Editorial: Politically Incorrect

Dear Readers:

We wanted to start a dialogue with you about the world today and it looks like we succeeded. It also looks like our intentions may not have been what you perceived. So, let us take a moment to set the record straight.

First, we must acknowledge in art there are multiple interpretations. That being said, let us look at the offending artwork more closely. 

Two men are kissing, President Obama and Adolf Hitler, and beside them is a drone flying over ruins in the Middle East where a mother mourns the loss of her children.

The copy reads, "If the image of two men kissing is more disturbing than ... This drone strike on a village full of innocent women and children. Then there is something wrong with you."

Adolf Hitler died in 1945 and President Barack Obama was born in 1961. So, they never could have shared a kiss. The image on the left of the two kissing is an image that was made up by us. It is UNREAL.

On the other hand, the image of the mother with the dead children is REAL as it was taken from a newspaper photo of what is actually happening today because of the drone strikes.

What we are saying is why focus on the UNREAL when we have REAL problems?
 
Because we live in California, to many of us two men kissing is not big deal. That is why we put an obviously doctored photo of two men, one the leader of the free world and the other, the worst dictator of the 20th century, kissing. On another level, President Obama has been compared to Hitler many times by the Tea Party who are in desperate need of a lesson in Logical Fallacies. 

Some of you were offended that we dared satirize Barack Obama, an African American role model. Martin Luther King Jr. said it best, “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” And how do we determine character, but by a person's actions. We are grateful for the many good things President Obama has brought us, but we should never give him a free pass because of his color. We must judge him by his actions.

This still does not answer why of all the millions of men in the world, we chose those two to share a kiss. While Hitler killed thousands INTENTIONALLY, President Obama's actions have UNINTENTIONALLY killed thousands. But dead babies are dead babies, whether intentional or not. 

Lastly, we'd like to leave you with President John F. Kennedy's thoughts on the First Amendment. He said the First Amendment “is not primarily to amuse or entertain, not to emphasize the trivial or sentimental, not to simply give the public what it wants but to inform, to arouse and to reflect. To state our dangers and our opportunities. To indicate our crisis and our choices. To lead, mold, educate and sometime even anger public opinion.”

We welcome your comments always. We aim to serve. And we hope this is the start of a beautiful relationship.

Sincerely,
Mr. Anonymous & the folks at Ozine

WINNER of the Best Thanksgiving Tale

My First Thanksgiving with My Husband
by Jessica Ngo

American Thanksgiving dinners are something the French salivate over. I learned this when I was twenty-one and dating my now-husband, a Vietnamese Frenchman. He had become versed on the ritual by watching The Fresh Prince of Bel Air.

“I want a Thanksgiving like Will and Carlton’s!” he shouted at me randomly one lazy Saturday afternoon. I was midway through scooping a bowl of ice cream. It was August. He was a few weeks into a three-month stay in the country. His plan was to return to France immediately after completing an internship, but then he met me.

“You leave in October,” I said, continuing to scoop. “You're not gonna be here.”

He frowned and then changed the subject quickly. Meanwhile, in my mind, I scribbled a mental note.

Later that day, I texted a group of my friends who lived one floor beneath me.

Can you help me make an early Thanksgiving dinner as a going away gift for Jean? 

As the yes’s trickled in, my plan began to flesh itself out: a summer Thanksgiving. It might not rival the feasts of Will and Carlton, but it would surely make a mark and guarantee he’d return for me one day.

WINNER of the Worst Thanksgiving Tale

Good Times, Good Times

by Richard Turner

‘Twas the holiday before Christmas

And despite all the cheer
Among the appealing aromas
Was a dark sense of fear

Our family events
Are chocked full of drama
Someone’ll get drunk
My dad, aunt or mama

This particular Turkey Day
I was about nine or ten
I stayed outta the way
To protect life and limb

Everything seemed fine
(it could be scary that way)
But there was booze and there was wine
So you could count on a fray

It began in the kitchen
As it so often did
I forget all the bitchin’
I was still just a kid

But it got angry - it got heated
And a carving knife was nearby
In the E.R, Dad was treated
I think it’s pretty obvious why

You can have yourself a lil’ drink
Or maybe even a double
But stomping Mom’s glasses, I think
Is a sure sign of trouble

But deep down there was love
Our emotional anchor
Despite all the blood
And amidst all the rancor

Now, I know it sounds crazy
These family crimes
But they’re my holiday memories...
Good times. Good times.

