ender44 : Oh, yeah. They have Kool-Aid... Just not the type that kills 900+ people in South America.

MattyIce : The family was white, actually. Also, if you must blame someone for him getting off (if you think he was guilty of murder, which I do not), then blame the prosecution because they were terrible, not the defense team who was just doing its job.

mister sandman : Racist? There is no evidence. And innocent kid? Pot-smoking, violent... That's innocent? Considering the broken nose and the damage done to the back of Mr. Zimmerman's head, I would hardly call Trayvon innocent. That being said, I don't necessarily disagree with Trayvon attacking Zimmerman out of fear, but I would be hard-pressed to pretend like he is some little angel that never did anything wrong in his entire life. You, my friend, have consumed the Kool-Aid the media has poured down your throat.

Just favorited this thread because I just saw it. ESPN is good. I'm going to have to make an account for myself because the one I currently use is my friend's dad's account. I'll send the Viz over now.

Shogun Gamer : I didn't read a lot of anger, but a lot of disappointment. It's easy to get caught up in writing about something you're passionate about, and that's definitely more forgivable than the half effort some people give here or elsewhere. I think you beating yourself up about this review isn't going to do you any good if you want to become the best reviewer here, and I would even amend that goal because it's a purely subjective one. There are people who think my reviews are the best, and then there are people who think that someone else's reviews are better than mine. It's all relative to how well you connect with the audience here, and that can present a challenge since this audience is so diverse in all categories. Thus, I wouldn't worry about being the best. I think that goal will only cause you greater frustration, especially since Vizzed is growing at a pretty fast pace and more great reviewers will eventually meander their way here.

Focus on you, what you did well and what you can do better. Here's the way I like to look at things. Billy runs a 4.6 40 yard dash. I run a 4.58. He runs a 4.56 in response, so I run a 4.55. He doesn't get any faster. If I am comparing myself to him, then I don't have to run any faster once he hits his peak. However, if I am challenging and motivating myself to get better, then that 4.55 won't be enough. I'll run a 4.53, then eventually sub 4.5 because I'll continue to compare myself today to the guy I was yesterday. Other reviewers should be a non-factor when it comes to you getting better, except to draw inspiration from some of their work.  Do this and you'll accelerate in your writing. Then, if you found yourself in a position where a gaming website had to choose between you and another candidate for a staff position, you would be much further along than you would be had you measured your own ability by the abilities of others. It's like, after the training, Billy challenges me and runs a 4.56 again. Instead of just edging him out, I run a sub 4.5 and beat him by a decent bit. Things are totally different when you see it that way. Trust me.

Anyways, I want to encourage you because you are definitely passionate and talented. I'm okay with a detailed review like that, especially since I read the thing. As I said before, I didn't see an angry rant, but rather disappointment, and you did give credit where it was due. You should be proud of the work that you've done because it was solid.

SoL@R : I've put this off for a couple of days because I've struggled with how to answer it. Because it is somewhat complicated for me to flesh out because I don't have it figured out yet. I know the Bible states that homosexuality is an abomination. I agree with that, though I personally have a hard time balancing God's love with calling something an abomination that many people identify with. I understand that God's ways are higher than ours, so I'm not saying that God doesn't love these people. It's just something I struggle with because it seems so daunting when thinking about their salvation, especially because there are many in the church who will use that as an excuse to hate homosexuals and treat them with the utmost disrespect. To me, that is more reprehensible than the homosexuality itself, because they are essentially denying people the opportunity to know Christ since they are supposed to be the ambassadors of Him.

That being said, I also referenced having struggles with homosexuality in the past. I am sure that many other guys have struggled with this before, but I was severely bullied and called "gay" and some derogatory names when I was younger. This, as you might know, caused a bit of confusion and at one point led me to actually question my sexuality (though by the grace of God, I didn't engage in an act with another when an opportunity presented itself). I shamed myself about that for a long time, and until probably earlier this year, I wasn't completely free of some of these thoughts nor the shame. In fact, I would like to say that I am free now, but I don't know what tomorrow will bring or what trigger might key some of my old thought patterns, because while "incidents" are happening fewer and farther between, they still do happen. All this to say that I have compassion for homosexuals. I hate hearing derogatory terms (though I was a frequent user in the past) and I hate it when people automatically assume that someone who is gay is going to Hell. I don't know what is going to happen in anyone's life, so I can't assume anything about anyone's future. Sure, I can make "educated guesses" based on the behavior patterns that people exhibit now, but if my life proves anything, it's that you have no idea when God will show up to rock your world.

