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 Forum index » Archive » Archive: Perplex City » PXC: General/Updates
[UPDATE] The Sentinel 23rd Feb.
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ALISDAIRPARK
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Joined: 27 Nov 2005
Posts: 1646
Location: Everywhere else

 		[UPDATE] The Sentinel 23rd Feb.
Quote:
View from Earth:
Cult of Celebrity
By PETE DAVISON
Numerous writers to this column who have come before me have highlighted some of the differences between Earth and Perplex City. There are few things that make this difference more apparent than the issue of celebrity. Earth's current love for celebrities who are famous, paradoxically, for nothing other than being famous probably sounds like an absurdity to the average Perplexian. But it happens.

Here on Earth, and particularly here in England, some might say, the world is driven by the media. We are subtly influenced in our ways of thinking and our knowledge by everything that surrounds us -- advertising, television, printed media, the Internet -- everything is geared to plant subtle messages in our mind about who to trust, who to distrust, what to like, what to hate, who are "heroes" and who are "villains." The world is, of course, not that simple. Everyone has their own opinion. But there are some sides of the media that will always try and get their way.

The current fad for so-called "reality television" is a prime example of this. A "reality" show can be anything from the housebound Big Brother, where contestants go about their daily lives in an enclosed compound with a number of strangers and get voted off week after week by the viewing public, to The X-Factor, where numerous music hopefuls sing for their supper week after week in a desperate attempt to reach superstardom.


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What many people who watch these shows fail to take into account is the fact that the way we perceive these people is entirely due to the way they are represented on the screen -- and in that sense, the editors of these shows are both omniscient and omnipotent, having access to all the footage that has been taken of these people AND having the power to choose the sections that back up a pre-scripted "character" for the person in question. They can make or break people -- turn them into heroes, turn them into villains, turn them into figures of ridicule or renown.

But it doesn't stop once the show is over and won. We have magazines devoted to the cult of celebrity. These are staffed by writers who think we have nothing better to do than chuckle at pictures of people we may or may not have heard of taking their dog for a walk, or picking their nose, or going to the shops with no makeup on. Many of these people whom we may or may not have heard of are famous for nothing more than being a member of the public who was on one of these "reality" shows for a week or two. Very often, they have no "talent" as such which makes them worthy of notice -- they are famous for fame's sake. The people with real talent often go unnoticed.

This is, I think, what appeals to many Earth residents about Perplex City. The Perplexian culture of valuing the power of the mind above all else appeals to those of us who are sick of the cult of celebrity. Anyone can become a figure of repute simply through using their brain, rather than channelling all their resources into trying to appear on the television, only to reveal themselves to the world as a vapid babbling moron.

And it is for this reason that so many people here on Earth are assisting with the hunt for the Cube. It is not about the reward offered. It is not about attaining fame and fortune. It is about using our brains, working together, and doing our very best to help someone, while giving our brains a much-needed workout. The fact it lets us understand something of a culture so similar yet at the same time so different to our own makes our efforts all the more worthwhile.


Quote:
Council Ignoring Dangerous Drug Trade
Opinion/Editorial
While it makes for an exciting subplot in novels and PCBS shows, the black market drug trade is real, ugly, and dangerous -- and the City Council should be marshalling all its forces to stamp it out. Why is it that Council Leader Camryn Scott has failed to address the issue in her public appearances? How is it that no high-profile arrests for black market drug dealers have been announced in well over a year?

It's true: The drug trade is raising its nasty head again, with insidious effects that can be felt in all areas of the city. Crime is on the rise again in both the Old Town and the Artist's Quarter, no doubt linked to the renewed vigour of these criminal drug transactions. Who knows how far the dark hand of this evil trade is reaching, even already? Perhaps PCAG top performers have been cheating with chemical enhancement, and innumerable cases of illness and death may have been falsely attributed to less-stigmatised causes.

