Thursday, January 31, 2008

Comments on the State of The Union Address.

A war without end. Deceptions about Iran and their nuclear program. An economy that is down and could be heading toward a recession. This is what the administration of our 43rd president George Walker Bush will be remembered for. A disaster that is the Iraq War. Intentional lies about Iran's uranium enrichment program which was once thought to be a horrifying reality, only instead to learn that said program was suspended in 2003 according to the National Intellegence Estimate. A sluggish and weakening economy that cost the jobs of the American people, raised gas prices, and declined the value of the U.S. dollar. This was the work of this current adminisrtation. These topics were highlights in the President's annual State of the Union address. In the address last Monday Night, President Bush addressed the status of Iraq, Iran's uranium enrichment program, and the economy. This State of the Union, however, was not, in my opinion (like all of my commentaries) an actual report on our country. Instead, President Bush spun the status of the Iraq War, Iran's urainium enrichment program that was suspended for almost half a decade, and the economy of the United States. President Bush's speech was a cut and paste from his previous annual addresses. We, regardless of political affiliation, are tired of this. We have heard the same old song and dance year after year.

President Bush's statements about the success of the surge are not truthful. Although the surge did work from a militarily standpoint, thus Al Quieda being driven out of Iraq and an overall drop in violence, the primary goal of the surge was to give security for political reconciliation in Iraq. This has not happened. Iraq continues to be an unstable country. Iraq is still in a state of chaos and dissarry while our brave men and women in uniform are continuosly dying from roadside bombs, suprise attacks, and suicide bombers. President Bush is telling the American people that things in Iraq are better than they once were. I agree that things in Iraq are better, but it is far from good. Our troops are still losing their lives and our military is straining in a war that is growing pointless every single day. A war that made more enemies while we lost allies and our standing in the world. No political progress was made. The surge, while succeding militarilly thanks to our excellent army, is not working politically.

President Bush made comments about Iran's suspended uranium enrichment program in his address Monday Night. He told the many viewers of his speech that if Iran wants to negotiate, they need to end their enrichment program. Did our elected president just all of a sudden forgot about the NIE report that said Iran suspended said program in 2003? That same report that President Bush got back in August, but still brought up a nuclear holocaust and World War 3 if Iran was allowed to continue said program? President Bush got it all wrong. Those who watched the State of the Union and listened to the president make those remarks about Iran could only imagine how most of the American people felt and how the Democrats felt about the insane and utterly false comments President Bush made. The American people do not want and do not need a president that is delusional. We do not need a president that instead of running a country in the real world, rules the country in a fantasy world. GET BACK TO EARTH MR. PRESIDENT. Get back to reality.

The economy, which was also addressed in the State of the Union, is not in a recession...but it is heading in that direction. Although time will tell of the new economic agreement between the White House and congress, time will not be essential to tell of Bush's economic policies. They, just like his presidency, was a flop. The value of the dollar has declined. Jobs went overseas. The housing market is in a mess. President Bush's economic policies were the cause of the aforementioned. His economic policies raised unemployment and foreclocures. His policies are a factor in the rising of gas prices and the devaluing of the dollar. Despite the Dow rising as high as 14,000 points, the economy is in a freefall and possibly heading into a recession, the second one of his presidency. President Bush's economic policy was a disaster.

President Bush's State of the Union address was nothing more than falsehoods. It paints a false reality of this nation. It was not reflective of the actual state of the union. You do not need a pundit to tell you this. You do not need a blog to tell you this. If you saw the State of the Union, you can see just how wrong the president was and how devisive the parties were. When President Bush mentioned the complete success of the surge, the Republican half of the audience applauded while the Democratic half sat still in solid disagreement. When President Bush mentioned about Iran's suspended uranium enrichment program, the Democrats, while calm on the outside, were screaming bloody murder and complete objection on the inside. However, the Democrats were not alone in their objection. You can ask the near seventy (70) percent of the American people that object to Bush's policies. It does not matter whether they are affiliated with any party. You do not need to be a liberal or a Democrat to realize that this nation is on the wrong track.

It is a damn shame President Bush does not recognize this. He does not realize the nation is in the wrong direction and that his policies put this nation on that track. It was his job to put this nation on the right track. He has failed. His State of the Union address is further evidence that President Bush does not know how to run this country. His state of the union was an hour of falsehoods. What is more depressing is that we all heard the same thing year after year. Iraq is getting better. The economy is thriving. Iran is trying to get nuclear weapons. This is sounding like a broken record.

