patzky99

Tied for first in my division... going against the guy in first in the other division... and thinking too much about this.

"In your opinion"... means no wrong answers!

Have you lived through any events you'd consider to be "historic", by your own definition?

One thing we can all agree on: this accident will place all methods of harvesting energy in a new light. Business cannot be allowed to profit without some level of environmental (as well as fiscal) responsibility. Governments owe citizens of the world some level of accountability for events that occur on their watch. Media need to be more objective and less reactive in presenting incidences like this to their consumers.

There is plenty of blame to go around. We just spread it differently. Why do you think some choose to point the finger primarily at the corporations involved in the spill, while others lay the blame squarely at the feet of the federal government? Which entity is more equipped to 'fix' the problem? Who else would you like to see involved in a solution?

Other media and improvements at the times of their inceptions have a varied history of cost needed to access them. Radio and television are characterized as free if received over the air, but the listener or viewer must cover the cost of the receiving devices to enjoy them. Roads and highways are mostly free (not toll roads) but users must pay taxes on the equipment needed to use them. Public libraries provide limited access to 'free' internet, and many employers provide this service for their employees as well.

Today in some industrialized nations, people argue that the internet should be a service provided freely to the public. Some communities have experimented with this idea. Who do you think should pay for the internet... Users? Advertisers? Providers? Government?

Tea partiers have positions that are further to the right of 'traditional' Republican values. Members meeting in Nashville this week will get publicity through typically conservative media. Governor/commentator Sarah Palin will be a featured speaker. It seems that there is a lot of momentum moving toward making the Tea Party become a viable third political party in America.

Personally, I would have thought that a most effective third party would be one that espouses both Democratic and Republican ideals and philosophies... not one that lies to the extreme 'edge' of either. Is the time right for the tea Party to become a national player in American politics? Will a far left-wing party emerge to counterbalance the Tea Party? What do you think?

An interesting article appeared in National Geographic earlier this year, regarding the seasonal monsoon in India. The monsoon is not as reliable as it once was, and many of the farmers and citizens who rely on it for water are finding new ways to cope. The article mentioned that past peoples who lived in this part of the world would hail the annual coming of the monsoon as somewhat of a savior, due to its replenishing powers. Each year, their prayers were answered, at least for one more growing season. And, scary thought this, it got me thinking.

Let's say there were an identical people somewhere else in ancient world who also needed water for their livelihoods, and they looked forward to the saving rains too. But here, the rains were much less predictable, or perhaps less intense. What prayers might these people offer up to the heavens, as opposed to those who populated the West coast of India? Prayers unanswered might lead to a totally different version of their God. Or, perhaps a series of violent hurricane or typhoon seasons might lead to the worship and fear of an angry God, whom it was better to speak of in hushed tones.

I am not looking for an answer or for your agreement, so much as I am looking for any links or literature addressing this topic that you might be aware of. We are all products of our environments, and especially so in the ancient world, when understanding the forces of science was sometimes tantamount to survival. Discovering how our physical surroundings shape our views about the forces that may have created them is fascinating, and it seems somewhat understudied.

Thanks in advance for any ideas, conjectures, or links you might wish to share.

"The Day After Tomorrow" was a film that I had wanted to see for quite a while after it was released. Upon viewing it, I was intrigued by some of the science, but put off by what I saw as impossibilities... instantaneous freezing of the atmosphere and physical surfaces, for instance. What were the odds that fella found his son alive anyway? Suffice to say, I enjoyed the film less than I would have otherwise if i thought the science in it was sound.

On the other hand, the possibility that a disease could mutate mankind along the plot lines of the Will Smith movie "I Am Legend " seemed very plausible to me, and I found the film all the scarier because in my mind, I could imagine it taking place in the not too distant future. Excellent film, by the way.

Maybe you don't care for science fiction, but prefer historical or period movies or books instead. Do gross inaccuracies in the facts presented put you off to the work as a whole? A good example of a well-done historical piece in my eyes is "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee", a bad one "The Hunt for Red October". My opinions only!

