daddy's best friend, and then we lived in an even smaller trailer, 'cause my step-dad was a laborer and couldn't afford a house. Mom homeschooled me until the fourth grade because there of money issues, and we moved every 4-6 months so step-dad could find more work. I was supposedly a lost cause. Once we moved to GA and she put me in school, it was horrible. Jackson County has the worst school system in GA, and GA is ranked second lowest in the country. However, though I had all those factors working against me, I'm now a junior doing exceptional on my schoolwork [I am once again homeschooled, but I took my work into my own hands years ago and teach myself now. I GOT MYSELF A JOB to pay for a tutor for any classes I needed help on], and I have done exceedingly well on all SAT practice tests, with around an average of 670 on mathmatics and 720 on verbal. I am taking the SAT June third. But now that we live in an actual house and my step-dad has worked hard to make his way to vice-president of his constuction company, AA could possibly negetively affect me, though I am one who worked hard despite my living conditions. How is that for un-fair? What about the hard working people like me? I hate people who sit around and complain about thier lives. Anyone can read a book, reguardless of where you are. Anyone can teach themselves, most people can get help. AA works in theory, but so do most things. Hell, even [i]communism[/i] works in theory. Life should be less about hand-outs and more about hard work.[/size][/QUOTE] [size=1]It's great that you're the exception to the rule, sakurasuka. It's great that there are people like you -- unfortunately, the world doesn't work like that in all cases. Sure, it worked for you. And Anime Elf. There's two. For every two, I bet there are hundreds, possibly thousands of cases where they worked hard, but in the end it just didn't end happily ever after. I'm not advocating people who sit around and complain about life. I'm advocating rewarding those who work just as hard as you did, but for one reason or another, things didn't work out. For one reason or another, they didn't have a hard-working stepfather/father. For one reason or another, their mother couldn't homeschool them. For one reason or another, they had to get a job not to pay for tutoring, but to pay the rent that their irresponsible parents didn't pay. Basically, your anecdote is awesome, but doesn't apply across the board. It's not a valid rebuttal of Affirmative Action. [QUOTE=Anime Elf]Oh, I'm sorry I'm idealistic. Or maybe its because it worked for [B]both[/B] my parents who rose from less than ideal conditions growing up (to put it nicely) to where they are today. I benefit from Affirmative Action and I think it's lived past its time. I want to be accepted based on merit and not to fill a quota, and I know I will be because I hate using the race card. I feel its a degrading way to get what you want because you're having people judge you by the color of your skin or your gender, economic standing, etc. and not by your actual merit. Oh, and I did read your pst about how someone with worse grades and lower test scores should beat out someone with better grades and higher test scores because they grew up in inner city Detroit and not New England. If someone worked that hard to get where they were, I highly doubt they would want a handout. And even if they can't get into Princeton or Harvard, I'm sure there are a few other good schools somewhere in the country, just maybe. But then again, I may just be idealistic.[/QUOTE] Once again, it's great that things worked out for your two parents. However, your two parents don't reflect the majority of the population. Furthermore, Affirmative Action is not outdated, as there is still discrimination in the world. A study was conducted where two fake resumes were created, and on one, a "white" name (i.e. Bob Smith) was given to the fictional character, and on the other was a "black" name (i.e. Dante Johnson). This was done for every possible position of several Fortune 500 companies. In the end, despite equal credentials, the "white" character was chosen in an overwhelming majority. It's not like the days of racism (conscious or unconscious) are over. We're not living in a golden age. I'm sure a person who worked hard would not object to a "hand out"; moreover, I don't think you have the right to speak for them. I understand it's how [i]you[/i] feel, but you don't speak for everyone. Affirmative Action is designed to pull minorities out of the ditch they've been kicked and left in. It's not "fair" that a white guy doesn't get a job because of AA where a black guy gets it. However, that white guy would probably get more acceptances than the black guy (let's say 10 compared to a minority's 4). AA's about undoing the cycle of poverty and discrimination, not just giving people hand-outs willy nilly. Yes, you're idealistic for thinking that in America we're all equal and we can all accomplish anything we set our minds to. Sure, Andrew Carnegie was a self-made man who went from rags to riches, but he was the [i]isolated case in the sea of millions of poor workers.[/i] You're happy little stories about how your parents surmounted impossible odds to become successful carries no weight in this debate.[/size]

