Mister Zero

I try to support mom and pop businesses, I've even worked at a few, but they always go under. Not everyone sees things the way we do. It's like when someone says "I don't do _____ because it's bad for ______." Well, for the one you, there are probably 50 others doing the opposite. You can't win, it's sad but true. The only way things could possibly go the other way if a huge majority of people got together and quit going to Wal-Mart, or using paper towels, or any of those other things. Just like America's government right now. It could only TRULY change if 3/4 or more of the population banded together and made them change things. They're not going to listen to a select few who know exactly what needs to be done. It would almost take a revolution of sorts. As of right now, about half of the population or more don't even follow politics so they have no idea what's even going on. Same with the Wal-Mart shoppers- people go to Wal-Mart for convenience and don't care or even know that it's eating up all the smaller businesses in the area.

I think you captured it pretty well. I didn't know you were so artistic!

thats awesome, unknown. i'll be the first to say thanks, mainly because i'm the only moderator really on right now. that's quite a contribution toward our cause and very much appreciated!

I haven't had much trouble with things made in China that weren't made of wood(furniture made from compressed fiberboard and No. 2 pencils come to mind). I have a lot of tools made in China that stand up as well as any. The skateboard decks you buy at Wal-Mart aren't made for people who can actually skate already- mainly beginners. Real skaters will already have some real brands they like and put together their own boards with different decks and good trucks and wheels. Sure, you can get quality brand names that aren't made in China, but they'll usually just be made elsewhere, like Taiwan, Vietnam, or India. Not much difference, really. I've found clothes made in Vietnam and India are generally pretty well made, albeit maybe from a sweatshop? =O As for other goods at Wal-Mart, you can usually buy them elsewhere, but I think because of how Wal-Mart buys in bulk or sets up liscences with the companies it works with, the prices are generally lower. So, sure, you can find them somewhere else, but Wally world's got a grip on them and you can usually find stuff cheaper there. Is it right? Who is really to say. The companies choose to do business with them, so they must be doing something right.

I guess I'll have to recheck the site! What would we do without our Areala, Proudly Made in the U.S.A.! I just bought MagLite tonight and they're still made in USA, too!

The link didn't bring me to a story. I buy a lot of retro stuff.. good bit of it is made in the USA. Usually better made than it's counterpart today, too.

Really well-made site and something I haven't thought about in a long time.

There's a Sonic fangame in the works.. hopefully Sega won't shut it down because it looks really promising. More here.

I'm starting to wonder if this is a game that's so bad because it may be ahead of the time or the next step in a movement and we just don't get it yet. I've not played it and I don't feel that way, but what if it's true?

Really interesting review, I'm glad I didn't shell out 60 bucks because I would not have liked this game. The flashiness of it almost drew me in with the previews but hearing about how the game is set up bugs me. I actually didn't like the random battle systems of the FF games, it was one thing that annoyed me, so I'm glad they changed that. It wasn't ALWAYS a problem, but when I was trying to progress the story and not fight, it got on my nerves terribly. I was always a fan of Chrono Trigger and EarthBound's battles, where you first see the enemy and then fight, sometimes having the choice of whether or not to fight at all. Regardless, it's still not enough to change my mind on the game. The battle system does seem interesting, for the most part. I don't like how you only control one character and that when you die, the battle starts all over again. Overall it seems like they really dumbed the Final Fantasy series down with this installment. I expect a lot of long-time fans to drop off after this, or I at least hope they do. As for the FFVII series entrants, I'm sure they'll eat it up.

I agree with Areala. It bugs me sometimes online, but I can always look it up or find the subject heading. What I hate is how often they're becoming used in real life. The thing that bugs me most is how fast food joints now seem to use them more often on their billboards. Phrases like "LTO" and the like. Hell, I can't remember the rest because they were so obscure. The acronym MSRP(manufacturers suggested retail price) is used a lot by car dealerships even though not everyone knows what it means. I can understand why these are used in place of the full phrase, but you'd have to be an avid TV commercial junkie to catch it.

That's pretty amazing. I still can't beat the first level sometimes.. =/ Depends on how crazy the machine gets with me.. Donkey Kong on NES is a lot easier it seems like. Guess I'm pretty behind on the DK scene. I just watched Fistful of Quarters:King of Kong the other day. That movies way outdated now!

