Team Fortress 2: Jarate Origin Comic

Click the comic snippets montage above to see the full comic. Or click the Sniper vs Spy link for the series of updates which gives the context (sorta) and some amusing exposition.

See also similarly styled comics at these Jay Pinkerton comics and iOwnTheWorld.com mockery of liberals.

In related news, the latest update for Team Fortress 2, Sniper vs Spy, has implemented a change to the unlockables that is controversial at the very least. In short, unlockables are now granted randomly as a result of play time; obtaining achievements with a particular class have nothing to do with it any more.

This brings joy to the casual players, for now they don’t have to slave away for hours chasing after difficult achievements in order to get the alternate weapons.

It’s good for the game’s classes – previously players would use a class extensively in order to unlock the new weapons for that class, now they will play a class because they just got a new weapon for it.

It’s good for Valve’s business too, in that more casual players will be drawn to this ‘more equal’ playing field.

This simultaneously brings resentment from the dedicated players – those who have already sweated and strained and unlocked all the goodies through the sheer hard work of earning achievements. All their efforts have now been greatly devalued.

For me, I only had the Pyro unlockables Flare Gun and Backburner from grinding achievements. Now I can run around exclusively as Pyro with the powerful Backburner and still find items for the other classes! Hooray! Best of both worlds for me.

On the pros’ resentment, I could draw a Biblical comparison to the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard.

JB: Cops Shoot Two Suspected Gunmen

This horrific shooting/murder spree may now have been solved.

From The Star 23 May 2009:

Two killed in shootout, nine suspected drug traffickers held
By FARIK ZOLKEPLI

JOHOR BARU: Two men, believed to be involved in a shooting spree in Taman Perling two months ago, were shot dead by alert policemen.

Police also quickly rounded up nine other gang members, including a woman, within two hours after the noon shooting in Taman Daya here yesterday.

Johor police chief Deputy Comm Datuk Mohd Mokhtar Mohd Shariff said they had seized weapons, including two pistols, nine parang, and several packets of drugs.

DCP Mohd Mokhtar said a four-man team cornered the two suspects in their 20s, who were in a blue Mercedes Benz.

“When asked to stop, the driver pulled out a Smith and Wesson .32mm revolver, which forced the policemen to fire several shots at both suspects,” he said. Both men died at the scene.

Police also recovered a pistol and two live bullets.

They then raided an apartment in the same housing estate and arrested six men aged between 18 and 20.

The gang is believed to have shot dead P. Vikneswaran, 23, near a bank and injured a 19-year-old youth at a petrol station in Taman Perling on March 30.

DCP Mohd Mokhtar said a parang, a laptop and a packet of heroin were seized from the Taman Daya apartment.

He said police also arrested two men and a woman at a house in Taman Ehsan Jaya and seized a Glock pistol and more packets of drugs.

DCP Mohd Mokhtar said the men had past records for gang robberies, murder and assault.

“We believe all of them were involved in a drug trafficking syndicate and other serious crimes,” he said.

Police are checking to ascertain whether the Mercedes Benz was also stolen.

The suspects’ bodies have been sent to Sultanah Aminah Hospital for post-mortem.

DCP Mohd Mokhtar praised the public for their cooperation which led to the arrests.

He urged anyone with information to contact the police hotline at 07-2212999 or the nearest police station.

TIME Magazine’s 2008 Obama Worship

It has been said often before that the mainstream media is heavily slanted to the left, and gravitates towards Obama in particular.

For example, take TIME magazine. A weekly publication, Obama was featured on its cover 16 times in 2008, equivalent to one third of all covers in that year.

And here’s the worth-a-thousand-words from Track-a-‘Crat:

Click the link above for the larger view.

Absent From Blog Due to Agent Orange (The, Box)

Sorry that lately, I haven’t been posting (usually quite frequent) or responding to comments (usually to most of them). I’ve been busy with a new job, and… Well…

The Orange Box. Three supoib games and three expansions for the price of one. (And if there hadn’t been credit card annoyances, it could have been at for the price of one third! Natch.) Purchased, downloaded and played entirely via Steam.

I apologize for currently finding Portal, Half Life 2 and especially Team Fortress 2 to be more pressing concerns than debating with my favourite commentors. Lol.

JB: Cops Shoot Five Robbers

Way to go cops! And thank God the female victim and her children were not harmed by the often psychopathic Johor criminals.

Just a hypothetical question though: Would the robbers have been caught nearly as fast if the victim had been an ordinary person with no political connections?

Solving the case 2 hours after the crime is a new record! Much better the, oh, NEVER start the investigation in the first place for my own brush with crime.

From The Star 14 May 2009:

Cops shoot four dead minutes after robbery and meal in victim’s home

JOHOR BARU: Four of the five robbers shot dead minutes after a robbery had time to raid their victim’s kitchen and enjoy the food there.

During the one-hour robbery, the men took turns to feast on chicken rice, chocolate cake and ice cream at the home of Syahrin Md Jamaludin, Education Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s political secretary.

The incident occurred around 2am in Kampung Sinaran Baru, Skudai, yesterday.

Syahrin’s wife Huzaimah Yahya, 33, who was tied up during the robbery, said two of the criminals ransacked her home looking for valuables while two others raided the fridge and opened pots and pans in the kitchen looking for food.

Huzaimah, an assistant registrar at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, said she was even made to teach the robbers how to use the remote control for the two cars at her home.

“I’m grateful my three children, who were sleeping, and I were not harmed during the robbery. I even asked the robbers not to make noise as I was worried about them waking up my children,” she said.

After ransacking the house, the robbers, including the fifth man who was believed to have waited outside the house, fled in one of the cars stolen from Syahrin’s house, a Proton Waja, around 3.10am.

