Joe Biden’s “Violent Video Game Tax” Smells A Lot Like Old Urine
Wednesday, 15th May 2013Posted in Keeping it Real
Tags: joe biden, politics, taxing video games, vice president, violent video games
Written by: Paul Nyhart
Vectigal Urinae.
Translation (from Latin to English): Urine Tax.
In first century A.D., The Roman Emperor Titus Flavius Caesar Vespasianus Augustus sought to raise revenues for his government and subsequently put more gold into his, um, toga. So, naturally, he taxed his constituents’ urine. In the Roman days, urine wasn’t merely flushed away to be forgotten, it was sometimes used as a “chemical” to help clean clothes.
As history tells us, Vespasianus’ son Titus apparently opined to his father that the practice was dirty and shameful. As a response, Vespasianus held up a gold coin for his son to see and asked him “sciscitans num odor offenderetur” (are you offended by this smell?). Continue reading “Joe Biden’s “Violent Video Game Tax” Smells A Lot Like Old Urine” »
This Week in Gaming (Snarky Edition): U.S. Senators Discuss Violent Video Games, Facepalms Follow
Thursday, 31st January 2013Posted in Week In Gaming News
Tags: politics, senator video game debate, us senators, video game politics, violent video games
Written by: Patrick Scott Patterson
I really want to be snarky about something else. There should be plenty there, right? I could talk about the Wii U forecast being lowered like a limbo bar, or all the people complaining about the price of the new Call of Duty: Black Ops II map packs who bought them anyway.
Alas… various Senators and pundits keep opening their mouths about “violent video games” despite not having any real qualifications to talk about gaming.
You can’t learn about video gaming from a trailer or a short play through of a game. If you ain’t lived it, you shouldn’t yammer on about it. Since they continue to do so combined with the fact that I’m more than qualified to talk video games… well, they had this coming, didn’t they?
Atari classic Paperboy blamed Continue reading “This Week in Gaming (Snarky Edition): U.S. Senators Discuss Violent Video Games, Facepalms Follow” »
Politician Calls Violent Video Games a Sin, Wants To Tax Your Video Game Use
Wednesday, 16th January 2013Posted in Industry
Tags: controversy, debate, mental health, missouri, politician, politics, sin tax, video games
Written by: Paul Nyhart
A Missouri State Representative named Diane Franklin has asserted that a 1% sales tax should be placed on “Violent Video Games.”
Which games are violent? According to Franklin’s proposal, video games rated “teen,” “mature” and “adult-only” would be targeted – which apparently would mean games like Need For Speed (Teen), Hawx (Teen), and Leisure Suit Larry (Mature) are now violent…
“History shows there is a mental health component to these shootings,” Franklin said, referring to the recent Connecticut and Colorado tragedies, thus a 1% sales tax would conecivably pay for mental health services and law enforcement measures. Continue reading “Politician Calls Violent Video Games a Sin, Wants To Tax Your Video Game Use” »
FOX NEWS Inappropriately Blames Video Games For Connecticut Tragedy; What The Media Isn’t Talking About
Friday, 14th December 2012Posted in Greatest Hits
Tags: blamed, connecticut, editorial, fox new, fox news, opinion, politics, school shooting, shooting tragedy, video games
Written by: Paul Nyhart
By now we all know that some very bad things happened today; for far too many, lives were brought to an end before they barely had a chance to begin.
One would hope that we could use today to remind us all of what we have and what really matters; to send our positive thoughts to those who undoubtedly can’t comprehend what has happened. From our President to law enforcement officials to small communities, many of us have done just that.
But unfortunately there are some who still can’t keep their eye on the ball. Violence and evil are a very tricky thing – if we could explain why they exist and how we can reduce their occurrence we undoubtedly would.
Continue reading “FOX NEWS Inappropriately Blames Video Games For Connecticut Tragedy; What The Media Isn’t Talking About” »
President Obama Advertising Campaign Makes Way Into Video Games (Again)
Thursday, 20th September 2012Posted in Blog Archive, Gaming, News, Pop Culture
Tags: ea, gaming advertisement, Obama, politics
Written by: Paul Nyhart
It was four years ago that advertisments appealing to gamers looking for “hope”, “change”, and a “different leader” began popping up on billboards in game’s like Burnout Paradise (at the cost of 45 grand).
