text:
Parents and games
Do you know what your children are playing with:
parents guide to computer games
by Christian Gittings and Jonathan Lapper
Computer games may seem harmless but are they this report sets out to guide parents in making their own minds up about computer games and wither it is right to give their children
this report gives also a over view of what on the computer games market today.
This report started out as a project while working at De Montfort University's CCSR (centre for computers and social responsibility) on a placement
Genre in games
There are a number of genres available on the game market today below is a list of them
Action games today are based on different areas, there could be action and adventure game in which the user takes control of a character and fight through many different levels using different strategies and ideas to help overcome different aspects of the game.
There is an also first person shooter action game in which the player utilises the first person view and gets to actually feel like they are the main character as they go through the different levels.
Hack and Slash
(not suitable for children)
This type of game is just what the title says the player goes around the levels hacking and slashing through the enemies using different weapons and techniques, as the player goes around the levels his weapons or abilities could become stronger but then the enemies also become stronger. This game will appeal to those who want a lot of action fast as there will always be something to fight around the next corner.
Fighting games allow the player to fight there computer opponent using a variety of different characters with different special moves, the player will fight others using there fists or a variety of different weapons, this type of game can be quite violent and contain blood which could be unsuitable for younger gamers
A platform game allows the player to take control of a character or characters and use them to solve puzzles and fight through the levels to a certain goal. The puzzles could be quite easy at first and become quite difficult at the end of the game so try to think carefully about how you are going to solve each puzzle don't jump in and hope
Sport games are the sports games and events you see on television from the athletics, Olympics to football and rugby there is a sport game to suit most players. To name a few of the sports that are available there is football, where you can choose your favourite team and take control and beat the computer or even your friends. Football not your thing then maybe snooker games will interest you where you take control of the player and try to line up the shots just like the professionals. There are many other types of sports games that are available such as American football, athletics, baseball, basketball, boxing, cricket, pool and wrestling to name a few. If you enjoy sports you are bound to find one you like.
Strategy games make the player use there minds to control there own forces to conquer the enemy, build your forces, build your city and protect your people in a war of minds. Real time strategy games allow you to experience the battles as they would normally happen at a good pace, but for the starter users to this genre of game this format maybe a bad idea as they could be conquered before they have even begun to play. Turn based strategy games allow the opponents to make moves in turns allow each to build up a force and try to attack the other when they want.
Role playing
Role playing games, allow the user to create there own character and play it in a world of mythical beasts and monsters, as they battle these monsters and complete different missions there characters start to become more powerful and find more valuable items in which the player can use. There is some different types of Role playing game, there is your normal role playing in which the player can play by them selves and advance through the story at there own pace, and then there is the MMO (Massive Multi Online) This means that there is many players from around the world playing on this game in which you can interact and join forces to conquer the different monsters. This type of game usually requires a subscription charge as there is new content being released for it on a regular basis
Adult(18+) and Mature(17+)
(not suitable for children)
Adult based games are the games that are not suitable for children under the age of 18; they sometimes contain sex, rape, references to drugs, nudity (even full frontal nudity in some games), bad language, violence and murder. These games are for the adult generation only.
The Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia on the internet says this about these games http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_and_video_game_genres last accessed 27th jan 2006 says this about adult games and nudity
"Adult video like adult movies or other media, are intended for an adult audience. There exists a wide variety of adult games, though many lack mainstream appeal and represent a niche category. The object of an adult game may differ from a mainstream video game or computer game, in that the reward can be a visual representation of nudity, partial nudity, or sexual activity rather than points, etc".
The Parents Television council looked into "M" or Mature rated games here is what they came up with, taken from their website http://www.parentstv.org/ptc/videogames/reviews/maturegames.asp last accessed 27th Jan 2006
"Conker: Live and Reloaded (Xbox) – Release Date June 2005 Blood and Gore, Mature Humour, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Use of Drugs and Alcohol
Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening (PS2) – Blood, Suggestive Themes, Violence
Metal Gear Series (PS2, Xbox, Game cube, PC) Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Language, Sexual Themes
Nocturne (PS2, PC) – Blood, Intense Violence, Language, Sexual Themes
Outlaw Golf (PS2, PC) – Crude Humour, Language, Sexual Themes, Violence
Rumble Roses (PS2) – Sexual Themes, Violence
Halo 2 (Xbox) – Blood and Gore, Violence, Language
Half-life 2 (PC) Blood and Gore, Violence
KillZone (PS2) – Blood, Strong Language, Violence
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (Sony PS2, PC) Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs.
Mortal Kombat: Deception Blood and Gore, Intense Violence
Doom 3 Blood and Gore, Intense Violence
PSI OPS: The Mindgate Conspiracy Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language
Playboy: The Mansion (PC, PS2, Xbox) – Nudity, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Alcohol
The Guy Game (PS2, Xbox) – Crude Humor, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Alcohol
Singles: Flirt up your Life (PC) – Partial Nudity, Strong Sexual Content
Leisure Suit Larry: Magna cum Laude (PC, PS2, Xbox)- Mature Humor, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Alcohol
BloodRayne 2 (PC, PS2, Xbox)- Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language
Fight Club (PC, PS2, Xbox)- Blood, Intense Violence, Language
Fable (Xbox) – Blood, Strong Language, Violence
Def Jam Series (Nintendo Gamecube, PS2, Xbox) – Blood, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Violence"
Drive3r – A run-of-the-mill storyline with far more violence than heart, buggy coding and abysmal game play make this game a poor choice for kids in almost every respect.
Ninja Gaiden (Xbox) – For Blood and Gore, Violence
Judge Dredd: Dredd vs. Death (Nintendo Gamecube, PC, PS2, Xbox) – For Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language
Resident Evil Series – For Blood and Gore, Intense Violence
Manhunt (Sony PS2) – For Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language.
Quote from http://ps2.gamezone.com/
"As a quick note to parents who are reading this, I know that sometimes the overall thought can be well, I know it has an M rating but it's just a game. Trust me on this one ? kids under 17 should not be allowed to be anywhere around this game, and it contains scenes of some of the most disgusting killings that I have seen either in movies or in a game, not to mention being filled with more four letter words than you'd care to shake a stick at. If you've got kids, this is one of those titles that they should never know that you own."
True Crime (Xbox, Sony PS2, Gameboy Advance) – For Blood and Gore, Mature Sexual Themes, Partial Nudity, Strong Language, Violence.
Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne (PC CD-ROM, Sony PS2, Xbox) – For Blood, Intense Violence, Mature Sexual Themes, Strong Language.
Road Kill (Xbox, Sony PS2, Nintendo Gamecube) – for Intense Violence, Mature Sexual Themes, Strong Language.
Outlaw Volleyball (Xbox) – For Mature Humor, Mild Violence, Suggestive Themes.
Postal 2 ( PC ) Rated M for Blood/Gore, Violence. This game is so violent, so racist and homophobic, that four countries are already considering banning it because players can gruesomely kill African-Americans, Priests and gays. You can also slaughter animals and cops. The first Postal has been banned by at least seven countries.
Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball (Xbox) – For Nudity, Voyeurism, and Gambling. Read Review
Soldier of Fortune 2 ( PC, Xbox) Rated M for Blood and Gore, Violence.
BMX XXX (Nintendo Gamecube, Xbox, Sony PS2, Nintendo Gameboy) – This may look like an ordinary biking game but it is the first sports game to carry an M rating and feature strippers, public urination, The producers of the game brag that it is chock full of violence, nudity, and swearing.
Dead to Rights (Nintendo Gamecube, Sony PS2,) Nudity, Voyeurism, and Gambling
Hitman 2: Silent Assassin Gamecube, PC CD-ROM, Sony PS2 ,Xbox) – For Blood, Strong Sexual Content, Violence
The Getaway (Sony PS2) – For Blood, Drug Reference, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Violence".
You can see from the contents of some of these games above, how bad these games really are.
The driving genre of game allows the player to get behind some of the fastest cars available, they are able to customize there own cars and race to win money, the player is also able to race his friends. The game play is fast and furious as you try to win all the races to get the best vehicles you can without crashing the car you are currently using. There are a some different sub categories of the driving genre of game such as the action racing which enables you to go as fast as you can to try and win different races and goals while doing as little damage to your own car as possible. Flight games allow the player to take control of the sky as they fly planes in the simulator or do battle in air to air dog fights. There is also motorbike racing for the player who doesn't like the idea of driving a car they can race on a motorbike against other players.
The driving genre of games are not always about racing there is some games that are about crashing cars, car chases and stealing cars so the driving genre is quite large and will appeal to many different users. Some of these games involve driving at speeds on the public highway, this encourages people to do the same in real life, games that do that are not very helpful to society as a whole, but on the other hand driving games help people to learn to drive.
Simulation games allow the player to actually do the things they never thought they could do, such as fly a plane, drive a train, build there own city or even run there own amusement park. These simulations may appear to some players but others may not be interested in the flying of a plane and be more of an action type of player.
Activity games are for the younger games players, it allows them to do different things with some characters they may know from Television or from out of the movies, these type of games help children learn different things and in different ways.
The classic range of games is the older version from each genre, for example do you remember the first sonic the hedgehog which is now on the Play station 2 along with his nemesis shadow the hedgehog, the classics range allows you to go back to the beginning and play the original games that made the new ones possible
there are a number of other different from the one above such as christian games, puzzles, card games and educational games all of which are very safe for children and grown ups a like and fun to play, there and also computer games based on board games such as cluedo, risk and chess to name a few.
Examples of games
World of Warcraft
Website: http://www.worldofwarcraft.com
Genre: Action and Role playing
Method of Play: The game uses the keyboard and mouse in which players can defeat different creatures and get different items while they advance levels.
World of Warcraft is a massively multi player online role playing game which means there are many different players around the world playing with or against you. There is a monthly fee to play this game but this fee allows the player to get new content to see new levels, monsters and items, this game can be very addictive and players may find it hard to stop, so if your child as a addictive personality it is not a good idea for your child to play this game, below are websites about being addicted to warcraft
- http://www.wikihow.com/Break-a-World-of-Warcraft-Addiction
- http://www.wowrecovery.com/
- http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/click_online/4887236.stm
The game itself is passed on two rival factions the alliance and the horde who are waging war against each other for control of the land. The player can battle dragons, ogres, hydras and other mythical creatures as they aid there friends or fight the enemy in this online game.
This game is in the Dungeons and Dragons family of games and has the same short of things and characters in it such as wizards, warlocks (male witches), priests (which can heal people) and warriors, many believe these games are bad as it opens you up to the occult, but as parents you need to do your own research and decide for your self wither you let your children play this game
Matrix Online
Website: thematrixonline.station.sony.com
Genre: Action and Role playing
Method of play: The game uses the keyboard and mouse in which players can complete missions and get different abilities as they advance levels.
The matrix online is a massively multi player online role playing game. The player is able to create there own character and fight through the levels and some missions that are written by the writers of the movies, during the game they are attacked by the agents and other players and can fight using various different techniques and manoeuvres.
Devil May Cry 3
Website: http://www.devilmaycry.com/home.html
Genre: Action and Adult and Hack and Slash
Method of play: The player uses a joystick based on the console they are playing the game on they have to press different buttons to make the character move and fight as they want.
The player takes on the roll of Dante a half demon and half human to fight the forces of darkness. During the game you will go through the levels trying to destroy the different creatures that are on each level. There is different style of fighting for the user in which they can utilize different skills and abilities depending on there own style of play.
The game has three different genres because it is an action game in which you are doing things a lot of the time such as killing the enemies. The hack and slash genre applies because you are using you sword or guns to destroy the enemy in different ways. Adult applies because it has blood and violence and maybe unsuitable for young children again this game could open you up to the occult because the main character being a demon in the website for the next game devil may cry 4 it invites people to "indulge in the demonic realm of devil may cry" which I don't think is a good idea.
Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire
Website: harrypotter.ea.com/
Genre: Action and Platform
Method of play: The player will use the joystick from the console they are playing on to control Harry Potter on his adventures.
Harry potter and the goblet of fire allows you to take control of Harry in his adventure as you battle the evil lord voldemort using different spells and solving different puzzles. The game also allows more then one player who can take control of Ron or Hermione.
The new game play allows you to cast more powerful spells then the previous games and also allows you to actually feel like you are in the movie as the characters are modelled by the actors who play them in the films.
The action and puzzle genre to the game means that you as the player are able to use the characters to defeat the monsters using the different spells but also think about solving the puzzles using the spells or items around the screen.
This game is also base on the books by J. K. Rowling and has the same sort of things in it such as wizards and spells, some would say Harry potty is a bad idea has the as the books and every from them i.e the games and films promote witchcraft and the occult among children as but as parents you need to do your own research and decide for your self wither you let your children play this game
"warning this site may contain screens of a violent nature, don't say we did not warn you!"
Website: http://www.rockstargames.com/manhunt/
Genre: Action and Adult
Method of play: The user can use the mouse or keyboard for the pc or the joystick of the console they are playing this game on.
Manhunt is an adult game in which the player takes control of the main character call Cash who has awoken in a very bad area; he has to go around the different levels killing people by any means necessary. There are many different weapons in which you can utilize to kill someone such as plastic bags, knives, guns etc these are all taken and used to kill another character in the game which is shown close up as you do it.
This game shouldn't be played by anyone who the described ages as it may offend easily due to the nature of the graphic content.
this game has been responsible for a number of real life deaths as the players have taken the game far too seriously and used its style of game play to murder other people and has been banned in both Austria and new Zealand Because of the violent content of the game (see the articles below).
in Video Violence Villain or victim: A review of the research evidence concerning media violence and its effects in the real world with additional reference to video games, by Dr Guy Cumberbatch: A report prepared for The Video Standards Council, found at http://www.videostandards.org.uk/sections/downloads/pdfs/Video%20Violence%202004.pdf Dr Cumberbatch says this abut the game Manhunt
"The Manhunt case came up when a 17 year old, Warren LeBlanc, pleaded guilty to murdering his 14 year old friend, Stefan Pakeerah who was stabbed and repeatedly beaten with a claw hammer. It became a major news story. The Daily Mail devoted its front page to the case with the headline MURDER BY PLAYSTATION and it received similar treatment elsewhere (e.g. Killing incited by video game. The Guardian 29th July). The essence of the story was that (a) the police had seized the video game Manhunt as evidence; (b) the murdered boy's father, Patrick, said the way Warren committed the murder this how the game was set out killing people using weapons like hammers and knives. There is some connection between the game and what he has done (c) Stefan's mother, Giselle, said I think I heard Warren's friends say that he was obsessed with the game. Most reports described Giselle as saying I heard rather than I think I heard. Only the local paper The Leicester Mercury (29th July) note that by the time of the trial, the police had decided that the game was not linked.
In the days and weeks following, the case continued to receive considerable media attention when Dixon's withdrew the game form all its stores, then Giselle Pakeerah announced that she was going to sue the game's manufacturer. For many newspapers, all this was taken as further proof of the game's guilt. But, from the outset, the story was hardly an open and shut case. The police had seized the game from the murdered boy's house and not the killer's (although Warren had lent the game to his friend). Perhaps the final word on Manhunt must be that given in court when Warren was sentenced to life imprisonment: The prosecution and defence barristers insisted at Leicester Crown Court that the video game played no part in the killing (The Leicester Mercury, 3rd September, 2004)."
Please see the news story on the BBC website:-
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/leicestershire/3936597.stm last accessed 27th Jan 2006
This is what the parents Television council say about the Manhunt game http://www.parentstv.org/ptc/videogames/reviews/maturegames.asp last accessed 27th Jan 2006
"A gory computer game has become the first video game banned in New Zealand.Manhunt, a computer game that encourages players to kill all in sight in a variety of wicked ways, was classified by New Zealand's Office of Film and Literature Classification on Friday as depicting horror, cruelty, crime and violence such that its availability would hurt the public good. Chief censor Bill Hastings said that although many computer games have become edgier, Manhunt goes further than any he's seen before. Manhunt's developer, Edinburgh, Scotland-based Rockstar North, is a division of the producers of Grand Theft Auto, Take-Two Interactive Software in New York. Take-Two is amidst a $246 million lawsuit filed in the United States by the families of two people shot by teenagers allegedly fuelled by the game's message ".
This game is about killing people for fun and is not good subject matter for a computer game
Leisure Suit Larry
Website: http://www.leisuresuitlarry.com
Genre: Adult and Platform,
In this game you play Larry a college student who is trying to get onto a TV dating show by making any girl on the campus fall for him. As you go around the levels you have different missions to try and make the girls fall in love with you, to do this you can get them drunk or help them around campus as they begin to fall for you, you will be able to see them in different sexual situations, this game contains scenes of nudity and of a sexual content. This game is just sexist and teaches people the treat women as objects which is bad because they are not.
Age of Empires 3
Website: www.ageofempires3.com/
Genre: Strategy and Action
The player uses the mouse and keyboard to enable them to construct there base and forces to enable them to become the victor in the battle ahead.
In this game the player is able to choose from a number of different countries such as England, France and Germany etc. These different countries each have there own pacific type of units and structures which allow them to build different things. The player builds up his town using different structures and soldiers, he has the maintain a good regiment of soldiers because as the game progresses the enemy you are playing against will begin to attack, this game requires thinking as you need to set the base up in such a way you can utilize the different items available to you.
This game is very good as it teaches children about strategy or how to think as the game is like chess, plus is gives a insight into history
Brothers in Arms, Earned in Blood
Website: http://www.brothersinarmsgame.com/us/index.php
Genre: Strategy, Action and Adult
Method of play: The player uses the keyboard and mouse to play this game, as they manoeuvre there troops using different commands.
The player takes control of a squad of soldiers during World War 2, as the commander of the squad you have to give your troops commands, such as cover fire, or assault the target and the troops will carry out your orders. The game has three different types of genre as it contains a lot of action such as the fighting and taking enemy positions, but also contains a lot of strategy in which the player has to think if they are doing the right thing for the troops and the adult genre because it contains blood and some scenes that maybe unpleasant for some players.
Prince of Persia the Two Thrones
Website: www.princeofpersiagame.com/us/index.php
Genre: Action and platform
In this game the player, is the Prince of Persia a gifted warrior who has travelled around the world searching for a way to stop the sands of time, upon returning to his home the sands are released and he is infected by them giving him two sides, the good prince who fights to help people and the dark prince who fights for himself. The game involves the player to try and solve different puzzles to do certain areas of the game so this type of game requires skill and quick thinking to help them defeat the different areas.
This game seems to contain lots of half naked people both male and female as they seem to be running their underwear so you have been warned check out the screen shots below and you will see what a mean.
Shadow the hedgehog
Website: http://www.sega.com/gamesite/shadow/base.html
Genre: Platform
Method of Play: Analogue Joystick
Shadow the hedgehog is a platform game, in which the player controls shadow as he embarks on a mission to get 7 emeralds to help him unlock his memory. As you progress through the game you have to decide of you will play the character evil by doing bad things or become a good guy by helping others. The platform system means that it's a scrolling 3D game this means you will be forced to move in one direction like other platform games to enable you to beat the different levels.
SoulCalibur 3
Website: soulcalibur3.namco.com/
Genre: Fighting and Action
Method of control: Analogue Joystick is used to controller your fighter as you do battle with other fighters.
SoulCalibur is an action fighting game, in which the player takes control of one of many different fighters utilizing there weapons and combos to defeat the opponents that may appear. The players are also able to create there own character and make he/she look as you wish and choose the weapons they can wield. This feature also opens up a new aspect of the game play in which the player can take there newly made character and level them up in the chronicles of the sword mode
Also in the game like Prince of Persia and other games the female characters look half naked
Roller Coaster Tycoon 3
Website: http://www.atari.com/rollercoastertycoon/europe/uk/ Genre: simulation
Method of play: mouse
The player takes on the role as a theme park owner, the aim of the game is to build and run a theme park, plus keep the guests happy and make them spend money and time in your park.
You can choose different rides to build you park with, or even build your own, and with the 3d graphics you can get on the ride and see what its like to ride, and then exchange it with other people on the website. This game is very good and teaches children about business
SimCity 4
Website: simcity.ea.com/
Genre: Simulation
Method of Play: The game uses the keyboard and mouse in which players can use to built and control the city.
In this game the player can take on the role of God or the mayor of the city, at the beginning of the game you take on the role as God creating mountains, gouge valleys, etc, to lay the groundwork for the players city. the player can build the city of their choose, using roads rail networks and even download famous buildings which they can use in their city,
After the player has built the city the player can take on the role as the mayor of the city controlling the finances and people of the city, and even charge the people in the city taxies. At any time during the game the player can set disasters on the city such as monsters, fires, twisters and volcanoes which can wreak havoc to the city.
This game is very good and teaches children how a city is run, plus how to think and solve with problems
Fifa 06
Website: fifa06.ea.com/
Genre: sport
Method of play: keyboard, joystick, analogue controller
Fifa 06 is a football game where you become the player or manager of a football team, the player of the computer game can personalize your football world the way you like it and set up matches with up to 8 people online.
This is what EA games say about the game from their website fifa06.ea.com/gameinfo/index.asp last accessed 7/2/06
"EA SPORTS FIFA 06 brings the TOTAL FOOTBALL experience to your fingertips. It delivers a combination of attacking game play, complete customization, pure authenticity and the deepest manager mode ever. Intuitive game play enables you to command every move of your player with pinpoint accuracy. Passing, shooting and tackling is now more responsive than ever and enables you to trap, shield and dribble like a world-class football player. Experience 90 minutes of heart pumping football, feel the Team Chemistry of your side and the sense of momentum shift as you battle for supremacy on the pitch. As the Midfield General you'll control the overarching strategy of the game, dictating the pace and performance of your players as you execute strategic decisions on the fly using the tactical play button configurations. Master the most immersive management mode ever. Sign sponsors, scour the transfer market and buy players to build the perfect squad. Uncover the stars of the future or drop the strugglers and make some extra money. My FIFA now gives you the tools to create a star-player and customize every aspect of FIFA 06 to fit your individual playing style and preferences. FIFA 06 delivers the most comprehensive line up of official licensed leagues from around the world of football with an unprecedented level of real clubs, kits, stadiums and players. FIFA 06 gives you football as much as you want, whenever you want."
Smack Down Vs. Raw
Website: svr2006.com/
Pictures from the ign.com website media.ps2.ign.com/media/670/670847/imgs_1.html last Accessed 9/2/06
genre: sport
Method of play: joystick, analogue controller
In this game the player becomes a WWE (World wresting entertainment) wrestling star, you control your chosen star in a number of different wrestling matches, as you progress through the different matches you could get different title shots which allow you to go for the championship belts which are available in the game. The main goal in this game is to become the champion.
LA Rush
Website: larushgame.com/
genre: driving
Method of play: analogue controller, joy stick
The idea of the game is to race cars thorough the streets of LA, the player takes on the role of a LA Street racer and can use 35 different cars to do that, Which they can change how they want using numerous custom kits on the market to hype the car up
Below from the midway website is how they explain their game from http://www.midway.com/rxpage/Game_LARush.html last accessed 7/2/06
"Buckle up, rev the engine, drop the clutch and blast off in Midway's high-octane arcade racer, L.A. Rush. In L.A. Rush, players join the crew at West Coast Customs to pimp their ride and live the lifestyle of an L.A. street racer. An exciting and unique story-driven experience allows players to race through five wide-open Los Angeles city re-creations filled with all of the heart-pounding treacherous shortcuts and death-defying jumps that have made the Rush franchise so addictive. Feel the rush as you race over 35 licensed rides including muscle, tuner and exotic vehicles from manufacturers such as Mitsubishi and Chevrolet as well as exclusive tricked-out racers designed by West Coast Customs and Rides Magazine while modifying and pimping your ride with an array of licensed aftermarket parts. With celebrity voices and high-profile licenses, LA Rush will be the next evolution in the highly addictive Rush franchise!"
The Need For Speed Most Wanted
Website: http://www.ea.com/official/nfs/mostwanted/us/home.jsp
Genre: driving
Method of play: joystick or analogue controller
In this game the player become a street racer and the idea of the game is be the most wanted street racer by avoiding arrest from the police and racing in head to head races through the streets
Here's what EA games say about the game on their website http://www.ea.com/official/nfs/mostwanted/us/features.jsp last accessed 7/2/06
"Wake up to the smell of burnt asphalt as the thrill of illicit street racing permeates the air. From the makers of the hit Need for Speed? Underground series, Need for Speed? Most Wanted challenges players to become the most notorious and elusive street racer. Combining illicit street racing and tuner customization with the intensity of strategic police pursuit that surpasses any Hollywood-style chase scene, Need for Speed Most Wanted will be on every gamer's 'must-have' list this holiday season. Out-race rivals, evade cops and exploit hundreds of miles of open road as gamers make their way up the Blacklist. To become the most wanted racer, players must build up their street cred and Rap Sheet with gripping, white knuckle, head-to-head races with the top drivers on the streets, as well as pull daring, evasive moves to out-run and out-fox the cops that patrol the open road. Players can manage their heat or utilize a number of strategic tactics to keep the cops off their tails as they leave their rivals behind to suck their exhaust fumes. Need for Speed Most Wanted also features a variety of the hottest cars that range from tuners to super cars. You can customize your ride to race against any class of vehicles. The streets will be your playground this Fall.
Key Features:
Open Road, Open World: Rule the streets as the most notorious street racer in various regions that include edgy industrial and urban environments. In the game, the environment can be a friend for a foe. Players will master short-cuts as well as use the traffic and destructible environments to their advantage.
All-New Gameplay: Need for Speed Most Wanted features new and exciting game play that incorporates strategic cop pursuit and skill-based evasion techniques with illicit street racing.
Visual Customization: Whether gamers are trying to lose the cops or they just want to pimp their ride, Need for Speed Most Wanted offers extensive visual customizations.
Blacklist: As players enter the world of illicit street racing, they must go up against the best street racers on the scene to earn respect and rise to the top of the Blacklist.
Rap Sheet: Players will build up their Rap Sheet with record breaking times, street challenges and out-foxing an escalation of police vehicles, tactics and technology.
Performance Tuning: Can't compete against a sports car? Head to the safe house and tune up your ride to race against any class of vehicles.
Need for Speed Most Wanted for the next generation console delivers the next level of graphical excellence in video games. Utilizing graphical techniques including normal mapping and real-time lighting, the graphical experience is incomparable to any racing game on the market.
Need For Speed Most Wanted features online play for Xbox 360, Xbox, the PlayStation?2 computer entertainment system and the PC."
Do you think games about breaking the law by street racing a very good subject for a game, this game teaches people that breaking the law by street racing is fun, street racing is not fun it kills people.
Marvel Nemesis
Website: http://www.ea.com/official/marvel/nemesis/us/home.jsp
Genre: Fighting
Method of play: Analogue Joystick will be used to move your fighter and do the different combos available to them.
Type of game: This game puts the player in control of one of the various superheroes that are seen on TV or in comics today, they can battle the enemy and try and bring peace to the world. Then again the player can also play as the enemy and cause as much destruction as they possibly can. There is over 12 playable characters each with there own unique fighting moves and abilities, you can also play two players and fight a friend.
Onimusha 3
Website: http://www.onimusha3.co.uk/
Genre: Hack and slash and Action
Method of play: Analogue Joystick moves the player around hacking through the different enemies with the different weapons that are available.
Type of game: Onimusha 3 is a hack and slash game in which the player takes control of the samurai Samanosuke Akechi and Jacques Blanc, the player uses these two characters in an intertwined story. The player uses the characters to hack through the different levels with the weapons they have been given, such as swords and guns, using different combos of these weapons to destroy the monsters that are through each level.
Parents and games
So after reading all this what can parents do to keep their children safe from bad games
1. Don't buy games that are too old for your child below is a guide to ratings
(USA and Canada)
(ESRB) Entertainment Software Rating Board
(UK and rest of Europe)
(PEGI) Pan European Game Information
2. Check to see the context of the game is suitable for you child before you buy it for them, if possible read computer games magazines to see what the game is like in the terms of graphical content
3. don't have the computer or console in the children's bedroom have it in a public area so you can keep a eye on them
more information check out