How does a perceived inaccuracy in a film based on a given premise affect your ability to enjoy it? Can you overlook what faults you find, and take the plot and characters at face value? Or if you find one or two incongruities, do you search for more and enjoy yourself less?

Popcorn's waiting....

American cities have shaped the way their surroundings look in the two plus centuries since America became a nation. Suburban sprawl and commercial and industrial development have rendered places like Manhattan Island virtually unrecognizable as the wilderness it once was. Some of the rural areas have been changed as well, by past and current agricultural, forestry, and transportation practices.

While we try to re-create the authentic historical "feel" of battlefields like Yorktown, significant city centers like Boston, and old military facilities like Fort Sumter, Americans really don't have any large rural plots of land that have been untouched by the hand of development since 1776.... do we?

Name and describe any physically unchanged areas in the USA. How do they look? How near are they to potential threats to their status as untouched? And for the best answer, describe how they might be preserved to stay that way.

As President Obama took a bow before Emperor Akihito of Japan last week, I wonder if it crossed his mind how some Americans would interpret the gesture as a sign of submission. I wonder if he thought about how the gesture would look to the Japanese people. Was it appropriate, in your eyes?

what titles have you played or seen others play that foster creativity and growth, as opposed to those that emphasize destruction? why would you recommend the games that you chose?

yes, they do impact their immediate environments. yet they are easy to remedy and leave little lasting effects once removed.

do you consider light and noise pollution as real problems? why or why not? what adverse effects can excessive light and noise lead to?

especially this time of year in the united states, winter gives in grudgingly. spring approaches, recedes, disappears, and gradually comes again. in fits and starts, it will warm.

also, species migrate slowly. trees become acclimated to new environments over generations and glacially take root (no pun intended) in places miles north or south of their previous population centers. birds winter where they historically haven't, lakes and oceans ice-out earlier, or fail to ice at all. glaciers reposition themselves. but again, unless you've been keeping a journal over decades or centuries, you wouldn't notice these changes at all.

we've accepted that nature moves slowly, perhaps cyclically in some cases. has our acclimation to this idea made it impossible for us to conceive of a catastrophic event, a sudden climatic change, or mass extinction? has it also put the idea of a gradual climate change on the proverbial back burner, due to the lack of immediacy?

how lulled are we? what would be a springboard to action?

don't we all have some degree of intrinsic worth? why do some people stand out to you more than others?

we are truly free to speak our minds only if we are also free to enjoy other things: agree or disagree?

what other things? safety from those who would disagree with our views? the right to seek out those who would support and expand an idea? the right to a trial by our peers? maybe the bill of rights is best taken as a whole, instead of dissecting its individual parts.

does freedom of speech also require other freedoms in order to be effective, or can it stand alone on its own merit?

as school districts upgrade their facilities, the historic 'traditional' school buildings are sometimes left without a purpose, only memories for those who attended there. it seems a shame to simply raze them.

in what ways can we recycle these old school buildings? what have you seen done locally? how else could they be used?

in the era of declining use or rail for transport of people and goods, the infrastructures remain in place to remind of us our nation's past. these railroads slice through countrysides, towns and cities, abandoned and silent.

the rights-of-way are often still intact, however. and they can be recycled. what are some good present-day uses you've seen locally and nationally for these paths from the past? any examples or first-hand accounts of new uses are welcome!

ricardo montalban (1920-2009)

to those who proudly show off their calling card collection of social causes... "charity and consideration extended to all the world's people and just causes"... is there something missing if there is not also a card present in that portfolio showing concern for the earth?

can one truly care deeply for fellow man without caring at the same time about the place we live? or are the two separate concerns, for separate minds and hearts?

separate, or similar?

...and is it really a compliment?

these are slogans with powerful brand name associations among the viewing public. often, we cannot even identify a tv station by its call letters. in all marketing, a familiar brand name is so very important for a successful product.

so when KABC in los angeles moves from analog channel 7 to digital channel 53 in february, will they keep their well-known ABC7 brand, go to ABC53, or simply KABC?

just being curious and snoopy about how this transition is being handled across the country.... here's a listing of new channel numbers....

http://www.fcc.gov/oet/dtv/start/dtv2-69.txt