I’m not a huge gamer. Sure, I enjoy my time with some Zelda and Super Mario Kart…but I can go months without touching a PS3 controller.

Zack Rosen - Editor-In-Chief

Some people are quite the opposite, and can’t go a day without playing a video game. But whatever, people are people and it’s just not something that I’m into.

That said, there are some people who have no idea what the concept of reality is, and they create their own within a virtual reality setting.

Seoul, South Korea: a couple was arrested by police because their toddler died while they were raising a virtual child online. The biggest problem? The couple’s house didn’t burn down, there was no flood…the child starved to death.

Between marathon stretches in a local internet café, the couple fed their 3-month-old daughter only once per day while they were raising a virtual child.

Maybe the parents were stupid – it’s certainly a possibility, just read my editorial from last week. Afterall, caring for a young girl with mysterious powers who grows and increases her skills as the game Prius Online progresses is totally more important than that little three-month-old pooping machine.

Oh, but don’t worry! Everything’s okay! The father apologized. “I wish that she hadn’t got sick and that she will live well in heaven forever. And as the father, I am sorry,” he said.

According to police, the couple had lost their jobs and used the 3-D game as an escape from reality. News flash, the reality is you murdered your baby.

The fact that people are blaming the internet on this, such as author Michael Breen saying that “the internet has provided such people with a paradise to escape to and simply get lost in,” is complete ludacris.

I have the feeling that the toddler didn’t do what the virtual baby did – you know, have mysterious powers. And for the parents and their inane explanation that they needed to escape reality, I hope they enjoy the rest of their life in a South Korean prison. Oh, and I’m talking about those real prisons with bars and guards, not those virtual-reality-I-can-use-my-superpowers-to-break-down-this-wall prisons.

As a student leader and a senior here at UNH, I cherish the four years I have been here and all the people I have met along the way. Now, I don’t know about anyone else, but I feel like I do so much for the university but when we as students seem to need the school the most we have no one to rely on.

I don’t know about other seniors out there, and I am only going to speak for myself, but I am personally upset with classes. This semester, I only needed to be enrolled in one more class so that I would have the proper number of credits in order to graduate … and I was turned down. This class was an online class, mind you, but I couldn’t get in because it was already full. I am currently enrolled in classes where you can barely find a seat or need to bring an extra chair into class. Yet the university won’t allow for the over enrollment of an online class, where there are no actual chairs to sit in.

I tried taking a class over intersession but the class was full. I was told not to worry; since there was so much interest in the class, they would add another section. I was let down and became upset when that never happened. If there are a bunch of students who all want to enroll in the same class, it usually means it is a requirement. Common sense says the university should probably add another section.

Now I don’t mean to sit here and complain about UNH. It really is a good school and gives a ton of opportunities as far as clubs and organizations go. There are a lot of very talented professors and staff members. But since we are all here as students first, you would think that the university would work with the students in filling classes. I’m happy that our school is growing, building, and improving in so many ways, but the administration needs to remember where growth leads to. All of the current freshmen will become seniors one day and all of the classes need some equality. We all pay the same amount to be here, minus grants and scholarships, so we should all be treated the same way. I don’t want to be left out just because I’m a senior and leaving in a few months.

At the end of the day, we are all students who are just trying to get our work done and have a little fun along the way. For some of us, four years is all we can afford to pay for college.

When you need only one or two classes and “over enrollment” and missing sections make you fall, who will be there for you and how will you get it all done?

Sunday night, I sat around my room to enjoy a favorite pastime: the Oscars. As usual, I had taken many bets on the awards. As the last award (and the most prestigious) of the night rolled around, those watching with me started to take bets…would it be Avatar or The Hurt Locker? We all agreed: Avatar was the better overall movie, but The Hurt Locker was what the Academy would appreciate. We were right of course…but why? Why does the Academy seem to never agree with what home viewers enjoy the most?

Erin Ennis, Assistant Editor

Many viewers of the Oscars know exactly what the Academy looks for: artsy movies. Movies that make people think. Movies that cross a line, or send a message, or cause the audience to experience some monumental epiphany. Sometimes, to be completely honest, these movies are the most boring movies ever made. These movies are not the action packed, emotionally driven movies that most home viewers enjoy. The Academy enjoys the stuffy movies that try to move you…usually into a nice long sleep. As usual, most of us felt that the Academy had gotten it wrong.