WE, THE AMERICAN PEOPLE, HAVE HEARD THIS, PRESIDENT BUSH, AGAIN AND AGAIN. LISTEN TO YOUR PEOPLE FOR A CHANGE, WILL YOU?

Good night and good luck.

Friday, January 25, 2008

Brief Commentary on Electronic Arts' Resopnse to Fox News "Mass Effect" Smear.

Earlier this week, the XBox 360 game "Mass Effect" was unfairly slammed and defamed by author Cooper Lawrence and Fox News. In a debate on the midday show "The Live Desk", guest Cooper Lawrence and host Martha MacCallum sensationalized the game and its tastefully done love scene. They claimed the game featured full nudity and graphic sex. The segment was even titled "'SE'XBOX? New Video Game Shows Full Digital Nudity And Sex". Spike TV's Geoff Keighley did a tremendous job defending the game, but was not given much time to give his response. In all, it was a sad and disgraceful display from Cooper and Fox News. Cooper, Martha, and the "A-List" panel slammed "Mass Effect" unfairly. Adding to the disgrace and the lack of credibility on the issue is that Cooper Lawrence, during the debate, said she never played the game. Just sad, but not suprising from Fox News. Yesterday, Electronic Arts, parent company of "Mass Effect" developer BioWare, called out Fox News and demanded them to correct themselves about the game. VP Jeff Brown also called out Fox for their hypocrisy, pointing out that Fox Television Network shows like "Family Guy" and "The O.C." have more sexual content than "Mass Effect".

It is about time.

It is about damn time that someone in the industry called out Fox News on their lies. When games are slammed, it is not the game itself that feels the heat. Game companies are painted as those who push porn on kids. They are portrayed as sick individuals, smut peddlers, those who target law enforcement. Gamers themselves are portrayed as perverted, twisted, and violent. Brown finally did something that should have been done a long, long time ago. He fought back against Fox News and Cooper Lawrence. He took a stand. The rest of the industry need to follow suit when a game is unfairly slammed.

Fox News as well as the rest of the mainstream media needs to take more responsibility and to check their facts. Back in 2004, former CBS Evening News host Dan Rather ran a story about President Bush's National Guard service record. When he reported the story incorrectly, Rather lost his job and an accomplished jounalist had his reputation wrecked. If Dan Rather gets fired for not fact-checking, then Martha MacCallum and Cooper Lawrence should be admonished and disciplined for their lies about "Mass Effect". This is a sign that the game companies are not going to be slanderized and bullied around anymore.

Good night and good luck.

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Commentary on Fox News' Sensationalistic Deceptions and Hypocritical Outrage Over "Sex" Scene in Mass Effect.

It should be no surprise and no mystery that Fox News is neither fair nor balanced. Their deceptive tactics and rampant sensationalism are well-known among their former viewers like myself. Fox News has sensationalized hostage situations and school shootings. They added inappropriate and gratuitous sexual imagery when they covered a serial killer prowling around the beaches of Florida near Spring Break. In fact, Fox News adds gratuitous sexual images in almost any story they cover, especially sexual-themed stories. When Bill O'Reilly devoted a segment of his show to a Carl's Jr. television advert staring Paris Hilton, he displayed the ad for 19 seconds running. Instead of responsibly showing the ad to his viewers for only five seconds, he shown the ad for nearly a third of a minuet. If you are showing an ad you are outraged at for only five seconds, I would not mind. When you do that for almost twenty seconds, you are using that ad gratuitously and it makes you a hypocrite. This is what Fox News does best. Spin the story to make whatever they do not like look bad. They take what democrats say and twist it into something negative. It is wrong and is not reflective of what I thought Fox News was...fair and balanced.

The tactics of Fox News was on display again yesterday on their midday show "The Live Desk". The segment was on the supposed sex scene in the Xbox 360 game "Mass Effect". Hosted by Martha MacCallum, the segment featured a debate between author Cooper Lawrence and Spike TV's game reporter Geoff Keighley (transcript and YouTube video here). The segment was titled "Se"Xbox? New Video Game Shows Full Digital Nudity and Sex". Keighley defended the game well, but it was obvious the game along with Keighley himself was not going to get the "fair and balanced" treatment. Geoff was not given much time to give his replies while Cooper Lawrence was misrepresenting the game, a game she admitted that she never played, and was just being rude to Keighley, even telling Martha to "Let me at him".

