OBAMA DECLARES ANIME IS REAL!!!

In a press conference earlier today, President, Barack Obama, came out with a statement declaring, "Anime is definitely real". Tears of joy ran down the eyes of millions of anime lovers all over the world after hearing what the president had to say about anime. But, as always, people are already coming up with conspiracies on the sensitive topic. Many believe that President Obama is using this as a distraction to get people's attention away from serious issues such as ISIS, tax cuts, and climate change.

Bill O'Reilly, from Fox News came out with a counter argument on his blog titled, "I Hate Anime and so Does America," claiming that, "anime is not real. Anime is for stay-at-home-losers that don't appropriate real American made cartoons." He also said, "Anime is Japanese propaganda, it does not belong on American TV screens. Anime will destroy America and turn our kids into freaks of nature while ruining American culture. Kids today are being brainwashed into thinking that it is socially acceptable to say things like, 'Kawaii', and 'Senpai', when it clearly isn't. We need to protect American youth. Keep your children away from anime, or they'll end up unemployed, overweight, and living in your basement, with their body pillow girlfriends eating nothing but ramen noodles and sushi while discussing popular anime topics on Reddit's anime section" O'Reilly then goes on to talk about how memes will be the downfall of the Reddit community, and it's all Obama's fault.

My fellow Americans, don't be afraid to express your passion for anime. Anime is real, and so is your body pillow waifu. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

UPDATE: 

O'Reilly declares war on anime as of April 6th, 2015!

Extra Current Event Post#2: Marijuana Religion Established in Indiana Thanks to Religious Freedom Law

"While Governor Mike Pence (R) was holding a signing ceremony for the bill allowing businesses and individuals to deny services to gays on religious grounds or values, paperwork for the First Church of Cannabis Inc. was being filed with the Secretary of State’s office, reports RTV6."

In an ironic twist, something good, and hilarious has come out of the ridiculous "Religious Freedoms" law in Indiana. 
Bill Levin, is the church's founder is asking for donations of $4.20 to help support his non-profit church.
I think this is great, I mean who knew someone would be smart enough to turn this  messed up law into something wonderful. I mean, the state can't really argue against followers of the church since they do believe in, "religious freedom". Who knows, maybe this could help decriminalizing marijuana in Indiana.
This is almost as amazing as the time Christopher Schaeffer, Swore into office while wearing a colander on his head to show that he is part of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.


Link to the article below
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2015/03/whoops-indianas-anti-gay-religious-freedom-act-opens-the-door-for-the-first-church-of-cannabis/

Review #2 Pokemon Alpha Sapphire

I almost cried when I first got my hands on Pokémon Alpha sapphire. I was very exited to revisit my childhood again. I had to hold back my tears of nostalgia. For years fans have wanted Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire to be remade for the current handheld Nintendo system, and 12 years later we got it. Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire are remakes of Pokémon games, Ruby and Sapphire that launched in the year 2002. Many improvements have been made in the Pokémon games in the past few years, one of the biggest improvements made is making their handheld games in 3D. As much as I love the aesthetics and the original GameBoy Advance versions of the games, I have to admit, the land of Hoenn looks a lot better in 3D.

Comparison Photo

Visuals aren't the only thing that has been improved on. Many mechanics have been added and/or improved in the remakes as well. For example, there is a new type of Pokemon that adds much needed balance to the game, this type is knows as fairy type. This type was meant to prevent the overuse of dragon types that were too over powered and dominating the competitive scene in Pokemon. One of my personal favorite improvements is the soaring mechanic. Depending on which version you play, you will be able to have a Latios or Latias that will be able to fly you around Hoenn and land where ever you please, as long as your in an area in which they can give you a lift.



Another expansion added to the game was the addition to Mega Evolutions. This mechanic was introduced in the previous titles, Pokemon X/Y and Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire added a lot more mega evolutions to the game. Mega evolution is a new form of temporary evolution that unlock the full potential of certain Pokemon given that they have a specified mega stone.  Not only does this make your Pokemon stronger, but it gives changes to the physical appearance of the Pokemon as well.


I'm really impressed with the way the game ended up. Pokemon has been a major part of my life, and I'm glad to say that these games are a big improvement on the originals.

9/10 - The nostalgia is real

Current event post #3: Indiana Pizzeria Refuses to Serve Gay Weddings Under Religious Freedom Law

"A Walkerton, Indiana, pizza shop is the state’s first business to declare it will not service gay weddings after the Religious Freedom Restoration Act was signed into law last week. 'If a gay couple came in and wanted us to provide pizzas for their wedding, we would have to say no,' Memories Pizza’s Crystal O’Connor told a local news station. 'We are a Christian establishment.' However, gay couples—like those of other faiths—are welcome to patronize the establishment on non-matrimonial occasions. 'I don’t think it’s discrimination,' she told the news station. 'It’s supposed to help people that have a religious belief.”


