Some Possible Explanations For US Inaction In Libya

Some Possible Explanations For US Inaction In Libya

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One has to wonder the possibilities for the United States not helping the Libyan peoples plea for help in providing a no fly zone over Libya.

List of possible reasons:

  • Kadafi has claimed that the actions against his regime are all a plot by the west to control Libyan oil.  For us to aid the freedom fighters would validate that claim to the world.
  • The United States has dirty hands in the middle east and has to back away from involvement in this conflict.
  • The no fly zone is extremely hard to set up and carry forward.
  • The no fly actions will surely cause death to innocent civilians and thus the United States will be seen as the ugly war machine.
  • The no fly zone pulls military assets from Iraq, Afghanistan, North Korea, etc.
  • The United States is already fighting two wars and being drawn into another conflict is not wise.
  • The military industrial complex along with the national gas industry is not concerned with the massive dying in Libya, but rather business interests.  They might recommend that the administration wait until the situation gets so dire that American troops be sent to Libya to support the freedom fighters.  In other words, strive toward putting US boots on Libyan soil instead of flying overhead.  In this way, this country can impart deeper control of any future ruling party and thus game the system to make further riches for our business interests.

What is your guess as to the reluctance of the administration?

Post date: 3/9/2011

Dexter – Review of the TV show.

Dexter – Review of the TV show.

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Members of my fitness trekking class, in a conversation about good TV shows to watch and movies to watch, it came up that the TV show Dexter was excellent viewing. I was able to watch the first episode in the first season and found the production values in almost all categories to be excellent except the main character role. My major complaint is that he portrays being a vigilante and evidently this is acceptable because we are being entertained. I draw the parallel of the Romans using the Coliseum for entertainment by providing murder and spectacle to an audience and the entertainment value is the reason it was accepted and continued to endure. The viewer knows the main Dexter character is killing people. Because the protagonist knows his victims to be killers, this seems acceptable because he works for the police and we are seeing the action from his point of view and he is carrying out his selfish justice. The show is so well done that the entertainment factor and darkness draws us in so people continue to watch. I found the show to be a bit sick because it places the audience in a position of accepting his behavior because we are entertained. How perverse it is when entertainment tramples what should be right. What message is being conveyed to the audience? Do we really know why Rome fell?

Why Computer Games Might Be Good For Young People

Why Computer Games Might Be Good For Young People

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Let me cover some viewpoints and offer perspective to counter some of the negativity aimed at gaming.

Gamers are escapists.  They certainly are which is an important attraction making computer games a successful commercial product.  Why might escapism be good?  One answer is that some of our young people live in homes that are troubled.  One in eight adolescents may be suffering from depression.  One factor that may lead to depression includes family problems.  I was utterly shocked to learn about one local high school child after another that was experiencing problems at home based on parents not having it together for a variety of reasons.  Depression may also lead to suicide.  In a lot of games, success is almost guaranteed and this just might give a young person a sense of accomplishment when their own personal real life home experience is deficient.

One person proposed that young people should learn a musical instrument  to gain a sense of achievement instead of mindless computer game killing.  Besides that fact that not all children are pushed to play an instrument by their parents or even have any self motivation to do so, let us look at the opportunities to play an instrument.   Some schools have dropped their music programs which can be a huge negative factor.  School music programs give powerful peer support.   Personal music lessons range around $20 a hour and thus can cost $80 to $100 a month if you buy one lesson a week.  Instrument rental or instrument purchase, insurance, maintenance, sheet music, parental taxi costs vary but my point is that a Playstation 3 with a few games is a much cheaper cost.  Some families just can not afford music instrument lessons.

The viewpoint that gaming is pointless can partly be refuted by science.  Studies have shown that playing certain types of games can improve mental agility. (Newsweek, January 10 & 17, 2011, Article: Can You Build a Better Brain.)  Video games improve vision (ScienceDaily, Sept. 13, 2010: Video Games Lead to Faster Decisions That Are No less Accurate).  See also NPR Video Games Boost Brain Power, Multitasking Skills (http://www.npr.org/2010/12/20/132077565/video-games-boost-brain-power-multitasking-skills).

