How can you NOT like Paris???

> She's humble: "I'm a good person. I'm a compassionate person. I have a big heart. I'm sincere, and they'll see."

> She's changed: "I've definitely matured and grown a lot from this experience. I could be a more responsible role model."

> She's literate!: "I read letters, I wrote in my journal."

> She's imaginative: "I would just close my eyes and pretend I was somewhere else."

> She's spiritual: "There was a nun who works at the jail for all the ladies, and she would come every day and we would pray."

> She makes time for work ... and play: "I am a social person," she said. "I love to dance, I love to go out, I love music. But a lot of people don't know that I'm a business person. I run several businesses."

> She has a nesting instinct: "When I have a daughter I have a lot of good advice for her."

~ Sources: All quotes from Larry King Wednesday, except first one, which is from a recent People mag.

WWE shocked by sensational media?

Did anybody else find it odd that the WWE berated mainstream media for “sensationalistic reporting”?

In a statement released on its website, WWE announced it was “shocked” that the press was suggesting the double-murder suicide involving one of its premier wrestlers was linked to steroid use.

On Monday the Fayette County Sheriff’s Department found the bodies of Chris Benoit, his wife, Nancy, and his son, Daniel inside their posh Atlanta home.

Police said Tuesday Benoit had strangled his wife and smothered his son, leaving Bibles beside their bodies. He then went into his exercise room and hung himself.

“WWE strongly suggests that it is entirely wrong for speculators to suggest that steroids had anything to do with these senseless acts, especially when the authorities plainly stated there is no evidence that Benoit had steroids in his body, pending the toxicological reports, and that they had no evidence at this time as to the motive for these acts,” said WWE.com.

Never mind that the WWE survives through its sensational content.

Never mind that the WWE has done nothing but advertise itself through this tragedy.

Never mind that the WWE ran an advertisement for its wrestler “The Undertaker” beside one of its statements about Benoit’s death.

This seems a clear case of the kettle calling the pot black.

This week's game releases

Good list of games being released this week for those who like to be in the know. Compiled by Gamestooge.

Click here.

Pretty fishy

Overheard in a Starbucks: "Have you guys heard of the new trend? ... It's called fish painting. You buy a real fish and you paint it. The point is touching the fish."

I was about to blog about the iPhone's release date (June 29) and how it's another checkpoint in the amazing way technology is changing how we interact, when I overheard the above quote. Writing about perhaps one of the most important technological revolutions of the past year was completely trumped by the intriguing idea of fish painting.

I thought she was lying. However, a Google search revealed that fish painting is also known as juicing or dying the fish.

My first thought was, 'where do I buy a fish to paint?' Visions of a happy childhood painting Easter eggs melded with the idea of the joy I could have painting and showing off my proud, swimming little painted fishy.

Alas, Wikipedia sunk my fun. The party-pooping online encyclopedia says fish painting is a "stressful, painful process" that leaves fish susceptible to disease. And apparently, it's not a hobby at all. Some pet stores inject the fish several times with a syringe to make their tropical fare more colourful, and therefore more pricey.

As suddenly as they appeared, visions of me holding a squirmy little koi, while trying as hard as I can to keep my paintbrush between the lines, faded.

So Starbucks girl had her facts a little mixed up. But it's for our benefit because we now know of the savage cruelty to our cuddly, splashy friends. There are groups which lobby against this aberration of nature: "The British publication Practical Fishkeeping started a campaign in 1996 to ask retailers to stop selling dyed fish," says Wikipedia, adding the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has also condemned the practice.

So hooray! And don't give me Kurt Cobain's attitude that "fish don't have feelings" because Finding Nemo taught me otherwise.

Take a hit from Nintendo's crack pipe

So some doctors want to create a formal classification for video game addiction.

In fact, they suggest sufferers of this addiction - those who show severe dependence on games such as World of Warcraft - be able to access insurance in the U.S. to pay for treatment.

No, you didn't pass out due to lack of sleep from playing too much Xbox. This is a true story.

A leading council of the nation's largest doctors' group wants to have this behavior officially classified as a psychiatric disorder, to raise awareness and enable sufferers to get insurance coverage for treatment.

In a report prepared for the American Medical Association's annual policy meeting starting Saturday in Chicago, the council asks the group to lobby for the disorder to be included in a widely used mental illness manual created and published by the American Psychiatric Association. (Associated Press)

Video games have had their detractors for many, many years, naysayers which include religious organizations, special interest groups, politicians and perhaps millions of moms and dads wondering why their kids aren't out throwing a baseball around. They've been labeled a waste of time, bad for your eyes, bad for your character, bad for your morality.