Today, President Obama’s team has stepped up their effort to increase advertising on video games across the country, even though he had a message just a year ago to “Turn Off the video games and pick up a book…”
…a message that was intended to Continue reading “President Obama Advertising Campaign Makes Way Into Video Games (Again)” »
14 Year Old Boy Hangs Himself “After Playing Call of Duty”
Wednesday, 5th September 2012Posted in Blog Archive, Gaming
Tags: bully, bullying, call of duty, controversy, politics, violent video games
Written by: Paul Nyhart
“Parents should ban their children from playing the violent video game”…these were the words of a coroner after a 14 year old boy hung himself.
Prepare yourselves for a story that can only be described in one word: awful.
Here are the full details as we know them via The Telegram, the 14 year old boy got into a fight with his mother after being grounded for “hanging out with his girlfriend too late” the night before. He was sent to his room, where his mother believed he was going onto the computer to look at facebook/youtube/kill time like the rest of us. Continue reading “14 Year Old Boy Hangs Himself “After Playing Call of Duty”” »
Chuck Norris Wants To Scare The Shit Out Of You…Oh and to Vote This November
Tuesday, 4th September 2012Posted in Blog Archive, Offbeat
Tags: blonde, chuck norris, chuck norris wife, election, Obama, politics, video, viral video
Written by: Paul Nyhart
Chuck Norris is a man of many hats, most of them hard, and most of them protecting a head that possesses information too complex for any mortal man to compute or comprehend.
Perhaps that explains the latest video from Chuck Norris’ YouTube channel — yes Chuck Norris has a YouTube channel, no after roughly four decades on camera it isn’t believed he knows how to operate one and/or take video from said camera and deliver it to the internet.
This latest ad, filmed in what is believed to be Chuck Norris’ dojo, wants to remind conservative voters that President Obama won the last election because evangelicals sat at home and didn’t vote (30 million of you according to Norris’ Wife). Continue reading “Chuck Norris Wants To Scare The Shit Out Of You…Oh and to Vote This November” »
DAILY DOUCHE: Man Attacks Girlfriend Over Suspected Affair With Mitt Romney
Tuesday, 31st July 2012Posted in Blog Archive, Offbeat
Tags: affair, douche, dumbass, fail, idiot, mitt romney, politics, suspects
Written by: Paul Nyhart
Looks like Mitt Romney just lost another vote, assuming of course this man who attacked his girlfriend (photo to your left) is indeed a registered voter.
Lowell Turpin, 40, no relation to Turpentine, stumbled across a photo of an unknown man on his girlfriend’s facebook page…and immediately began to accuse his live-in girlfriend of having an affair.
Turns out “the unknown man” was indeed Continue reading “DAILY DOUCHE: Man Attacks Girlfriend Over Suspected Affair With Mitt Romney” »
DAILY RANT: Limbaugh Says Bane of ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ is a Liberal Ploy to Destroy Romney; Nolan Fans Declare War
Wednesday, 18th July 2012Posted in Blog Archive, Offbeat
Tags: baine, Bane, dark knight rises, limbaugh, politics, romney
Written by: Jeff Nau
In a statement on his radio show Tuesday, Rush Limbaugh claimed that Bane — the villain of The Dark Knight Rises– was a creation promulgated by the liberal media to ruin Mitt Romney’s reputation.
According to AwardsDaily, the right wing radio host believes it’s designed to invoke thoughts of Romney’s tie-in with Bain Capital. Get it? Bane=a deliberate attempt to call to mind what many believe is the somewhat questionable activity of Romney’s former investment firm.
He also believes that moviegoers who attend The Dark Knight Rises are “…brain-dead people…the pop culture crowd.”
And thus Limbaugh unleashed the wrath Continue reading “DAILY RANT: Limbaugh Says Bane of ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ is a Liberal Ploy to Destroy Romney; Nolan Fans Declare War” »
New Bill Would Allow Children To Have More Than Two Parents
Monday, 2nd July 2012Posted in Blog Archive, Keeping it Real
Tags: debate, family, parenting, parents, politics
Written by: Paul Nyhart
Follow @paulnyhart
It’s safe to say times have changed since the days of campy sitcoms and TV dinners, where nuclear families sat together at the dinner table or living room and everything was hunky-dory.
