Bring Justice to Julian Collender - a plea to the public

On June 30, 2010, a man I was fortunate enough to have known for a short while was fatally shot and killed by the Brea Police Department in Orange County, CA. His name was Julian “Jules” Stanley Collender and he was 25 years old. I am writing to ask that you help me bring justice to Julian by signing the e-petition that can be found on http://justiceforjulian.com for a thorough, unbiased investigation in hopes that it will provide details of this tragic event.

...details provided after the jump

Gears of War 2

For you Gear-heads out there, Gears of War 2 made an appearance at a Microsoft press event held in San Francisco over the weekend. While the game's 2006 success and eminent sequel have been highly anticipated, some are thinking that perhaps the game is a wee bit...oh, violent. Some have even gone as far as question whether Microsoft has gone too far??

To give you a quick synopsis, the game takes place approximately six months after the end of the first Gears, and "humanity faces a new and more deadly threat from its Locust enemies." There's a deeper plot and more realistic visuals in the sequel, but what really raised some eyebrows was the gory reverse groin-split scene. What? Apparently, "Gears 2 adds a reverse attack that actually slices an enemy in half -- from the groin upwards." Yikes.

Without a doubt, regular gamers on Xbox 360 Live will appreciate the new effects and enhanced graphics, and Microsoft can already foresee the success of the game. Gears of War 2 is slated to be released in November and will probably be flying off the shelves by the time the holidays hit. Go here to read more about the game and press event.

Video games don't kill people - people kill people

Finally! No need to worry about your kid (or boyfriend) going on a ballistic shooting rampage in a corporation owned by Italian mob bosses. According to this Yahoo! Games article, a couple Harvard Med School brainies have found in a two-year study that kids/pre-teens/teens who have a "casual relationship" with violent video games will unlikely act out because of what they've seen or experienced in their games. The research has even been penned into a book aptly titled, Grand Theft Childhood: The Surprising Truth About Violent Video Games and What Parents Can Do. The authors suggest that parents should take a look at the bigger picture and find out what other factors are buggin' their kids out (e.g., they're being bullied at school, bad grades, or even obsessive gaming habits).

In other words, stop placing the blame on the games--that's bad parenting.