Thursday 22 March 2012

Lulu's OP

There’s this new champion in league of legends… her name is Lulu… I think, she’s so overpowered…

Lulu's OP
She has a stupid thing named pix, it shoots me a lot, and it hurts. Whenever she shoots he shoots too… and not only that he can also follow other champions… And when the other champion shoot pix shoots too… Lulu and pix are so overpowered.

Lulu can also shoot a slowing thingy that can hit two champions and really slow us down… And when a jungle is ganking and you’re slow it’s easy to die… Lulu, pix and her slow thing are so overpowered…

Lulu is so overpowered… She can give her allies a speed boost along with an ap boost… And when she casts it on you… You turn into a stupid fox thing… You’re silenced and can’t do anything except run around in circles… Lulu, pix, her slow thingy and her polymorph are so overpowered…

But what makes Lulu more overpowered than anything is her ult… She can use it on an ally and everyone next to her is sent flying! Not only that… But they get bigger and they get a health bonus! All she needs to do is cast it on Cho’gath…. And… Well… You can figure that one out yourself….

Man… Lulu's OP.


Arithmetic Logic Unit
COMBUSTION COMPLETE

Monday 12 March 2012

Measurement and me.

When I was a kid my dad taught me how to measure lame posts by holding my arm out at a 45 degree angle, lining myself up so I pointed at the top, then counting my steps as I walked towards it.

EXTREME LAMP POST

Apparently the amount of steps is the approximate height of the lamp post in feet. I thought he wanted me to become a professional height guesserer. 

EXTREME HEIGHT
Problem was, my new skill didn't make me become a height guesserer. It just made me wonder what the Nazi's were measuring.

Bandit 
COMBUSTION COMPLETE 

March 12 - 18

Welcome back to another week that may or may not be exciting.

Let's see where this goes.

Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Generations.



Tales of Graces f, which is fine for jRPG lovers.

Journey, for PSN. One of those really unique games. This one comes down to just pure exploration in a
desert, as you uncover ruins, and such. Give it a look, it's really something.

Fifa Street. Not sure what makes it “street”. Do you play on a street? Hold on, lemme look...
Yes, yes you do. Seems they're trying something new, a reboot of their Street thing. Good luck to them, then.

Silent Hill Downpour. Might be cool, can always use more survival horror games.



Yakuza : Dead Souls, for you japanese zombie killers out there.

And all of these are out March 13th.

Don't really know why they choose to squeeze everything together onto one day like that, but I suppose
that's why I'm not calling the shots at some big game company.

Yet.

Axl4002
COMBUSTION COMPLETE

Friday 9 March 2012

KONY2012

What can we do when we know we’re being manipulated?

Last week the KONY2012 campaign to save kids in Uganda exploded onto the web, instantly reaching video views of over 40 million. Their message is simple. A man in Africa, named Joseph Kony, who leads a military force comprised of kidnapped child soldiers needs to be stopped. We must buy the KONY2012 starter kit that comes with two bracelets and some posters, so that on April 20th we can litter the streets with his name, bringing awareness to the world about this monster. Online, we must send messages to 20 social icons and 12 policy makers, one of which is Steven Harper, so that we can spread the message. 

Whoever came up with the KONY2012 campaign is a genius in their own right. The movie connects with the audience, the posters are brilliant, and whatever tactics they used to drive it through Facebook have send the video viral. Nobody can disagree with the cause so, like wild fire through a thirsty forest, the news of Jacobs’ heart breaking story spread into household conversations across North America. 

So what does this really mean? Because we all know deep down that things start out for the betterment of humanity and end up filling the pockets of corporate machines. We’re not there yet with the Kony campaigns, but it will be a miracle if we don’t end up with another Breast Cancer situation. 

But what are we to do? We all know very well that our lives are run by the mass media. It’s not going to be long before products are stamped with the KONY2012 mark, and personal interests will take up a large portion of the cause. So, although intentions are in the right places, slowly the hands start to beckon the cyber-strung mind, with promises that buying certain products will help find Kony. They are hard temptations to deny when consummation is the foundation of our way of life.

We can’t fight the system, but I don’t think that’s the answer. The only way to get through without feeling like someone else's tool is to use the manipulation to our advantage. This is how we can do it. 
On April 20th, as part of the campaign, the organizer of KONY2012 want the people of the world to place posters on every street corner in the most important cities. Montreal, New York, Toronto, Paris, London, etc. I don’t know what buying an action kit with bracelets and posters has to do with saving children in need, but a group action like paving cities with KONY2012 posters will show us the power of the population. 
That’s what we need right now.