Today things are much different, society has evolved and re-defined what it means to “be a family” in 2012, some reflecting cultural transitions into gay marriage, being a single parent, having an adopted father, etc. Look no further than the new “comedy” from NBC “The New Normal” which features two gay men trying to raise a surrogate child (we’re a long way from Leave It To Beaver…pun not intended).
So perhaps it’s not so shocking that Continue reading “New Bill Would Allow Children To Have More Than Two Parents” »
Is America A Racist Nation?
Friday, 29th June 2012Posted in Blog Archive, Keeping it Real
Tags: Obama, politics, president
Written by: Paul Nyhart
Follow @paulnyhart
A lot of things happened yesterday…
The Supreme Court voted that everyone should pay for healthcare even if that includes chipping in for someone else’s.
Congress held the Attorney General in contempt by more than a 4 to 1 margin, for what they allege was a failure to provide key information to an operation that led to the death of a U.S. Border Agent. It’s the first time a sitting cabinet member has been held in contempt. Continue reading “Is America A Racist Nation?” »
Why We Are Afraid of (Stopping) Bullying
Wednesday, 30th May 2012Posted in Blog Archive, Keeping it Real
Tags: being an adult, boss, bully, bullying, politics
Written by: Paul Nyhart
Today, an “anti-bullying” bill failed to make its way through the Illinois Senate for the second time in as many tries (ironically on the same day that this Illinois Senator went crazy).
The bill “would require Illinois schools to create anti-bullying programs and fully explain how they would investigate bullying instances.” All of that on the surface makes a lot of sense, which based on the tradition that is politics, was probably why it was defeated…by one vote.
“The Senate essentially ignored all professional opinions and evidence about effective bullying prevention strategies. HB 5290 would have fixed the Continue reading “Why We Are Afraid of (Stopping) Bullying” »
Politician Completely Loses His Shit…In The Name of FREEDOM!
Wednesday, 30th May 2012Posted in Blog Archive, Keeping it Real
Tags: boss, mike bost, politician, politics
Written by: Paul Nyhart
Yesterday you’d never heard of Illinois representative Mike Bost, hell half of you probably had never heard of Illinois.
But today, thanks to the internet and said State Leglislator being fed up with his government patrons, you now know the man who will within a matter of hours be the most famous man on the internet not named Justin Bieber (albeit I’d rather listen to Mike Bost any day of the week).
The video comes in a shade under 2 minutes Continue reading “Politician Completely Loses His Shit…In The Name of FREEDOM!” »
Why Capitalism Isn’t America’s Problem…Selfish People Are
Wednesday, 1st February 2012Posted in Blog Archive, Keeping it Real
Tags: americans, capitalism, controversy, equal rights, government, motivation, politics, united states, us
Written by: Paul Nyhart
Justice for all...
- $16 trillion in debt
- 8.5% unemployment
- Rising cost of healthcare
Despite these broad range of issues, America’s problems have seemingly been codified into one topic of conversation: capitalism and the LACK of equality it seems to provide.
But has capitalism, an economic system that Continue reading “Why Capitalism Isn’t America’s Problem…Selfish People Are” »
The Decline of the Global Superpower: Is the ‘United States’ Losing Supremacy?
Monday, 23rd January 2012Posted in Blog Archive, Keeping it Real
Tags: china, global power, horizontal lateral, India, Paddy Ashdown, politics, shift, TED, U.S., united states
Written by: Jeff Nau
In a recent speech at the TED conference in Brussels, renowned and outspoken British diplomat and politician Paddy Ashdown (who most famously helped negotiate the 1970s nuclear disarmament treaties in Geneva) gave a lengthy list of reasons as to why he thinks the United States’ power is fading fast.
According to Ashdown, specifically, the ‘empire’ that is America will likely last only a mere 10-15 more years. Here’s a list of reasons why.
THOSE WHO IGNORE THE PAST… Continue reading “The Decline of the Global Superpower: Is the ‘United States’ Losing Supremacy?” »
SOPA Officially Pronounced Dead
Friday, 20th January 2012Posted in Blog Archive, Pop Culture
Tags: killed, lamar smith, politics, SOPA
Written by: Paul Nyhart
Congressman Lamar Smith, the man dubiously labeled as the creator and sponsor of the Stop Online Piracy Act, announced friday that SOPA, in its current form, has been pulled from the table.