Geoff should be praised not only for defending the game, but for even going on Fox News, which is never kind to video games or the industry itself. He had tremendous poise and kept his cool while he was being rudely interrupted by Lawrence along with being bombarded with sensationalized exaggerations of the scene and the game itself. Full nudity? Explicitly graphical sex? This could not be further from the truth. The scene (which is in the YouTube clip here) only features a bare backside and one breast. No full nudity. No graphic sex. Cooper Lawrence, along with Martha and the "A-List" panel, made the false claims of graphic sex without even playing the game. Does this sound fair and balanced? Were the words of Lawrence about the game as a whole and the way Martha moderated the debate reflective of that slogan? Look at the title of that segment. "Se"Xbox? New Video Game Shows Full Digital Nudity and Sex". That alone should be a red flag not only for sensationalizing a story, but also for slander. Microsoft and BioWare should call an attorney.

When Martha interviewed the panel about the scene, one of the panelists criticized the ESRB for not giving the game the Adults Only rating, which would get the game pulled from store shelves. If Mass Effect should get such a rating for the "graphic scene", then Fox News should be declared obscene and be available only through the adult pay-per-view channels. The sexual images they shamelessly exhibit while covering news stories are more graphic and more gratuitous than the supposed sex scene in Mass Effect and are on the screen longer on all of their shows than the scene in the game. Fox News is being hypocritical in their outrage. Not only do they display sexual images without any qualms, but their salaries are paid by the same man who owns the Fox Television Network, which has shows like The Simpsons, Family Guy, House, and 24 among other shows that are not suitable for children. These shows feature more sexual content than Mass Effect. Fox News is owned by the same company that owns MySpace. I do not need to tell you about the stuff one can view on the social networking site. Fox News and their employees are in no place to criticise those who develop games with any sexual content. If they want to go after adult content, they should start with their own channel. How about if they not show sexual content gratuitously and inappropriately?

Fox News' coverage of the "sex scene" in Mass Effect is nothing short of sensationalism and a complete distortion of facts. The so-called graphic nudity is nothing more than a brief shot of a woman's rear and a bare left breast. This is not pornographic. This is not AO content. Fox News is doing what they do best. They sensationalize. They spin the facts. They are not fair to who they do not agree with. Fox News is lying to their viewers. Their viewers are not getting all sides of any story they "report". This is fear-mongering. The act of deliberately twisting facts and research to scare viewers and to defame anyone or anything is a violation of journalistic ethics. We have seen this from Fox News so many times. This is the same network that gave anti-game crusader and lawyer Jack Thompson air time during their coverage of the Virginia Tech massacre. Fox did nothing but listen to this massacre-chasing monster blaming video games for the shooting before any investigation took place, before the identity of the shooter was known, before the final body count was known, while students were worried sick about the well-being of fellow students and professors, while family members were waiting for the conditions of their loved-ones. Just sad and disgraceful. No one at Fox News objected. No one at Fox News had any qualms about Jack Thompson capitalizing on a tragedy that was still going on. DO THEY NOT HAVE ANY SHAME?

My anger with Fox News is not a right-wing issue or a left-wing issue. This is about holding journalists who sensationalize and spin the facts responsible. The journalists at Fox need to take a long look in the mirror. They need to look at themselves and take stock. When they do that, they should ask themselves this question: Who is worse, the game developers who make the games or those in the media who sensationalize and distort the facts about the game to scare the viewers and to fit an agenda? If you think the former is worse, I got these six words to say:

YOU HAVE NO BUSINESS BEING JOURNALISTS!

Good night and good luck.

Monday, January 21, 2008

Thoughts on Universal Healthcare

The health of a human being. It is a paramount essence to ones' livelihood. The very thing that keeps a person alive and judges a persons' odds of living into tomorrow, next week, next month, or even next year. Our health is based on our heart, lungs, bone strength, and muscle strength among other factors. The proper maintenance of the factors of overall health is a top importance to anyone if they want to live a long life. A person alone, however, can not check how his or her heart is working and whether it needs to be examined. A person alone can not check their own teeth to see if they need fillings or a root canal. A person alone can not perform surgery on themselves to repair a torn ACL. This is why we have doctors, dentists, surgeons, and many other medical professionals. We visit them to get our check-up. We visit them when something in our body goes wrong. However, they, lust like anyone who has a job, needs to be paid. The bills are usually paid by the patient. The bills can be expensive, sometimes costing as much as a thousand dollars. Luckily, we have insurance that can co-pay the fees and bills.

