Our School System is Failing Today’s Children

No basketball hoops in sight

The playground apparatus here is just a symbol of how the system has diluted the need for individuals to excel and come out on top of the heap. I think the idea of this toy is to not have them play a competitive game with a possible winner and a possible loser. If a ball goes in over the top it will come out of one of those 3 holes and I guess is supposed to support sharing.

Well the reality in life is that there are winners and losers in everything and sharing is a choice thing and should not be mandatory. We used to play pickup road hockey for hours and the score would be like 125 – 122 when we had to go home for supper and no one cared. We decided how to change the teams up to make it a little fairer and thus we learned how to negotiate on that playing field and no one got upset.

The teaching profession that wants to homogenize the system in such a manner that the cream does not rise to the top is failing the entire future of our culture. But not to worry, those that have the penchant to excel will find a way once they get away from this neutralizing method of teaching. Sadly, the ones that lose out are the average and above average that can learn how to do better with proper coaching. Those that don’t try will always fail and it seems that is OK by these new standards. Those that don’t try still pass today but that teaches them nothing useful.

All I can say is thank you to all my teachers that pushed me to do better because you were right to do that. I hope the Mr. and Mrs. Milktoasts of today’s teaching profession retire soon and make way for a new breed of “Get It Done Better” and “Seek to Excel” because that is doing the student justice.

I Built My Own Website

And it turned out pretty good, in my opinion (but I am really biased, lol).

Using Wix.com and a lot of tricks I learned in past marketing jobs, it turned out to be much easier than I first envisioned. Yes it helps to be computer literate for sure (more than 30 years using various forms of personal computers) and one of my past jobs exposed me to a graphic’s house that is no longer in business, largely due to the fact that you can do so much on a good PC yourself.

One of the tricks I use in graphic design involves the use of my Nikon Coolpix camera and my daily walk throughout the neighbourhood. I take pictures of things that interest me that Mother Nature presents me with on the casual journey and then I go nuts in my copy of Adobe Photoshop that came with my HP computer. It is hard to tell sometimes what the original photo was as shown below with the original shot of cracked asphalt and then the morphed version which I use in some way on each page to tie it all together and add some graphic interest to the pages.

Yes the original became this

Some of the pictures and graphics have mouse overs to the pages within this blog and that is my way of entertaining folks with a sort of “where’s waldo” game to add some more interest. The website is a serious attempt at getting into Internet marketing design and other versions of marketing (such as writing quality copy) as a part-time/full-time endeavour for me.

I even have the unashamed audacity of asking folks to donate (same as here in my blog now) to my quest to help pay for mouse batteries and the start-up costs. Well, you do go out and pay for entertainment and my thoughts are that my site is more entertaining and informative than most (but I am really biased, lol).

No doubt, the site will get revisions and additions and that is the beauty of Internet marketing and publishing. It is not etched in stone like a book, DVD or other hard copy media. It is dynamic and only your imagination creates limitations on what you do.

If you want a website built or need some quality copy for any business need, please feel free to contact me on contact page on the website (keeping it simple really does work).

If you forgot the name, let me be so bold as to remind you here—martelsmarketing.com which is the URL for the full name martels marketing stuff. 

(My last name is Martel, if you haven’t guessed. Yes, I do like to keep it simple).

Dumb Azz Behaviour 102

...it continues.

The following are some of the things that you can use to easily identify a dumb ass in action. A smart person can also lose sight of their senses and perform dumb azz behaviour so do not be so quick to judge others lest you be considered a dumb ass as well. (Did that one myself right at the time of penning this). It is a vicious circle like dumb and dumber and I include myself as a long standing member of that group.

Today I went for my "daily" walk (now 3rd in a row, seems I am a dumb azz for putting those walks off for so long).

Anyways I saw a dumb azz in action making one of those 50 x 16 concrete pads for the driveway. Seems they needed to make a cut in the concrete (expansion joints I figured) using one of those industrial circular saws on steroids with like a 12" or bigger circular blade. So he starts cutting away with no eye protection and no mask over his mouth and nose. I bet he complains that he is short of breath, coughs a lot and at least he didn't have a butt hanging from his mouth. Thankfully, it was a nice breezy day and the cloud of dust was blowing away from my direction while I walked by. I still covered my mouth and nose until I was clear. I ain't no dumb azz as one friend keeps reminding me.

