Text Message Hoax

This has to be one of those cases in which  ‘ignorance  is bliss.’  For when I went to a local grocery store  yesterday,  I did not know about the text  message  that has caused  much stress, strife and even paranoia to the public.

Had  I known about the message,   even though   it  was a hoax,  I may have been a bit apprehensive.

It was  a   text message  warning people not to go to  Walmart  because of a gang initiation  that supposedly would have involved  the shooting of three women  at random.

Although  the text message    has been deemed   a  hoax,    apparently a few more venues, such as  Target and even your local grocery store  have been added to the message.  The most recent  shopping venue to be added to the list is the Mall.

One would think that in this day  in which many people are  still a little paranoid  about the 911 attacks, no one needs  this kind of  stress or fear. Especially in  a slumping economy.

I am certain that the powers that be at stores  like:  Walmart, Target and your chain of grocery stores are not happy about the sales they lost as a result of this  hoax  text message that supposedly originated  in Delaware .

And  I,  like most people,  do not like living  in fear.   I hope the authorities find this person who sent the hoax of a message   that  instilled  fear  in many people and  may have even caused  a  bigger    financial  divide  in  an  already damaged   economy.

Feeling Inadequate About Your Beauty? It Might Be That Barbie Doll…

The Barbie  Doll has been  around for fifty  years. Physical  beauty has been around since man  first discovered  he could see his own reflection  in a clear running stream or river.

Return to the present where and according to a news report, a Virginia  Democrat,  Jeff  Eldridge  has proposed a bill to ban the sale of Barbie dolls and other dolls like her. Mr. Eldridge does not want girls to grow up feeling inadequate about their physical beauty or lack there of.

Mr. Eldridge, wake up and take a look around you, most young girls are already  feeling pretty sensitive about their physical beauty. It’s in the movies they watch or the television shows they tune in to.

If you want to propose a bill to ban the sale of Barbie Dolls and other dolls like her, you might  as well also propose a bill to ban cable  television and  the movies, because  it’s all over.

Banning the sale of Barbie dolls is one thing, but what’s to stop a girl from feeling inadequate about her  physical beauty when everyday and night  Hollywood actresses with the skinny, beautiful look come into the homes of these young girls through television or DVDs, magazines, etc.  Oh and let’s not forget the cinema/movie  theatre.

On a personal note, I understand Mr. Eldridge’s concern. But a girl, any girl  should not need a Barbie doll or  a stunning actress to make her feel  a certain way about her own appearance.

All she needs is herself and the love she has for herself  to feel adequate about her physical beauty.

Legacy Of Ys (Ease) Comes To Nintendo DS/DS Lite

When   I first learned that these couple of games were coming to the Nintendo DS/DS Lite on one game  card,  I was  ecstatic. So ecstatic, that I pre-ordered a copy, watched some videos of previous computer and Turbo Grafix versions of the games while I waited and the more videos I watched, the more impatient I became.

Because  Legacy  Of  Ys Books I And II  are  a great  couple of  games  to have in one’s RPG video game collection, judging from the videos I watched, that is. Finally, the day when the games were released came and I began to play mine.

Now considering that I have watched some videos of  earlier  versions of these games, this article is not so much a comparison/contrast, but more of a plain run through  of the story, gameplay and so on.

First, of course, I began  with Book I. At once reminding me of a typical Zelda title, Adol, the game’s  hero is washed up on shore, unconscious and is taken to the local clinic by a young  man,  Slaghf.

Adol, a red haired  dude, wakes up some time later  convinces everyone that he is well and sets about the adventure. He learns that he is in the land of  Ys, (Ease) where some strange  events have been taking place lately. First of all, the Six Books Of Ys have suddenly disappeared.

And as RPGs go,  you can be certain that is the quest Adol is now  on. He has to find the six books. And even though you will find  clear  graphics and sound effects in the Nintendo DS/DS Lite version, there is no voice acting.

Another aspect I found interesting, was that the games are designed to give you hints about what to do next or where to go  after the completion of each quest.  Although they are not as long and involved as a Final Fantasy epic, you can finish these games in less than say, fifteen to twenty hours.

Book I, for instance, has  eight  areas to explore.  Three towns:  Barbado,  Minea, Zeptik, a Temple, an underground  dungeon close to the temple, a Thieves’ Den, a mine, and the final area, a tower known as Darm Tower. (Pun probably intended as  Darm Tower is  a pretty long area.)

But don’t be fooled here by how brief the games are  though.  Once you start playing them, you will discover that there is a lot to do, find and you may even end up rescuing  a person or two.

Come and help Adol restore order to the world of  Esteria in the land of Ys as he rams into enemies to defeat them, uses a little magic  and even talks to beasts  in Book II. You will enjoy  the two games in one Nintendo DS/DS Lite game card.

And if you are fortunate enough to get the  game’s music soundtrack CD with your purchase, yes, even the music is super. Both games are playable with the Nintendo DS/DS  Lite stylus, but I found it more enjoyable to play them using the D-Pad.

Rated  T for Teen,  for:

Animated Blood
Suggestive  Themes
Partial Nudity
Alcohol and Tobacco Reference
Mild  Violence
Mild Language