25 to Life (Violent Video Game)

Growing up I didn't play many video games probably because when I was younger there weren't many "girly" video games out there. One game I did play though is Super Nintendo Mario. I think everyone can agree this is one of the greatest video games ever even though it is old school. I didn't feel violent while playing it even though I was throwing fire balls and killing different types of creatures to get to the next round. Today video games have progressed and have become more violent then the ones of the past. Video games like Grand Theft Auto have come out since then giving the illusion that stealing and shooting people is only fun. In Grand Theft Auto you can even commit suicide by jumping out of the helicopter. The main question remains, are video games going to far with violence? Today the Grand Council of Guardians have taken games off the shelves like the game 25 To Life. This is one of the most violent video games consisting of gangs and cops. The object of the game is killing and seeing what you can get away with. In the game you choose to be either a cop or a gangster. The whole game consists of blowing up things, picking up prostitutes, and shooting and setting cops on fire. To kids this is very realistic looking and is not always taken as a game. If i was much younger I don't know what I would think of this game considering what I did play at the time. Now that I am older I can distinguish the imaginary to reality but if I was much younger I'm not positive that I would. This is a clip I found on the video game 25 To Life. Enjoy!

Video Game Violence

After reading the last blog I agree that it seems that some people play video games way to much. I remember when I was in high school I would play video games anywhere from four to five hours a day, and this isn't even that bad compared to many other people I know. From all the stressors dealing with work and school now, I try to play just an hour a day, to try and find sometime in my day to relax. One major issue, other than the amount of hours people spend playing video games each and every day, is how playing violent video games contribute to violence in real life. For example, a man that was involved in a school shooting several years ago, would practice killing people through some of the violent video games he would play in his basement.

Growing up I played a wide variety of video games such as games dealing with different types of sports, racing, shooting, killing, etc. However I was never allowed by my parents to play Grand Theft Auto, because they thought the game took things too far, with all the real life scenarios the game entails. This game allowed for people to purchase drugs, witness extremely graphic deaths, high-jack cars, along with many other things. Playing video games similar to GTA growing up, I never felt like I ever became violent or felt the erge to act violent towards another person.

Although I think that there are so many other factors that may contribute to violence in society more than playing video games which display acts of violence, I do think however, as video gaming technology continues to get better, and as some parents may NOT monitor what it is that their children are doing and how this may affect their lives, that violence seen in video games may somewhat contribute to the violence some kids display towards others.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81bVWcjG0xs

No Games for Me

After reading the last post and noticing some of the references about video games it made me realize how I really am not a fan of them. I have never quite understood how people can play a game for hours at a time and not get tired of it. The only game that I used to like was the Sims. When I was younger the Sims was fun to play for a while but even that got boring after a while. Personally, I think this whole virtual world has gotten a bit out of control. It seems like people are spending so much time playing a game when they could be doing other things like work. I know that there are some people that do absolutely nothing except play games and I think that is really sad. It makes me nervous to think what this world will be like several years from now if the social interaction continues to decline. Just the other day in my English class two of my classmates were telling me that they had spent a total of 48 hours playing one game in the last 6 or so days. To me that is outrageous! I cannot imagine s video game being so fun that someone would want to play that much of it. Another thing that is scary is the violence that people are having because of something that took place during a game that they played. In one of my classes we were talking about situations that occurred between people as a result of something that happened in a game. To me that is crazy and ridiculous. For someone to get so mad about something that isn't real does not make any sense to me. I have included a link to a very brief story about a similar situation. I don't know what everyone else thinks but I think this is pathetic!



http://www.gamespot.com/pages/unions/forums/show_msgs.php?topic_id=27083248&union_id=19004

the virtual self

Ok so for this blog I want to do something random. I’m sure many of you are familiar with the popular m.o.r.p.g.’s (manual online role playing games) like World of Warcraft. We talked a little about them as a possible paper topic in class on Wednesday and the construction of the virtual self online. One of my favorite episodes of South Park deals with World of Warcraft and we can see the construction of the virtual self through the characters of South Park and the characters they play online.



