The Great Separation

New Zealand Bans Another Video Game.

Making one serial killer at a time. - I think there is a definite sickness running rampant in the video game industry. Thankfully, New Zealand seems to recognize this illness. Too bad other countries don't.

stuff.co.nz reports that New Zealand has banned for the second time a video game (this time it's Postal 2: Sharing the Pain) because they recognize it as "injurious to the public good":

The decision of the Office of Film and Literature Classification was announced by the Chief Censor, Bill Hastings.

In Postal 2 the player controls a character called Postal Dude who interacts with other characters by exposing his penis, urinating on them, kicking them, killing them and mutilating their corpses.

stuff goes onto report the findings of the government office:

# The game is designed, and has the capacity, to allow the player to test how much violence and humiliation he or she can inflict on human beings and animals in a variety of everyday settings and circumstances.

# The player's ability to elect the amount, type and speed with which the violence is escalated into extreme cruelty requires an antisocial attitudinal shift (and reinforces such attitudes among those who already have them) that is likely to be injurious to the public good.

I should also note that this is a multi-player game. Consider what that might mean to the psychological aspects of a person playing this game.

A check finds that this game was released at the end of last year. The company, Running With Scissors, that makes it is not resting though, they have an update coming out titled, "Postal 2: Apocalypse Weekend".

The company's website promises the fans of Sharing the Pain,

...that the new implements of destruction will definitely appeal to their inner-Grim Reaper. "Gamers will no longer be limited to merely blasting, burning and blowing up enemies – they can hack them down to nuggets as well!" Desi boasts. "There's the Scythe which definitely has some serious hands-on/heads-off appeal. Then there's the Sledgehammer – pound for pound pure enjoyment. My personal favorite is the Boomerang Machete.

Doesn't get much perverted than that.

Oh, but wait. Here is a related item found on Ananova™:

John Lockwood has already hooked up guns to the internet to let people shoot targets on his Texas ranch.

Now he wants to let fans shoot live game through his website, live-shot.com, reports the New York Post.

Mr Lockwood intends to have the remote hunts running early next year with virtual hunters paying up to £40 an hour.

They will be be [sic] able to use their computer mouse to operate a camera and rifle pointed at a game feeder set up to attract animals.

Ah, yes. What sportsmanship. How much more can we dissociate the act of killing so that it becomes old hat.

The Great Separation continues.

Related Post(s):

New Zealand Bans Computer Game.
"Manhunt" Video Game Player Acts Out Virtual Kill on Real Person.
The Games Your Children Play.
Is this Kind of Realism Useful in a Video Game? Shellshock: Nam '67.
It's Not Named Resident Evil for Nothing.
6 Murdered over $150 X-Box Video Game System.
Docu-Game Be Oswald in JFK Assassination for $9.99.

Eminem made Honorary Priest.

Sa-sa-say Ww ww what!?! - Here's a bit of an oddity.

That famous rapper of filth, Eminem, has been made an honorary priest of the cult group, The Raelian Movement.

The Raelian Movement is group that believes UFO's populated the Earth. They're also the group that made the claim to have cloned the first human and who also claim to have discovered the fountain of youth. If memory severs, they are also the group that hopes to clone Christ.

Rich Rock reports:

Besides taking the top chart position this week for his album, Encore, Eminem is getting another top position as an "honorary priest" of the Raelian Movement. The group's founder, Rael, formerly known as Claude Vorilhon, has bestowed the title upon Eminem for his anti-war video, "Mosh," which calls upon American youth to stand up against the Bush administration's war on Iraq.

Hmm... Rap music and Cults.

Makes sense.

Silence and Gold-Plated Umbilical Cords.

Dude. Where were you? - Hey folks, have you been missing me?

I've been rather busy with part time work. On top of several other odd jobs I've been getting my hands into, I'm making Christmas reindeer for resale and working as a night watchman on a Christmas Tree lot. So time is at a stranglehold for me lately.

Plus, I have to admit to a bit of blog burn out, if you know what I mean. Interestingly enough, I've noticed some of my regular haunts in the blog-o-sphere are also a bit less verbose than usual, so I'm guessing I'm not the only one that is busy with the season or just a bit burned out.

But, given a little free time at the moment, I looked over some headlines this afternoon and I think I can piece together a small number of oddities and an item that might be of some concern.

First is this item out of South Korean where it appears to be a popular practice of saving your child's umbilical cord for memory sake.

Reuters Reports:

Forget desktop photographs of your children.

Doting South Korean parents can preserve their child's umbilical cord in acrylic resin to make a personal seal or even have it gold plated.

Apparently the company doing it got the idea because it was already a practice of South Korean moms to store umbilical cords and navels in their photo albums.

Okay. Well, that's just weird. But that might just be me.

It certainly counts as an oddity.

Stay tunned. Another oddity and something of a serious nature forth coming. Just as soon as I can type it up.

George Washington's Proclamation for the First Thanksgiving.

Giving thanks to God. - Hat tip goes to New Trommetter Times.

Here is the very religious proclamation inaugurating the national celebration of Thanksgiving, a national day of worship.

In it our government recognized the sovereignty of God in granting our country's freedom and prosperity.

Proclamation of National Thanksgiving

George Washington

City of New York, October 3, 1789

Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor, and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me "to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness."

Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be. That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks, for his kind care and protection of the People of this Country previous to their becoming a Nation, for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his providence, which we experienced in the course and conclusion of the late war, for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed, for the peaceable and rational manner, in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted, for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed; and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us.