Why Are They Making A Triangle?

Check out the video and notice all those people making the sign of the triangle. Do you think?

A. This is an inside celebrity joke.
    B. A sign of a secret cult.

    C. A way to maintain power.

- Lugati -

The Little Girl in the Philippines

On Thursday, Nov 7, 2013, Typhoon Haiyan hit the Philippines at 255 kilometers (140 miles) per hour. Over 10,000 people were reported injured, dead, or missing. It was the second deadliest Philippine typhoon on record.


For me, as a Filipino, it was devastating. It reminded me of the time I visited the Philippines with my family in the summer of 2011 when Typhoon Kabayan hit us.

We were staying in Makati, a upper-class suburb of Manila, at Uncle Romero's home. It was the rainy season and of course it was raining. We thought little of it until we watched the local news and found out a typhoon was headed our way. A couple of hours later thunder roared and the lightning literally flashed above our heads. I thought I would be fairly calm since I'm from Hawaii and I've experienced flash floods and extreme weather, but this was something else. On TV we noticed the shacks in the shantytowns falling apart, people looting stores and chaos on the streets. Pretty soon it was happening outside our home. It seemed everyone was in survival mode!

The rain poured endlessly for 4 days straight. I walked through the streets with water up to my calves. My cousins and I had to shovel water out of the house because the rain was flooding us. The phone lines were down. We had about two other families staying with us because their unstable homes had collapsed. At this point, I was afraid that things would get even worse.

I remember walking around the streets soaking wet. A little girl was crying. She was not more than seven. She ran up to me and hugged me. She told me she could not find her family. At that moment my heart broke. Against the advice of my cousins, I took her home. She slept in the living room with me. She spoke little English and I spoke little Tagalog (the Filipino language), but I understood she needed me. I took care of her for two days. Finally, we were able to contact the local police. They alerted her family and she was reunited with them.

Right now, there are many, just like that little girl, who are desperately seeking help. Many relief organizations are calling on Americans to donate funds.

UNICEF is providing emergency aid and delivering supplies to children and their families. You can help now online or by texting RELIEF to 864233 to donate $10.

Another option is to donate to The American Red Cross. They are taking donations, volunteering their help and saving people's lives. You can give your donation online .

Help the Philippines now!

- by Micah -

Politically Incorrect

By Mr. Anonymous

CALLING ALL THANKSGIVING TALES!

I've had the best of Thanksgiving, the worst of Thanksgiving. From my first Thanksgiving where I was introduced to the delights of Ocean Spray cranberry jelly on a hunk of turkey smothered in brown gravy to my last where the East Coast Evangelical Christian side of the family nearly came to blows with the LGBT communist-hippes from San Fran, Thanksgiving has always been a pleasure or a pain. 

In 200 words or less tell us your BEST or your WORST Thanksgiving tale. 

Send to Ozineotis@gmail.com by Monday, Nov 25th

Include your name, year (if you are a student) and major or department.

Subject : Thanksgiving 

Open to Everyone at Otis! 

We'll pick the best of the Best and the Worst and post it before Thanksgiving. Winners will get Otis Swag and bragging rights.

We'll get the pleasure of printing your tales!

the folks at Ozine

Hiring Digital Media Majors

NC Soft was established in 1997, and is one of the biggest gaming companies in Korea. NC soft has become a remarkable game publisher and developer of Massive Multiplayer Online (MMO) games. Its offices are located in Korea, China, Japan, Thailand, United Kingdom, and America. Their slogan is “Bring fun to everyone."

Games

1. Lineage Series

Lineage is based on a feature-length comic which has the same title created by Ilsuk Shin. This game was released in 1997, and it is the most famous and successful MMO RPG game in Korea. More than 10 million people play this game. The player can choose several characters such as a Knight, Elf, and Lord. Because of its popularity, the developers have used strategies, such as trading real money for the in-game money called Adeda. This brings in more profit, which gives the developers an opportunity to improve the game even more.

2. Aion

Aion is (Aion: Tower of Eternity) an MMO that was developed by NC Soft in 2008. The distinguishing features are the flight system and customizing system of avatars. Through the homepage they introduced the flight system as: Soar on your own wings! Flight adds a new aspect to combat, quests, exploration, and harvesting. Wind streaming in high-level zones allows you to travel faster with unlimited flight time. As for the avatar customization, the game allows the player to be able to create avatars the way they want.

