The Claw

I'm going to try something a little different called a "political collage." It's just like a political cartoon except that I can't draw for squat (almost). So I've decided to print, cut, and paste pictures and typed texts to make my own political collages. In an era of high-tech movie-making programs on PCs, collages these days seem to be a lost art here. Besides, I can't afford these kinds of programs right now, so maybe in the future if I have the money, I'll be glad to make collages without having to waste paper and trees in the process.

My political collage this week: "Rich America, Poor America." Try to figure out the difference between the two of them.

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February 19, 2007

Wii Update:

I recently bought a Nintendo WiFi USB Adaptor to hook up my Nintendo Wii online. It makes everything for the better. You have the ability to download the Nintendo, Super Nintendo, Nintendo 64, Turbo Grafx 16, and Sega Genesis games but for a price, and here's the list (100 Wii points = $1)

1) Nintendo: 500 Wii Points

2) Turbo Grafx 16: 600 Wii Points

3) Sega Genesis: 800 Wii Points

4) Super Nintendo: 800 Wii Points

5) Nintendo 64: 1000 Wii Points

You can get the Wii Points in your local retail store or online. Every week some new games come out. Currently, I have the original Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario 64. Both great games.

To play the classic games, the Classic Controller is "required." I put this in quotes because you can use the GameCube Controller to play these games, but it may not always work. Plus the Classic Controller is better equipped for SNES games. You need to pitch in an additional $20 for it (I bought that as well). I personally recommend the use of the Wii remote to play the original NES and Turbo Grafx 16 games because you can turn the controller 90 degrees counter clockwise to give these games a true classic feel (and it's wireless too!).

I have also downloaded the Opera Browser, so I now have access to the Internet. That way, when somebody else wants to use the computer, I can always use the Wii to access some stuff I want to see, even this very own website.

There's also an Everybody Votes Channel in which you can respond to polls on current trends like "Where would you rather live?" Mountains or Beach. You can also create your own poll questions. This will be the perfect opportunity to make your desires known on what you want to the see in the future for the Wii.

Let's see what other classic games will appear for the Wii. I would like to see these games be playable online if they're mulitiplayer (Street Fighter 2 Turbo, Tecmo Super Bowl, and Mortal Kombat II should count me in).

Here are the latest stats on the Next-Gen Console Wars.

Ghost Rider review:

I went out with Bam and a few other friends to see the movie Ghost Rider on opening day. We didn't think it would be a box office hit, considering we arrived at 7:30 at our local theater, only to find out that the next available showing was at 9:45. We then saw the movie only to find out that we had some mixed feelings about the movie afterward.

I personally am not a Ghost Rider fan, nor do I hate it, but I felt that it did a poor job in its attempt to attract a mainstream audience, or at least make them more interested in the Ghost Rider story. I won't tell you the details of it to avoid spoiling the movie, but I kinda knew that there would be some hokey moments in the film especially with Nicolas Cage, who was definitely hokey as the title character. It was some good hokey. Now the bad hokey are the villains with such bad acting and histrionics that they make the Star Wars prequels actors look like Oscar contenders. The movie just seemed to drag along even for a two-hour movie, which made it seem longer. The Ghost Rider character in itself kicks butt with the special and voice effects, the bike, and the psychological "look into my eyes" attack that would literally scare the bad guys ("guilty souls") to death. Eva Mendes as the girlfriend was hot, but I felt that being a well-crafted actress, she deserved a better script.

Overall the movie wasn't really bad, although I felt the overall reviews were a bit harsh. But I really don't recommend it to people who don't want to spend $10 plus food on something that will not convert you into a serious comic book fan either.

** out of ****.

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February 10, 2007

Congratulations to the Indianapolis Colts for winning Super Bowl XLI on a rainy day. The Colts' offense, lead by SB MVP Peyton Manning took, total control of the game after the Chicago Bears scored on the opening kickoff (a Super Bowl first). RBs Joseph Addai and Dominic Rhodes were also superb in their ground attacks for 190 combined rushing yards, ending all doubt on how the Colts would replace the departed Edgerrin James. Now Peyton Manning can finally secure his legacy as one of the greatest players of all time.

I would also like to thank my friends for coming over at my house for the catering. We really had a great time, even though many of you trashed me earlier on for choosing the Colts (HA! Who's laughing now?!).

I bought a Wii!!! It's really great. The controls are very different because you would have to mimic the movements of the controller to make it work. Before getting started on playing games, you can create your own Mii, a you-version of it that has nearly everything: skin color, eyes, nose, mouth, height, weight, facial hair, etc. The Nintendo Wii includes "Wii Sports" in which seems like a demo version on how the system really works. As a matter of fact, you get a good work out by playing some of these games, including baseball, tennis and boxing. There's even a Wii Fitness Test in which tells you your "age" based on how you perform in these games. My "age" is 80 (well, better start getting in shape). The test, however, is specifically designed for adults (kid's game, huh?). As of now, since I don't have a wireless adapter, I cannot download the classic games because I need to buy the Nintendo WiFi USB Connector that would cost an additional $35 (you can also use that for the DS as well). I would also need to buy the Classic Controller ($20) to play classic games more effectively. It is also backwards compatible with the GameCube, and you can connect the GameCube Controller and Memory Card, so no need to get rid of the GC games. Other than the minor problems, I'm really happy. A $250 investment for the next 5 years is not a bad deal at all.

Bam and I saw Justice League Unlimited Season 1, Disc 1 on DVD. Many of the heroes from the DC universe have now joined the Justice League to protect truth, justice, and... other stuff. We really got a kick out of Batman singing (really, he does!), and when Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and Green Lantern were turned into "Justice Babies". Some of it hokey, others were serious, but it was really good over all.

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February 3, 2007

Nintendo and Magic Mountain fans rejoice! The Nintendo Wii is now the official game console for the mega theme park Six Flags. Now, contrary to popular belief, Six Flags will not, I repeat not sell Magic Mountain amid rumors about the theme park's bankruptcy (and gang troubles). It did, however, agree to sell seven of the theme parks due to financial troubles but Magic Mountain, as far as I know, will stay put. Business will proceed as usual in 2007 and beyond.

If you're a long time PC gamer, you're probably familiar with Age of Empires, one of the most successful real-time strategy (RTS) games and franchises of all time. Age of Empires 2 Gold Edition has been on retail stores since 2001, so that tells you its impressive test of time. Even more impressive, since its a PC game, about 99.99% of games released in 2001 are either $10 or less, or they're on sale at eBay. AOE 2 GE is still on sale for $20. However, even with that still going on, at Wal-Mart I happened to encounter AOE Collector's Edition with the original Age of Empires and Age of Empires 2: GE. Since the package was only selling in jewel case, the price is $10. That really caught me by suprise because AOE 2: GE was selling in a separate game for $20. There's probably some mix-up on how Microsoft (its publisher) is marketing or even selling these games, especially when they're both being sold at the same time. It was really a no-brainer that I picked the Collector's Edition for $10 instead of AOE 2: GE for $20. 4 classic games for $10 is really a steal. If you're a PC gamer, get this version instead of the other one.

Also if you're an old school Nintendo game from the 8-bit days, I found a really funny website from a guy called the Angry Nintendo/Video Game Nerd. He mostly does reviews that are some of the worst games from the late 1980s and early 1990s. I've also played many these games too and, yeah, they do suck (Castlevania II and TMNT I disagree). His videos are highly profane and can even be tedious after a while, but they're highly entertaining. His reviews and commentaries are a short and nice way of saying "Don't play these games."

The fast food industry apparently didn't like what Kevin Federline did in an upcoming Super Bowl commerical. According to the commerical, he's making a music video but it turns out that he was daydreaming while working in a fast-food restaurant. The head of the National Restaurant Association said that "it was a strong and direct insult to the 12.8 million Americans who work in the restaurant industry." Was this commerical so outrageous that it had to warrant a statement from the head of the fast-food industry? Did George Lucas call on Conan O'Brien to apologize for the infamous Triumph the Insult Comic Dog tirade on Star Wars? Does the fast-food head really believe that all 12.8 million Americans actually like their jobs? It's not the people, but the profession. I'm willing to bet that about 1/2 of these workers wish they were somewhere else other than flipping burgers. Yeah, I said 'somewhere other than flipping burgers." Sue me.

