Happy Labor Day BaddaBing BaddaBlog readers! Yeah, that’s right. I make posts on Labor Day, take that establishment. This is Manga (And Also Anime) Monday, the place where all things regarding anime and manga are discussed.

Today I’m going to be talking about franchises. While manga and western comics follow roughly the same production and consumption model, anime and western television do not (although, I suppose a lot of what I’m about to say applies to the movie industry as well). Most anime is based on some other preexisting intellectual property, usually a manga or a light novel (basically a hybrid between a comic and a novel). This is why most anime have a generally shorter run of about twelve episodes or so; they get caught up with the source material. This is why Attack on Titan has not gotten a second season yet. If a series is popular enough, the animation studio may choose to continue the series, but have it go in a different direction than the source material. This is usually met with mixed success at best. A lot of people loved the original Full Metal Alchemist anime that broke away from the manga after a season, but Dragon Ball (Giant Turd) GT is universally panned.

This brings me to the main point of this piece, it seems to me that once an anime becomes popular enough, whoever owns the rights to it are going to milk it until it is bad. Dragon Ball (Giant Turd) GT is the primary example of a beloved creative product being turned into a cash grab, but I can think of others as well. The Naruto manga series just concluded this year and the anime will be wrapping up shortly. However, various spin off manga and a movie about Naruto’s son has already been announced. The Gundam anime, the one with people fighting each other using giant robots, has been spun-off and rebooted more times than what I am able to keep track of.

I understand why this is happening and I cannot really fault anyone for it, I’m just not happy with it. The reason this is happening is the same reason why Joey got his own show after Friends ended, people want to make money and it is easier to market something that people are already familiar with. This dastardly phenomenon is just more noticeable in the anime industry because it has fewer extremely successful, long running titles.

I would just say that the anime industry needs to stop milking IP’s past their prime and create new content, but the industry creates dozens of new shows several times a year. It is also hard to expect them to be extremely creative, when the pressure is already on them to make the animation as pristine as possible, for the lowest possible cost. Actually, there seems to be a lot wrong with the anime industry, but I think I’ll save those as topics for later posts.

Thanks for reading this guys. I think I mentioned a lot of open-ended, thought provoking stuff, so put your thoughts and feelings in the comments section down below and, while you’re down there, clickity, clack that like button. You could also like the BaddaBing BaddaBlog Facebook Page, follow me, @LucasDeRuyter, on twitter, and subscribe to this blog via the right side drop down menu. Have fun cooking out on this beautiful Labor Day.

BaddaBing, BaddaBye

Happy Sunday BaddaBing BaddaBlog readers! This is Politics, Politalks, the segment where I write about whatever political topic happens to be on my mind. Once again, any and all views I express here are entirely my own and should in no way be thought of as a representation of any other party.

I think I’m going to try to keep things a little lighter today. I need a break from writing about things that are plaguing our society. On that note, I just got done with my first week of classes at the beautiful University of Wisconsin Madison.

So far I really like being back at school. All of my classes seem really interesting, I dig my new apartment, and the campus is as bustling as ever. The student body and its proximity to the capitol are actually some of the main reasons as to why I decided to attend UW Madison. This is a very liberal and politically involved city, which is great for me as I am a very politically involved, liberal guy. However, even I think that some activists are taking it too far.

For example, when I was hanging up some fliers for BaddaBing BaddaBlog (you gotta love free advertising) I noticed a poster for a feminist bake sale. It was advertising that men pay a dollar for a cupcake, while women only have to pay fifty cents for a baked good. I do not know if this was a genuine advertisement or if it was a joke. If it was sarcasm or satire, fantastic, that’s actually genuinely funny and thought provoking. However, if this was a real event, it becomes funny in a different, much darker way. I know whoever ran this bake sale probably is a good person who is trying to fight for equality, but the way they are going about it is doing as much harm as good by alienating broad demographics and unintentionally coming off as extremists.

Another example of politic activism gone wrong is the story of an ecology student being beaten up by his classmates for using a plastic water bottle instead of a reusable one. The students who committed the act of violence believed that they were justified and that they were protecting the environment, while the student who had the water bottle was probably just thirsty. Again, I can see what the activists were trying to do here, but I wholeheartedly disagree with their methods.

