LucifersPearl

Name: LucifersPearl
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07/18/08

Thought this was beautiful...

Okay before you comment on this know that this is

Tony

June

Tony

This

barb

in no way a political post and I don't want that debate started here I just thought that this was a very moving and wanted to share...
Snow, R.I.P.
1, 1955 - July 12, 2008
Snow's Testimony on Life & Death
is a beautiful testimony on life and death from Tony Snow, President Bush's former Press Secretary. A Catholic convert, aConservative writer, commentator and broadcaster Tony Snow announced in 2005 that he had colon cancer. Following surgery and chemotherapy, Snow joined the Bush Administration in April 2006 as Press Secretary. On March 23, 2007, Snow, 51, announced the cancer had recurred, with tumors found in his abdomen, leading to surgery in April, followed by more chemotherapy. Snow went back to work in the White House Briefing Room on May 30, 2007, but resigned once again due to illness. Earlier that month, on May 12, 2007, at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., Tony gave an inspiring 118th Annual Commencement Address for the graduates at Catholic University of America. Here is a link to Tony's commencement address, "Reason, Faith, Vocation." At age 53, Tony, a husband and father of three, passed away in the early morning hours on Saturday, July 12, 2008. We pray for the repose of his soul that Tony be taken to his Heavenly reward, if not already. Below is Tony's testimony on life and death.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

'Blessings arrive in unexpected packages, - in my case, cancer. Those of us with potentially fatal diseases - and there are millions in America today - find ourselves in the odd position of coping with our mortality while trying to fathom God's will. Although it would be the height of presumption to declare with confidence 'What It All Means,' Scripture provides powerful hints and consolations.

The first is that we shouldn't spend too much time trying to answer the 'why' questions: Why me? Why must people suffer? Why can't someone else get sick? We can't answer such things, and the questions themselves often are designed more to express our anguish than to solicit an answer.

I don't know why I have cancer, and I don't much care. It is what it is, a plain and indisputable fact. Yet even while staring into a mirror darkly, great and stunning truths begin to take shape. Our maladies define a central feature of our existence: We are fallen. We are imperfect. Our bodies give out.

But despite this, - or because of it, - God offers the possibility of salvation and grace. We don't know how the narrative of our lives will end, but we get to choose how to use the interval between now and the moment we meet our Creator face-to-face.

Second, we need to get past the anxiety. The mere thought of dying can send adrenaline flooding through your system. A dizzy, unfocused panic seizes you. Your heart thumps; your head swims. You think of nothingness and swoon. You fear partings; you worry about the impact on family and friends. You fidget and get nowhere.

To regain footing, remember that we were born not into death, but into life,- and that the journey continues after we have finished our days on this earth. We accept this on faith, but that faith is nourished by a conviction that stirs even within many non believing hearts - an intuition that the gift of life, once given, cannot be taken away. Those who have been stricken enjoy the special privilege of being able to fight with their might, main, and faith to live fully, richly, exuberantly - no matter how their days may be numbered.

Third, we can open our eyes and hearts. God relishes surprise. We want lives of simple, predictable ease, smooth, even trails as far as the eye can see, - but God likes to go off-road. He provokes us with twists and turns. He places us in predicaments that seem to defy our endurance; and comprehension - and yet don't. By His love and grace, we persevere. The challenges that make our hearts leap and stomachs churn invariably strengthen our faith and grant measures of wisdom and joy we would not experience otherwise.

'You Have Been Called'. Picture yourself in a hospital bed. The fog of anesthesia has begun to wear away. A doctor stands at your feet, a loved one holds your hand at the side. 'It's cancer,' the healer announces.

The natural reaction is to turn to God and ask him to serve as a cosmic Santa. 'Dear God, make it all go away. Make everything simpler.' But another voice whispers: 'You have been called.' Your quandary has drawn you closer to God, closer to those you love, closer to the issues that matter,- and has dragged into insignificance the banal concerns that occupy our 'normal time.'

There's another kind of response, although usually short-lived an inexplicable shudder of excitement, as if a clarifying moment of calamity has swept away everything trivial and tiny, and placed before us the challenge of important questions.