But let's be honest with ourselves: everything in moderation. Only the most extreme cases have been used to "prove" that video games are as addictive as crack cocaine. Take this entertaining excerpt, for example, from the AP story:

Joyce Protopapas of Frisco, Texas, said her 17-year-old son, Michael, was a video addict. Over nearly two years, video and Internet games transformed him from an outgoing, academically gifted teen into a reclusive manipulator who flunked two 10th grade classes and spent several hours day and night playing a popular online video game called World of Warcraft.

"My father was an alcoholic ... and I saw exactly the same thing" in Michael, Protopapas said (of her 17-year-old son). "We battled him until October of last year," she said. "We went to therapists, we tried taking the game away.

"He would threaten us physically. He would curse and call us every name imaginable," she said. "It was as if he was possessed."

In another example, one poor guilt-stricken mother lamented buying her son a video game system, saying she felt like she'd bought him his first bottle of Jack Daniels.

These are rare scenarios. Few people are holed-up in their parents basement, forsaking food and friendship so they can reach level 30 in Halo. Of course, some people will become addicted to video games, just as others become addicted to e-mail, MSN, Facebook ... or how about junk food, porn, TV, etc. Other fortunate souls get addicted to things such as exercise or reading. Extreme cases of such "addictions" already have a name: obsessive compulsive disorder.

The difference is video games are easy to slag, and saying they lead to a disorder further stereotypes the average gamer.

Let's paint a picture of the average gamer (and it's not a pimply teenager who's never talked to a girl):

A huge portion of gamers are in their 20s and 30s, with an increasing number entering their 40s and 50s. They lead productive lives in every industry. They are married. They have children. They play in sports leagues. They are both men and women. These are not people who are playing hookey from work for one more hit from the Nintendo crack pipe. And, likely, some resent the idea that maybe they should enroll in some Gamers' Anonymous because they have an addiction that needs be be broken.

Gaming has become a massive industry, challenging blockbuster films in earning power. They are interactive works of art, with the ability to bring people together from all over the world to laugh and play. They are a hobby. Not a stigma that needs to be treated.

Television 2.0

Here's an interesting yarn from the Tyee.com
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"Is television dead?"

That was the question that kicked off a panel called, "International Broadcasters Talk Trends" at the 2007 Banff World Television Festival. Not surprisingly, the panelists -- who make their living making television -- agreed that it wasn't. But their thoughts on the future of the medium definitely didn't sound like TV from the old days, like, say, last week. It was more like TV 2.0 -- a world where CBC has a Facebook page and wants you to sign up as their new friend.

Trying to tap into the zeitgeist at an event where everyone's livelihood depends on tapping the zeitgeist, it was clear there were two things most of the 1500 "content providers" (formerly known as writers, directors, producers and broadcasters) were talking about -- the web and The Sopranos.

Read the rest 'here'.

Halo 3 impressions

Yes, this is long overdue; but you still care... it's Halo 3.

I had the privilege of logging a few hours of gameplay on the Halo 3 Beta a few days before it ended. And I must say, I can't wait for the full game to come out.

Bungie has managed to keep the feel of Halo 2 while adding a massive dose of character into the game. The graphics are beautiful, especially for a test version. One player remarked you could just stare and admire the running water (that is if people weren't shooting the improved SMG at you).

The weapons still need some tweaking; however, they seem much more balanced. There is a strange weapon that's a cross between a pistol and a brute shot that shows a lot of promise. They're fun to dual wield and just plain fun to use. The sniper rifle is very comparable to the Halo 2 version, but I kept catching myself staring at the detail of the gun rather than scoping for targets. I didn't pick up a needler, but heard the weapon has been vastly improved. And of course everyone's favourite weapon, the battle rifle, is still as deadly and as fun.

The maps will change, but one map in particular – Valhalla – is striking. It’s been compared to Blood Gulch, but reminded me more of the second level in Halo 1’s campaign. I’m getting giddy just thinking about playing it when the full version is released.

So overall, the gameplay in multiplayer is just like Halo 2, only much improved – as Bungie promised.

The REAL treat for me with this game was the pre-game and post-game lobby. This is where avid Halo players spend a lot of time, chatting with teammates, berating the competition and checking out medals. It just plain looks sleeker. But the post-game stats are excellent, with more emphasis on the medals. I love earning medals. They’ve also added a couple new ones, including the killjoy medals, awarded when you end someone’s killing spree.

That’s my primer. And from what I saw, this game will be well worth the wait.

For a much better, and more thorough, review than mine try clicking here.