Confessions of an Economic Hit Man

 

Over the last years I would traditionally end the year with a science book review. This time, it's different.

Recommended by me through my largest current inspiration source, this book is a hidden insight and revelation about the underground world of so called EHM's or economic hit man, who all have smart and subtle ways of achieving goals, but mainly prompt third world countries to sign huge loans towards the U.S.A. and then enter a blackhole of debt, making them forever enslaved economically.

Confessions of an Economic Hit Man is written by one of these hidden ex-economic agents themselves, John Perkins. As he details a large biography about entering this corrupt and system connected world, he realizes at one point through many self reflections that what he is doing towards others is wrong.

There are many benefits of becoming such a specialized economist consultant. Money, sex, power and reputation are among the highest reasons. Perkins has also traveled to many developing countries while seeing himself as some sort of middleman, between poverty and wealth.

Corporatocracy is a combined word of corporations, banks and governments working together in order to establish connections, profits, power and abundance while systematically looking for natural resources or markets to harvest from through the golden fists of capitalism.

Globalization and privatization are major relevant fields which currently shape up what we see around the world; ones which are connected more than ever, but ones who can also play with rules and laws more than ever.

Forecasting econometrics, projects and statistics in foreign countries and reporting back to private companies is what EHM's do. Should inquiry, negotiation or other means of communications not work, the so called "jackals" are then send out to deal with the higher positioned people.

As a final resort, the military is send in, so that males and females can start dying. Oil companies are numerously mentioned in this book which work together with U.S.A administrations and other powerful establishments in order to exploit the middle and lower classes in any victimized country.

The fallacious concepts of economic development as claimed by the corporatocracy shouting out meaningless words like freedom and democracy alongside flat out system bound lies is a major reason why poverty continues to exist.

Confessions on an Economic Hit Man is an eye opener about huge events which have happened in the last decades, and the evil driving force that is behind the motivations for political, social and economic changes; the global corporatocracy and the global and largest empire the world has ever seen.

Rating: ***(out of 4)

And with a hundred entries this year, I will see you in 2015!

Interstellar

 

Christopher Nolan just never dissapoints, I can safely say this after the very original Inception(2010) and his latest mark onto cinema, Interstellar. He simply makes movie magic, and so many factors click correctly.

It's about space explorers and scientists who travel through a wormhole in order to find a potenially habitable planet that will enable humanity to survive and move on from Earth, which is scarce on natural resources and is troubled with dangerous dusks.

Matthew McConaughey plays an astronaut who leads the team into another galaxy, the farthest mankind has ever been. Since it's sci-fi, some elements and scenes are philosophically represented, such as the fifth dimension, how they are filmed traveling through the wormhole and Cooper getting launched around the black hole at the climax, with the principle of these depictions being based upon Kip Thorne's theories.

But it's also very scientific with launching and operating the systems, gathering data, analyse situations and reach a consensus. So Interstellar is all of that plus it's also a grand adventure with some emotional moments such as the time gaps between the explorers and Cooper's family at home, or Cooper's relationship with Murph most of all, and the connection they share at the clever plot twist.

It's no secret that the director is a fan of the late Stanley Kubrick and 2001: A Space Odyssey(1968), and Interstellar felt grand similarly, but obviously they have different outcomes. The cinematography is beautiful, with natural scenery including a region from Iceland, but plenty of outer space too.

The soundtrack is uplifting, encouraging and adventurous, Michael Caine throws in his regular intelligent quote while collaborating with Nolan, it has several levels of entertainment and it really is an experience to witness the exploration and adventure most of all. I thank you once again for delivering exceptionally mr.Nolan.

I cannot wait to see how appreciated this film will be over the years to come, as well as Nolan's next work, which is still shrouded in mystery. A second view will also be required in order to grasp the deeper concepts.

Rating: 9.0

Boss Battle Bombardments!

Several years ago, I reposted an older blogpost talking about the gaming phenomenon knows as boss battles. This time, I would like to expand upon that by covering additional miscellaneous notes about them, as well as sharing some of my favorite boss battles out there aside from the ones listed in the original post. This time, modern boss battles will be depicted briefly.

                            "To think that THIS would be the final boss in Deadly Premonition"

Sometimes a boss battle can be so effective because of the revelation of your final foe, and the lecture they then give upon your protagonist. Forrest Kayson is a grotesque highlight in a mediocre but infamous video game of recent years. He is completely a deus ex machina in a broken twisted Twin Peaks game world.

                              "The fusion of Yuga and an old familiar foe is a moderate challenge"

Given the right buildup, pacing and tactic of defeating an opponent, a boss battle can be greatly rewarding. Yuga's final form in A Link Between Worlds is a combination of might and magic, or Power and Wisdom respectfully, and it's up to Link to use his Courage as well as his latest gifted special ability of travering walls.

