Rant

[Shani 0]

Make an idiotic joke on a serious matter, and you deserve whatever comes at you.

I should have known better and have no excuses. I didn't mean no harm, of course, but I should have known that harming with my comment someone else was a possibility.

So very sorry!

I took it as a joke :)

[pabloh20 1]

Rape is such a strong word Andres. The term "surprise sex" is much better.

I thought that's what you called sex after marriage

[Shani 0]

I thought that's what you called sex after marriage

That's funny. I like that.

[Rainmaster 7]

I thought that's what you called sex after marriage

[Quiet One 15]

My previous comment was edited. Please remove it from your quoted texts.

Thank you

[freaky2 1]

Hum, I found the joke funny though, just mentioning.

[AleHop 0]

I was happy after the final and enjoyed the World Cup but during the party a Spanish player spat... Well you saw the video. The old man is Pedro Cortés, former Valencia C.F. President and Spanish Federation Delegate. What annoys me the most is 80% of Spanish journalists and commentators saying it was just a prank and they just try to justify it because he's young and was drunk. WTF? That's a ****ing bad message for this young player and for the whole country.

What kind of message is going to get a young lad or a child? You win a World Cup and you can do whatever you want? Or you are young and drunk and you can behave like that? I think everybody should ask this player for a formal and public apology to the old man and say sorry for what he did there. It's not going to help him if people just look anywhere else because he just won a trophy, he's young or he was drunk. And what's even worse, it's not going to help the youth growing up.

Respect FFS!!!

[maure 1]

It seems someone put him up to it. It's a stupid thing to do. You don't go around spitting on people.

In as much as both these guys are "public" people, there should be a public apology. Aside from this, and out of personal dignity, there should also be a private apology.

I will say that I would not get upset over any of this. It's just a stupid drunk kid making a fool of himself.

Also, I'm unsure as to what kind of role models these guys are anyway. I mean, we all had "heroes" growing up but outside their thing (sports, movies, whatever), I don't remember giving a flying fvck about their lives or lifestyles... maybe it's just me, though.

[freaky2 1]

Yeah, for example I'm a fan of a relatively unsuccessful team around here (right now I mean, not historically) so I know these people mostly from their matches of the last month (and then there's Casillas, but I'm a personal fan of goalkeepers of all kinds). It was particuarly interesting for me then to have a little insight into their personalities when they talked the night they presented the cup in Madrid. Usually they always say the same stuff and 99% of the time it's not what they're thinking but PR crap. I don't know about a public apology but I think that once he sobered up Piqué probably did apologize, you know, drunk only goes so far, and he doesn't look like a hooligan (again, what do we know? XD). If we make a scandal out of it then I'm sure a public apology will follow, but is that it? The personal apology, if it exists, is more important.

[Pucky the Whale 0]

I was happy after the final and enjoyed the World Cup but during the party a Spanish player spat... Well you saw the video. The old man is Pedro Cortés, former Valencia C.F. President and Spanish Federation Delegate. What annoys me the most is 80% of Spanish journalists and commentators saying it was just a prank and they just try to justify it because he's young and was drunk. WTF? That's a ****ing bad message for this young player and for the whole country.

What kind of message is going to get a young lad or a child? You win a World Cup and you can do whatever you want? Or you are young and drunk and you can behave like that? I think everybody should ask this player for a formal and public apology to the old man and say sorry for what he did there. It's not going to help him if people just look anywhere else because he just won a trophy, he's young or he was drunk. And what's even worse, it's not going to help the youth growing up.

Respect FFS!!!

Agreed. It's really pathetic when athletes cannot conduct themselves well outside of the game. Some can't in it, either.

Also, I'm unsure as to what kind of role models these guys are anyway. I mean, we all had "heroes" growing up but outside their thing (sports, movies, whatever), I don't remember giving a flying fvck about their lives or lifestyles... maybe it's just me, though.