The point I’m trying to make here is that it is okay to feel passionately about something. We need people in the world who fight tooth and nail to try to change things for the better. I believe that they shouldn’t be a dick about it though. I understand that sometimes to get things done you have to be a hard-ass, but by going to extremes against people who are not the core perpetrates of the problem, some activists are making their entire cause look bad. In short, be passionate, but also be polite.

Thanks for reading guys. Please give this post a like, a comment, and subscribe via the right side tab. You can also like and follow the BaddaBing BaddaBlog Facebook Page or follow me on Twitter. My handle is @LucasDeRuyter. I’ll see you guys tomorrow for the next installment of Manga (And Also Anime) Monday.

BaddaBing, BaddaBye

Happy Saturday everyone! This is BaddaBing BaddaBlog’s Game Grind, the place where we talk about the ins and outs of the gaming industry and how they affect you. Well, usually this article is about that, but today it’s not. Why, you ask? BECAUSE METAL GEAR SOLID V: THE PHANTOM PAIN!!! That’s why. I am about 10 hours into the game and here are some of my thoughts on Kojima’s latest work. Bear in mind that I am a Metal Gear fanboy and therefore, my view is a bit biased.

This game is a masterpiece. It looks amazing, sounds amazing, and is incredibly fun to play. It takes the stealth action genre of video games to a whole new level by giving players an unprecedented amount of freedom. Any of the games objectives or missions can be completed in whatever fashion the player finds most comfortable. I would go into detail describing the various was to play this game, but I cannot because it really does seem like there is a boundless amount of freedom and player choice.

The story of the game is as complex and over the top as any Metal Gear Solid game, but this time it presents the narrative in a way that allows new players to hop onto the game while knowing little to nothing about the previous titles. The Phantom Pain presents most of its story through cassette tapes, which players do not necessarily have to listen to. As I said earlier, I have yet to beat the game so I cannot really give a valid opinion or summary of the games narrative, but so far I’m digging it.

A large side portion of MGS V is rebuilding your main base of operations, Mother Base. This is basically a toned down version of sim city or roller coaster tycoon, but just like those games it is addicting as hell. You can even build a zoo and fill it with animals you Fulton out of the battle field! Oh yeah, the main way you get more troops to expand your base is by knocking out or stunning enemies, strapping a giant balloon, or Fulton, to them, and then brainwashing them to work for you. The Fulton is essentially a pokeball for for people, sometimes animals, but mostly people.

One of my favorite moments of the game so far was when I stumbled upon a bear in the middle of a mission. I shot it with a clip worth of tranquilizers and, after nearly mauling me to death, the beast fell asleep. I then strapped a balloon to its foot and watched it fly away into the knight sky and eventually be picked up by my buddies in a helicopter. I also really like any of the parts that involved Diamond Dog. You can extract a puppy out of the battlefield in this game, watch it slowly grow into a dog, and then take him on missions with you. That process was both stupid adorable and badass. I also enjoyed the boss battle against the sniper, Quiet. I’ve yet to get to the part where she can join me in combat, but I eagerly await that moment.

Know it is time for some criticisms. While I have said that this game is a masterpiece and that it has been receiving perfect scores from multiple reviewers, that does not mean that it does not have a couple faults. Video games are art, and, just like in art, perfection is impossible. My first criticism of The Phantom Pain is that its menus are sometimes clunky and hard to navigate. Another issue I have with the game is that it seems like the female sniper, Quiet, is the only major female character in the game. The game’s setting does favor having more male characters, but this is still kind of disappointing. There are also many people who have found fault with Quiet’s overly sexual appearance, but I personally do not have much of a problem with it. The Metal Gear series has a history of sexualizing both male and female characters. In one of the games the main male character literally runs around naked for half an hour. I would also argue that the Metal Gear series does a good job portraying women with some form of femininity or another and making them strong female characters. To me this shows that women can both be feminine and badass.

In conclusion, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is a masterpiece and you should go play it. Seriously, stop reading this and go and buy it. This game is as good as what people are saying and better. It is truly a masterpiece and will undoubtedly define this generation of gaming.

