The "controversial" (*gasp*) survey

[01] Do you have the guts to answer these Q's and re post as The Controversial Survey?
I couldn't resist :-)

[02] Would you do meth if it was legalized?
Would you stick your finger in a power socket if it didn't have a cover? ie. "No".

[03] Abortion: for or against it?
As a former fetus, i'm against abortion. We don't like being poked, prodded, or pulled, and certainly not poisoned. Why do all bad things start with "p"?

[04] Do you think the world would fall with a female president?
The world is already fallen - false premise. Second, the anti-Christ will almost certainly be a man, so I think we can safely say that a woman can ruin the world, but not cause to fall. Men already took care of that nicely.

[05] Do you believe in the death penalty?
That sounds funny, like you're not sure whether or not it exists. Yes, I do, for extreme cases beyond a shadow of a doubt. Repeat rapists? Pedophiliac rapists? Homicidal dictators from Iraq? Yeah, i'm good with that.

[06] Do you wish marijuana would be legalized already?
Heck no. Prohibition for the world! If you ban the soft stuff, the harder stuff is that much less cool. Imagine – the world's anti-drug police start busting people for millions of dollars of cigarettes confiscated. How nice a world would that be? Judging by the survey, it sounds to me like the author was kinda focused on the whole drug use thing.

[07] Are you for or against premarital sex?
Against – it's a simple formula: m + f = b. If you don't want 'b', don't add m + f. God says don't do it, which should be reason enough, but from a social standpoint it's the suicide of society to have a generation of broken families.

[08] Do you think same sex marriage should be legalized?
There's no such thing. No matter what the bleeding hearts call it, it isn't marriage. As for same-sex civil unions, no, I don't think they should be legalized. Gay people have the EXACT same rights that the rest of us do. We are 100% equal in the eyes of the law – we all have the right to marry someone of the opposite gender, gay or straight. Isn't that comforting?

[9] Do you think it's wrong that so many Hispanics are illegally moving to the US?
No, you're correct – many hispanics are illegally moving to the US. lol. The solution: any US company that is caught employing illegals pays a massive fine according to their annual income, and gets a black mark for a year. The money from the fine goes towards busting other businesses. No jobs, no illegal immigration.

[10] A twelve year old girl has a baby, should she keep it?
How did she get a baby? Her public education system should have told her that abstinence is cooler than preteen motherhood. OR, some son-of-a-gun made that choice for her (see #5 - Do You Believe in the Death Penalty). In any case, punish the perpetrator and not the child. Send to a relative, send for adoption, or raise with help. So many options...

[11] Should the alcohol age be lowered to 18 years old?
19 seems to work pretty well for Canada... it keeps it out of the High Schools. Wait, no, everyone drinks underage. Nevermind. o.O

[12] Should the war in Iraq be called off?
Yes – the insurgents should lay down their arms and give the West a great big group hug! Somebody sing hippie songs! It takes TWO sides to make peace, and only one to continue a war. I'm betting against a general end to combat.

[13] Assisted suicide is illegal: Do you agree?
Yes, it is illegal. Congratulations.

[14] Do you believe in spanking your children?
Absolutely not! I have no children. But if I did, and they needed it, I would spank them. I needed it, i'm sure at least one of mine will.

[15] Would you burn an American flag for a million dollars?
Most likely... but i'd burn a Karl Marx flag for $0.25. Funny world, ain't it?

[16] Who do you think would make a better president? McCain or Obama?
Well, McCain would save the children and kill the Country. Obama would kill the children and possible save the country, at least financially. Tough call. Can we just change the system so it doesn't encourage power-mongerers and liberals from clamoring for power?

[17] Are you afraid others will judge you from reading some of your answers?
Terrified. Mortified. Stoopified – by... well, no actually. That's the beauty of Democracy – the right to say what you like, as long as it isn't politically or socially incorrect... wait, that's not what I wanted to say...

Zeefourtwo

Normally I give you a little summary of my story, tell you why you might like it, and post a link. Well, that's because i'm normally quite happy with my work. I don't write crap. You might not like it, but at least it's something.
Well, this time, I offer no flowery words to get you to read my latest work. I'm not at all happy with it, and I would just delete it if the thought of killing my own work didn't bother me so much. So, here it is. If you don't like it, please don't tell me, because I don't like it either. I think I took a good idea and completely butchered it beyond salvation. Normally I would try and fix it, but I wouldn't know where to start with this one. If by chance you do like it, I would be very interested to know why, and hopeful that it may be redeemable somehow. Who knows...

Anyway, here it is. Enjoy!

The Story That Killed a Thousand Men

In ancient Arabia, a furious Sultan scours his palace for a traitor. How tall is this fatal tale?

You can read the entire story here, at FaithWriters.com.

* * *

So, a fun fact for anyone who cares. :-) I'm thinking through a concept that I have for eventually writing my first play. Will it happen? Will it even be worth reading? God alone knows...

Stay tuned.

Jason's Army

My second story of the Fall is complete! "Jason's Army" follows a young victim of extreme bullying as he works to defend himself by forging an army of children.

