Four Brand New Games in the Works

It has been a while since I have done a video game blog, and my audience usually isn't the type of audience that goes for that type of thing, so I wanted to warn you all that if you are not fans of video games you have every right to turn away for the next four blogs and join back in future.

For those that are interested the four games are:

1.)  Civilization V: Gold Edition

2.)  Grand Theft Auto IV

3.) Football Manager 13

4.)  Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

I may do some others on DotA 2, Team Fortress 2, and Just Cause 2, but I downloaded them and then stopped playing them just as fast.

My Last Essay from Sociology

So this is my last essay from my Prejudice and Discrimination class.  I think I did a good job even though I only had a day to complete it.  I guess that is how the teacher tested us to see if we payed attention to the different theories surrounding the topic.  I hope you all enjoy it and remember I enjoy comments, even if you want to give me a negative critique I will learn from them.

Muslim Americans

To be Muslim in America today is not an easy thing.  On September 11, 2001 one of the worst orchestrated terrorist attacks came at the hands of Islamic fundamentalist group Al Qaida.  This group has origins in Arabia which has led to manly believing that all Muslims are Arab, which in turn has led to many to think that all Arabs are terrorists.  The truth is that terrorists make up such a minute part of the Muslim population that to say that all Muslims are terrorists is extremely inaccurate.  According to the textbook “Racial and Ethnic Groups” of the Muslims in America 20-42% are African American, 24-33% are South Asian, 15-22% are white/Hispanic, and only 12-32% are actually of Arab descent.

            According to Schaefer there are 5 characteristics of sub ordinance which lead to further subordination from the dominant group.  The first characteristic is the experience of unequal treatment.  Since September 11^th Muslim Americans have experienced a loss of constitutional rights.  When the US government passed the Patriot Act, suspected terrorists can be imprisoned without trial indefinitely.  With racial profiling in practice this tends to affect Muslims and Arabs more than any other group today.  The second characteristic is a shared physical or cultural characteristic.  The Qur’an, the holy book of Islam, is written in Arabic and through education and religious practice most can speak and or at least understand the Arabic language.  The third characteristic is involuntary membership.  Even though Islam is a religion and can be thought of as voluntary, the way Muslims are treated and perceived gives them an involuntary membership into a subordinate group.  The fourth characteristic is a strong sense of group solidarity.  The rigid doctrine of Islam, which involves Friday services, strict diet, and obligatory prayer, leads to a sense of community within the group.  The continued prejudices towards the followers of Islam take the sense of community and make it stronger.  The final characteristic of a subordinate status is in-group marriage.  In the Muslim tradition Muslims must marry Muslims.  This means that one must be part of the faith or convert to the faith in order to marry a member of the faith.

            There are two theories that can explain why Muslim Americans are placed in a subordinate status.  The first is called Social Learning Theory, which states that people learn from one another in a social setting.  In other words what people initially believe and embrace comes from observing the behaviors and attitudes of others.  After September 11^th the media covered the Arab world concentrating on terrorist activities, and the perceived threat of the Islamic religion.  This media coverage placed a lot of prejudices and stereotypes in people’s minds.  These prejudices are then passed onto others through the Social Learning Theory.

            The other theory that could explain the subordination of Muslim Americans is the normative theory.  This theory states that norms, which are behavioral expectations, are situational and socially constructed.  Anything that goes against social norms is usually mistrusted and those breaking norms are placed into a subordinate status.  The norms that dominate American culture have deep roots in our forefather’s Christian roots.  The Islamic faith is very different from the Christian norms of today.  It encompasses a Sabbath on Friday instead of Sunday, five obligatory prayers towards the holy city of Mecca, strict moral codes, as well as a diet that forbids alcohol, swine, and any substance that could prevent one from practicing their faith.  Because of these differences many view people of the Islamic faith as a threat to their very way of life.

            The future is not as bleak as the current situation makes it appear, in fact the future could be bright for Muslim Americans.  Most have a strong familial structure, which provides a strong support system within the home.  There is a strong emphasis on education, with many college graduates and post graduates within the community.  Many new immigrants have upper college degrees and are a viable resource to the American Labor Force.  According to “Racial and Ethnic Groups” many Muslims have set up companies and businesses in America that have become very successful and play an important role in the American economy.  The aspects of the Muslim faith which help lead to a subordinate status help build strong communities which look out for one another.  All these aspects help strengthen Muslim Americans and in the future could help them rise above their current status of subordination.

If you have reached this point you have read my essay.  I hope that you enjoyed it, maybe learned a bit from it, and that it at least put things in perspective.  Thank you for reading.

Critical response 2

I wrote this paper for class and thought I would share it with everyone.  Yes I tried to be as accurate with the amount of information that I could but I thought it would be fun to put it on the internet so that I can share with everyone.  I have blocked out some of the names and locations to protect those that do not want to be found.  I ask my family that they read over this paper and let me know if I made any mistakes so that I might be able to fix them and give the correct story.  Thank you.