Aaaaaand after you’re done buying this game, come back here and like this post and leave a comment. You can also subscribe to this blog via the right side tab. You can also head over to the BaddaBing BaddaBlog Facebook Page or maybe follow me on Twitter, I’m @LucasDeRuyter. Have a great weekend guys, I know I will.

BaddaBing BaddaBye

Happy Friday BaddaBing BaddaBlog readers! Do you want seem smart to your hammered friends while barbecuing of labor day weekend? While put down that thesaurus, because this is News for the Mighty, News of the Week; the recurring article dedicated to giving you the knowledge you need before heading into the weekend. Here we go!

Suck it Haters

This week Kentucky clerk, Kim Davis, was arrested and jailed for refusing to give marriage licenses to gay couples on the grounds that it violated her religious beliefs. Her refusal to give homosexual couples a marriage license directly violates the Supreme Court ruling made prior this year. After much protest Kim Davis was arrested and jailed for refusing to do her duties as an elected official. After she was jailed, the six deputy clerks that work under her revealed that they would be willing to pass out marriage licenses in her stead.

Good, I say. Good to this entire situation. I think it is fantastic that someone who is using their religion as a shield for them to  spew hate and inhibitory is being punished. Personally I think the funniest part of this entire incident is that Kim Davis has been married four times and divorced three times. So her crusade to defend the sanctity of marriage is completely founded on BS and hypocrisy. This is a win for all the good and decent people in the world.

More on this story here.

Sports!!

A federal judge has overturned the NFL’s decision to suspend Tom Brady from playing in four Football Games. The judge stated that there was not enough evidence to suspend Brady. Brady’s suspension was originally given to him because he was accused of having deflated footballs so that they would be easier to catch and throw. The Patriots quarterback will be playing the first game of the team’s regular season.

I bet everybody who picked up Brady in the fifth round of their fantasy draft are feeling pretty good right now. I personally do not care much about this development, but I do think that this situation has been weird from the start. I’m pretty sure that Brady did deflate those balls. In fact, I’m more sure that Brady did what he stands accused of, than I am sure that OJ did what he was accused of. However, the NFL really does not have any ground rules to handle incidents of cheating. It really seemed like the commissionaire, Roger Goodell, just puled a number out of a hat and that’s how many games Tom Brady was suspended for. It sucks that someone who did something bad isn’t being punished, but sometimes that happens in life and you just have to deal with it.

More Sports!! News right here.

Celebrity News

Are you guys ready for all of the latest celebrity news and gossip??? Well get ready because here it comes. It was recently revealed that everyone’s favorite power couple, Kermit the Frog and Miss. Piggy, have broken up. I know, I know, I’m supper depressed too. But by the sound of it, this was a mutual decision and both of them are handling it well.

In fact, sources are saying that Kermit has already moved on.

Here Kermit is talking to what is thought to be his new girlfriend, Denise. I personally hope that Kermit and the Natalie Dormer look alike are very happy together. Seriously though, I know a couple vegans who would be cool with eating bacon now.

If you are concerned with how Miss. Piggy is doing, don’t be. She’s all good. Rumor has it that she may or may not be having a tryst with Hunger Games star Liam Hemsworth. The two were seen being very familiar with each other in the picture below. I cannot wait to see how these situations develop once The Muppets premiers on ABC on September 22nd.

More info. on the scandalous developments right here.

That about does it for this weeks installment of News for the Mighty, News of the Week. If you enjoyed it, go ahead and give it a like or leave a comment down below. If you wish receive BaddaBing BaddaBlog notifications, you can subscribe via email in the right side tab. You could also check out the Facebook Page or follow me on Twitter; my handle is @LucasDeRuyter.   Have a great Friday guys and keep an eye out tomorrow for the next installment of Game Grind.

BaddaBing BaddaBye

Happy Wednesday BaddaBing BaddaBlog readers! Kept you waiting, huh? Sorry, sorry, I have been playing MGS V pretty much non-stop since Monday night and the references are just slipping out. I promise I’ll lock it down from here on out. Anyways, this is Pop Culture Wednesday; the place where I write about an event or aspect of western pop culture. Today’s aspect is (drum roll), dialogue in films.

