News Stories

[KiraYamatoFan]

Originally Posted by Xefi

Video Games Are ‘A Bigger Problem Than Guns,’ Says Actual U.S. Senator
source: http://kotaku.com/5980247/video-game...ual-us-senator

damn...i might have to quit playing video games now because it might AFFECTS me!
this senator makes me want to kick someone in the nuts REAL hard.

looks like every SENATORS and their mommies are ALL attacking the violent video games now. >______<

EDIT: and oh yeah, GOD BLESS AMERICA! where GUNS dont kill people, VIDEO GAMES does you stupid dumb retarded ass Senator.

What a load of hogwash! That senator deserves a beating for insulting human intelligence.

Perhaps we should call Vin Diesel in and ask him to thrash the senator's car after letting it dive into a ravine on some crazy stunt.

[Roger Rambo]

Republicans have a real existential quandary when trying to argue about causes of gun violence. On one hand, they are rather spot on in pointing that the presence of guns isn't necessarily the precipitating cause of violence (Switzerland, they have tons of military rifles as part of their militia system, or just private ownership).

The REAL problem the Republicans run to is that when you actually look at the more probable cause of violence in America (the untreated mentally ill, widespread poverty, war on drugs) tend to suggest that more liberal solutions are needed.

That's why groups like the NRA are willing to burn media into a bogey man. Threatening censorship is easier for them politically than suggesting progressive social/healthcare/economic policies that might help combat violence.

[Cosmic Eagle]

Originally Posted by SaintessHeart

That guy is a sniper, he is a soft quiet guy who is into archery, and a little of an otaku. When I told him about that, he asked if I could find some way to rig his posting away from that woman.

Turns out I knew his elder sister outside of army, a noisy, irritating regular at cosplay conventions who only good point is that she likes yuri.

I never actually imagined actual sniper otaku existed...

[SaintessHeart]

Originally Posted by Cosmic Eagle

I never actually imagined actual sniper otaku existed...

He is a manga-type. And quite a gun otaku, that is why he signed on.

[Cosmic Eagle]

Lol that kind...yar, quite a number of those around. I thought you meant "prays to Homura before taking a shot" kind of otaku www

[SaintessHeart]

Originally Posted by Cosmic Eagle

Lol that kind...yar, quite a number of those around. I thought you meant "prays to Homura before taking a shot" kind of otaku www

Those are demolition trained ones. They just pray that their limbs don't get blown off.

[GundamFan0083]

Originally Posted by Xefi

Video Games Are ‘A Bigger Problem Than Guns,’ Says Actual U.S. Senator
source: http://kotaku.com/5980247/video-game...ual-us-senator

damn...i might have to quit playing video games now because it might AFFECTS me!
this senator makes me want to kick someone in the nuts REAL hard.

looks like every SENATORS and their mommies are ALL attacking the violent video games now. >______<

EDIT: and oh yeah, GOD BLESS AMERICA! where GUNS dont kill people, VIDEO GAMES does you stupid dumb retarded ass Senator.

Guns don't get up out of their safes and go on rampages anymore than video games whisper to their players to.
The problem isn't inanimate objects, the problem is people, but that makes for a very difficult situation for both parties.

Originally Posted by Vexx

Okay, I'm fifty fucking five and these "peers" like Grassley and Lamar embarrass me with their dumbfuckery. I bet they have their emails printed out for them.

Seriously, they're just throwing sand and shit in any direction they can instead of actually discussing the problem. They have no clue how many gun owning gamers they're pissing off - they're just repeating what Master LaPew of the NRA is babbling.

Well of course the Republicans are doing this.
Just like the Dems.
They want to ban something inanimate to divert attention away from the mental health issues, and I would add the connection between pharmaceutical drugs and these mass killers.
The biggest lobby in these hearings is the one we're not seeing, and that's Big-Pharma.
Neither major party wants to take them on.

Originally Posted by Terrestrial Dream

"I think video games is a bigger problem than guns, because video games affect people," he told host Chuck Todd

It is official people, guns do not affect people, I repeat guns they do nothing.

You are correct, even though I know you are being sarcastic, but in and of themselves firearms don't do a damn thing any more than a video game does.
It is the person who plays the game and/or uses the firearm, or a combination of both, that goes out and commits the crime.
Banning video games over what some psycho does because he played them is as nuts as banning guns for the same reason.