And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions, to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually, to render our national government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed, to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shown kindness unto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord. To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the encrease of science among them and Us, and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.

Given under my hand at the City of New York the third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789.

Happy Thanksgiving!

The Great Separation continues.

Virgin Mary's Holy Tear Stolen by Woman.

Um. How is that possible? - Here's an odd religious news item for today.

Apparently a painting of the Virgin Mary in a church in Romania cried.

As is usually the case with Virgin Mary phenomena, this drew hundreds of people. One person, a 62-year-old woman facing difficult times, thought that if she could get the tear then things would get better for her.

Ananova™ reports:

She told National newspaper: "I thought that if I took this tear drop at home all my troubles would disappear.

"I went to the icon, I prayed and then tried to steal the tear with my lips while kissing it. But I couldn't so I used a tissue to wipe the tear and take it with me."

Police were called in and they found her out. But they said they couldn't charge her with anything.

The tissue is now sitting beside the painting.

You know what?

I couldn't help but think about the incident in the Bible where the woman stole a touch of the hem of Christ's garment.

Of course Christ didn't call the police. He told her that her faith had healed her.

Blondes Unite to Ban Blonde Jokes.

Did you hear the one about.... - This could be a sign of the end times. Blondes in Hungary united on the steps of parliament to demand the end of blonde jokes.

Ananova™ reports:

The protestors handed in a petition claiming they were being discriminated against in every walk of life by bad taste blonde jokes.

And spokeswoman Zsuzsa Kovacs said: "Blondes face discrimination in the job market, in the workplace when they get a job, and even on the streets.

"People are banned from discriminating against Jews, or blacks, so why not grant blondes the same protection."

The petition was short of the 100,000 signatures need to make the parliament debate the matter but government officials promised to look into the matter of jokes as discrimination.

Of course the punch line to this is that a fight broke out outside of a bar named "Blondy" when blonde women were protesting what they considered the bars obvious play on blonde jokes. The women threw cakes and eggs (do you suppose they forgot to add the eggs to the cakes?) at the bar and then urged the blonde women working inside the bar to strike for their right to non-discriminating blonde jokes.

Hmmm. One might say their true roots were showing.

13-Year-Old Abducts Exotic Dancer.

A culture of sex and violence. - How sad this news item is.

WAVY.com reports that a Virginia Beach boy of thirteen years lured an exotic dancer to a vacant house and then tried to force her via a shot gun to dance for him.

The woman noticed the client was a juvenile, but was told that the contract was for his older brother. Police say the woman waited for a while, but no one else showed up.

Authorities say when the woman eventually tried to leave the residence, she was stopped by the juvenile who pointed a shotgun at her and ordered her to dance.

The dancer diverted the boy's attention and tried to dial 911 on her cell phone. According to police, the juvenile then grabbed the phone. During the struggle, the woman bit the boy's hand and was able to break free and run to her car.

Apparently there is a second juvenile involved too. Police are still investigating.

Dolphins Save Girls from Great White.

Flipper! Flipper!... How's the rest of the song go? - Here's an animal oddity for today that will warm the heart and perhaps stoke the imagination.

Three girls were swimming off a beach in New Zealand when they were pleased to be surrounded by a group of Bottlenose Dolphins.

Ananova™ reports:

The girls thought the dolphins were playing as they swam round them in tight circles, thrashing their tails near a New Zealand beach.

But Niccy's dad Rob, 47, who was in the sea with the youngsters 100 yards out, spotted the outline of a 10ft great white.

Only after the shark moved off did the creatures allow the swimmers to head to the shore.

How cool is that?

Marine Gives His Life for Fellow Marines.

Thank you. - The Seattle Times has a report by Gordon Trowbridge of The Army Times.

It's a must read and is titled, "Marine sacrifices his life for others in grenade blast.

The Marine who gave his life to save others was Sgt. Rafael Peraltaa.

Trowbridge writes:

One of the first Marines to enter the house, Peralta was wounded in the face by rifle fire from a room near the entry door, said Lance Cpl. Adam Morrison, 20, of Tacoma, who was in the house when Peralta was first wounded.

Moments later, an insurgent rolled a fragmentation grenade into the area where a wounded Peralta and the other Marines were seeking cover.

As Morrison and another Marine scrambled to escape the blast, pounding against a locked door, Peralta grabbed the grenade and cradled it into his body, Morrison said. While one Marine was badly wounded by shrapnel from the blast, the Marines said they believe more lives would have been lost if not for Peralta's selfless act.

"He saved half my fire team," said Cpl. Brannon Dyer, 27, of Blairsville, Ga.

Sgt. Rafael Peraltaa is a hero.

Hurry! The Doll is Suffocating!

Oops. - It's such a horrible thing to leave a child in a sealed car. It happens all to often and I see way to many such stories each year.

But this is one that I am rather thankful for. Why?

Well, for one, a concerned citizen seeing an apparent danger thought quickly and called the police.

Two WFTV.com reports:

Rescuers responding to a report of an infant left alone in a vehicle arrived to find that she wasn't breathing.

No big deal, since the rescuee turned out to be nothing more than a doll in a car seat.

I'd say take a closer look next time, but the fact is that so many of these dolls today look so real.

What with kids having kids these days, I about had a heart attack the other day when I ran into a young teen I used to tutor when she was in elementary school. A friend of hers was pushing a stroller down the road while she held a baby to her shoulder.

Thankfully it turned out to be a doll for one of those school assignments where they had to pretend to be mothers. Which frankly is stupid for one so young, but then that's another subject.