You know who’s movies I love? Quentin Tarantino’s. I love pretty much everything about them. The compelling anti-hero characters, they humor, the crass language, and especially the exaggerated, nearly anime level, violence. I’ve been in college for about five days now, and I’ve managed to watch Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs twice with different groups of friends. I seriously love that shit.

During my binge I realized that there is another reason I love Tarantino movies. He’s works always have expertly written dialogue. Seriously, go watch Django or Pulp Fiction again and you will notice that nearly every exchange between two people either moves the plot foreword or is a joke. From a film making perspective making a film dialogue heavy is useful for many reasons. It is far cheaper to have characters describe outrageous events than actually film those scenes, it allows actors to better demonstrate their ability and talent, and dialogue heavy movies are typically better received by critics and the councils that determine who wins film awards.

I think the most well known of all independent, dialogue heavy movies is Kevin Smith’s film Clerks.

This movie was made with virtually no budget, was filmed in the mini mart that Smith actually worked in, and consists of about five or six characters just complaining about there lives and talking about Star Wars. I know that on paper it sounds like it would be awful, but a lot of people actually REALLY like this movie. Nerds love it because at the time there really weren’t any films that featured characters blatantly talking about dorky stuff like Star Wars.Film critics loved it partly because it was filmed in black and white and they tend to lose it over stuff like that, and because it was a scripted film that felt like it was capturing the lives of real people.

Ultimately, I believe that there are two reasons why dialogue heavy films are great.
The first is that they engage the viewer more. By talking about a massive shoot out rather than showing it, a viewer will constantly try to figure out what exactly happened based on exchanges between characters. Dialogue films are, by their nature, vague. This can be horribly if done poorly, but if done right, it creates a situation where a film goer is constantly engrossed in the movie and is eager to put the pieces together in their heads.

The other reason dialogue films are great is because they are so similar to real life. On a day to day level, events don’t push you to do things, conversations do. I didn’t take out the trash yesterday because the bin fell over and spilled everywhere, I did it because it started to stink and my roommate said that it was my turn to take it out. Dialogue films are great because they are so believable. You know that cold open in Reservoir Dogs? That scene is great because it perfectly captures what it would be like if any group of friends sat down together for lunch. Dialogue movies manage to take everyday situations and make them interesting and compelling. Which is pretty great because it gives people an appreciation for their own day to day lives and makes them realize that their ordinary life could be film worthy.

How do you guys feel about dialogue or Indy. movies? Let me know in the comments section below and while you’re there, why don’t you go ahead and give this post a like. If you want to subscribe to BaddaBing BaddaBlog, you can do so via email in the upper right side tab. Alternatively, you can like and follow the BaddaBing BaddaBlog Facebook Page. Also, if you wanted to be really cool, you could follow me on Twitter. My handle is @LucasDeRuyter. Remember, there will not be any post tomorrow, but be sure to come back on Friday for News for the Mighty, News of the Week.

BaddaBing, BaddaBye

Happy Monday BaddaBing BaddaBlog readers! If you’re looking to shirk off your real world responsibilities and are discreetly trying to recover from a weekend of merriment, look no further. This is manga (And Also Anime) Monday, the place where I spit some anime/manga facts, through out a couple opinions, and garnish everything with a few well timed jokes. Here we go bros.

It has come to my attention that getting into anime can be a pretty daunting task. This is partially because there are several industry heavy terms and tropes that appear in anime and almost nowhere else. If you have not been an anime fan for your entire life (like moi) then you might have some trouble figuring out what is going on in a program, or what the hell someone, who is trying to get you to watch a particular anime, is talking about. Today I am going to try to remedy that by listing some common terms and their definitions.

Anime:  In the West this term is used to describe animation that comes from Japan, while in Japan this term is used to described all animated works. I know that this is pretty basic, but we have to start somewhere.

Manga: Japanese comics. It can also be used to describe a particular art style usually denoted by features such as big eyes, speed lines, and exclamatory topography. ie. Scott Pilgrim.

Shonen: Anime or manga intended for an adolescent to teenage male demographic. Think Naruto, One Piece, Bleach.

Shojo: Anime or manga intended for an adolescent to teenage female demographic. Think Sailor Moon or just about any series that features a primary female cast.