Advancement in technology makes people increasingly fear authority. So, slowly, our feeling of self worth and power diminishes. But the power of ten thousand fists cannot be overwhelmed by any government. Uniting against the rape, murder and mutilation of children is the first step in realizing the unstoppable power of one million voices demanding change. 

Many people complain about what’s wrong with the world, but very little of them decide to do anything; fighting the power seems hopeless. What can one person do against an entire system? But, as KONY2012 may prove, eventually causes move beyond the realm of a single figure. What begins as a whisper, becomes the chant of a nation. 

Even though KONY2012 is going to sell a hell of a lot of T-shirts, and Even though it will eventually turn into a marketing ploy, we should be spurred to action, in our passion and in our rage, to at least try to help these children. Being cynical about it won’t get anyone anywhere and the morale boost that we’ll get as a society, in seeing people from all over the world working towards the same cause, is more likely and even more valuable than finding a psychopathic dictator in the middle of the African jungle. 

Since our lifestyle is run on the premise of constant mass manipulation, there’s no way that we can fight it. Mainly because we’re so comfortable that nobodies interested in change. Instead we should pick what manipulates us, and try and use it to greater advantage. 

In the case of KONY2012, I’m in.

Bandit
COMBUSTION COMPLETE

Wednesday 7 March 2012

I want sources!

So there are moral arguments on both sides of the KONY 2012 debate. Let's look at the claims each side is making.

KONY 2012

First claim: Joseph Kony is responsible for war crimes against humanity, including murdering and raping civilians and brainwashing children into child soldiers for his army. No one seems to dispute this claim.

Second claim: Kony needs to be stopped by any means necessary, and the charity Invisible Children has this as their primary goal. Their methods seem to be primarily what's being disputed.

Third Claim: That if awareness leaves this issue, United States and other International support to catching Joseph Kony will cease.
Claims against Invisible Children:

First Claim: That they are not fiscally responsible and much of the money doesn't go to directly helping the children the charity is named after, instead a large amount goes to film production and transportation costs. On top of this, they have no internal auditing system like many 501(c) charities.

Second Claim: That they willfully misinterpret the facts to make their case against Joseph Kony and his army.

Third Claim: That Invisible Children gives money to the Ugandan military that is also responsible for civilian murders and rapes. So let's assume all of these are true. Then what we're talking about is a bloated and inefficient charity trying to raise awareness to fight a psychopath that brainwashes children, a consequence of which is slightly funding the Ugandan military that is also responsible for rape and murder.

To me, it seems that trying to catch an international war criminal like Joseph Kony gives your cause a lot of moral high ground. What is most unsettling is not how the charity spends its money, or that their manipulation of facts, but that they are militarized and willing to accept the lesser of two evils to stop the LRA.

I've done a fair bit of looking into it, and everything doesn't add up. Here's my findings and I have included sources. Will probably get down voted to hell but I hope to give at least one of you a better understanding of whats going on.

Theres ALWAYS two sides to every story. This viral film has caught the attention of heaps of young folk but you are all far too late. Watching that Kony video is essentially watching old news. They started filming in 2003, and northern Uganda has been free of LRA violence and war for over five years. In fact, the LRA have signed a peace accord! They are rebuilding and are restoring the peace.
Yes the leader is still out there however the recruitment of children has decreased 80%. This isn't due to the Invisible Children organisation, its because Ugandan military and the ICC have intercepted. The Invisible Children group are trying to pass a bill that allows America to militarise the region... They are providing misinformation to woo idealistic followers. The group have combined multiple regional conflicts to make it appear that this is one rapidly increasing issue. When confronted about their dodgy tactics, the head spokesperson stated;

“I agree with you that leading people to believe that the war is still happening in Uganda is not ethically right. It's something we've been addressing internally, focusing on getting all staff and supporters on the same page (of communication)." If you read the news, or even had an ounce of interest in the on-going unrest in Africa you would already know this and not be fooled. Yes, awful things happen to people in 3rd world countries but this has been occurring for centuries, it isn't a recent occurrence.

I think its only fair if I am to make such comments I provide sources (unlike the people over at Invisible Children...)