I'm a libertarian and I'm all for people doing Whatever the hell they want as long as they're not hurting others. But if you're going to go out of your way to say let the public know that you're homophobic and you use religion to back up your arrogance, you're really pushing it.

To begin with, Indiana's "Religious Freedom Law" is a bunch of bullshit. It's a major set back to the progress that America has made in becoming more, "accepting" towards the LGBT community. I don't understand why the the U.S. government is so concerned with homosexuality, it's really no one's business what people's preferred sexual preferences are, as long as everything is consensual and there's no minor involved, but I guess some people just loose sleep if they know that somewhere in the world, there is a gay couple getting married, and at there wedding, pizza is being served. 

It's okay to be religious, it's okay to not be religious, but it's just flat out terrible to be (openly) discriminant towards a group of people, and it's worse when you use "religion" as an excuse to do so. Either these people are looking for some sort of publicity or they're just terrible people. I'm sickened that part of our government is okay with this pathetic behavior, so much that it's actually legal to do so. 

What's really funny is that when asked about pizza weddings for divorced couples O'Connor responded with, “You know, that’s something that I don’t have figured out in my own mind yet,” he said. “Because I’m divorced. So that’s something I don’t have figured out.”

Link to the article below
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/04/01/indiana-pizzeria-no-pies-for-gay-weddings.html

P.T. Game Review

A few days ago I was able to play P.T. A playable trailer for the new horror game, Silent Hills. Silent Hills will be the 10th installment to the Silent Hill series and this time, Silent Hills will have a collaboration between Hideo Kojima (the game's director) and Guillermo Del Toro(Director of the Metal Gear Series), featuring The Walking Dead's, Norman Reedus, as the main, unnamed, protagonist of the story.

Although the game takes place in a single hallway of a house, it is one of the most horrifying and intense games out there. at first glance the house looks like it was taken straight out of a high quality photograph. It look me about two minutes to get over how detailed and realistic everything looked, until I actually started playing the game. It was this amount of detail that made the game as terrifying as it is. I wasn't able to handle the creepy baby cries and laughs coming from the unborn fetus and the demonic pop ups. I had to pass the controller to my friend and get him to finish the game for me. If you really want to get the best experience out of this game, I suggest doing what I did and playing in a room with all doors closed, windows shut, lights off, and putting the television as loud as you can. It's a lot better if to have a few friends over as well.

Honestly I almost crapped my pants during this game, and this is only the teaser. What makes the game stick out is it's ability to be played multiple times, since each loop and ending is completely randomized there's a different experience with each play through, allowing the player to come back and have a new experience each time they play the game.

10/10, would play again.

Current Event #2 A 12-Year-Old Girl Attempts to poison her mother for taking away her iPhone

"A 12-year-old girl was detained in Boulder, Colorado, on Friday after she tried to poison her mother twice in retaliation for her taking away the girl’s iPhone, the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office told BuzzFeed News."
Whether or not you're for or against young kids having a smart device, kids have them, and when you take their precious electronics away from them, they tend to get A little upset. however, on March 2, A 12-year-old girl attempted to kill her mother for taking her iPhone away from her. The unidentified girl did so by putting bleach in her mothers drinks, such as a smoothie the first time, and the second time in her mothers water.
This is actually not as shocking to me as it is to most people. Is it scary? Of Course. But, something like this was bound to happen. We live in a society with people who's eye's are constantly on a screen of some sort. 
It's a little unsettling that there's a lot less human interaction in today's world, but with the way technology has grown on us, almost like a companion, it seems as if humans are becoming more and more independent on tech. So dependent, we're willing to kill each other for it.


http://www.buzzfeed.com/alisonvingiano/a-12-year-old-girl-allegedly-tried-to-poison-her-mother-twic#.aj13Egp1q

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/23/12-year-old-tries-to-kill-mom-bleach-iphone_n_6923570.html

Review Practice

http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/10650-strawberry-jam/

Album: Strawberry Jam
Artist: Animal Collective

For the most part, I agree with what, Mark Richardson, from Pitchfork.com had to say about the album when it comes to the voices of Panda Bear and Avey Tare. Richardson said, "the specifics of who's doing what have been shuffled." While it is true that at times it is hard to tell who's voice and style is more present, is, and has been Animal Collective's Style. 

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/strawberry-jam-20070904

Rolling Stone's, Robert Christgau, sates in his review, that Strawberry Jam is an improvement from Animal Collective's previous album, Feels. Christgau says that songs such as, "Peacebone," and "Chores," feel welcoming and energetic. Peacebone did feel like a great welcome back to the regular Animal Collective sound, after Panda's solo album.

http://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/33466/Animal-Collective-Strawberry-Jam/

Dylan S, From Sputnikmusic.com, starts off his review of Animal Collective's, Strawberry Jam by saying, "Animal Collective is a hard band to describe. No matter if anyone likes or dislikes the band they cannot deny how unique they are." This is something any animal collective fan can say to anyone, and something I completely agree with. He then goes on to discuss certain songs, such as, Cuckoo Cuckoo, Fireworks, and Winter Wonderland and says that they are, "Pretty damn close". Which is something that can't be denied. All Three tracks feel as if they were going for the same upbeat vibe. 