Seinen: Anime or manga that is intended for an adult male demographic. Such as, One Punch Man or Tokyo Ghoul.

Dub: A version of an anime that has been translated into a different language. If you are watching an anime and the characters are speaking a language other than Japanese, you’re watching a dub. It should be noted that the quality of a dubbing an anime ranges widely and is often a sources of debate for anime fans.

Sub: A version of anime that has the characters speaking in Japanese, but with subtitles on screen in the language of the viewer. Subs are often available before dubs and are considered superior by some anime fans due to it better persevering the original Japanese dialogue.

Scanlation: The process of a comic being translated from one language to another.

Fan Service: The use mildly sexual content to peak a readers interest. Sometimes it makes sense within the plot of the story, sometimes it does not. You known how basically every horror movie has to have some kind of sex scene? This is pretty much like that.

Ecchi: The PG-13 of anime and manga. It denotes some sexual content, but not enough to warrant some kind of censorship.

Hentai: Basically porn……………view at your own risk.

Chibi: Characters that are drawn in a deliberately cute way. These characters often small and young looking. This art style is usually used for humorous affect to create juxtaposition.

Mangaka: The creator of a manga. More often than not, mangaka both illustrate and write their work.

Mecha: A very popular genre of anime that is denoted by the presence of large robots.

Omake: Something extra in a collection of manga chapters or anime episodes. Similar to behind the scenes or bonus content in western works.

Otaku: A fan of anime and manga. This has become a catchall term that is used now to describe almost anyone who enjoys anime or manga, but used to solely refer to people who took there fandom to an extreme, possibly unhealthy, level.

That is more or less all of the basic terminology you need to know to enter into the wonderful world of anime. If you thought that this post was informative or enjoyable, give it a like. If you thought it was god-awful or if I missed something that you think should be on this list, leave a comment. As always, you can subscribe to BaddaBing BaddaBlog and receive notifications via email, buy going over to the upper right tab. If you really want to be cool, you can head over to the BaddaBing BaddaBlog Facebook Page and give it a like. I’m also on this new thing called Twitter. Go follow me, @LucasDeRuyter, and watch me figure out how to work it. I am terribly sorry, but there will not be a post tomorrow, but fret not because the next installment of Pop-Culture Wednesday is right around the corner. See you then.

BaddaBing, BaddaBye

Happy Sunday BaddaBing BaddaBlog readers! As your weekend and summer come to a close, take a minute to enjoy the little things like the beautiful weather, the smell of freshly cut grass, and the latest installment of Politics, Politalks. As always, any opinions I write here are entirely my own and should in no way be thought of as a representation of the views of any parties I have been, currently am, or will be associated with. With that in mind, lets talk politics.

You know who I hate? White supremacists. You know who I also hate? Donald Trump. Thankfully the Grand Wizard of the KKK has made it easier for me to hate them both simultaneously as the KKK has endorsed Trump’s run for president. Trump publicly rejected the Clan’s endorsement, but the damage is already done. A group of people that hold views that cause them to be hated by basically all of America believes that Trump is doing a good job and should be elected president. I look foreword to seeing people on Fox News try to explain how Trump still isn’t racist, even after the KKK saying that he’s aces.

Speaking of Fox News, I dislike them as well. I feel that way about them for many reasons: they are anything but fair and balanced, they straight up lie to people, and that they are sometime unintentionally raciest/ sometimes intentionally racist. When the Straight Outta Compton premiered Fox News reported that thousands across the country were lining up to see it and that surprisingly no fights or riots had broken out. However, what upsets me the most about the news company is that they have created an environment where you either agree with them, or you are wrong. I have talked to (well, been talked at) by many conservatives who regularly watch Fox News and it seems like they think that any news outlet besides Fox News is either wrong or propagating the liberal agenda. I know several people who think that the internet, the freest medium to express opinions, is run by liberals. This situation makes it basically impossible to  have any kind of discussion because any source other than Fox News has become devalued in their eyes. I would actually be kind of impressed that Fox News has gotten so many people to drink their Kool-aid if I was not so upset by the situation.