                                                  "Death is tragic, but life is miserable"

As often is the case with the Metal Gear Solid franchise, the bosses aren't just a physical threat, but often a psychological one too, each coming with their own personalities. The Sorrow lets you recap all of the fallen foes you have killed off, and he can be beaten in a number of creative ways.

                          "Children of the mastermind shall move the chessboard accordingly"

Ever had to face off against not one, but two different kinds of bosses at once!? The idea can be creative, as well as hard to pull off, considering balance, space and the overall design. Prometheus and Pandora is a notable example, but there are few others, such as Dracula and Death, or Jill and Wesker.

                          "Once provoked, the Ancient Dragon will rise from his leisure state"

Some bosses are optional in design and thus are not required to defeat in order to progress further. The Ancient Dragon in Dark Souls II is a fine example of what appears to be a friendly host first, unless you poke him inappropriately.

                                                  "Don't FUCK with this senator, son!"

Then there are those boss battles which simply are the best at what they try to achieve. Senator Armstrong in Metal Gear Rising Revengeance is to me a great final boss, for he truly is a challenging and intimidating foe, with all of his all over the top glory enhancing his effect and lasting appeal. He has also become a meme generator.

Nowadays, when looking at mainstream AAA titles, ignoring Nintendo, boss fights seem to have been replaced by more lesser enemies and more cinematic experiences. It's kind of a shame, but at the same time, it's fine that not all video games need them.

As long as this feature like 2D games keeps being welcome even in this 8th generation, I will be content with whatever happens next, as long as the boss battles can remain entertaining, creative, challenging and even unforgettable.

Modern Christmas

 

Many nations in the world celebrate Christmas while not being religious themselves, or believing in something else. I find this to be intriguing, considering all of the themes and the background Christmas has with Christianity.

However, countries celebrate it differently around the world's continents. The Japanese like to exchange gifts, the Lebanese sacrifice a sheep for the feast, the Americans traditionally prepare a roasted turkey and the Romanians sing their hearts out with carols.

The purpose of Santa Claus is inspired by Saint Nicholas, or Sinterklaas in Dutch, which is a separate holiday celebrated largely in the same manor over here. As a red wise figure with different kinds of servants(which remains a controversial topic for minor groups), presents are delivered and children are tested if they have been good or naughty each year.

Christmas is also a time of grand consumerism and materialistic times, as shopping malls get a massive renovation, homes are decorated in an inviting manner, the discounts and sales appear and it's the most expensive and busiest month for the majority of people celebrating it.

The comfortable, cozy or gezellig atmosphere of Christmas seems to be happening everywhere as these special celebrations are happening, and families and friends come together for all of the virtue and positive reasons, it's the perfect excuse.

Merry Christmas once more, ho ho ho!

My Ear Hummering Story, Part 2

It has been 10 years since I was operated upon for the first time, primarily in my right ear. Since my last ear hummering story, 3 new operations have happened. Although the hummering incident is solved, it still returns whenever I feel sick, or I if I had an operation.

This time, the three operations would focus on improving my hearing, which still was unstable between the two ears. My original doctor has been continueing with my case since then, and as I type this, I am recovering from my final operation.

I say final because after 6 operations I have decided with my family and the doctor that this is the last time I am doing this. It's not that I want to reject medical science, but personally, I am growing tired of struggling results where my hearing still hasn't improved.

Unless a new breakthrough will happen in the speciality of throat, ears and nose, I will for now recover and as always patiently await positive results, which in this case means improving my right ear.

Should there not be any kind of improvement, then my last resort is getting an artificial hearing device, which in the older days would usually be seen weared by older humans, but nowadays, my younger niece for instance has one, and the devices are smaller than ever, even making them invisible.

I have been an enduring patient, even according to my own doctor, but I must simply play the waiting game one more time. I forgot the results of the 4th operation, but the 5th one is where my doctor implanted a prosthesis device in order to assist my natural audible organs.

Unfortunately, and kind of like another shocking twist, the prosthesis device completely fell out of my right ear after a week, and even my doctor was baffled by it. For my 6th operation, biological tissue of my ear would be used to paste a new prosthesis device.

And this makes me return to present time, because the final operation is successful, like all the others previously. Let's hope that I will be able to hear better for once, because I am so tired of living like this and making communications more difficult.

Nintendo Wii U, Part 2

 

It's been 2 years since I last reviewed Nintendo's latest hardware console. Back then, I promised on doing a part 2 in the future, talking more about the things and features to come. But honestly, not much has changed since then.

YouTube and Netflix are available and functional now, Miiverse is the most normal feature to behold when starting up and off screen play without using the television is pretty much the same. Aside from performance and bug fix patches, it's all the same.

What has changed however is the Wii U's available software library and the introduction of amiibo, a counterpart towards Disney's Infinity and Activision's Skylanders. With the important release of Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, Nintendo seems to be almost back on track in regards to sales.

I am still skeptical about the usage of amiibo however, aside from the obvious reason of collecting these little statues. I do like the idea of unlocking physical content with certain video games, and also training your own Smash fighter. I will observe with interest how the amiibo will develop further.

