The Ladies from the view (left to right) Elizabeth Hasselbeck, Whoopi Goldberg, Barbara Walters, Sherri Shepherd and Joy Behar

On Friday Dec 4,2009 the ladies of The View on their  “Hot Topics” segment were discussing how because of the passing of Proposition 8, a measure that banned gay marriage in California, is trying to submit into next year’s polls a proposition banning divorce. This act, as they said, has brought negative opinions from both the left and the right. The ladies, led by Whoopi Goldberg, instead of exploring the real issue here, which was a minority civil rights, instead started exploring that marriage needs divorce so everyone can have a “way out.”

Joy Behar, a gay marriage supporter,  was very vocal about this, leaving Elizabeth Hasselbeck and Sherri Shepherd, a divorced woman herself, against it. Joy argued that you need a way out, otherwise one spouse would kill the other just to get out of said marriage. The arguments back and forth were – as you would expect – silly, however, Sherri (to my surprise) said something insightful (and I’ll paraphrase): “If you go into marriage with a way out, you will never work on your marriage so it can last.”

The beautiful and smart Portia Di Rossi

When the topic starts as a gay marriage/civil rights/equality debate instead of debating pros or cons for/against gay marriage, the ladies -unwillingly- discuss how heterosexual couples actually regard the “sanctity of marriage.” The ladies were discussing marriage as a college course that if you don’t like you can drop. As a shirt that if it doesn’t fit you can return. Marriage is not a decision which should be taken lightly and thinking there’s “a way out.” Marriage is a commitment. When you commit to someone, you say vows, vows that just like in a contract you should honor – for better or for worse. It took actress Portia Di Rossi, to teach the ladies that marriage is not hard-work and reminded them that gay marriage is a civil rights issue not a religious one. She also taught Elizabeth Hasselback that the word “marriage,” really has a value not only for the gay community, but for everyone. (Watch what Portia Di Rossi said below). How can the gay community leave the fate of their rights up on the hands of people who don’t respect marriage themselves?

The Nintendo Wii has recently seen a sales slow-down keep in mind though that everyone and their grandmother – quite literally – own a Wii. So sales are bound to slow down. Although, this doesn’t mean that Nintendo isn’t doing well. EA recently announced, that in order to save money, they will have to lay off 1,500 employees and will close Pandemic Studios. John Riccitiello, Electronic Arts’ CEO, has publicly expressed his frustration with Nintendo, because of their lack of spurring interest in the console.

“To be honest with you, I think the Wii platform has been a little weaker than we had certainly anticipated. And there is no lack of frustration to be doing that at precisely the time where we have the strongest third-party share,” John Riccitiello, Electronic Arts’ CEO

Ubisoft's savior: Assassin's Creed II

Ubisoft also announced that it’s games sales are low, however, it’s big titles such as the recently released Assassin’s Creed II are doing great. What seems to be the issue? The Nintendo Wii. As Kotaku reported: [Ubisoft] Reporting its full first-half 2009-10 financial results today, Ubisoft stresses its confidence in franchise titles like Assassin’s Creed II, while its Wii titles continue to under-perform.

Nintendo should consider their strategy carefully, they may be getting tons of revenue out of selling the Wii, however, as Nintendo and other hardware/software developers know, the big money comes from selling software and Nintendo is doing a horrible job at that. They may boast that their games are for everyone, but when companies like EA and Ubisoft start seeing their game sales go down – and in this economy – you can expect less support of them in the future. For example, Ubisoft has already announced ten new games that will take advantage of the Xbox 360 Natal controls and five new games that will take advantage of the PS3 motion controller. That’s 15 new games – none of them – coming to the Nintendo Wii.

Critically acclaimed game that only sold 9,000 copies.

Nintendo had a good thing in their hands with the Nintendo Wii. They wanted to change the way we play, and they did. They did it so well in fact, that other companies want a piece of the action and they will get it. In ways that Nintendo won’t be able to match with it’s current console. It’s time for Nintendo to listen to their consumers, both new and old – even those who they alienated – and bring the Nintendo Wii up to current console standards such as: HD, real online gameplay, voice-chat and better games. They also have to start marketing more “obscure titles” better. Advertising for “games” such as Wii Fit and Wii Sports Resort should be as much as advertising for Dead Space: Extraction and The Conduit.

As I said earlier, they need to bring the Wii up to standards with other consoles, so they can alsobring back those “hardcore” gamers that they have lost. Not only that, but shift – even if it’s slightly – their focus to keep working on franchises such as Zelda, Mario, Metroid and Star Fox. Yes, it has been announced that there’s a new Zelda game in development and a new Mario Galaxy will be released next year. This was after all, gamers complaining that there was nothing for them on E3 2008. Even with these franchises, which won’t be able to be released every year without them being rushed and sloppy, Nintendo needs to focus on creating new franchises to give both new, old and future gamers more reason to keep/buy the Nintendo Wii.