If you ever get a chance to watch the whole episode I highly recommend it. There is one particular part of the episode where Stan’s dad is at the office and we see him talk about the way he built his avatar online. His exact words are “Outside I am a simple geologist, but in here, I am Falcorn defender of the alliance. . .” In the virtual world he made an avatar that was more muscular, better looking, and one that had an overall more interesting life.

This is also true for the main enemy that the boys are trying to defeat. At home the man is overweight, bald, and basically conforms to the kind of sci fi nerd that lives in his mom’s basement stereotype. In the game however he is strong, fast, and kills without provocation. Virtual games like WOW give the player is given the ability to gain power that they would not be able to gain without the game. The player can project the way they see themselves to the world often in a manner free of judgment from others since avatars can also include an alias name.

Helping St. Louis

I do agree with everyone else that there are many people that need help around the holidays and in winter in general. Yes there are homeless people that do need help, but there are also people who do have homes but who can’t afford heat or food, who do also need help.
One of St. Louis’s top non-profit organizations is Heat Up St. Louis. Heat Up St. Louis is partnered with the Rams Football Team, Schnucks, Hardees, Best Buy, and several other local businesses. They raise money for needy families in St. Louis that cannot afford heat in the winter. They also raise money for families who have extremely high medical bills who have to choose between electric and food.
In the summer this organization is called Cool Down St. Louis. This helps families that cannot afford air conditioning in the hot summer months.
Since its inception more than 45,000 people have been impacted with their energy assistance needs in 2002, and 2003 alone. Others counties currently being serviced may not be listed in this presentation. The charity has received more than $750,000 in combined donations in its first few years.
Heat Up St. Louis also hosts fundraising events year round to raise money for the organization. They have “nights out” at sports events, festivals, fashion week, etc.
You can donate money through mail, phone, email, or on their website. Any amount of donations is accepted. Their website is http://www.heatupstlouis.org/.
Another organization that helps with warming up St. Louis, is Warner’s Winter Warm-up. Ex-Rams football player, Kurt Warner, and his wife, Brenda, run this organization. They collect winter coats for the needy. There are drop off places everywhere. To find the closest one to you visit http://www.kurtwarner.org/warmup.html.

How can we help?

So since we are still talking about ways in which we can give back to others I thought about this really cool thing I learned about through my public speaking class. We had to do a speech to persuade someone to act and a girl did hers about these shoe box donations that happen around Christmas time. I know many of us wonder what we can do to help being college students with not a lot of money. An organization called Samaritan’s Purse is doing a shoe box drive. What you do is take a shoe box and choose whether you want to make your box for a boy or girl and around what age. You write that on the outside of the box and then put simple toys/supplies in the box. The best things to send are things that often to us have no value because to us it's a necessity. Hygiene things like toothpaste and socks or things like flashlights and batteries. Markers and other school supplies are also good ideas of what to put in there. By filling the box with inexpensive things you may feel as though you aren't doing much but to these children you are not only giving them things they need but you are giving them the feeling of Christmas. The excitement they feel from receiving something that’s personally to them on Christmas is such joy. I remember when I first moved away from home. That Christmas I got things like pots and pans, silverware, towels, and dishes. I was so disappointed and bummed out because to me this stuff was boring. After participating in things like this I realize that the Holidays are a time to be thankful and give to those who are in need. I found a video on Samaritan’s Purse website of a little boy who opened his shoe box and his reaction compared to mine that Christmas was enough to make me want to help. If you are interested in doing this here’s the link explaining the project and the boxes can be brought to local churches.

