Artists the world over since the dawn of entertainment have sought to layer their stories with underlying passages of larger stories and themes, usually of actual history or using metaphors to explain a complex issue.

An obvious example of this is found in the Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe and I want bore you with all the Lovecraftian attention to detail the story uses to convey the old and new testament of Christian beliefs (protip: The Lion is Jesus). And never mind the satanic imagery and word play of the "Lion" a classic and ancient form of the devil, the "witch" or devil's bride and a wardrobe which you may have caught in history class as where people hid during mass executions, the cleansing of the crusades and other ritualistic forms of mass murder. You didn't think "coming out of the closet" was just a tongue in cheek phrase, do you?

But all is well, as these stories, time and again, bridge our understanding. It is found in music, novels, even our religion. I hope there are no adults in this world that actually believe Jesus used magic or Moses parted a sea, in actuality these metaphors explained delicate and deep happenings of the time which scholars spend lifetimes unraveling... usually to fall on deaf ears of the happily ignorant. It's in films as well, this sometimes subtle, sometimes profound story within the story can pique an interest on a subconscious level.

A soldier is badly wounded and becomes a paraplegic, losing his ability to walk. He is in his early 20's, spends his day in his wheelchair and finds himself usually alone, depressed and looking for something to pass his time as he spends most of it at home. One of his favorite things to do is play video games.

He is given an opportunity to undergo a radical new medical technique where his legs can be re-grown if he re-enlists in to the military for a project on another planet. This project will use a new technology to have him placed in a machine where his brain is downloaded in to a consciously-blank avatar of himself, that is partly, if not mostly, a genetically manufactured alien.

This man in his early 20's will play as his avatar in an alien environment where he has multiple lives, actual death does not affect him, and he is given a series of orders to take out.

Avatar grabs your attention by telling a story about, who else, but you. People in their 20's who have no major goals, have graduated college and do nothing but inform themselves and gain knowledge for no apparent reason other than as a hobby. They sit, as if paralyzed, with no life. Addicted to entertainment, usually in the forms of music, video games and films and are all looking for a way to reach out and change the world.

Could it be simply because we have lost our grasp on the natural world? In such a way, in a manner of speaking, have we become avatars of ourselves?

Discussion on these hidden meanings, what was purposefully placed and created by the very creators of the story can be limitless and, in and of itself, a facilitating hobby.

Samus Aran shocked us when she was revealed to be Same-as A-Man and we all reeled in surprise when we discovered that the Lion King would have been more appropriately named as the Hamlet Lion. Beauty and the Beast an early Victorian fable of a beautiful maiden who engaged in sexual acts with animals or a story of a french man who sold his daughters in to prostitution, only to find that his youngest daughter had been taken by the government to be an heir to the throne. Beast sat in his kingly bed, watching the red rose petals fall, his time was short and he was watching time leave him... and he had no heir. Belle, meaning the beautiful in french, was young and ravishing, her stunning beauty sealed her fate to be taken to the castle but when her father said no, he was told that he, in her stead, would be placed in the castle forever. As a trade, he agreed, to give up his youngest daughter to the king so he would be free.

The king, a horrible devil, a beast, had his way. But the heir would become someone very important to france (guess who he was for internetz ponts). His red rose symbolically, ironically, was the rose of the church. White along its outside and red in the middle, symbolizing the virgin mary's white purity and inner passions. The church, that crafted all government, and made all decisions, and ruled behind the velour curtains.

But often, people make that easy reference. "It's a story about beastiality!" On it's surface you can easily make that claim, but there's nothing else to backup this ideal. Besides, there were thousands of countless other fairytales that told of beastiality in rather open conditions and even in beautiful murals in church's, so it wasn't exactly something that had to be hush-hush.

But a story of a king who kidnapped children to make them his bride? ...for the fear that his bride would not be a virgin to appease the church? Oh yeah, it gets beefy in these hidden meanings. But beastiality? No.

That's where this comes in. I haven't laughed this hard in a while. I remember studying David Bowie when i was younger because of his interesting choices and subjects of study but oh my roffling Christ. This is golden.

Can someone please tell me i'm dreaming.

It begins with interesting speculation.

http://vigilantcitizen.com/?p=2737

It turns in to a clown infested nightmare with a Benny Hill soundtrack.

http://marcoponce.com/2009/11/lady-gaga-is-a-witch/

I think I busted a blood vessel in my right eye from laughing.

I have been playing around with Direct X9c and C++. I have created a fun little 3D mini game featuring super mario world models (created by me), and original classic mario sound effects.

Make shure you have the latest version of DirectX 9c installed before running the installer. You can download it free from Microsoft.

