(Make-Up) Journal 4: Pokemon

Pokemon Black 2 cover courtesy of bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net

Pokemon White 2 cover courtesy of bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net 

We have all at least heard of Pokemon while growing up, weather it be the show, video games, card game, or books. Pokemon has had a major part in my life, I can remember when I first obtained Pokemon Red Version and how excited I was to go on my own journey with my Pokemon companions by my side. Pokemon has evolved over time (no pun intended) to the newest generation which now includes 649 Pokemon instead of the original 151. Not only is there more Pokemon, but the games have vastly improved in both graphics and communication with other people playing across the world. Back when the games were still on the GameBoy Advanced, people who played these games had to use a cable to be able to trade, battle, and interact with friends. When Pokemon made the move to the DS, it introduced the WiFi function which allowed players to communicate with people around the world! Thus bringing up competitions and what the recent games Pokemon Black 2 and Pokemon White 2 included in them. Jevon Phillips writer from Hero Complex wrote an article called: Pokemon puts players in the game... literally which explains how Nintendo added an extra surprize to their latest installment of the franchise. At the latest world competition in Hawaii, eight of the top players were digitally put in the game with their team as downloadable content for others to try and challenge the best in the world. I personally believe that this is a really cool feature, I mean who wouldn't want to be included into one of their favorite games?

Journal 3: Humor Me

Political Humor and Its Diss Contents is an article written by Iain Elies discussing the effects humor has on our political affairs and how damaging it can be. The article discusses how political humor has changed the nation to one that seems too critical and not as serious as in the past before political humor had become accepted. Elis believes that many of the comedy shows like The Daily Show and The Colbert Report actually hurts politics more than helps, that electing persons for office has turned into "who you could rather have a beer with" than who is most qualified for the job. I can agree with the fact that politics has changed majorly in the past fifty years, that now I see that comedy has lightened up politics a bit, though I do believe that comedy and political humor is a good thing for the most part. Shows like The Daily Show are very informative even though it is comedy, in fact, Elies brought up that research has shown that the people that watch The Daily Show are actually some of the most informed and intelligent in the nation. While Jon Stewart's show is not supposed to be a news and information hub, he does inform watchers on how certain shows; like CNN's Crossfire, have a great opportunity to inform America on politics, though execute it poorly which actually misinforms viewers. In the end, I truly believe that comedy does play an important role in our politics, and that shows like The Daily Show actually get people thinking and critical about making an informed choice rather than making politics seem laughable.
(Video Curtsy of YouTube)

Journal 2: Saints

Poster for The Boondock Saints courtesy of http://tvtropes.org

When someone asks me what my favorite movie is, I have have a hard time deciding which movies out of the many I have seen is my absolute favorite. I really do not have a favorite as I like so many, but one movie I really enjoy and find good is The Boondock Saints written and directed by Troy Duffy. The reason to why I like The Boondock Saints is simple for me to answer, it has quirky humor, interesting characters, and an interesting story with, I feel, a deep meaning behind it.

To me, The Boondock Saints dealt a lot with moral codes and issues with the jailing system that could still happen even today. The two brothers Connor and Murphy McManus; as seen in the image to the left, decide to take matters of "judgment" into their own hands after killing two members of the Russian Mafia in self-defense. The brothers rid their home city Boston, Massachusetts of crime and evil by killing people mainly related to the mafia and later to drug dealers, thiefs  and other criminals. At the end of this movie, an interviewer asks people on the streets what they think of the "saints" and their different responses really brings to light and question what you believe. While I believe what the brothers did in the film could take some very bad criminals off the street permanently, it does not justify killing in general, you can not kill anyone even if they are bad people. The Boondock Saints makes one consider how they would react and what they would do in a situation like this. Would people take action like the McManus brothers, or would they let the legal system handle it? This is what really makes the movie one of my favorites.

Journal 1: So, what is the call?