Has this happened before? You bet! In 2005, Crash stole the show from Brokeback Mountain, Capote, and Munich. American Beauty, although an amazing film, beat out the much more inspiring and moving The Green Mile in 1999. Jaws dropped in 1998 when Saving Private Ryan, the most successful and beloved war movie of all time, lost Best Picture to Shakespeare in Love. Ghandi won the award over E.T. The Extraterrestrial and In the Heat of the Night ran away with the award in 1967 over favorites The Graduate and Sidney Poitier’s Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner.

Of course, sometimes the Academy has a pretty hefty list to choose from. Good Will Hunting, L.A. Confidential, Titanic, and As Good As it Gets were all nominated in the same year. The cult classic Pulp Fiction and The Shawshank Redemption were also nominated in the same year. Sometimes the movies fit in both categories, like last year’s winner Slumdog Millionaire, which was both action-packed and inspirational. So yes, sometimes the Academy is forced to choose between a few incredible movies and sometimes it chooses the best. But most times, the Academy sticks with what it knows: artistic, message-driven movies.

I’m not saying that is a problem. Yes, I normally don’t agree with what the Academy thinks. While I’m sure The Hurt Locker was brilliant, it was chosen because of the world it portrays not because it was truly the “best” film. While the plot may have been unoriginal, Avatar is quite possibly one of the greatest movies of all time and it truly deserved to be recognized. Like usual, the Academy chose its own brand of movies and home viewers, represented best in the Golden Globe awards, chose the movie that best represented the hearts of the people.

As the Academy of Motion Pictures closes the door on another year of movie making, expect to see the same process next year. The “best” movie, based on viewership and general reviewing, may not win. Make sure to go out and see the artistic, “story” movies that are considered to be the best…just make sure to stay awake during them. Artsy “epiphany” movies are usually pretty boring, after all.

With just about five weeks of the semester under your belt and a depleted bank account from tuition and books, it’s hard to imagine doing anything other than sleeping over spring break. However, recent medical studies show that going on frequent vacations (at least once a year) can not only relieve stress but actually increase life longevity.

Vacationing impacts men and women differently. A study in the Wisconsin Medical Journal revealed that women who take trips and partake in various leisure activities experience fewer bouts of depression and moments of extreme tension. Women who take two or more vacations a year also experience higher marital satisfaction than their non-vacationing counterparts. Men benefit from periods of relaxation too. An article published in the Vegetarian Times, Inc., stated that men who take annual vacations reduce their overall risk of death by 20 percent and their risk of death from heart disease by 30 percent.

In addition to keeping you healthy, regular vacationing can also improve the quality of your professional and social life. According to an article released by the National Center for Biotechnology Information, vacations promote creativity, prevent mental burnout, strengthen interpersonal relationships, and improve job performance.

Momentarily removing yourself from the daily stresses and pressures of life allows you to face them head-on when you return back to reality.

Americans spend significantly less time on vacation than other nationalities. Documentary producer and author John de Graaf observed that Europeans work about 300 hours less than Americans do each year. Consequently, Americans are twice as likely to suffer from heart disease, hypertension, and diabetes. The above mentioned study in the Wisconsin Medical Journal claimed that the average American only receives two weeks of annual paid vacation, compared to an entire month that is given in many other countries.

Vacations do not deliver medical advantages if work or professional stressors are sitting in the plane seat next to you. As difficult as it may seem, you must leave behind your cell phone, laptop and briefcase if you truly want to reap the benefits of “getting away.” Even small trips lasting only a day or two can help your body and mind refocus and rejuvenate.

A professor at East Stroudsburg University in Pennsylvania was allegedly suspended for posting complaints about her work that contained threats of violence on Facebook, highlighting the increase in disciplinary action towards workers due to inappropriateness online.

Gloria Gadsen wrote in January on her Facebook, “Does anyone know where I can find a very discrete hitman? Yes, it’s been that kind of day.” Then in February she wrote, “had a good day today. DIDN’T want to kill even one student. . Now Friday was a different story.” Gadsen claimed that all her posts were to be taken as jokes, and that only her friends and family were meant to see.