I hope you guys like it..



Download the installer [Here]

Do I have to do everything around here? Happy birthday to our very own Great Rumbler!

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I just witnessed something pretty awesome! I saw an elderly lady last night go through the drive through at Burger King in Salem, quite literally! That's right, she drive through the drive through straight into the building...

The Burger King now stands as a shining monument to why old people shouldn't be driving, with a gaping hole in the side of the building, right where the drive through used to be..

So I'm curious, what's your stance on the issue TC?

Apparently, Obama ruffled more than a few feathers today when he gave his Nobel piece prize acceptance speech. The entire speech was about the need for valiance, and the need to continue the war to completion. Both of his now fraudulent stance on the issues during his election campaign is what earned him the prize in the first place. I just have just to say, in the following progression....

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/con...id=topnews

Senate tentatively agrees to remove public option Wrote:Senate may drop public option
PRIVATE-SECTOR ALTERNATIVE Reid says he is optimistic about bill after deal

By Shailagh Murray and Lori Montgomery
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, December 9, 2009


Democratic Senate negotiators struck a tentative agreement Tuesday night to drop the controversial government-run insurance plan from their overhaul of the health-care system, hoping to remove a last major roadblock preventing the bill from moving to a final vote in the chamber.

Under the deal, the government plan preferred by liberals would be replaced with a program that would create several national insurance policies administered by private companies but negotiated by the Office of Personnel Management, which oversees health policies for federal workers. If private firms were unable to deliver acceptable national policies, a government plan would be created.

In addition, people as young as 55 would be permitted to buy into Medicare, the popular federal health program for retirees. And private insurance companies would face stringent new regulations, including a requirement that they spend at least 90 cents of every dollar they collect in premiums on medical services for their customers.

The announcement came after six days of negotiations among 10 Democrats -- five liberals and five moderates -- appointed by Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) to work out differences between the two camps on the public option and other pressing issues. Appearing in the Capitol with Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), the leader of the liberal faction, and Sen. Mark Pryor (D-Ark.), representing moderates, Reid hailed the deal as a broad agreement that has the potential to "overcome a real problem that we had" and push the measure to final Senate vote before Christmas.

"Not everyone is going to agree with every piece," Reid said. But when asked whether the deal means the end is in sight after nearly a year of work on President Obama's most important domestic initiative, he smiled. "The answer's yes," he said.



According to a Democrat briefed on the talks, the deal represents only an agreement among the 10 negotiators to send the new package to congressional budget analysts, not an agreement to support its elements. One of the negotiators, Sen. Russell Feingold (D-Wis.), quickly issued a statement criticizing the deal.

"While I appreciate the willingness of all parties to engage in good-faith discussions, I do not support proposals that would replace the public option in the bill with a purely private approach," he said. He added, however, that he will base his vote "on the entirety of what is in the bill, and whether I think the bill is good for Wisconsin."

Democrats must also win the approval of several key lawmakers who have not been involved in the talks, including Sens. Joseph I. Lieberman (I-Conn.) and Olympia J. Snowe (Maine), the only Republican who has voted in favor of the Democratic health initiative. If the Senate approves the agreement, it will face a huge obstacle in the House, where Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has fought hard to preserve a public plan in the face of opposition from House moderates.

If the deal holds, it will represent a major breakthrough on one of the most contentious issues of the health-care debate, settling a dispute between moderates wary of excessive government intrusion into the private sector and liberals determined to create a strong competitor able to curb the most egregious abuses in the private insurance industry.

"It may be different from what was previously included in the bill," said Reid spokesman Jim Manley, "but it accomplishes the same goals as a so-called public option."

http://kotaku.com/5420633/perfect-dark-x...r/gallery/

Wow. I wasn't expecting this. Very nice upgrade. I'm now wondering if they added lip movement to the characters when they talk.

I also wonder if they went ahead and finished up the lost "camera" feature using the XBox camera. I figure that Miyamoto's face will be missing, so the first thing I'd do with the camera is put it right back in there... though maybe a different expression...

This isn't that recent, probably from last year or so, but I don't think I knew about it... infamous NES publisher Wisdom Tree has flash versions of their NES games on their website that anyone can play. They seem to flicker even more than the NES games do, but if you really want to play some Sunday Funday in Flash, well, you can.

http://www.wisdomtreegames.com/arcade.html

(As you may or may not recall, the original version of Sunday Funday was Menace Beach, which is on the Maxi 15 cart that I have. I beat the stupid game for some reason... so frustrating!)

Yeah, mostly it's people talking in Japanese with no subtitles. Still, might be worth watching... there's not much gameplay in it, but there is a bit after 3:30.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BfpWU_Jx0o