Originally Posted by Roger Rambo

Republicans have a real existential quandary when trying to argue about causes of gun violence. On one hand, they are rather spot on in pointing that the presence of guns isn't necessarily the precipitating cause of violence (Switzerland, they have tons of military rifles as part of their militia system, or just private ownership).

The REAL problem the Republicans run to is that when you actually look at the more probable cause of violence in America (the untreated mentally ill, widespread poverty, war on drugs) tend to suggest that more liberal solutions are needed.

That's why groups like the NRA are willing to burn media into a bogey man. Threatening censorship is easier for them politically than suggesting progressive social/healthcare/economic policies that might help combat violence.

Yes sir, and teh Dems turn guns into the boogey man because like I told Vexx, the real cause of this is a lack of mental health care and the psychotropic drugs most of these shooters were on, or withdrawing from after use.

Why is no one talking about the drug use involved here?

[SaintessHeart]

Originally Posted by GundamFan0083

Guns don't get up out of their safes and go on rampages anymore than video games whisper to their players to.
The problem isn't inanimate objects, the problem is people, but that makes for a very difficult situation for both parties.

When the computers decide to side with the gamers, we would have these pouring on the streets.

You know how Skynet plays games. Be afraid. Very afraid.

[GundamFan0083]

Originally Posted by SaintessHeart

When the computers decide to side with the gamers, we would have these pouring on the streets.

You know how Skynet plays games. Be afraid. Very afraid.

No kidding.
Then we'll all have to deal with this kind of thing.

[ganbaru]

Exclusive: Iran crude oil exports rise to highest since EU sanctions
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/...90U01Y20130131

Iran's crude oil exports in December leapt to their highest level since European Union sanctions took effect last July, analysts and shipping sources said, as strong Chinese demand and tanker fleet expansion helped the OPEC member dodge sanctions.

Exports rose to around 1.4 million barrels per day (bpd) in December, according to two industry sources and shipping and customs data compiled by Reuters on a country-by-country basis and corroborated by other sources and consultants.

[Roger Rambo]

Originally Posted by GundamFan0083

Yes sir, and teh Dems turn guns into the boogey man because like I told Vexx, the real cause of this is a lack of mental health care and the psychotropic drugs most of these shooters were on, or withdrawing from after use.

Why is no one talking about the drug use involved here?

Perhaps because in the case of the guy who shot up Senator Gifford, he was an unmedicated Schizophrenic, and he only understood that what he did was wrong after they forced him on meds. The meds that he wasn't on at the time of the shooting.

Jared Lee Loughner definitely sounds like a case where being on his meds would have helped.

[willx]

Originally Posted by GundamFan0083

Why is no one talking about the drug use involved here?

Because drugs are only for rock stars and movie stars. Plebians should rightly know to stay clear!

Seriously though, gun control aside, I grew up in Vancouver, BC (Canada) and we have a massive homeless problem due to the relatively mild weather (homeless migration, if you'll believe it). A study was done years ago showing a vast proportion of these people are mentally ill and/or drug addicts -- the problem is there will always be those that fall through the cracks of any well system. Ultimately, as a society and as people, how important and how wide should this safety net be? There will be real costs to it that people refuse to bear (cue Universal Healthcare debate -- I'm joking, don't talk about it here, it's just similar) and even then some will slip through.

Now, psuedo news:

Authors of New Study Exposes Obesity and Exercise Myths

Sex, for instance. Not that people do it to try to lose weight, but claims that it burns 100 to 300 calories are common, Allison said. Yet the only study that scientifically measured the energy output found that sex lasted six minutes on average - "disappointing, isn't it?" - and burned a mere 21 calories, about as much as walking, he said.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories...MPLATE=DEFAULT

[Sides]

Think this is a nice read, besides the writer seem to put some effort into writing this article, like real research work, unlike other videogames "journalists/blogger".
Shooters: How Video Games Fund Arms Manufacturers
What I find shocking, but not quite unexpected, is how easy parents give in to kids whining, and even worst not checking what they are actually buying them.