Brett Favre is going to return for the 17th season in the NFL. What does this guy have to prove now other than he's a 3-time MVP with a Super Bowl ring in his hand? Brett Favre is not going to win with the kind of team he has. Mike Holmgren, Antonio Freeman, and Reggie White (RIP) are long gone. He doesn't have the kind of team that he once had. No way is Brett Favre ever going to win a ring again, not even an MVP or a Pro-Bowl ballot. Give it up dude, you've already did your "manly cry" retirement speech.

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January 28, 2007

Every time I go to work, I would listen to Star 98.7 FM on the radio simply because they had great music. “The Jamie, Jack, & Stench Show” would hit the airwaves each morning, until the station decides to pull the plug after their winter break because “the show is not a long-term fit with the music-intensive, artist-driven direction that began last April.” Some people argue that Jamie's on-air altercation with KFI radio host Bill Handel is what killed her career. Others might say that her history of burning bridges had her dismissal coming (no word yet as to whether Jack and Mike "Stench" Roberts had any off-air scuffles with her). Frosty Stillwell and Frank Kramer were her first partners on radio for six years. Danny Bonaduce was her "second" partner for the next six years. All three personalites said that Jamie White was a terrible person to work with, including Bonaduce's declaration that working with White was "the worst experience of my life." Ouch!

Another wrestler passes away prematurely. This time, it was Scott "Bam Bam" Bigelow, 45. What is it with wrestlers all of a sudden dying before their time? Could it be drugs? Could it be the fact that their bodies were so beaten that they have finally given up after retirement?

Sports Illustrated has named their 10 Best Athletes to Never Win a Championship. Pretty good list on showing that even the best can't win them all. I would also like to include Tim Brown of the Oakland Raiders, who was one of the most consistently good wide receivers to play the game, yet never won the big one.

Is it just me, or does this headline seem more like an editorial than a news report?

The 79th Annual Academy Awards will be on February 25, 2007. To be honest, I wasn't really impressed with last year's movies. Perhaps because I wasn't willing to spend $10 on a one-time show when I can rent these movies on DVD for $10 a month from Netflix. The movies with the biggest effects and highest expectations (Transformers, Harry Potter, Spider-Man, etc) are the ones that catch my eye. I will probably watch the Oscars for the glitz and glamour, but since I care for none of the movies (maybe "Dreamgirls", but only as a DVD rental), I will probably be either at a friend's house or playing with the computer.

If you remember Double Dragon from the old school arcades, the Xbox 360 is re-releasing the game for the Xbox Live Arcade (you can download the game directly from the Xbox Live Network), the way it was. Well, actually, the graphics are the exception. It is supposed to be "enhanced", but after taking a look at them and the comparisons to the original arcade, I prefer the original arcade. The "enhanced" graphics are a bit too cartoony for its style. Don't mess with old school.

It's one thing to call a word morally reprehensible, but to outright ban it can cause a society to open a very big can of words. The n-word and its use is still a controversial debate that may cause extreme discomfort especially amongst African-Americans. A Texas town wanted the word used for offensive purposes to be punishable up to a $500 fine. Well, the problem with that is how do you define "offensive purposes?" How does a witness go up to the police and say "hey, this person is using the n-word and I want that to be stopped?" And if a group of people are saying it (and that would be mostly African-American youths), how are the police going to respond to that. As a matter of fact, imagine what would happen if police are starting to crack down people who use the n-word and it turns out that it was mostly African-Americans using that term? Many people would condemn that as "racism." So, I don't think it's the government's job to crack down on offensive speech, let alone the n-word. If you find that word offensive, ignore the people that are using them. If they are loved ones or friends, say "hey, I don't appreciate you using that word." This can go on and on and on about the n-word itself, but for the moment banning offensive speech is not going to make the problem go away. Education will.

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January 21, 2007

Last week, I mentioned that San Diego Chargers coach Marty Schottenheimer should be fired for having his team (NFL season best of 14-2) eliminated in the first round again. After reading newspapers and debating with some folks (including our very own Bam), perhaps I was bit harsh and unfair on calling for his dismissal. The fact of the matter remains that there were many dropped passes that were open, and a lot of other missed opportunities for the Chargers to close out. The interception by the Chargers late in the fourth quarter would have sealed the deal had it not been for the immediate fumble that the New England Patriots capitalized on. Marty Schottenheimer is one of the best coaches to ever coach the game, but for some reason, he can never turn that into postseason success. Perhaps his dismal postseason record of 5-13 is a coincidence, but how do you explain that in your next coaching interview? That leaves us a lot more questions than answers on that part. For now, until the end of the 2007 season, Marty Schottenheimer will remain the head coach for the San Diego Chargers.

If you’re a video game player, perhaps you’ve been listening and reading reports on what happened to a 28-year-old mother who wanted to win a Nintendo Wii console in a radio by drinking 2 gallons of water without, well, weeing. It seems as if the DJs didn’t do enough to avert this tragedy. One of them admitted, after hearing similar stories, “we should’ve researched this.” [Gamespot.com] Somebody should’ve told them, especially the manager, that they needed to go through a legal and ethical review to see if this contest can proceed. I have a bachelor’s degree in Psychology, and learned that every time I need to do an experiment of any kind, I have to go through a legal review to ensure that my experiment is safe. Same thing should’ve been done for the contest: it should’ve gone under review to avert lawsuits and tragedies. Since neither of them had been done, the family is suing the DJs and the radio station for this mother’s death.

Please make comment here.

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January 15, 2007

Schottenheimer Chokes in the Playoffs… Again!

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. That’s what happened when the San Diego Chargers took the chance of hiring Marty Schottenheimer as the head coach of a team that was going nowhere back in 2004. Eventually Schottenheimer, lead the Chargers back in to the postseason as the AFC West Champs. He won Coach of the Year honors that very same year.

But giving Marty’s history of choking in the playoffs with a 5-11 postseason record, many wondered whether the Chargers are going to make far into the playoffs with a coach of a dubious distinction. The Chargers hosted the New York Jets in a Wild Card game. Unfortunately, the “Marty Curse” has been carried on to San Diego with the Chargers getting eliminated in the first round. Critics wondered if the hiring of Schottenheimer was even worth it.

San Diego failed to make it to the postseason in 2005.

In 2006, the San Diego Chargers had one of the most magical seasons in franchise history. Phillip Rivers succeeded Drew Brees as a QB and made a name for himself. LaDanian Tomlinson won the NFL’s MVP award with the most points scored. Nine members of the Charger squad are Pro Bowl bound. With the league’s best record of 14-2 and a favorite to win the Super Bowl, the Chargers believe they have the best chance of winning. However, some critics still have some doubts as to whether or not Marty Schottenheimer can get past his postseason blues. As it turns out, the Divisional Series against the 3-time Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots was ridden of mistakes, dropped balls, and interceptions. The Chargers lose to the Patriots 21-24, and once again Marty Schottenheimer has failed to lead his team far in to the playoffs.

I have seen Marty since he coached the Kansas City Chiefs and he is a great coach, but only in the regular season. Even with 13-3 records with in 1995 and 1997, the Chiefs fell to the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos in those respective seasons. Is it any wonder why the Chiefs don’t want Marty Schottenheimer back? Now with San Diego suffering the same fate, will the Chargers organization respond by letting him go, now that he’s now 5-13 in the playoffs?

Now, I know that some of you might say give him another chance. Well, yes he is a great coach, but how long can the City of San Diego wait before it has another chance to make it to the Super Bowl? Even if the players are at fault, how do you respond to a coach with the dubious distinction of choking in the playoffs, which loses in the first round with the league’s best record again? Sorry, but Marty Schottenheimer has got to go. It would be foolish for the Chargers to believe that third time’s a charm. It’s time to move on with a new coach.

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November 6, 2005

So, there's a major protest in Argentina involving Bush's visit. You don't like Bush? Granted. You have every right to. Nobody says you have to like him. But what you don't have the right to do is burn banks and other businesses simply because the economy in Argentina sucks right now (or whatever the reason that might be). You don't like capitalism? Great. You can like living in your socialist-like government all you want, but with an isolationist philosophy, you're not gonna go anywhere. Your economy and way of life are not going to survive with a name-your-country-here-only products. Globalization is a reality and here to stay. You may not like the way it is being executed because of your nationalist romanticism that is playing a part on why you dislike capitalism so much. This has nothing to do with Bush here. Even with John Kerry or Al Gore, you would still pee in your pants knowing that these guys would be in your neighborhoods. Capitalism, believe it or not, gives us an incentive to stay on top. Is it always moral or ethical? No. But in real life you can't wait for the "little guy" to catch up. You, ultimately, have to pull yourself up. If you do that, eventually you will have your allies that will respect you for doing that, but your "friends" who want to keep you down simply because you're succeeding are not your real friends. Real friends will respect you on your success even if it means moving out of your neighborhoods. (God forbid we have to let people make decisions like that!) Remember, Hugo Chavez wants to ban Halloween simply because it is American (those imperialist U.S. bastards!), Diego Maradona called Cuban dictator Fidel Castro "god." Bottom line: you can vote for your favorite politician, you have every right, but the political actions of your electorate do have consequences. With an isolationist philosophy, you're not going to win.