Alright, that pretty much raps up what everything I wanted to say about these topics. Thanks for letting me vent guys. I promise that Monday will be a bit more jovial. If you did enjoy my rant be sure to like the post and leave a comment, but only if you are down with that. Also maybe head on over to the BaddaBing BaddaBlog Facebook Page and do the stuff over there. You could also follow me on Twitter, I’m @LucasDeRuyter, but only if you enjoy my musings in 140 characters or less. You can also subscribe to BaddaBing BaddaBlog via email by clicking on the tab on the upper right of the screen. See y’all Monday.

BaddaBing, BaddaBye

Happy weekend BaddaBing BaddaBlog readers! Today’s Saturday, so prepare for your weekly fix of Game Grind. The weekly article dedicated to reporting or analyzing the video game industry.

You know who I love? Nintendo.

I love them even more recently because they have made news by doing something incredibly awesome. They have come together with the makers of the super amazing video game Shovel Knight,

Yacht Club Games, to make a Shovel Knight amiibo.

I know it may not seem like it, but this is actually a pretty big deal.

Nintendo is extremely protective of their characters and properties, perhaps more so than any other company in the video game industry. Due to this, Nintendo has very rarely let outside companies handle their IPs and has sparsely published third party works exclusively on their consoles. The notable exceptions to this being the first six Final Fantasy and the Bayonetta franchise. Shovel Knight is an Indy game that was first released on Wii U and 3DS and later on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. However, it was recently announced that Nintendo is going to be working with Yacht Club Games to produced a Shovel Knight amiibo, which is Nintendo’s money making, toy/DLC hybrid.

This is great news not only for fans of Shovel Knight, but also for fans of Indy games. Nintendo adopting Shovel Knight as an amiibo is symbolic of their desire to be more involved in the independent video game scene. Which would be great for the video game industry. Right now, Indy video game makers are able to publish their games almost solely on mobile platforms and PC. Not being able to publish their works on consoles and partner with larger companies makes it difficult for new Indy developers to make money and grow. Nintendo offering to work more closely with Indy developers and give them a place to sell their quality games will be great opportunity for new companies to grow and also make Nintendo a boat load of money.

Alright, that about does it for this weeks Game Grind. I’m picking up a copy of MGS5 on Tuesday, so the next installment will most likely be a review of that game. Thank you so much for reading and if you enjoyed the article, go ahead and give it a like and maybe leave a comment down below. You can also subscribe to BaddaBing BaddaBlog via the drop down menu on the right side or follow/like the Facebook Page. If you enjoy humor in increments of 140 characters or less, you can follow me on Twitter; I’m @LucasDeRuyter. Once again thanks for reading and tomorrows post will tackle or report some political issue or another. See you then.

BaddaBing, BaddaBye

Happy Thursday BaddaBing BaddaBlog readers! I know that Thursday is normally an off day, but seeing as I will be moving on Friday and will not have time to write a post then, Friday’s post is coming to you a little early. This is News for the Mighty, News of the Week! Which is the weekly post that aims to inform you, the reader, about everything noteworthy that happened during the week. That way, when you are trying to hit on a girl in your favorite pub or brewhouse, you can lay some topical lines on her. Here we go!

YouTube vs. Twitch

The act of watching other people play games and produce commentary while playing said games has become an incredibly popular form of entertainment. There is nary a person with internet connection under the age of thirty that has not heard of the uber-popular Let’s Play YouTuber, PewDiePie. Seeing the potential of a rapidly growing market, the retail company Amazon outbid Google in the purchasing off the website Twitch. This website allows users to watch people play videogames in real time, leave comments, and, in some cases, allow upwards of  millions of people to play the same videogame simultaneously. Possibly out of spite, Google took those funds that it was going to use to buy Twitch and invested it into their partner company YouTube. This allowed YouTube to launch YouTube Gaming this week, which more or less does everything that Twitch does, but better.

I personally love it when giant companies like Google and Amazon get into squabbles like this. Especially when it results in more competition being formed in an industry, which is great for both people making content and consumers. YouTube Gaming’s big hooks are that it can play videos at a higher quality than Twitch, and that its video player uses less bandwidth and processing power than Twitch’s player. I’ve never really been much into the Let’s Play scene, but now that a lot of YouTubers I like are experimenting on YouTube Gaming, I think I may have to check it out. I also believe that the deciding factor on which platform comes out on top will depend on whether Twitch can hold onto broadcasting the massive eSports competitions or if those events switch to being viewable on YouTube Gaming.

