News Stories

[Tom Bombadil]

Originally Posted by Roger Rambo

...Isn't this the EXACT same thing that happened during the great leap forward?

No, completely different. The horror that happened at the Great Leap Forward was caused by massive mismanagement, while this is actually a natural disaster, although it is unlikely to cause famine this time, but it will put a lot of strain on the market and the government.

[flying ^]

Texas to downgrade sexting to misdemeanor for 1st time offenders.


http://www.myfoxhouston.com/video/vi...51348814136685

[ganbaru]

Afghan war killed 2 children daily in 2010: report
http://ca.reuters.com/article/topNew...7181CR20110209

[killer3000ad]

Fox news is at it again, claims new game, Bulletstorm will make you a rapist.
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news...e-You-a-Rapist
http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/...rst-game-kids/

[ganbaru]

Originally Posted by killer3000ad

Fox news is at it again, claims new game, Bulletstorm will make you a rapist.
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news...e-You-a-Rapist
http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/...rst-game-kids/

That don't look like a really tastefull game but it's probably as ''toxic'' than FoxNews so ...

[justsomeguy]

I wonder if the Hoag Neurosciences Institute gave Dr. Jerry Weichman permission to make that statement. Not to mention that this game is rated M and cannot be sold to children in many states in the first place, hence the concerns are irrelevant.

[Tsuyoshi]

Originally Posted by justsomeguy

I wonder if the Hoag Neurosciences Institute gave Dr. Jerry Weichman permission to make that statement. Not to mention that this game is rated M and cannot be sold to children in many states in the first place, hence the concerns are irrelevant.

While these games can't be sold to children, it is true that children can get the games by other means. For instance, the child has an older brother and he plays it in secret while the brother is doing something else. That doesn't mean I'm defending Fox's claim the game makes rapists. It largely depends on the lucidity of the players themselves. I've seen many people make an argument that games affect the person's mentality, but real life proved time and again that claim is unfounded.

[justsomeguy]

Originally Posted by Tsuyoshi

While these games can't be sold to children, it is true that children can get the games by other means. For instance, the child has an older brother and he plays it in secret while the brother is doing something else.

That's true, and the constant source of fear used to justify articles like this. In reality, I suspect that the older sibling would keep a game this "controversial" as well hidden as his porn, unless they live in a household where the subject matter is well-accepted.

[bladeofdarkness]

Originally Posted by justsomeguy

That's true, and the constant source of fear used to justify articles like this. In reality, I suspect that the older sibling would keep a game this "controversial" as well hidden as his porn, unless they live in a household where the subject matter is well-accepted.

come on.
what do YOU think the response of an average gamer would be regarding games like this.
1)"oh no, my little brother is home, so i better hide this game where he can't find it.
or
2)"DUDE, this game is F#@ing AWESOME !!!. hey bro, check it out, i just ripped that dudes face off and ate it".

i know what MY probable response would be.

[Aoie_Emesai]

Games affect each person differently, you can already see that by going to the electronic stores and watch the kiddies play them. I can remember this incident at walmart when I was at the electronic section and this child was playing one of those Nintendo DS hanging and a few moments later I'm assuming the kid's character died or something. The next thing that happen is the kid screaming and crying quite loudly saying "I died!!! My guy died!!!"

I have lots of nephews playing the Nintendo DS, Xbox, PS3 and I've never once seen them cry out in such a loud manner like that before. While I do believe games effect everyone somewhat specifically the younger generation. At the end, it's all on an individual basis.

[Haak]

As far as I'm aware of, psychological studies such as the Byron report can only conclude that violent video games can increase aggression in children in the short term. I've never seen any evidence to suggest violent video games will significantly affect someone in the long term.

[justsomeguy]

Originally Posted by bladeofdarkness

come on.
what do YOU think the response of an average gamer would be regarding games like this.
1)"oh no, my little brother is home, so i better hide this game where he can't find it.
or
2)"DUDE, this game is F#@ing AWESOME !!!. hey bro, check it out, i just ripped that dudes face off and ate it".

i know what MY probable response would be.