One thing I don't struggle with is separating homosexuality from homosexual, and I don't equate this to the "hate the sin, love the sinner" mentality that is misquoted and taken out of context from St. Augustine. This is literally separating a person's actions, ideas, and preferences from the person themselves. I love lasagna, but I am not lasagna. We are separate. That being said, I do equate some things to a person, such as religion, partially because it is socially acceptable to do so (since we're being honest), but partly because it is one of the strongest things people identify with. For instance, I am a Christian. A person who practices Islam is Muslim. Same goes for nationality. I'm an American, iN008 is Scottish. Because these, to me, are such integral part of our being, I think it's okay (and perhaps you don't need an actual explanation for this, but it's helping me flesh out some things so I'm going for it). My sexuality is not integral. Some might call me out on this, but I tend to look at what labels I apply to myself (specific categories, like I previously mentioned) and "apply" them to other people. Stated differently, I'm a Christian, so if you label yourself a Christian, then I will look at you as a Christian (I hope I'm articulating this right). However, because my sexuality isn't that important to me (if I HAD to have a label, I would be a nomosexual because I have decided to remain abstinent since my last relationship), I try not to look at people by their sexuality. Obviously, I'm not perfect at this, nor am I claiming to be willfully ignorant. I guess I try not to put an emphasis on those types of things.

Now, one final point on homosexuality that I struggle with, and I may have touched on this before (I have been thinking and pondering on this for hours). Just because I don't think of people as homosexual first doesn't mean that homosexuals don't. This is an identity issue, and I certainly don't want to attack someone's identity, even if I believe their identity is founded on something frivolous (such as sexuality). I would extend this to race, choice of sports team, or favorite show (I give My Little Pony fans a hard time, and I don't understand their obsession with the show, but I really don't judge them for it... I like Sailor Moon, so there). Thus, I try to be sensitive about these issues. When I talk to a gay person, I don't treat them as if they are gay. I treat them however the situation calls (again, we're being honest), though I do my best to be respectful. That being said, I don't really hang out with a lot of gay people on a regular basis, but that's because we aren't of like minds nor do many of the ones I know have like interests. But many of them respect me because I first respected them.

I hope the answer suffices. I would like to say more but I may have over-analyzed it. It's not an easy issue for me, especially because I am not as grounded theologically in this as I would like to be. I'm glad you asked the question, though. This is exactly what I was hoping to have happen to me; make me struggle for the right answer and really do some soul-searching. Thanks for that!

Anyone else have a tough question? You can relate it to my answer for this one, or it can be on something completely different.

PixelBrick : Why summon a mod? Copy the first sentence and paste it in google. You'll find out the truth.

I agree with using notepad or word, but might I also suggest (if you're using a laptop) removing the function that allows you to touch the pad to click? I did that a long time ago (can't remember how, but you can google it) and I rarely ever have that problem because I'm never accidentally clicking off the textbox. The safest bet for you, though, is to type it up in Word or Notepad first (Notepad formats better to Vizzed's textbox, I think) and save it. This will allow you to work on your review over time if you want to, and you can edit it before posting the final product. Don't give up on reviews. If you like to write them, you shouldn't stop because you got hung up a couple of times.

Razor-987 : Keep pushing and you might have it. Get points where you can, and don't put too much of an emphasis at taking jerseys unless thing1 is taking them. Strategically, you have to chip away at his lead where you can and take advantage of when he's not online. Don't count yourself out yet. You have until the 31st. All you technically needs is three days to take the lead.