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Our online course is very simple. It is designed to accommodate the expert and the novice internet user. When you register, you choose your own password and username to gain access to the program immediately. We will forward the original certificate to you within a few business days after course completion.
The course is divided into six (6) sections, including the final test. At the end of each chapter, there are simple review questions. Once you read through the materials and answer and submit the review questions, you will then answer and submit the final exam. The computer will grade the tests for you and you will know immediately if you have passed. We created our program to be as convenient as possible for the student. It is designed as an alternative to an in-class program, and you work at your own pace. You may complete the program in one sitting or use your access code many times and complete the reading in increments of time, according to your own schedule.
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Jacob from Holland & Phuong from Switzerland had a really fun and different wedding! First of all, Phuong had three different outfits for the wedding whilst Jacob had 'only' two. The wedding also had a chinese tea ceremony – this is where the couple invites their familyfor a tea and this is a symbol for accepting the couple. They also get a red envelope with a contribution to the couple. The bride preparation took place at Hotel Eden and the ceremony & reception took place at the lovely Chateau de Chillon. Here are the photos….
Absolutely beautiful photos, Magnus! I love the scenic photos over the lake with the nice light rays!
The first picture is soooooo amazing, right timing, superb backdrop and awesome light..
Gorgeous photographs Magnus, especially the bridal portraits. I love the lakeside around the Chateau de Chillon, such an idyllic wedding venue.
Love the first pic! Well done Magnus!
Stunning! Love the portrait on the rocks!
otroligt vackra bilder!
Mormors favorit är parets porträttet och brudgumman som stå ensam vid vattnet-du har ärft det efter hennes pappa sa hon :) Du är begåvat säger hon-kram
Marvelous! Congratulations! Many,many beautiful years of love, health, wealth, and happiness!