Balloon Boy Family

One thing all these cases have in common is that they all are/aspire to be in a reality show. Recently and innocently enough, Nadya Suleman, a mom with six children went trough in vitro in order to have more kids. She ended up having eight more babies and being known as Octo-Mom. As I said before, she’s doing it for the fame. Richard and Mayumi Heene, aka “balloon boy masterminds” had already appeared in ABC’s “Wife Swap” a few times and were looking to up their notoriety in order to sell their reality show to networks. With this hoax, not only they had a nation worried about the safety of a six-year-old, but they spent a lot of tax-payer money in order to retrieve a child who wasn’t in the balloon to begin with. Not only that, but what example does this gives to three young kids?

Tareq and Michaele Salahi, the White House dinner crashers.

And as recent as last week, Tareq and Michaele Salahi, the Virginia couple who crashed the Obama’s dinner are also trying to get more notoriety for an upcoming “The Real Housewives” reality show with Bravo. I must admit, however, that even though they did crash the party for fame and pictures, it was only the Secret Service fault here. They should have known this couple wasn’t invited to the wedding.

Fame has become so easy to attain for anyone, before, fame used to mean something. It meant someone was a talented performer, player or political figure. With the advent of reality shows and Youtube, more and more careless and irresponsible individuals have been trying to become famous no matter what. Jon and Kate, from TLC’s Jon and Kate plus eight, don’t really care about the safety of their kids. If they did, they would’ve shut-down production a long time ago and not to negotiate more money/presence in the show. Nadya Suleman, would’ve used the disability money she had not to pay for in vitro or plastic surgery to look like Angelina Jolie, but to feed her original six kids, to provide them with clothes and better shelter and hopefully a future. Now, with rumors still existing for a book and a TV deal, plus constant coverage on US Weekly, her efforts have paid themselves. Yet, who cares about these 14 children? No one. And now, Nadya is famous for getting pregnant.

We need, as a society, as a nation and as consumers to avoid anything that has to do with any of these people, or future individuals who will be careless enough to put themselves, their children or anyone else in danger for their benefit. Even if it’s not reckless, even if it’s stupid like “Speidi” is, we need to put a check and not put them in the cover of a magazine or as a center story. The media also has a big responsibility when it comes to this and it’s time they are held accountable. On that note E! should be congratulated by banning any news regarding Heidi and Spencer Pratt (unless it’s legitimate, like babies or death). I can’t imagine what hoax or desperate-attempt-for-fame someone will do, but hopefully it will go unnoticed.

Women are inferior than men (according to the Bible). That's why they must cover their heads. Men are the image of God, women are not.

A big and important question is: who wrote the Bible? As I said before, the Bible is usually refered as “the word of God,” however, if the Bible is to be believed, the true word of God was given to Moises in stone. His word is known today as the ten commandments. Anything and everything else in the Bible was written by men. Men who claimed to be inspired by the Holy Spirit and/or God.

“2 Timothy 3:16 states that “All scripture is inspired by God….” In 2 Peter 1:20-21, Peter reminds the reader to “know this first of all, that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, … but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.” The Bible itself tells us that it is God who is the author of His book.” All About the Truth: Who Wrote The Bible? – Evidence of God.

The Bible is created in a way that will give the Church power over the people.

So, why hasn’t anyone ever doubted these individuals? Do we fly planes that someone claims was inspired by God? No. Then why must we live our lives and discriminate based on someone else’s word? Why should we even try and drive policy or question teachings; teachings that are taught as theory, theories that haven’t been proven – yet neither has the Bible earlier reasonings. In the book of Genesis “creationism” is explained. In creationism God created the world in seven days.

In said world, he created Man, on his image. Men are the image of God, however, women are not. Women were created out of Adam (a man), therefor women are the “Glory of man.” Made from and for men and they are inferior than man. Not only that, but in all of creation, God created one tree from which we couldn’t eat and a talking snake tricked Eve to eating the forbidden fruit; Eva in turned tricked Adam and creation went to – reality. Excuse my little rant, but this is what people want to teach your children. This is a question that is asked in a presidential debate. A question that can change the course of a country’s government! And it involves a talking snake!

Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy . . . These books are traditionally assumed to have been written by Moses, though his authorship is not claimed internally. Since Deuteronomy records the death of Moses, it seems unlikely that he wrote it; certainly he didn’t write the part that describes his death. Theology.edu: Who wrote the Bible (and When)?

If the Bible is the word of God, then why are there so many variations.

“The first thing to note is that the Christian Bible is a library of at least 66 “books.” The number 66 is the number of books for Protestants. However, for Roman Catholics and for the Eastern Orthodox Churches, there are additional books besides the 66 books they share with Protestants. The additional books are the books of the Old Testament Apocrypha.” Holy Trinity New Rochelle: Who Wrote the Bible

Also, if the Bible is the unaltered version of God’s word why are there so many versions? And why each version differs greately not only from each other, but from the original. Recently, the Codex- what is considered the oldest Bible – was reunited (after bits and pieces were scattered). After careful examination it was discovered that The Codex was missing books from the Authorised Version of the Bible. Not only that but discrepancies range from missing verses relating to the Resurrection, to blaming the jews – not the romans – for killing Jesus. The Codex contains two extra books in the New Testament. One is the Epistle of Barnabas, the other one is from a Shepherd of Hermas – written in 2nd Century Rome.

