Is not scary when a author has a crazy person kill someone. It is expected of the character to behalf in this manner. We know that the character has no other choice but to be a deluded murder who kills for no reason. What is scary is when the author creates a character who seems perfectly sane and has a perfectly valid excuse for killing someone. It causes the reader to question their own sanity as they watch a normal person, such as they perceive themselves, who uses their higher-decision making processes to choose to kill a person. What does this mean? It means that people are more scared of sanity than insanity. A crazy person can only be seen as a helpless killer, someone to be pitied. A seemingly sane and identifiable man provides people with more discomfort because that can recognize themselves in that character, calling in to question their own state of mind.

This is why Crime and Punishment sucks. So, HA!

I went to a very bad mental place today.
I don't like it when I go there
but I can't always help it.
I'll get stuck on a train of thought
and it will just keep going and going.
It's like I'm watching a really bad tv show.
The show just keeps getting worse and worse.
The plots are confusing,
the characters are shallow and immoral,
and then everything just gets really depressing
and I feel really bad.
I try to change the chanel in my head
but I lost the remote or the tv is broken.
I wish you were here.
You make the bad thoughts go away.
I try to think about good things,
like seeing you again
or talking to my friends,
but by that point my mind is so numb to pleasure
it hurts.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that
I miss you a lot.
I know I've never said any of this to you before
but it's how I feel.

I love you.

Hell is sold on EBay
Devil has officially retired.

Heather Bird, a Phoenixville High School student, is now the official ruler of The Eternal Lake of Fire. The Sea of the Damned unexpectedly switched hands when Bird purchased the Pit of Doom on the popular auction site EBay. Hell was purchased for 35 cents.
“I don’t know how I got it so cheap,” says Bird. “I guess people thought it was a hoax or something.” On this subject the Satan, the fallen angel had this to say. “I have to admit, I expected a bit more money. It is the Eternal Home of the Sinful and Corrupt after all. It’s not like I need the money, but it is a little disappointing.”
When asked why the devil, Dark Lord of the Underworld, decided to sell his place of residence and business he replied, “I’ve been getting on in my years, that’s for sure. I’m not the same Great Tormentor I was two thousand years ago. I just need to take a break for awhile.” He continued to say that he was optimistic about Bird’s managing skills. “American teens,” he said, “are some of the more original and creative groups on the planet. I’m sure that Miss. Bird will do a fine job taking care of tortured souls of the damned.”
God was tried to be contacted in order to be questioned on his opinion of the transfer of The Land of the Doomed. He was unable to be reached but we assume that he is o.k. with the transaction.
Bird plans to renovate the entirety of Hell, starting with some of the lower regions of hell. “I’m looking for a more Spanish Inquisition feel. And then maybe some classic Roman interrogation routines for a bit of texture.” Well done, Heather Bird, well done.


For those of you who do not go to my school or know anything about me, Heather Bird is a very nice girl in my Journalism class who sits near me and my friend Chrissy. She is a delighfully zany person who desearves to have the world falls into her lap. I'm sure she will manage Hell with fairness and common sense. Good luck to her.

Life Styles: Web Comics- The New World of Humor

With the invention of the internet, technology and information exchange were completely transformed. However, these are not the only things that were affected. When people think of comics they immediately think of Superman and $1 booklets. But the internet revolution has allowed underappreciated or unknown cartoonists to get their shot at fame, or at least a small cult following.
Web comics, as they are called, are generally short and updated weekly. The art work is at times questionable but occasionally you can see some really artistic talent shining through some of the smallest web comics. They are growing in popularity and some are becoming particularly famous, especially with teenagers and techies. There are also internet versions of already famous comic strips like Dilbert and Zits. Most of the comics you love and enjoy from your local newspaper have their own online archive that is easy to access and maneuver through.
They are grouped under several categories. There are Fantasy (dealing with the supernatural or mythical creatures), Furry (for children), Gaming (video-game related humor), Geeky (pertaining to unpopular tastes), Manga (Anime and Japanese-like artwork), Mature (for adult only), Quirky (clever humor without classification), Sci-Fi (science related), Weird (unusual topics), Workplace (having to do with work or employees), and Genre-less Comics. You do not need to be fluent in 133+ or be an adolescent to enjoy the humor of some of the better web comics.
Mega Tokyo is one of the most admired web comics and was so popular it was published on mainstream press. It is another gamer comic, with a hint of Magna, about video game lovers and their misadventures. At times the humor does venture outside of common knowledge and into the realm of pure “nerd-dom” but it is still a very good comic. Fred Gallager, the writer and artist of Mega Tokyo, has a great sense of humor and is a talented artist.
Ctrl+Alt+Del is the second most popular gamer web comic. It written by Tim Buckley, as known as Absath. The name refers to computing's most common three-finger salute. Ctrl+Alt+Del’s slogan is "Tragically l337," a nod to the ‘tragically hip’. The strip features a pair of gamers, Ethan and Lucas, as the main characters, as well some of their friends. Most of the humor in the comic concerns video games. There is very little continuity between strips, with Ethan being killed in numerous violent encounters and returning unscathed in the next comic.
Some of the web comic originals, such as Counter Culture, could easily make it in mainstream publishing. However, the cartoonists of Counter Culture, Jawa Boy and Omi, consider comics their hobby rather than their real job. Their artwork is anime oriented but also very original. They enjoy posting their comics and they prefer to keep Counter Culture on the web. Counter Culture is a spoof of Wal-mart and K-mart employee that has a quirky sense of humor that is truly unique. The comic can be found at: .