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From University of Chicago Athletics
University of Chicago football player Chandler Carroll was recently named as a nominee for the 2017 Allstate American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Good Works Team.
Now in its 26th year, the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team seeks to honor college football players for their dedication to volunteerism and enriching the lives of others. Each nominee for the prestigious accolade must be actively involved with a charitable organization or service group while maintaining a strong academic standing.
A total of 146 players have been submitted for consideration. The Good Works Team will be comprised of 22 award recipients – 11 from the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision and 11 from the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision, Divisions II, III and the NAIA. The honorees will be announced in mid-September.
An economics major, Carroll is embarking on his senior season as UChicago's starting running back. In 2016, he totaled the fifth-most rushing yards in school history with 1,077 yards (4.8 yards per carry). He was also active in the passing game, making a team-high 74 catches for 665 yards. Carroll totaled 15 touchdowns (eight rushing, seven receiving) and finished the season ranked 12th in NCAA Division III with 174.2 all-purpose yards per game.
Carroll's efforts on the field were recognized with First Team All-Conference awards from the University Athletic Association (UAA) and the Southern Athletic Association (SAA). He was also picked to the SAA All-Sportsmanship Team.
His work in the classroom was also recognized, as he was named a 2016 Second Team Academic All-American by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
Off the field, Carroll has participated in numerous volunteer activities as well:
- Organized a clothing drive that raised over 1,000 articles of clothing for the St. Columbanus Food Pantry;
- Raised money for Special Olympics while also assisting in Special Olympic Field Days;
- Assisted in the Metrosquash Tutoring Program, which helps inner city students in their academic and athletic endeavors;
- Organized a Staff Appreciation event for athletic facilities employees, as well as a Student-Athlete Appreciation Day on campus;
- Organized an open gym for inner city elementary students to come learn about a healthy lifestyle from students at the Pritzker School of Medicine;
- Coordinated volunteer efforts for the Zero-Waste practicum at the UAA Track & Field Outdoor Championships;
- Acted as the football representative for the "It's On Us" campaign that raises awareness and seek solutions to stop sexual assault.