“The Codex – and other early manuscripts – omit some mentions of ascension of Jesus into heaven, and key references to the Resurrection, which the Archbishop of Canterbury has said is essential for Christian belief.

Many Christians have long accepted that, while the Bible is the authoritative word of God, it is not inerrant. Human hands always make mistakes.” BBC News: The Rival to the Bible

How would this come to be? It’s just simply the way the Bible was collected. The first generation of Christians didn’t save a record of the sayings and stories of Jesus, because as they saw it, Jesus’ return and the restoration of the Kingdom of God were imminent. So why bother? Each story was passed along orally as a mean of preaching and convincing others to follow Jesus.

“The road to canonization of the New Testament was quite a bit rockier and quite the reverse of the Old. What ended in orthodoxy actually had its roots in heresy. While the Jews examined books to see if they were consistent with the main religious text (the Torah), the early Christians engaged in a more fundamental argument about what constituted Christianity and especially about the nature of Christ. Judaism was a centuries-old ancient religion with clear traditions.  Christianity was new, had no tradition, and was torn with disagreement about what it was and what it should be.

The chief competitor to what would become mainstream Christianity was Gnosticism. The Gnostics believed that one did not need the intermediary of the church to experience God; that one could and should experience him firsthand if one knew the “secret tradition.” One can easily see how this would threaten the orthodox church.” The Straight Dope: Who wrote the Bible? (Part 5)

In the end each sect created it’s own Bible in  a way it will give them power. The christians couldn’t change the Old Testament, because it was an older religion that had been around for a long time and had followers who knew the texts and traditions. However, Christiniaty was new religion and had to be constructed in a way that it could give them power. Books were carefully chosen to give this power, texts were translated and other texts were destroyed.

Quite a few collections of stories about Jesus circulated in the early church, among them The Gospel of Thomas, The Gospel of Mary, and the Secret Book of John. Some of these gave very different and in some cases conflicting accounts of the gospel and, most importantly, of Jesus’ alleged resurrection. Some argued for the physical resurrection, with the mantle of leadership falling on those who had experienced it firsthand: the apostles. Others said the resurrection was a spiritual event that anyone could experience. Some thought this latter “heresy” would have led the church away from an organized entity into a situation where anyone could judge the truth for themselves. The Straight Dope: Who wrote the Bible? (Part 4)

If Jesus is a big part of the Bible, he being the Son of God, why do we know so little about him? What happened to him between being a new-born and a 12 year old kid lost in the temple? What happened from his teenage years to when he was 30 years old?

The Bible is not the word of God. The Bible is the will of men, it was done by him so it could be used for power. It was constructed so no one would dare rebel the Church. The Bible is heresy. It makes us worship it, instead of worshiping God. It makes us worship Jesus, instead of worshipping God. Worshipping Jesus is heresy. There is only one God. Worshipping another is doing the same as the Jews did when they escaped Egypt.

And why if  anyone really believes that Jesus is our Savior, if they claim he’s the Lord, why do they ignore His sayings and His teachings so it can fit their own prejudices?

In the United States, Europe is usually admired because of its rich art history, but it’s mostly ridiculed and demonized in the media. However, europeans are happier than other nations. As expressed in the introductory paragraph, two major differences between the European Union (E.U.) and the United States (U.S.) is that gay marriage is allowed and the drinking age is far lower.

Drinking while intoxicated (D.W.I) and drinking under influence (D.U.I.) are two big things in the U.S. that shouldn’t be taken lightly. There are a lot of teens deaths because of these conditions, which has given groups like Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) a lot of influence over the government. Not to take away from the seriousness of the issue at hand, but efforts to lower the drinking age to 18 have been impossible, much in thanks to MADD.

As The Washington Post noted the europeans place more emphasis in the driving rather than the drinking . As the article states, in Europe the legal age to drink is 16, however, you start driving when you’re 18. In the U.S. though, teens start driving when they’re 16 and binge drinking when they go to college. That’s why the incidence

“While most European countries issue driver’s licenses at age 18, the difficulty of passing the test, high insurance costs and wide use of trains and buses all mean that young people generally begin to drive much later than in the United States.” European Laws Place Emphasis On the Driving, Not the Drinking

In January 2004, a few days before my 20th birthday I went out with my parents to a Hard Rock Café restaurant in San Francisco, there I ordered a drink that had alcohol and the waitress refused to serve, even though my mom had told explained that she was my mother and it was okay. The waitress still refused, so I ended up having a coke. I come originally from a country where the legal age to drink is 18, however, in private gatherings and even in restaurants you can drink with your parents.

As a kid, I used to have sips of wine or beer and as a tween/teen I could even have one glass of rum and coke, or beer for myself. When I asked my mom, why they let me she explained that she wanted me to “learn how to drink,” so I wouldn’t go crazy drinking when I went out as an adult and I wouldn’t be in an accident. Most of you are probably thinking that’s bad parenting, but I can assure you that I have not once been in an accident that involves alcohol. Stupidity, yes, but alcohol no.