SOURCES: Michael Kirkpatrick, a long-time Independent Global Citizen, he has resided in Uganda and other regions of Africa. He has no political, religious or financial agenda. He wrote this article and gave an in-depth insight to whats really going on. He also questioned important members of Invisible Children about their motives. [1]http://www.blackstarnews.com/news/122/ARTICLE/6586/2010-06-02.html

Charity Navigator is a website that breaks down the proceeds and donations given to Invisible Children and subsequently shows what percentile of that is REALLY going towards these impoverished kids. A measly slither of what is going into the founders pockets. [2]http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=12429

I've read an interesting passage from Northern Ugandan man however it is not 100% verified - he has advised the Northern Ugandan parliament have listed IC as their main priority on their "fraudulent activity" list. (See 2nd comment, username Livingstone). [3]http://www.topix.com/forum/city/stuart-fl/TQJSGHMES035Q6OI0

THIS article asking Invisible Children why they were pressuring poor AND illegal piece of legislation has since been removed and deleted. [4]http://blog.invisiblechildren.com/2010/03/oklaholdout-update-letter-from-lisa-dougan/

ADDITIONALLY - There were members of Invisible Children were saying what their "allowance" could purchase them, it was on a forum on the official website, and this has also been REMOVED. [5]http://blog.invisiblechildren.com/?p=5901

Also: [6] http://www.thegauntlet.com/article/1320/18249/Barry-from-Look-What-I-Did-responds-to-Invisible-Children-Organization.html I have a few more sources if anybody is looking for a specific answer, or where I got a certain fact, please just feel free to ask.

- Compiled by Eric Provencher

I just want to write everything on my mind about KONY.

I just want to write everything on my mind about KONY.

First of all .. I want to make some comments on the video itself. The director and producer did an amazing job with the way it was filmed to keep people interested, with the way It was filmed. I haven’t seen a video that well made in a while. But the thing that I feel affected people the most, and why the video and movement is so successful is due to one key thing. He made it RELATEABLE. This is so important because people need to feel connected and sympathy and feel what it would be like to be in their shoes. You know I figured this out a while ago while comparing two documentrys I saw for a class. People only care or share when they feel like they can connect or relate to the subject.

The video is extremely important and the awareness he’s raised is remarkable and more people should do this on many issues. There’s so many things in the world people don’t know about and that’s because they’re no coverage on it. We need to start being an action based society and generation where our voice matters and our actions speak. We are the future, and we should know better. Technology is an extreme tool for this and I wish I only saw comments and posts about issues to take care of rather than the new hot celebrity scandal or what a person did during their afternoon. We are distracted by too many unimportant things.

However, I have read commentaries on this kony thing, and it’s true, it isn’t the best documentary I’ve seen one critic says “ he puts his child more in the video than people from Uganda”. Which is true, secondly, it is said that Joseph kony and his rebel gang have moved to other parts of Africa like the republic of congo and that Uganda now is relatively safe , and that people feel in peace now, and that this is an old issue.

Also, if he is number 1 on the international criminal list then why do we need a bunch of teen activists to show they care about the issue for the governments to act???????
If kony gets caught, what about aftermath?.. wont one of his gang members take his place? His child soldiers are probably so brainwashed.
Also, I feel like this has just become a “trend” … since when did EVERYBODY on my facebook list become an humantarian, or activist????????? ….Just saying. Because animals need our help, so many people/species need our help, and people should look into things that matters to them and that they personally care about to raise awareness and action.

As for the cover the night event, I think its stunning if it actually happens, and applaude to us to get our message out to the people and the government, but I do not think we need to send the company money in order to do this! We can make our own!

These are just thoughts on my mind.

-Brittany Talarico

Kony 2012: Are you in?



It takes power to be able to move the hearts of millions with a single video. If you haven't already, watch it.


Nobody can disagree with injustice. No crime is greater than stealing a child's innocence. So to unite against this cause is more than just the right thing to do, not contributing would be wrong. Inaction is a choice.

But will painting the night with Kony's name really help? I know intentions are good, and everyone involved cares about the cause, but what will it do?

The U.S. has committed 100 army personnel to aid the Ugandan effort, apparently to advise the Ugandans on how to track Kony through the jungle. Sending Americans who live in the forests of North America over to Uganda to advise people who've lived in the environmental all their lives seems counter productive. 

At least it's something. 


I can see this becoming commercialized, something to push yogurts or paint supplies to the public under the guise of "The cause". 

However, power comes from an idea. An idea shared, through various mediums, between regular people. It's not the rich that hold the real power, it's us. In numbers, we are capable of unimaginable change. All it takes is a million voices, yours and mine, to demand what's right. 

So, in light of the possibilities, I think we need to fight for something. I don't think it's a starter kit or a monthly donation that's going to get this done. I think it's action. If painting the streets of Montreal with Kony's name is what we've decided on, so be it. 

I'm in. 

Bandit 
COMBUSTION COMPLETE