Not the average teen gamer who lives with his parents and much younger siblings. If the description is accurate than the developers specifically made the game to be explicit in violence with sexual-sounding "skill shots." Any parent worth their salt would make sure that the preteens won't get to it, and force the older sibling to hide it.

RE studies about video games and violence: If I recall correctly, the most that was ever demonstrated was that video games raise adrenalin and other such hormones, rather than increase actual acts of violence (though I suppose certain cheap deaths or frustrating levels would lead to wrecked TVs or smashed controllers).

[SaintessHeart]

I can't believe people are still being encouraged to buy homes they don't live in.....

10 reasons to be bullish on housing
Commentary: Headwinds aside, still plenty of optimism

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) — Almost five full years into the housing downturn, it’s still cool to be bearish on real estate. But cool isn’t always right.

Despite headwinds such as looming shadow inventory, a lackluster job market and geopolitical instability, there are plenty of reasons why rose-colored glasses may be the real-estate eyewear of choice.

And while it may finally be time to be bullish on housing, there is one huge caveat.

The local bottom that the broad housing market experienced in April 2009 may yet be surpassed to the downside. If it is, housing bears will pound their chests, stubborn pessimism vindicated. They will be mistaking the trees for the forest. This recovery, which in many areas remains in full force, has been, and will continue to be, highly local in nature.
More home buyers paying cash

Increasingly, home buyers are selling investments to raise cash to pay for real estate, sensing a bottom in the housing market.

Fundamentally strong markets have thrived, while weak ones have languished. National, state, and even city-level indicators have been masking trends that are ongoing on a neighborhood level. This will continue, and those that ignore it will miss out on countless opportunities. Read Minyanville’s “Searching for a Real Estate Recovery.”

So without further ado, 10 reasons to be bullish on housing:

1. Jobs. Housing follows jobs. Period. And while the job market is still bunk in many areas, pockets of strength are emerging. After Google Inc. (GOOG 615.35, -1.15, -0.19%) announced it would be hiring as many as 6,000 new employees, the Silicon Valley powerhouse received 75,000 applications in two weeks. The company is looking to retain talent in its fight against local rivals like Apple Inc.(AAPL 357.65, -0.51, -0.14%) , Salesforce.com (CRM 133.40, -1.05, -0.78%) and Yahoo Inc. (YHOO 16.41, -0.02, -0.12%) , along with social media upstarts like Facebook, Twitter, and Zynga. If housing really does follow jobs, the San Francisco Bay Area may prove to be a bright spot in 2011.

2. Jobs. At the risk of being redundant, housing follows jobs. Consumer confidence is close to reaching last spring’s high point, the most optimistic the U.S. has felt since 2008. And while hiring hasn’t restarted in earnest, firing has slowed to a drip. If you haven’t been fired, chances are your job is reasonably secure. Job security drives optimism, planning for the future and ... home buying. For more on employment, see Minyanville’s Why the January Jobs Report Is Alarming.

3. Pent-up demand among young adults. Consider this: 2006 college grads entered the labor market just as home prices began to collapse. Those who still have a job kicked and scratched their way through the Great Recession and are now 27, perhaps married or getting there and kids may be on the horizon. Some were even smart enough to save some money. According to a graph produced by economist Tam Lawler and posted on Calculated Risk, today’s young adults are under-represented as homeowners compared to historical norms, and a disproportionately large chunk lives at home. As the job market crawls back to life, this trend is likely to reverse. And if the apartment market’s snappy performance in 2010 is any indication, it already has. Read “More people choosing to rent, not buy, their home.”

4. Foreclosures. Frankly, I’m getting tired of people claiming that an impending flood of distressed real estate is going to torpedo home prices. If you’re making that case, ask yourself if you really, truly have any idea what you’re talking about. Banks are rational actors, and as much as Bank of America Corp. (BAC 14.65, +0.01, +0.07%) , J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. (JPM 45.15, +0.04, +0.09%) , Citigroup (C 4.83, -0.01, -0.21%) , Wells Fargo (WFC 33.16, +0.03, +0.09%) and the rest are demonized, they rarely willfully destroy the value of their own assets — which is exactly what flooding the market with bank-owned properties would do. Coupled with political pressure and an ever-increasing maze of foreclosure litigation gumming up the repossession process, foreclosed inventory will continue at its steady stream. It will take years (around four based on current estimates) to work through shadow inventory, but there will be no flood.