“Incongruously, the way to produce fewer problem drinkers is to create more drinkers overall–that is, to begin to create a culture in which alcohol is not an alluring risk but part of quotidian family life. Of course, that’s a mostly European approach to alcohol, but there’s reason to think it could work here. And it may be the best way to solve the binge-drinking problem.” TIME Magazine: Should You Drink with Your Kids?

If the drinking age were lowered and the driving age were raised, like those crazy europeans do, there will be far less accidents and untimely deaths.

“Eliminate the minimum drinking age, and kids could learn all about alcohol long before they turned 16 and got their driver’s license. Booze wouldn’t seem like some glamorous adult activity.” Alcohol: Problems and Solutions: Get Rid of the Minimum Drinking Age

Now, on another social and important front: gay marriage.

In the United States, gay marriage is a big topic. By not allowing it, U.S. citizens, residents and their foreign partners are being discriminated and treated like second class citizens. I’ve already expressed my feelings towards gay marriage and the reasons that are usually given to prevent it in the post: Gays are destroying the Sanctity of Marriage. Really?! In a nutshell: I’m pro-gay marriage and religious issues or themes shouldn’t be prevented from giving someone their civil rights. Same reasons were even used before with interracial marriage.

Even as recent as earlier this month, when voters in Maine voted against gay marriage, they used reasons as silly as: “they will teach our kids about homosexuality in schools.” In countries such as Denmark and Belgium, where gay marriage is legal there’s not even silly definitions of marriage or distinctions between gay marriage vs heterosexual marriage anymore. Saying that gay marriage is a threat to marriage is playing with people’s ignorance. How a gay couple getting married will affect a straight couple doing so?

“Not only have gay rights had no effect on constantly expanding population rates, but they’ve had no effect on traditional marriage in those European countries where they have the most extensive legal protections. . . This [gay marriages having effect on straight marriages] is relevant because divorce is the real threat to American families, having broken up more than fifty percent of all marriages since it achieved widespread acceptance.”LA NOW: Is gay marriage bad for family? Europe might have the answer

As ridiculous as it sounds when gays counter-attack those who say gay marriage is a threat to the institution of marriage (and they even dare quoting the Bible), they always say: “want to protect marriage? Outlaw divorce.” Yes, sounds ridiculous, but it’s true.

“Also, unlike gay sex, divorce is forbidden by Jesus himself: “And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.” As we have seen with abortion and guns, the focus on gay marriage is turning out to be a dangerous distraction from the real problem.” Esquire: A Little Counterintuitive Thinking on Gays, Guns, and Dead Babies

Truth is Europe still stands – in one piece – , Armageddon hasn’t fallen on the world and population is not winding down:

“Concerns about the impact of gay marriage on heterosexual behavior are not unique to the United States, of course. European countries that recognize same-sex couples initially had their worriers, too. Over time, however, it became clear that civilization and family life would survive the recognition of gay couples’ rights. Even the conservative governments that came into power have not tried to repeal rights for gay couples in France and the Netherlands.” Slate: Prenuptial JittersDid gay marriage destroy heterosexual marriage in Scandinavia?

We can’t let our emotions and own prejudices to blind our reason, that’s why we are different than animals, because we can put stupidity aside and think clearly. No one can replace a life that has passed away. A parent who has buried a child probably never moves on from this loss. It’s a tragic loss and one that can be prevented. But having emotions cloud judgement can put more lives at risk. We also can’t deny basic human and civil rights to a group of people based on out-dated texts where we pick-and-chose what we like and what we don’t; especially when it is in a country where there’s separation of church-and-state. Religious groups can chose to prevent gay couples to wed in their congregation, is their right. However, they can’t prevent them from marrying at a city-hall or privately and said marriage be recognized by their city, their State and their government. The fight for gay marriage has been a heated one recently in the U.S. and there have been more setbacks than anything else. President Barack Obama has promised to repeal DOMA and promote UAFA, a bill that will allow U.S. citizens to sponsor their partners for immigration rights, but any progress by him has yet to be done. And I know what you’re all thinking by now: “If you like Europe that much, then move there.” Really, is that your smart comment? I guess the U.S. is in trouble.

Someone pointed out that this was because the Department of Public Health gives these grades after inspecting the facility. That way, the public will know right away if the establishment they’re about to eat is clean and follow food safety guidelines.

In New York, where I live, there’s no such thing. Restaurants proudly display their Zagat reviews or their recent mention in any newspaper. However, their grade on their last facility inspection is a secret. There’s a little sign somewhere, saying that someone did come and inspect it. Want to know their score? Well, you’d have to call 311 and then have them redirect you. I tried this approach once, it was on a Saturday at 3pm. The result? After 10 minutes being transferred and waiting I hung up.

Needless to say, if you’re ever starving you don’t want to wait 20 or plus minutes on the phone trying to get a rating that you may never know. Why is this important? Because you need to know that the food you’re eating is being handled carefully by the cooks and that there’s no chance that next time you bite into the ground beef in your taco, it is actually beef and not rat droppings. Am I over reacting? Not really, remember the dozen rats in a Taco Bell/KFC restaurant on the Greenwich Village?