I'm kind of having a difficult time with this topic because I feel like it is less about spurring a debate and more for inflaming people who disagree with your opinion. The topic is sensitive to many people on this site and elsewhere, and I do believe that some respect needs to be shown to others, regardless of what opinion they hold. I might agree with you that the gay gene doesn't exist and I might disagree with homosexuality, but I do not think it does anyone any good to disregard their thoughts while exalting your own to be absolute truth. I don't know what your aim in creating this topic is, but I think you should be careful in how you approach these issues. Of course, if you don't care, then that's your prerogative.

rcarter2 : I thought the same thing at first, but I actually enjoyed it. The review looked like it was going to be a rant against the game, but I actually found it to have a decent balance and gave credit where credit was due. I can't decide if I agree if there was too much detail or not, but I may be biased because I agree with a lot of what he said. Perhaps he could have scaled it down some. It came off more like a critique than a review, but then again, I've read some pretty lengthy and in-depth reviews from gaming sites like IGN that people really responded to. I guess the key here would be catering to your readership, in which an IGN audience would more than likely be older than the audience on this website. That being said, I appreciate the passion and the effort Shogun Gamer put into writing this. It's certainly better than a lot that comes out on this website, for sure.

Ktanaqui : Definitely! It's crazy how different things can cost, but that's part of the college really ripping you off, in a way. I mean, yes, they have to make a profit, but the amount they charge is stupid ridiculous. You're from Alabama, so do you mind if ask you where you plan on going to college?

Divine Aurora : I'm technically another 2013 member, so all the points I scored today goes towards our team. The same went for yesterday's score. Therefore I'm just helping you guys continue your streak towards victory! (I still feel like the teams by year was kind of weak...)

ender44 : I can give you two answers for this: 1) How I would like to say that I would feel about the issue and 2) how I actually think I would feel about the issue.

1) I would like to say that I wouldn't find a problem with homosexuality if it wasn't in the Bible, since the Bible is the foundation of the walk with God that I have. Evidently, because we are still not supposed to have intercourse outside of marriage, I would like to see homosexuals adhere to that and to having only one partner (something that is, at least in Birmingham, not practiced at all by the homosexual community). That is both respecting God and respecting your partner/spouse whatever you call it. However...

2) Because I struggled with issues of homosexuality in the past, I do not think I would actually feel okay (why did I write "be" there?) with it. For a long time I was bullied, and people would claim I was a homosexual because they were mean. It didn't help that I started to dabble in it for a while (I won't go into detail), though not physically with another person, although there have been times (even fairly recently, in the course of my life) where I have seriously considered it. My stance against homosexuality - not the people themselves - is based mostly on this personal experience.

For other people who might stumble upon this, I think I need to elaborate that this is purely hypothetical. I don't want people saying, "Oh, you're taking away from the Bible with these answers!"

At the request of tRIUNE, I have decided to make a thread that is geared towards matters of politics (since we are Christian Conservatives), faith, morality, and even philosophy if you so choose. This is actually a lot better for me, because it is going to be a test of my sincerity and what I actually know versus what I think I know. I'm opening up a little bit here, but although I have figured out that I'm not as smart as I think I am, I'm starting to realize that I know even less than I thought I did. So here's an opportunity for both you and me to learn a bit something about myself and some of these topics in general. I would like the questions to be well thought out and not generic. You can ask me my stance on gay marriage, but I'd prefer you ask me why and perhaps (if you agree with gay marriage) give me reason why you support it. This isn't necessarily meant to be a dialogue, but what good is it if I tell you my perspective when I don't see things from your perspective as well?

And if anything I say offends you, you can private message me and we'll discuss things in greater detail. My intention with this thread isn't to offend, but to be enlightened and hopefully help you and me find out a bit more about myself. So don't throw me any softball questions. I'm not a politician (yet), so I can handle the heat. Anyone from any faith background is welcome to inquire here.

Neeri : Seems like you have a boyfriend with a good head on his shoulders!

I would like to amend my statement on Roddy White, since apparently he likes to tweet that the Zimmerman jurors should "kill themselves" since they chose to acquit him. Sheer ignorance.

I'm pretty psyched about college football, for sure. Alabama looks really strong, Tennessee is surprising everyone with their recruiting classes, and I think my team (FSU) can make another run at a BCS bowl game... Hopefully playing against a BCS team this time.

I played in high school, starting out as a wide receiver but blowing up in size and strength. They put me on the defensive line as a tackle, and though that's not where I was best, it certainly was satisfying to crunch a running back or sack a quarterback.