More on YouTube Gaming right here.

Reporter and Cameraman Killed on Live TV

 In sobering news, television reporter Allison Parker and cameraman Adam Ward during a live television interview. The gunman, whose name I will not write here as I do not want to contribute to him gaining any amount of fame, was a former employee of the news station Allison and Adam worked for. He had been fired from the newstation WDBJ two years prior to this tragic event due to angry, unprofessional behavior. After he killed the two WDBJ employees and injured Viki Gardner, head of a local chamber of commerce who Allison had been interviewing, he fled the scene in a rental car. He latter attempted to take his own life with his legally purchased firearms, causing the car to crash. Police apprehended the shooter and took him to a nearby hospital for treatment. The killer died in the hospital due to his self inflicted wounds.

My thoughts and heart go out to the families of the Allison Parker, Adam Ward, and Viki Gardner. I also beg lawmakers across the country to create and enact legislation to help prevent incidents like this from happening again. Clearly something needs to change in our country.

Click here for more on this tragic event.

McWhopper Proposal!!?

In lighter news, Burger King has reached out to competitor McDonald’s with the intent of creating a combination of both restaurant’s signature burger. This fusion burger would be called the McWhopper and all proceeds from the burger’s limited run would go to the charity Peace One Day. This burger would have its own unique packaging and be sold in both McDonald’s and Burger Kings across the country. This offer was make by Burger King via an open letter published in the New York Times and Chicago Tribune and McDonald’s rejection was released via Facebook.

McDonald’s turned down the offer because, apparently, they hate money. Seriously, even if the burger was only sold for one day and the proceeds went to charity, McDonald’s would still make a killing off of selling fries and drinks! I know there have to be some smart people working at McDon’s HQ for them to have grown into a massive chain and stayed around for so long, but apparently they all had the day off yesterday. This is a worse business decision than when McDonald’s sold all of the shares of the Chipotle restaurant. Sorry guys, looks like we can’t help reach world piece by eating fast food.

Side note, am I the only food lover that likes to combine foods from different restaurants? Like, I get a couple tacos from Taco Bell and then pair them with an ice cream dessert from Culvers. Does anyone else ever do that? Let me know in the comments down below.

More on the McWhopper right here.

Stock Market Madness

If I had written this post three days earlier, I would be describing how the stock market was being dominated by individuals and companies selling shares due to concerns over China’s slowing economy having a detrimental impact on the world economy. Instead, I get to write about how the Dow. Jones Stock Index has climbed 619 points, its highest clime since 2008. So good for me, as I get to write about good news, and good for literally everyone, as the world economy is not imploding.

To explain what happened simply, many investors were worried that, due to reports of China’s economy slowing, the economies all around the world would begin to slow. This caused them to rapidly sell their shares in various businesses. However, due to China’s implementations of measures to restore their economy and the realization that maybe investors overreacted, people realized that things were not tectonically bad and began buying up all of the shares that had previously been sold, for a much cheaper price.

The moral of the story here is…….kind of nonexistent. When you get an institution as connected and grand as the stock market, weird things like this are bound to happen. It actually could have been way worse.

More on the Stock Market right here.

Amazon Alcohol

Do you want to get hammered drunk, but have no immediate access to alcohol and do not want to leave your home? Well, stop trying to ferment those oranges because Amazon has got your back! The retail giant announced a new service yesterday called Amazon Prime Now, that will deliver various items, including ice cold beer, to your door in under an hour. The service will only be available to individuals living in the Seattle area for now, but if it does well you better believe that Amazon is going to expand this idea.

Well Amazon will definitely make bank off of this service, I am interested to hear what you readers thing about it. Is this the beginning of a new phase in product consumption? Is this the first step down the road of humanity becoming like the people In Wall-E? Let me know in the comments if you’re sober enough to type coherent sentences.