And here are my tax dollars at work locally in a parkette called Cove Lookout. The bench looks sort of appealing but it is set back from the "view" and all you get is iron fencing mostly in your view.

And when you approach the gate to try to get to the actual lookout, you "kent" get there because it is padlocked. 

No doubt, the local neighbours made that happen since this was probably going to be a local hang out for the mischievous young ones in the neighbourhood on warm summer nights. Some dumb azz politician probably agreed to doing this since the land is not that suitable for building a house like the two flanking it on either side. So there goes a good idea gone bad because the politicians didn't bother to think the process through to completion.

...and apparently in Arizona a 39-year old instructor was accidentally killed by a 9-year old student shooting an Uzi machine gun at his shooting range. If you are going to train someone to use firearms properly you do not let that child hold that weapon on her own. It is sort of like trying to teach someone to drive for the first time in a Formula 1 racing car. It seems he was not qualified to teach gun safety and paid the price for his own stupidity and that child will never be the same now. So sad.

Dealing with Fibromyalgia (FMS)

Knowing someone that has this condition caused me to search out WebMD which is my go to source for all things medical that I know very little about. There are also many other sources if you just take the time to google them.

Fibromyalgia syndrome affects the muscles and soft tissue. Symptoms include chronic muscle pain, fatigue, sleep problems, and painful tender points or trigger points, which can be relieved through medications, lifestyle changes and stress management. (Not much point in altering the overview that is in WebMD because it does a very good job of providing a detailed statement of this condition).

It would seem that women are far more prone to Fibromyalgia and studies show that men have seven times the serotonin in the brain than do women. About.com defines serotonin this way.

Serotonin is a naturally occurring chemical in the brain (a neurotransmitter) that is responsible, in part, for regulating brain functions such as mood, appetite, sleep, and memory.

There is no known cure for FMS (Fibromyalgia Syndrome) so things like medication, diet, exercise and supplements like 5-HTP and Melatonin are some of the things that help bring the condition under control. Like most medications, the addition of alcohol into the system is counterproductive and should be avoided.

It seems that regular exercise is indeed one of the most important treatments and is something that all people who have the condition can do in one way or another. WebMD suggests daily walks, stretching, swimming, yoga, tai chi or Pilates as some of the exercise programs that will help with FMS. Studies have shown that exercise does restore neurochemical balance in the body and triggers a positive mental state. With diet it seems to vary from person to person so reading the detailed section on FMS and diet in WebMD is suggested here.

So for me the understanding of FMS tells me to not add to her stress levels and do things like go for a long walk when that opportunity presents itself. The stretching exercises are something I would enjoy too and get benefit from but I think Pilates is not a good choice since I really wouldn't look real good in tights. I also think humour helps since that is known to relieve stress and making someone happy has its own rewards so both get a nice fringe benefit out of that one.

One of the realities of today’s world is we are living longer but that also means that we will also be presented with more medical conditions than our ancestors. Helping others cope with these conditions is all part of this and goes beyond just visiting a doctor who only treats symptoms and does not live close enough to the patients environment to truly understand how that all works together. Support comes in many forms and a wise person supports those in need because their turn will soon come.

If you are unsure of the symptoms of FMS, then keeping the WebMD link for these is very useful to help both parties in knowing what they are; both the person with the condition and the one who does not have it, which helps the latter to understand what the former is going through on a regular basis.

Sometimes the Funniest People are the Saddest

Another Facebook status line that speaks to the truth of the matter. Another said that today is the day that the laughter died, well it certainly feels like that but I think when the pain goes away we will look back at all the joy that Robin gave us and remember him for what he truly was--a comic genius that somehow lost his way.

You are a great loss and promise I will not forget you. Nano, nano.

Just imagine the act now there up in heaven, Robin now gets to play with George (Carlin) and Jonathan (Winters). The laughter will never stop there so the only pain they will feel is in those good hurt rib splitting laughs that one gets when you can't even breathe because you are laughing so hard. I bet they are playing "I can make you split a gut better than you can". I bet they are all really happy there now because they deserve to be so.