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Superintendent Gary PriceSchool MenusRequest to Use FacilitiesCheck the CalendarSkywardSchool ContactsEmail USD 308 Staff MembersDistrict BudgetSports Physical FormK-8 School Supply List 2018-19Committee Minutes
USD 308 SurveysReport Fraud Waste or AbuseFundraisers in USD 308Emergency Safety InterventionsXelloDistrict MapKSDE Child Nutrition and Wellness AssessmentKansas State Department of EducationQuestions or CommentsSocial Media LinksTeléfono EspañolDolly Parton Imagination LibraryBudget SuggestionsOpen RecordsContact the Webmaster
To view the eBoard Notes for 2015-16 or 2016-17, download the documents below. These are not the official minutes of the Board. Those are available at http://www.boarddocs.com/ks/usd308/Board.nsf/Public. All eBoard notes are in PDF format.


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FBI Announces an Arrest Made in Connection with Two Coral Springs Bank Robberies
The FBI announces the arrest of David Michael, 37, of Coral Springs, Florida, for his alleged involvement in two Coral Springs, Florida bank robberies; the October 28, 2014 Chase Bank branch robbery at 10585 Wiles Rd and the November 5 2014 BB&T Bank branch robbery at 4695 University Drive.
The arrest was made without incident this morning (November 13, 2014) by the Coral Springs Police Department and the FBI in Coral Springs, Florida.
Michael is in federal custody and is facing federal charges. He will make his initial appearance at the federal courthouse in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
See links for additional information about these robberies:
- October 28, 2014 robbery: http://www.fbi.gov/miami/press-releases/2014/fbi-releases-photographs-of-a-bank-robbery-at-a-chase-bank-branch-in-coral-springs
- November 5, 2014 robbery: http://www.fbi.gov/miami/press-releases/2014/fbi-releases-photographs-of-a-bank-robbery-in-coral-springs
The criminal complaint may be found on PACER later today.
Coral Springs Police Department, the FBI, and the South Florida Violent Crime Fugitive Task Force continue their investigation.
No further information will be released at this time.


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30 mars 2014
Baked Sunday Morning: Peanut Butter Chocolate Whirligigs.
Whirligigs: just the name stop you to the recipe!!! Whirligigs, Whirligigs,… I can't stop to pronounce this very weird word (probably just fun for a French girl!!!). In fact, unlike their name, these cookies aren't weird, they are just perfect. A lovely peanut butter flavor, due to the dough, and a nice strong taste of dark chocolate, due to the filling. One thing, the dough is a bite difficult to roll once you spread the chocolate filling, it dried and cured very quickly… and it was the same to slice… ... [Lire la suite]
19 mars 2013
Tuesdays With Dorie – Mocha Chocolate Chip Cookies.
I wasn't very excited with the new TWD recipe, do not misunderstand I love cookies, but at first sight it wasn't a challenge, a discovery… but one more time I was quite surprise by the recipe!! This cookies are not like all the others I made, I don't know really why, I bet about the coffee, or maybe the combination of the ingredients all together???? Anyway, to make them: nothing different, nothing special, it's a cookie dough. I used dried apricots, chocolate chips and just 1 ½ of instant coffee powder. I chilled them overnight,... [Lire la suite]


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In Line Rider 2: Unbound, the sled-stealing scumbag Chaz is up to no good and only you,
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Criminal Profiling Topic of the Day: What do Frozen Turkeys have to Do with Missing Persons?
It is an unpleasant, if not horrifying thought, to imagine someone handling a corpse, especially one that might be a child, one's own child. What kind of mind can deal with disposing of a body, especially the body of a person who is an intimate part of your life? What happens in the brain that would allow someone to do some of the things we have seen before like dismembering a body or carrying it about it in stages of decomposition? The concept is so foreign to many people that they dismiss certain scenarios as impossible because they cannot conceive of doing such things themselves. They are unfamiliar with how another who is perhaps narcissistic or psychopathic and also possibly desperate can actually do pretty gruesome stuff with a person they once supposedly loved or cared for. Yet, the reality is that some people can indeed do such things.
For this very reason, an investigator cannot rule out bizarre possibilities when trying to locate a missing person. Many factors might play into what was done with a body. First of all, how the person was killed may affect choices. Is there a need to mask the cause of death or to destroy particular evidence of the implement of death? Is there a need to cover up prior physical or sexual abuse issues or drug issues? Any evidence the killer feels might identify him as the offender might cause the killer to destroy the body or parts of the body or work harder to make sure the body is never found.
If the killer is not afraid of being linked to the crime by relationship, location, or evidence, the body may easy to find, lying on the side of the road in plain view or left at the scene of the crime, perhaps in the victim's apartment.
So, when a missing person is suspected of being dead, the detective must thoroughly investigate the victim's life and those people involved in it. The answer to where the body lies may be within the details of the victim's life and relationships.
Stacy Peterson's body is likely going to be as hard to find as Lisa Stebic's. Stebic's husband says he sympathizes with Stacy's husband because he knows how it feels to have a wife go missing and everyone suspects the husband had something to do with it. My guess is he can relate how nerve-racking it is to hope the searches never come near where one put the body.
So someone wrote that they wondered whether Madeleine's body could be stored in a freezer. Many bodies have been kept that way but it usually requires a stand-alone freezer (one of those big storage types) and not a side-by-side in the kitchen (unless one is dismembering the body as well). If there was not one in any of the resort apartments (and it does seem unlikely that type of freezer would be present), her body would have had to be stored in a private home. The next question might be how long it would take a body to unfreeze. I looked up turkeys and some of the big one's take four days! I find that rather interesting in the sense of possible DNA in the McCann's hire vehicle meaning a frozen body transported to another location shouldn't unfreeze in that short a time to leave DNA and hair. I don't find myself particular convinced of the freezer theory because of lack of freezer space available in the resort rental units and the theoretical DNA in the hire car.
So, if the McCann's were involved and there was really DNA in the hire car, I would lean more toward the possibility her body was in a shallow grave in a drive sandy area and moved when it was feared the searches would locate the body. The decomposition would likely, in that climate, to cause mummification, a drying of the body, making it less difficult to move, but not making it impossible for evidence of that move to be left behind by stressed out and panicked participants.
If it turns out the McCanns had zero to do with the crime, the body is either on private property of a pedophile (which would tend to eliminate Murat) or, the body is in the ocean and will never be found.
It will be interesting to see if Maddie is ever found what methodology the guilty party or parties used to prevent discovery of a body and any evidence.
BTW, for those of you who think Lisa Stebic, Stacy Peterson, Natalee Holloway, and Madeleine McCann are really alive, I applaud your sense of hope. I am a lot more cynical, and though there is occasionally a miracle or surprise ending, chances of anyone of these four missing persons showing up alive is near zero. The two married women had children they loved and husbands they were afraid of. This equation usually means the disappearance of the wife is the result of a husband offing her. And Natalee and Madeleine were both blonde, but sex rings can find lots of blondes without resorting to high profile kidnappings that might expose them. Natalee and Madeleine have almost zero chance of being found alive.
Let's just hope, then, that we can at least find out what happened to them and see that justice is served.
Criminal Profiler Pat Brown


