Free Republic

BAILOUT DEFENDER:  Obama Mission The title says it all, help the Bolshevik Boy Wonder defend industrial nationalizations and shameless giveaways to unions against the Teapartynaziclingers and other bad sorts of (racist) people who refuse to just shut-up, lay back, and learn to enjoy it. More at Reaganite Republican... Enjoy your weekend, FReeper patriots

Animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has set its sights on iconic video game character Mario for wearing fur in Nintendo’s latest 3DS game Super Mario 3D Land. Since the game launched Sunday, the organization has launched a scathing online campaign entitled “Mario Kills Tanooki.” In Nintendo's new game, Mario sometimes dons the skin of a tanooki, which is a Japanese raccoon dog. “Tanooki may be just a suit in the game, but in real life tanuki are raccoon dogs who are skinned alive for their fur,” PETA’s site states. “By wearing a Tanooki, Mario...

The sun had long since finished breakfast and turned serious. Then the best of the cartoons were over. It was time to find stuff to do. Buzzie would invariably recommend, "Let's do army guys." "Yeah, army guys." "I'm the sergeant-", "No, I'm the sergeant, you were last ti-","No, I'm the s-","No","Huh-uh" And so, eventually, by committee approval, we finally sorted out our respective roles as Vic Morrow, Rick Jason, and two unnamed krauts. We knew that krauts were the scoff name for germans, and since all of us were of between half and full german heritage, we further defined krauts...

Anyone who plays games on facebook notice how the wedding chapel was removed from Cityville - due to it being an insult to other religions somehow? All things Christian are removed from view I guess. I'm really at the over the top upset level on the anti-Christian everything by the Progressives. The bias even in games is sickening so this was refreshing to see. New competition that is conservative on facebook coming out next week. It is out now but I think not released until next week. Tea Party people at tea Party Express told me about it. I just...

Michigan taxpayers will give one company about $912,000 for it to make two video games under the state’s 42 percent film tax incentive program. The Michigan Film Office has approved tax incentives to BH Golfing Games Productions so it can make the Ben Hogan games, according to the film office’s 2010 annual report. The money goes to BH Golfing Game Productions LLC, which is one of a series of limited liability companies created for the project. The project has ties to Alliance Acquisitions, a venture capital company in California. There are also Michigan investors involved, according to Marc Seyburn, the...

Michigan taxpayers will give one company about $912,000 for it to make two video games under the state’s 42 percent film tax incentive program. The Michigan Film Office has approved tax incentives to BH Golfing Games Productions so it can make the Ben Hogan games, according to the film office’s 2010 annual report. The money goes to BH Golfing Game Productions LLC, which is one of a series of limited liability companies created for the project. The project has ties to Alliance Acquisitions, a venture capital company in California.

Notch, the creator of Minecraft and upcoming game Scrolls, is having to deal with a rather problematic legal issue at the moment. Because his new game is called Scrolls, Bethesda has a problem with it. Notch received a 15 page legal document earlier this month asking him to refrain from using the name because it infringed the Elder Scrolls trademark somehow. Bethesda is a big company with a healthy bank balance, where as Notch may be doing well from sales of Minecraft, but certainly doesn’t want to have to fund a court case. So he has come up with a...

Amy Kalson hates bugs, sunburns and cooked bell peppers. She loves dogs, tea and books. And now she can add one more thing to her love list: guns. Real ones. Amy’s a video game designer who until recently had never picked up anything that shoots without the aid of an Xbox controller. And she seems to feel pretty sheepish about it, pleading to her fellow game developers not to “throw rocks at my head” when they find out… There are a million stories in the naked city. And each gun convert seems to have his or her own unique one....

A former prisoner of a Chinese labor camp claims guards are forcing detainees to play online games as part of a huge money-making scam. Liu Dali told The Guardian website that guards traded the credits inmates built up playing games such as World of Warcraft for money. "Prison bosses made more money forcing inmates to play games than they do forcing people to do manual labor," he said. "There were 300 prisoners forced to play games. We worked 12-hour shifts in the camp. I heard them say they could earn 5000-6000rmb a day. "We didn't see any of the money....