Role models, well, for me, they were and are not. But I do care about their lives/lifestyles, and will only support an athlete based on off-the-field/ice/racetrack/etc matters, not in-game aspects. Which is why I find myself hating everyone in Formula 1 and struggling to support any entire team in sports because they all seem to have at least one player that I just do not like outside of the game. I've started to learn to just appreciate sports without a favorite and such, though it does take some fun out of it. I think the lack of anyone I can even try to like in F1 is a huge reason why I just stopped watching. Which makes me as far from a "real fan" as one possibly could be, but at the same time, I don't really think I was every trying to be a "real fan."

In short, I don't lose sleep over the fact many athletes are just plain miserable, but it's not very fun to have so few people and teams worth supporting, either.

[AleHop 0]

Also, I'm unsure as to what kind of role models these guys are anyway. I mean, we all had "heroes" growing up but outside their thing (sports, movies, whatever), I don't remember giving a flying fvck about their lives or lifestyles... maybe it's just me, though.

I agree with you but they're role models just because we want them to be it. They probably don't like it and many of them don't deserve it but that's life and our children learn good or bad things from them. The worst part of the story is not what a drunk young sportman did on a celebration, it is worse that they showed it on TV but didn't say it was so wrong. What's the point on showing it on TV if you're going to look somewhere else?

Yeah, for example I'm a fan of a relatively unsuccessful team around here (right now I mean, not historically) so I know these people mostly from their matches of the last month (and then there's Casillas, but I'm a personal fan of goalkeepers of all kinds). It was particuarly interesting for me then to have a little insight into their personalities when they talked the night they presented the cup in Madrid. Usually they always say the same stuff and 99% of the time it's not what they're thinking but PR crap. I don't know about a public apology but I think that once he sobered up Piqué probably did apologize, you know, drunk only goes so far, and he doesn't look like a hooligan (again, what do we know? XD). If we make a scandal out of it then I'm sure a public apology will follow, but is that it? The personal apology, if it exists, is more important.

TBH, I didn't enjoy Casillas or Iniesta saying some swearwords on TV but they were talking colloquially for thousands of people at the stage, it wasn't against anybody, still I didn't like it. I wouldn't like the media to kill Piqué but the message should have been completely different. There was no need to show it on TV but I find it unacceptable if they show it and then say it's fine. Because now many people have seen it and they think it's not so bad. If they don't show it on TV many people wouldn't know about it and there's no need to know that Piqué got drunk and did what he did.

The scandal is not what Piqué did, the scandal is showing it on TV for no good reason.

Agreed. It's really pathetic when athletes cannot conduct themselves well outside of the game. Some can't in it, either.

Yes, and even more pathetic when the media pamper them no matter what they do.

[freaky2 1]

I agree with you but they're role models just because we want them to be it. They probably don't like it and many of them don't deserve it but that's life and our children learn good or bad things from them. The worst part of the story is not what a drunk young sportman did on a celebration, it is worse that they showed it on TV but didn't say it was so wrong. What's the point on showing it on TV if you're going to look somewhere else?

TBH, I didn't enjoy Casillas or Iniesta saying some swearwords on TV but they were talking colloquially for thousands of people at the stage, it wasn't against anybody, still I didn't like it. I wouldn't like the media to kill Piqué but the message should have been completely different. There was no need to show it on TV but I find it unacceptable if they show it and then say it's fine. Because now many people have seen it and they think it's not so bad. If they don't show it on TV many people wouldn't know about it and there's no need to know that Piqué got drunk and did what he did.

The scandal is not what Piqué did, the scandal is showing it on TV for no good reason.

Yes, and even more pathetic when the media pamper them no matter what they do.

Yep, you're right about that. I'm trying to educate little monsters here at home, and it doesn't help! I'm more liberal about swear words though, because I'm quite colloquial in the way I speak too, so I can't exactly hold it against them XD

[Pucky the Whale 0]

Mobile phones, after RandyNZL's topic.

I certainly appreciate "smart phones." They're cool and useful for most people.

For me, however, I'm just not sure. All of them come with a mandatory data plan, which adds at a minimum $29.99/month to your plan (already a lot...I don't pay my own cell service, mommy does, but I'd guess it's around $99.99/month), which I really don't need, especially when I have my own iMac and will be getting a MacBook for uni, so the times when I'll need to use a smart phone to do something my computer can already do will be bordering on zero. If I'm away from my computer, chances are I'm doing something, and going on the Internet on a smart phone or using some app would be really silly. Sure, some apps are convenient (find the nearest...), but it's not impossible to live without them.