Sadly insurance companies at times do not co-pay for operations. It is a depressing fact, but many who do not have good insurance and can not afford for surgeries that can save a person's life do not get the mandated treatment. They are turned away from the help they need. They are denied of the care that they mandate. Instead of having a doctor to take care of them, those who could not get the care they need to save their lives because of a bad insurance policy are left for dead. This is a sad dose of reality. It is heartbreaking to hear the stories of those who lost loved ones because some insurance companies are too cheap to co-pay for a surgery that could have saved their lives. This is a serious problem in this nation and it is a topic in the presidential campaign. A solution is needed.

The easiest solution and the one favored by the democratic presidential candidates is universal, or socialized, healthcare. Universal healthcare is a program used in Canada, England, and France among other countries that guarantees everyone healthcare regardless of insurance. The idea of universal healthcare in America sounds like a great solution. All of those who were turned away from healthcare because of affordability will get the healthcare because it is paid for by the government. That sounds like a good idea, doesn't it? Our government pays for the police force and for the fire department. They also pay for the roads and their maintenance. Imagine if we had to pay for our police force or for the fire department. I tremble at the thought of the people not getting help from law enforcement because they could not pay for it. I wince at the thought of not getting help from the fire department because I could not pay them. If we do not have to pay for the police or fire departments, then why should we have to pay for healthcare. Universal healthcare is a fabulous idea...

...on paper.

Universal healthcare is not the best solution. In fact, it is far from the best solution. One of the flaws of universal healthcare are waiting lists. Those on the list have to wait several days or even months to get the treatment they need. They can not move ahead regardless of the severity of their condition. They have to wait some time in order to get the treatment they need. Imagine that you need a surgery as soon as possible, but you are put on a waiting list. You could wait for months, not getting the care you need while your condition worsens. You could even die while you are waiting for your operation. Even if the average waiting time is only a couple of days, a day or two could be the difference between life or death. This flaw is worsened by those who would go to the doctor when even the littlest thing in them goes wrong. Those who do that clog up the lists and holds up those who are in more need of medical care than those who may have nothing worse than a runny nose or morning sickness (the feeling you get when you wake up and quickly goes away).

Universal healthcare has other flaws, but none of which are as paramount as this. Earlier in this commentary, I noted that the police department, the fire department, and our roads are paid for by the government. Where does this money come from? It comes from...OUR TAXES. Those who claim that universal healthcare is free could not be further from the truth. The government uses our tax dollars to pay for law enforcement, our firemen, and our military among other things. Imagine your tax dollars going to a person who sees a doctor over nothing worse than a cough, or a person who sees a doctor to get a prescription for medicine to make meth, or even to those who commit fraud. The thought of those who abuse something that is paid by our taxes is sick, but those who would commit fraud with our tax dollars is beyond sick. It is repugnant. This can happen and possibly will happen with a universal healthcare system. This is a society that cares for others, but it is not selfish to think to yourself sometimes. The higher tax rates that come with universal healthcare will leave you with less money for the things you need. You will have less money for your home, your groceries, running water, electricity, and other essentials. Low-income families will be under a heavier burden with the higher tax rates and homeless rates could increase. Universal healthcare is paid by tax dollars. It is not free.

Backers of universal healthcare accuse hospitals of denying care to those who enter emergengy rooms if they can not pay for it. This is not only false, it is illegal. Federal law obligates emergency rooms to care for those who need it regardless of affordability.

The healthcare system in this nation is broken, but a universal healthcare system is not the answer. The waiting list will have patients needing an immediate surgery waiting either a day or half a year and taxes will sharply increase. In fact, nations that have socialized healthcare have higher tax rates than the U.S. France has a tax rate six times the rate in this country. Universal healthcare sounds good on paper, but it may not work in the United States.

Good night and good luck.

Did a Rush to Beat Sony Cause the Red Rings of Death Controversy?

According to an anonymous inside source who was involved in the testing of the system, the Xbox 360 had "purposefully cheap heat sinks" and was rushed just to beat Sony. The sinks were the reported cause of many RROD problems. Also adding to the pain is the chance that Microsoft may run out of replacement systems for those who had the dreaded rings.