Who's life is it anyway? Mine... but there's a catch if you're working. I'll agree with the part on smoking and the fact that smokers have to pay for higher health costs, but getting fired because your car says "Kerry for President" or drinking Coors when you for Budweiser? Now that's just pushing it.

According to the Los Angeles Times, U.S. deportation laws have inadvertently helped the Salvadorian gang, Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, spread across Central America, and back in to the U.S. If this is true, then we better find other ways in dealing with this menace.

The Los Angeles Galaxy defeated the league-leading San Jose Earthquakes in the MLS playoffs. Looks like Landon Donovan was a good addition to the team after all. Go Galaxy!!!

Who is this "Scotty" Bibby person everyone keeps talking about? My understanding is that he is the former White House Chief of Staff to Dick Cheney. Having a reputation as someone with a bad memory, the White House will probably use this as a cause to defend him for allegedly lying to a grand jury and other investigators about the leak of a CIA agent's name. (BTW, why is everyone leaking the agent's name all of a sudden after that?) To paraphrase Jon Stewart, I'm.... outraged? I mean, yeah it is a crime to leak the name of a CIA agent but why are the media and the prosecutors so obsessed with this guy as if they want his head on a platter? Did he really not remember on whether or not he... uh, what was it exactly?? I really don't know what the facts are so let's refrain judgment until they are in.

USC cruises easily, beating Washington State 55-13, and UCLA, down 21 points, wins in a dramatic overtime victory (again) against Stanford 30-27. Good job guys!

Peter Jackson will be the executive producer for the new XBox-themed Halo movie. Given the "Doom"-ed reviews from the previous video-game movie, will this be a mistake for the Oscar-director?

"I'll get you next time, Gadget, NEXT TIME!!"

October 29, 2005

Univision has received a lot of flak from the Latino community after the network gave Arnold Schwarzenegger the chance to to explain his propositions on the special election this year without, get a load of this, any opposing viewpoint. Now, wait just a second here. You mean to say that after all these years of the Latino media's one-sided view of any proposition that is perceived to be anti-Latino and anti-blue collar, you are now complaining about Univision's "one-sidedness"? Now, of course we do have to question the motives of this because Univision head Jerry Perrenchio, in an ironic twist of fate, is a huge Schwarzenegger contributor. Having said that, whenever I see people in phone lines of Univision's Channel 34 in L.A., I see a bunch of union banners, particularly the one's of the SEIU. Has anyone ever complained about this??? No charges on "conflict of interest here"? In my opinion, had Univision and the rest of the Latino media had been a bit more balanced on their viewpoints this would probably not have happened. I believe that there too many advocates and not enough fact-checkers in the Latino media, and they are now paying for it.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have fired GM Paul DePodesta. Good! Now it's time to make some real changes. For starters, how about bringing Manny Ramirez???

Director M. Night Shyamalan says that removing delays of DVD movies will destroy the movie theater business. No, Mr. Shyamalan, the reason why the theater business will be "extinct", as you call it, is because your and everyone else's movies suck. Also, the ticket prices have become ridiculously high at $10. Why should I pay a one-time fee when I can spend $15-$25 for a DVD movie along with commentaries, documentaries and trailers in the privacy of my own home?

Harriet Miers withdraws from Supreme Court nomination after dissatisfaction from the left and right. Next!

Iran says that Israel should be wiped out of the face of the earth. This is a declaration of war ladies and gents. The U.N. better grow some spine and do something about this.

Congratulations to the Chicago White Sox for winning the World Series. Even though all 4 games were close ones, it was still a one-sided contest nontheless. To be honest, I really did not have time to see it. Oh well.

The U.S. Military death toll reaches 2,000. That number may seem grim, but we had much more casualties fighting in Europe during the first two world wars and Vietnam. The number of Iraqis were killed in much greater numbers due to insurgent activities. So what is the purpose of this "milestone" anyway? I don't want to sound disrespectful to the families of people who have died fighting for our country, but a little perspective please?

Civil Rights pioneer Rosa Parks has died at the age of 92. Share your thoughts here.

Speaking of Parks, I was reading the Spanish-language newspaper La Opinion after her death and I found the irony of all things: Parks's public life began in the back of the bus and ends her life in the back of the newspaper. Jeez, how symbolic. ;)

The NBA has imposed a new dress code noting that inactive players will no longer wear their street clothes on the sidelines but their business-style suits. I don't know if I were a player on how to react. I would feel uncomfortable if I had to wear a business-style clothes whenever I'm injured. But then again, I don't know what the "racist" comment is all about either. If the NBA wants to improve it's image, then do it, but I would argue that talent is a much more important issue than dress. (Notice that I said "more important", not "dress is not important)

Another hurricane hits Florida. You have better have gotten the hell out of there, because if I were a resident there, I'd pack my bags and move away from Florida for sure. This is getting ridiculous. How can anyone still live there after 8 hurricanes in 14 months?

Some people just take themselves waaaaay too seriously. First it's Scientology suing a parody website, now Major League Baseball is upset with the new "Got Milk?" ad. This commerical features a baseball player being pulled out after testing positive for "a performance-enhancing substance." Well, when the manager searches for the pulled player's locker, he finds milk. Get it? Ha, ha, ha. Seriously, if I had seen it I would get the joke, but I don't think it requires such negative publicity especially from baseball officials. Even Sesame Street found the now-defunct "Bert is Evil" website to be funny. A little tongue-in-cheek doesn't hurt, ok?

"I'll get you next time, Gadget, NEXT TIME!!"

Editor's Note: The Opinion of this writer is very well respected, but the Editor allows for honest and full opinions to be expressed herein. Management does not, by any way whatsoever agree with the Comments attributed towards SEIU (Service Employees International Union) to be the opinion of this web site. Nor can anyone infer that by our tacit approval of the commentary mentioned herein to be our opinion towards SEIU, the Labor Movement, or American Working People.

October 15, 2005

Last week I mentioned to you that I would use the weekdays to do all my chores and the weekends will be rest. Well, I don't think that plan is going to work now because the weekdays have become a means to an end. I don't want my weekdays to be doing so much work that I will stress out in the middle of the week praying that the weekend will come. I only thought this up because I wanted my life to be simpler. 2 years before his death, Pope John Paul II said that we should go back to the days when Sundays are for days of rest. No football, no sports, no TV, no recreation; just a day to genuflect. With all due respect to the late Holy Father, how does one define "rest?" Does this mean no chores, no cooking, no homework, no cleaning your room, nothing? The idea perhaps made much more sense when the population of the planet was a lot smaller, and therefore more communal; more community-oriented. Well, in the age of metropolises that has bred individualism and free markets, this idea no longer applies. I'm saying this because we now have to create and adjust our own schedules to keep up with society. I'm not saying be a slave to society but only simply to adjust to the culture that is not very community-oriented. I know that this sounds like contradicting the values of the Church but with so many people and so many distractions we have in our society these days, one has to be very selective on what the person's values and priorities are. Not everyone has a traditional Monday-Friday work week. I used to work on a swap meet every Saturday and Sunday, often skipping Church. The point is that we must follow our own schedules and find out how to approach our priorities. My opinion is to take them at an even pace. I won't go on about it but that's my take on it. Feel free to disagree.

Speaking of values, I wonder why such lack of critical/creative thinking on the issue of sex ed. And lack of critical thinking, I mean from both sides of the issue. You have the traditionalist conservatives that say you shouldn't have sex before you get married. Well, yeah that sounds really good and noble but people are gonna have sex anyway, just like people will drink anyway. I don't believe that people should decide on what's best when it comes to two (or more) consensual adults. However, I find some trouble on moral guidance from the "modern liberals" who say that teens will have sex anyway so why bother. Ahem, if I had a teen son or teen daughter who's sexually active, I have every right to know on what's happening. Besides, I also don't believe that teens should have sex, period. They're not emotional, spiritually, and financially ready for it. By financially I mean what's gonna happen if the girl gets pregnant after the fact. The article from Dr. Arthur Caplan troubles me because he's giving mixed messages on sex. I think this accounts for the reason on why teens are more sexually active than ever. Condoms should not be given out on high schools or churches. The parent has to be responsible for that but they also have to inform the consequences of "unwanted pregnancies" and STDs. Parents also need to give recommendations on whether or not they should have sex. You either allow them or you don't, there's no middle ground (be that anal, vaginal or oral). Me? I wouldn't allow it until they are 18 AND out of high school.