Helping out others this holiday

Giving during the holidays is especially important because giving is what the holidays is all about. Not everyone has gifts under a christmas tree or even a family to be with for the holidays. Those that do have these things are very lucky and should appreciate it. Some people have no family to celebrate with and are just lonely, while others don't have enough money to buy nice things for there kids because they are just making enough to keep a roof over their head. Other children don't have a family and are in foster homes not expecting to have a christmas. This holiday season I want to encourage everyone to get out and do something. Whether you are dropping a few dollars in the coin bucket outside Walmart or donating a few toys to donations at the grocery store, doing something little can make a big difference. To end world hunger would cost around 30 billion dollars. Did you know global military and arms trade expenditures hit high at about $1 trillion annually. Approximately $540 billion is spent by the United States alone. Recently was the $700 (and growing) billion housing bailout bill? This means, 4% of the Wall Street bailout would end world hunger Although the government spends a lot of our taxes on things we would not like it to be used, we are also part of the problem. US residents of the waste about 20 billion worth of food every year. That translates to about $31.7 billion U.S. dollars. Everyone can help this situation out by doing something this holiday season.

Economy Affecting The Holidays

As Christmas of 2009 gets closer, it still seems that the economy is showing no real signs of improvement, as many people remain without jobs. Those who find themselves without jobs are finding the expense to purchase Christmas presents to be extremely difficult. To avoid spending money on multiple gifts and spending high dollar amounts on a single person, people instead are making homemade gifts, playing secret Santa, or even putting spending limits on presents for one another. As a result of having a bad economy, more and more people the past few years are trying to do whatever it is necessary to cut back, such as purchasing fewer decorations to place on the outside of their homes to avoid having high electric bills from the displaying of Christmas lights. Another thing people are having to do is celebrate by themselves with their immediate family, rather than spending the money to travel to be with their extended families like in years past.

As a result of the economy, it seems that many people are trying there best just to make it through the holiday by trying to save as much money as possible, along with trying to avoid the great sales and discounts that many companies are offering. In many families, especially mine, Christmas is a time to experience great family traditions. It seems though that the traditional Christmas that so many families are use to experiencing is slowly drifting away.

More on the Holiday Season

I agree that helping those in need and remembering to be thankful for those around us has been a more and more forgotten aspect of the holiday season. With all the deals and sales that capitalist America has come up with, holidays like Christmas have become very commercial. few can see this evident in the fact that at least one Wal-Mart employee is killed every holiday season. Especially now with Thanksgiving just around the corner it is important to remember those less fortunate than ourselves. Maryville University as a community has a philanthropic mission through the Maryville Reaches Out program. Like Adriana said though, it is important to keep things reasonable.

For example my church (St. Louis Family Church) has a food drive going on where you can spend eighty dollars to fill a couple of grocery sacks full to give a local family a nice Thanksgiving. It is a reasonable price and if you don’t want to give the full amount there are envelopes in for the offering where you could label it “food drive” and just put in like ten bucks or something.

Speaking about the true meaning of the holidays this reminds me of Albert Pujols’ campaign to bring Christ back into Christmas. Worship Fully, Spend Less, Give More, and Love All is the message for his campaign. He wants to remind people that above all else Jesus Christ is the most important part of Christmas, not finding sales or filling your Christmas wish list. You can check out the story at KPLR11.com.

I know you guys have probably heard this a lot and I don’t mean to sound cliché when I say this, but this holiday season, no matter what you celebrate or if you celebrate, I would like to encourage you to reconnect with family and friends as well as renew your faith.

And don’t get me wrong I don’t mean to shove gospel down anyone’s throat but for me Christmas is a big deal. Not because of the presents (even though they are great), but about the coming of my Savior Jesus Christ. He came not to be served but to serve, to seek and save that which was lost. Here is a cool video that means a lot to me, I hope you all enjoy it.