Extra Current Event Post #1: Turkey thinks Minecraft is dangerous for kids

The argument that video games are too violent is not a new one. Yes of course there are video games that are violent such as the Call of Duty series, Mortal Kombat, Grand Theft Auto, and the list goes on. But, there is one game that the Turkish Ministry of Family and Social Policy decided was too violent and is trying to get a nationwide ban on, Minecraft. Aysenur Islam, The Family and Social Policy Minister said, "[We] will examine the game and see if there is an element of violence." Minecraft is probably the least violent video game on the market. Yes, there are monsters that try to kill you and you, the player, have to defend yourself from these creatures, but the point of the game is to survive as long as you can. Keep in mind, the monsters are fantasy monsters, not something you see out of a Resident Evil movie. Microsoft actually responded to this and said, "Minecraft is enjoyed by many players in a wide variety of ways. Many enjoy the creative freedom that's presented by Minecraft and its tools, some are more interested by the opportunity to explore a landscape without boundaries and to go on exciting adventures with friends." 

3 different links to the same story below

http://www.newsweek.com/minecraft-game-under-investigation-turkey-being-too-violent-305876

http://www.dailydot.com/geek/turkey-family-ministry-report-ban-minecraft/?fb=dd

http://www.gamespot.com/articles/turkey-investigating-minecraft-over-claims-that-it/1100-6425242/

Free Post #1

There's not much of a story behind this photo. I just went on Facebook, grabbed the first photo I saw and decided that I was going to do my free post on it. I love my mother, and I feel terrible when there's conflict between me and her. Even though we can pull each others strings from time-to-time, she is still my mother, and a darn cool one. She's one of the funniest people I know and she does a lot for me, probably more than I do for myself. She's not the only cool mom that I know. a lot of my friends have cool moms. Each cool in their own unique way. So, my question is, what do you all think a cool mom is? Is your mom cool? What is it that makes her so great?

Also, here's a cool, Relevant quote from 2Pac's song, "Keep Ya Head Up"

"since we all came from a woman

Got our name from a woman and our game from a woman

I wonder why we take from our women

Why we rape our women, do we hate our women?

I think it's time to kill for our women

Time to heal our women, be real to our women

And if we don't we'll have a race of babies

That will hate the ladies, that make the babies

And since a man can't make one

He has no right to tell a woman when and where to create one"

Here's another censored line from his song, "Hit 'Em Up"

"F**k you and your M*********ing Mama"

Current event post #1: Majority of Japanese Women Say That Being Goodat Video Games Isn't Cool

Buzz Plus did a poll asking two hundred Japanese women, "do you think men who are good at video games are cool?" The results showed that 59 percent of the women answered with, "I don't think they're cool." I was a little worried after seeing these results, and it's not because I'm scared that other women might not think that I'm, "cool." I could care less about that. I already know not many women would find a slightly overweight, unemployed, 18-year-old attractive anyway. I'm worried about the way guys who read this article may feel. It could cripple the gaming community as a whole. After all, it is a male dominated community. I feel like this could affect the way men who do play video games view themselves and the way they spend their free time. It could possibly have a negative impact on the way men who play video games view themselves. Unappealing to the opposite sex. Guys might just be less open about their hobby, or even put it down completely, because of how unpopular it is with our peers. being good at video games shouldn't be stigmatized. It's a form of entertainment, like watching television, or spending several amount of hours on social media websites looking at other people's photos and achievements and then realizing that you're not going to reach any of your goals if you keep scrolling through other people's achievements. Of course, it could be a lesson to the men who do spend excess amount of hours playing video games. It is always helpful to know how you are viewed by other people, even if you are one of those hardheaded people who thinks, "oh, I don't care what others think of me. Not like it matters anyway!" It wouldn't hurt to take in some constructive criticism every once and a while. Also, just because being good at video games isn't viewed as being the coolest thing on earth, it doesn't mean that men who do play video games should put down the controller and feel guilty about the way they enjoy their free time.

Link to the article below.

http://kotaku.com/being-good-at-video-games-isnt-cool-says-japanese-poll-1687411488

Introduction Post

Hello, name is Justin Vazquez. I'm an unemployed 18-year-old that lives with his mother and does nothing but stay at home,  play video games, and watch cartoons, (mostly anime). Part of the reason why I'm working on this blog is because my evil journalism teacher is experimenting new things to do with the class. This blog will be focusing on the gaming, anime, and internet communities. I will try to be as diverse as possible and discuss current events as well. Keep in mind that not everything on this blog is meant to be taken seriously, there will be a few jokes every now and then.

Test Post

This is so I could see what my blog is going to look like.