USC remains undefeated after another trying game, this time defeating the Notre Dame Fighting Irish 34-31. Despite being number 1 in the AP Coaches' poll, USC has shown signs of vulnerability in recent games. Will their "luck" and determination last for the championship?

I'm "secretly" rooting for the White Sox on this one against the Angels despite my residence in Los Angeles. It's not the fact of the name change (although that's part of it). I'm a Dodgers fan. Actually, I don't know why I'm rooting for the rival here. I guess I really don't care for the baseball playoffs. If it were the Yankees and/or Dodgers, I would definitely watch.

The name's Blond... James Blond. Daniel Craig has officially taken the role as the iconic spy James Bond 007. He's the first blond Bond ever (does anyone really care about that?). We'll see what he's capable of doing.

According to the AP poll, Americans are becoming ruder than ever. It's understandable on why it is such. We live in such a high-tech fast-paced society that we often become inconsiderate of others. We are so rushed into doing things (whatever they are) that we often either tell others to hurry up (when they are codependents in an activity) or we shut them off completely (if we are busy doing something). Perhaps the biggest complaint is cell phone use. I especially hate it when people have cell phones on during times when attention is completely required, such as going on a date or attending school classes. I understand the purpose of cell phones: for us to keep in touch with one another in case of an emergency. But does this mean we have to keep them on at all times? Or at least have the stupid ringer on when your attention is required for something else? Has anyone ever heard of "silencing ringers" before? That's what I do. If I'm doing something that's too important for cell phone use, then I put the ringer on silent. You have an emergency, leave a message, ok? There are also other factors like self-important celebrities that often like to shock people with their behavior just to let everyone know that they can get away with it. Can you say "Minnesota Vikings?" Either way, it's time to bring courtesy and common sense back to America and society.

Do Nazis have the freedom of speech or was the riot in Ohio as a result of plain idiocy from government officials who allowed the march to happen? Tough question really. I believe that the right to free expression should come from all sides, not just the "popular" ones. Now if your white supremacist group plans to march in a place that is heavily African-American or whichever minority is there, you have to be an idiot. You really have to be an idiot. It's easy to blame government officials for allowing this to happen, but freedom of speech is freedom of speech, which is why you have policemen and permits: to make sure that stuff like what happened in Ohio is at a minimum. If the Nazis were marching here (which is highly unlikely, BTW) I would have responded the same way. And I'm not going to blame government officials for allowing this to happen because that is their First Amendment right, but that doesn't mean that they will be protected from high counter-protests like what happened in Ohio. So, legally, the Nazis are not legally responsible for what happened there, but they are morally responsible for such idiocy on what happened.

"I will get you next time, Gadget, NEXT TIME!!"

October 8, 2005

Ok, so yesterday (10/7/05) I went to Best Buy to buy a new memory card for my GameCube (I no longer own an Xbox. I'm sticking with the GameCube... for now) with over 2,000 memory blocks. With the price of $29.99, it sounds too good to be true, considering that Nintendo has its own memory card with half the blocks for the same price. Well, it turns out that the memory card I bought was a dud. Almost every time I turn on my GameCube with that card, it keeps on saying "Memory card corrupt." And then I have to format it again for it to "work" but I have to erase my saved games, which means all those hours I spent playing and saving are down the drain. Ugh! I must admit that I read stories of people blogging on game stores websites who say that many of those memory cards not made by Nintendo are inferior, no matter what price. I guess I should have listened to them. I did write a letter of complaint to the company that makes them: Nyko (www.nyko.com). I hope I get this response very soon. Just to be safe, however, buy the ones only made by Nintendo for your GameCube.

Another week has gone by with the high school kids. Another week of troublesome kids trying to raise havac. One of the things I did was to impliment the be-on-your-seats-before-the-tardy-bell-rings rule and it worked. Damn, that felt good! Who said that taking control and power over your students was a bad thing??

It actually feels good doing all the chores on the weekdays, that way it gives you an incentive to prepare for whatever you want to do on the weekends (or what ever days you have off). Believe me, even if you want to sleep it off after a hard day of work, life seems so much simpler (though, not necessarily easier) if you do that kind of stuff on the weekdays instead of having to wait on the weekends.

"I'll get you next time, Gadget, NEXT TIME!!"

October 1, 2005

The first day of October already? Damn, time flies really fast. It won't be long before 2006.

Monday, I attended my first day ever of jury duty. 7 years since I voted for the first time, and I finally got a chance to be part of a civic duty that began since the founding of America. Don't think that I'm trying to glamorize jury duty by the way I wrote the last sentence because it was hell. Hell in the sense that I might by part of a selection of a trial that my last a long time. I know the chances of a high-profile case are nil, but I nervously waited for my name not to be selected in the jury pool. Oh, before I got there, I had to drive through L.A. traffic that included downtown and my car engine was about to overheat, so I thought that this would be a really long day for me. Well, luckily, my car didn't break down during that time, but I did have to walk about a mile to the nearest gas station so that I can put some coolant (sp.) in my vehicle. Anyway, back to the jury: it wasn't the most hellish time I had, but it's something I had to do. Yet, I was very lucky not to be part of the jury pool. How? Well, the first two roll calls for people to enter into the courtrooms, my name wasn't called, but before the third time, I was using the restroom. Then my name got called, and I was thinking "This is it!" But when the lady in charge of roll told the jurors to head to their assigned courtrooms, I was still in the restroom, but I then got out to let her know that I was here, then she said, "Oh, don't worry. We're just calling out names in random. Your name can still be called during the next call." So, then I sat down and waited and waited and waited (they weren't totally cruel of course, they did let us out for a 90-minute lunch), but I never got called. Whew! What a sigh of relief! My name got called but during the most inconvenient time for me, yet I wasn't called afterward. I dodged a bullet! It wasn't a total bore, other than having to wait for hours. I did meet someone from Armenia. Really fascinating. She told me that that one of her relatives was missing for 15 years in that country, and was found recently. Fascinating but in a war-torn country, not surprising. We talked about other things as well, like our jobs, and even System of a Down, the Armenian rock group in which she finds not interesting but is happy that there's at least some representation from her ethnic group. So yeah, being on jury duty is a double-edged sword: you hate the prospect of being there, yet you can find some of the most interesting people there. If you're summoned there, just go. It ain't worth paying penalties when you fail. Oh, and if you're a state employee (school, waterworks, politician, any job that is of government) you get paid the same as always no matter how long you're there, but you don't get paid as a juror on the first day.

I'm ashamed that during this week, my high school students are out of control. Well, given the climate and situation of our modern schools, it's a no-brainer, but I realized that we're not following through. I think too many of us (teachers) are giving students way too many chances that they deserve. It's one thing to say the our schools are under-funded and mismanaged, but it's quite another when students don't to learn and want to waste their time socializing with their peers, yet we do nothing to discipline our students. We have to follow through with the consequences. Bottom-line: if students don't want to learn, kick them out. There are ways to get their attention, but we're teachers, not babysitters and psychologists. We can only do so much. We can only truly help those that want to learn. Give those disruptive students the boot. We can give them warnings, but don't let them take over the classrooms either. It's that simple.

If you're working a 5 times a week and want your weekends to be fun, do the household chores and, if applicable, homework, when you come home from work. I know that we're all tired and want to do some fun stuff, but it's no fun when your weekend arrives and then realizing that you still need to do household chores and homework when it was supposed to be your time of (mostly) rest. Sure, we all need to work everyday, but I'm speaking of trying to keep work on weekends (or whenever you have the two days off) at a very minimum. Take full advantage of the work week to get your chores done.

"I'll get you next time, Gadget, NEXT TIME!!"

September 24, 2005

The Vatican to Bar Gays from Seminaries.