However Marilyn Wells, ESU’s Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, told The Chronicle of Education last week that “Given the climate of security concerns in academia, the university has an obligation to take all threats seriously and act accordingly.”

Gadsen isn’t the only one whose online activity has landed her in trouble. PinnacleHealth System, also located in Pennsylvania, has fired more than one employee over information posted on Facebook. A nurse in Minnesota was fired in 2009 after posting an unauthorized photo of herself and a patient on her Facebook profile, violating the patient’s rights to privacy. A stadium operations worker was fired after criticizing his employer, the Philadelphia Eagles, in one Facebook post that read, “Dan is [expletive] devastated about Dawkins signing with Denver … Dam Eagles R Retarted!!”

These are just a few cases among the many that this new online venue for information has made possible. However, used correctly, Facebook can be an innovative tool.

Applications allowing resumes to be viewed easily by prospective employers are available on Facebook, and employers often use Facebook as a pre-interview for job applicants.

But Facebook is not always a valid form of communication, and signals can get mixed. An increasing trend in disciplinary action suggests that employees be aware of who can see their profiles and what has been published on them.

So last week, for our green issue (hope you enjoyed it! By the way, did you know you can read The Charger Bulletin online EVERY week at www.ChargerBulletin.com? Ok, I’m done with the shameless plug. Don’t judge me. But while I have your attention, how about a joke! A man walks into the doctor’s office and says, “I’ve hurt my arm in several places!” The doctor said, “well, don’t go there anymore!” Okay, I’m done.), I wrote about my trip to the movies, and about bad parents. Correction: STUPID parents. Anywho…what I didn’t mention was how stupid I was as well.

Zack Rosen - Editor-In-Chief

That said, it’s time for some edu-ma-cation! That’s right, kiddies, sit down at your escritoires and take out your stylographs. I’m going teach y’all a bit about Zackonomics!

When I went to the movies the other week, I bought popcorn. Delicious, buttery, salty, expensive popcorn. The thing is, however, popcorn isn’t expensive at all. It only costs about 60 cents to make a medium size bag of it, but go to the mall and you’ll end up paying a good $6. Wow, right? While it’s true that only a small portion of the $10+ you pay to go to the movies goes to the theatre itself, they need to make their money somehow. If you’re not good with math, let me inform you about the cost of popcorn at some theatres: it’s a 900% markup.

But alas, that’s not the only rip-off on this planet. My personal favorite is text messaging. Sure, I and many others have unlimited texts…but those who don’t have unlimited will end up paying about 20 cents for outgoing texts and 10 cents for incoming texts. How much do they really cost, though? Get ready: about a third of a cent. That’s around a 6,500% markup. Let me go text all my friends and tell them that! Don’t judge me.

Still not convinced of all the rip-offs in the world? How about Advil! A 50-count bottle costs about $8.50, while generic ibuprofen (same thing!) is only about $5.30. Just thinking about that makes me need one.

Then there’s the bubbly. Did you know that, at the Olive Garden located in Times Square, a bottle of Sutter Home’s White Zinfandel costs $24? Yeah, you’d probably buy it too. The surprise is that you’d really be paying the Olive Garden waiter a $20 tip, as that same bottle can be bought for about $4 retail. Typically, restaurants mark up a bottle of wine by about three times. Even worse is when you buy a glass at a time: in those situations, the costs are often 300% to 400%.

And hell, this is a college newspaper. How about them good old textbooks! A study conducted by the Government Accountability Office discovered that textbook prices nearly tripled from 1986 to 2004, which is disturbingly twice the rate of annual inflation over the past 20 years. On average, college students annually pay $900 on textbooks.

Lastly, there are two items of business for hotel visitors. Mini-bars in high class hotels are the first, with markups up to 1,300%. One hotel review organization has found a $14 bag of Gummy Bears, a $10 pint of water, $150 candles, and a $12 toothpaste kit. Hotels are also known for their highly priced in-room movie rentals, with markups over 200% compared to a Blockbuster or Hollywood Video.

