The Mayhem Papers

When the video started, I immediately recognized it as the Haka, a traditional Maori dance. Where did I first see this? At the Pacific Islands night we had showcasing the cultures of our members from that area. Good times.

Way to get in the face of an old lady!

The Onion has really been knocking it out of the park lately with their dings on both sides of the party lines.

Cindy McCain Claims She’s “Just Like Any Other Female Human”

That one was my favorite until this gem came along:

Obama Win Causes Obsessive Supporters To Realize How Empty Their Lives Are

Also, take the time to read this short post, it’s hilarious.

I know there are some people that read this site that just don’t “get” video games.  Well, my dear daughter Zoë wants to display her approval of Fallout 3.

It may not be apparent from the angle, but she is wearing the box.

What can you do with a tent lantern and a blue balloon?  Create a cheap Tony Stark costume.  Granted, if you haven’t seen Iron Man this won’t make a lot of sense to you, but it amuzes me to no end.

Of course since I wore this to the church party only the kids  and maybe about 10% of the adults recognized what the costume was.

Meet Sackboy, the star of the upcomming game LittleBigplanet.  A game that revolves around user created content and a sense of community.  How can you not love this little guy?  Right now, Sony might not feel a lot of love for the adorable scamp.

On Thursday the 16th, a person (who had obtained the game before the initial release date) made a post on the Playstation forums saying that the background music of one level contained two verses of the Koran in it.  He further went on to say that “as a Muslim” he was deeply offended by this and asked Sony to release a patch that removed the music from the game.  Sony’s reaction?  They immediately recalled every disc of the game they had shipped and rushed to print new copies.  So now the game that was supposed to be in stores tomorrow will not see the shelves for another two weeks.

On the surface, this isn’t that big a deal.  Sure people will have to wait another couple weeks for one of the most highly anticipated games of the year.  Not that big a deal.  What I find troubling is the underlying issue:  Sony’s alarmist reaction to the complaint.

In 2007, the Church of England took offense to Sony using the Manchester Cathedral in Resistance: Fall of Man.  This was a huge issue for the church and it was even discussed in the British Parliament.  Sony’s ultimate response?  Basically they told the church to shove it.  So now, a year later 1 person complained “as a Muslim” and they are falling all over themselves to correct the “issue”.  So what’s the difference here?  Did Sony learn a lesson from the troubles they had last year?  Or is it another case of over reaction because someone said the “M word”?

I find it offensive as a rational, thinking human being that we’re so quick to be tolerant of intolerant acts.  Everyone is so afraid of offending anyone that everything is becoming watered down on the off chance we might hurt someone’s feelings.  When do we start passing out the soma?

Is Sony actually concerned about offending a religious group?  The Church of England issues would indicate that isn’t a concern.  Are they actually more worried about violent outbursts by “Muslim extremist”?

I think as a society we are slowly hanging ourselves with a rope of political correctness.

Update

M. Zuhdi Jasser, president of the non-profit American Islamic Forum for Democracy said, “Muslims cannot benefit from freedom of expression and religion and then turn around and ask that anytime their sensibilities are offended that the freedom of others be restricted.

“The free market allows for expression of disfavor by simply not purchasing a game that may be offensive.”

Good for him to make a public statement about the issue.  Of course, I really don’t think this will change any of the ridiculous behavior we have seen and will continue to see around over-accommodation for Muslims.  But it’s a start.

I recently took Parker in to the guys at (the always excellent) Mustang Fever.  I have been needed to get the rear differential replaced for some time.  Being that it was 43 years old, it was a little rusty inside.  Because of this, it would make a somewhat annoying whine whenever the car would go over 35mph.

While I was taking it in, I decided I would go ahead and get the new headers and exhaust system put in.  The goal of this was to increase airflow within the engine.  More specifically, to give the air an easier way to get out of the engine.  The added benefit of this is that I could put a new muffler on the car and give it a more aggressive tone.

All I can say is, “Mission Completion”!

As soon as I drove out of the shop and hit the accelerator, I noticed a tremendous difference.  There was a marked increase in pick up and well, it now sounded more like an actual muscle car.  Don’t get me wrong, there is still a ways to go with the car, but it’s definitely getting there.

I have to admit, at one point the engine roar did make me cackle in a not un-mad scientist manner.

I happened to look out my window a bit ago (while thinking about wording for a document) to see an older Ford Escort pull over to the side of the road.   A girl got out of the passenger side door and started pulling papers out of a brown box (or maybe a book) and throwing them onto the grass on the side of the road.  After doing this about 4 times, she finally hucked said box (or book) into the grass and then got back in the car and drove off.

Kinda surreal.

The punch line of this installment of the always funny “Order of the Stick” sounds like a conversation that could very well go on at our house.  No, I’m not saying that Maryanne is a balding old man, but in this case she definitely has that same mindset.