Dumb Azz Behaviour 101

The following are some of the things that you can use to easily identify a dumb ass in action. A smart person can also lose sight of their senses and perform dumb azz behaviour so do not be so quick to judge others lest you be considered a dumb ass as well. (Did that one myself right at the time of penning this). It is a vicious circle like dumb and dumber and I include myself as a long standing member of that group.

When using a computer they search incessantly for the ANY key.

When asked to help with making split pea soup, they ask where they can find the pea splitter.

They try to go water skiing on land and use anything remotely close to skis to travel on gravel, grass, pavement, or all of the above while being towed behind a pickup truck, often in heavily populated areas. Dumb asses seem to attract other dumb asses very easily. Must be the wavelength they are on—extremely short with very limited range.

They put their hand on the stove burner to see if it is hot.

They eat food out of the microwave as soon as the tone rings for the timer.

They put their hand inside cages to pet animals that are showing signs of attack.

Never had a cat that looked like that!

They give machines guns to monkeys to watch them play. (That one is on the Internet, prove that you are not a dumb ass and go find it)

They leave animals in locked cars in the daytime in the middle of heat spells.

They leave children in locked cars at anytime. A child is too valuable to leave unattended for any reason.

They try to move a mobile home using two trucks to tow it. Yep that is on the Internet too. They were semi successful in their move.

I would think that this person goes to a store that has an all no-meat meat section probably at a local Walmart maybe. I think the cows and pigs, for example, that saw their last light of sunshine in a slaughterhouse, might think differently about being harmed in the process of preparing the meat for sale at the store. How does someone like this cope with the daily stuff? Maybe you should have paid attention in school when they talked about that stuff instead of checking out the latest chia pet toys from Ronco or whoever sells that junk now, on your cellphone. Amazing that you can actually use one of those.

Most every politician is basically a dumb ass because they can't get a real job and so they get lost in the whole political system and come up with some really dumb ass ideas or statements like the one in the picture below. There is one simple reason they do that because someone pays them to think that way. They are called lobbyists but are also just dumb asses.

Solar and wind energy would be the way to go if it were not for all the dumb asses trying to protect the nonrenewable resource/energy businesses that fund the politicians' campaigns and other stuff. It is all about the money for dumb asses, now ain't it.

Advice for Dumb Asses - 1

This is a lost cause of course, since a dumb ass "never reads nothing" fully and only sees what they want to see. This is the first in a whole series of posts about these idiots designed to direct the frustration we all have with existence of this type of individual in our society. I truly believe that it should be a crime to be a dumb ass and you should serve prison time for such actions.

I decided not to post the picture of Tony Stewart here because the dumb asses would think I was calling Mr. Stewart one. A tragedy in car racing took place last week in which Tony just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time along with the driver that was killed because he wasn't thinking clearly in the aftermath of his current situation and left his disabled car much too early and was now in a very unsafe position.

The subsequent events which happen in just a few blinks of the eye resulted in his death. Because this track is a smaller venue with poor lighting, there will likely be no useful video available to even begin to look at what really transpired. This type of situation used to be resolved in the pits back in the day when I first started watching car racing. The track is not a good place to resolve differences of opinion and one could even say that the actions of the other driver are in the area of being a dumb ass move but I choose not to judge on that since I was not there.

In my opinion, NASCAR and other racing bodies are mostly to blame for this type of incident. There insistence on controlling every aspect of the racing environment has spawned this "good for TV" idea of taking out your frustrations in the public eye right in the middle of the race. Go kick the snot out of each other in the pits like they used to. Your body will heal and produce more snot but a car and a human being is a really bad match. I think NASCAR management are the true Dumb Asses in this situation.

Sadly Tony Stewart, Kevin Ward Jr. and his family are now suffering the consequences of that over controlling approach to sport that is so prevalent nowadays.

Its all about the money now, ain't it.

The Definition of Country

As per usual, this story was triggered by a friend and, in this case, one who lives in Alabama and was raised in Louisiana and also Alabama, out in the country. She is living in a bigger city now and yearns to return to the country which is just a desire to return to her routes. So shortly she will embark on that path in her personal life’s journey.