I was watching the news the other day and heard a report about medical bills and how much money you can waste being charged by a hospital. One patient told a story of how they were charged for 41 bags of saline instead of 1 bag; that cost them over $4,000. Another patient spoke of being charged $24 for a single alcohol swab. As if health insurance weren’t already enough of an issue. As if health insurance (an editorial topic by itself!) weren’t expensive enough already, you may now be charged for 40 extra IV bags? The amount of money that costs to cover you is incredible; try selling your left kidney on the black market!

So that’s a bit about economics in the realm of today’s world. Depressed? You should be. Because the three text messages you got while reading this editorial, eating a bag of Gummy Bears, and drinking a glass of zinfandel just cost you your right kidney. Congratulations, you now have no kidneys.

For my editorial this week, I am going to sum up the Olympic Games that just concluded with a list of the five best and five worst moments!

Erin Ennis, Assistant Editor

First, the five worst moments of the Olympic Games in Vancouver:

5. Lindsey Jacobellis. Just like last year, Lindsey choked during crunch time and was unable to do anything significant during her runs. As always, she is unable to deliver and lets the American fans down.

4. Kim Yu-Na of South Korea won gold Thursday night in one of the most stunning displays of women’s skating in the history of the Olympic Games. Yet her home country said in multiple interviews that she would be shunned for anything less than perfection. Talk about pressure…and relative insanity. Don’t worry Kim; the American fans think you did fantastic…no matter what medal you received. Congratulations on your hard work…and to the South Koreans…learn to respect your athletes!

3. Talk about being hot headed. After losing to American Evan Lysacek, Evgeni Plushenko lost it. He felt he deserved a higher score because his tricks were technically more difficult than Lysacek’s. Newsflash buddy: get over yourself! Stop turning your gigantic Russian nose up towards everyone and learn some tact!

2. For those who didn’t see it, Shaun White secured gold on the Half Pipe before he even completed his second run. Him and his coach were discussing, very colorfully, his plans for his “free” run…and people freaked out over the F Word. SERIOUSLY!? The kid won gold without even having to finish and was given the chance of a lifetime to do whatever he wanted. He didn’t know the boom microphone was in his face…so stop complaining! He was fantastic and his speech shouldn’t be on display…just his talent!

1. The death of the Georgian luger…enough said. RIP and sympathies to the Georgian team and his family.

Secondly, the five best moments of the Olympic Games in Vancouver:

5. Bode Miller redeemed himself from last year, securing three medals (gold, silver, and bronze) to reclaim himself as a skiing champion

4. The USA bobsledding team won gold 62 years after the last win. Congrats!

3. Apollo Anton Ono is now officially the most decorated Winter Olympian of all time with 8 medals. Between him and Michael Phelps, the United States is home to the best Olympians in the world!

2. Canadian Joannie Rochette skated a nearly perfect short program and a beautiful long program for the bronze medal just days after her mother’s death. Rochette showed Canada, and the world, the power of perseverance. Her performance was unbelivably moving…I couldn’t imagine having to perform under those conditions.

1. Evan Lysacek defeated the cocky and annoying Evgeni Plushenko to secure the first US men’s skating gold since Brian Boitano. The performance was spectacular, technically perfect, and absolutely heart stopping. Evan has also been able to stand up to the scrutiny with extraordinary grace. Congratulations!

I’ve written about this topic before, but have found the need to bring it back up. I’m going to be re-discussing those incompetent, stupid breeds of physical matter: parents.

Zack Rosen - Editor-In-Chief

I must reiterate, however, as I have in the past: this is not something that spans across the board. I have great parents; you probably have great parents too. It isn’t even so much about parents as it is the human life as a whole. Whatever the specifics, you get the point.

I had the great pleasure of going to see Shutter Island this weekend with my lovely friends Heather, Rachel, and Jess. It was pretty good…certainly not the best movie I’ve ever seen, and it was a little predictable, but I’d give it an A- for great storyline, great acting, and fantastic directing. I would not give it a high rating for being a kid-friendly movie, however.

