Jam Stunna Posted July 22, 2007 Share Posted July 22, 2007 Damn it, I missed it. Oh well, there's always next time, hopefully. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G_D Posted July 22, 2007 Author Share Posted July 22, 2007 Do you guys want to extend the submission deadline a week, since at least three of us simply missed it? We don't have to, just wondering. Depending on the responses I get by tomorrow, I will either extend or leave it, so don't vote yet, just tell me what you want to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PassivePretentiousness Posted July 22, 2007 Share Posted July 22, 2007 I had a story drop into my head this afternoon and I may be interested in submitting it. I have no reason to believe I'll finish it within a week, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jam Stunna Posted July 22, 2007 Share Posted July 22, 2007 Yes please. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kholdstare Posted July 22, 2007 Share Posted July 22, 2007 that's fine with me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HalcyonSpirit Posted July 23, 2007 Share Posted July 23, 2007 That would be great, actually. I was working on something two weeks ago, but I didn't get a chance to finish it before I left for my Myrtle Beach vacation on the 13th. I just got back home a few minutes ago. Long story short, I was going to finish it up while I was there, but I discovered I had no internet access while I was gone, and wouldn't be getting back until after the deadline, so I didn't bother working on it. Extending it a week would be helpful, to say the least. Oh, by the way, instead of working on the competition entry, I worked on the next chapter for Eternal Legends. Got more of the it done in the past 5 days than I have in the past 5 months! Expect an update before the end of the summer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G_D Posted July 25, 2007 Author Share Posted July 25, 2007 Yay, Eternal Legends. I actually started reading chapter 8, but I'm kind of in the middle of LotR for the first time, and it kinda trumps EL. Sorry. So, yes, I am pushing back the deadline a week. I don't know yet what day submission will actually end, but you can check the first post, which I'll be updating in about thirty seconds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G_D Posted July 27, 2007 Author Share Posted July 27, 2007 Well we're only taking submissions for TWO MORE DAYS! So, if you missed out the first time, HURRY IT UP! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PassivePretentiousness Posted July 29, 2007 Share Posted July 29, 2007 let's see if I can pump this baby out it the next three hours. oww I don't write well like this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G_D Posted July 29, 2007 Author Share Posted July 29, 2007 Well bugger. I was hoping at least one other person would benefit from the time extension. Oh well. Here is my submission. I want to apologize in advance for subjecting you to my political mumblings, and warn you that this is more of a news article than an entertainment piece. However, hopefully it is at least somewhat informative. Minimum Wage: A Strange Celebrity by G_D Earlier this week, a bill which was passed by Congress over 60 days ago went into effect, raising the national minimum wage by seventy cents to $5.85. This is the first in a series of three increases set to take place over the next two years, with the final minimum wage to be set at $7.25 per hour. Proponents of the increase are ecstatic, saying that it's about time; this is the first increase in minimum wage in over ten years, and before the recent increase, the wage floor was at its lowest real dollar value (taking inflation into account) in over 50 years. If these politicians opened their eyes, however, they would see the inevitable consequences of this increase, and it would not be a pretty picture. Whether we like it or not, the minimum wage is here to stay. We are too steeped in an economic policy that requires protection for the poor to simply abolish or even gradually diminish minimum wage, and an attempt to do so would solicit cries of outrage from the general public regardless. However, that doesn't mean we must continue to raise it, and we shouldn't. It doesn't take much knowledge of economics to see that to raise minimum wage is to necessarily increase both inflation and unemployment, leaving our economy in worse condition than before. In addition, the people who are most hurt by a raise in minimum wage are those who it is intended to help: the ones earning it. In response to a minimum wage increase, many companies must try to cut costs as rapidly as possible, and guess where the easiest area is to cut: the unskilled workers making the least amount of money. Granted, the market will eventually equalize, but it does so by lessening the worth of the dollar and increasing the number of marginal low-wage employees who are without jobs. The logical question that follows, then, is why minimum wage is so heavily supported, and why nobody in government does anything to stop it. Surely there are intelligent people in Congress who understand basic economics. And there are; the bill passed by a vote of 315 to 116 in the House of Representatives, indicating that a good number of politicians know the dangers of the minimum wage. However, many of the opponents of the bill don't get it entirely; a group of Republicans proposed a compromise bill which tacked on tax cuts for small businesses in order to offset the problems caused by increasing the wage floor. It's a little better, but it isn't what we need. So why did the bill pass, against logic and opposition? My guess is that the Democrats who proposed the bill were doing an easy vote-grab at the general public – especially low-income voters – by giving them what they want and what sounds like a good deal. I mean, who wouldn't want to get paid more? It is also possible that they are well-meaning, and honestly believe the negative side effects will not outweigh the positives. The problem is that this is the presiding line of thought in many peoples' minds, and especially in the minds of well-off lawmakers. They see minimum wage as a good thing, because they only see the bottom line: low-income workers will be paid more. Instead of taking into account the wide range of facts regarding minimum wage – for instance, that approximately half of those earning minimum wage are under the age of 25, and about a quarter are between 16 and 19 – they make their decisions based on what sounds to them like an obviously good idea. Besides that, the debates that take place often focus on only one negative aspect of the increase; namely, the loss of jobs by unskilled low-income workers. The point of inflation and the increase in price of goods is seldom mentioned, and there is still much