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My Facebook

Facebook has become something generally everyone has. Even my 10 year old cousin has one. I mean, seriously? Why?? There is no practical reason for a 10 year old to have a Facebook. I have noticed that more and more often I see people on Facebook that, in my opinion, shouldn't have one. I thought Facebook was for networking and for advertising one's brand? Now more often than not, I get on Facebook and I have 2-3 game requests; at least one of them from my cousin. All the "old" people do is play games. I hardly ever see them actually use Facebook to gain personal networks. This is a travesty. I have considered multiple times that I shouldn't have a Facebook. I find my self more and more pissed seeing all the games that are shown on my wall. I don't want to sound whiny, but seriously guys? Why use Facebook for gaming? There's WoW, Runescape, Diablo, even Sims. USE THOSE. Stop cluttering my wall and everyone else's. 

End Rant. 

Fantasy Fanatics

In the world of sports many people have come to terms that they will never become an all-star NFL or MLB player. A lot of these people really want to be involved in a sport. Well with the new technology in world, and a major helping hand from the sports heads themselves, Fantasy sports has become a major form involvement for the sports fanatics out in the world.

For those who are new to the term fantasy sports, fantasy sports is a game in which people come together and form a "league". They have a draft, where they select players from teams in the sport, choosing different positions to fulfill. Each week member select their starters for the week and based on how their draftees perform, points are rewarded. a few weeks before the actual sports playoffs there is usually a playoffs for the league eventually crowning a winner.

Fantasy sports have been around for a long time. Years ago, before espn.com nfl.com and mlb.com, fantasy sports was done by hand. Leagues typically would meet once a week to sit down and use the newspaper-printed stats to score their players. Now a days, there are apps and other tech-savvy ways to real time score for fantasy sports.

Fantasy sports has inspired a new fanaticism that have captivated the sports world. Shows like The League, have shown how far some avid players go to win. Under the table trading, monetary rewards, and punishments for losing have taken the game to a whole new level. Recently on CNN there was a report of a group of guys that play Fantasy Football every year together. Each year, the ultimate winner of their league gets to choose a tattoo that the last place finisher has to get. Many people, take this fantasy world so seriously that it has harmed their relationships with their friends. Is the desire to win worth losing a friend over? In my case, yes.

I have been in fantasy leagues for a few years. I have played fantasy football, basketball and NASCAR. Yes, there is fantasy NASCAR. My first year playing, I just played fantasy football. After getting a third place finish, I was hooked. Over the past few years, it has become something I check as religiously as my Facebook or Twitter. I have lost a few friends because of fantasy sports. Oh well, I'll get new ones. Fantasy sports has become a way of life. It has become something that I can do anywhere, anytime, and however I want.

Be cautious when playing, it does come with side effects.

The Walking Dead: Humanities Tough Decisions

*Note: There may or may not be spoilers for those who are not caught up in full on The Walking Dead. Also, there are some references to the comic book as well.

So, the world has gone to hell, you wake up every morning (if you even are able to sleep) without the certainty of surviving the day. There are millions of zombies ("walkers") all around you. You are basically in a survival of the fittest type of world only fighting to protect whats yours. Well, how does that effect you as a person. Someone who would normally go out of the way to help others and do whats right; what does being in the position cause your morals to do?

In AMC's The Walking Dead, The main "Anti-hero", Rick Grimes, a sheriff in his normal life, leads a group of survivors in this apocalyptic world. In the beginning of the series, Rick wakes from a coma to find the world nothing like it was. After learning his family is gone he sets out to find them. He eventually finds them settled in a small camp with other survivors. After an attack on the camp from the walkers. Rick and his best friend/partner, Shane, assume the leadership roles over the group. After noticing a major difference in the character Shane, Rick deems it necessary to kill him to prevent further harm to the group.

Through out the series, Rick and his fellow survivors are placed in many situations in which their moral integrity is tested. Whether or not to trust outsiders, whether or not people are safe to bring in to the group, and how to handle hostile groups, are just a few of the types of situations in which their character is tested. How does this apply to life in our life since we are not living in an "end-of-the-world" world?

Well, in our world we don't have zombies or a fallen government (that is a different topic), yet there are many times in which we are placed in a dog-eat-dog situation and we sometimes lack the moral integrity to bite our tongues. For instance, you may be in a shopping mall on Black Friday. You see the shirt that you have always wanted and its the last one and in your size. You then notice, someone eying the same shirt. You both make a break and you actually hurt the other person getting the shirt. You fought for what is yours, protecting it at all costs.

Many times in our world we become a Rick Grimes. We do what we think is best for us without remorse or even the slightest care for others. We tend to not trust people we don't know. The Walking Dead depicts our world in another fashion, yet, I argue that we are not so far off from where these fictitious are in terms of character. We are not exactly like them yet we all possess these qualities that make us cold people. Politicians are a great example of this. They tend to always do what they need too, to keep their position and protect their values. Not to mention all the underhanded deals with the devil they make.

By and large, no matter how we look at it, we are the Walking Dead

-Nicholas Furnish