Ok, so let me get this straight (no pun intended): we actually have gay bishops and priests in the seminary? With all this talk about homosexuals needing to become "reformed," why are such men carrying the title of the cloth? I really don't know how this came to be about, but if the Catholic Church is going to be serious about such matters, maybe they should just ask questions on the applications if they are gay. It may sound a bit evasive, but from its standpoint, I think this makes sense. What do I think about this? Well, as long as the church takes position that it has always taken, then maybe they should ask those "evasive" questions on their sexual orientation.

You People Need to Wash Your Hands, OK?!

The American Society of Microbiology (I don't know, but it sounds legit) said that baseball fans at stadiums, especially males, don't wash their hands after using the restroom. I don't need to read the rest of the article to find out on how unsanitary that is as well as disgusting. Don't you guys know that you may spread disease by doing that?? Haven't your parents ever tell you to wash your hands after using the potty?? I'll keep this in mind the next time I go to Dodger or Angel Stadium.

Everybody's Gotta Be Offended by Something.

If you read this article, you get what I mean. I'm sure the swastika will be banned in India (in India, it is considered holy) because it greatly resembles to much to the Nazi one.

If the Clinton and Lewinsky condoms in China gave you a laugh-off, read this.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire will be rated PG-13. Parents, care to comment???

"I'll get you next time, Gadget, NEXT TIME!!"

September 17, 2005

Video Game Industry sues Michigan over Law

It seems like the government can't tell the difference between the parent's job and society's job. Society's job is to make sure that everything is in order as much as it can. The parent's job is to make sure the children grow up to be productive citizens. The government now wants to be the parent by banning the sales of video games with an "M" rating to anyone under 17 without the parent. There already is a rating, but the government wants to place punitive damages on such sales that will result in a $1500 fine. I think that our government has a lot more things better in hand than to play nanny with our kids. However, I must say that the reason why this law passed is because too many of our parents believe that video games will produce no harm to the kinds because they're "just games." Well, if the parents had known what kinds of games there are out there, then this would not have happened. Parents need to know that the video games industry also sell games for adults as well. The video games industry also needs to say with a louder voice that video games are not just for kids anymore.

I'm an Artist, but not the Starving Kind.

Do artists know anything about the business world? That's the question that is, in my opinion, a lot of people's minds. Why? Many artists are often seen as adventuresome, and have the "give-it-all-you-got" attitude of making in in to the real world. You see it in the movies and read it in the books. There is often a perception that artists don't know anything about business because business is often seen as cold and unromantic. In my opinion, this perception is due to the fact that many artists are aligned themselves politically liberal. Think about it: when was the last time you ever seen business or being rich being portrayed in a positive light? When was the last time you've seen a piece of art work that portrays a poor person in a contemptuous and antagonistic light (or dark, for that matter)? You don't see major artists other than Mel Gibson aligning themselves to Republicans do you? Anyway, this is an interesting article that you can be both artistic and business-wise at the same time. Who ever said that they are mutually exclusive? It may not be traditional but it works.

Viva la Revolucion (Revolution)?

Nintendo has just unveiled the new controller for the upcoming Revolution. To be honest, I didn't know what to expect, except for the fact that this new controller totally breaks ground with the traditional game controllers. Well, Nintendo did say that a while ago, but I didn't expect it to look like a TV remote control. The idea, according to Nintendo, is for the movement of the characters (or vision movement in first-person shooters) that is according to the movement of your hands of the control. Sounds, well,... "Revolution"-ary. But will it work? Just because it "breaks ground" does not mean it will work. I don't know... I'll have to reserve judgment, but Nintendo has a reputation of being "original" like the DS and the GameCube controller, but more often, it has not caught on with gamers that are mostly PS2 users. We'll just have to wait.

Is Office Romance a Good Idea?

Let's face it, when we're single and working, we don't often get to go out as much as we wanted to and therefore we don't often seek the "soulmate" that we always wanted (Ok, fine, I can only speak for myself here, but the point is on what I'm about to tell you). Therefore, it is easy to get a chance to search for that "soulmate" at work that is more likely than not to have the same interests as you do (if that weren't the case, that person wouldn't be working beside you). At least that is my theory on explaining on the 58% of the workers who experienced an office affair at some point in their lives. I often read about some advice columns on how that can be a recipe for diaster. Yes, you do want (and have) to be "professional" at work, but you also don't want to be seen as someone who's too strict on workplace etiquette either (why would you want to be?). So if you want some advice on workplace romance, click on the appropriate hyperlink above, but do so at your own risk. Remember, your professional career could be at stake here.

When all else fails, go to California.

This is exhibit A in why Mexico is such a country with such insurmountable problems. In the 1970s, Andres Bermudez left Mexico to pursue the American Dream of starting a business to generate revenue to help his country. As the mayor of Jerez, Mexico in the 2000s, he was often the target of campaign vilification, from accusations of mishandling public funds to partisan mudslinging from some of his City Councilmembers. Regardless of the truth of these accusations, the fact of the matter is that the Mexican government is so corrupt that it would take more than the election of Vicente Fox of 2000 to establish civility there. Although the 2000 election, in my opinion, was road paved for a better Mexico, there is still corruption, and you don't change corruption by giving them more money. You need to change the hearts and the institutions of a system that is still vulnerable to rigged elections, nepotism, bribes, and laws that inhibit economic development. At least Bermudez tried, but if I were him, I'd do the same thing he's doing, but going to California.

When Gamers Become Parents

I really liked this article from MSNBC on how some gamers adjust to their tastes when they become parents. For example, a developer for the "Playboy" game, (a female, of all things), said that she wouldn't play violent or "sexy" games in her house while her 5-year-old daughter is at home. All I have to say is: thank God I'm not a parent (yet).

"I'll get you next time, Gadget, NEXT TIME!!"

September 10, 2005

NFL great Jerry Rice retires.

About time. To be honest, Jerry Rice hasn't played his best football since losing to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Super Bowl of 2003 (he played as a Raider then). Other than that, Jerry Rice is the best wide receiver of all time. He wasn't even on the top ten picks when he was drafted in 1984, but his workhorse work ethic kept him in tip-top shape for the past 20 years. A bunch of NFL records including most career touchdowns. In short, thank you Jerry Rice for your 2 decades of football. Now, let's go for the Hall-of-Fame.

USA qualifies for the World Cup for the fifth straight time

The United States national soccer team soundly defeated bitter CONCACAF rival Mexico 2-0 at a divided but pro-U.S. Columbus Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. Hey, you know what, that's a great idea. From now on, when the U.S. plays Mexico on U.S. turf, go for Columbus. Never play in Southern California. Way too Mexican there. Besides, let's give a big loser applause to out Ricardo Lavolpe who complained that the U.S. played like "my mom, my grandma, and my sister."

Chief Justice William Rehnquist dies.

The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court William Rehnquist has died at the age of 80 due to cancer. The conservative yet quiet judge served as a justice for more than 30 years including 19 as the chief justice. Some of his high-profile cases include Gore v. Bush in the 2000 election in which Bush won, as well as being the presiding judge at the impeachment trial of then-President Bill Clinton. Whether you agree with his views or not, he has always handled his cases and politics with class and sincerity, something that which you don't see everyday.

VHS RIP (1976-2005)

The VHS has been dead for quite some time even before today. OK, I'll admit, I bought at TV with a DVD and a VCR installed, but I use VCR to record shows that I miss. Nevertheless, this should be noted that the VHS was a product of its time, just like the typewriter and the 8-track. Soon, it will be the musical CD that is increasingly being outsold by MP3s and online music (legal or not).

"I'll get you next time, Gadget, NEXT TIME!!"

September 3, 2005

Sorry that I wasn't able to blog last week. I was preparing for the return of work as an instructional assistant after taking two months off. That reminds me: if you're going to work for 10 months with pay and get 2 months vacation without pay, make sure you save your money for the two months because there are no guarantees that you'll find a job during those 2 months. Trust me, I found out the hard way.

My troubles, however, cannot compare to those who lost their lives, as well as their way of life, to Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. More than perhaps a million homeless, perhaps some hundreds if not thousands dead. What stunned me was not the results themselves but sudden impact that the hurricane made, as if it came out of nowhere. Oh there were evacuations handed out, but no one was prepared for the big loss of life and the type of disastrous impact that Hurricane Katrina made.