debate at how much the minimum wage affects unemployment, even among seasoned economists. Unfortunately, the minimum wage is here to stay. We can do our best to slow its increase, but we cannot neatly abolish or diminish it, especially now that new legislation has passed. One could hope for someone in power who had good economic sense, but that has been a rare phenomenon in our country, and isn't likely to be changed anytime soon. Here's hoping the future will prove me wrong, and this increase will turn out for the better of our economy. EDIT: Whoops, didn't see you there, PP. Technically, submission ends in 10 minutes, but if you get it in by morning I think I can let it slide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imagist Posted July 29, 2007 Share Posted July 29, 2007 Oh damn. Again. Work really ate the time I wanted to use for writing, but I guess I can finish off what I'd started in a really short, cheap and tacky manner and put that up... If there's an edit to this post in the next hour, it'll be a submission, but otherwise I'm out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G_D Posted July 29, 2007 Author Share Posted July 29, 2007 Ok, so neither of you finished? Bummer. Well, anyway, submission is over now, and we will be tallying votes soon. I will put all entries up on the first post in about a minute. EDIT: Done, the entries are in the fourth post. Remember, you only until August 5 to vote. NOTICE: I have changed the voting procedure so that anyone who has submitted to a competition in the past may vote. Votes by people with entries now will be worth 3 and 2 for Winner and Runner-up, respectively, and votes by past submitters will be worth 2 and 1. Also, if you feel so inclined, you may attach some criticisms or advice to your votes in the PM, and I will post those when I post the vote spread. Happy Voting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G_D Posted August 6, 2007 Author Share Posted August 6, 2007 Durr, votes? I've only received one so far... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kholdstare Posted August 6, 2007 Share Posted August 6, 2007 Working on it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barnsalot Posted August 9, 2007 Share Posted August 9, 2007 Remember, you only have until August 5 to vote. Does that mean results should be out soon? I don't really expect to do well- My entry was pretty much crap this time around, no pun intended. But, I am interested to see who won. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G_D Posted August 9, 2007 Author Share Posted August 9, 2007 Eh, I extended to the 12th, but I just realized that all the votes are in. I'll try to have the results out asap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leon K. Posted August 13, 2007 Share Posted August 13, 2007 Any eta on the results? >_> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G_D Posted August 13, 2007 Author Share Posted August 13, 2007 RESULTS ARE IN! Runner-Up: Barnsalot 1st Place: Antonio Pizza Votes were cast as follows: AP: 8 Barnsalot: 3 Leon K: 1 Kholdstare: 1 G_D: 0 Apparently you guys like the minimum wage . I will be putting up the sig badges as soon as I get them from Doulifee. Once again, congratulations to all entrants. - - - - - - - - - - Nobody outside the competition got involved with the voting this time around, but I will try to make the next competition a little more public. I apologize for how sloppily everything was run; I have been extremely busy the last few weeks, and especially last week. Our next competition will be either poetry or short story, but I thought I'd ask what you all want. Since it will be around the time school is starting, I was leaning towards poetry again, even though we've done it recently. Thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HalcyonSpirit Posted August 13, 2007 Share Posted August 13, 2007 Actually, I think Short Story would be better because it's going to be the beginning of school. If we do Poetry next and SS in November, I doubt we'd get as much participation in SS, because school will be in full swing and, for us college people, exams will be coming up shortly thereafter. Short stories typically take longer to write, so we should do them when the school workload is at a minimum (ie: beginning of the school year). But then again, that's just my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imagist Posted August 13, 2007 Share Posted August 13, 2007 I agree with GA. Let's just stick to the rotation we've got going for now. Also, next time you're feeling swamped go ahead and let us know ahead of time. I'd even offer to run the competition jointly if you felt it might take some of the load off your shoulders; it was, after all, run by three people before a couple of them disappeared and phpbb went kablooey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G_D Posted August 14, 2007 Author Share Posted August 14, 2007 Sounds good to me. Here are the sig badges from Doulifee: EDIT: I just realized I screwed up the vote tallying a bit. I didn't put in the new scoring system, and gave Imagery's vote the same weight as everyone else's, even though he didn't submit anything. It doesn't change the results, but if you want me to re-tally I will. Otherwise I'll leave it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imagist Posted August 14, 2007 Share Posted August 14, 2007 It doesn't matter, it just means AP and Barnsalot both have one less vote than they do now. However, you might want to edit your results post anyway, because you have AP listed as runner-up even though he out-muscled Barnsalot by 5 marks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barnsalot Posted August 14, 2007 Share Posted August 14, 2007 Nice job, Antonio! Can't say I'm surprised you won. Yours was definitely the best submission. Next competition: My vote is for short story because I've got an idea rolling around in my head, but I'll go along with whatever you guys want to do. School is back in session, which means I'll be writing plenty regardless of what competitions are up. I actually wrote a paper just yesterday for English class that was a comparison of my personality and the characteristics of an eraser... I love that class. Edit: Thank you Doulifée! You don't get enough thanks for drawing these badges so consistently! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JH Sounds Posted August 15, 2007 Share Posted August 15, 2007 How the hell did I miss this? Anyways, tag for next time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cobaltstarfire Posted August 21, 2007 Share Posted August 21, 2007 I might try my hand at this next time, if I have time...and can actually think of anything. My writing muscles need some exercise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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