Dead Space 2 is here!

As you may have learned from a previous entry, I do enjoy this series. I had given a review of Dead Space 1, and it was very much to my liking. My choice of console for this game is the Xbox 360, of course. I plan on picking this game up as soon as possible.

If you are going to buy them game or have already played it, feel free to tell me and the others about it in the comment area. I love to hear what others think of games that I enjoy, even if it is negative, it is always nice to see both sides of the story.

In other news, I've developed an addiction to Halo Reach, that is the reason for my blatant disregard of this blog for such a long time, but fear not -- for those of you that actually care, I plan on getting back on top of things as of this posting and begin to update at a more regular basis. Thanks for bearing with me!

Have we found a 'Goldilocks' planet?

Scientists at the University of California in Santa Cruz are saying they have found a planet which seems to have all of the requirements of sustaining or producing life. The planet, Gliese 581g, is the first planet discovered beyond Earth that has the possibility of life.

What does this mean for humanity? I'm not really sure, but I do know that if life is proven to exist, life here will alter to at least some degree. Will the life be intelligent? Or will the life we discover simply be bacteria or microbes? More study and analyzing of the data the researchers have will be put through the turns until we come out with a definite answer.

So the age old question of "Are we alone?" has come to the forefront once again and we are closer to figuring it out than we have been in any point of history. I, for one, am excited.

Kim Jong-il's Son's Promotion a Sign of New Direction for North Korea?

The largest meeting in decades of North Korean delegates and representatives occurred today. During the meeting, Kim Jong-ill's son, Kim Jong-un was promoted to General. Does this mean that 'Dear Leader' (Kim Jong-ill) is intent on keeping the family dynasty going?

The announcement doesn't come as too much of a shock for those who have paid careful attention to the soap opera which is known as North Korea and how their President, Kim Jong-ill frequently throws temper tantrums in likeness of a toddler in order to gain international attention. It has been reported that he is suffering from several medical conditions and had a stroke sometime in 2008, of which was he was also reported to have traveled to China several time for treatment. Both China and North Korea have not commented on these reports.

With his Swiss-educated son seemingly poised to take the reigns of power in the future, does this mean we will be seeing a new direction for North Korea? Will it be for the better or will his son merely be a copy of his father? Only time will tell.

U.S. Labor Unions Hurting American Businesses?

I agree with the original intention of Unions in the sense that they looked out for worker's rights in a time when unfettered capitalism was quite harmful, economically and sometimes physically, to most people that weren't the wealthy investor in the situation. I'm OK with humanizing working conditions and providing proportional compensation for work.

However, as I understand it today, Unions have become more along the lines of rackets, that they basically are what people are beginning to see them as; generally overpaid groups of workers who demand an amount of benefits that are disproportionally large for the amount of work they do. My uncle is a project manager for construction projects and according to him, based on his own first-hand experience, when using Union labor "its like you're not allowed to make a profit".

I'm OK with providing a fair amount of compensation and benefits to laborers, but there's a limit to how much someone should be paid to drive a bus, push a button, or swing a hammer, and an annual $80k (plus benefits) is too much. There are so many Labor Laws on the books now that that Union, in it's current form, is simply something that isn't needed and American businesses can no longer afford.

If you want proof of the damage that most modern day Labor Unions have caused, look no further. Turn your eyes and attention to the cities of Cleveland, Baltimore, and most importantly, the Motor City -- Detroit and the Big 3 (Ford, Chrysler, and GM). All of them are great examples of what happens to heavily Unionized cities in the dying Rust Belt. This is the reason so many companies are outsourcing to places like China. Some companies opt for the less drastic option and at least keep their factories in America, by relocating to one of the Southern States in America, where there are significantly less Unions, but adequate Labor Laws. Alabama and Kentucky are examples of states reaping the benefits of the mass exodus of businesses from the Rust Belt to the South.

Before you place the entire blame on China or other countries with a population willing to work in slave conditions, take a look around and see the reasons WHY corporations and manufacturers are taking such actions and you will see the answer is simple: there isn't a feasible profit to be made by keeping it "Made in USA".

Possible U.S. trade sanctions against China?

The potential for the U.S. to place trade sanctions on China has moved one step closer with the latest decision by a U.S. Congress committee. The bill they have approved would place retaliatory trade sanctions on China and the products they export to the U.S..

As most middle-class Americans are acutely aware of, most of the jobs which were once "All American", have been outsourced to China in the past few decades. Why wouldn't it look appealing to corporations? A massive work force willing to literally slave away in grotesque working conditions for a few dollars a day -- and in some cases, a few cents a day. The American worker doesn't stand a chance against that. Now couple that with the fact that the Central Bank of China practices the art of currency manipulation, which is the act of purposely keeping the value of the yuan (China's money) low. Their money, by all accounts and standards, is undervalued. China's economy is booming and has been sparsely bothered by the recession.

It it time for China to step up to the plate and act like the responsible, global economic power they evidently are and claim to be. And if they don't, I wouldn't be surprised if more countries jump into the process of drafting trade sanctions against them.