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What you pay into Social Security in taxes doesn't equal what you get out. The Social Security Administration uses a benefits formula that takes into account not only how much you earned but how much wages have risen since then. That way, increases in the cost of living over time don't outpace your benefits.
The SSA starts off by looking at your lifetime earnings, year by year. Each year is multiplied by an index to align your earnings with present-day wages. If, for example, you earned $10,800 in 1973 and retired in 2013 at 67, the multiplier is 5.334 and your indexed earnings are equal to $57,569. Indexing gives older workers a much better deal than if the SSA treated $10,000 30 years ago like it was worth $10,000 in today's dollars.
Once your working years have been indexed, the SSA adds the total for up to 35 years of your career. If you have more than 35 years of work in your history, the agency picks the 35 with the highest indexed wages. The SSA then divides the total dollars by the total number of months and rounds it down. If, say, you worked 30 years for a total of $900,000, the SSA divides that by 360 months to get your average indexed monthly earnings of $2,500.
The SSA taxes your average earnings and applies more math to derive your primary insurance amount. For 2013, for example, the SSA starts by taking 90 percent of the first $791 of your average indexed monthly earnings. Then it adds 32 percent of the AIME between $791 and $4,768, plus 15 percent of your earnings over $4,768. The exact "bend points" at which different percentages apply changes year to year to keep place with inflation.
Other Factors
If you earn above a certain level -- $113,700 in 2013 -- you don't pay Social Security tax on the excess. Logically enough, your extra earnings don't boost your benefits: Making $200,000 in 2013 won't get you a better deal from the SSA than $113,700. If you apply for benefits before you reach full retirement age, the SSA reduces your PIA; if you wait until after retirement age to apply, you get slightly more.
- How Much Money Can You Have in Savings If You're Eligible for Social Security Retirement?
- What Is Considered Earned Income With Social Security Benefits?
- What if I Don't Have Enough Credits for Social Security Benefits When I Retire?
- Can an Older Child Receive a Deceased Father's Social Security Income?
- Are Retroactive Social Security Disability Benefits Taxable?
- How Does the Federal Government FERS Retirement System Work?
- What Does the Average Person Have Saved for Their Retirement?
- What Is OASDI/EE on a Paycheck?


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Delivery Information
Spend $200 & get free delivery to most of Australia
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1999 Chain of Ponds Semillon
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- Closure: Cork
Bright, pale straw colour. The nose is subtle with delicate oak aroma combined with tropical fruits and a hint of cut grass. On the palate delicate flavours of tropical fruit and yeast lees combine with subtle oak and a trace of honeycombe on the back palate.Good weight and depth, followed by tropical fruit, honeycombe, oak and yeast lees aftertaste. Cellar 2-3 years.
Retasted September 2000
An impressive barrel ferment Semillon, and arguably the best wine from the current releases.Brilliant pale straw colour, with a hint of green. Excellent nose, with aroma of nut, yeast lees and biscuit, showing unmistakable barrel ferment qualities. On the palate complex flavours emerge with secondary barrel ferment qualities pronounced. Nut, toasted oak, yeast lees with tropical fruit in the background make for a complex drinking experience, and just as you think that its - a hint of sherbet emerges. Excellent palate weight with long aftertaste of citrus, nut and butterscotch. Cellar 3-4 years.


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McCahill, James, Age: 93, Red Bank
James McCahill, 93, of Red Bank, died on Thursday, December 29. James Edward Gabriel was born at home to Helen and William McCahill. Along with his six siblings, he grew up in Jersey City during the Great Depression. Obsessed with sports, Jim played sandlot ball and always remembered his many childhood friends. Jim attended Dickinson HS and St. Peter's Prep where he excelled in baseball and football. He loved jazz and Big Band music. Jim proudly served in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II in the South Pacific. Wounded at Tinian, he was awarded the Purple Heart. For 93 years, "The Old Marine" remained a true patriot. Semper Fi.
Jim held various full time jobs. After working at Ballantine brewery in Newark – a job he described as "heaven on earth"– he worked as a BCI clerk for the Hudson County Sheriff 's office during the day and at the US Postal Service Bulk Center in the evenings.
Jim was predeceased by the love of his life, Mickey. Married for 44 years, Jim and Mickey were active parishioners of St. Aloysius Church in Jersey City. "Jimmy Fan" is survived by his younger sister, Agnes Harris of Warren; three daughters and sons-in-law, who loved him very much, Nora and Michael Monaghan of Little Silver, Katie and Jack Redmond of Howell and Sheila and Tom Jurek of Little Silver; and his six grandchildren: Madelyn, Jimmy and Patrick Monaghan, Luke and Daniel Jurek and Shane Redmond. Attending the sporting events of his nephews, nieces and grandchildren was what "kept him young." Jim was a devoted brother, uncle, husband, father and grandparent. His spirit will live on whenever someone successfully executes "the hat trick" or sips a Black and Tan. PopPop passed away peacefully surrounded by his family.
Thompson Memorial Home, Red Bank, was in charge of arrangements. Memorial donations can be mailed to Jim's favorite charity, Holiday Express, 968 Shrewsbury Ave., Tinton Falls, NJ 07724 or at holidayexpress.org.
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HubSpot Multi page development
Budget $43 USD
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Today I have another post. I couldn't resist the beautiful digi that Jessica offered us for the hop on her website, Jessica Lynn Original, you can find her site Here. And here is my card.
I used my Distress Oxide inks to color the cup and flower (Vintage Photo and Worn Lipstick) and I used Distress Inks for the leaves and butterfly. I added some pink Nuvo Glitter Drops to the tips of the flowers. The papers and lace are from my stash.
So glad you stopped by and happy hopping.
Spring Coffee Lovers Hop 2017
Monday, March 27, 2017
Latte Cup
15 comments:
Karen Letchworth
Super coloring and pretty design, Ann. Hugs, AutumnReplyDelete
This is beautiful!ReplyDelete
Beautiful coloring, love the lace trim!ReplyDelete
Girl your on a roll, love it!ReplyDelete
So pretty. Love the colours!ReplyDelete
Thanks for stopping by my blog!
I love distress oxides!You have used it beautifully to color the image.Love it!ReplyDelete
Lovely card! And the oxide inks look great!!ReplyDelete
Such a lovely card. The image is so sweet! Wonderful job!ReplyDelete
Have a wonderful day,
Crafting with Creative M
Beautiful card.ReplyDelete
Very pretty card & great coloring ofReplyDelete
this sweet image.
So beautiful and I love the lace trim you added.ReplyDelete
so very nice!ReplyDelete
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


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Review: Giga Organics Pet Balm (PRICE UPDATED)
Beauty. Fitness. Fashion. Food. Travel. Unicorns. World Peace. Digify Corporation.
10 Lovely Thoughts
Ooooh! I should buy one soon too. One of my dogs kept scratching and his skin is getting red already. Glad to see that it worked on your pets. Hoping it would be the solution for mine too! :DReplyDelete
You really are an animal lover! i dnt have any pet products pero magaling nga talaga yang giga. i have their massage rub and i swear, ive managed to survive thesummer heat dahil don! i apply it sa katawan ko kasi it s really minty cool, as in! love the feminine wash from sesou too. overall love them!ReplyDelete
I'm glad to hear your pets are ok. I'm such a dog-lover. I would do anything to save my dog. He doesn't have sores but I will keep this product in mind in case he develops them in the future. Thanks as always!ReplyDelete
One thing I dislike about summer is how the heat drives my pets nuts. Kawawa naman :( They don't have summer sores but just to make sure that I'll be prepared so I'll drop by Sesou and check this out.ReplyDelete
BrownOso: Same here! That's why I give them a bath often! :p Yes, this truly is a pet saver so please check it out. :)ReplyDelete
Sera: Lucky you! Our place is quite open, hence we could really feel the intense heat even inside the house that's why our dogs got the sores. :/
Eloise: Thanks for the reco! I'll check them out when I drop by Sesou. :)
Peachy Pink: Yes! Maybe those are the early stages of Summer Sores. Better treat it before it gets worse! :)
My babies also develop this rash but we put baking soda. It helped and in time it just went away. I love your posts about your babies :)ReplyDelete
Thanks for this info Ms M! We have a dog but thank goodness she doesn't have hot spots despite the killer heat and humidity. I'm sold by the ingredient virgin coconut oil. In my opinion, no one can go astray with the tree of life's oil. I'll keep this in mind just in case our lovely pet suffers moist eczema. I hope she doesn't but we never know. :(ReplyDelete
OMG! you got lot of cats Ms. M...I think our dog have this hot spots too, she kept on scratching all over her body. I have to check this one out and try it on her. Thanks for sharing... :)ReplyDelete
Kris: VCO is really a miracle product for the skin. :) As for your pet, mini red spots and semi- bald spots are tell- tale signs. :)ReplyDelete
Leilani: Thanks dear! My pets get mad when I put powder on them, so this one should be good. :)
Jec: Yikes! Better address the problem now before it gets worse. Hope your pet gets better! :)
Hi, I know this is am old post but I wanted to check if this is safe for the pets to lick? I applied this on our dog's rashes but am I little worried about ingestion because her mouth can reach that area. Hope you can let me know :)ReplyDelete