The internet browser remains powerful and the most convenient for me to use as far as console browsers go, but the fact that I have so many electronics nowadays in my room means that the PC remains the comfiest so to speak.

Wii U Chat, Wii Street U and Wii Karaoke U are all entertaining bonuses, but I am most of all still very glad with the backwards compatibility and the available virtual console through the eShop. I still am immensely dissapointed however by the regional lock Nintendo continues to use for the 8th generation.

As far as the software library now goes however, there is no longer an excuse for gamers who are still in doubt about buying the console. Nintendo's AAA games have arrived in quantity and quality, and there is certainly enough diversity.

Mario Kart 8 and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U are a blast online and filled with content, Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze remains my favorite 2D platformer, Super Mario 3D World is family oriented and Pikmin 3 is gorgeous and unique.

I will probably replay and play for the first time Bayonetta 1 and 2, and buy Hyrule Warriors when it's price drops. The same goes for The Wonderful 101, and in the mean time, I got my hands full with the free Wii U enhanced game I got, which is Monster Hunter Tri Ultimate.

All in all, Nintendo's Wii U is only getting stronger and more attractive for gamers to delve into, and 2015 is looking to be promising, as upcoming video games always seem to be nowadays, with notable examples including Xenoblade Chronicles X, Splatoon, Star Fox U and Zelda U.

Destiny

 

Considered the most expensive new IP to be produced, Destiny is for it's initial vanilla release ultimately a mixed bag. Although this is technically the first MMO I have ever played, without counting having played vanilla World of Warcraft for no more than 1 hour, I am dissapointed.

And still, that's quite uncommon for the shooter genre so far. Even I know that certain key elements are missing, such as being able to trade gear with other players. It really felt in overall upon beating the story that Bungie released an incomplete project, while simultaneously addressing towards the ridiculous claim that they will support Destiny for 10 years with patches and content.

Which was immediately debunked harshly when they subsequently started talking about the sequel already after the huge sales statistics were concrete and complete. And when a few weeks after release it was discovered that locked DLC was on the disc, I just knew that this whole ordeal is just another delusional way of hyping it all up.

The good points are combat, graphics and the soundtrack, the bad stuff RNG, loot for legendary equipment, repetitive missions and a dull and confusing storyline which made the same mistake like Final Fantasy XIII for making a glossary out of the plot instead of putting in the story progression that matters to the player and it's followable.

An uninspiring voiceover by Peter Dinkage playing as a robotic assistent felt dull, and Destiny being way too ambitious for it's claim, for now, hurt the overall experience I got. DLC and expansions can change that, but this is my conclusion for the initial vanilla release.

After beating campaign mode, which I did for the major part with friends, leveling beyond 20 or 21 now means that you need to find specific legendary gear in order to further level up. So, experience points do not matter anymore.

What does matter from that point is that the grind festivals have officially started  and you will practically need to grind or kill tons of enemies before the random number generator gods have heard enough prayers before legendary loot is shat down upon ye unholy futuristic shooter character.

I definitely wasn't looking forward towards grinding in the hopes of getting something better Korean style, so I didn't do it. Destiny has become a huge dissapointment for me, and I probably won't return towards it's world unless so much content and variety are added and fixes are made so that it does not get repetitive, redundant, pretentious or even boring for me to essentially replay.

This video game was only a bonus in my eyes though, since I decided to get a white and shiny new PlayStation 4.

Rating: 7.0

Sony PlayStation 4

 

After gaming for 23 years loyally on Nintendo while having experienced PC gaming through the decades as well, I had finally decided to purchase a Sony Playstation 4 back on the 9th of september this year, which specifically is the white edition which included an MMO shooter.

A few days ago, the 20th anniversary of the brand was celebrated by the company, and since the present, it has released 4 consoles and 2 handhelds, with various adjusted and updated editions inbetween.

While last year did my 6 months period of lending a PS3 with various games end, I experienced the PS2 and PS1 earlier at friends. With games such as Tekken Tag Tournament, Resident Evil 2 and Final Fantasy VII, I always knew that I missed out on strong exclusives back then.

Now I am glad to have a second current generation console, if only for the exclusives it shall have in the future. Right now, honestly, there aren't any released AAA games which intrigue me now apart from the remastered edition of the game of the year from 2013.
 
In mere moments however, the PlayStation Experience event is happening, and Sony has promised that new PS4 titles will be announced there, which excites me when considering the possibilities about speculating what will be shown, without exaggerating.

As far as the other features of the PS4 go, such as share play, I feel that it's too early for me to review those now. All I can say now regarding PlayStation Plus is that I need to get used towards paying for internet, but in return, I do get monthly free games including indies, AAA and miscellaneous stuff.

The Sony PlayStation 4 is a gateway towards discovering new video games and experiences, and I cannot wait to see what is upcoming for the fan community. I am excited for Bloodborne, and I wonder what else will be revealed very soon!