While the drugs manufactured by Cognivia are safe and detectable, the versions sold on the black market are largely not. Unscrupulous drug labs scrub or alter their illicit products to remove telltale chemical signatures, or are synthesised without these important components at all -- particularly for such popular chemical cocktails as Ceretin, Cardinal and Synergy, as well as a host of more dangerous chemicals not commercially available at all. The result: harmful and nearly undetectable drugs could be coursing through the veins of nearly anyone.


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In many cases, the drugs have had the telltale signatures intentionally removed to prevent detection in routine checks, such as those performed by the PCAG, or to prevent electronic sensors from sniffing the material when it is in transit. The process also removes important elements of the drugs that prevent some side effects, which can also increase the risk of overdose.

Worse, because these drugs have such a high reputation for efficacy and safety when sold through regular channels, the unsuspecting consumers of these cheap black-market drugs can find themselves suffering serious detrimental consequences -- nausea, tachycardia, even death. The average citizen's sensible caution has been lulled by the safe commercial drugs of today that many have forgotten how very deadly uncontrolled substances can be.

Nonetheless, the government turns a blind eye to these victims, rather than maintaining a righteous and indefatigable vigilance over the populace. How many lives must be harmed before the council and police will finally do their jobs? How far must this menace to society grow before the public has had enough? This abominable situation must come to and end, before irreparable damage is done to our society and to our people


LETTERS
Quote:
EARTHLY LEITMARKS
I am appalled that the Academy has once again seen fit to award leitmarks to the people of Earth. This newspaper has shown time and again that Earth is a world of war and waste -- yet you endorse these new awards. That planet of glory-hunters and copycats deserves no such recognition from our noble Academy. I urge the Academy to reconsider.

Asrian Teuraud
I am so excited that the people of Earth are being awarded leitmarks for their efforts in searching for the Receda Cube. While some elitists may sneer at this imagined affront, I ask them: what nobler calling can there be than helping the city to locate and retrieve this priceless artefact?

Candace Azad
CRIME WAVE
Once again, we see that the crime levels in the city are spiraling out of control ('Police Arrest pair of Arson, Vandal Suspects'). Not only is the Old Town becoming increasingly dangerous, but now even the Artist's Quarter isn't safe. I already fear for my life when walking down Milamont. It's surely only a matter of time before the whole city is swamped by tidal wave of crime.

Maxim Tsuki


Quote:
Retired Fellow Makes Prize
Retired Natural Sciences Fellow of the Academy Louis Revington has formed a prize foundation to seek out and reward youngsters studying how the biological processes of multiple species interrelate in an intact ecosystem. The Revington Prize will be awarded once a year by a panel of trustees. (Full text)

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PostPosted: Thu Feb 23, 2006 10:24 pm
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Mima
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Joined: 17 Feb 2005
Posts: 260

 		Re: [UPDATE] The Sentinel 23rd Feb.
Quote:
Council Ignoring Dangerous Drug Trade
Opinion/Editorial
While it makes for an exciting subplot in novels and PCBS shows, ....


I don't think we have heard about PCBS before, is this Perplex City Broadcasting Syndicate?

PostPosted: Fri Feb 24, 2006 1:27 pm
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noodrez
Boot

Joined: 22 Jan 2006
Posts: 30

 		Probably PCBS is something like that.

The nice thing about the drugs article is that it reveals more about perplex cities culture. It also shows up more similarities between us and them. It seems that no matter what, where drugs exist, some are legal and accepted, some are illegal and form the black market. I do like the idea that the illegal ones there are slightly altered forms of the legal drugs which make them harder to trace. I guess it is similar to stimulant abuse over here. You can get your hands on fairly week forms that give a temporary buzz (i.e. our red bull is similar to their ceretin), but really strong stimulants are only really available on the black market (e.g. things like ectasy)

Perplexians arent that much better than us after all Razz Given a law put in place for safety, they will still go out of their way to ignore it if it gives them a possibility of haveing some fun, despite the possible risks.