This was a longer work than most of what I've done recently, mostly because this story simply could not be restrained to less than 750 words (as most of my recent stories have been). "Jason's Army" is available to be viewed at FaithWriters.com. Please leave me feedback if you read this story! I like to connect with my readers. I know there are a few of you out there :-)

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You can now show your support by "Following This Blog" one the right panel on this page!

MNL Stories on FaithWriters.com

I'd just like to remind TruthyReport readers that you can view all of my stories from Summer-Fall 2008 at FaithWriters.com.

I'm very exited to see that several of my stories have been read by more than 50 people so far! They are (in order of popularity):
97 - Lady Spring
81 - Antipode Avenue
78 - Beard Brush
57 - UEF Bismark
55 - The Big Day

Presumably, "Captivo" has also received nearly 100 hits, but FaithWriters does not track readership of contest entries.

Your feedback is always appreciated. I love to receive mail regarding my stories.

TruthyReport 3.0

Version History:

v. 0.1 - basic blog & opinion site.
v. 1.0 - site upgraded with full profile, regular features.
v. 1.5 - blog now follows MNL projects.
v. 1.7 - blog now has regular features & a new layout.
v. 2.0 - blog now focuses primarily on MNL projects - rants are secondary.

What's new in this Version:

v. 3.0:
1. A new layout - archives moved down, mini-profile moved up.
2. New features - "On This Day in History" added for interest sake. There is now a bandwidth speed test at the bottom right, so you can see if your internet connection is as fast as you're paying for!
3. Google AdSense - Every time you click on an ad, it donates $0.10 to The Truthy Report, helping to fund my many MNL projects! For instance, CreationContest.org's costs can be covered if TruthyReport readers click on ads 100 times - that's just ten people clicking ten times each in a month.

Future:

More upgrades are plan for the future, as The Truthy Report continues to adapt and expand!

***

ZionData has also been updated with the new layout changes, a link back to The Truthy Report, and Google AdSense.

Also, as more of a footnote to most readers than a major announcement, I have introduced a new blog called CS3Data which will share with readers the many fascinating things that I discover in Adobe CS3 Programs, primarily Adobe Photoshop.

A School Shooting

My first short story of the fall semester, "The Third Gunman" is an intense window into a school shooting motivated by racial hatred, with Jesus' name standing in the middle.

~ Read "The Third Gunman" at Faithwriters.com! ~

As with all of my stories, it is written with a subject-appropriate level of violence, and contains no foul language but one misuse of the word "hell."

Calling All Sane-Minded People!!!

NBC is taking a poll on their website to find out if Americans really want "In God We Trust" taken off the money. Here's our chance as Christians to stand up and tell them how we feel by simply taking a minute to go to their website and voting!

www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10103521/

CreationContest.org

My latest MNL creation launched this month --> creationcontest.org.

CreationContest is a FREE online publication. There are no entry fees, no monetary prizes, and no scams. We exist to promote and encourage talented writers such as yourself, both casually and professionally.
- Excerpt from creationcontest.org

Check out the site for more details! Everyone is welcome to enter a short story into one of these two contests, both amateur and professional alike. Once all entries have been received for this round of stories, readers like you can vote on your favorite!

Enter your story today!

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There's a new post on ZionData! Read "What God is teaching me this August."

The Big Day

"The Big Day" is my latest short story, which follows the father of a bride-to-be on her special day. It's not about making a political point, and it's not about expanding the horizons of your imagination. That's what my other stories have been for. No, this story exists merely to place you in the life of the protagonist for a few hours of his life. This story is about real life.

Inspired by my sisters' upcoming wedding (congrats, Jen & Doug!!!), this story strays miles away from our lives in an attempt to write a wedding story that does not in any way reflect upon the one that we're about to celebrate. Which is certainly a good thing because--well, you'll see. Or read, as the case may be.

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In other news today, i've launched a new blog for my personal devotional notes, sermon notes, quotes, and other things that encourage and teach me in my faith. Please feel free to take a look around from time to time, and I pray that it encourages you as well! As with all MNL sites, I will mention any updates to that blog here at The Truthy Report. To see my new blog, check out ZionData (accessible from the right sidebar from now on).

BIG NEWS now regarding my game, Minions of Battle: anyone who pre-registers before the game launches will recieve one free donation level. Click here to learn more about donation levels, and why you really want one. With each donation level (a $5 value), you get more perks and great features that average users don't have access to.
PLUS: e-mail to register at minionsadmin(@)gmail.com (remove the braces) and mention that you saw this notice in The Truthy Report, an you'll get a second donation level FREE. This is a very time-limited offer, so please e-mail us right away if you are interested. Even if you're not sure, why give up free stuff? Please help support this game by signing up. Thanks!

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ZionData has also been updated with a link back to The Truthy Report, the revised layout, and Google AdSense.

UEF Bismark

The fifth short story of the summer is a surprise return to my writing roots - science fiction. Bearing some resemblance to my 2002 story "Diamond Genocide," "U.E.F. Bismark" follows the crew of a warship from Earth, commanded by the warmonger Colonel Brack.
Discover a new world, a new race, and an analogous commentary on violence and morality.