Steven Olsen

Prejudice and Discrimination

C.R. #2

                In my life I have been placed in a spot of preferred treatment as well as a place of being prejudiced against.  My family comes from two main regions; the British Isles for my mother’s side of the family, and Denmark for my father’s side of the family.  Having my roots where they are I am part of the White Anglo-Saxon Protestant majority of the United States.  I also come from a Mormon background, and when my father passed, a household headed by a single female.  These life experiences have put me in a subordinate status to some, from an at risk child in the school systems to just being prejudiced against for my religion.  My family’s migration story puts me in a majority while the religious culture puts them in a minority.

            My mother’s family history is one of preferential treatment for the most part.  There is one line in our family tree that can be traced back to the 1300s.  This line has been linked to the Kings and Queens of England, which puts them in a socially dominant class.  The immigration of this family came in waves, where the first waves came in the 1600s landing in the New England area and the Jamestown settlements.  I had family that fought on both sides of the American Revolution with some of them returning to England after the war, only to return to the states after the civil war. 

            In the 1800s my family joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (the Mormons) and through increased discrimination they started the movement west.  They were kicked out of many settlements and states because of their faith.  Things got bad for my family when their church leaders were assassinated at the hands of a lynch mob and their house of worship was burned down.  They continued west beyond the U.S. borders, after the Mormon Extermination Act was enacted in Missouri, which eventually took them into Utah where they finally found some peace from persecution.

            My father’s side of the family has a different immigration story all together.  It started with Henning Olsen-Ungermann leaving Åstrop Denmark in 1861 to come to the United States.  He and his family had to leave Denmark when they converted to the United States, which was illegal under Danish law and the Church of Denmark (Den Danske Folkekirke).  Henning lost most of his family on the journey to the United States including all but one child and his wife.  He buried his wife in Nebraska where the people that he hired to dig the grave took all his money because of his inability to speak and understand English.  He made his way to Utah where he married a young woman he met on the boat to America.  A little later the church called (told) him to take a second wife, polygamy is no longer legal practice within the church but its legacy leads to much prejudice still today.  It is from this second wife that my family comes from.

            My familial background places me right on the edge of dominant and subordinate status in America.  My roots are in the White Anglo-Saxon Protestant (WASP) majority which places me in the socially dominant group.  I will not have a problem finding work, housing, or education.  This privilege lasts until my religious background comes up.  Once people learn about my Mormon background those around me tend to guard their conversations, I am no longer invited out with these people, and am a part of the group but always on the outside.  Comments like “I can only socialize with one Mormon at a time” and “How many wives will you take?” though meant in jest are constantly being said, which is a way to keep those of this faith in a subordinate status.  This cultural group that I am a part of gives me a subordinate status, though I will never know what it is like to be a person of color, a female, or a homosexual; I try and continue to try and treat all people as people and try to avoid placing anybody in a subordinate status.  I can relate to both sides of subordination, I am a member of the majority with a subordinate grouping within that majority.  

One Final out of the Way!!!!!

It is really not like me to pat my own back, or do anything like that, but I am officially done with Gen. Chem. Lab.  Woo Hoo.... It was a semester of doing more math than I thought I liked, calculations of molarity, titration, purity, and yield kept me on my toes.  From experiment one which was basic calculations to the last experiment which involved natural logarithmic functions and basic molecular kinetics, I am not a physicist so these were hard, it is over.

Now it is on to cellular biology and discrimination in contemporary society.  Woo Hoo Anthropology here I come.

Weekly Update

So another week has come and gone, and I am into the swing of finals week.  I have picked up a few more games to try out and review, as well as a book that I will be reviewing in a couple of days/weeks.  The biggest thing is that I don't have as much time to do things for this blog when I have so much to do in the real world.

1. I wrote a little about the Defiance world a little while ago, so far both the game and the series are coming together quite nicely.  The new patch has changed a lot, and the server problems that the game experiences after a new patch are making it hard to play and get into it.

2. My World of Warcraft account got hacked and I have not logged in because I am too lazy to reset my password and see what kind of damage was done to my account.

3.  Sims 3:  My new favorite.  I will always have a soft spot for the Sims, and will write a quick review in a couple days about the expansion packs that I have and what I like/dislike about them.

4.  The Host:  I avoided reading this book for a very long time and now that I am half through it I am looking forward to finishing so I can tell you all about it.

5. Chemistry:  I have a lab final and the ACS final coming up in the next two weeks.  I will be working my butt off to get these done and get good grades on them.  I will let you all know about those in the future as well.

6. Life- we have a new dishwasher and dryer now, and they are amazing.

That is what is on tap for the future and I look forward to writing about most of these items.  I hope all my readers are having fun reading my updates and I look forward to giving you updates in the future.

Defiance the Game

To go on with my current path of thought I felt I should write my early impressions of the game "Defiance".  So far it is an interesting idea, with great voice actors, and incredible graphics.  The world is well made and missions are straight forward with a clear objective in mind.

The Good:
Graphics- I got so lost in the game last night that I forgot that I was straining my eyes at a computer screen and not actually in the action.