This is of right now a rumor. If it is true, then Microsoft should be ashamed.

Source of article: Joystiq

Friday, January 18, 2008

Website of the Week: GameTrailers

Imagine a website that has all of the following: previews, reviews, retrospectives, user-submitted content, and a bunch of other things on and about video games.

Well, no longer imagine. GameTrailers has all of that in one place. You will get video reviews, video previews, the ability to watch any video either in Standard Definition or High Definition. GameTrailers also features interviews with gaming luminaries and gives you an inside look at various industry events. I reccomend this website. Visit it often.

Website of the Week: GameTrailers

Directors Guild and Studios Reach Deal.

Could the writers strike come to an end soon? It could. The Directors Guild reached a deal with major film and TV studios. The deal is likely to put pressure on the writers to end the strike, which is ten weeks old and hurting the industry badly.

Saturday, January 12, 2008

Thoughts on Game Publishers Blacklisting Game Outlets for Bad Reviews.

Honesty. Integrity. The ability and value of accurate, fair, and balanced reporting on the stories that shape our world to those who read or listen to those stories. This is the essence of journalism. The connection of trust that reporters and writers have with their viewers and readers is paramount in the profession. The apex, the top essence, the utmost requirement, the peak importance among other peak importances of that sacred trust is the integrity that the journalist has when reporting or writing about news stories, sporting events, or even tragedies and hostage situations. The integrity of a journalist means that the he or she will report the story with no bias. The journalist will cover elections without any sign of party siding, which means he or she will not show any sign of joy or disappointment while announcing the results of an election. The journalist will never take payment from an oil company that is abusing the environment if said journalist reports only on the good in which said oil company does. The journalist understands the essence of the sacred trust between the news company, whether it be a newspaper or a news channel, and the viewer, who pays for the newspaper subscription and the news channel. It is a trust that is sacred as the trust between spouses in a marriage. It is NEVER to be violated.

Sadly, journalistic integrity is hard to come by. They will only report on good things a company does because they are paid by said company or only report on the negative things a company does because they pay their rivals. A conservative newspaper, magazine, or news channel will cover scandals affecting liberals more than covering scandals on conservatives. Vice-versa applies to liberal journalistic outlets. The lack of journalistic integrity has detrimental consequences not only to the news organizations, but to those who trust said outlets. The viewers, listeners, and readers trust journalists like they trust a home security system with their possessions, their homes, their families, and their lives. Readers, listeners, and viewers depend on the news. They do not know what is exactly happening in Iraq. They do not know what is exactly happening with global warming. They do not know what is exactly going on with the economy. This is why we all depend on journalists to give us the news. The lack of integrity in a journalist is a violation of that sacred trust within the viewer.

One last stallion of integrity in journalism is the video game journalist and, more specifically, the video game reviewer. The video game reviewer is like a movie critic. They play the games and give a score based on many aspects of the game, which includes graphics, control, design, story, and audio. The game reviewer has a tall responsibility. They are responsible with honest and accurate critiques of the games so that no one wastes money on a video game with horrible gameplay or that no one misses out on a blockbuster that is game of the year noteworthy because a reviewer falsely claimed the overall gameplay was terrible. That is the paramount task game reviewers undertake. A vast number of gamers, including myself, consult game review scores in a purchase of a game. They claim that review scores are a chief factor in a purchasing decision. Game journalists understand this. They are gamers too. They, just like you and I, cringe at the thought of wasting money on a video game with graphics that give players eye strain. They lament the thought of spending fifty dollars of hard earned money on a game with controls that are more sluggish than FEMA was when Hurricane Katrina hit the gulf coast. They especially wince at the idea of spending money on a game that is plagued with glitches that make the game unplayable.

The video game companies see things a different way.