[DonQuigleone]

Originally Posted by willx

Because drugs are only for rock stars and movie stars. Plebians should rightly know to stay clear!

Seriously though, gun control aside, I grew up in Vancouver, BC (Canada) and we have a massive homeless problem due to the relatively mild weather (homeless migration, if you'll believe it). A study was done years ago showing a vast proportion of these people are mentally ill and/or drug addicts -- the problem is there will always be those that fall through the cracks of any well system. Ultimately, as a society and as people, how important and how wide should this safety net be? There will be real costs to it that people refuse to bear (cue Universal Healthcare debate -- I'm joking, don't talk about it here, it's just similar) and even then some will slip through.

I thought this was weird when I visited Vancouver. Even surrounding towns were crawling with them, and they were quite aggressive in their begging...

However, the climate in Vancouver is pretty rainy, I would have thought California would have been more attractive?

[GundamFan0083]

Originally Posted by Roger Rambo

Perhaps because in the case of the guy who shot up Senator Gifford, he was an unmedicated Schizophrenic, and he only understood that what he did was wrong after they forced him on meds. The meds that he wasn't on at the time of the shooting.

Jared Lee Loughner definitely sounds like a case where being on his meds would have helped.

Actually Jared Laughner was on Salvia Divinorum.
While this drug probably wouldn't effect a mentally stable person the way it did Laughner, a schizophrenic on this drug may be an entirely different story altogether.
The problem is the effects of Salvia are not completely understood especially long term or side effects of abuse of the drug.

Originally Posted by willx

Because drugs are only for rock stars and movie stars. Plebians should rightly know to stay clear!

Seriously though, gun control aside, I grew up in Vancouver, BC (Canada) and we have a massive homeless problem due to the relatively mild weather (homeless migration, if you'll believe it). A study was done years ago showing a vast proportion of these people are mentally ill and/or drug addicts -- the problem is there will always be those that fall through the cracks of any well system. Ultimately, as a society and as people, how important and how wide should this safety net be? There will be real costs to it that people refuse to bear (cue Universal Healthcare debate -- I'm joking, don't talk about it here, it's just similar) and even then some will slip through.

Now, psuedo news:

Authors of New Study Exposes Obesity and Exercise Myths



http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories...MPLATE=DEFAULT

I agree with you on the Health Care problem.
I supported a new style of medicare system for the poor rather than the corporate mandate to buy insurance that we were handed by our congress.
Between Ronald Reagan and the ACLU, our mental health care system in the US is a complete mess and needs to be overhauled.
There are too many people in need of serious mental health assistance that are slipping through the cracks.
On top of this we have children that are being overmedicated for ADD they don't have (some of them do, but many don't) to fatten the profits of Big-Pharma.
That needs to change.

The obesity article was very interesting.
I agree with Dr. David Ludwig, drugs and fat-burning fads cannot replace a good diet and excercise. The problem with obesity in the US is the lack of quality in our food, and the quantity of it most people eat.
I mean really, do people need Crispy Cream every damn morning?
I eat ONE main meal a day and have small snacks if I get hungry (usually salad or grains/granola).
That main meal is a well balanced mix of meat, veges, and a very small portion of carbs (usually rice or bread).
Being endomorphic, I don't need to eat very much to function, heck on one 800 cal meal I do my work and weight lift every day.
So I can see how fat-burning drugs won't do any good if the person doesn't change what's wrong, i.e. their way of eating entirely.

Originally Posted by Sides

Think this is a nice read, besides the writer seem to put some effort into writing this article, like real research work, unlike other videogames "journalists/blogger".
Shooters: How Video Games Fund Arms Manufacturers
What I find shocking, but not quite unexpected, is how easy parents give in to kids whining, and even worst not checking what they are actually buying them.

Interesting read.
I don't agree with EG's conclusions, but very interesting nonetheless.
Thank you.

__________________________________________________ _______________

More on the Syrian crisis.

Russia concerned with Israeli 'attack' in Syria
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7...339347,00.html

[ganbaru]

Originally Posted by DonQuigleone

However, the climate in Vancouver is pretty rainy, I would have thought California would have been more attractive?

Vancouver and California isn't in the same country; the homeless would have to pass the border.

