There's More to Life than Oblivion...

...for example, Sylvester Stallone's newest project, and a study revealing that teenagers are bad at keeping promises. But The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (Xbox 360) is sure keeping me (happily) busy, and we don't even have the Game of the Year edition.

Seriously, it's great to have a game again. I'd exhausted everything I like for original Xbox some time ago, and nothing is quite as relaxing/entertaining as a good action/adventure RPG. I love to game because it involves mental engagement, while using my hands at the same time - the perfect entertainment for a fidgety artist who likes to think about stuff.

But enough about that, it's time for some odds and ends as I slowly return to reading the usual websites.

First up, the serious stuff. If you grew up in a church in the 90's, or are growing up in one now, or your favourite hobby is keeping track of things the Church does that you think are stupid, you've probably heard a lot about abstinence/purity pledges, which is what happens when a group of teens say, usually at some sort of youth group event, that they promise to not have sex outside of marriage. Two conflicting studies have recently been published, one suggesting that purity pledges are effective, one suggesting the opposite. The article linked primarily explores the latter study, and critics and proponents of the teen abstinence pledge are, according to the (article) author, most concerned with what this may say about the quality of sex education for teens.

Now, I haven't researched the long-term impact of purity pledges, but I strongly suspect that bad or unsubstantial sex ed is not the problem here. About five years ago, a study conducted for a Toronto school board revealed that nearly 70% of students - who were not lacking state-sponsored sex education - believed that AIDS is curable. It's not like no one told them that, repeatedly - heck, it was plastered all over buses, with celebrities advertisting and everything. My point is, for one thing, teenagers are bad at paying attention to things authority figures (ie. teachers and parents) tell them. It seems to me that, in the case of purity pledges, the core of the matter is not sex education, but the fact that the state of the public vows of these kids is reflecting the state of the public vows of most adults (I refer here to the divorce rate). Were I a parent, my concern after reading this study would be not to check on the state of my child's sex ed, but the state of his maturity and integrity - his ability to keep a promise, the value (or lack thereof) he places on giving his word, the value he places on promises in general. There's something you don't get taught in school.

On a completely different note, Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler, Get Carter), has signed on for his second Sylvester Stallone project. This blog post on Entertainment Weekly is expectedly snarky and snobby about this announcement, so much so the poster didn't even deign to properly spell the name of the new film. Due in 2010, The Expendables is an action flick that will also star Jason Statham, Jet Li, some UFC dude, Dolph Lundgren, Forrest Whittaker, and probably Sir Ben Kingsley. That kind of cast, in my mind, exposes the rather ignorant disdain - present in that post - that's prevalent towards guys like Stallone, or Schwarzenegger before him. The point I'm trying to make here is, if Stallone were really some moronic joke, bad at his job, washed up, etc., he wouldn't have that cast. It simply wouldn't happen. Jason Statham may make films of dubious quality, but he's a hot ticket, and hot tickets don't jump on sinking ships.

And anyways, in my mind, any publication that sanctions blog posts extolling the benefits of Gossip Girl has no business criticizing ol' Sly. These are also the same people who sanctioned a list of 25 most rockin' TV doctors that doesn't include Doctor Who.

Ah, it's good to be back in the pundit saddle again. Now excuse me while I go kick my husband off the Xbox.