Sadly and unfortunately, the integrity of game reviewers are now under attack. Not from the head of game magazines, game websites, or game channels, but from the developers and publishers of the games. I am not talking about all game companies. Just those who can not accept criticism, low scores, and the fact that the game is just not any good or any fun to play. This started last fall with the now-overhyped Playstation 3 dragon flight game "Lair". When the game received scores that ranged from mediocre to terrible, developer Factor 5 and publisher Sony sent a guide on how to review the game to nearly every outlet, whether it be magazine, website, or channel. Factor 5 and Sony were bashed for this childish act. The fact that they would stoop to such a low level is ridiculous and is the trigger, a cause, of public relations hell. The lengths of what a game company will do to game reviewers who truthfully give bad scores to games came to a head last month when long time Gamespot reviewer Jeff Gerstmann, the reviewer who gave "The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time" a perfect 10, which is the first and only game to get such a paramount honor from the website, was terminated when he gave the game "Kane & Lynch" a mediocre score. The publishers Eidos interactive, who had adverts for the game on Gamespot, threatened to pull their ads if Jeff was not terminated. This triggered a massive and vast anger from the entire gaming community, whether they be journalists or players. Many Gamespot readers gave abysmal reader reviews for the game as a protest against Gerstmann's termination. Those were quickly tarnished as well as Gerstmann's review. Many Gamespot subscribers ceased their subscriptions and even their staffers started to depart.

The game companies are in no position to bully game reviewers. They do not have the right nor the privilege to force a reviewers termination because of their honesty. This is the equivalent of a petulant little brat who does not take no for an answer. This is the equivalent of a child losing in a game and demanding a two out of three or a three out of five. This is the equivalent of one who responds to criticism in an inappropriate fashion. If game companies want good reviews or some of the hard-earned money of those who shell out the fifty dollars for such games, then they perhaps need to take a long look in the mirror and come to a realization. A realization in which a game company needs to accept the fact that in order to get great reviews and millions of copies of a game sold, they need to develop and tune the game to meet such lofty goals. The game companies are not to force game reviewers to sacrifice their integrity, the integrity that is essential for the trust between the reviewer and the reader. The reviewer should never have to lose his or her job because he or she was being honest, fair, and balanced. That is what Eidos did. Instead of taking criticism as a learning experience, they instead decided to go after Jeff, costing him his job in the process and giving Gamespot, CNet, and Eidos a publicity nightmare so treacherous, the publicists of Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton, and Brittany Spears would be unenviable of such a task. Even the PR department of Take-Two Interactive would not undergo such a hellish...well...hell. Jeff Gerstmann is an unfortunate victim of a company's ego vastly over-inflated and pride more foolish than that of our president.

To the game reviewers: stay strong and never budge. Your integrity is paramount in our trust we put in you. Your fairness and honesty is the peak difference in buying a game that is one of the greatest ever or a game that is one of the worst ever. Also to the CEOs of the gaming outlets: never give in to the demands of a game company. They are not to tell you how to run the magazine, website, or network. You run the ship, they do not. What the game companies do to your employees is nothing short of wrongful termination, which results in lawsuits. You can not fire journalists for being honest, fair, accurate, and balanced. That is what you hire your employees for. You do not fire your employees for doing their jobs. You do not fire them for what they do. They play a game thoroughly and give an honest critique of the game. The importance of integrity is something that can never...NEVER...be stressed enough. If you give in to the demands from a game company that is too egotistical to accept the fact that their game is bad, you will go through what Gamespot has to go through. The protests, the PR hell, the sudden departures of fellow co-workers who feel that if they do not lie and say a game is good when in fact it is a complete 180 from good, and paramount of all the loss of readers and viewers that are vital to your company as much as gasoline is vital to an automobile, as vital as oxygen and a heartbeat is to a human being. Do not do what Gamestop and CNet did to your employees.

The journalism profession has a sacred trust between the reporter and the listener, reader, or viewer. The utmost factor in that trust is integrity. The sacred trust is NEVER to be violated in any way imaginable. The game companies extorting good game reviews, holding reviewers hostage with their jobs for high scores and have no qualms for their termination, is nothing short of a dispicalbe and selfish act.

Good night and good luck.

Friday, January 11, 2008

Website of the Week: Newgrounds

Flash movies are funny as hell and flash games give players something to pass the time at work (NOT condoning) while giving up and coming programmers a chance to learn basic programming skills.

Flash game/movie sites are abound on the internet, but none are as known and have not as many flash works other than Newgrounds. Founded and run by Tom Fulp, Newgrounds hosts various flash movies and games. The flash movies on this site parody many things, from Anime to Video Games, which are hilarious. Many flash artists also got their start on Newgrounds. Go there, now!