***

Your non-word of the day is "drow-non". You can reach your own conclusions about what that's all about. :-)

MOB Affiliates

To drum up support for my upcoming game, MInions of Battle, I am now looking for friends and friends of friends who are interested in exchanging banners or text ads that will cross-advertise with each other's sites.

If you own a website, a blog, a profile to your graphics or writing work online, a fansite, you name it - I want to affiliate with you.

Why affiliate with this site?
Affiliation increases the number of visitors to your site exponentially, in a process know as chaining. When I affiliate with Site1, I start recieving visitors from Site1 and my site. When Site1 is affiliated with Site2 and Site 3, I start receiving visitors from all three sites. A visitor that googled Site 2 can visit Site1 through Site2's affiliate links and then find my site in Site1's affiliates page.

Confused?
The short version = affiliating with my site means exponentially more visitors to your site(s), more replies to your blog, more feedback on your portfolio, and more people buying your products & services.

Don't have a banner ad to exchange?
Depending on your site, I will either make one for you for free, exchange text links, or make other arrangements with you.

You can FB message me to reply to this note, or simply e-mail us at minionsadmin@gmail.com.

www.minionsofbattle.com

My Second Fable

It can't really be explained. Read and enjoy, my fourth story of the summer: Beard Brush. Yes, it is a little strange. As explained in the forward, this story is a little more offbeat than I've been writing lately, but I hope that you will enjoy it anyway.

As always, your feedback is appreciated.

***

Truthy fact: bananas go bad faster if they are covered and sealed away somewhere. Bananas will last longer if you leave them out in the open at room temperature. Weird.

MOB Domain

A little update for you on the MOB website - some advanced functionality has been implemented behind the scenes. Users won't actually see it for a while yet, but you can feel better knowing that it's there.

In extremely happy news, Minions of Battle can now be accessed via minionsofbattle.com!

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Your non-word of the day is "proregression," [pro-re-gress-tion]. The on-again, off-again pattern of progressing and regressing.

MOB Website Launches!

The year-long wait for a Minions of Battle website is over! Check out our new site at , which features a few new tidbits of information on the game, as well as a link to our game forum.

Check out this link for the official release thread.

***

In other MOB news, our second programmer has been hired, and will begin work tomorrow morning. This recent hire should put us back on track for a summer release of MOB's alpha testing version, leading later to a beta testing version, and hopefully a full public version to be fully playable before the end of the year. Depending on ad revenues & donation levels, we may be able to take months off of that timeline. More details will follow, as always!

The Classica Chronicles

My first project at WEbook is "The Classica Chronicles," described on-site:

"The Classica Chronicles" follows numerous classic characters, beginning with Ebenezer Scrooge, in an 18th century world populated by the people and places made famous by such authors as H.G. Wells and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. TCC takes a fresh look at these characters and examines the implications of their personality and life, and even other paths that life might have taken them if only events had transpired differently than in the original accounts.

I wrote this tale off and on throughout early 2008, and this is its first public showing! I hope you enjoy it; I know that I really enjoyed writing it.

MNL on WEbook!

Continuing in my endeavor gain exposure and pursue growth in my writing, I have now joined WEbook, a new site that has great promises for up-and-coming authors. I'll reserve judgment until I find out for myself, but the site appears to be useful. In the future, you may be able to access some of my writings at my WEbook profile.
I am also adding a link to the right side of this page, with my other MNL links.

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Your non-word for the day is "fope" [fo-pe]. A bright look to the future with the understanding that something amazing is on the horizon. ie, "He had much fope despite his current standing."

Bringing MNL Projects to the Forefront

My Geocities page, defunct since 2005 (made so by the advent of my former permanent website) has just got it's first update in 3 years. Several images and links were added, all pointing to various MNL pages that are mentioned in previous posts on this blog, as well as this blog itself.

If you're unfamiliar with this technique: the more websites that you have linking to you, the better you do in the Google search listings. By linking from my old Geocities page, as well as from this blog, several of my sites have leapt up in the rankings. Please link to my sites on your own pages, blogs, forum posts, etc! Your help is greatly appreciated.

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In other news, the Crosswalk.com "Toss a Topic" challenge #10 is currently being judged. "Antipode Avenue" got a less than stunning review compared to "Lady Spring," but it's not out for the count just yet. I'm considering making several key changes for future reprint of the story, mostly revolving around how the characters are identified, and the final action at the end.

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Your non-word for today is spreadiferous. [Spread-if-er-ous] . Something that effectively reaches out to far away corners in an attempt to be noticed. ie, "MNL sites are attempting to become more spreadiferous of late."

MOB Updates

More updates have been added to the "Official Announcements" topic on the MOB forum.

Check back often to see how the game is progressing!

Also, quick links have been added for your convenience on the right side of this page, so you can now access my various project pages directly.

FWD: And you thought spying was easy yesterday

No comments are really necessary - check out this news clip i stumbled upon.