I think the Hollywood and television stereotypes are largely to blame for corrupting the correct definition of what country truly means. As my friend put it, that is the definition of a “hick”, you know the one with the overalls and the straw in his mouth and “kent hardly spake plain ‘nglish”. So we think that folks who talk with a drawl are all not so bright, and as I have “larned” that is so far from the truth that you might as well be living on the moon, child.

Sign just outside Hicksville

I see country as having the old-fashioned values and living a less stressful life chasing after the next “Bimmer” (aka BMW, a very expensive and show-offy car). True country folks are humanitarians, are warm and kind, friendly, love to have fun and will bite you in the ass if you attack their friends or family. They defend what is valuable to them in the same way that a momma bear protects their young—they will go for your throat if you try to hurt them. That does not mean they all are gun-toting crazy violent people. Every part of society has those. A gun for country folks is a necessary tool used to protect all that is valuable and to hunt for food as well.

I used to be in favour of gun control (for other reasons) but now I have made a complete turnabout on that subject. The Evil Elly’s of this world (crime and gangs) will always find a way to get them no matter how you try to restrict it and gun control laws will only cause friction with those that need those tools for their own self-preservation.

So I have “larned” to have great respect for the values that exist in the culture of being country. For me, an excellent model of that on television is the role that actress Pauley Parrette plays on the immensely successful show, NCIS, named Abby Scuito. Despite the outward trappings of her “Goth” look she is pure country.

The real Tuohy family (well part of them really)

And another terrific example is the portrayal of Leigh Anne Tuohy by the very believable Sandra Bullock in the movie, The Blind Side (she got an Academy Award for Best Actress for that one). The storyline is a semi-biographical description of the development of Michael Oher from a life of despair as a child to that of a successful team player in the NFL, but the real story is the depiction of how country is and not the incorrect “hick” portrayal. Leigh Anne is one mean momma bear in action in that movie and also the warmest, caring loving person on this earth. Blind side is about protecting the spot that a quarterback cannot see but it is more about protecting those spots that the family cannot see and that is what a momma bear does best. The drawl is toned down for us northern dumb asses.

So do your best to cast off the incorrect assumptions of what the world would like you to believe, as I am doing now. They still love you and they have this great ability to forgive if you show them respect. They are not as dumb as a rubber boot. They possess smarts that you cannot even begin to comprehend since most of us are caught up in the wrong value chasing program.  That’s why most of them drive pickup trucks because that vehicle is more well-suited to sharing. You “kent” move the stuff around that the important folks need as well in a car or mini-van, although the latter does work well. My friend considers a car as a secondary vehicle and she has owned some muscle cars that lots of the boys would die for.

The drawl is nothing more than a local dialect and does make it more difficult to communicate meaningfully at times, as I have found out, but it ain't impossible to figure out, also something I have found out for myself. So all you have to do is ask to repeat something or spell it and explain it and off you go into a whole new world of “wow I never thought of it that way” because we both say that now.

Seems some words get shorter, like "I don't know" is now "I dunno" and others get longer like "mushroom" gets an extra syllable and becomes "musharoom" and others gain a new sound like "of course" becomes "of coorsh". It is called lazy speak by some of these nice country folks and is not really lazy at all it is just more comfortable and softer for them like a big old sofa would be.

And the drawl is something that seems to imply that smarts and a large vocabulary are not present there. Nothing could be further from the truth as I recently experienced in a telephone conversation with one just intelligent southern gal. Her vocabulary includes things like quintessential mentor and connotation since she helped me with my thought process on  a topic we had going on. And yes I needed spellchecker for the "q" word. Not what you would expect from a "redneck" country girl at all.

Country folks have patience for those that really try. If you don't "unnerstand" what is going down well then don't be a dumbass and just ask. They will take the time to explain it to you. Watch a momma bear teach her children and you will see that in action.

Country folks are pretty special people so do your best to show them the respect they so richly deserve. They make the world a better place and “Don’t you forget it or I will tar your behind”. That is not a threat, that just shows they have commitment and care enough to get their point across. They often use stronger words than those but you can use your imagination or tick off a southern belle for a proper example of the two-barrel response they will give you.

Redneck has confused the whole issue since Hollywood makes them out to be “hicks” too. The reality is that a true redneck is one and the same with country. It is just a synonym and nothing more and Jeff Foxworthy is an example of a smart man making lots of money out of us dumb booted northern folks with his portrayals of a redneck. He ain’t no dumbass, but his audience sure has a lot of them in it. Recently saw him on a talk show and his drawl was almost completely gone probably due to his work on quiz shows and travel all over the world.