Still, the Department of Health has cited the restaurant for evidence of rodents and live rodents and insects in each of the past three years. Spokeswoman Sara Markt said if there is an “imminent risk to health” – a “critical violation that can’t be corrected” – closure could be a possibility. Taco Bell rats are stars for a day // CNN Money

In California that store would’ve been closed by now, either by the lack of clients because of their grade or because the California Health Department would’ve shut it down after the third inspection.

If you don’t think this doesn’t happen all over NYC, next time you go to your favorite bakery/pastry shop, instead of going to the store front, go to the back, talk to the cooks and ask them why is there a sack of flour in the floor.

“That – well, that’s for the rats.” Bonn appetite.

See, I believe abortion is murder and I believe that even though a woman has a right to do with her body as she pleases (though must off you us would go against someone cutting their wrists and self-mutilation) we have to understand that this not only affects her body, it affects someone else’s.

Marijuana is Safer than Alcohol

With marijuana I understand there’s a lot of harm that comes with it, but many of these harms also come from other legal stimulants such as alcohol. While we’re at it, I’m pro-lowering the drinking age to 18. Why am I pro-all these things that go against (except alcohol) what I believe?

It’s simple. To save more lives.

See, a woman who wants an abortion will have one – legal or not. As with any surgery, abortion has its risks and it can put t mothers‘ women’s life in danger. A woman who has an illegal abortion could even loser her life. Because of being an illegal surgery the conditions on how an abortion is perform may not be ideal and complications can happen. If they do and a doctor can’t fix it, then two lives will be lost instead of one.

I apply this same logic with underage drinking and marijuana. When kids go to college they drink. Sometimes they binge drink. What happens to those who are too afraid to take their possible alcohol poisoned friends to the doctor because they’re afraid of getting in trouble for underage drinking? Why should someone who has marijuana who for all intent and purposes has the same or worse effects than alcohol be considered a criminal and could risk losing their jobs?

This doesn’t mean I support a free-for-all attitude. There should be counseling and education programs set in place for everyone. Women should know the risks that abortion brings. Women should know there are other options such as adoption and they should be educated on safe-sex practices. I would even suggest a cap, after one abortion that’s it you’re done. Also, put this women under guidance/therapy to help them through the process should they choose to have an abortion or not. If they went there in the first place, they should be helped. Also in cases of rape, women should go through a lie detector. Just to make they’re not making this up to get a “free-pass,” and of course they would also go and benefit from the therapy.

When it comes to drugs and alcohols there must be more education on the effects of these substances and what you can’t do while under their effect. There should also be prevention so people won’t abuse them. And, not only have education programs/centers, but also rehabilitation facilities. Yes, it would probably come out of your taxes, but are you that selfish not to help anyone better their life?

As I said before, even though I’m against all this. Keeping it illegal does more harm than it does good and the whole point is to save lives.

Recently – and as silly as the source is – I was playing a video game called Too Human, which deals with the Norse Mythology (Thor, Odin, Baldur). While I was playing I couldn’t help think that: “Oh my God, people used to believe all this crap.” As soon as that thought hit me the flood gates were opened and more thoughts and memories started rushing through my head

I remember that once in school when we were studying the Discovery of the New World, they were explaining to us that the Caribbean’s Native Americans, known as Taínos, used to worship several Gods, like the Wind God for example. They used to call him Huracan ( this is algo the Mayan Wind God). Huracan is spanish for Hurricane. When a hurricane hit their homes, they used to believe that they had done something to anger the Wind God and they were being punished. Now, thanks to further knowledge of the weather and climate we know that this is not punishment, rather a combination of factors that cause this. In their ignorance, finding that they couldn’t explain why there was such a strong storm they attributed it to a God.

No one knows exactly how the world today was created, or how was the universe created. Yes, there’s the “Big Bang Theory,” but as the name suggests it’s just a theory. In school, one priest while he was teaching us how to answer why we believe in God, he provided the following reason: “Can you explain how the universe was created? Can you explain how the world and mankind were created?” The answer to this is obviously no, so he said: “That’s why you believe in God, because he created all this. There’s no other way to explain it.” And again, ignorance overpowers knowledge.

Stupidity Imposes "Values"

We like to make fun of cultures from the past and their believes. We wonder, how they believed all those things? And yet we fall on the same trap. When someone we love falls ill we wonder why God did this. When someone we love passes away we say it’s because God wanted it. When we go through a hard time we say God is testing us. The God we are led to believe in sounds like a total jerk. And when you think that wars have been fought for him, “because that’s what he wants,” when rights have been taken away from people, “because he’s against that;” only shows how stupid we really are.

For the record, I do believe in God. Just not the God that religions – any of them – try to sell.

Logic and facts won’t sway fanboys opinions on which system, offline or online, is better; on this post I would like to share my two cents on why Sony PS3′s online service (PSN) is better than Microsoft Xbox 360′s (Xbox Live) service.

Although, it’s true PS3 is playing catch-up to Xbox Live – remember, Xbox Live has been around the block longer and has set standards for online gaming and services. However, Sony has not only managed to offer the same services – free of charge – but is also innovating, i.e.: Home.