Because i do and i hope this isn't a dumb thread,because i find Heavy to be the best on most things. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Team_Fortress_2

As the Patriots would say, these are T-shirt and hat games this weekend. Too bad for the Patriots they will be home watching it with you and me thanks to the Jets. The NFL Championship games are Sunday, the two winners get a trip to the Super Bowl in Dallas while the losers get to send unused T-shirts and hats to Haiti. Sure most of them are size XXX, they'll shrink in the wash. See, everybody wins, sort of. We have the polls again in the sidebar, feel free to participate. Last week we were mostly right as a group,...

It's been a bad week and frankly I don't really care that much about this weekend's games because my Eagles will be watching them on TV. Still you might care, so. The Armageddon bowl, so called by the Ravens secondary, pits the Steelers against the Ravens. It's probably the best game of the weekend and it happens first, 4:30 PM ET Saturday on CBS. The Steelers are a 3½ point favorite and that seems about right to me. The Steelers are home and their QB is better. At 8 PM ET Saturday on Fox the Packers visit the Falcons. The...

Today on the blog, as promised, we're going to talk football. No issues of war and peace, no making cruel fun of a second rate American President, no water-boarding the Treasury Secretary today. Its Friday, its playoff time, and it's my blog so there's no one to stop me. This weekend is wildcard weekend, which traditionally means none of these teams are going to the Super Bowl. There have been exceptions, but sometimes exceptions only prove the rule . The Steelers, Patriots, Bears, and Falcons are watching the other 8 playoff teams beat the hell out of each other from...

Games are a natural part of life. Think about it. Even in nature, pups, cubs and kittens play, practice and sharpen the skills they will use as adults. Littermates will tumble around, with fake growls and go in for a “kill” with a pretend bite to the neck. The puppy on his back, knows he’s lost the game. Throughout history, there were games that displayed strength, stamina and skills in every culture. Today, those who can play games to display their strength, stamina and skill are given multi-million dollar contracts– and we pay big bucks to watch them. However, though...

The Chinese are playing grandmaster chess against an amateur America that can’t see beyond the second move... China is doing a very different thing. The Communist regime sees trade policy as merely one weapon in a war aimed at overtaking the United States as the world’s preeminent economic and, by extension, military power. The undervaluation of the renminbi is a necessary means of keeping China’s export machine running at full tilt so as to create jobs for the millions who are moving from the country to the nation’s cities. Lacking democratic legitimacy, the regime’s principal claim to the loyalty, or...

Games are a natural part of life. Think about it. Even in nature, pups, cubs and kittens play, practice and sharpen the skills they will use as adults. Littermates will tumble around, with fake growls and go in for a “kill” with a pretend bite to the neck. The puppy on his back, knows he’s lost the game. Throughout history, there were games that displayed strength, stamina and skills in every culture. Today, those who can play games to display their strength, stamina and skill are given multi-million dollar contracts– and we pay big bucks to watch them. However, though...

President Barack Obama has transcended just about every medium there is, from books to playing cards, to artwork. He even makes an appearance in a few video games. But today EA Sports announced that in its newest release of “NBA Jam,” a two on two, high flying basketball game, you can unlock a team of Democrats, including Obama. Others include Vice President Joe Biden, former President Bill Clinton, his wife Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former Vice President Al Gore. Quite a formidable team, right? But what if you’re not a fan of the current President? Not a problem...

The Commonwealth Games in India have been thrown into more chaos after a ceiling fell in at the weightlifting arena - a day after a bridge collapsed, injuring 27 people. The latest calamity comes as Scotland said it was delaying sending its athletes to Delhi over health and safety fears, and Wales gave organisers a deadline of this evening to confirm whether the venues are fit for purpose. In another development, Mike Fennell, the Games' federation chief, announced he was travelling to the Indian capital for emergency talks. Some of the world's top athletes have already pulled out amid widespread...

Unico National says Italian Americans are the only group in the U.S. for which "overt stereotyping" continues to run rampant, which is why it plans to continue its protests of Mafia II. The Italian American organization Unico National made a couple of gaming headlines last month, first when it accused Take-Two's Mafia II of being "a pile of racist nonsense," and then later when members of the group staged a protest outside of the game's launch party. Despite the assertions of Unico's Andre DiMino that its actions resulted in the "dismal failure" of the launch party, it's safe to say...