Giving to the Needy

I think that especially during the Holidays it is important to help out those in need. I think that during all the hustle and bustle of the season people often forget to think about others who have nothing. That being said I think there are some good ways to go about helping people. During the Holidays there are often several drives going on. At the local malls there are always large bins collecting toys for children in need. The bell ringers for the Salvation Army provide a great opportunity to give to the needy. If everyone that came out of stores donated the coins they got from their purchase, the Salvation Army would be able to make a huge difference. Other great places to help are with food drives and clothing drives. Currently at Maryville there are several drives going on. There is a tree in the DUC with ornaments listing Holiday wish lists of families in need. There are bins all around campus collecting food. Soon (hopefully) there will be boxes scattered around collecting peanut butter and jelly for those who do not have any food. With all of these great opportunities within reach I think that people can really make a difference this season for all those who need help. Whenever I see a food drive or something going on I feel instantly compelled to donate food. It makes me think that because I can afford to buy food I need to share with those who can. It also makes me think that if I were in need of food I would desperately want someone to help me out. These days in this economy financial stability is so unpredictable and so I try to keep in mind that I could just as easily be begging for food myself. This Holiday season many are without food that have never had to worry about it in the past. These are not necessarily just bums on the streets anymore. Many people who are suffering have had job, and good jobs at that. Unfortunately, in these tough times so many have lost work and need to the support of others more than ever. I think that it is important to keep in mind whenever you see a food drive or toy drive that people are desperately in need.

Helping the homeless

When I think about living in California and the vast amount of homeless people I wonder if this has anything to do with why I don't give every person I see here in St. Louis money or some sort of help. I'm on the other side of the fence where if I don't give at least a dollar to someone I see I feel extremely terrible for the rest of the day. My friends always voice to me how dangerous this is and all the ifs? Now I not completely irrational such as if it's late at night or I'm walking to my car after work I'm of course not going to stop and give someone money because I feel that is more dangerous than rolling down my car window and a four way intersection during the day. I think back to be a child and my dad being the same way. Every time he seen a homeless person he would give them money and I guess I learned to do the same. Moving to L.A I realized wow I will be broke if I give every person I see money. There were days you would see at least 20 homeless people and if you went downtown you would see even more. They had little areas where 30 or more would all sleep and hang out. I began to become desensitized to the feeling of guilt I had for them. I would see signs that said, I'm not going to lie I just need another hit, or I would watch somebody give someone money and as soon as the person pulled away the man would be in the store buying liquor or cigarettes. Then I wonder is it even our business what they do with the money we give them? Do we really think they should save up for weeks and weeks just to buy a new outfit or groceries or do we really think they should save up for months to be able to deposit on a place to live? I feel like those things aren't realistic because to better themselves fully they need more than just our dollars here and there. They need a shelter and a great program like people below have been speaking of to help get their life on track. Coming back home to St. Louis I don't like to completely ignore the fact that these people are standing outside my car so if they are "selling" something like candy or something small I will give them money because I feel like they are doing a little bit more than begging and they also don't seem as dangerous. I wish I could give every person I see a home cooked meal and help to last a lifetime but in this day we just can't. It being so close to the Holidays there is a lot of great things we can do in St. Louis to help. I found a site that list over 20 different programs and organizations here in St. Louis that could use our help. I was shocked at home many things we can really do to help. CHECK IT OUT

Operation Food Search

I agree with how sad it is that St. Louis has such a high percentage of homeless people. Not everyone can help each one individually but there are some things you can do to help a majority of them. At my old high school, Lutheran South we would have a Faith in Action day every semester. This meant that two days out of the school year the whole school would go to different sites throughout the St. Louis area and help out those in need. The first time I went my group went to the School of the Blind and helped clean up and paint the old rooms to get them back into use. Another time we picked up trash throughout the city and helped people get their cluttered yards cleaned up. After going on these two sites I thought I had seen a lot, that was until my group went to Operation Food Search. This organization is huge with over 1,000 volunteers and has so many things they do to help out many different types of people in different situations. Operation Food Search helps feed over 100,00 people (half of them children) each month with over a million pounds of donated (nutritious) food. They have helped out so many family's with not only food. One of there most important projects is operation backpack. This is what my group did when we visited Operation Food Search. Did you know that 85% of public students in St. Louis rely on free or reduced price meals during the school week but come to a empty fridge on the weekends. This program gives the children a backpack on Fridays filled with nutritional snacks and food. The children keep the backpacks all weekend and return them on Mondays so the cycle can continue. If anyone is wanting to donate food or money to an organization, I highly recommend this one.

help available for homeless in st. louis

Ok so I can see the problem with the homeless in terms of the cycle of poverty. Sometimes people will stay in a bad situation because that is all they know. In terms of the psyche this can be a hard hole to climb out of and many were not always in that hole to start with. I looked and found an online news report from ksdk on the homeless population in St. Louis. One of the psychologists from the St. Patrick Center in St. Louis said that the cycle of poverty can in some ways be a self fulfilling prophecy. For some people there has never been a drive for success created.