[SeijiSensei]

Alcohol consumption plays a much more significant role in gun violence that mental illness and the use, abuse, or non-use of prescription drugs. The Jovan Belcher murder-suicide case is a good example. Beyond such anecdotal evidence are a variety of other studies that you can find from a simple Google search. I would guess that alcohol plays an especially significant role in domestic violence cases, where two-thirds of victims died as the result of gunshots.

Why doesn't the NRA argue in favor of cracking down on problem drinkers, or stressing that guns and alcohol don't mix, rather than focusing on "mental health?" Why do I think that such a viewpoint would not be widely shared by the organization's members?

Lamar Alexander was once a Republican I could at least tolerate, but now he seems like another buffoon.

[SaintessHeart]

Originally Posted by SeijiSensei

Lamar Alexander was once a Republican I could at least tolerate, but now he seems like another buffoon.

Technically speaking, someone else gave him a bigger sum of money than you did through your taxes.

[SeijiSensei]

No, I don't subscribe to that theory, Saintess. Tennessee has not elected a Democrat as senator since Al Gore, Jr., and the Gores were a powerful political family in the state for decades before that. It also has a slightly whiter-than-average population because of the relatively small number of Hispanics who live there. So I'd argue that Senator Alexander simply represents the opinions of those who vote for him.

I'm not saying that money does not matter in American politics; that would be absurd. What I am saying is that money is not the only thing that matters. Senators do, by and large, represent the opinions of their voters, and when there is a mismatch, as there was here in Massachusetts during the Scott Brown interregnum, it is eventually corrected.

It is also important to understand the vast differences in the electorates that turn out for Presidential and off-year elections. Off-year electorates are more extreme, and more likely to include a disproportionate number of opponents of the incumbent President. Republicans who thought 2012 would be a replay of the 2010 off-year election seemingly either missed or ignored this fact. You might have thought seasoned political operatives like Karl Rove and Dick Morris would know better. Before watching Rove's widely-publicized tantrum on Fox News during the election coverage, I would have thought their absurd predictions of a Romney landslide were strategic in nature and designed to buck up the Republican voters. After that "performance" by Rove I'm no longer so sure.

[GundamFan0083]

Originally Posted by SeijiSensei

Alcohol consumption plays a much more significant role in gun violence that mental illness and the use, abuse, or non-use of prescription drugs. The Jovan Belcher murder-suicide case is a good example. Beyond such anecdotal evidence are a variety of other studies that you can find from a simple Google search. I would guess that alcohol plays an especially significant role in domestic violence cases, where two-thirds of victims died as the result of gunshots.

With regard to alcohol it's not just guns, or cars, or fights, it is everything.
Alcohol abuse can be tied to all manner of ills, but we tried prohibition once and it didn't work.
In fact, it made things much worse by providing the income for organized crime to become horribly powerful.
Same thing has happened with drugs.
The best way to deal with the alcohol issue is to find out why people abuse it in the first place.
You'll find that the highest amount of abusers are usually poverty stricken.
Same can be said for drug abuse.
Gangs are another major issue with regard to homicide, and both drugs and poverty are related to why kids join them in the first place.

I noticed in your link to DOJ that they state:

The overall number of firearm homicides among intimates has fallen considerably during the past 30 years, however.

Interesting considering the number of firearms owners is up since 1993.
I wonder if it has to do with the fact that more women are becoming gun owners now?

Why doesn't the NRA argue in favor of cracking down on problem drinkers, or stressing that guns and alcohol don't mix, rather than focusing on "mental health?" Why do I think that such a viewpoint would not be widely shared by the organization's members?

I highly doubt they have the funds to tackle another issue besides defense of the 2nd amendment.
The reason for their focus on mental health is because most of these mass murderers have mental health issues that are not being treated properly.
When your funds are limited you have to choose your battles wisely.

However, as you, I, and others here have shown, this issue of violence in the US is a very complex one.
No one thing is responsible and blaming inanimate objects such as video games, guns, movies, music, or whatever new boogey man the politicians want to scapegoat, is just a cop-out to make it look like they're doing something.
The real issues are psychotropic pharmaceutical, poverty, gangs, mental health, and drug abuse.
Figure out how to solve those problems, and you will lessen the violent crime of the US.