Yes, some demos do come faster to Xbox Live than PSN, but they – even if it is one week later – do come to PSN. I can now watch Netflix on my PS3. Who cares if I have to pop in a disc! I’m not going to watch a movie and play a game at the same time and while Sony and Netflix bring a disc-less option I don’t mind getting up for 10 secs and switching discs. I may be lazy, but not that lazy!

Here’s a quick table comparing both online services:

Seriously, employed or unemployed, rich or poor, money matters and when you calculate the cost of owning an Xbox 360 vs a PS3, the PS3 comes out on top. Don’t believe me? Here’s a quick rundown of what it costs to go online (minus the actual internet connection):

For me the clear winner here is Sony’s PSN, because not only you have to buy accessories to get your Xbox 360 to go online, but there is really nothing unique that Xbox Live is providing right now to justify paying US$50 for the same services I get for free on the PSN . Yes, once the Xbox 360 is able to go online, it is only around $4/month, but why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free?

The event, which started yesterday at 10am, opened with Microsoft’s press conference that lasted about two hours. The conference started five minutes earlier than scheduled due to something “big,” said “big” thing turned out to be rather disappointing – for me anyways – it was the introductory scene for The Beatles: Rockband. Don’t get me wrong, it was great; but I expected something more. 

Even though The Beatles: Rockband will be released both for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, Microsoft has bragging rights because they have exclusivity for the song “All You Need is Love,” which will be available for download, all proceeds will go to charity. 

There were 13 new games that we hadn’t heard before announced, though their claim that we hadn’t heard from any of them wasn’t true,unless they would have said “in a while,” (after all it’s been two or three years since Alan Wake was shown to then disappear and now to appear again). 

Xbox 360 Games Shown at E3 2009 were: 

1) Tony Hawk Ride

The game looks fine. I’m not a fan of sport games, much less skater games for that matter and I have only once (along time ago) played a Tony Hawk game. Graphics are good, but what changes here is the controller which is literally a skateboard – yay! yet another peripheral – it’s all great, though with a later announcement/demo video this game is put to shame.

2)  Modern Warfare 2 

Here’s a game that took me by surprise. I can only say WOW! Amazing realistic graphics, with varied gameplay (from what was shown). The game seems to cover many different locations and climates. I wasn’t really interested in this game, but this trailer made me changed my mind. Later a short gameplay demo was shown and in-game graphics look amazing, Modern Warfare 2 truly pushes the Xbox 360 hardware. The demo was a bit boring, I guess developers tried to show it wasn’t only a shooter game, but they wasted a lot of time showing your character climbing a wall of ice; hey it could be fun playing it, but it was boring as hell watching it. Afterwards they showed some shooting scenes and a snowmobile scene, they all look nice but I couldn’t help to wonder if this was the “easy” mode, not too many enemies around, none the less a great game. Then Microsoft again tries to “one-up” Sony by announcing that 2 Maps will come first to Xbox Live.

3) Final Fantasy XIII (Square Enix)

So it was the first time FFXIII has been previewed running on an Xbox 360. Honest opinion, it looks way better in the Playstation 3. Sorry, but it’s true. 

*From 4th and on they are Xbox Exclusive. 

4) Shadow Complex (Xbox Live) (Epic Games) 

Well, well, well. . . This Bionic Commando: Rearmed look-a-like looks pretty well. In this game you can use the environment – and guns of course – to battle enemies. Shoot an electricity cable and kill some enemies, or use a foam gum to create stairways, shields or to freeze enemies. The game should be 10 hours long and coming out this summer on Xbox Live. It’s definitely on my “must download” list. 

5) Joy Ride

This game is Microsoft’s answer to Mario Kart. It uses your Xbox Live Avatars as characters in this cartoonish, goofy kind of game. The game will be free for everyone with an Xbox Live account, which is good because otherwise I wouldn’t have even bothered with this one. Of course, nothing is truly free, you can buy clothing and customize your rides even further by buying items through Xbox live; cool twist though, buy one map and share with your friends (even if they didn’t buy it). 

6) Crackdown 2

Everything was pretty fast and didn’t show much, but whatever I saw looks good. I still need to see more before making any final decisions. 

7) Left 4 Dead 2

Isn’t it too soon for a sequel? Seriously, this game hasn’t even been released a full year. It looks okay, graphics are nothing to die for. Seems more goofy than what they aimed for with the first game. Less Dawn of the Dead more Shaun of the Dead, I mean seriously you can attack zombies now with a frying pan, which makes sense because the game seems to be set in Louisiana and you know how they love frying food down south. *sigh*. None of the original characters are seen in the video. Quick note: this is not an Xbox exclusive. It’s a Microsoft exclusive, it will be available for PC. Hopefully it will improve on the first game’s formula and it will provide another reason for sleepless nights.

8) Splinter Cell Conviction (Ubisoft)

I would say this is the best game shown so far. Graphics, story and gameplay everything looks great. Can’t wait to play it. 

9) Forza 3 (Microsoft Game Studios)

Well, great graphics. Seems like it has a video editor, where you can create your own “car commercial.” Looks great, but meh. I don’t really think it redefines anything. Too much talking about passion and little to show for, at least in my opinion. 

10) Halo: ODST

Not a fan of Halo. Game looks nice – it always does. Let’s wait until we can see more images, videos and read some hand-on impressions. 