5. Inflation. While much is made of inflation in the media, few pundits actually understand it. Inflation expectations, not inflation, are what we should be worried about. Things get scary when consumers start believing that prices are rising, or about to rise. Rational economic actions take hold, and rather than filling their tanks when empty, drivers fill whenever they pass a gas station. The expectation of higher prices, not higher prices themselves, is what changes economic actions. Rising inflation expectations pull demand forward, pushing up prices in an inconvenient self-fulfilling prophesy. Historically, real estate has been a rather good hedge against inflation. As people start to get nervous about inflation, they buy real estate. For more on how good a hedge real estate has historically been against inflation, read “If You Fear Inflation, Should You Buy Real Estate?” on Minyanville.

6. Higher rents and low interest rates. Ask a prospective tenant in a major metropolitan area how the apartment search is going and the response will not be pleasant. Rents are rising, inventory is down, and landlords are back in the driver’s seat. And despite a recent bounce, interest rates remain historically low. High rents and low interest rates push would-be renters towards buying, particularly in areas with job markets that are relatively less weak than the country at-large.

7. A booming apartment market. Investors are snatching up multifamily properties as positive demographic trends, low interest rates, and perceived values attract professional and amateur buyers alike. Homeownership is at a 10-year low, young adults are moving out of their parents’ basements and into apartments, and leverage is fantastically cheap. What more could an apartment buyer want? The multifamily space typically recovers first, and if history is rhyming in even the smallest way, this is good news for housing.

8. Investor appetite remains strong. From fedora-hat donning, Hawaiian-shirt wearing, clipboard-scribbling, earpiece-whispering professional investors at the courthouse steps, to vulture funds armed with hundreds of millions of dollars, investor demand for real estate remains robust. Distressed opportunities — across all types of real estate — have come to market slower than expected, which means buyers have had more time to hit the pavement and raise money. With limited opportunities, competing buyers are driving up prices of distressed assets: For every well-priced foreclosure there are a dozen all-cash buyers looking for a deal. And don’t forget the baby boomers, the first of which turn 65 this year. While many are eyeing trading down into a smaller, retirement-friendly home, even more are looking for reliable fixed income to pay for rounds of golf and tennis lessons. More than a few gray-hairs view real estate as their path to comfort during the golden years. Read “Cash Buyers Boost Battered Housing Markets” on The Wall Street Journal.

9. The stock market. With the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA 12,240, +6.74, +0.06%) back above 12,000 and the S&P 500 Index (SPX 1,321, -3.69, -0.28%) topping 1,300 for the first time since mid-2008, IRAs, 401(k)s and trading accounts are feeling fuller than they have in years. The wealth effect is in full effect, as buyers look to sell stock for a down payment and the confidence to pull the trigger on a new home.

10. Confidence. If you’ve made it this far without either scrolling down to question my sanity on the message boards or falling asleep, I salute you. And for the precious few readers who are still with me, consider this very important question: Do you feel better or worse about the U.S. economy, and more importantly your own personal economy than you did two years ago? This is not a political statement. Challenges remain, to be sure, but we Americans are a stubbornly resilient, optimistic bunch. Confidence is relative, and for a country that has been to economic hell and back since 2008, we are in remarkably better shape.

Confidence in the present builds confidence in the future, and confidence of all types increases risk-taking activities. Admittedly when you have seen the depths of despair, a single ray of dim light can feel like high noon, but it doesn’t matter. Confidence is a trajectory, a transitory voyage through time that is more accurately measured against where you just were than looking at the last time you were here. The fact that most people believe that we’re no longer headed for apocalyptic collapse is, as they say, a good thing.

Whatever I have bolded in red, are simply bowdlerised and nitpicked points that make little or no sense as compared to market data and employment rates. With regards to jobs, being the most quoted point, how many people are actually holding long-term jobs? Long-term jobs are the ones that make available cash to people to buy houses, which they can pay off the loan/mortgage over-time as long as they hold the job - and that piece of logic by itself simply dethrones every other single aspect of investing sentiment or consumer expenditure.