Syahrin, 33, who was in Putrajaya, rushed back to Johor Baru after learning of the incident and praised police for their swift action.

He added that his house was broken into two years ago as well.

Johor police chief Dept Comm Datuk Mohd Mokhtar Mohd Shariff said police spotted the five suspects around 3.45am in the victim’s car on a slip road in Kempas leading to the Pasir Gudang highway.

DCP Mohd Mokhtar said despite police ordering the suspects to stop, they rammed the back of a police vehicle and attempted to run away on foot.

Suddenly, they turned back to attack the police with a gun and parangs, and police were forced to open fire to defend themselves, he said, adding that all five suspects, in their 20s, died at the scene. The suspects also had no valid travel documents.

DCP Mohd Mokhtar said police recovered a pistol, three bullets, three parangs, two knives, three screwdrivers, a cutter and goods stolen from the victims house.

“We also raided two homes believed to be where the suspects lived, in Kampung Semangat in Tampoi and Taman Mawar in Pasir Gudang,” he said, adding that four men and three women, aged between 20 and 48, were also arrested.

DCP Mohd Mokhtar said police believe the five suspects, from Gang Bonding, were involved in 22 violent robberies in Kota Tinggi, Simpang Renggam and Johor Baru.

They usually tied up their victims, ransacked homes and sometimes even raped their victims, he said, adding that several victims had also been injured.

Police were also investigating if the same group was involved in the robbery at Johor Baru (South) OCP.

The OCP case is at here.

Also to note, I know someone who just got robbed in front of her house at 5.30pm around the same area.

JB: Gambling Grannies

Just want to say:

Until these grannies lose all their money, turn desperate and start robbing citizens at tongkat-point, PLEASE LAH!!! AIYO!!! Focus on the real Johor criminals who rob, rape and kill, CAN OR NOT!!!!!

From The Star 12 May 2009:

Gambling grannies get off lightly
By FARIK ZOLKEPLI

JOHOR BARU: Twelve grandmo thers, who pleaded guilty to illegal gambling, had everyone in the magistrate’s court in stitches when they asked for a lighter sentence be cause they were “senior citizens”.

The women – Low Siew Ley, 50, Ng Ah Moi, 59, Chua Ah Siow, 59, Lee Chai Lay, 54, Low Siok Lui, 60, Chu Ah Moy, Kuan Ah Moy, 61, Kee Bak Lim, 61, Siaw Moi, 62, Leong Kwai Lan, 65, Eng Su Giam, 69 and Kan Po Choo, 70 – were charged with committing the offence at a location in Jalan Harimau Tarum, Taman Century.

They had allegedly played Chi nese poker with bets amounting to RM135, using Chinese Seo Sip cards on April 1.

When Magistrate Fuad Abdul Aziz asked if they wanted to ap peal for a lighter sentence, all the ac cused, who were unrepresented, spoke up, saying that they were senior citizens.

“Since the youngest accused is 50, I will consider a lighter sentence,” Fuad said before slapping them with a RM500 fine each or a one-week imprisonment in lieu of the fine.

They all paid the fine.

Under the Open Gambling House Act, they could have been fined up to RM5,000 or jailed up to six months, or both.

In two others cases, two men were charged with snatch thefts.

Ngu Teck Kong, 48, pleaded guil ty to attempting to snatch a mobile phone from Norjiya Abd Hamid, 33, in Taman Ungku Tun Aminah at about 3.20pm on April 25. He was sentenced to four years’ jail and fined RM1,000.

Mohd Hafiezy Hasbullah, 26, claimed trial to attempting to snatch the handbag of Singaporean Tan Shoiu Ling in Taman Sri Tebrau at about 10am on May 5 and was granted RM7,500 bail.

Fuad fixed Sept 11 for mention.

Malaysia Can ‘Help’ With Piracy in Gulf of Aden

You mean like this expertise?: Brave Royal Malaysian Navy Heroically Rescues Hostages From Pirates – Using Suitcases Stuffed With Ransom Money!

From The Star 11 May 2009:

Gulf of Aden: Malaysia can help
By MAZWIN NIK ANIS

PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia will be more than happy to impart its expertise to assist the global community, including the United States, in combating piracy at the Gulf of Aden.

Foreign Minister Datuk Anifah Aman said this would be among the issues to be discussed when he meets US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Thursday.

Anifah said Kuala Lumpur has had experience in dealing with piracy and its ability was reflected in the relative peace and safety of the Straits of Malacca, one of the world’s busiest waterways, thanks to joint efforts with Indonesia and Singapore.

“We will be engaging in discussions on the issue of piracy especially, at the Gulf of Aden. The situation there is a cause for concern as it affects the world community, especially in terms of trade and security.

“Malaysia has some experience in dealing with a similar situation in the Straits of Malacca and we can help if our assistance is called for,” he told reporters after receiving a courtesy call from the US Ambassador to Malaysia James Keith at his office Monday.

Jay Pinkerton: Batman Origin Spoof

Click the comic snippets montage above to read the TRUE STORY OF BATMAN’S BAT-SECRET ORIGIN!!!! (Some language warning!)

More Jay Pinkerton snippets at here.

Jay Pinkerton: Superman Origin Spoof

Click the comic snippets montage above to read the TRUE STORY OF SUPERMAN’S SUPER-SECRET ORIGIN!!!! (Some language warning!)

More Jay Pinkerton snippets at here.

Jay Pinkerton: Flashlight and Magnifying Glass Ads

Much manipulation of the undiscerning public ensues. Click the comic snippet above to view the results.

More Jay Pinkerton snippets at here.