Website of the Week: Newgrounds

Thursday, January 10, 2008

A Timeline of "The Legend of Zelda" Video Game Series According to The Outlet. *SPOILERS*

The Legend of Zelda chronological timeline is one of the most debated topics in video games. Fans of the series have always debated which game came first, second, or last. Many rumors abounded and suggestions have been made.

After lengthy and strong consideration and thinking, I have came up with my own chronological timeline of the series. This is my own thought and you may disagree.

Before I begin, "The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time" has two endings. One ending takes place when the adult Link going back to his own time. Another ending has young Link leaving the temple of time and the fairy Navi flies away. This results in a dual-timeline: one after the end of the game and another after the older Link is transported back to his original time. Another reason why the "Ocarina of Time" is first is because Zelda and Link did not know each other.

Without further ado, here is "The Legend of Zelda" series timeline.

1. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (end of game)
2. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
3. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
4. The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
5. The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures
6. The Legend of Zelda
7. Zelda 2: The Adventure of Link
8. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
9. The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages/Seasons.
10. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

1. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (after Link is sent back to original time)
2. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
3. The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass

This is my iteration of the Zelda timeline. You may agree or disagree. This is still an open debate and will be for some time to come.

Maybe Nintendo did not intend a chronological story for the series and put gameplay ahead of a story line.

Wednesday, January 9, 2008

Writers Strike Cancels Golden Globes Ceremony.

The Hollywood Writers Strike, which is in its ninth week, continues to cause shockwaves throughout the TV and Film Industries. The strike now has struck award ceremonies as well.

The Golden Globes ceremony now has been scrapped. There will be no acceptance speeches and no red carpet pre-show. A press conference will replace the ceremony.

A This and That About Commentaries.

Whenever something big occurs or when I feel that I have to speak my mind, I let it out in the form of my commentaries. When I do a commentary, I speak my mind. I am NOT taking any political side when I do a political commentary. I am NOT favoring Nintendo, Sony, or Microsoft when I do a commentary on game systems. I am NOT favoring a team or sport when I do a sports commentary.

Most of all:
MY COMMENTARIES ARE MY OPINIONS ONLY.
THEY ARE NOT STATEMENTS OF FACT AND SHOULD NEVER BE TAKEN AS STATEMENTS OF FACT.

You may agree or disagree with my commentaries. If you agree, I am glad. If you don't agree, that is fine. All I ask is that you read my commentaries and I hope at least that you think about it.

Tuesday, January 8, 2008

Comments on Fox News Excluding Presidential Candidate Ron Paul (R-TX) From New Hampshire Republican Forum.

First off, there are videos that I would love to embed into this commentary, but I'm sorry to say that I have not mastered embedding YouTube videos into my blog yet. Now to the commentary.

He has raised as much money as senators Hillary Clinton (D-NY) and Barack Obama (D-IL). He stands for what conservatives stand for. He leads former Tennessee senator Fred Thompson (R) in The Granite State.

He is Congressman and Republican Presidential Candidate Ron Paul (R-TX).

Ron Paul is in many ways a typical conservative. He never voted in favor of raising taxes. In fact, he even wants to abolish federal taxes and the IRS. Representative Paul also voted against an unbalanced budget. He doesn't partake in congressional pension plans and never took a government paid junket. Representative Paul stands for what the average conservative stands for. However, he is against one thing that all of the opposing Republican candidates stand for...the war in Iraq. Ron Paul voted against the Iraq War, stating that wars that are undelcared against an enemy that is not specified can not be won.

The Fox News Channel hosted a Republican Presidential Forum last Sunday that included former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, senator John McCain (AZ), former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani, and former Tennessee senator Fred Thompson. Representative Ron Paul did not attend. Why?

Because Fox News excluded the Texas congressman from the forum.

Why did Fox bar Dr. Paul from the forum? He is ahead of Thompson in New Hampshire and raised almost as much money as Clinton and Obama, which is more than the rest of the Republican candidates. Was it because the studio was too small? Well, if you watched the forum like I did, it looks like there was more than enough room for an extra chair. You can not tell me and those who watched the forum that Fox could not add the Texas Representative. There was no reason for Fox to exclude someone that stands for conservative values, someone that Fox News seems to favor. It is his stance on the war in Iraq that got Dr. Paul booted. Ron Paul supporters were angry at this. They even chased after Fox News commentator Sean Hannity in a furious rage and rightfully so.