(Cartoon from Couter Culture, written by Jawa Boy and Drawn by Omi)
The internet is also the home of Nightmare World (www.nightmareworld.com). As described on his website, Nightmare World is “[Aaron] Weisbrod’s wild idea for a online serial anthology that could showcase both his own love of ‘EC Comics meets The Twilight Zone’-style horror as well as the artistic talents of the various up-and-coming Golden Goat Studios artists looking to showcase their work online.” All the comics are written by Weisbrod and drawn by Golden Goat Studios artists. Although books are sold with the complete anthology of Nightmare World, it remains mostly as a web comic, though it is of a higher caliber than most other web comics. In my opinion, it has by far the best graphics and artist work online today. It is a serious horror web comic that it truly scary and very original.
Although a lot of web comics cater to the taste of their small following of web surfers or to the writer’s personal taste, there are several web comics that stand out that appeal to all audiences, like those listed above. For more information about web comics or some web pages, like , list hundreds of web comics for your reading pleasure.


The last three entries are articals I wrote for Journalism class. There is one more coming, a fake news report. I hope you like 'em

German Trance Sensation Comes to America

By Me: Sascha Mario Klein, AKA Neuroticfish, along with Henning Verlage, the longtime live-keyboarder, co-producer and remixer, has come out with a new, fantastic album called Gelb. The album has been the CD OF THE MONTH in February’s Issue of the famous German Indie-Magazine Zillo. Released in Feb. 7, 2005, the CD features German electro-pop and trance (a subgenre of electronic dance music that could be described as a melodic, more-or-less freeform style of music derived from a combination of techno and house) styles uniquely woven together to create an all around kick-butt CD.

Those familiar with Neuroticfish will be pleased with the continuation of awesome music. The pre-release single “The Bomb” has detonated and reached position 2 in the German D.A.C.-Charts for the week of 4-24-05 through 4-30-05. It also became a club favorite all around Europe, though mostly in Germany.

Neuroticfish first made its appearance in the US with its single “Sushi.” In August/September of 2003 Neuroticfish with a group of extremely talented friends played a short tour along the East Coast of the United States. They’ve won new fans, met new friends and got a new record deal with Dancing Ferret Discs of Philadelphia. Philly soon became Neuroticfish’s favorite U.S.-home base.

As in all techno music, lyrics come second. Although at times the lyrics are deeply introspective and profound, they are meant to be enigmatic and loose. Klein admits on his website, “The lyrics are very important elements of my music but can only be defined by my interpretation. When I sing the lyrics it feels like they have their own life. If the lyrics are printed down I fear that they may become impersonal and lose their spirit ...”

People hearing Neuroticfish for the first time said, “The music is awesome…” and “It is good dance music with a strong beat, and though there are minimal lyrics, it adds to the [music].”

Most surprising is the cover version of the weird 60’s hit ‘They are coming to take a me away’ by Napoleon XIV (made famous by Tom Lehr). It is already becoming a club hit.

Several reviews online of Gelb have reported it to be an unsurprising and wholly unremarkable album while still being far from bad. I think this is an unfair assessment that is based on the comparison between the ground-breaking previous works of Neuroticfish to his more current works which follow the same strand of thought. Neuroticfish is a consistently good musician with an abundance of talent. Gelb is sold in both mainstream and alternative music stores across the country.

Music Review: Flogging Molly
By me

At first, people raise an eyebrow when they hear about the splice of Traditional Irish Folk and punk which is Flogging Molly. The mixture is not as strange as it sounds. In fact it makes sense. The fast pounding drumbeat brings the already heart racing music to a whole new level. Flogging Molly has brought Irish Folk Music out of country pubs in Ireland to punk clubs all over the world.

Flogging Molly is a group of Irish-Americans from Boston. Their love of old Irish Drudges and punk music fused together to form the fantastic songs on one of their best-selling CDs Drunken Lullabies which was released 2002. All of the songs feature, at the very least, guitar, bass and drums, but additional instruments including flutes, accordions, fiddles, mandolin and other apparently not-so-punk-rock instruments.