PostPosted: Fri Feb 24, 2006 2:10 pm
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 		Hmm i have a few comments... Why is crime spiraling out of control in perplexcity. Why now? ... is something stirring up problems in the black market in perplexcity?

Also... "This newspaper has shown time and again that Earth is a world of war and waste"... And Perplexcity isnt? (See Anjsbourg, the big crater left from a war) And ... hmm crime, drugs, thievery, murder. Seems fairly wasteful to me. ... "glory-hunters and copycats" ... hate to say it, everything has been done before, Everything. ... we are all copys of our parents and their parents before them. Despite how much you would deny this, the fact stands, we are.

As for Glory? ... Some folks clawing at the leaderboard might be looking for glory, but hell most of us are just trolling and trying to help whenever we can. This isnt glory... Hell im even anonymous, personally i dont want fame.

Now im not saying earth is some perfect locale, but its not much better or worse than Perplexcity, and even in a fantasy Letter, its still offensive. So "Earthly Leitmarks" ... Screw off. lol


That first letter reminds me of Marilyn Manson. ... Celebritarian: Cult of Celebrity. At least he coined the phrase. I would agree wholeheartedly...
The schism between Celebrity and Reality is so wide... We view holywood from the enormous chasm that is the space between us and the TV.

I cant help but think perplexians have an odd focus for their "Celebrity", I would almost think that people who did not view the mind as the most important focus of society as ... shunned or even hated.

People who focused on health and family, perhaps on the family unit... These folks might be scared of perplexians. ... and rightly so. Perplexians almost seem violent towards the clueless or simple folk.

You might wonder how perplexians would view the Amish. Would they accept their lack of tecnology? Would they consider Amish folks to be an affront to their way of life? Would they consider attacking them to keep their way of thought from spreading? ... Maybe this is what happened to Anjsbourg. ...

I for one am kinda scared of Perplexians, their rigidness and anger towards people who arent very inteligent is frightening.

PostPosted: Fri Feb 24, 2006 9:14 pm
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 		Hmm i have a few comments... Why is crime spiraling out of control in perplexcity. Why now? ... is something stirring up problems in the black market in perplexcity?

Also... "This newspaper has shown time and again that Earth is a world of war and waste"... And Perplexcity isnt? (See Anjsbourg, the big crater left from a war) And ... hmm crime, drugs, thievery, murder. Seems fairly wasteful to me. ... "glory-hunters and copycats" ... hate to say it, everything has been done before, Everything. ... we are all copys of our parents and their parents before them. Despite how much you would deny this, the fact stands, we are.

As for Glory? ... Some folks clawing at the leaderboard might be looking for glory, but hell most of us are just trolling and trying to help whenever we can. This isnt glory... Hell im even anonymous, personally i dont want fame.

Now im not saying earth is some perfect locale, but its not much better or worse than Perplexcity, and even in a fantasy Letter, its still offensive. So "Earthly Leitmarks" ... Screw off. lol


That first letter reminds me of Marilyn Manson. ... Celebritarian: Cult of Celebrity. At least he coined the phrase. I would agree wholeheartedly...
The schism between Celebrity and Reality is so wide... We view holywood from the enormous chasm that is the space between us and the TV.

I cant help but think perplexians have an odd focus for their "Celebrity", I would almost think that people who did not view the mind as the most important focus of society as ... shunned or even hated.

People who focused on health and family, perhaps on the family unit... These folks might be scared of perplexians. ... and rightly so. Perplexians almost seem violent towards the clueless or simple folk.

You might wonder how perplexians would view the Amish. Would they accept their lack of technology? Would they consider Amish folks to be an affront to their way of life? Would they consider attacking them to keep their way of thought from spreading? ... Maybe this is what happened to Anjsbourg. ...

I for one am kinda scared of Perplexians, their rigidness and anger towards people who arent very inteligent is frightening.

PostPosted: Fri Feb 24, 2006 9:26 pm
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