Maybe I should start a line of books like the for Dummies series but these would be like Country for Dumb Asses and How to Handle Yourself in Public for Dumb Asses and kind of use by Foxworthy/Carlin approach to the subject matter.

Hell I might even read that more than once. Never fear, Dumb Asses are trainable. I know I am one of those in that category.

My Knight in Tarnished Armour

What tarnish?

Once again got a terrific trigger (writing idea) from a new friend on the Internet and this one is one half of a very nice couple that lives in Louisiana. (Armour is spelled with a ‘u’ ‘cause I’m Canadian and damn proud of it, lol). As I understand it this is her second marriage and her new hubby is working as a truck driver so he is not at home all the time.

So her new interpretation of how a marriage works successfully revolves around the idea that he earns the money and she takes care of their castle. So since he is her Knight there is a reason she calls it tarnished and that can be interpreted in so many ways. I don’t know all the real reasons, but he could be older, maybe not going to be featured on the cover of GQ, maybe his job is such that he comes home a little tattered, etc. etc. It really doesn’t matter what the real reason is.

What truly matters is she accepts him for what he is and nothing else matters. They truly love each other and we must suffer that in alliance chat in the game because our teeth hurt so badly for all the sugar in the air. Truthfully, we are all just jealous. More couples could learn from this approach to making a successful relationship in life and the divorce courts and lawyers would go broke in the process. If you ain’t got no work, you ain’t gonna’ get paid now are you!!!

Here’s a challenge for you put all those parasitic lawyers out of business. Start by working on your relationship with someone special of the opposite sex. I do take my own advice too. Some work is really worth the reward.

All I can say to the couple in Louisiana is “Good for you”. They got it figured out in time. We are all dead for a very, very long time. Stop wasting valuable time and use it more wisely just like you would with electricity. Maybe turn off the stuff you aren’t using and save it for what is important—the here and now.

my momma said i was born perfect, so im not tarnish

I see that as Southern Pride speaking and it all depends on how you view the definition of tarnish. It can range from minor blemishes to severe surface damage and I think she sees them all as in the first group. As you go through life, it is quite hard to do all things perfectly but working at it all the time gets it real close, reaalllly close.

Communicating Clearly in Internet Chat Rooms

This is really a very simple task so there is no rocket science being discussed here. Most chat rooms have a limit on how much text you may enter into it each time so keep the messages brief but not so brief as to not make your point understood. Often people use acronyms like those used in text messaging and nothing is more confusing than that new language used today due to the limitations of the latest cell phones.

As an example you might say “Mount Gay is OK but I prefer Cockspur” but that may only confuse the other folks so you might want to broaden it to “Mount Gay rum is OK but I prefer Cockspur rum both from Barbados”. They are both brief messages as chat windows go but the second one provides a much clearer message to the readers since you are indeed painting a picture with words.

…If you want to send us a gift a nice bottle of Cockspur Old Gold will do nicely, thank you

Some rooms allow you to copy the content which is a great way to deal with content that is in another language and I happen to use Google translate and Word to deal with it and paste back a response in another language. It isn't a perfect way to deal with it since the translations are not perfect all the time but it does make it much more understandable. (Like Zorro means a male fox and Zorra is a female fox in Spanish).

Sometimes chatting is easier to do than talking on the phone with another person on the Internet as I recently found out with my new friend in Alabama (I happen to live in Canada and haven’t been down the Deep South in some time).

…Creo que ella está hablando Inglés, pero no entiendo lo que está diciendo
…Lorenzo she lives in Alabama and that is what is called a southern drawl and hers is very strong, just like her personality
…No puedo hablar demasiado tiempo en el teléfono con ella porque me duele la cabeza de tan concentrado, lol
…Just be patient with her and ask her to talk a little slower and don’t get her mad
…You will have to ask her oldest son to work as a translator then, lol
…Yo puedo hacer eso con seguridad, ella es muy divertido
…Yes she is and we always look forward to talking with her
…She is smart and understands that it is difficult for us and will use Facebook chat to continue talking and has already started off slowing down her speech for like the first 10 sentences in the call

If you didn't understand the conversation there, then try using Google Translate to follow it to give you an example of what is going on. Lorenzo the Lover is talking in Spanish if you did not get that.

