21 years ago in Metro Times: "Nintendo and Atari plan to do for video games what the Sony Walkman did for music," writes MT, concerning the upcoming release of the Nintendo Game Boy and the Atari Portable Entertainment System, which mark a new phase in the evolution of video games: the handheld system. These AA-battery-powered devices allow users to play games like Super Mario Bros. outside, in the car, on airplanes or almost anyplace else. This is the biggest leap in the video game industry since Nintendo released the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) four years earlier, breaking an almost 10-year slump in video game sales. And 21 years later, at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), Nintendo unveils the Nintendo 3DS, a handheld system half the size of the Game Boy, that plays games in 3-D without the help of special glasses. The video game industry has since grown by leaps and bounds, with hundreds of games being released every year for more than six game consoles. What was happening: Rick Astley at Meadowbrook, Ringo Starr at Pine Knob, and Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan.
18 years ago in Metro Times: Operation Desert Storm was a very short conflict for the Allied forces, but the people of Iraq can't say the same thing. "It is known that as many as 70,000 children under the age of 5 died in 1991 as a result of the Allied bombing and UN sanctions," MT writes, as the casualties are still mounting. Thousands of homes were destroyed, leaving countless civilians homeless and destitute. Even the environment of Iraq suffers: Fumes from burned oil wells linger in the sky, killing plant and animal life, and depleted uranium from Allied shells litters the ground. A decade later, Iraq was invaded once again, and this time the war wasn't short or sweet for either side. At the last count, the United States has had more than 4,000 casualties since the war began. With the occupation of Iraq winding down, the war in Afghanistan is heating up again, where the U.S. has suffered around 1,200 casualties. What was happening: Special Olympics Softball Tournament at the Canton Softball Center, Melissa Etheridge at the State Theatre, and Jim Carrey's Unnatural Acts at the Phoenix Plaza Amphitheatre.
6 years ago in Metro Times: MT tells the story of the little known deportation of Michigan's Mexican community during the Great Depression. In 1920, the number of Latin American immigrants to Michigan, most of them legal, skyrocketed, as industrial and agricultural companies brought in Mexican immigrants fleeing the upheaval of the Mexican Revolution in search of employment and stability. Detroit was the host of a large and vibrant Mexican-American community. When the stock market crashed, a wave of anti-Mexican sentiment filled the country. The Herbert Hoover administration began quietly deporting thousands of Latin Americans, in what would become known as "The Repatriation." Does all of this sound familiar? Arizona's immigration law has drawn a lot of attention lately, and a similar bill is currently being debated in Lansing. What was happening: Lewis Black at Meadowbrook, and the Tigers vs. the White Sox at Comerica Park.