Growing up I always saw my parents working their fingers to the bone and their drive to achieve was unsurpassed. So for me it is kind of hard to understand how someone can have no motivation. For me hard work comes naturally and I often feel guilty if I am not working or doing something.

One problem with the cycle of poverty can be trauma. In the online report there was a veteran who returned to St. Louis and had a tough time returning to civilian life. He found his only comfort in alcohol and drugs until he fell into a slump and spent most nights in an abandoned lobby tripped out on drugs.

The economic downturn is also partly to blame for the current growth in the homeless population. KSDK reported that many St. Louis residents are losing their homes due to loss of income, fewer jobs available, etc.

The St. Patrick Center in St. Louis is one of those places where the homeless can go to get help but only if they are willing to help themselves.

Here is the link if you guys want to watch the video

http://www.kmov.com/localnews/stories/kmov-stlouisnews-081008-shared-stl-homeless.f44ae693.html

Beggers or Con Artists

Often when people sue it is basically just another way to get money. These days a lot more people are in need of money and they are going to drastic measures to get it. Have you ever seen people standing in intersections begging for money? These people are called panhandlers. Often, they stand around at the same intersection day in and day out. Just yesterday I saw two people standing in the same intersection but on opposite sides of the street. In the time that I was sitting at the red light two people gave the man money. I don't know how you all feel about this but I have a hard time justifying donating money to a panhandler. I have these preconceived notions that all panhandlers to is take the money and dig themselves deeper into their hole of poverty. I have often wanted to bring them food but am afraid to do so. As I was on my way to Starbucks I was tempted to buy an extra coffee for the man but I could not bring myself to do so. This could just be me being scared but I cannot bring myself to donate to the cause of a panhandler. Donating to charity is something that I am very passionate about but for some reason I find this to be drastically different. I realize that there are many many people out there who actually do need the help. Unfortunately, too many people beg for money when in reality they need help instead. I don't know how it is in other places but in St. Louis County it seems that the same people beg on the same corners every day. Always seeing the same people discourages me even more from giving them money. To know that these people are not doing anything to help themselves makes me kind of mad. I would like to see a decline in the amount of panhandlers that stand on corners. I don't know what the solution would be but it is getting ridiculous.

Has America become "Sue Happy"?

Speaking of being sued and copyright…I recently wrote an article for Dr. Barb DeSanto’s class about Dr. Mark Lombardi (Maryville President) being sued by his former employer.
First off, I used the word “scandal” in my article and Dr. Barb informed me that I could be sued just for using that word.
I think it’s stupid that everything you say or do in everyday life can get you sued and paying fines and going to jail. I agree with Kim, I think it’s starting to become ridiculous what people are getting in trouble for these days. Kim talked about how Disney sued that daycare because they had Disney characters on the wall, I think that’s outrageous. Disney clearly has enough money, so why sue a small day care center over something that silly?
I googled on the internet just to see what kinds of stupid things people and companies sue each other over. Here’s a few interesting ones I found…An iPod user sued Apple over hearing loss…A man sued his church after his house was destroyed by Hurricane Hugo and was called “An Act of God”…People suing McDonald’s because it made them fat…A man was arrested, while in jail he sued himself for the stupidity of doing the crime and allowing himself to get arrested. He sued himself for 5 million dollars.
Since he was a ward of the state, he asked that the state pay the 5 million on his behalf…A woman bought coffee at McDonald’s, spilled it on herself and burned herself, she sued McDonald’s…
Has America become “sue happy”? YES. YES. YES. People need to quit being lazy, get decent jobs and quit blaming others for stupid things and trying to sue them and get money that way.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xsGqtjuPaM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ouV-4_epko