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Hard to believe, but it's been 5 years since BAKED opened it's door during Berlin's Spring Celebration in 2010.
So much has happened. We unexpectedly had to relocate after the first year. Wow, that was a stressful time, but looking back, it was one of the best things to happened to our little slice of heaven. It allowed us to expand our business from offering all natural baked goods, to baked goods plus savory dishes along with wine and art.
We've been fortunate enough to be located in a town that supports us and surrounded by other merchants who believe, as we do, that promoting and supporting each other insures that we all share in success. We have also partnered with some of the most amazing local artists and are proud to show their work in our space. Plus, our retail offerings have expanded to include local businesses who, like us, are small and socially conscious. We are proud to offer their products and we look forward to long relationships with them.
We've managed to survive and thrive through some unexpected trials like the move, along with a depressed economy. More importantly, over the course of the last five years, we have been blessed to befriend some of the most amazing people. We happily refer to our customers as the best customers on the planet! Unfortunately, we have also shared the sadness of loosing a few of our very favorite customers who have passed away since we opened. We miss their gentle nature, their smiling faces and we are grateful beyond words to have simply known them.
Although the future is unknown, we look forward to continued success; working hard everyday to come up with fresh ideas, adding new confections and savory dishes to our menu, providing the best customer service possible, finding new healthy products to offer, branching out to the local Farmer's Markets, involvement in our community and so much more!
If you are in town during Berlin's Spring Celebration on Saturday, April 4th, we invite you to come by BAKED for a complimentary piece of cake and join us in celebration!


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OAKLAND, Calif. --A man was shot while returning to his home in the Oakland Hills on Wednesday night, an Oakland police officer said.
The man was out walking his dog in the 700 block of Elverton Drive at 10:35 p.m. when several suspects approached him from behind, police said.
One of the suspects said something to him, and the man went to enter his home but as he was entering one of the suspects shot at him and hit him in the arm.
The man was transported to a local hospital in stable condition, police said.


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Dr. Branin and her staff are very friendly and attentive. They address patient's concerns and return phone calls very promptly.Linda Robbins
I enjoy the friendly staff and competent carePam Kimber
Awesome job on rebuilding my fillings. Didn't feel a thing. All the while dentist and hygienist were very pleasant.Robert Merino
I love how well everyone treats my children! We love it here!!Jennifer Nardelli
Some of my favorite women are the ones in Dr Branin's office, doctor included. I think highly of them and am grateful for the service they provide for me.Jere Nace
Everyone in Dr. Branin's office is highly competent and friendly. I do not have fear of dental work in this office!Rona Briere
Great bunch of girls! Would definitely recommend to family and friends, in fact I already have!Danielle Fetrow
I love coming here. Everyone is so nice – makes it easy to want to come every six months.Tracy Guinn
A big thank you to all for your most kind and efficient response to my problem. You folks truly go above and beyond – and it was greatly appreciated.Lynne Uffelman
This is the place to go if you're a chicken! Everyone is wonderful!Jill Miller
I think highly of them and am grateful for the service they provide for me.Jere Nace
Holly J. Branin, DMD Family Dentistry of York PA
955 South George Street, York, PA 17403 • 717.848.1635


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Kenan Thompson is fed up with having to wear a dress on "Saturday Night Live."
A 10-year veteran of NBC's sketch comedy show, Thompson has donned drag to play characters such as Maya Angelou, Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey. And it's not just because he thinks he looks good in a skirt. The current incarnation of "SNL" has no black female cast members — a lack of diverstiy that another cast member, Jay Pharoah, has already complained about this season. So guys have had to step in to the high heels.
But now Thompson says enough.
PHOTOS: Celebrities by The Times
When asked how "SNL" would lampoon newsmaking black women, Thomspon told TV Guide: "I don't know. We just haven't done them. That's what I'm saying. Maybe [Pharaoh] will do it or something, but even he doesn't really want to do it."
But unlike Pharoah — who urged producers to hire Darmirra Brunson for the ensemble — Thompson puts the onus on black female performers.


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Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has accepted that he needs to bolster his squad during the summer in order to be able to compete in the Champions League in the upcoming campaign.
The Reds are guaranteed a place in Europe's top club competition for the upcoming campaign as a result of their exploits in the Premier League this season. They currently have 80 points from 36 matches, seven points more than fourth placed Arsenal, enabling them to qualify directly into the group stage.
Although Rodgers' starting XI comprises of talents like Luis Suarez, Raheem Sterling, Steven Gerrard to name three, he does not have considerable backup or depth on the bench, who could adequately replace these stars under extreme circumstances. The former Swansea City manager is wary of the need to dip into the transfer market if he is to maintain the overall fitness of all his players.
"For us, going forward, a sense of the future, we know we have to strengthen our squad. We're in the Champions League next year, which will be great. But we want to be in every competition and challenging on all fronts - that clearly means that we have to strengthen the depth of our squad," Rodgers told Sky Sports.
With the increase in the number of fixtures next season, Rodgers will look to make a marquee signing alongside some utility players, who will swiftly adjust into his setup.
Liverpool have been recently linked to Southampton midfielder Adam Lallana and Lyon striker Alexandre Lacazette both of whom have enjoyed their season with their respective clubs.
Meanwhile, the Reds were handed a massive boost amid speculations of Real Madrid's interest in signing Luis Suarez after the 27-year-old dismissed all the reports by claiming that he is very happy with life in Merseyside.
Before the Uruguayan international signed a new contract last December, Rodgers had expressed his intent to build his team around his star striker.
"Luis Suarez has been outstanding in all my time here and obviously, in particular, this season. So it [PFA Player of the Year Award] was very well deserved and I know he really respected it, coming from the players in this country," Rodgers explained.
"I know he's happy. To know that he's happy is important, like it is with all of our players. It's very important that we have players here that are content, happy and focused on Liverpool," the 41-year-old concluded.


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The factory animals
Man and Animal maintain deep ties, their worlds intermingle. The animal is the daily companion, divine horse, or fabulous creature outcome of the imagination of the artist …
The factory animals pose this question: what is an animal? The answer depends on the culture to which we belong.
All companies are building a symbolic universe around the animal, to explain the world, its origins and locate the place of man in nature.
Unlike animals, we are beings of language. The exhibition is therefore based on stories, myths and legends particular illustrated by Western works, Africa, Asia and Oceania. Objects, sculptures, paintings, props, costumes, belong to the museum collections, come from acquisitions or loans.
For each topic, the reference point is the Western tradition, known to visitors. One of the museum's concern is to show as universal questions in every society, there are multiple answers.
The African and Asian Arts Museum - VICHY


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There are 181 lifts that runs up 506 km of ski slopes and like usual you can set foot on it with one ski pass, the Zillertal-Super gives you access to the entire Zillertal. There is also a possibility of 365 days a year skiing on the Hintertux glacier. Do you still doubt about your next coming winter sport destination?
4 big areas in Zillertal
The Austrian Zillertal can be found in the province of Tyrol and is the largest ski valley in the world. The Zillertal is composed of four different ski areas: Erste Ferienregion, Zillertal Arena, Mayrhofen Mountain Lifts and Glacier World 3000.
These four ski areas are all in the same valley and the great thing about this area is that you can do this all in your trip: all different slopes! Especially for those who wants to discover the entire valley there is a special ski pass; the Zillertal Super. It gives you access to all the lifts in the valley. And that is really a must, because every ski resort in the Zillertal is different and has something special.
The common denominator of skiing in this valley: the quality is in all ski areas super high.
And I'm not just talking about good and fast lifts, well-groomed slopes and good restaurants and huts, but also the quality of accommodation in the villages. It's about the big picture, it's very good.
Wherever you want to sleep with your family or with a group of friends, you will experience a wonderful winter, it will lack nothing. For families with children is the Zillertal a perfect destination; each area has a 'Kinderland', 25 schools and 500 instructors are there sufficient opportunities for children to learn to ski.
Erste Ferienregion im Zillertal
The ski resort Erste Ferienregion im Zillertal is actually a combination of two smaller ski areas; Hochzillertal/Hochfügen and Spieljoch. What you will notice immediately is the very high quality of the lifts. You can also come quite high, the highest mountain station is at 2,500 meters.
New since December 2015, the Panorama Mountain Railroad Geols-Onkeljoch, a gondola that provides a direct connection to Hochfügen: you can create a new descent, and once you're down, you're up high in Hochfügen again in a few minutes with the shuttle bus.
Many poeople known to find the road to the Zillertal every year. You could say that the Zillertal Arena is notoriously known for apres ski in Gerlos. And that is really fun, beautiful evenings in the Cin Cin and Little London you'll never forget!
Fortunately, this resort has much more, including the stunning Königsleiten Zell am Ziller, where you can make really delicious descents. New to the Zillertal Arena this year is the valley run in Zell am Ziller. Finally you can ski after a day of snowboarding down to the village. A nicer end of the day than before when you had to take a gondola.
You start at the ÜbergangJoch (the highest point in the ski resort of Zell am Ziller) and at one time you can go 2,000 vertical meters downhill. Certainly for advanced skiers is this a nice descent, the last piece is in fact a black run.
Decided to be on the January 26, 23 February or March 23 in the Zillertal Arena? Take the Königsleiten cable car up because you can go full-moon skiing
Mayrhofen Bergbahnen
Who previously was in Mayrhofen before knows that the morning for the Penkenbahn is no fun. But you have no choice, because it is the only elevator. Fortunately there is good news: the elevator has been upgraded and is a lot faster! In the season '15 -'16 is the new Penkenbahn so you will be fast above!
The new Penkenbahn
Legendary in Mayrhofen (next to the après-ski) is of course the Harakiri, a slope with a light-ling rate of 78 percent (percentages, so no degrees). In Japanese means Harakiri suicidal, a good skier comes down here without problems;)
Ski- und Gletscherwelt 3.000
There is a place in the Zillertal where you can ski 365 days a year: the Hintertux glacier! It's the only glacier in Austria which is open all year round. The Hintertux glacier is fine for skiing and snowboarding with varied slopes. This year they made a new chairlift, the Lärmstange, which replaces the old double lift by one for six people. That means you're up faster and can do more descents!
The new chairlift Lärmstange
Actually it's quite simple: you can come here the whole year for skiing, the quality of the slopes and facilities in the villages are really high and every village in the Ziller Valley has something fun, something unique. The only thing you need is good snow and a little sun. And if we have to believe the weather forecasts it could be a very nice winter!