That's not the rant, of course. Smart phones are fine and the people who own them love them, and that's great!

So, the rant, then.

I need a new phone; my current one is four years old and, even after replacing the battery last year, it's just giving up. It freezes quite frequently even when just receiving a simple text message and the vibrate option no longer works (and I don't like to have ringtone volume on because that's really annoying in public...so I miss a lot of calls/texts if my phone is in my pocket and not in my hand). What p**ses me off is that EVERY single phone available through my service supplier (no chance of switching; it's the only one that gets decent service here...cell service in the U.S. is, surprisingly, miserable throughout. Cell service in Europe is literally 1,000,000% better) happens to be an ungainly smart phone with a mandatory data plan.

All I want is a phone that is light and slim (not a fan of the "phoner" look, when the bulge from your phone creates the false appearance of an erection) and works. Every phone available has larger dimensions and weighs more than my current one, and forces me to pay $29.99/month for features I have no use for. Evidently, the rest of the market has no interest in thin, lightweight, simple mobiles.

[Kopite Girl 0]

Have you called their customer service?

I do like bulkier phones. I'm a girl and can't give off the impression of an erection, as I haven't the right equipment!

The reason I like bulkier phones like the blackberry and iPhone is they're harder to lose! I've lost about ten phones, but managed to keep my blackberry and iPhone safe. I use the net from my iPhone (like now) and calls/txts/email from blackberry.

I'm a girl. I live my life, and my phones are a necessary part of it.

[Pucky the Whale 0]

Have you called their customer service?

I do like bulkier phones. I'm a girl and can't give off the impression of an erection, as I haven't the right equipment!

The reason I like bulkier phones like the blackberry and iPhone is they're harder to lose! I've lost about ten phones, but managed to keep my blackberry and iPhone safe. I use the net from my iPhone (like now) and calls/txts/email from blackberry.

I'm a girl. I live my life, and my phones are a necessary part of it.

Perhaps if I carry a purse I'll not have to worry about the bulge from a phone. Though I guess I'll have other concerns then...

I think smart phones are fantastic if you use it, which many people, like you, do. I'd love to be able to justify an iPhone; I've played with one before and it's certainly cool.

I just wish there was a larger market for smaller phones that don't have as many applications (therefore a less expensive plan) so there would be some more offerings. Right now I see a few (have to compare dimensions) in the free section, but they all have low reviews which isn't what I need. The most appealing to me at the moment is the one for little children that just has three buttons...Mommy, Daddy, and 911.

[freaky2 1]

Hahaha! This is a fun topic. Mobile service in the USA must really suck, Eric, here no one could ever make me pay them X amount of money just because, heck I spend that amount of money in about half a year, I'm just like that XD

I have a free card, and my mum got me a cool phone but I'm happy enough that I can watch videos and listen to music on it (and play Sudoku!!). I don't need anything else xD

Look for alternatives, there must be at least one!!

[Pucky the Whale 0]

My current phone service...is $149.99/month, but that covers three phones (mine, my mother's, my sister's). My individual phone was $89.99/month until my two-year contract ended and we switched to a family plan. To access the Internet, one needs a data plan...that's $29.99/month. So, at worst, one phone is $119.98/month with unlimited call, text, and Internet, apps, etc. This excludes the fact I'd have to pay $x for the phone, $x for activating a new contract, and $x for canceling my current one, as well as utility lost for having a larger phone.

The only phone I found with smaller dimensions than my current one has a p**s-poor rating (all the reviews reveal some really concerning details about the phone; it's probably worse new than mine is four years old). One with slightly larger was a senior citizen phone, aimed at the elderly with a huge display and huge buttons and huge fonts and "911" and "In Case of Emergency" buttons that I'd no doubt accidentally push and get in a Sh#t-ton of trouble over. And, above all, I'm 17, not 71...I don't want an embarrassing, ugly phone.