Army & Air Force Exchange Service's Commander Maj. Gen. Bruce Casella, told Kotaku, "Out of respect to those we serve, we will not be stocking [Medal of Honor].We regret any inconvenience this may cause authorized shoppers, but are optimistic that they will understand the sensitivity to the life and death scenarios this product presents as entertainment. As a military command with a retail mission, we serve a very unique customer base that has, or possibly will, witness combat in real life."

Electronic Arts is bringing the Medal of Honor game series (the first of the new generation of World War II shooter) in a game set in the WOT. Some people are annoyed that gamers are able to play as the Taliban. From the story: I was glad to see that EA was resurrecting the Medal of Honor series and turning it over to the DICE team. I suspected that they might try to top the excesses of Modern Warfare, but I haven't seen enough of it to know either way. Neither has Britain’s Defence Secretary Liam Fox, but that hasn't...

Charles S. Roberts, the founder of Avalon Hill and the inventor of the modern wargame, passed away last week.

Battle of Britain (Luftschlacht um England) was one of the most famous battles of World War Two. Take control of a Polish airmen of the 303 Squadron during World War II. Play with friends or fight against other human opponents in multiplayer mode. Use arrow keys to control your plane and press Z to increase to full throttle. Press X to fire machine guns. Much fun with Battle of Britain.

Incompetent Obama First Edition - or i-Obama 1.0 - is a program released in Winter 2007-08 to widespread media acclaim and, ominously, very little critical analysis. While gushed over by various know-it-all media celebrities - including Campbell Brown, Chris Mathews, Peggy Noonan, and others, who claimed it could do just about anything - users quickly found the program had severe operational limitations. For starters, it is useless unless TelePrompter 1.0 is also running. Further, users found that, whenever they tried to get the program to actually do some "work", it spontaneously defaulted to the Games section, especially Golf 1.0, Basketball...

WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court will decide whether free speech rights are more important than helping parents keep violent material away from children. The justices agreed Monday to consider reinstating California's ban on the sale or rental of violent video games to minors, a law the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco threw out last year on grounds that it violated minors' constitutional rights. California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who signed the law in 2005, said he was pleased the high court would review the appeals court decision. He said, "We have a responsibility to our kids and...

LONDON – People playing computer games to train their brains might as well be playing Super Mario, new research suggests. In a six-week study, experts found people who played online games designed to improve their cognitive skills didn't get any smarter. Researchers recruited participants from viewers of the BBC's science show "Bang Goes the Theory." More than 8,600 people aged 18 to 60 were asked to play online brain games designed by the researchers to improve their memory, reasoning and other skills for at least 10 minutes a day, three times a week. They were compared to more than 2,700...

WASHINGTON, April 15, 2010 – Each of the 200 disabled veterans and wounded servicemembers training for next month’s inaugural Warrior Games has demons to battle and obstacles to overcome. Army Spc. Craig C. Smith, a wounded warrior recovering at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., launches a discus during training at Walter Reed on April 13, 2010, for the inaugural Warrior Games scheduled May 10-14 in Colorado Springs, Colo. DoD photo by Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. After a sniper shattered his upper right leg two years ago in Iraq,...

ARLINGTON, Va., April 13, 2010 – The goal of the inaugural Warrior Games, scheduled for May 11-14, is to build confidence and provide rehabilitation for disabled servicemembers and veterans, the commander of U.S. Army Warrior Transition Command said yesterday. “We want to inspire [disabled] soldiers to get out there and prove that there are a lot of things that they really can do,” Army Brig. Gen. Gary Cheek said in an interview with American Forces Press Service and the Pentagon Channel. “It sort of reinforces the notion that all the services have: [The Warrior Games] is about your abilities, not...

Like many Americans I’m a huge sports fan. I like a number of different sporting events from NASCAR to football. Most team sports are a combination of individual effort and teamwork with a goal of winning. Whether you participate or you’re a spectator, we all tend to get caught up in the games. For a moment in time our troubles seem to lessen as we cheer on our favorite team or player. We experience their successes and failures as if they were our own. Yes that’s right for a moment in time we are distracted from everyday events and all...