Games are about having fun and winning is the result of having way too much fun.

… ¿Qué quiere decir cuando dice "huh"?
…It means No entiendo, or what or eh (pronounced like day) if you are Canadian like us
…but it could also mean WTF if you use something that catches her by surprise
...Ella dice que soy muy dulce, como la barra de Mars ???
...No you bozo, sweet like in caring and thoughtful

…La bella zorra es muy divertido y ella es hermosa tanto en el interior y el exterior
…We totally agree!

...I think we have a new member being added to the team
...Red the Redneck
... ah OK he has always been here but we never noticed him like Dick the Detective
...Dick and Infinity the Internet Explorer ( who never uses Explorer ever, btw) have been really busy of late studying stuff together

Bella Zorra

The Justice System has been replaced by the Legal System

Once again I have Marty to thank for this latest trigger. Haven’t seen him in over 6 months but that doesn't matter much for good friends. He always provides a new twist on life for me and inspires a new topic and that is the true definition of a muse thanks to the help of another very new friend. (Facebook chat does a nice job of storing past conversations so I found the word muse there since it is not one I have used in the past and it is a good one). More ostentatious people call that a luminary but neither of the two friends I mention here are even close to that description.

Somehow the justice system got taken over by the likes of bankers, lawyers, doctors, pharmaceutical businesses, politicians, judges and the like. The latter two are mostly all sourced from the lawyer pool anyway if you really do look at it closely.

Marty and I both worked at a golf course together that held many charitable golf days and we got to see so many of those individuals at work arriving in their ultra expensive cars and showing off their latest expensive acquisitions (they really don’t know how to play it seems. Golf is still work for them and the day is about making the right “connection” and not about having a fun time gathering monies for a worthy cause).

The justice system used to be about doing what is right for others. The legal system is more about what you can get away with now and how much you can charge for that “service”.

(supplying aids or services rather than products or goods: Medicine is one of the service professions.

Lawyers learn early that they are best at their profession if they really do nothing and delay the resolution of any matter and thus improve the billing cycle for themselves. I cite Gary Bettman as a prime example of that in his role as the Commissioner of the NHL. He never played hockey or any other sport well I would think and yet he thinks he has the skills to drive that business. Driving it into the ground is what he does very well in my opinion. Note to the owners of the NHL franchises: I can do that for a lot less money if you like, but you never know, I might actually improve stuff there for all parties.

And since the rest of them come from the same pool of sharks (lawyer school), you get to argue your problem with the graduates of first stage "lawyering" aka judges, politicians and government in general. And so you are just arguing with the folks that drive the legal system that perpetuates poor solutions to a simple problem. The guilty get reprimanded and not punished and the system just charges fees for that service. It is a system that is measured in dollars now and not in how often justice gets served in the right proportions.

Marty continues to work at a golf course and still gets to see the retired ones in action and mostly on Monday to Friday since they still go to work on those days at the course but never on a weekend since they are there too but now on the golf course enjoying their “days off”.

I think I need to run a course on how to retire successfully and it has not so much to do with money. It is more about taking on the right attitude. You worked your butt of to retire so learn how to enjoy yourself in those years. Don’t’ fall into the trap of working Monday to Friday.

Oh yah this is Monday. I forgot I was having too much fun today and the day has only just started really. More fun is set up for later.

...Bran the Businessman is permanently retired

...sorry that is not quite correct

...he is dead

An Invitation to DW and TBC Folks that Played POTC

Both Bozoplay and Stuff thoroughly enjoyed meeting wonderful new folks in that game but seems Disney had to spoil that awesome time. And after we got over being thoroughly pissed off, Stuff came to his senses and ditched the game forever and so did Boz. What was the point of playing it since most of those friends would not be there.