The important dimension of a phone, of course, is the depth, though the weight is a close second. The iPhone has much less depth than my current phone, and would probably create less of a bulge, but weighs more. Plus, it is only available with at&t (my father has it; he doesn't even get service in our house...and that would ruin our family plan, costing my mom and sister more, and me more, and therefore all of us more) and would require an expensive data plan; I can't opt out and just get the iPhone for the phone and text and not use it for Internet; I have to pay $29.99/month to not use the Internet. They won't even let you sign on with the minimum data plan (25 MB or less) at $9.99/month, just the maximum (unlimited) one! Bullsh*t! That's just under $360 per year for features I won't use!

At least you guys are nice. So many people on the Internet are really helpful, telling me to "avoid a dumbphone and instead get the Droid because it does..." It's like when you go to a car forum asking for advice on a good family car and they tell you to get a Z4 instead.

I'm not sure if it's even a rant anymore...I'm just laughing now. It costs me less utility to just have my old phone and its problems than it does to waste $360 of my parents' money and have no service in my own home, like I would with an iPhone, so, after all that, I guess I'm sticking with what I have.

[Quiet One 15]

Forget the IPhoney and the WimpMO phones. Real men use Android phones with plenty of machoflops. I'm named after them, ever told you that? Hope this helped.

I can quote the bible on this if that would make things clearer. Or point to a billion pages with useless statistics showing that you can save approximately 0.1 secs of typing time on an Android if you type the phrase "BaTRaceR RUleZZZZZ"

[HandyNZL 1]

$89.99 US a month! Yikes.....maybe lil ol' NZ ain't so bad...I pay $40NZD a month for mine.....

And smart phones are just a phase....everyone will be back to a phone that calls people and texts people and thats it soon enough. Mmm mmmmm. Ayup.

[Pucky the Whale 0]

Forget the IPhoney and the WimpMO phones. Real men use Android phones with plenty of machoflops. I'm named after them, ever told you that? Hope this helped.

I can quote the bible on this if that would make things clearer. Or point to a billion pages with useless statistics showing that you can save approximately 0.1 secs of typing time on an Android if you type the phrase "BaTRaceR RUleZZZZZ"

Good advice. Here is an email I received that may also help you purchase more Android phones.

Dear good friend,

I am Prince First Reverend Captain Solomon Yusuf d#ckson Mohamed Benjamin Otis Peter Brown, M.D. of Benin. I am many millions of dollar in Royal Bank of Scotland because of princeship. This are my picture of sister to me and business associate of me in background who can testimony to my reliable transaction.

Is tragic, the access to I do not have. All money there so no cannot pay bank fee. These fee have price in $10,000USD. For you to give these, I then will give you half my fortune, is $3,500,001USD. Also I will give you sister in marriage. I also require URGENT $10,000USD to help friend in hospital.

For these, BATracer login details is most required. You are make good deal. $20,000USD for $3,500,001USD, lovey wife, and future business relations of nature in this kind. You are worth everything and you are co-operate is to be much to acclaim.

Many love and supremior gratitation,

President Daniel Nathaniel Mohamed Bassey Martins Kalu Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria

$89.99 US a month! Yikes.....maybe lil ol' NZ ain't so bad...I pay $40NZD a month for mine.....

And smart phones are just a phase....everyone will be back to a phone that calls people and texts people and thats it soon enough. Mmm mmmmm. Ayup.

The cheapest in the U.S. with my supplier is $56.38NZD/month. That's 450 minutes of calling and 0 texts. $0.21NZD per text sent, $0.14NZD per text received, $0.63NZD per every minute over 450 you use per month, and $1.40NZD per every kilobyte (rounded up in all cases) of data usage. When I'm off the family plan, I might just take that on, because I doubt I'd ever go over 450 minutes per month and I assume I won't need unlimited texting (we only got that because of the family plan because my sister and mother text each other all day every day). I believe our family plan is actually $109.99USD ($155.00NZD) per month, so a bit cheaper than my initial estimate, but still a waste of money.

You and your sheep have a higher quality of life index rating than we do, you know. Now I see why.

[HandyNZL 1]

And who said sheep were bad...

We have less guns too...

..to shoot the sheep...big crime to shoot sheep...oh you bad boy shooting sheep, you....

[Autumnpuma 0]

....I hear it's only bad to shoot them from the outside....

oy