[quote name='Anime Elf]Where to begin with the subject of [B]ILLEGAL[/B'] immigration? Ah yes, the name says it all. Yes, illegal immigrants should be punished for committing an illegal ("prohibited by law") action. At the moment, aren't multiple planes filled with illegal immigrants being flown to Central America every day?[/quote][size=1]Is something right simply because it is the law? In Nazi Germany, it was illegal to help Jews escape persecution. By your logic, you should be punished for breaking that law. In any event, it wouldn't surprise me if our government were flying people back down every day, but those are tax-dollars wasted on a relatively pointless activity. Instead of blowing those thousands/millions on jet fuel, the jet itself, pilots, etc., you could have tried to help out the US of A. [QUOTE]Anyway, I do think it is selfish of people breaking the law demanding not to be punished for it. Okay, they snuck in here because they're so close. America lets in less than one million immigrants a year for a reason. There are people who have been waiting up to [I]twenty years [/I] to get into the United States, and we have illegal immigrants who can come over just because they happen to share a border. That hardly seems fair to those not breaking the law, but that's just me.[/QUOTE] America lets in some terribly low number of people per-year, and the lettuce farmer isn't going to be at the top of that long, long list waiting to get in. Because we have quotas, people are driven to illegally immigrate to here. I mean, if you were starving, would you like to stick around for 20 more years to come here legally? I think not. This is why it is essential that we increase the number of allowed immigrants per-year. I honestly don't think much else will change things. [QUOTE]Another thing that bugs me is that people claim that illegal immigrants take jobs Americans won't. Well, we do have a nice sized poplulation on welfare that are citizens who are legally allowed to be here, so why don't they take the jobs? We need to fix our own problems as a country, so why not tackle poverty among the United State's own citizens?[/QUOTE] Last I checked, the welfare state was on welfare because they either couldn't or didn't want to take the jobs that immigrants are taking. Talk to the welfare state, man. If they start moving towards wanting to work, then they won't need to be on welfare ... do you see where I'm going here? Immigrants [i]do[/i] take the jobs no one else wants -- who wants to pick tomatos and lettuce all day, everyday? Perhaps meat packaging and processing is more up your alley? I think not. Immigrants make up a huge percentage of our agricultural business in America. [QUOTE]Also, I'm pretty sick of the "everyone's decended from a Eurpean immigrant" shtick. My family tree comes from Native Americans and Africans didn't exactally come here to escape persecuation. So no, not everyone in the United States is decended from persecuted Europeans. And most of the ones who are had ancestors who came over legally.[/QUOTE] You're right, however our nation was founded on persecuted Europeans. Reading the Constitution would reveal this to anyone -- that people come here to escape persecution and poverty for a new life. Furthermore, I don't see you yelling at all those immigrants that hopped over during the Great Potato Famine. Yeah, they came legally -- we also didn't have quota laws back then. See my point? We lessen quota laws, we can have legal immigrants. [QUOTE]As for English, yes I do think that here in the United States where the unofficial official language is English, immigrants should have (and I'm glad to become a citizen you have to) at least a good grasp on the English language. I'm sure if it really becomes an issue, Congress can make English the official language. When I go into another country, I do my best to use my knowledge of their language whenever I can (Spanish, French, etc.) or try to learn at least a few phrases to get by or go with a friend who speaks the language because I respect the different cultures and don't go in expecting everyone to speak English.[/QUOTE] Fair enough. I don't really feel all that passionately about this. [QUOTE]I'm not going on some right-wing narrow-minded rant. I'm ranting about how those breaking the law are complaining because they have the chance to here while others who are willing to follow the law can't get in because they aren't in the country right next to a U.S. border.[/QUOTE] Oh really? lol. Tell a starving family to follow the law and wait twenty years before coming to America. I'm sure they'll take it in stride and suck it up. ;)[/size]

[quote name='Anime Elf']...It's not possible to decide where you're born into, but if you work hard you can rise above it, and that's the way it should be. You shouldn't knock someone more qualified off the list just because you fit a quota.[/quote] [size=1]I guess you missed the part where I posted. And I've never heard such a blind, idealistic statement in my life. "If you work hard, you can do anything!" I'm sure that works in Pokemon, but not in real life where you are bound by socioeconomic factors completely out of your control. Sure, working hard might work for 5% of people less fortunate than yourself, but the reality is that it just doesn't work. Not everyone has an equal playing field, and Affirmative Action seeks to level it a bit.[/size]

[quote name='Aaryanna][COLOR=DarkSlateBlue']As for the official language bit I know that for the state of Utah it?s English. ^_^[/COLOR][/quote] [size=1]Unfortunately, you're wrong. There is no official language, but English is the [i]de facto[/i] language. A bit of research might help. ;) And I think that everyone agrees on the fact that our immigration laws require immediate revision. The question is which way do they need to be revised? I'd personally say we need to allow more people to become legal citizens (that's called being naturalized, right?) per-year than we currently are. That's a huge part of why people come over illegally -- because there's just no room for a Mexican family to get through.[/size]

[QUOTE=Aaryanna][COLOR=DarkSlateBlue]First of all I think people were missing what [B]Derald[/B] was trying to say. There?s nothing wrong with having an attitude that in spite of the negative things happening I won?t let it drag me down. Not once did [B]Derald[/B] say he wasn?t going to do anything. You don?t have to be part of some big movement or political stance to make the world a better place. I think that people often get so caught up in thinking they are a part of the big picture that they forget the little unnoticed things that make a difference. Like conserving water, recycling, using light bulbs that take less energy. Making sure to vote on the issues you understand. All of these are little things that make a difference. For myself I actually intend to be a vet. I want to work with organizations to help end animal cruelty and further educate people on caring for their pets. It?s not a grand scheme but I think it?s important. As for other world issues, if I can help I will, but I?m not going to lose any sleep if it?s something I can?t really do anything about. [/COLOR][/QUOTE] [size=1]It's more of the "I'm ignorant and proud" thing that everyone pounced on him about. It's rather ignorant to be happy about the world when it really is a sad, unfair place.[/size]