They were players like Battle Kitty (Why was I not surprised she is a feisty read headed lass), cheeky (a natural born killer yet he saves lives in real life, go figure), D4 (happens to be a proud father of 4 wonderful children and Infamous Samuel happens to be one and played for TBC also), Puss (who is a master of playing the game within the game. How many bimmers did you drive in that game, lol), Petey (who made sense out of a madness and even Blackbeard was sorry after all of it. Both of them are nice people), Arrr Missy (who will definitely read this because she likes the way I write) and NORSE QUEEN (the upbeat and super happy gal from Alabama that gave Stuff her phone number in the first conversations they had. Stuff is gonna’ call her, as soon as he gets up the nerve) and a host of so many other folks.

But I have Smartly Gus aka Paul to thank for getting Stuff into Battle Pirates and woke up Bozoplay who had been sleeping there for over a year now. It ain’t your mother’s game no more. Kixeye made it way better and they even ban

players still who don’t play by the rules. On a scale of 1-10 it is close to a 10 and POTC would be around a 6 or 7. We are rallying the troops there and had only 3 on day 1 and now about 12 or more on day two so it is going slowly still.

Let me tell you some of the neat things about the game that POTC didn’t have

  
Communication with other players exists in local and alliance chat but is a lot smaller so you need to be brief (which is trying on both Boz and Stuff) but it has private messaging with any player in the game

·       You eventually can have 16 fleets and one of them is your base defence fleet
  
You get to build the base any way you like with an advanced 2D Base planner and you can save them so you could drive your opponents crazy by flipping them.

There are several ways to get better than standard researched items in missions and events. The former pop up occasionally and you trigger the 3 day span within a week timeframe. The events are level dependent so you qualify for them when you reach those levels and play them at your convenience. Uranium is sort of like gems but I haven’t figured that out. Will ask the nice folks here what it does later.

You don’t have to jump to neighbouring sectors since they are all linked together so travel time is the only consideration. You might want to jump to sector 900 if you are in 200 for example. That would be a slow boat to China

You can individually control each ship in a battle.

And a gazillion other things that you are just going to have to come here to see for yourself

So I am enticing you to come to Battle Pirates by Kixeye and join in the fun with friends again and get DW back to what it did best—friends having fun playing games together. Stuff and Petey, I know will help Jens with the reformation. Stuff has already started it in sector 241.

Games are about having fun. Winning is the result of having way too much fun. Come join us here and act like happy children having more fun than a barrel of monkeys with an unlimited supply of bananas. We really hope to see you here because we miss you a whole bunch. Mix some Chiquita bananas with some Cockspur rum and other stuff and we are there, lol

…Otto when are you going to sleep through the night for a change
…who’s Otto? Otto the Out of Leftfield Guy and he gets his best ideas it seems at 4 in the morning
…we all have an Otto in us. If you want to know more dig into my blog

Playdom is indeed dumb after all aka Playdumb

Maybe read the creative righting at the bottom--kind'a says it all!!!

They decided to just drop the game Pirates of the Caribbean that so many were playing on Facebook and where so many friends were made. They say that it is so they can focus on making new games and better ones. I suggest to them that they do not bother since they have just permanently pissed off so many of their current customers. No one in their right mind will bother to buy their product in the future.

The real truth revolves around how much money they are making versus server costs and they just decide to say it is not worth it.

So I suggest to Playdumb that you just shut the doors down to your entire operation because I will never play another game that you bring to the marketplace simply because you do not care about what makes your company successful in the first place—your customers. So I say to you reading this article and just say no to Playdom for forever.

We are all endeavoring to find another game that has alliances and will try to rekindle those valuable friendships there. Please suggest likely options below as long as they are not a Playdom product.

And maybe read my previous post on the future of online games.

And as the story further develops it appears that Disney is the one behind all of this and is laying off folks in Playdumb so you do see that Disney is not the family-friendly organization that he purports to be. Boycott Disney if you have the option and find a place to visit that is indeed caring about its customers.

Disney, the company that could care less about its customers and its employees, it would seem!!!

Some of us are working together in Battle Pirates by Kixeye and attempting to resurrect the DW family there but it is a slow process so stay tuned for further developments here.

I will be writing a new post describing the game in greater detail for those that are not familiar with same but it is similar to POTC with a more modernistic look to it such as missiles for weapons and it has been around for some time and does not appear to be going anywhere soon.

To those in Pearl and DW, we have lots of room for you so please come and join us for a game that is more like a 10 where POTC would be a 7. It is different but it will grow on you in the same way.