The moment you enter the Valley of the Shadow of Death, things change. You discover that Christianity is not something doughy, passive, pious, and soft. Faith may be the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. But it also draws you into a world shorn of fearful caution. The life of belief teems with thrills, boldness, danger, shocks, reversals, triumphs, and epiphanies. Think of Paul, traipsing through the known world and contemplating trips to what must have seemed the antipodes (Spain), shaking the dust from his sandals, worrying not about the morrow, but only about the moment.

There's nothing wilder than a life of humble virtue, - for it is through selflessness and service that God wrings from our bodies and spirits the most we ever could give, the most we ever could offer, and the most we ever could do.

Finally, we can let love change everything. When Jesus was faced with the prospect of crucifixion, he grieved not for himself, but for us. He cried for Jerusalem before entering the holy city. From the Cross, he took on the cumulative burden of human sin and weakness, and begged for forgiveness on our behalf.

We get repeated chances to learn that life is not about us, that we acquire purpose and satisfaction by sharing in God's love for others. Sickness gets us part way there. It reminds us of our limitations and dependence. But it also gives us a chance to serve the healthy. A minister friend of mine observes that people suffering grave afflictions often acquire the faith of two people, while loved ones accept the burden of two peoples' worries and fears.

'Learning How to Live'. Most of us have watched friends as they drifted toward God's arms, not with resignation, but with peace and hope. In so doing, they have taught us not how to die, but how to live. They have emulated Christ by transmitting the power and authority of love.

I sat by my best friend's bedside a few years ago as a wasting cancer took him away. He kept at his table a worn Bible and a 1928 edition of the Book of Common Prayer. A shattering grief disabled his family, many of his old friends, and at least one priest. Here was an humble and very good guy, someone who apologized when he winced with pain because he thought it made his guest uncomfortable. He retained his equanimity and good humor literally until his last conscious moment. 'I'm going to try to beat [this cancer],' he told me several months before he died. 'But if I don't, I'll see you on the other side.'

His gift was to remind everyone around him that even though God doesn't promise us tomorrow, he does promise us eternity, - filled with life and love we cannot comprehend, - and that one can in the throes of sickness point the rest of us toward timeless truths that will help us weather future storms.

Through such trials, God bids us to choose: Do we believe, or do we not? Will we be bold enough to love, daring enough to serve, humble enough to submit, and strong enough to acknowledge our limitations? Can we surrender our concern in things that don't matter so that we might devote our remaining days to things that do?

When our faith flags, he throws reminders in our way. Think of the prayer warriors in our midst. They change things, and those of us who have been on the receiving end of their petitions and intercessions know it. It is hard to describe, but there are times when suddenly the hairs on the back of your neck stand up, and you feel a surge of the Spirit. Somehow you just know: Others have chosen, when talking to the Author of all creation, to lift us up, - to speak of us!

This is love of a very special order. But so is the ability to sit back and appreciate the wonder of every created thing. The mere thought of death somehow makes every blessing vivid, every happiness more luminous and intense. We may not know how our contest with sickness will end, but we have felt the ineluctable touch of God.

What is man that Thou art mindful of him? We don't know much, but we know this: No matter where we are, no matter what we do, no matter how bleak or frightening our prospects, each and every one of us who believe, each and every day, lies in the same safe and impregnable place, in the hollow of God's hand.'

T. Snow

Posted by LucifersPearl @ 7:23 am EDT | Permalink | 2 Comments

07/11/08

Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution

Yes I know I just did a review this week. But there was such a buzz on this one I just had to try it out. So in my opinion this is like a Simcity board game. Bascially you chose a civilization and decide where you want it to go and what you want it to do. For instance do you want a republic, democracy, fuedalism, yada yada. Do you want to nuke everyone or be religious zealots. Do you want to watch India totally pwn your ass with rocket ships... so on and so forth.

This is just one of those games that you kinda lose yourself in for a couple hours only to look up at the clock and realize you should have gone to bed hours ago but you really want Japan out of your city so maybe just fifteen more minutes.