Someone clearly disagrees with me there, though. As the four of us got our popcorn, soda, and found our seats, we noticed something that had all of us shocked: a mother walking in with her two kids. Her husband trailed at the end holding some pretzels and Slushies.

Now, before you say anything, Shutter Island was not a horribly scary movie. But it was a suspenseful movie. Certainly nothing for 14-year-olds. The main problem, however, was that these kids were not 14. One must have just turned 7, and the other was so young that he had to be carried in the mother’s arms. That toddler couldn’t have been a day over 2.

I don’t think that video games, violent movies, and violent lyrics really turn people into demons. Instead, I think neglectful parents, like these two were, are what damages today’s youth. I know if I saw a movie like that at the age of 7, I would have nightmares.

Now, there are some who say that kids need to see these types of movies in order to not be sheltered by their parents. Yes and no…certainly, this is a kind of thing that a 14-year-old could see, even though they’re considered too young for it. The ages of 7? And 2!? Let’s not play the sheltered card, shan’t we?These aren’t the only dumb parents out there, though. Popular website BadBreeders.net updates with daily updates of incompetently dumb and neglectful parents.

Nicole Allen, a 20-year-old mother of three (now two) left her two toddlers and one infant home alone to go and buy beer. Within the hour that she was gone, her home caught on fire and the three children were severely burned…one died a day later. Convicted for criminally negligent homicide, she was not given the harsher punishment because she was clearly found to be too terminally stupid to realize that leaving her babies home alone, with a gas burner turned on, posed a threat.

That doesn’t put the pee in your cornflakes? How about Carolyn and Michael Riley of Brockton, Massachusetts? While some families run a garage sale or sell old CDs to make extra money, the Riley’s had a different method of providing for themselves. They pretended that their three children were mentally ill, drugged them to keep them calm and out of their way, and then tried to collect federal disability benefits. Rebecca Riley, their daughter, died in 2006 at the age of four because the Riley’s increased her medications.

Then, there are those numerous stories of parents who refuse to provide their children with medical treatment because of their religious beliefs. I’m all for having your own beliefs…but I’m also all for arresting you if you kill your kids. Not taking your diabetic daughter to the hospital when she needs insulin, not giving your asthmatic son his inhaler when he’s having an asthma attack, and not giving your children the MMR shot when they will become infected a year later are all not only immoral, but illegal. I don’t care if you believe in a god that doesn’t allow this, because humanity does allow it.

It’s truly disgusting how neglectful parents can be. While horrific death rates can be attributed to AIDS, cancer, and diabetes, children are dying at a disgusting rate all for preventable ailments. Having bad parents should be one that is taken off the list.

Like Zack, I also went to see Shutter Island this weekend. My boyfriend and I caught an afternoon showing, grabbed our typical snacks (I have an obsession with sour patch kids), and took a seat. The theatre was unusually crowded, something that normally doesn’t bother me, and a family with a boy my age and a middle aged couple sat around us. A family of three teenage girls, definitely not old enough to see an R rated movie on their own, crowded in behind us. The previews started and WOOSH we were off to movie land…for a few moments at least. Then it all came crashing down.

Erin Ennis, Assistant Editor

My first complaint was the 13-year-old snot sitting in the row behind me. Now, I don’t really care about what age you are in an R rated movie. See Zack’s editorial for that. My thing is, if you come to an R rated movie, or your parent’s decide you might actually be mature enough to see it: ACT LIKE IT! Not only did this stupid twit yell incredibly loudly every single time a scene came up that her pre-pubescent mind couldn’t wrap around, she made sure to have these exclamations during periods of intense movie silence. When watching Leo have one of his amazing on screen moments, no one wants to hear you scream, “I’m SO confused!”

During a scene in the film, for the briefest of seconds, the audience sees a naked male on screen. The rest of the audience was unfazed by this, as it was not a pivotal moment to the plot. This stupid girl, in her pre-teen way, screamed at the top of her lungs and giggled obscenely at the male genitalia on screen…and ruined the movie moment. Her incessant laughter kept going throughout the next scene…when the naked man had already left the screen.