FAIRBORN — Though Ohio’s unemployment rate has almost reached 11 percent, one man recently laid off — on his birthday, no less — did not let his situation keep him from pursuing his passions. “It was either that or give up. I just had to apply myself,” said Mike Deal of Fairborn. Deal said that he tried to get his first patent when he was nine years old for a remote-controlled camera. “I couldn’t get the funding for a patent, though. No one would give a 9-year-old the funding for a patent,” said Deal, laughing. Deal’s latest patent idea, however,...

Monday, Feb. 15 NBC 1-5 p.m. — Men's Snowboard-Snowboard Cross Competition (LIVE); Men's Cross Country-15km Individual Gold Medal Final (LIVE); Women's Cross Country-10km Individual Gold Medal Final (LIVE). 8 p.m.-Midnight — Figure Skating-Pairs Gold Medal Final (LIVE); Men's Speed Skating-500 Gold Medal Final (LIVE); Men's Snowboard-Snowboard Cross Gold Medal Final. 12:35-2 a.m. — Women's Luge-Competition; Medals Plaza-Award Ceremonies. 2-5 a.m. — Primetime Replay. MSNBC 5:30-8 p.m. — Women's Ice Hockey-Canada vs. Switzerland (LIVE). 3-5:30 a.m. — Women's Ice Hockey-Sweden vs. Slovakia. Let’s take a look at the current overall and gold medal count for the 2010 Winter Olympics before the...

Just to give a heads up to any of you folks who happen to have their old Nintendo Game sitting around.13,000 and change!NINTENDO LINK

Buy a game. Play it. Decide whether to keep it or sell it back. That's the current cycle of a gamer's gaming life. In the near future, that third choice may evaporate. You may soon never sell a game again.Two events this week, one of them involving one of the most famous franchises in gaming history, the other involving one of the biggest gaming publishers, demonstrate the two approaches being taken by game makers in what one might call the War On Used Game Sales. Sega announced that its next major Sonic The Hedgehog game would be downloadable. EA inadvertently...

Activision and Infinity Ward's new multi-platform video game, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, forces players to be complicit in acts of terrorism to advance the storyline. If the player makes any attempt to stop the terrorists from slaughtering hundreds of innocent airline victims, the story resets from the beginning.

One of the most popular video gaming crazes has sparked its very own category of high-tech injuries. The Wii is a fun way to get in a workout and some good quality family time The game is also a great way to make a fool of yourself in front of a group of people. But you can get hurt if you don't know when to say "when" with your Wii... For the young or just young at heart, Wii is the workout happening in living rooms across the country. Noel Blair got hooked on bowling. "Almost daily, I was doing...

Beating up your friends, family, boss, coworkers, celebrities, etc, etc has never been more fun! FaceFighter is one of those games that seems extremely gimmicky, and turns out to be extremely hilarious and fun. Appy, the guys behind AppyNews, are putting their facial integration technology to good use with this game, which lets you fight against anyone who you can find a picture of (online or elsewhere), or take a picture of with your iPhone camera. I’ll start with the best part of FaceFighter… adding faces! The setup is extremely simple, and the game allows you to either take a...

My name is Alex and I see how people are being manipulated and forced too support his oppressive, stealing agendas. God put this on my heart (one of many messages I have) please point me to where I can share these with people who feel how you all feel! God bless! It doesn't seem like Obama is on TV a lot, HE IS. He has been treated like a celebrity by the media. Which goes too show how this nation has been set up for an actor in chief? Tickling people ears, looking for every opportunity too be around a...

Later this year, parent company Linden Lab will create a standalone "continent" for adult content, and members who don't purchase private "land" will be asked to migrate there if they wish to partake in adult-related activities. Second Life is an 18+ environment already, but stricter age verification policies will be put in place. You'll need a "verified" account, either through credit card information or through Linden Labs' filtering system, to get into the adult "continent." Members will be asked to start flagging content as adults-only as part of a new content rating system, which will start to roll out in...

Like gamers around the world, Germans love their shoot-'em-ups. Sure, video gaming isn't quite the industry in Germany that it is in the U.S. (or some other parts of Europe), but it's still an enormous market for the industry. Those days are quite likely to come to a screeching halt in a matter of weeks, as Germany is well on its way to banning all "violent video games," defined (via translation) as games "where the main part is to realistically play the killing of people or other cruel or inhuman acts of violence against humans or manlike characters." Hmmmm... sounds...