So if there's anything to learn from this game is that democracy sucks (from the games point of view). So here I am developing my three little cities making peace treaties with everyone when here comes my allie Japan. "Japan has just taken over your city." WTF I just spent thirty minutes developing that SOB F*** you this is war. So you have all these armies you've developed and you go to attack and here comes the kicker... "Sorry but the people vetoed your decision." WHAT THE HELL... But they just took MY city... screw the people that was MY city. To no avail... I lost my city. Bastards... If you're gonna play this just become a dictator and nuke em all... it's not that simple and there's no dictators... DAMN!!!

The game play is average and the graphics are average. Overall its an average game but it's addictive. I could see myself playing it for hours on end EXCEPT that it cost $60. This should be a market place arcade game at best and I'll be more than happy to pick it up when it comes down under $30. Don't get me wrong I don't not like it... I just don't think its worth that kinda money. But if you're looking for a single player game that you can just stick in and not have to worry about Timmies and your contact drying out from too much FPS then its probably a game you'd enjoy.

So I know this is kinda break from the FPS/shooter genres I normally play but I do enjoy other games as well. Really wether or not you like this one comes down to what kind of game you enjoy. If you don't mind the turn-based system and strategy games you may very well like this game. But if action and fast paced games are what you're looking for may I suggest another game. Overrall I had mixed emotions about this game.

I kept picking egyptian and I don't know why...

Okay maybe I do know why... but I am just not admitting it...

Current ratings:
IGN 8.8
Gamespot 8.3

Posted by LucifersPearl @ 12:41 pm EDT | Permalink | 3 Comments

07/09/08

Unreal Tournament 3

Alright so I have to sit down for this one because let me tell ya... this game is pure bliss...

So when I first started playing the game I noticed right off the bat that I needed to change my configuration settings so I hopped off and looked at the options... OMG... I almost creamed myself just with the configurations options alone. On top of the normal look sensitivity and such there are a million other options. Basically if you were to take any bitch you've ever heard about any game UT3 has a set up for you to fix it. For instance I can change my turning speed (what a concept). I get to decide how I want to drive my vehicles and how my map reads directions (fixed north & south or moves while I move). AND GET THIS... are you prepared... this is the ultimate... I CAN REMOVE THE OBNOXIOUS GUN OFF MY HUD OR MAKE IT SHOW SMALLER!!! What does that mean... oh that I don't have a gun blocking my view. I mean c'mon I can even chose which hand that gun goes in. I mean this game is designed for competitive play... and you can fix you configs to fit your game style... SWEET!!!

Okay so after I literally giggles over the awesomeness of the configurations alone I then started up the game. OH Epic how I love thee. So pretty... done with the true unreal/epic feel. But some of the characters do look a little familar...

It's okay though... I'll forgive you because... THAT'S ALL I HAVE TO SAY BAD ABOUT THIS GAME!!!!

So let's talk multiplayer functions...
Sooo many maps...
The most balanced weapon system you've seen in like ummmm forever...
Smooth gameplay...
Fast but still slower than PC versions...
Tons of gametypes... (CTF, Territories, deathmatch, instagib... etc)...
WTF... DEDICATED SERVERS... no host advantage for gb...

So I was talking to Istassi (stacey) about this game and the question came up. "Why did everyone hate this game?" Well a simple answer was brought up and I agree with it. The PS3 version was the first unreal engine played on that console. X360 already had an unreal engine game (Gears of War) and we all knew that there were glitches in it. But not this game. I really don't even know if they'll have to patch it... that's how perfect they made this game. Graphics are there, game play is there, online co-op there, game variants there, etc.

So in conclusion this game has absolutely floored me. Thank you epic for not cutting corners the wait was well worth the end product. You're following valve in making sure you're getting quality not quantity on the market. And I can't wait to play Gears of War 2 now.

Verdict: If you haven't played it yet you should go buy it... take your BF:BC in as a trade (ok that was a low blow but I sticking with it roflmao )

Screenshots

Here's the IGN review... and from my perspective... they only have little things to complain about as well...
Oh and thank Microsoft for not allowing the custom maps...
http://xbox360.ign.com/dor/objects/7466 ... 70708.html

Current ratings...
IGN 8.5
Gamespot 8.3

Posted by LucifersPearl @ 11:46 am EDT | Permalink | 10 Comments

06/10/08

Quake Wars : Enemy Territory

So I know that a lot of you have been seeing me play gross amounts of time on this game. Some of you prolly wonder if you should try this game because of it so here comes the review.