Now of course, this girl was not the only problem in the theatre. That would have been WAY too easy. The boy, who was of age I’m presuming, sitting next to my boyfriend had an unusual obsession with texting. Every two minutes, maybe three, he pulled out his phone. He texted, went on the Internet, played games, and watched with obvious stupidity as his phone started to ring. Now, like every other person on the planet right now, I’m obsessed with my blackberry. I live with it practically attached to my hip. But even I know how to turn it off to enjoy a movie and to have respect for the people around me.

So: time for my simple movie etiquette. If you aren’t mature enough to handle an R rated movie: don’t go see it! Yes, your parents should probably have the sense to leave you at home, but that argument is for another time. Instead…if you really MUST show your sense of “maturity”: keep your mouth shut! No one wants to hear your shouts about confusion, scary moments, or sexual ignorance.

Next, if you really want to play on your phone all day: don’t see a movie! It can’t possibly be worth the 10 dollars, plus snacks, to sit and ignore the screen in front of you. Stop causing bright lights in the theatre, annoying clicking noise from your buttons, and ridiculous ring tones no one cares about. Have some common movie theatre etiquette. The rest of the theatre will respect you, no one will make inappropriate comments at you as you leave (I may have muttered some incredibly rude things as those people strutted by), and you won’t end up in the editorial section of The Charger Bulletin!

On Friday I hunkered down in my living room with my boyfriend, roommates, and some of my best friends on campus to watch the Olympic opening ceremony.  The opening ceremony of the Olympic Games is probably my favorite part of the entire competition. I love watching the cultural displays of the host country. I love seeing the torch lit. And my personal favorite, the parade of nations, always incorporates incredible costumes and interesting groups. This year was unlike no other…and it wasn’t in a good way.

7:30pm rolled around and I tuned to NBC where the ceremony hadn’t started yet. Instead, they were showing pre Olympic coverage. Totally cool…we left it on for background noise. They started to discuss the death of Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili, who was killed during a test run on Canada’s most dangerous track. I immediately felt bad for his family and fellow competitors: I couldn’t imagine losing a teammate hours before the games opened. NBC was playing footage from his last run and I was watching out of the corner of my eye when it happened…they played the moment when he died.

Now, Kumaritashvili didn’t die on the track. He was rushed immediately to the hospital and passed in transit. But for those of you who only heard of the accident and didn’t actually watch it: don’t. I understand the need to highlight the most important parts of the Olympics, but no one needed to see a world class athlete fly into a steel pole at 88 miles per hour. No one needed to see the images, horrific as they already were, changed into slow motion so you could see the exact moment the Georgian luger flew off his sled, over the encasing wall, and come to a grinding halt. I was disgusted and slightly appalled by the coverage. My roommates and I sat in silence as they kept replaying the images, over and over again, so there was no possible way to miss the accident. My best friend Ally jumped when they showed his body hit the pole and we all cringed as the video replayed…knowing perfectly well what was coming.

I understand the need to put gruesome images on TV. It keeps people paying attention. You are more likely to watch the spotty coverage pre the Olympic opening ceremony if something “interesting” is going to happen. People enjoy gory details over the simplistic ones. Honestly…would you watch a sports car crash or an interview with the driver? Most people like the action. But where the hell is the respect for the Georgian Olympic team? Where is the respect for Kumaritashvili’s family? Did they really need to see their son, or teammate, or family member get crushed on national television? My boyfriend said it best, “there is no reason to show that on television. No one needs to see him die…we’ve all heard about it.”

From then on out, the remainder of the coverage and the opening Olympic ceremony were somber. The Georgian Olympic team received a standing ovation from nearly the entire stadium. With black arm bands and additions to their country’s flag, the team marched in the parade of nations with their heads held high. During breaks, NBC created a memorial commercial for Kumaritashvili, which showcased his athleticism, youth, and impact on the sport.

Overall, I think NBC covered the Olympic death very well once the ceremony officially started. The Georgian people and the team received appropriate respect and admiration for their fallen comrade. However, I think NBC as a network needs to learn the appropriateness of what is shown on the air. Yes, Tom Brokaw and the other popular journalists want to have their moments, but no one wants to see a luger sail into a steel pole at 88 miles per hour. No one wants to see slow motion cinematography of the incident. Keep it respectful, and keep live footage of death off the air waves.