Alright, gang, that’s it for today’s installment of News for the Mighty, News of the Week. Thank you so much for reading. If you like this post, show it by hitting the like button and, while you are down there, maybe answer one of today’s questions in the comment section. If you want to receive notifications for new posts, you can subscribe via the right side dropdown menu, or like/follow the BaddaBing BaddaBlog Facebook Page. You can also get notified and have a few laughs via my Twitter profile, @LucasDeRuyter. You can also appreciate my badass new profile pic. while you are there.

Once again, there will be no post tomorrow. However, the next installment of Game Grind will be released on Saturday, as per usual. Have a great Thursday and Friday everybody.

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Happy Wednesday BaddaBing BaddaBlog readers! Today I’m going to write about what’s going on in the world of pop culture. Well, at least that was the plan. Do to the way a lot of western media is produced and marketed, there is not a lot to talk about right now. All of the summer blockbuster movies are done with, the television series that premiered or returned are still a few weeks from winding down, and there are not enough issues of the comics I have picked up over the summer out yet for me to form much of an opinion. I could talk about art, literature, or music, but I’m by no means an authority on art, I’m out of the loop on current or upcoming novels, and the thing I’m most excited for in the music scene is the next Gorillaz album, which probably will not be out until 2016 or 2017. So instead of talking about what is new or upcoming in pop culture, I’m going to examine and review a specific title in the field that I enjoy. Namely, Rick and Morty.

Rick and Morty is an adult animated television series airing on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim block and is the product of the Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland working together. The show follows the adventures of an alcoholic mad scientist, Rick, and his naïve and well meaning grandson, Morty. The show originally began as a parody of the two main characters from Back to the Future, but has since blossomed into its own unique and compelling story.

Perhaps the single greatest thing that can be said about Rick and Morty is that it is not afraid to push an idea to its absolute limits. Whether an episode is taking a jab at an overused science fiction trope or pioneering an original storyline, the writers unapologetically push a concept to a point that would seem ridiculous on any other show. However, on Rick and Morty these outrageous developments are delightful and extremely entertaining.

For example, in one episode Rick introduces Morty’s family to a creature called Mr. Meeseeks. This human-like being is created with a push of a button, given task, and then explode once they complete said task. These creatures are totally fine with their brief, one note existence. However, when a Mr. Meeseeks cannot fulfill his determined task, helping Morty’s father Jerry take two strokes off of his golf game, Mr. Meeseeks quickly creates other Mr. Meeseeks to help him help Jerry. Before long there are dozens of the genie like beings and they decide that they only way they can help Jerry is by killing him and thereby taking all of the strokes off of his golf game.

Yeah, that’s just a taste of how dark this show can get. Another episode features Rick and Morty doing irreparable damage to the planet that they are living on. Most shows would have the leads find some imposable and comedic way of returning things to normal. Not Rick and Morty. Instead of fixing the problem, the two of them travel to a parallel dimension where that universes Rick and Morty die and just replace them. This causes severe psychological trauma to Morty. However, we do get to see him adopt a more nihilistic worldview which ultimately helps him overcome some of his longstanding insecurities and better adjust to what life throws at him.

Rick and Morty is great because it dares to be weird and original. That should not sound like much, but sadly a lot of television shows are created and marketed in a specific way to the largest audience possible. When I watch an episode of Rick and Morty, I get the impression that the creators and writers don’t really care if their show is extremely popular or not. They seem to be more concerned with creating something that they enjoy and can be proud of.

Rick and Morty is more than halfway done with its second season. So far this season has been even darker, funnier, and more real than the first season. Adult Swim has green lite production for a third season of Rick and Morty and I’m sure it will be marvelous. If you have not watched Rick and Morty already, watch it. All of season two so far is up on YouTube for free. If you have friends who do not watch Rick and Morty, convince them to watch it. Rick and Morty is probably one of the greatest shows on television right now and I can promise you that its quality an popularity is only going to grow to a rickdiculous level from here.

Thanks for reading and don’t forget to like the post and leave a comment, like and follow the Facebook page, and follow me, @LucasDeRuyter, on Twitter. Normally Thursday would be a day off, but because I’ll be busy on Friday, you can expect the next installment of News for the Mighty, News of the Week sometime tomorrow. See you then.

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