As I saw the images from the disaster, many citizens, newspaper editors, and even politicians from both sides (Democrat and Republican) were very critical of the Bush Administration's slow response to the Hurricane. FEMA even admitted that it wasn't watching the news when the hurricane hit that day. Before then, I was thinking that the Bush Administration cannot be blamed for the response because no one was prepared for a disaster like this. Perhaps I was the only one with that view. A news story from the Times Picayune said that Louisiana was lobbying for the President to include an updated levee in New Orleans that would withstand a category 4 hurricane. With the war in Iraq looming in 2003, Bush instead made significant budget cuts to the proposed project leaving only a category 3 threshold. This could make the case that Bush is partially at fault here, but was that a result of human error? On PBS's News Hour on Friday, a general of the U.S. Army said that a category 4 had a .5% chance of ever hitting the affected area. If that's true, I don't think anyone can blame Bush for not putting in money on the levee project, war or not.

Then there was the race card. Since 2/3 of New Orleans is populated by African-Americans, some charged of racism on behalf of the Bush Administration saying that he wouldn't have been so slow if there were more white people on that area. Well, anyone who can recall Hurricane Andrew in 1992 that the Bush Sr. Administration's response was a lot slower than the current one, and this happened in Florida were there was a lot of white people. Furthermore, the current Bush Administration's response to the tsunami (Southeast Asia) last year was a lot faster than the hurricane of this year, so race cannot be a factor on the response.

So why was the response so seemingly slow? I don't know. All I know is that being the richest country in the world doesn't always mean the most prepared or the best at everything, as much we like to believe in that. I think Bush will recover politically on this after a perceived slow start. Personally, I think Bush and us citizens of America are doing everything we can to alleviate the situation, although New Orleans, at least will never be the same again. New York was rebuilt after 9/11, but I don't know if New Orleans can.

Since the Internet is full of links for the Hurricane Katrina disaster relief, I don't think it's necessary to make one, but I'll do it anyway. www.redcross.org

"I'll get you next time, Gadget, NEXT TIME!!"

August 20, 2005

The new XBox 360 will be priced at $400, although date hasn't been established yet. I'll wait for the Nintendo Revolution, thank you very much.

Pierce Brosnan is no longer going to be James Bond. There was talk about him doing the last movie as the famous British super-spy, but apparently the executives don't want him as such anymore. Admittingly, Brosnan said that it was a relief because he can do different projects now, rather than being seen as Bond, James Bond.

Math is the most unpopular subject in school, according the the AP-AOL News poll. I'll somewhat dismiss that claim since it is a news poll and not a scientific one. However, it doesn't surprise me as such because of such dismal math scores in our country. It isn't that hard, folks, because there is only one answer when you do math. You gotta learn to think more as well (what a concept!).

Nintendo has dropped the retail price for the DS from $150 to $130. This is in response to the much-anticipated "game," "Nintendogs." Think of "Nintendogs" as the pocket virtual animals that were the craze of preadolescent girls 10 years ago. You even use a little stick provided by the DS to tickle your dogs. It's cute, but I'm planning to skip this one. In fact, MAD Magazine has published 50 of the most annoying things about video games, and one of them happens to be that video game magazines preview games as if they were the second coming of (fill blank here), but only to be discovered that they were duds. Will "Nintendogs" be the latest example? Stay tuned. (In terms of buying the DS, I'm thinking about it.)

Some businesses just don't learn that you don't give "bargain" prices on products that way too much in demand. The story? $50 laptops at Richmond International Raceway caused (yes, I say "caused" because that's what usually happens) a stampede in Virginia, injuring 17 people, hospitalizing 4 with reports of even chair-smashing other people. One person even urinated on herself because she didn't want to leave the line. Unbelievable. I'm not excusing the behavior of the mob here, but businesses should know better than to set prices that are way to cheap for certain products. There's a reason why we learn "supply and demand" in Economics 101. High demand + low supply = higher prices and vice-versa. A while ago, Disneyland did the same thing, setting a "special" price at $2 for entry. Well, there were reports of students ditching classes and when Disneyland did not allow any more customers to get in, it started a riot. Same thing for the Dodgers more recently: $2 for a ticket (I think), with the same results. Yes, they were 4-year-old laptops, but laptops are laptops and you should know on how much people would like to have them.

As I struggled through the summer finding a temporary job (I still work as a teacher's aide during the traditional school year), I went to an interview with a company that deals with autistic children and I had the strangest question ever asked to me. First the interviewer asked what my strengths are, which is obviously normal, but the second question nearly threw me off: what are your areas of opportunity. At first, I didn't understand what that meant, so asked the interviewer to clarify that. She seemed hesitant, but said, "What areas would you like to work on?" Then it hit me, so I said "Oh, you mean my weaknesses?" and she said "No, don't say that word. We want to be positive about things. That's such a negative word." Well, her working in a company that deals with changing behavior I can hardly blame her for having such a mindset, but I did ask her if she prefers the word "deferred success" over "failure" (in reference to the UK teacher's union on whether or not to use the word "failure," remember?), and she said yes, and we laughed at it, having a ball. Of course we all want to think positive things, but a karate instructor (I'm not a student, but I just happened to listen from the source) once mentioned on how America has become soft. He said that our children are not learning to suffer, meaning how to cope with setbacks and in some cases total failure. I wonder if somehow with all this talk about positive reinforcement is just political correctness under the guise of being "sensitive." Hey, I'm all for positive thinking, but this is just too fanatical. I mean, dealing with failure is like immunization. For immunization to work, you have to have that same virus (a weakened one, of course) injected inside your body so your immune system can be strengthened, you know: be "immune" to that particular virus. Unfortunately, we are not injecting that "failure" virus into our children's immune systems, we are just ignoring it pretending that it would just go away if we don't focus on it. Well, when people don't get their immunization shots, they are more prone into getting a very deadly virus and could die, just like our kids would react as if it were the end of the world if they don't get their immunizations shots on failure. We have to learn to cope with failure. We have to tell our kids that they cannot succeed in everything or everytime. It's just not realistically possible to succeed or be positive on everything. The good news is that UK Education Secretary Ruth Kelly has dismissed the idea of eliminating the word "failure" in saying, "When young people grow up they have to deal with success and failure." Yep, so true. The bad news is, I didn't get the job. I guess I "deferred success" in getting that job.

Here's another issue in mental health gone haywire (potentially). A study from Harvard University claims that 46% of Americans will suffer mental illness in some point in their lives. Wow! Is it that serious? Most people seem to be doing well, but what does constitute true mental illness? To me, it's the usual: schizophrenia, depression, suicidal thoughts, the most severe stuff. According to the new DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders), AKA the DSM-V (fifth edition), such disorders like adjustment disorder, passive-aggressive disorder and female sexual arousal disorder can be classified as mental illness. I'm pretty sure those are valid disorders, but 46%?! Meaning half of the population?! What does that mean in the long run? That half of us will be spending huge amounts of time and money with a psychologist/therapist? That seems to me like a pretty outlandish statement. Either half the population is seriously messed up right not, or somehow the psychological community does not have a concrete definition on what is considered to be mentally ill. My bet is on the latter. I seriously doubt that half the population is that messed up. Yes, we have all have troubled times, but I don't believe that half of us should be in a hospital (now that I would considered to be mentally ill: ending up in the hospital or requiring medical attention).

"I'll get you next time, Gadget, NEXT TIME!!"

August 13, 2005

Were the comments from baseball Hall of Famer Bob Feller racist? I say no. Yes, I'm sure that he is aiming at Caribbean players who he says "don't know the rules of the game." Actually he said it like this: "A lot of these players coming from the Caribbean, they don't even know the rules." Notice that he didn't say "all of them" or "Caribbean players don't inherently know the rules of the game." I know that a lot of you readers, especially the minorities, out there are gonna say that those are "code words" for racism. I'm not going to spend my time trying to find out every possible thing that Feller said about minorities just to prove that he is racist. I'm sure that a lot of Europeans are saying the same thing about Americans and soccer. I won't be bothered by it. What Feller said about Caribbean can be interpreted in a lot of ways, but lets not narrow this down to racism, ok? Possibility? Yes. Probability? No.

I guess playing video games can be a lot like drinking because too much of it at a time can be hazardous to you health. At least you'll be slightly disoriented. Take the case of a South Korean guy who played for 50 hours straight before dying. That's at least 2 days straight without food, water, or rest. Talk about having no life! So my fellow gamers, I now say to you: play responsibly.