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If you're moving within Salisbury, from Salisbury, or to Salisbury, Ablemove (part of the Weston & Edwards Removals Group) provides local, national and international moving, shipping, container storage, and all other moving and storing services for domestic removals, office removals and relocations. We offer a free moving or storage quotation, either with an estimator's visit or a quote can be obtained online.Operating from our furniture storage warehouse in Frome, Ablemove boasts professionally trained and experienced removal staff, fully equipped removal lorries for local and national moves. We also offer container storage in our modern, insulated warehouse.We offer a full range of packing services and export packing, using cartons, bubble wrap, cardboard wardrobe cartons, boxes of various sizes and all packaging materials. All of which can be supplied for self packing if required.Part-loads can easily be accommodated.As well as moving to Salisbury, and from Salisbury, we can handle your household move to anywhere in the UK or abroad, including moving overseas to anywhere in Europe including France, Germany, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, Holland (The Netherlands), Belgium, Luxembourg, Gibraltar, Eire, Bulgaria, Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Norway, Greece, Madiera, Scilly Isles, Tenerife, Jersey and Guernsey.We are also international shippers and specialise in worldwide shipping to the USA, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, UAE, South Africa, Malaysia, Turkey, Hong Kong, Singapore, Mexico, Canary Islands, Thailand, China, India, Africa, Middle East, America, Africa, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar and Kuwait, including part loads or groupage.Our specialist business moves section handle office, commercial and corporate relocation. Archive storage is available at all of our warehouses. The Weston & Edwards Removals Group is a truly family run removals company started in 1979 by Matt and Sue Weston. Matt's brothers, Dan & Austin, sons Sam & George and daughter Megan, all play a large part in the running of Suffolk's premier removal company. The Weston and Edwards group are members of the British Association of Removers. This means we abide by the Code of Practice, as approved by The Office of Fair Trading, Our removals staff are trained in all aspects of moving and removal insurance cover comes as standard. So, if you are looking for a Salisbury Removal company please contact us by telephone – our office staff are friendly, helpful and knowledgeable in all aspects of the moving process.
or use the online removal quotation service for a removal in Salisbury.
Mrs Fulwell – removal from Enmore to SalisburyDear Ms Weston,Removal undertaken 6th and 7th JanuaryThank you for your company's receipt for my removal from Enmore to Wilton to Salisbury last week. We certainly didn't bargain for the snow that greeted us that Wednesday morning! I was very impressed, and relieved, that the men did a wonderful job under very difficult conditions. Thank you, too, for your patience and understanding with the dates I requested and had to change due to buyers pulling out etc. on several occasions. It's very nice to say that all went smoothly on both days. As requested, I return your questionnaire duly completed.With best wishes to you allYours sincerely ………………………
Mr and Mrs Harris – moved from Salisbury to AndoverDear Jenni,I have completed the survey which I hope has clicked its way to wherever it needed to go!May I just say a personal thanks to you for all your incredible efficiency and friendliness throughout the whole of our move, from the very first day I contacted your office all the way through to the end. You have been fantastic and nothing has been too much trouble. You have a very reassuring way about you over the phone and it matters so much at such a stressful time and you were one of the main reasons we chose Ablemove to move us.Thank you for everything.Kindest regards,Helen Harris and family
Posted: 18-04-12, 18:08 [GMT]
Contact Details for the Weston and Edwards Group:
Top tips when moving house...


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The world has changed in some fairly huge and achingly obvious ways since milkshake-machine salesman Ray Kroc bought a small-scale restaurant franchise called McDonald's in 1954. One way is that, as the "food revolution" meets an increasingly impecunious American public, chain restaurants are thriving. The good news is that chains aren't necessarily what they used to be -- which is to say places whose sole goal is to render us fat and stupid with huge portions of mediocre food at bargain prices.
While we were busy watching Alice Waters plant edible schoolyard gardens, some enterprising franchisers went out and hired chefs and folks who know a thing or two about what tastes good, and along the way they've gotten wise to the fact that we're starting to expect things like organic milk on kiddie menus and sea salt on fries. That's smart: Restaurant business executives say that to thrive in this economy, chains of every stripe, from fast-food stands to "dinner houses" are going to have to raise the quality of their food without substantially raising prices.
The fact is that some chains have gotten pretty good. There are worse ways to spend dinner on a busy weeknight than bent over a plate of miso salmon at the Cheesecake Factory.
Below then is a list of the chains that bind us.
- Kelly Alexander, The Daily Meal
More from The Daily Meal:
10 Best Athlete-Owned Restaurants
9 Record-Breaking Restaurants
8 Truly Farm-to-Table Restaurants
101 Best Restaurants in America
8 Exclusive Beer Sommelier Restaurants