BIRMINGHAM, Ala., June 5, 2009 – Nearly 65 years ago, Robert Blatnik found himself fighting for his life on a beach in Normandy, France, on what he called a day of miracles for those who survived. Robert Blatnik, 89, is a World War II and Army veteran who participated in his sixth National Veterans Golden Age Games in Birmingham, Ala., in June 2009. He credits the games and the Department of Veterans Affairs for helping him deal with his combat experiences in North Africa and Europe. DoD photo by Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden  (Click photo for screen-resolution...

BIRMINGHAM, Ala., June 4, 2009 – At first glance, Angelo Athas and Harry R. Johnson looked as though they’d known each other their entire lives. They looked more like teenagers than senior citizens, talking and laughing and joking as they waited for their turn at shuffleboard. Angleo Athas, right, an Army and World War II veteran from Texas, and Harry R. Johnson, a Navy and Korean War veteran from California, become quick friends as they wait for their turn at shuffleboard June 3, 2009, in Birmingham, Ala., at the 23rd Annual National Veterans Golden Age Games. DoD photo by...

BIRMINGHAM, Ala., June 3, 2009 – Military veterans competing in the National Veterans Golden Age Games each year have their own reasons for participating. Some come out for the camaraderie, while others come to socialize and catch up with old friends. Jonah Hicks, a 64-year-old Marine Corps and Vietnam War veteran, speeds around the track June 2, 2009, in Birmingham, Ala., as part of the cycling event at the 23rd Annual National Veterans Golden Age Games. DoD photo by Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. But others simply come to win. This...

BIRMINGHAM, Ala., June 1, 2009 – Nearly 700 American military veterans from conflicts ranging from World War II to the Persian Gulf war arrived here today to prove that their best days are still ahead of them as they prepare to compete in the 23rd Annual National Veterans Golden Age Games. Judy Tarter, a 73-year-old Navy veteran walks through the registration line for the 23rd Annual National Veterans Golden Age Games June 1, 2009, in Birmingham, Ala. Nearly 700 senior veterans ages 55 and older registered to participate in the athletic competitions here. DoD photo by Army Sgt. 1st...

FBI Experimenting In Second Life The FBI is making a push to explore the social side of the Web, recruiting for new members and distributing its most wanted lists across social networks, virtual worlds, and the iPhone. In what the FBI calls a "pilot test," the agency is distributing virtual billboards and kiosks across Second Life that connect users to lists of the Ten Most Wanted fugitives, job boards, a crime complaint center, and more wanted posters.

SNIPPET: "Does terrorism work, meaning, does it achieve its perpetrators' objectives?" SNIPPET: "In the long term, however, Islamists will likely recognize the limits of violence and increasingly pursue their repugnant goals through legitimate ways. Radical Islam's best chance to defeat us lies not in bombings and beheadings but in classrooms, law courts, computer games, television studios, and electoral campaigns. We are on notice."

Nearly one in 10 American children who play computer games are pathologically addicted, according to new research. Some young gamers show at least six symptoms of gambling addiction, such as lying to family and friends about how much they play games, using the games to escape their problems and becoming restless or irritable when they stop playing. They may also skip homework to play games or spend too much time playing and do poorly in school, the study shows. Douglas Gentile, director of the National Institute on Media and the Family at Iowa State University, where the study was carried...

A new study concludes that children can become addicted to playing video games, with some skimping on homework, lying about how much they play and struggling, without success, when they try to cut back. In what is described as the first nationally representative study in the United States on the subject, researcher Douglas Gentile of Iowa State University found that 8.5 percent of American youths ages 8 to 18 who play video games show multiple signs of behavioral addiction.

(Video on Site) http://www.notoriouslyconservative.com/2009/02/are-violent-video-games-adequately.html I'm glad someone is finally asking the question, this has been something keeping me up at night.

KNIGHTSVILLE, Ind. (WTHI) - Months ago, Rachel Jones was shocked to discover her 4-year-old's baby doll seemed to have a hidden message: Islam is the light. Imagine her surprise when a game for her 8-year-old daughter's Nintendo DS had the same message. Rachel said she bought the Nintendo game, Baby Pals, as a gift for her 8-year-old daughter after a good report card. She had no idea the game also contained the hidden message "Islam is the light."