As far as I know, the property market is still cooling and now isn't a good time to invest, or even buy, a home. The money flow isn't going there, and has departed from that sector only recently, so the prices aren't exactly worth your money at all.

Meanwhile, here is a small video of how to manage your money better. What most people need now are financial management education, not investment education - the latter can wait once more individuals have better levels of disposable income. At this stage right after a recovery, not many people have exactly the kind of disposable income worth dispensing.

[Ithekro]

I figure it would get such fustrations out of ones system unless the individual was already mentally unbalanced. At which point the game really isn't the problem, is it?

Some some the same about target practice with handguns, rifles, or shotguns. Stress relief. Take your fustrations out on clays, paper, or bottles, rather that the people causing you the stress in the first place.

[Anh_Minh]

Good point. I wonder how they'd react if video games advocates just used NRA rhetoric? "From my cold, dead hands!" "Video games don't kill people, people kill people!".

[Kamui4356]

Originally Posted by justsomeguy

Any parent worth their salt would make sure that the preteens won't get to it, and force the older sibling to hide it.

How many parents do you think will do that as opposed to buying their 11 year old the game just to shut them up?

[ganbaru]

Aristide return not helpful before Haiti vote says U.S.
http://ca.reuters.com/article/topNew...71878R20110209

[Jinto]

Originally Posted by Kamui4356

How many parents do you think will do that as opposed to buying their 11 year old the game just to shut them up?

If you have parents who give a shit about parenting, then your education/upbringing/character will be seriously affected. At this point it does not matter much, if you play this game or not.

[TinyRedLeaf]

Originally Posted by Vexx

Can someone from Thailand or Cambodia shed light on exactly why this can't be worked out in a sharing agreement instead of shooting at each other? Sounds like a testosterone waving problem?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12378987

It seems no one answered your query. You might want to read:

When baggage of history trumps the Asean way

By Nirmal Ghosh
Thailand Correspondent
for The Straits Times
(Feb 10, Thu)

WHEN Thai foreign minister Kasit Piromya and his Cambodian counterpart, Mr Hor Namhong, fly to New York next Monday for talks — prompted by Asean chair Indonesia — the credibility of the 10-nation regional grouping as a cohesive bloc will be at stake.

The artillery barrages that were exchanged by Thai and Cambodian troops over disputed land around an ancient Hindu temple legally awarded to Cambodia in a 1962 World Court ruling showed how the baggage of history has yet to be shrugged off in some parts of the region.

At issue is not just territory — which has changed hands several times down the ages — but ownership of the cultural roots of the region.

It's fairly long piece. Here are the key points:

1) Cultural animosity between the Khmer (Cambodia) and the Siamese (Thailand). Khmer culture predates Siamese culture, which contains many Khmer elements. The two cultures have fought many wars in the past, and the Khmer can't stand the fact that the Siamese are so much stronger than them today.

2) Domestic politics. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, a former Khmer Rouge child soldier, rarely misses an opportunity to make speeches appealing to Khmer nationalism. By needling Thailand, he is tapping into a deep vein of Cambodian resentment against Thailand's domination of the region. Mr Hun Sen is also likely burnishing his credentials as his country's strongman ahead of general elections next year.

3) Thai ultra-nationalists had used the issue of the temple to discredit the former Thaksin Shinawatra government for making too many concessions to Cambodia. Now, they are turning against Mr Abhisit Vejjajiva's government, which they initially supported, on the same grounds. The timing is particularly sensitive, as Thailand is likely to hold general elections this year.

4) The Thai army is said to be whipping up nationalist sentiment in order to postpone the elections, because it doubts that the ruling Abhisit-led coalition would win. The army apparently wants to prevent the opposition from taking power for fear that the military would be held accountable for political violence in 2009. Some also say that the army may be planning a coup, in which case, it would be supported by the ultra-nationalists (the Yellow Shirts in Thailand's colour-coded politics, who are known to be ardent supporters of the monarchy, to which the army has very close ties).


P/S: I recalled you said long ago that you were looking for news feeds from Southeast Asia. I recommend the above-linked Asia News Network, which aggregates content from leading newspapers in the region.

[ganbaru]

New York Republican resigns in Craigslist scandal
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/...rticle1901615/