One game, in my mind, stands out being superb in refuting arguments against gaming (except cost) because it demotes the killing and adds so much ancillary aspects that seem in many ways to run parallel to our real lives.  In some ways, it is an alternate universe to our own but where the rules are easily understood and the ladder to success is well defined.  In many ways it prepares our young people to cope with our current real world because it does not minimize the complexity that these young people will need to face.  That game is World of Warcraft.  This game does use killing but for purpose that rewards.  The game is over the top complex which in itself might help cognitive function.  It also teaches economics, government, collaboration, (contrived) history, wants vs needs, sharing, and much more.

As a parent I soon discovered that giving important child possessions is one of the most significant if not important mechanisms to get your child to do a chore.  Tell your child that they will not be allowed to play a game until their room is cleaned is a powerful control.

Newegg Is What Internet Purchasing Should Be.

Newegg Is What Internet Purchasing Should Be.

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My son wanted to build his second tower computer system.  He asked mom and dad to help him buy the components for a Christmas gift in 2010.  My son gave me a list of components: case, cpu, memory chips, power supply and told me to buy the items at Newegg.com.  The process was simply flawless except the tower case was added as a second shipped item due to its size and I almost ordered TWO cases because I failed to see it listed toward the bottom of the computer screen.  Newegg sent confirmation right away after I sent in the order and follow up e-mails appeared and tracking information.  I was later to discover that their prices were pretty darn good.  We strongly recommend this vendor.

Disneyland not able to provide Christmas gift confirmation.

Disneyland not able to provide Christmas gift confirmation.

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My daughter has an annual pass to Disneyland.  As a Christmas gift, my daughter had the idea of having dad give mom an annual pass to Disneyland so mother and daughter could go to the park together.  My daughter went on line and using dad’s credit card purchased a Deluxe Annual Passport with parking, not a trivial amount of money.  We never received e-mail confirmation.  I called a day later and after a very long hold time, due to being close to Christmas, I was informed that my daughter had misspelled my e-mail address by one letter.    I asked for another confirmation be sent to me, after giving my correct e-mail address, but I was told that that could not be done.  We were given the confirmation number.  Using that number, my wife can go to the park, I was told, and get her pass.  Problem for me was the Christmas presentation was completely missing.  The land of enchantment appeared to me to be the land of alleged indifference.

Film Production Results

Film Production Results

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This is the third in a series of posts.  There are two prior posts to this one.  Post number one: https://ypw.wrq.mybluehost.me/website_12972da0/?p=1032.  Post number two: https://ypw.wrq.mybluehost.me/website_12972da0/?p=1035.

On 11/30/10  9:30 AM, “A. B.” wrote:

Got my footage back, first roll was blurred because I never set the ground glass, second roll was also blurred because the film stock was loose in the door. Third roll was amazing but slightly green (colorist fixed with ease), fourth roll was perfect, fifth roll was perfect with the exception of a shot that I did indoors with a 250D. The shot was too red, again the colorist fixed that with ease.  Infinite value learned from this shoot.

  • Lesson one you can’t fix focus in post make sure you are 100% with it before you shoot.
  • Lesson two the more time you invest in shoot the better your image will look.
  • Lesson 3 there will always be mistakes but there is nothing you can do but prepare for them.
  • Lastly, film is awesome and is such an intimate medium.

Thanks for all the help as you can see after your input my rolls turned out a lot better ( rolls 3-5).  Rolls one and two were salvageable in the fact that some of the images were focused for 1-2 seconds so I’ll definitely have to be a wiz in editing to make the first scene work.  I will definitely be shooting 16mm again and look forward to the great texture and quality that await!  Thanks again and I’ll link you my video when I finish if you want to check it out.

Best,
A. B.