Packers vs Seattle: The controversial call, image courtesy of http://touts.wordpress.com/category/nfl/

Winning actually isn’t the only thing is an article by David Maraniss about the Packer vs Seattle game on Monday September 24^th, 2012. Maraniss approaches the audience by describing how much of a football fan he is, especially a Packer fan. In his article, Maraniss describes how frustrated he was about the controversial call made on the final play. However, Maraniss does not go on to rant about the bad call like most fans of the Packers would, instead he allows himself time to cool down and think critically about the situation. He questions how the situation would be in different scenarios, like if the Packers were winning by more than one touchdown how would the audience react, would they even care? Maraniss also wonders how the reaction would be if the Packers had won that game the way Seattle had, would the Seattle fan base be outraged? He also brings into play the reactions of the Seattle coach Pete Carroll, and Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson. Carroll’s reaction reminded Maraniss of Carroll’s “past as a win-at-any-cost coach at Southern Cal, from where he escaped to the pros to get away from a looming NCAA crackdown on his program.” While Maraniss had once rooted for Wilson for being part of the Wisconsin Badgers, he was disappointed in his interview about the call. In the end of his article, Maraniss states that no matter what situation, the call would have been wrong, and that the winners of Monday night’s games should not have acted like they won it fair, but now they must live believing they did.

My initial reaction to this article was along the lines of, “oh no, not another angry Packers fan”, but quickly changed once I read into the article a bit more. Maraniss was able to talk about his frustration with the controversial call without going on a one-sided rant. He realizes how different fans of both the Packers and Seattle would have reacted if the game ended in another way and that the play would have either been ignored and not a major issue, or caused a huge upset. I do feel like the fans would not have cared about the call if the Packers were winning by more than one touchdown that night, maybe even overlooked it no matter how bad is was, so long as their team won. He also describes the reactions of Seattle, which was pretty effective in my opinion. They way he described the coach “thrusting his hands skyward to signal a touchdown himself and then running around with delirious happiness after the call Monday night, as if he had actually won something, as if his players had pulled off a gutsy miracle”, made me see him as a person who only cares about winning, no matter what has to be done. However, it also makes me think of Maraniss as being somewhat childish, since the tone I get from the description is very ignorant, especially the part where he says, “as if he had actually won something”. Though I feel that weak point in his argument, Maraniss closes it solidly by stating that no matter the situation, the call was bad, and the winning team should not act like they won something big.

The Believing Game B

            While the Xbox 360 is a powerful high-end system of today’s gaming generation, it has its problems like every other piece of technology. The Xbox 360 is a very low-cost system for those who cannot afford a system like the Playstation 3 but want the same kind of experience. However, this low cost does come with its problems. Most Xbox 360s tend to have technical problems, and die out within a year or two of use due to how the system was built. Microsoft helps a bit with this though by having a warranty for the buyer incase this happens, but it is only for a limited time. There are a variety of games that only the Xbox has, but there are also other games that are available only to other councils as well. The Xbox 360 has a great online service, it is fast and secure, mostly due to the fee each member pays a month. In the long run, the Xbox will end up costing more than a Playstation 3 if one actively uses the online service, as it costs five dollars a month. It is roughly on the same par as the Playstation 3’s free network, so you will be getting a similar experience with either system. While the Xbox 360 is a low-cost, high-end system it has its downfalls. The system can break easily, there are certain games not playable on it, and there is a monthly fee for the online services. Overall, the Xbox 360 can be a costly system.

The Believing Game A

            The Xbox 360 is one of the higher-end systems of today’s gaming generation. It is a low-cost system that can match and easily outrank other councils of the same generation. Not only is the Xbox 360 low-cost, it also has many exclusive games that are only for the Xbox, such as Halo for one example. Finally Xbox 360 also has a vast online community for both social and game purposes. There is a subscription fee for the online services, though the smooth connection makes it worth the five dollars a month. There are other systems like the Playstation 3 and Wii, though if you want a good online gaming experience, the Xbox 360 is an excellent choice.

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