Ron Paul is not some liberal that loves to increase taxes. He is not someone who favors big government that wants to spy on its own people. He has voted for lesser government and against excessive spending and government regulation. These are the values of conservatives. They do not want large taxes. They do not want the government to spy on their own people. He is the perfect conservative.

His stance against the Iraq War is the reason why he has many supporters. The massive voter turnout at the Iowa Caucuses is a message to all presidential candidates that the American People are sick of this war. Ron Paul understands this. He understands the needs and wants of the American People. He is against the same thing that cost the Republicans control of capitol hill. Ron Paul is a smart politician, favors conservative values, and understands what the proud citizens of this great country want.

Fox News (I am reluctant to call them a news organization) should be embarrassed and ashamed. If they call themselves fair and balanced, they would let Representative Paul into the forum. This is in no way how a news organization conducts themselves. They owe Ron Paul, his family, his supporters, the New Hampshire voters, and all of their viewers a sincere apology. I am calling on Rupert Murdoch, head of Fox News' parent company News Corporation, to condemn this inexcusable, embarrassing, and childish act. How this joke of a news channel (I am a former viewer) gets higher ratings than MSNBC or CNN is sickening. Why people watch this channel is beyond me. This is the same network that won a case years ago that said that lying to their viewers is their right under the constitution.

I accuse Fox News of deliberately editing Democrats to make them look bad. I accuse Fox News of adding inappropriate images to serious news stories. I accuse Fox News of sensationalizing tragedies and hostage situations. I accuse Fox News of their lies on global warming, even after their parent company decided to go green (I also accuse Al Gore on his hypocrisy of the issue, but that is another story). Most of all, I accuse Fox News of only favoring those who are in favor of the Iraq War, a now-needless attack on Iran, and of the Bush Administration's Iraq policy, which is an utter failure. Everyone at that network owes those involved with the Ron Paul campaign, Ron Paul himself, his family, his supporters, and the voters in the state of New Hampshire an apology. Also, Roger Ailles, the CEO of Fox News, should take this disgrace seriously and make drastic changes. If he fails, he should step down or be fired. In fact, if I were a member of Fox News, I would resign immediately because of this bush league act.

Ron Paul deserves much better than this. Fox News should be ashamed. They embarrassed themselves and the profession of journalism with this controversy.

Good night, and good luck.

LSU Defeats OSU to Win College Football National Championship

New Orleans was the place to be last night...if you are a Louisiana State Tigers fan. The Tigers defeated the Ohio State Buckeyes 38-24 last night to win the Bowl Championship Series title. LSU became the first two-loss (both in overtime) team to win the title and also became the fist team in the BCS era (started in1998) to win the BCS championship twice (USC's 2003 national championship was from the AP, not from the BCS).

Ohio State accumulated seven penalties. Five of those were personal fouls (15 yards each and automatic first downs). The Buckeyes are now 0-9 in bowl games against the SEC.

Geaux Tigers.

Friday, January 4, 2008

Website of the Week: The Super Flash Bros.

The Super Flash Brothers (named after the video game "Super Smash Bros.") are known for their flash cartoons such as the "Decline of Video Gaming" series and for their flash games like "Detective Grimore". Founded and run by brothers Tom and Adam "Dim" Vian, the Super Flash Bros website not only features the flash movies and games, but also a blog-like front page and a forum section.

I recommend that you see these movies and play the games from this site when you get the chance. You will have a fun time.

Website of the week: The Super Flash Bros.

Mega Man-Themed Parody of Vancouver Taser Tragedy Sparks Outrage from RCMP.

Look at this story on GamePolitics.com and watch the video.

The RCMP is in no position to be outraged at this. They tasered an innocent Polish immigrant, who could not understand English, to death. Instead of using restraint or getting the help of a translator, one of which was in the airport, the over-zealous airport security and law enforcement simply decided to get trigger-happy with their tasers and killed an innocent man.

The RCMP needs a long look in the mirror.

Huckabee, Obama win GOP/DEM Iowa Caucuses.

The Iowa Caucus last night featured two upsets. Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) won the Democratic Caucus with 38% of the vote, while former senator John Edwards (D-NC) finished second with 30% of the vote. New York senator Hillary Clinton (D) finished third with 29% of the vote.

Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee (R) won the GOP caucus with 35% of the vote, finishing far ahead of second place Mitt Romney (R), former governor of Massachusetts, who got only 24% of the vote.