As if the critics weren't hard on The Dukes of Hazzard, read the moviegoer's responses. Many say it's the worst film of the year. I'm so glad that I read rottentomatoes.com about The Dukes of Hazzard because it helped me save $20 in the long run (ticket + food). Read the movie reviews on www.rottentomatoes.com before you go see any movie. I know that you may think that it will sway your opinion before seeing it, but is it worth throwing away money on a movie that may reviewers believe that it is bad? I think not. I'll wait for this movie to go on rental.

As I was browsing for some games at video game specialty stores, I've heard several parents (I assume they are, since the kids are with them) asked the retailers if they have Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Are they idiots? Do they really want to buy those kinds of games to their kids? Well, at least the parents are asking for the games, not their kids. I'll be double-damned if they were the kids. Would I buy these kinds of games to my kids. Nope. Now, I know what some nay-sayers, especially you teenagers out there, are gonna say: We're old enough, we know the difference between fantasy and reality. Maybe, but the parents get the final say as to what goes in to your rooms or not, privacy be damned. I'm sure these parents are probably knowledgeable enough to know what they're buying or else they'll be ending up like that idiot grandma who didn't know what was in GTA: SA. I sure hope the former is the case with some of the parents that do buy GTA:SA, because it is ignoramuses like grandma that get the politicians and the corporations to be parents and not the parents themselves.

Well, on the bright side of video games, there is finally some sanity and justice served in the courtroom. A jury has convicted a 20-year-old for killing two patrol officers despite using the video game defense, saying that "Grand Theft Auto" was to blame partly for the shootings. A very sane judge (and how often do you hear that?) ordered the jury to throw out testimony linking to video games. How about that? Well for those of you who played the game and never killed anyone for real (the vast majority of you, myself included), we all know the difference between fantasy and reality. If the insane minority can't distinguish that, then stay the hell away from the game.

The NCAA has banned the use of Indian mascots during the basketball tournaments. I've been exposed to some of the complaints from minority groups about the use of Native American mascots and why they would be offended by it. I wonder why such people are offended by it? Is it because of the way the move? Is it because of the way they talk? And by "they" I mean the students of such campuses. Why is it so offensive? I want to know why? By the way, this is such a half-hearted move by the NCAA. Why can't they just either dismiss the move as PC run amok or ban them altogether as a way of respecting the Native Americans?

"I'll get you next time, Gadget, NEXT TIME!!"

August 8, 2005

I should've known. The verdict on the Dukes of Hazzard movie: skip this one.

Bad news for PS2 fans/owners: you may have to wait until 2007 for the PS3 launch.

Yep, the Dodgers do actually have a shot at something: Of being the first team to win a Division Title with a losing record.

Will this UK singer be the next "Bond" girl in the game console's (XBox, PS2, GameCube) "From Russia with Love?" Judging from the pictures, I say let her be.

The U.S. 9th Circuit Courts of Appeal strikes down a Hawaiians-only school. My take on it is that since it is a private school and receives no federal funding, the school can take in whoever they want. There are a lot of colleges that this non-Hawaiian student can go to. To those who say that this is racial discrimination, you're probably right. It is. However, we all discriminate. We choose our friends, we choose our interests, we choose our likes and dislikes. As far as racial discrimination is concerned, we mostly think of racism and ignorance, but in this case, the intent is that this school wants to preserve its Hawaiian heritage, and they have every right to do it. Yet with globalization being a reality, it is becoming increasing clear that there is not one person on that island that is "100% pure Hawaiian." And how do you define "Native Hawaiian" anyway? Do children of mixed heritage count (i.e. white + Hawaiian)? What about third or fourth-generation Hawaiians and beyond? What this country, if not the entire world needs, is more race mixing. Actually, I encourage it, if feasible. In my opinion, race-mixing will decrease racism in the long run. I've had my share of relationships from other ethnic groups. While I admire those who want to keep their heritage, if you're a citizen of your adopted country it is very hard and in the long run a losing battle. I'm not saying you shouldn't keep it. By all means try, but you're not gonna "win." The culture here is much too different for "other" societies to thrive, and if you don't adjust to the culture here, you'll lose. I speak from experience as a person of second generation of Mexican decent. It's a long story, but trust me, your life would be so much easier if you adopt the culture of your current residence. This isn't "selling out," but facing reality.

What more do these people want? Now a grandmother wants to sue the makers of "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas" because of the explicit Hot Coffee sex scene. Ok, so Take-Two Interactive, the parent company, halts production as well as Wal-Mart, Target, and Best Buy pulling the games from its shelves. Not good enough, she says. She wants to sue on behalf on all the customers who bought the game nationwide. Hey dummy, there's a reason why this game was rated "M" for Mature. You know, like rated "R" in the movies. Maybe you should ask yourself on why the hell you bought this game for your 14-year-old grandson, knowingly that this game is aimed at mature audiences. I guess I can forgive you unawareness on the fact that the vast majority of gamers are 30-year-olds as well as most of the games are rated Teen and below. More selective prosecution from the media and the politicians, I guess.

A few weeks ago, some punk kid stole my ATM along with about $1150 in bank statements. Embarrassed to say, while I was withdrawing my money from Bank of America, some kid approached me 3 times if I wanted to buy candy from him, as well as bringing up weird conversation starters like "your watch is pretty cool." I should have known he was up to something. Next thing I know I forgot my ATM card in the machine and that kid took off with it. Lax security is also to blame for the recent "white card" frauds. I did report this to the bank the very same day, and I really do hope that they beef up their security on this because security cameras aren't enough, although I really do hope that punk kid gets prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law when he gets caught.

I still own an Xbox, so I might stick with it for a while after playing the demo version of Battlefield II. It's freaking awesome. First person shooter, yes, but it runs so smooth and it gives you all the arsenal you need. If you don't have the demo version of Battlefield II, then you either can wait until the October 24th release or you can purchase the current issue of Official Xbox Magazine Vol 47. Give it a try, but you need to be a subscriber to Xbox Live to play the demo. You won't regret it.

Days ago, Rafael Palmeiro was a celebrated member of the 3,000-hit/500-HR club. Now he has tested positive for steroids and could be suspended for 10 days. What a downer!

Ok, readers, let me be the first to tell you that POKER IS NOT A SPORT! It is a GAME, but it is not a SPORT! Sport is when you use your body as well as your wits to win. Sport is athletic. Sport creates physical injury. If you want to broadcast poker games, fine, but do not define it as a sport, please. If there is a Game channel, then put it on there. It is not ESPN material, ok?

Are we really interested in watching movies, or just behind-the-scenes of any movie? This columnist argues the latter and believes that it will take a long time before movies go on the rebound. I personally think that we are definitely more interested in the latter. Hey, do you think that Star Wars would have been Star Wars if not for the "nerdy" masses that would be in the loop 24/7? Or even Harry Potter? How about this: does anyone remember "Annie" or "The English Patient?" I thought so.

I knew that someone the Atkins diet would be a fad. But I never realized it would go beyond that. Atkins Nutritional, Inc. files for Chapter 11. Too many diet fads out there, that people don't realize that one needs to eat healthy and exercise regularly (5x a week, 30-60 minutes a day). If you don't have the "time" then "find" the time.

For those of you who are on a budget but want to buy stuff that is seemingly out-of-reach, here are the 10 things you should never buy new. You'd be surprised by some of the things a lot of people buy new that would be cheaper and just as efficient in the long run if bought used. I should start buying used games for now on.

But don't let savings get into your head. Here are also some of the 10 things you should buy new.

"I'll get you next time, Gadget, NEXT TIME!!"

August 2, 2005

PC vs. Consoles? Hmmm. Interesting match-up. As much as I enjoyed playing game consoles for the past 15 years (dating back to the original 8-bit Nintendo), as I was playing with my Xbox yesterday, I realized how simplified it is. Maybe too simplified.

What do I mean? Well I like the fact that its convenient for me to play, that I don't have to worry too much about hardware specifications like I would do for the PC, but to me that's the beauty of it. Knowing the specifications of the PC is like knowing what the specifications of your car is: you want to know the speed of your computer just like you want to know the horsepower of an engine. You become more intrigued by it and want to treat it as if it were your baby. Well, the PC has been my baby for 6 years (I still have the same one), and it has served me well. I like the fact that I'm still able to play old-school games like Half-Life online where most of the PC-playing population is playing Half-Life 2 or The World of Warcraft in which my old PC would not be able to play. I know what some of the specifications of the Xbox are (733 MHz speed, broadband only for Xbox Life, etc.) but you don't get to play attention to that because it's already a given. PC games are very specific on what the requirements to play a game.