I liked Super Sonic.. it gave me a reason to collect the Emeralds. It really disappointed me in Sonic 1 when I went through the trouble of collecting all the emeralds only for a slightly different ending. I imagined something awesome was going to happen, but it didn't. In Sonic 2, they made something special happen and that was Super Sonic. My favorite thing about him is basically the added speed that it brings to the gameplay. I don't so much like the invincibility but it's probably added because at those speeds, you'd run into every enemy. Usually by the time you collect the emeralds, you're pretty deep into the game already. Super Sonic brings something new to the gameplay. You can always not get the emeralds, but I think they've come to play a big part in the storyline. Really, they always have- even in the first game, where they unlocked the real ending. Why don't you like the inclusion of Super Sonic? The only problem I would have with him is if I were hoping Sonic 4 would be more like Sonic 1, which is prettymuch what Sega told us in the beginning, so it's understandable if that's the reason. You can also say Super Sonic is somewhat cheap or a way of cheating. This is true to a point, but you have to remember you gradually run out of rings as time goes by. You can also still die from being smashed and pitfalls, so it's not a win-all. I don't mean to make a debate really, I just thought everyone liked Super Sonic!

I was just wondering if everyone else is as addicted to this forum as I am. How often do you check this site every day? Do you even leave the site/log out? I usually check the forum every time I hop onto the net and check my e-mail/etc. If I'm not working that day, I'll be on quite often. After work, I'm here a lot, too, after I do my real life stuff and spend time with the family. What about you?

Definitely a priveledge. I can see what they're going for, I suppose, if they mean everyone should have a chance at net access. Of course, there will be applicable fees.. So I wouldn't go as far as to call that a right. Free speech, persuit of happiness and net access!! ...? The net needs regulated on some level; I suppose the only people with the power to do so is the government. I mean, we have to be aware of terrorism, hijacking, and abuse of all sorts somewhere along the line. If we had free reign all over the net(which we almost do anyhow), things would grow out of hand fast. I don't really like having my privacy infringed upon, but if it protects someone in the world I guess it's not the worst thing ever. I just hope we don't see the day when everything is monitored and checked up on with no warranted reason. This might already be happening, I don't know. This being said, I don't think the almighty dollar should have such a strangehold on who gets picked out to pay the price for piracy. I understand copyright infringements but I don't think making a child pay a million or even thousand dollar settlement validates downloading a 5 minute, 5 MB song. This, to me, is a misuse and unnecessary infringement of our personal internet privacy.

New Sonic 4 News! Super Sonic will be in the game! The method of unlocking him is still unknown, but it should include the collection of Chaos Emeralds! News from: http://www.xbox360achievements.org/game/sonic-the-hedgehog-4-episode-1/achievements/

Is this it, E-Day? http://www.sweetselecta.co.uk/Bubble-Gum/Eye-Poppers-Bubblegum/226 They're not giant sized but the flavor might be the same. "What madness is this? Multi-coloured 'Eye-popping', mega sour bubblegum! So sour, yet so good. And with 5 bubblegums in each packet, you'd have to be crazy not to love these." Those sound really good as I love sour candy. I used to eat these sour Super Bubble or RainBlo gumballs that were pretty awesome back in the day.. I remember only one store stocked them so my friend would always have his dad stop by there before we'd go to his house for the weekend. Well.. maybe we're talking about the same thing, check it: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000UU6JVE/ref=asc_df_B000UU6JVE1038564?smid=A10FX8LF7ENPX9&tag=nextag-gourmet-mp01-delta-20&linkCode=asn&creative=380341&creativeASIN=B000UU6JVE

That first one is close, except it was opaque blue and had a little face like a hedgehog and the spines looked sharper. I guess those types of balls are called hedgehog balls in general, but this one had the look of a hedgehog.

It doesn't matter. To me, birthdays count. Actually, I was just thinking of my fourth, when I got my NES Action System with the dual cart Super Mario Bros. and Duck Hunt. BEST GIFT EVER! I still have it to this day- 22 years, 40 something games and a new 72-pin connector later. My dad was always greedy to play it in those early days, so I kind of get the feeling looking back that it was a bit for him as well as me.

These things were great! I've seen them in stores again but only a few times. They looked almost exactly the same as they used to, card and all. This reminds me of something else I found when I was a kid: The year was 1992 and I came across this blue palm-sized, air-filled ball, with spikes on it. It had a face and it was called a Hedgehog Ball. It reminded me of Sonic so I bought it. Does anyone know of this toy? I really want to see it again.

Very cool! Congrats Areala, well deserved indeed!

Sam Neil is one of my favorites, he never disappoints. Bob Hoskins has a quality I really like about him, too, great movie star. Other than those two I agree on John Candy, Harold Ramis, Dan Aykroyd and Bill Murray. Those SCTV guys can't be beat. Speaking of SCTV, there's supposed to be a classics show coming to TV this month(Mar 2010). Schwartzie is another favorite in action flicks, and of course you can't forget Bruce Lee, Brandon Lee and Jason Scott Lee who always have good performances.