11) Halo: Reach

Not too much to see here, just some explosions seen from space. *sigh*

12) Alan Wake

Trailer

I’ve heard about this game before, mostly due to it’s absence. The game looks great, kind of a “Darkness Falls” type of game, where you are in a remote area and a flashlight will may keep you safe. The trailer looked amazing, so did the gameplay that they showed. It also made my: “Must buy” list.

Gameplay Video: 

13) Metal Gear Solid  Rising

Microsoft is happy because it “owned” Sony – again. But I wouldn’t be counting all my chips just yet, after all Kojima did say a game like Metal Gear Solid 4 couldn’t have been made or ported to Xbox 360. I guess we’ll all have to wait and see, especially if Metal Gear Solid Rising also comes to the PS3.

Mass Effect 2 is MIA.

Microsoft’s Xbox 360  E3 2009 Announcements

Music is coming to Xbox Live and it’s going to start with Last.FM, there are going to be some improvements to Netflix and Xbox Live Users in Europe will be able to watch live tv through Xbox; Sky (think Fox) is partnering with Microsoft to offer this service without the need of any peripherals. Soon there will also be Live Viewing, where your Avatar can join your friends Avatars in a virtual living room and watch live tv or a movie. Nice touch. 

Facebook and Twitter will also be coming to Xbox Live *yawn*. You will be able (through the Facebook app) add your Xbox live friends to facebook and viceversa. 

Last but not least, THE XBOX BECOMES A Xii (new term, I coined it :p) 

Who needs to hold a controller and waggle stuff? When you are the controller. Xbox announced Project Natal and man does it sound good, too good. Xbox did show some promising features, but the bar was set high and they better deliver. I did love how they showed the Paint Editor and how you can “throw” buckets of paints, I did love the Ricochet game (man will people get a workout with that); plus this technology will put a big dent on Tony Hawk’s plans (see video above where the kid is riding a skateboard without the need of peripherals). Project Natal has face and voice recognition and it seems like something a kid from the 90′s like me was expecting to see as soon as we hit the Millennium (thank you, the Jetsons for making me think like that), but 10 years later it seems like a reality. Microsoft hasn’t announced a released date, however, they did say it will be compatible with every Xbox 360 that has been sold and will be sold. So far, I’m sold.

The question remains, will this give Microsoft (and the Xbox 360) an edge over the Nintendo Wii? I could be wrong, but hell yes!

Although you may have heard from some of these shows before, be it by Emmy wins or because you used to watch them; these are five shows that are truly entertaining and deserve more than the lousy numbers they pull in. If these shows don’t get viewers fast they may not have a future. 

The 5 Best TV Shows that You are NOT Watching

5) Dollhouse (Fox)

Dollhouse is the new show from Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon, featuring in the leading role Buffy’s alumn Eliza Dushku (Buffy’s Faith) as Caroline, a woman who has signed? forced to sign? mislead to join? the mysterious organization called the Dollhouse where a bunch of young adults are held in a state of Tabula Rassa (a clean, childlike state) with their personalities wiped-off. These people are known as “actives” and they would have new personalities printed on them for whatever mission they are required, from a romantic getaway to a hostage negotiation. Problem is, some of the actives, including their most popular one Echo (Dushku) are starting to remember some of their past. In addition, the Dollhouse is being pursued by Paul Ballard an FBI agent who’s getting close to their operation, and Alpha an active who has escaped the Dollhouse before, leaving behind a trail of blood and who’s fascinated with Echo. 

The show’s first five episodes weren’t that great (although I’m a fan of the second episode were Echo is the ultimate outdoor girl) but since the sixth episode the show has gotten darker and more serious, and it’s good. There are five more episodes until the end of the first season and Fox hasn’t given a green light – yet – for a second season. One of the main issues here is that fans are complaining the show doesn’t have a Whedonesque vibe (humor) to which he has said the show is different than Buffy and Angel. You can’t expect these active’s without memories to turn to each other and say: “Echo, you are such a Blair!” Another big issue is that the show air Friday nights, which is the worst night for a show to air. 

Catch Dollhouse Fridays at 9pm on FOX  or watch it online at Hulu.com

4) Heroes

Yes, we are talking about the same Heroes that was so popular on it’s first season and took a down turn on their second one – that wasn’t helped by the writer’s strike. Things got better – compared to season two, not season one – by the third season and it’s new story arch “Villains.” The show got constantly slammed by critics, media and fans because it kept focusing in so many characters that really didn’t give them enough exposition or us time to care. It kept jumping back and forth from the future, to the past, to the present making everything more confusing and having characters doing things well – out of character – just to move the story forward. By the end of the first half of the third season, the writers and producers started doing a “character house-cleaning” by killing or just closing character arcs – in order to reduce the number of Heroes – sadly they did “offed” Elle ( Kristen Bell) who was one of the shows best characters, they also managed to de-power some “super-powered” heroes and removed the ability of time travel.