PCs are cool because you get to know your computer better, but the downside to it is that you need a lot of money to buy a computer that would play beyond it's recommendations, so most likely, you won't be able to play certain (if not most) games at maximum strength. Still, I consider to PC to be the best choice because not only your knowledge of computers would increase, but also it gives you an excuse to buy more games without your parents or friends to give you a stigmatic look when you play console games (Xbox, PS2, GameCube).

Most of the population owns a computer, not necessarily a game console, so access to computer games are easier this way. In other words, you can do a lot more with the PC than game consoles. You can play music, watch DVDS, IM people online, do your homework, research jobs/experiments, etc.

So $750 for a new computer is definitely worth it over a $150 PS2/Xbox or $99 GameCube. Saves a lot of room as well. Keep on gaming. (I was thinking of getting Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas for the Xbox, but I thought better of it. I should get it for the PC, ASAP).

"I'll get you next time, Gadget, NEXT TIME!!"

July 24, 2005

So, here we go.

Mexico City Mayor Andres Manuel Lopez Albrador continues to deny rising reports of abduction after soccer head coach for Cruz Azul became the lastest victim. Oh, BTW, Albrador wants to be President.

Positive reinforcement or political correctness? A teacher in the UK (where else?) wants to ban the word "fail" and replace it with "deferred success" to avoid "crushing children's aspirations."

Latest bombers failed, er, deferred success in their latest attacks in London. Hey now, so if the terrorists "deferred success" does this mean they'll eventually succeed?

Rockstar Games pulls its best-seller, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, after an explicit sex scene was found in the game. Well, Rockstar should be more careful who their programmers are and what they are doing before putting a game into the mainstream market.

Speaking of video games, did you know that the average gamer is 30 years old? So even with the ratings change, what does this say about the games (and who's playing them) that are being sold on the market?

Personally, I like "mods" or "modifiers" on my computer, that way a game won't be so boring afterward. Too bad some people are beginning to object.

The New England Patriots will have to find a way to win a Super Bowl without LB Tedy Bruschi after he suffered a stroke this year. Godspeed on his recovery.

US Soccer is ranked 6th in the world by FIFA for the first time ever. We even toppled the French!

This should apply to the states. This will mean more partying!

Well isn't this going to be a big pile of Smurf! A Smurfs movie?

Scotty will be beamed in to heaven (or in this case, in space). James Doohan, who played "Scotty" in "Star Trek" dies at age 85.

Does this mean he'll be our Savior, too? I never realized that Terell Owens was Jesus in a Philadelphia Eagles jersey!

Speaking of which, Pope John Paul II, a few years earlier, said all Christians should not play sport or watch entertainment on Sundays, but focus on prayer. Well, that removes speculation that T.O. was Jesus.

Well, that's it for this week. Provide me with feedback.

"I'll get you next time, Gadget, NEXT TIME!!"

July 16, 2005

My thoughts on Palmeiro, teacher attire, the G8, the Supreme Court battle and more...

Congratulations, Rafael Palmeiro!

Rafael Palmeiro becomes the 4th player in MLB history to have more than 3,000 hits and 500 home runs in a career. The Hall-of-Fame debate begins. Some people say "yes." Others say "no." I say "yes." Barely. He wasn't a larger-than-life character and never won a World Series, so he probably isn't going to get a first nod, but a test of time will indicate that we rarely see such a player that just wanted to play the game was meant to play with such consistency... huge consistency. Congrats, Raf on being an exclusive member.

Sponge Bob Goes Veggie.

In order to remove the perception that associating cartoon characters with junk food or red meat leads to childhood obesity, Nickelodeon has decided to place Sponge Bob in veggie packages. Coming soon: Charlie and the Chickpea Factory.

Lakers News

Lakers Center Vlade Divac retires.

G Chucky Atkins and F Caron Butler traded for Wizards' F Kwame Brown? Huh????

A Conflict of Interest

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed an $8 million contract with a fitness magazine as a consultant. Critics argue that this is a serious conflict of interest to his current job. I agree with this statement. If you're high-ranked government official, your primary job is that of what is given to you. You're not supposed to hold another job outside the government with that of prestige. If Arnold wants to have a cameo (i.e. be a guest) for that company, than he can do it. Many public officials, whether Democrat or Republican, do that, but until you're out of that high-ranking government job, you should not have a prestigious position outside of your job. This is definitely a conflict of interest. (Hey Ah-nold, show some consistency on fighting "special interests" will ya?)

Can this be true?

I'm not sure this is true, but Pope Benedict XVI apparently disapproves of Harry Potter books. Like I said, I hope this isn't true because the Internet can type anything without authentication almost. Stay tuned.

If you can't dress professionally as a teacher, then you shouldn't teach.

I'll admit sometimes as a teacher's aide, I may relate to students too much to the point where I started to act like them or maybe just too lenient with them. I want my students to be on their best behavior but I don't want to be a prick either.

But the one constant I always do is dress professionally. Well, I don't put on a tie or a long sleeve shirt (in fact, I can't stand them), but I do put on dress shoes, dress pants and Puritan short sleeve dress shirts. I'm training myself to get ready for a job I may have that requires to dress like that.

Somehow, for whatever reason, teachers are dressing too casually these days to the point where they dress up like students, mostly women, who dress too provocatively like showing your belly buttons and spaghetti strapped shirts. This bothers me. I know that it's none of my business on how they dress, but how they dress reflects their professionalism. Many students these days don't take their teachers seriously because they dress too casually. When people work on the private sector, they are expected to dress according to their profession. When people are working on highly regarded jobs such as president, doctor, attorney, and even a police officer, they are expected to wear suits and ties, no exceptions. The same should apply to teachers. One union representative said that dressing up has nothing to do with the education of the children. Maybe not from textbooks per se, but I believe there's a lot more to it than that. Education is not something just out of textbooks, but how our kids are going to act in the real world. If teachers are going to dress and act like students, then their students will treat them as such (even if dressed professionally, they'll still treat you like dirt). Of course you can joke around with your students and act like their "friends" every now and then, but there's a fine line between being a teacher and being a student, and the way you dress, in my opinion, is one of them.

Another LAPD Controversy: Who Killed the Baby?

Never a day goes by without controversy from the LAPD. This time, a man with a history of psychological problems, in danger of losing his auto business as well as a divorce, decides to go on a shoot out with the police with his one-year old daughter as a human shield.

The estranged wife of the suspect (as well as also being the mother of the child), said that the police should have handled this differently, saying that she should have handled it so that a shootout wouldn't have happened. Understandably, the police withheld her from doing so and then a shootout began after a SWAT officer was shot in the shoulder. Both the suspect and the daughter died on the scene.

My heart goes out to the mother who has lost her baby, but what she must understand is that the police did everything they could to negotiate, and needed to defend themselves. The man had a weapon, fired first, and in the process killed the baby. Whether the bullet came from the police or the suspect is irrelevant to the fact that the suspect should have never had his daughter with him. Was he under the influence? Could be, but he was a danger to society nonetheless. If the wife/mother had it her way, she would have been killed or even his hostage, then all three the baby, wife, and father would have been killed. It was a tragedy waiting to happen.

It Would Have Been Called Out Anyway.

An unnamed Dodgers fan was given the "Fan Non-Interference of the Half-Year" Award by ESPN. His action (or less of)? Jason Phillips of the Los Angeles Dodgers was about to make a gaming winning home run against the Arizona Diamondbacks about a week ago when LF Luis Gonzalez made a catch that would have easily been interfered with (the game was in L.A. BTW). Phillips wasn't too happy about it. He said "There's not one idiot out there who can reach over and grab the ball?" To be honest, I don't know what he was so mad about. He would have liked it if the fan had interfered (too bad it wasn't Steve Bartman, the infamous foul-catching fan that "costed" the Cubs a World Series berth 2 years ago), but the umpire would have called it "out" for interference anyway.

Hey, how about the Dodgers for receiving the "Injury-plagued Team of the Half-Year Award?"

Bush Will Not, I Repeat, WILL NOT APPOINT a Pro-Life Judge

Or maybe he will, depending on your definition of what "pro-life" is. If that means overturning Roe vs. Wade, it won't happen. 7 of the 9 Justices we have right now were appointed by Republicans including outgoing Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. So much for overturning Roe vs. Wade.

Who will Bush appoint? Most likely: Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. His views? He believes strongly in the Patriot Act, but is pro-choice and supports affirmative action. Extreme right??? Not a chance.

Fantastic Four Breaks Box-Office Slump? Big Deal.