Story Line- The story line follows another aspect of the show.  Instead of St. Louis you are in San Francisco and following the plights of the people there.

Controls- Playing on the PC I can say that the controls are pretty easy.  Buttons to walk, run, jump, crouch, etc... as well as the mouse movement that points your weapon and lets you click to shoot.  The only negative is the movement of vehicles but I'll get to that in a bit.

Actors-  The speech and dialogue is for the most part on key with what is going on in the game.  The voice actors they hired are incredible and the sound mixing seems to be flawless.

Price- I know that $60 is a bit pricey for a game.  Especially for those that don't have expendable incomes, but this is a good thing because, as of now the servers are free.  There is no subscription for the servers and the one time payment is not bad compared to the constant subscription fees of other MMO games.  My hope is that they are able to continue the free servers, but we'll have to wait and see how the game reacts once more players are playing it.

The Okay-

MMO-  This is a question mark for me as I have not joined a "clan", really grouped up with anyone, or done any co-op maps.  What I can say is that it is nice to have four or five other players going for the same objective since some of the bosses are difficult to handle on your own.

PvP-  This will be covered in two places, here and further down the page.  If you like the Halo style, run and gun, with limited skill..... this game is for you.  If you want something a little more lifelike I would stay away from PvP.

The Bad-

Server-  This game has instances that happen real time anywhere in the world.  These instances draw anywhere from 2 to 25 people to them and once all those people come together the lag starts to happen.  (I guess this is one of the drawbacks of having a free server).  The cut scenes are flawless but the load rate on some of the heavier populated portions of the world cause skipping, or jarring in the graphic quality.  My suggestion play late at night, or during the day when all the kiddies are at school or asleep.

The Ugly-

Mobs- There is limited artificial intelligence to this game.  The bosses stand in the open but are so nerfed that they take forever to kill, the mobs don't coordinate and just fire blindly into your character.  The worst part is that they hit you every time, no matter how much you dodge, cover, hide, etc...  The mobs accuracy is impeccable.

PvP-  I told you this would be covered here again.  The matchmaking is a little off on this game.  Something I know the developers are trying to iron out but it makes the game not very interesting when you are going up against someone not only a higher level, but with such good gear that you stand no chance in open combat.  Best bet is to duck and kite those players but right now PvP is more broken than World of Warcraft which is saying something.



I hope that you all like the review.  I actually think I would recommend this game to anyone that wants to give it a try.  It is not a must have but definitely fun and worth a look into.  I plan on playing this game throughout the television season and will write updates to this blog as new patches and content is released.  I hope that it continues to keep my attention but we'll see how things go.

It has Been a long long time

For the amount of time I think about making posts here, compared to the amount of time actually posting here, this thing should be way full of everything.  Unfortunately time and resources create a lag in actually following through on my plans.  I decided today that I would start posting on this again and make it worth reading for any and all that may be intrigued by the what I have to say.  Since I left you last I have started to embrace my inner nerd.  I have played my World of Warcraft, I have read some comic books, some science fiction, and even started to watch a new show called Defiance.  On top of all these extracurricular activities, I have been going to school, working two jobs, and hitting stress levels that should not be hit by anybody at any time.  I think I would like to take this post and turn it into a review of SyFy's new TV show "Defiance".

Defiance: my thoughts and reactions:

There is a lot of mumbling from the community at large that there is not enough back story, that the use of terraforming creates a misconception of the actual events,and even that the character development sucks.  I am going to disregard all these comments being made and tell you what I have seen.

The show is very complex.  There are too many different types of races/cultures in the show, which leads to a very complex back story.  I am not too worried about this not being covered in the pilot, especially since the show has a bit of time to develop the story as it runs.  The idea of a video game that tells half the story as well as a series that tells the other half is amazing to me.  If they can do it right this could be either a great success, or a terrible failure.  As far as the characters, from what I have seen so far (two episodes) the main character has a lot of depth and intrigues me. He is a war veteran, drifter, and likes to live on the edge of society.  He is also somebody that stands up for what is right and will not back down from wrong actions in any way.  As far as the female lead, I do not know.  I think nobody knows about her at all, she is someone that continues to elude words.  She comes off as rash, and for lack of another word, "Bitchy".  But she may be the key to all that may lay ahead for the series.  The look and feel of the show is great.  There seems to be a great budget which makes the show feel real, and believable.  The one draw back is that SyFy is known for ruining shows, and cancelling them too early (Battlestar, Caprica, Eureka, etc...)  this could cause problems for the soon to be loyal fan base this show will eventually draw.

The potential is huge, the budget is too large, and the actors are great.  All equations for a quick cancellation by the money hording directors at Syfy. I hope they prove me wrong, but who knows.  I will continue to add blurbs as things come to me through watching this show.  I will also do a quick review of the game, which I sadly bought after watching the pilot.

More to come soon, as well as a review on "The Host" once I finish reading that.  I see big things for this blog and will do my best to keep it as up to date as I can do so.

Happy Searching ladies and gentlemen.