[size=1]No one has mentioned the fact that nearly half the American economy is running off the sweat of the immigrant. On the day they stayed home from work, half (or more) of food processing plants for companies had to shut down. Entire construction firms were out of business. Without them, America stops -- I think that's what the strike day taught us. Sure, life went on as usual for most folks, but imagine the long-term effect of having half our manual-labor jobs stop. This is the thing no one is doing. Everyone says to lock down the borders, to ship 'em out and let 'em eat sand. Sure, we can do that. However, everyone pushing for that should also own up to the fact that our plummeting economy would take a nose-dive. I don't think I'll even break out the "America was founded on immigrants" argument, since no one really listens to that anyway. No one really wants to own up to the double standard being set here -- People want immigration to be legal, and once they get here, lock down the borders and keep them dirty mexicans away from our precious country. Essentially, that's what you're saying. Your ancestors probably fled Europe for one reason or another -- The Great Potato Famine, WWI, WWII, whatever, and it's a relatively similar dynamic occuring in South America. [B]Edit:[/B] ...In retrospect, I did end up breaking out the "America was founded on immigrants" argument. Funny how things work. [B]Edit 2:[/B] As for the "Speak English, you're in America now," that really bugs me. This is precisely why no one likes America. No one likes our pig-headed, narrow-minded, isolationist point of view of the world. Take Europe, for example; most Europeans know two or more languages, and they're completely fine with not speaking their native language in their country. I just think that although they are coming here, and illegally at that, we should still have an open mind and meet them half-way. And thinking about it now, alot of Hispanics know English... at least as much as they'd use at work. On top of that, does America have an official language? Didn't think so.[/size]

[QUOTE=The13thMan][FONT=Century Gothic] [COLOR=DarkOrange] I totally understand that America isn't the perfect land of opportunity. I just have problem believing that AA is the answer. I believe that instead of having AA we shoud just spend money to better those school systems that are really sh***y. That's another thing that bothers me. I believe that all public schools should be equal throughout the nation. I think we need to spend more money in education, give teachers higher salaries, buy new books, buy computers, buy a lot of stuff. AA is only ignoring the wound that is our public education system.[/COLOR] [/FONT][/QUOTE] [size=1]Everyone knows that throwing money at the problem won't help things. It never will, and it never does. People have tried for decades to give money to schools in the hopes they'd improve. In the end, the people are the same, and no one really wants to change anyway. Yes, buying new and better stuff would help, but I went to a school that was 10 years behind technologically, and it was the best middle school in the county -- far behind those rich kids as far as our stuff went. The wound in our public education system can and never will be fixed through money alone. And no one's really acknowledged the fact that all minorities are more economically crippled than Whites -- everyone plays that fact down as if it doesn't matter, and they expect minorities to perform as if we all have an equal playing field.[/size]

[quote name='Zero Tolerance][COLOR=Red']You make very beautiful works of art. Maybe you should consider a career in graphics arts.[/COLOR][/quote] [size=1]Alright, Zero Tolerance. Welcome to Otakuboards. Here on OB, we expect a certain quality to posts. For a great example, look at Kanariya's post right above yours. Do you see what Kanariya's has that you lack? It's substance. Your post does nothing to help the artist. If they've done something well, please tell them what they've done well. If it's not perfect, tell them what they could fix. A "great job!" will do nothing to help an artist improve. I'm getting somewhat tired of reposting these warnings on post quality, folks. Let's pull things together.[/size]

[QUOTE=Derald][FONT=Trebuchet MS][SIZE=1][COLOR=Sienna]"What do I think my generation will do?" There is never complete certainty in predicting the outcome of events, but I will say this: I don't care. How can I say this? I can say this because, regardless of tomorrow's conditions, regardless of how people live their lives tomorrow, I will feel joy within myself. I am my own being, I have my own life, and that makes me happy. Being happy is all that one needs to live a full life, regardless of what the world might dictate - seeing the world, learning new things, whatever makes you happy. So, in the end: Whatever tomorrow might bring, I shall be there, and I shall live on knowing that I am happy.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/QUOTE] [size=1]I'll second that, The13thMan. People like you, Derald, are why the world is in a continuing downward spiral. Those who say "Whatever happens, I'm happy, and I don't care, because I feel joy within myself" are apathetic in times of the greatest need. I know you're a learned guy, and the world needs people like you to push humankind forward. We don't need people who sit back in contented with their own life, despite the world's suffering. We don't need those who will be happy no matter what, when the world needs change. Anyway, I look to tomorrow with great hope. I hope that the world will change for the better, and that I can play some small part in it. I want to do something to move humankind forward -- I think that's the meaning of life.[/size]