***STOP*** Before you even think about this game know that you have to have a team to play it. In a few weeks time when everyone has figured out how to play this game you will not be able to go in and win single handedly. This is team tactics at his hardest and no matter how you play it there is no single player that can carry a team.

So here's the break down. There are 2 teams that you can play Strogg (the aliens) or GDF (humans). There are 3 main game types: Objective, Stopwatch, and Campaign. And there are 5 classes: Soldier, Engineer, Field Ops, Covert Ops, and Medic. These classes have different names as Strogg but the symbols stay the same. Essientally each class is the same for human and strogg but the perks are a little different for each of the races.
For instance a Strogg Medic has the ability to create a "spawn host" in which the medic alters a dead humans body so if the medic (or whichever Strogg that claims it) dies they respawn at that point. Strogg medics health packs are also ammo packs. Where as the human medic can not create spawn host and their health packs only give health BUT they can drop unlimited supply crates which provide both.

Alright since we have a brief understanding of classes (and I do mean brief) we'll talk about game play. Quake wars has 12 maps: 3 maps to a campaign. Each map has between 2-4 objectives that have to be completed to win the map. Strogg 90% of the time is defense and GDF is 90% offense. There are some maps in which it switches. Objective gameplay is for a single map only. Campaign is for all three maps to a campaign. And stopwatch is a single map where one team will play the map and set a time for completion then you switch sides and try to bet that time. You pick a class to play (and can change classes during the game). Each class has different tools that you can use as well as each objective has a particular class that has to complete it (there are a few objectives that any class can complete). Each class has tools that can be used to help to complete objectives. For instance Field Ops can make mortar cannons and artilery cannons and call airstrikes. Engineers can repair any vehicle for you race and build mining lasers, towers and other things. Covert Ops can wear disguises pulled off dead bodies to look like the opposing team as well as drop radars. Soldiers can blow up selected walls and enemy vehicles/equipment by planting time-delayed bombs. Theres so much that each class can do that I would be sitting here all day typing them so if you pick up the game I'll be more than happy to show you what I know. (That's right there's so much that after 25 hours of game play I am stilling learning things that these classes can do.) There are tons of vehicles from helicopters to tanks to ATVs.

SO... here's my two cents on the overall game. When I first picked this game up I hated it... absolutely hated it... there's so much going on that you stay confused probably through the first 4 hours you play it. But once you understand the basics of whats going on it all changes and now I absolutely love this game. Its definitely a rent it first title as I would say a majority of people will not like it because it's complex and takes time to learn. It's done on a quake engine which means that its fast (makes COD4 look sluggish fast). Which also means that there is a mean auto-aim system necessary for the game play. But trust me it's necessary and easy to break off from. The graphics are not bad but not cutting edge but that's because the maps are HUGE and you already have a nice 2 minute load screen at the start of the game (but it's the only load screen... there's no load time in game). The maps are so big that the same maps on the PC version support up to 32 players comfortably but the x360 version only supports to 18 (same maps mind you). It's still glitchy but no more so than and non-beta test LIVE game... give them time for a patch and problem solved. And besides all I really notice is that sometimes I can jump in vehicles on the ground floor when I am standing on the top floor of a building. The maps are 100% playable... if you fly to the top of a skyskraper you can be on it sniping of calling in strikes. I am truley enjoying this game so much that I am finding it hard to pull myself away to go play other games. And by the way if you reading other reviews of this game you may want to rethink before you pass judgement... there are a lot of misconceptions...

Posted by LucifersPearl @ 12:15 am EDT | Permalink | 0 Comments

05/13/08

I am falling apart...

Yep so for whatever reason, I (a normally healthy person), am having a series of health issues. 1) My finger is swollen and feels dislocated but I can't tell and I pulled on it and it seems fine but whatever. 2) My kidneys are killing me. 3) I have to go get my boobies smashed because I found a lump. Hopefully nothing but still nerve racking. So i get to go to the doctor and act like a hypochondriac. YEE HAA!!! Just felt like bitching...

Posted by LucifersPearl @ 9:59 am EDT | Permalink | 1 Comments

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