Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 6A — THE MADISON COUNTY (GA) JOURNAL. THURSDAY. JULY 21,2016
Opinions
Langford
• • • continued from page 5A
individual items.
School supplies, art supplies, computer supplies and school
instructional materials with a sales price of $20 or less per item
that are purchased for noncommercial use are exempt from the
sales tax during the sales tax holiday.
Saving 6 or 7 percent on purchases adds up. Most retailers
offer big sales to attract more business. The following tips may
help you save time, money and frustration during one of the
biggest shopping weekends of the year.
Know what is not exempt. You will still pay sales tax on
belt buckles sold separately; costume masks sold separately;
patches and emblems sold separately; sewing equipment and
supplies, including but not limited to knitting needles, pat
terns, pins, scissors, sewing machines, sewing needles, tape
measures and thimbles; sewing materials that become part
of clothing, including but not limited to buttons, fabric, lace,
tread, yam and zippers; clothing accessories or equipment; and
cellular telephones.
Rupured shares these tips for preparing your shopping plan:
•Check advertisements and fliers for sales.
•Look for coupons for items you plan to buy.
•For computer purchases, gather information about features
and options and compare prices from different stores.
•Shop with a list.
•Write down what each child needs as far as clothing and
school supplies. Leave the kids at home.
•If you need to bring a child along to try on clothing, con
sider two trips. Go out by yourself to purchase school supplies
and/or computers and accessories. While you are out, make
note of any particularly good clothing sales and return to those
stores later in the weekend with the children.
•Avoid using credit. Unless you pay the balance in full with
each statement, the interest you pay on a credit card balance
can offset any savings. To avoid temptation, leave your credit
cards at home.
•Check online. Many online retailers participate in the
sales tax holiday weekend. Make sure shipping and handling
charges do not offset the tax savings on your purchase.
•Finally, bring along plenty of patience and a positive
attitude. The stores, parking lots and roads around shopping
centers are going to be busy and crowded. Checkout lines will
be long. If you do not enjoy shopping, the sales tax holiday
weekend might be a good time to stay at home.
A full list of exempt items is available here: dor.georgia.gov/
press-releases/2016-04-27/2016-sales-tax-holidays. For more
information, contact Morgan Langford at the Madison County
Extension Office at 706-795-2281 or molang@uga.edu.
Morgan Langford is the Family and Consumer Sciences
extension agent for Madison and Oglethorpe counties.
PokeWhat? Pokemon Go
By Cameron Whitlock
cameron@mainstreetnews .com
I want to be the very best, like
no one ever was. To catch them
is my real test, but this time I’ll
have to get off my butt to do so.
Pokemon Go is Nintendo’s
newest incarnation of its signa
ture turn-based animal violence
simulator. That’s right - the
viral fad of the late 90s is back
and better than ever, thanks to a
mobile interface that straddles
the boundary between the dig
ital realm and reality. And like
its predecessors, Pokemon Go
is creating a buzz louder than an
angry hive of Beedrill.
Unless you kept your head
buried in the sand like a Diglett
throughout the entire 1990s
(and this week), you are proba
bly well aware of the Pokemon
phenomena. But in case you
need a refresher, Pokemon (or
Pocket Monsters in Japan) was
originally a 1996 release for the
Nintendo Gameboy. The object
of the game was to catch as
many of the 151 Pokemon as
possible in tiny orb shaped pris
ons, keep and raise them to bat
tle other trainers and gym lead
ers and to eventually become
the most powerful Pokemon
master in the known world.
Long may he reign.
Does Pokemon seem to sim
ulate a pseudo animal-fighting
ring? Sort of. But that’s not the
point.
The point is to catch them
all and that’s been the point in
each iteration of the cult sen
sation that is Pokemon. There
are countless Pokemon video
games, card games, television
shows, movies and more. But
Pokemon Go is breaking down
boundaries - between old fans
and new enthusiasts, between
hardcore gamers and casual
players, and between the digital
realm and reality.
To create Pokemon Go,
Nintendo partnered with
Niantic, a company already
at the forefront of augmented
reality and GPS-based games.
Niantic released its first AR
game - Ingress - in 2012. Since
then, it has evolved to host over
7 million (about 250,000 active
long-term) games that took on
the task of finding augmented
reality “portals" that were locat
ed at different points of interest
throughout the world.