Ellen Degeneres Being Sued

After reading the last post I was very interested because I watch Ellen Degeneres all the time and had no idea that she was being sued. I can't believe that they are taking it this far and sueing her when all she is doing is promoting there music. It makes me mad because all she is doing is promoting their music. Im sure a majority of people could have bought the songs after hearing it on her show. This reminds me of Disney and how they sued a Day Care center for millions because they had Disney characters on their walls. Companies that go out of there way to ruin other peoples lives and take there money for really no reason makes me sick. Ellen Degeneres does not deserve to be sued for promoting their music. In the Day Care case I don't think it was right to sue them because kids love Disney characters. This promoted Disney movies to the children at the Day Care and encouraged the parents of these kids to show them these movies. I got on YouTube to see if I could find a news video of what all happened and I found this really funny news video kind of like The Onion. They are pointing out how it is stupid of them to sue Ellen when the show is promoting their music. The video goes back and forth with whether they should have sued or not and one of the guys in it is pretty funny.

Copyrights- DeGeneres Show Is Being Sued

The producers of The Ellen DeGeneres Show are being sued by some of the world's largest recording companies (Warner Music Group Corp, Sony Corp's Sony Music Entertainment, Vivendia SA's Universal Music Group, autednd EMI Grup), for using their songs without permission. The show is distributed and produced by various divisions of Time Warner Incorporated, all of which are co-defendants in the case, and although Ellen's name isn't specifically named in the lawsuit, her company is. The lawsuit states that the show has used more than 1,000 different songs illegally, without acknowledging the record companies first or receiving the proper licensing to play the songs. Most of the songs the show has illegally used are played during Ellen's popular introduction by a DJ during the beginning of the show.

The lawsuit states," As sophisticated consumers of music, defendants knew fully well that, regardless of the way they rolled, under the Copyright Act... they needed a license to use the sound recordings lawfully."

In a statement made by Warner Bros Group Corp, they said they had been working with the labels for "many months" to resolve the issue of how the songs will be used on the show, "after years of a good working relationship between the parties. It is unfortunate that the record labels have resorted to filing a suit over a straight forward business dispute which the show has always been prepared, and remains willing, to resolve on a micable and reasonable terms."

I'm somewhat disturbed by the greed showed by these music labels in suing The Ellen DeGeneres Show for the free promption of their music. I understand the show illegally used such music, but the show is highly viewed worldwide, and it was a great way to promote these songs, as millions of people have downloaded the songs they've heard from watching the show. Perhaps these music companies could have gone about this situation in a different way, and still alow for the show to play its music without having to go through a lawsuit.

more on social networking

The latest blog was really cool. I definitely think that the newest trend in social evolution in our society is the online networking site. Millions of people log on everyday to see what their friends have posted on their facebook walls and to check their status on myspace. I know some people who use multiple websites to keep in touch with others or to just kill time. I have a buddy who makes new friends and actually goes out to physically meet these people (whether or not that is the smartest idea I don’t know).

These sites are fascinating to me; I guess in part because I don’t use any of them. I will look occasionally just to see if any old friends have an open page just to see what they are doing. These websites are becoming more and more popular because of the demanding and hectic schedules of American life. I wrote an article about it in the school paper if any of you care to hear more.

But Whitney pointed something out that I feel is very true and needs to be addressed. People can and often do go overboard with social networking. I found a very interesting article online about Facebook Addiction Disorder. The author in this article makes a prediction that a new field of psychological study will involve addiction to networking websites. The author’s friend checks her facebook page dozens of times a day. In the car in traffic, at the office, at home, etc. I believe this is a growing issue and it is one of those things that can happen to anyone.

Found this video online; one of many that describes some of the signs of a facebook addict.