At the start of the second half of season three, Heroes has more focused story lines, more time to develop characters and story that we do care about. Don’t trust me, look at HRG’s and Sandra’s fight on the episode: Turn and Face the Strange. Although, Heroes producers, want to make Heroes fan really happy, kill Mohinder and Hiro, and stop killing our favorite blondes, Elle (Kristen Bell), Daphne (Bea Grant) and Nikki/Jessica/Tracy (Ali Larter) – although I’m pretty sure Ali Larter will be back as Barbara next season. 

Catch Heroes Mondays at 9pm on NBC or watch it online at Hulu.com or at www.nbc.com/heroes

3) 30 Rock (NBC)

It seems like it bares repeating – thought it shouldn’t – how funny Tina Fey is. Just look at her past work on Saturday Night Live (SNL) or the movie Mean Girls and Baby Mamma (although she didn’t write it). Tina Fey is one funny lady and she brings all her wits, charms and smarts to 30 Rock. The show deals with the behind-the-scenes of an SNL type of show where the writers are some lazy goofballs, the stars are starved for attention (which when they don’t get they act out in hilarious ways), the top executive is – well Alec Baldwin – and the page is a southern gullible guy who’s fascinated with television. 30 Rock has a constant spree of guest stars, which although welcomed, are not really needed. The show with or without them is hilarious and it uses their characters and story to their limits and then some. There’s a reason why this show won so many awards and so have Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin. 

Catch 30 Rock Thursdays at 9:30 pm on NBC or watch it online at Hulu.com. 

2) Samantha Who? (ABC) 

Samantha Who? stars’ Christina Applegate, as  woman who after having an accident wakes up with amnesia to learn that she’s not close to her family, only has one real friend, her ex hates her and that she was a complete bitch. Now, she’s trying to make amends while figuring out who she really is. The show is really funny and the characters are all screwed up one way or the other. Samantha’s two friends Andrea (Jennifer Esposito) and Dena (Melissa McCarthy) act, respectively, as her evil angel/ good angel on her shoulders. I have to say that Jennifer Esposito’s performance is truly outstanding. As good/evil Samantha will say: “give it a go, give a try – or bitch don’t bother and let me be”

Catch Samantha Who? Thursday at 8:30pm on ABC or watch it online at www.abc.com

1) Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles

As everyone else has done already, let’s forget that Terminator 3 existed. Now imagine you have watched Terminator 2  - which you probably already did with the new Terminator movie: Terminator Salvation coming out soon – and remember how great movie that was. Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles follows Sarah Connor and John Connor after the events of the second film as they continue to go underground and fight Skynet. A new terminator, Cameron (Summer Glau, shold win an award for her role, flawless) is sent to protect John (Thomas Dekker). It’s easy to assume that a show called Terminator, will feature a “terminator of the week” on every episode and it’s my duty to let you know that they don’t. The show is smart, fast paced and pushes the terminator mythology to a great lengths. This show, also shows us (no pun) how John Connor went from the John on Terminator 2 to the leader of the resistance and the influence that Sarah (a fantastic Lena Headey), his mom,  has on him and what she would do to protect him.

If you are a Terminator fan or an action fan – even a drama one – you owe it to yourself to give this show a try. You are going to love it. 

Catch Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles Friday’s on FOX at 8pm or watch it online at Hulu.com

Honorable Mentions: 

Gossip Girl (CW)

The only reason I didn’t make this show #1 on this list, is because as I’ve mentioned before on: The Nielsen Ratings Will Kill Your Favorite Show, the CW and show producers have recognized, Gossip Girl is followed mostly online on the CW website.

Better Off Ted (ABC)

The show is brand new – only three episodes have aired – and it doesn’t have a fate yet to be decided (as the other ones do). This show is a “corporate-comedy” where this corporation (think General Electric GE) creates all sorts of technology to improve your life (and some that don’t). Stars Jay Harrington and Portia di Rossi.

Today, Tuesday April 7, 2009, Vermont legalized Gay Marriage, joining three other states, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Iowa. Iowa  legalized gay marriage earlier this week, being the first Midwestern state to grant gay marriage rights. 

Vermont is the first state to grant gay marriage by a legislature vote (guess they read my post: Gays are Destroying the Sanctity of Marriage. Really?)  , Vermont was also the first state to grant civil-union rights. 

“The House recorded a dramatic 100-49 vote — the minimum needed — to override Gov. Jim Douglas’ veto. Its vote followed a much easier override vote in the Senate, which rebuffed the Republican governor with a vote of 23-5.”  Vermont legalizes gay marriage with veto override, Los Angeles Times. 

Will this give a much needed fuel to California to override Proposition 8? We’ll have to wait and see, but hopefully it will.

Tim Gunn (left) and Heidi Klum (right). Hosts of Project Runway

After announcing last year that the 5th season of Project Runway would be the last season aired on Bravo – because it would move to Lifetime – all hell broke loose and the status of one of the best reality shows out there was unknown.

Today NBC universal announced that the lawsuit had been settled and the 6th Season will air – on Lifetime! 

A statement released today by NBC Universal explained how the lawsuit was resolved: 

NBC Universal, The Weinstein Company and Lifetime have resolved their disputes. . . The Weinstein Company will pay NBCU for the right to move Project Runway to Lifetime. All of the parties are pleased with the outcome.”

What do you think? Will you still watch? And on Lifetime?