Niantic and Nintendo used
Ingress as a blueprint, and com
bined its gameplay with the
brand recognition of Pokemon.
In doing so, the two companies
created one of the most viral
videogame launches ever seen.
In many ways, Pokemon Go
is the perfect solution to the
age-old dilemma of couch lock.
Gamers are encouraged to get
outside and explore - rather
than sit lethargically with a con
troller and a bag of Doritos.
Users must walk around to dis
cover where Pokemon are hid
ing in the real world. They also
need to walk at least two kilo
meters to hatch any eggs in their
possession. But walking around
in circles won’t cut it. Gamers
need to visit real-world land
marks that double as Pokestops
(where in-game supplies are
available) or gyms (where users
can challenge other Pokemon
trainers). This aspect of the
game also promotes tourism
and allows gamers to take in
tidbits of knowledge on histor
ical locations.
Even the Jackson Herald
office is Pokestop!
But as with any new tech
nologies, there are downsides.
Distracted users can endan
ger themselves and others
with their noses glued to their
phones. Already, there have
been reports of gamers falling
down cliffs or walking out into
traffic in pursuit of a desirable
Pokemon. And some petty
criminals have taken advantage
of Pokestops - using the knowl
edge of locations in which peo
ple are likely to gather for their
ill deeds.
Still in the grand scheme of
things, the revelations and wide
reach of augmented reality in
gaming could shape the future
of the industry. I wouldn’t be
surprised at all to see the lines
between video games and real
ity become more and more
blurred as technology advances.
Cameon Whitlock is a report
er for MainStreet Newspapers
Inc.
Man says he was done wrong in court
Dear Editor:
The saying is 'you are inno
cent until you are proven guilty.”
What if you are found guilty
of a crime that you didn’t do?
Who then would you turn to
if you don’t have any money?
Surely not the public defenders’
office here in Madison County
where you will probably get a
public defender that will work
for the DA’s office and get a
plea for you, but what about
your innocence? And they sure
ly won’t spend time on your
case. You, the public says, "we
can trust the DA’s office and
the police department." But can
you? When they pin phony state
ments on people withholding
evidence from you, the public
and courts to get the conviction.
They do this to people like me
and you. Someone that had no
prior record or any problems
with law enforcement. They
refuse to follow the law that
they are sworn to follow. Like
Miranda Rights, withholding
victims’ or what is supposed to
be victims’ first statements then
changing them before trial and
not showing the courts all the
evidence.
They say you confessed to the
GBI, but can't produce video
or audio of (the) confession,
but they say you did. They say
the so-called victim don’t lie,
but prior to this conviction the
so-called victim made a state
ment to DFACS about her moth
er beating her. The statement
was determined to be a lie.
They say, they say, they say,
but can’t prove. Even the mother
and sister says she (victim) lies
but were ignored during trial.
What has happened to our
Georgia government judicial
system? When justice was found
to be true guilty with evidence to
prove. Some say that the state
ment is, “you are guilty until you
are proven innocent." But are
you? The answer is everyone is
guilty, including you that read
this.
To the government you are a
number waiting to be picked to
make them money, like me. My
number was picked, what will be
your (number) be and what they
pin on you? For me I say stand
up for the innocent and for the
right, because slavery is still here
— no matter the color.
Sincerely,
John Taylor,
Nicholls
Editor's Note:
John Taylor received a 20-year
sentence for child molestation
in 2013, with the first 15 years
served in confinement.
As election time is coming
to an end, I want to person
ally thank everyone for their
support through this cam
paign. It's my dream and
passion to become Sheriff
of Madison County. I have
given my all to reach that
goal. On July 26th, 2016 we
will know who will be Sher
iff for the next 4 years. If you
will give me the next four
years, I will pledge to serve
as a Sheriff for the people.
I personally guarantee that
my staff will be there when
you need us. Approximate
ly 54% agreed in May that
it's time for change. I be
lieve we cannot afford to
keep going in the same di
rection as we are headed. I
don't know about you but I
WANT MORE!
WANT MORE
VOTE MOORE!
Michael
Moore
for Sheriff
• Over 20 years experience
in public safety
• Keeping our county safe
by attacking crime