This band is truly original. It is like Rancid playing Irish folk songs. They sound fantastic and are even better when they perform live. Their songs vary from the fast moving “Rebels of the Sacred Heart” and “Another Bag of Bricks” to the mournful “What’s Left of the Flag” and the slow and sweet “Death Valley Queen.” The lyrics are intelligent and memorable. A few lines from “What’s Left of the Flag” are, For there are many ways to kill a man… But son, a bullet from a shapeless guise Leaves but the shell of a Thompson gun.

Flogging Molly first released Swagger in 2000. After Drunken Lullabies they went on to produce Alive Behind the Green Door and Within a Mile of Home, both in 2004. It is a rumor that their single, “Drunken Lullabies” was pulled off the radio after a year by the band because they didn’t want to sell out. Now that is commitment to art.

The band has been on the Warped Tour and the Green 17 Tour. They have performed on Late Night with Conan O’Brien and have toured nationwide with the ska/punk sensation the Mighty Mighty Bosstones. If you want to see them they will be performing in Philadelphia March 4 at the Trocadaro. More information can be collected from their official website www.floggingmolly.com. Check them out for yourself.

More than you ever needed to know about Sleeping Beauty.

http://www.clas.ufl.edu/users/cmartin/LIT2120/studentwebpages/ASJ/EuropeanPage.htm

Briar Rose is also a short book but someone else. Its 84 pages long and sitting in my school bag waiting for me to show it to my teacher. I plan on writing a 14 page paper on Sleeping Beauty and its adaptations (e.g. how the story was changed, why was it changed, how was the different story used to communicate the authors message). There is actually a whole lot more to that last one than you would think. The story of Little Red Riding Hood was altered in order to be past around the French Court in order to warn the ladies of evil old rich men who wanted to steal their virtue.

Invader Zim is a minor deity.

Good Bye for now folks.

I am presently at work. I work at the local public library. I feel guilty calling it work since they are basically paying me to sit in a chair for four hours. I am not complaining, but sometimes I feel as though I'm ripping my employers off. And here I am. I'm not even sitting in the chair I'm supposed to be in. Instead I am mindlessly wandering the internet like a little lost lamb. I have no idea how a little lamb would behave if it were to become lost nor do I think that the lamb would reliease that it was lost for a very long time. Perhaps that is the definition of the term. You wander around, not realizing your lost and that is what makes you a little lost lamb. If only I had a brain.

There is a verse in a Presidents of the USA song "Lump" that talks about a girl who stood in line to get her brain but the one she got was rotton and insane. Sometimes I feel like that. That same song has the line, "Life limped along at subsonic speeds." Once again, I'm not sure what subsonic means, but I doubt anything with a limp could move that fast. I like that song. It's catchy.

I didn't have a very satisfactory Christmas. All my family was away doing Germany or their ex-wife. Oh, I forgot to tell you people. I have decided to hate my brothers ex-wife. I'm not the sort of person to hate someone, usally. I try not to make a habit of it. However, there is a special place reserved in hell for that women, so I don't feel so bad about hating her. Besides, most of my family doesn't like her either. She's kinda (makes high pitched whisling sounds and twirls finger around her temple).

(this paragraph was deleted for diginity reasons, sorry)

I miss a lot of things. I miss my old creative writing class. I miss my friend Sara and her friend Megan. I miss all the relationships that I let slide, because I'm an inept moron like that. I've been called a very bad name by someone who used to be my good friend. But most of all, I miss not having to work hard to get good grades in all my classes. I know that all this hard work can only be good for me, but I would still like to get straight A's for very little effort again. It hasn't bee a good year.

I'll write more later.
Mark

It is three days till Christmas and I still haven't completed my shopping yet. I do not plan on being very extravagent when buying gifts for my friends but I still need to get them a little something.

Back to Gorillas in the Mist.

A high school teacher from NY had broken his ankle while playing basketball. He received standard treatment from his local hospital. After his cast had been removed, he was still in pain and had a slight limp. Aspirin and other pain relievers became ineffective. Taking a friend’s advice he went to see an acupuncturist. After having two sessions a week for a year his pain had greatly subsided and he lost his limp. This teacher is just one of the many people who have benefited from trying unpopular, or alternative, medicine.
Alternative medicines include treatments such as acupuncture, specialized diets, and reflexology. Some of these practices, such as the kentogenic diet, are formally recognized by scientific doctors and are used regularly in their practice to treat epileptic patients. Other alternatives medicines, such as aromatherapy, are more experimental and relies more on the attitude of the patient rather than the healing power of the treatment. Doctors are worried that the public will neglect formal scientific treatment when seriously ill in favor of these unproven and sometimes superstitious cures. Several alternative treatments are based on far-out spiritual theories and age old myths involving ideas such as the chi, life force, and the ki. These practices are collectively considered ridiculous by mainstream doctors. However, despite their mystic characteristics, could there be truth behind the old wives tales?

This is not actually a post. This is my homework. You see, my school has this online PowerVault which allows the student to access their documents in the school system. However the system was down last night and I couldn't get into this document. I am putting it on this blog so that I can get to it even if the system is down again. Better safe than sorry.
Marke