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Weekend reading: Professional judgment and biased information processing
For those interested, as am I, in how politically motivated reasoning affects professionals:
Science Curiosity and Political Information Processing
What Is the "Science of Science Communication"?
Climate-Science Communication and the Measurement Problem
Ideology, Motivated Cognition, and Cognitive Reflection: An Experimental Study
'Ideology' or 'Situation Sense'? An Experimental Investigation of Motivated Reasoning and Professional Judgment
A Risky Science Communication Environment for Vaccines
Motivated Numeracy and Enlightened Self-Government
Making Climate Science Communication Evidence-based—All the Way Down
Neutral Principles, Motivated Cognition, and Some Problems for Constitutional Law
Cultural Cognition of Scientific Consensus
The Tragedy of the Risk-Perception Commons: Science Literacy and Climate Change
"They Saw a Protest": Cognitive Illiberalism and the Speech-Conduct Distinction
Geoengineering and the Science Communication Environment: a Cross-Cultural Experiment
Fixing the Communications Failure
Why We Are Poles Apart on Climate Change
The Cognitively Illiberal State
Who Fears the HPV Vaccine, Who Doesn't, and Why? An Experimental Study
Cultural Cognition of the Risks and Benefits of Nanotechnology
Whose Eyes Are You Going to Believe? An Empirical Examination of Scott v. Harris
Cultural Cognition and Public Policy
Culture, Cognition, and Consent: Who Perceives What, and Why, in "Acquaintance Rape" Cases
Culture and Identity-Protective Cognition: Explaining the White Male Effect
Fear of Democracy: A Cultural Evaluation of Sunstein on Risk
Cultural Cognition as a Conception of the Cultural Theory of Risk
Democracy and the Science Communication Environment
The Cultural Cognition of Risk: Theory, Evidence, Implications
Cultural Cognition and the Challenge of Science Communication
NSF Press Event: Cultural Cognition of HPV Vaccine Risk
Laws of Cultural Cognition and the Cultural Cognition of Law
Protecting the Science Communication Environment
Climate Science Communication & the Disentanglement Principle
For those interested, as am I, in how politically motivated reasoning affects professionals:
Jonathan -
A further experiment, in which policy
professionals engage in discussion, shows that deliberation may be able to mitigate the effects of some of these biases.
Would be interesting to see someone research whether in contrast to "discussion," an explicit "intervention" focused on "motivated reasoning" - one that looks at the phenomenon and mechanism from a theoretical frame and then in particular context - might have a mitigating effect.
From the perspective of an educator who believes in the power of metacognition, I think it would. As to how generalizable those benefits might be to other contexts, or how sustainable the effects might be, I am more circumspect.
Hmmm. From the conclusion.
Group deliberation might reduce confirmation bias, but have no effect the framing of risk, and could even increase a policy professional's risk aversion if the group makes risk-aversion in the authorizing environment more salient..
That seems to me to be rather broad speculation, given that their "group deliberation" lacks any elements designed to specifically target biases that are associated with framing risk.
From the paper abstract: '...and, most strikingly, confirmation bias correlated with ideological priors, despite having an explicit mission to promote evidence-informed and impartial decision making.'
Indeed we cannot expect even folks with such a mission to be immune to bias. This will especially be the case with long exposure to culturally aligned narrative frames that are loaded with high emotive content. Scientists sometimes self-report that emotive hot-buttons have been hit.
...this also highlights, additionally to the risks of communicating science via cultural framings as noted in comments one thread down, the extra danger inherent in pumping such frames with high emotive content. Unwisely, the highest emotive impact that does not produce backlash, is actually being deliberately sought in some cases.
=={ Indeed we cannot expect even folks with such a mission to be immune to bias.}==
Of course not. We cannot expect anyone, or any particular group to be "immune" to bias. That would be totally unrealistic.
Related points, however:
(1) I think it would be advisable to be cautious about applying this study with one particular group to other groups - when it comes to the impact of the biases on work output. Scientists should, in theory at least, be applying an external control against bias (the scientific method), whereas other groups, such as "policy based professionals" would very likely not have an expectation of applying an external bias-controlling mechanism as a part of their work.
(2) One useful question is whether policy-based professionals, or scientists, or other groups which similarly engage in an explicit process of analysis, are more or less prone to these biases than other groups. While the results of this paper are quite interesting, it may still be theoretically possible that the biases that they find are actually less prevalent in the group that they target for their research than many other groups.
=={ This will especially be the case with long exposure to culturally aligned narrative frames that are loaded with high emotive content. }==
Of course, that may or may not be true. Long exposure to culturally aligned narrative frames may, in fact, lead to people being more aware of the pitfalls of ideological biases. People who are less aware of such biases might be more prone to their influence. It seems to me that the more salient measure is the awareness of, and commitment to, controlling for bias not an assumption of a proportional, or linear, dose-dependent, relationship between exposure to cultural narrative frames and a susceptibility to related bias. Those factors may well operate to some degree, or to a large degree, independently of each other. To assume otherwise seems to be, ironically, potentially the product of confirmation bias - say, for example, if you were prone towards labeling some people (in groups other than your own)_ as being more "emotive" than others and therefore more biased than others - present company excepted, of course ;-)
" Scientists should, in theory at least, be applying an external control against bias (the scientific method), whereas other groups,..."
"On the one hand, as scientists we are ethically bound to the scientific method, in effect promising to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but — which means that we must include all the doubts, the caveats, the ifs, ands, and buts...." ?
"...whereas other groups, such as "policy based professionals" would very likely not have an expectation of applying an external bias-controlling mechanism as a part of their work."
Depends on where you are. Some governments have politically appointed policy professionals who are openly biased and get swapped out every time a new President takes power. Other governments require their policy professionals to serve all parties impartially and without bias, and regard the scientific method (to the extent it can be applied to political/moral/economic questions) as a good way to achieve that.
"While the results of this paper are quite interesting, it may still be theoretically possible that the biases that they find are actually less prevalent in the group that they target for their research than many other groups."
True. Or they could equally well turn out to be *more* prevalent! we already know that scientific literacy increases polarisation on politically contentious topics, and who is more scientifically literate than a scientist?! Dan keeps on telling me they're not, but I don't remember him giving me any evidence of it.
" People who are less aware of such biases might be more prone to their influence."
Depends whether they're aware of them in the abstract, or personally. I find a lot of people are very much aware of the existence of biases, but firmly of the belief that they only apply to *other* people. Their own superior education, scientific literacy, and the evident superiority and truth of their political position immunises them against the biases that affect the poor, deluded souls on the other side.
The problem with cognitive biases is that everyone is *blind* to their own. It's like knowing about your visual blind spot - a lot of people know that if you close one eye, there's a large patch of your visual field in front of you that not only can't you see, you can't even see that you can't see it (until something disappears into it). But knowing about it doesn't make you any less blind to what's going on in there: awareness isn't enough. You have to make the effort to do something about it, too.
The authors of all those 'The Republican Brain' books and articles are clearly more aware of the existence of biases - did that make them any less prone to their influence?
All individuals are subject to bias. However regarding the functional arms they may belong to in society (scientists, the law, government, business etc.), I did not anywhere say that equal amounts of exposure to the same levels of charged narrative, would result in equivalent manifestations of bias in such arms. This not only depends on the resistance algorithms of the functional arm, but its relationship to the contested domain. The scientific method is great resistance against bias, yet uncertainty is a window of opportunity for emotive narratives and consequent bias, which as Lewandowsky reminds us gain leverage in contested domains because scientists are only human too. The law sets up algorithms that protect core culture and rational executives based upon that core, presenting a high threshold to alien cultural waves and slowing their advance. Yet a sufficiently strong rising cultural wave concentrated in a short enough time, may still shift or overcome even fundamental laws rather than merely breaking against the barrier, and very likely compromise rationality until stability is one again achieved. History right up to the present strongly suggests no functional arm is immune, including science.
>'Long exposure to culturally aligned narrative frames may, in fact, lead to people being more aware of the pitfalls of ideological biases.'
Notwithstanding that social scientists at least should in theory regard all such frames equally, for the public generally it is exposure to culturally unaligned or challenging frames that does this.
...that does this. But indeed it's not exclusive; long exposure to cultural excess can for instance trigger skepticism in some of the erstwhile aligned. As noted, where deliberate emotive framings are being sought, the idea seems to be to get the most possible impact that does *not* trigger a backlash.
Perhaps not surprisingly:
Across a range of policy settings, people find the general use of behavioural interventions more ethical when illustrated by examples that accord with their politics, but view those same interventions as more unethical when illustrated by examples at odds with their politics. Importantly, these differences disappear when behavioural interventions are stripped of partisan cues, suggesting that acceptance of such policy tools is not an inherently partisan issue.
"Perhaps not surprisingly:"
I didn't find it surprising, but I don't think describing it as a "bias" is accurate.
What they're describing is the 'Authoritarian' mindset, who consider it their right and duty to be able to impose their own standards of lifestyle and morality on other people through their control of society. This policy by its definition supports coercive measures in support of its own agenda, but opposes the same coercive measures when their opponents impose on them. So asked a question like "Do you support coercive measures to bring about a desired behaviour change?" their answer is "Yes? No? All of the above? It depends what behaviour change you're talking about." It's like asking "Do you like one side of the political divide winning on policy decisions?" Only if it's them winning.
So it's not a "bias" in the sense of getting a wrong or unintended answer because of faulty processing. It's logically consistent and entirely correct, according to the intended definition of their Authoritarian policy framework. Results only appear confused because the questioners didn't give them the option of saying "Only if we're in charge" as an answer in their multiple choice.
Of course, it's also quite likely that if you did ask them baldly "Are you an Authoritarian?" or word to that effect that a lot of those same people would lie and say no, and come up with justifications for why it was OK for some policies and not others. Authoritarianism has acquired a bit of a bad reputation from history (although everyone will tell you that's only because it was the wrong side in charge of society). But it's still as popular as ever, and probably always will be.
Interesting contrasts.
Twenty years ago, fewer Americans were consistently liberal or conservative in their views about politics and society and even those who were ideologically oriented did not express the animosity toward the other side that is common today. In 1994 – hardly a moment of goodwill and compromise in American politics – just 23% of consistent liberals expressed a very unfavorable view of the Republican Party. And just 28% of consistent conservatives saw the Democratic Party in equally negative terms.
But today, the majority of ideologically-oriented Americans hold deeply negative views of the other side. This is particularly true on the right, as 72% of consistent conservatives have a very unfavorable opinion of the Democratic Party. Consistent liberals do not feel as negatively toward the GOP; nonetheless, 53% of consistent liberals have very unfavorable impressions of the GOP, more than double the share that did so two decades ago.
A new volume by political scientists Christopher Achen and Larry Bartels further helps to fine-tune our understanding how people vote and which party they identify with. Their book, "Democracy for Realists: Why Elections Do Not Produce Responsive Government," suggests "issue congruence [between voters and parties], in so far as it exists, is mostly a byproduct of other connections, most of them lacking policy content." In other words, we don't think through issues, policies and candidate characteristics, but instead see elections as "us versus them." These scholars argue voters tie themselves with racial, ethnic, occupational, religious, recreational and other groups, with partisanship as the byproduct. Our group identity, not policy concerns or ideology, determines vote choice. That is to say, we gather comfortably with our tribe and tune out other points of view.
I tend to agree that consistency on issues and policy is at an interesting juxtaposition with increasing ideological idemtification, which is why I find the taxonomy that Dan uses in much of his work (e.g "hierarchical individualism") to be less than optimal for describing identity protective reasoning/behaviors.
Coincidentally, I'm reading "Democracy for Realists" now.
A third of all World Bank reports are never downloaded by anybody, and the sample posted here shows why not even the authors' mothers can be bothered with reading this impenetrable prose. The new chief economist, Paul Romer - one of few honest theorists in the trade - was removed from supervisory responsibilities for the development economics report-writing crew (originators of the report linked by Dan here) for making that very observation:
However the points Dan is trying to make concerning biases are valid, and are made clearly and forcefully by quantitative modelers, unconstrained by the mind-numbing platitudes of consensus-seeking organizations like the World Bank. Great example:
".....Bubbles in academic finance and economic theory generally do not jeopardize lives, but they can adversely affect an individual's career, not to mention collective prosperity. In finance, large sums of money are often put to work chasing popular ideas, whether they ultimately prove brilliant or flimsy. When strategies blow up, markets crash, and/or the economy tanks—or all three, as in the case of the global financial crisis—professional investors and academics may eventually need to reckon with monsters they have created..................."