3. Blade and Soul

Blade and Soul is another MMO RPG (Massive Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Game). However, this game is not European Fantasy, it is Asian Fantasy. The characters use martial arts to fight with monsters. Players can also choose unique races for playing in the game such as Gon, Jin, Kun, Lyn. This game also has an amazing customizing system, so players are able to shape their avatars the way they want. According to the homepage of Blade and Soul they introduce themselves as: “Blade & Soul® brings the world of Asian martial arts fantasy to life in this massively multiplayer online universe. Enter a lush world drawn from myth and legend, and bursting with action and intrigue!”(Blade & Soul)

Interview: Hyung Tae Kim – a Concept Artist

Q: When did you start drawing?

A: I started drawing from a very young age. When I saw my childhood picture diary, I was so surprised because it didn’t include amazing drawings, but I put a lot of time and effort into the diary anyway. In my primary school days, I started drawing a lot more seriously. At that time, I got Japanese animation and games unofficially. After I saw “Gundam” I tried to copy those robots. After watching Gundam and playing NES, I knew I wanted to work in the game media field. When I was in 6th grade, I knew my dream job was to be an illustrator.

Q: What is the one thing that attracts you to game directing?

A: Since I have worked as a game director, I feel the game is the most highly advanced entertainment media. Movie and music are passive. We consume only one way. Movies through the screen and music through the speaker. However, games have various genres such as online gaming and DDR (Dance Dance Revolution), and also has various forms of expression. For example, game developers can produce the game through music and sound, but without the screen. Games can also be created with the screen, but without sound. Moreover, people who play the game alone or with a group of people. I was attracted to this and thought I should put my creativity into games.

Q: In school, most of the instructors teach us not to exaggerate the figure, make the balance, and not make it cartoony. What are your thoughts on this as a concept artist?

A: There are a lot of differences between the drawing style that I know and the drawing style that I do not know. I still study the human figure, and I’m always concerned about those limitations. Basically, you have to understand the human figure first before you can exaggerate or emphasize it. This is the easiest way. You do not have to understand the human figure perfectly, however, you should understand basic proportion. It seems exemplary, but there is no shortcut.

Q: What is your daily schedule?

A: Usually, I go to work by 10 am. In the morning I have a meeting to discuss the direction of a game, and in the afternoon, designers create art pieces individually for the project. I supervise them and we talk to each other about the concepts.

Q: There are many students who work in the game field. For getting a job in this field, do the students have to go to college specifically for art?

A: If you take your time studying and work steadily, you will find out what you really want to do. It will take a really long time because you need to understand art, contents we consume, and the trends of our world. However, you do not have to go to college in order to get this job. But employers prefer the person who graduated from university or college, so it is still your best bet to attend higher education. Many employers judge the students based on their education. They believe that college students gain more knowledge of the art, compared to a person who did not go to college.

Q: Specifically, what should digital media majors study, computer or the art?

A: I want to say study the art with the computer. Many people think working with a computer and the art are different, but the computer is a useful tool for creating art. In short, you should study the art first. After you understand the basics of art, you have to develop your own style of art. You will not create great art if you do not understand the basics and understand only the computer tools.

Computer graphics, game graphics, game art, 3D seems to be separate from fine art, but their origins are in fine art. If you understand the basics, such as the understanding of light, sketching of forms, then you are able to be skillful in all the art fields.

Working at NC Soft

NC Soft has various studios around the world such as North America, Europe, South America, and Australia and New Zealand. The North America studio headquarters are located in Seattle.

According to NC Soft's homepage:

“The Seattle headquarters houses some of the industry's top publishing talent in a fast-paced, open-concept environment. Located in the heart of Seattle's downtown, key organizations within the Seattle headquarters include executive management, sales, marketing, public relations, web and creative services, as well as operations, finance, and human resources.”(NCSOFT West)

They also have a studio called Carbine Studios in Orange County, California. This studio focuses on creating high quality Massively Multiplayer Games. Nowadays, they hire many employees, including 3D cinematic artists, character artists, creative writers, and UX designers. 3D cinematic artists create characters and environments focused on marketing cinematic. They create high-resolution cinematic characters from low poly game characters, and they also require the skills of the ZBrush to digitally sculpt characters. Character artists work closely with 3D characters, and they create simple creature variants.

A common entry level position at NC Soft are for character artists. They must have experience in modeling and editing images with Photoshop. They are hired as contract workers for six month and afterwards they are given the opportunity to transition to a full-time job.

Trailer of Blade and Soul

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuQSzv7WjG4

- by Chanwook -