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Hobbies & Games > Video Games (Other) Does violence in video games contribute to real life violence?: 6 of 167

It's a situation that often pops up on news and talk shows. "Video games promote violence and are causing our children to go on murderous rampages! They must be banned and and the children protected at all costs!" bellows the populist TV pundit, followed by "Coming up after the commercial break, twenty reasons why we should ...
Society & Lifestyle > North American Culture Sleepless in America: Exploring the culture of fear: 1 of 22

Fear is a natural part of life. Fear is a mechanism that can keep us safe in dangerous situations, and enhance our common sense. But unfortunately, fear is often manipulated, exploited, and even used to rationalize the irrational. News programs will use fear to draw in viewers under such philosophies as "if it bleeds, it lea...
Creative Writing > Novel Excerpts Novel excerpts: Science fiction: 12 of 155

Excerpt from "Psychics and Swords: The Amazing and Totally Plausible Adventures of Steve Walton" They dragged us off, unbound but surrounded by guards, and tossed us into a metal room. It was maybe ten feet in all dimensions, and pitch black. We both landed with unpleasant thuds. "That was uncalled for," I said. "We were onl...
Creative Writing > Humor Humor: Fantasy: 10 of 79

AND THEN THE PIG FLEW An extremely indignant look spread across John's face as he stared at the man standing before him. "Me? Join you? When pigs fly, jerk!" A pig chose that moment to fly past. John looked up. "What the hell?" he asked. "Shall I take that as a sign of your agreement, or were you just being metaphorical?" Th...
Hobbies & Games > Video Game Consoles & Accessories Console reviews: The Nintendo Wii: 7 of 44

I was lucky enough to snag a delightfully inexpensive Wii console after trading in some old DVDs and games, and man am I glad I did. Video games in general have been trending in one solid direction: prettier graphics, worse gameplay. Every generation, new consoles come out, and we are dazzled by the insanely gorgeous graphic...
Arts & Humanities > British Literature Book reviews: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, by J.K. Rowling: 7 of 32

I spent a few years avoiding the Harry Potter phenomenon. I dismissed the books as kiddie literature, and I did not read them until a friend talked me into it shortly before the first film was released. To this day I don't particularly care for the first two, which are pretty good but really far more kiddie-oriented than the...
Creative Writing > Humor Humor: Excuses not to write: 10 of 39

The problem with creative writing is that doing it implies you're creative. And the more creative you are, the more creative you can get with your excuses, even when it comes to something you love. Like that whole "writing" thing. "I have no time to write," says a writer you know. "I have to run errands." "I can't write now,...
Entertainment > Movie Reviews Movie reviews: Superman Returns: 9 of 27

I'll just come right out and say it: Superman Returns is my favorite superhero movie. Period. Yes, Batman Begins was great too. I also really enjoy the first two movies from the Superman, Batman, X-men, and Spider-man series. But Superman Returns does it for me in a way no other superhero movie can. Director Brian Singer too...
Entertainment > Movies (Other) Is the third installment in a trilogy the best or the worst: 1 of 3

It's a bit absurd to say that the third film in a trilogy is always the best. The very question is founded on the assumption that all trilogies are created equal, which is utter nonsense. There are third movies which are vastly superior to their predecessors, and third movies that are simply shameful compared to the others. ...
Creative Writing > Humor Humor: Science fiction: 6 of 17

The Downfall of a Species Civilization took a drastic downturn with the advent of wax lips. Well, no one has proof that it was the wax lips, but it was in that general era that planetside mankind took a nosedive from which it would never recover. Some people still hold hope that the planet from which we descended might be re...