“I have heard from the critics and I take seriously their concerns regarding proposed legislation to address the problem of online piracy,” Smith (R-Texas) said. “It is clear that we need to revisit the approach on how best to address the problem of foreign thieves that steal and sell American inventions and products.”
If you yell loud enough, you’re bound to get someone to hear you Continue reading “SOPA Officially Pronounced Dead” »
SOPA for Dummies: A Simple Explanation of The Truth
Monday, 9th January 2012Posted in Blog Archive, Keeping it Real, Technology
Tags: artificial scarcity, controversy, Hollywood, lamar smith, movie industry, online piracy act, politics, SOPA
Written by: Paul Nyhart
You’d think with 15 trillion dollars in debt the United States Government would find more important things to consider than websites who allegedly harbor people who share content. But like the man who aimlessly waters his window plants while his house is on fire, the Government mulls over the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) while Holllywood lobbyists whisper sweet nothings into their ears.
By now you’ve heard every reason why you should be against SOPA, and you know that the bill in a nutshell aims to stop copyright infringement by threatening to censor sites like Google, Facebook, and other web-sites that gross billions of dollars for the United States G.D.P. Continue reading “SOPA for Dummies: A Simple Explanation of The Truth” »
12 Things We Should Expect to See in 2012 (Whether We Like It or Not)
Wednesday, 4th January 2012Posted in Blog Archive, Keeping it Real
Tags: 2012, ces, contrversy, list, politics, predictions, Warning
Written by: Paul Nyhart
Happy New Year…that’s a wish not a welcome.
2011 has come and gone and left a slew of fantastic and tremendously profitable games in its wash, in addition to some shocking and very important news stories.
But what can we expect from 2012, aside from the usual disaster warnings? Here’s a breakdown of what to look out for, what we can look forward to, and what should cause us to brace for impact. Continue reading “12 Things We Should Expect to See in 2012 (Whether We Like It or Not)” »
Google Launches Resource for 2012 Elections Ahead of Iowa Caucuses
Tuesday, 3rd January 2012Posted in Blog Archive, Pop Culture
Tags: 2012, elections, google, Iowa Caucuses, MediaFilingCenter, news, NYT, political calendar, politics
Written by: Craig Hunter
Google has launched a new site called “Politics & Elections” that serves as a hub for information surrounding the 2012 elections. With the Iowa Caucuses set to kick off tonight at Media Filing Center, the new site is now live and acting as a resource for voters interested in getting the latest breaking news and stats.
The site looks similar to Google News and contains articles related to the presidential elections that can be filtered by selecting a candidate or issue such as “healthcare” or “Immigration” from the left hand side. Along the right side you’ll find links to other various Google resources for staying up to date with politics including: Politics on Google+, the YouTube Politics Channel, and PBS’s 2012 Political Calendar. Continue reading “Google Launches Resource for 2012 Elections Ahead of Iowa Caucuses” »
Frat Accused of Asking Members “Who They’d Like to Rape”
Thursday, 15th December 2011Posted in Blog Archive, Keeping it Real, Pop Culture
Tags: controversy, fraternity, hazing, online gaming, politics, rape
Written by: Paul Nyhart
I never was a big fan of fraternities when I was in school. Perhaps it was the fact that you had to pay to belong to them, or acceptance was determined on whether you could withstand a man peeing on you, all while you had to drink a gallon of milk in 5 minutes.
The recent story from the University of Vermont’s chapter of Simga Phi, a fraternity with over 293,000 lifetime members, is quite chilling. The chapter has been suspended for passing around a survey amongst their house asking their members “If they could rape someone, who would it be?”
“Sigma Phi Epsilon and its leadership programs are built on the concept of respect for both self and others. Any behavior that demeans women is not tolerated,” said a national representative for Sigma Phi.
(Meanwhile the Office ho’s and CEO’s party is still on for this weekend at the Delta Chapter…) Continue reading “Frat Accused of Asking Members “Who They’d Like to Rape”” »
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