How Obama Lost

In a Newsweek article author John Alter lays out a potential scenario. Alter discusses a potential scenario that would leave McCain, not Obama, with the presidency. That seems unlikely as Obama is up five to ten points in polls around the nation. With the help of the media, it seems as if Obama has already locked up the election. However, 'it ain't over 'till the fat lady sings.' As history will tell, polls don't always accurately predict future outcomes. Also, numbers usually tighten up in the week before the election. On top of that, either candidate could make a major gaffe.

Interestingly enough, Alter doesn't include any of these facts in his scenario. He instead lists a multitude of reasons as to how Obama could lose. Hypothetically speaking, this is how he lost: As well as Obama did in bringing new voters to the table, what he couldn't do was bring in the LIVs or "low-information voters, the three fifths of the electorate that show up once every four years to vote for president but mostly hate politics. " Originally, they supported him, but in the end, they ended up voting for McCain partly because of legitimate reasons and partly because of race. Just as Obama wasn't able to bring in the LIVs, he was unable to bring in the independents who overwhelmingly supported McCain. When it came to the key states, Obama wasn't able to snag them either; He couldn't grab Ohio, a battleground state, which edged towards McCain; Florida and its older population went McCain's way; Colorado went to McCain with help from Sarah Palin and her frontier image; Virginia, which has a considerable African-American population also went to McCain due to overwhelming margins in the southern half of the state and; New Hampshire, who always liked the maverick, couldn't resist him. With all of these nightmares piling up in Obama's head, one more was added. He had done so well in getting them to vote during the primaries, but they were just "too busy." Most of the reasons as to why Obama lost were because he failed to do something, but when McCain finally pounded the issue of taxes and the possibility of a terrorist attack into the minds of voters, that was what did it.

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The result of next Tuesday's election may be surprising or it may be completely expected, but whatever the case, one should be prepared for any outcome.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/165657

The Positive Effects of Motion Blur

Its incredibly frustrating to be photographing important images only to have them turn out blurry. There's nothing more irritating then taking a photo of something cool and then realizing the photo is going to come out blurry because someone nudged you. Its equally annoying when trying to balance on one foot in order to take a cool shot when you lose your balance just as you click the camera. It would be better off if little annoyances like this which result in motion blur didn't exist.

Although motion blur is usually the result of an accident and can result in disappointing images, motion blur, if used correctly, can incredibly enhance an image. In an article titled "Move Your Camera to Create Motion Blur," the author writers about some of motion blur's positive effects. He says, "[a] purposeful camera shake can actually give an image a sense of movement, excitement and energy." Generally, while taking photos, one would want a camera to be secured to either a tripod or a monopod in order to reduce movement and blur. However, as the author emphasizes, blur can significantly add to a photo's mood. Blur can give a sense of life to an otherwise lifeless image.

http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/move-your-camera-to-create-motion-blur/

A Wise Man

SNL Vice-Presidential Debate

On Thursday, October 2nd, Vice Presidential Candidates Joe Biden and Sarah Palin went toe-to-toe in a debate. During the debate, many important issues were discussed. Two days later, Saturday Night Live put together a skit of the two debating. Joe Biden and Sarah Palin were played by Jason Sudeikis and Tina Fey, respectively. Although, in my opinion, it was not as funny as the openers of the previous two weeks, it was good entertainment. In particular, instead of just tearing Sarah Palin apart, The SNL writers decided to poke fun at Senator Joe Biden as if they were mocking him. The writers had Sudeikis say, "I come from Scranton, Pa., as hard scrabble a place as there is. ... It's a hellhole, an absolute jerkwater of a town, you couldn't stand to spend a weekend there. It's just an awful, awful sad place." As this line was delivered it became clear that Biden spends too much time talking about the great city he came from. Sudeikis, impersonating Biden, also pointed out McCain's faults, but while doing so, he couldn't help but compliment McCain as a friend. He once talked about McCain saying, "...a raging maniac and a dear, dear friend." The writers also talked about Biden being a Washington insider. When it came to making fun of Palin, Tina Fey used the usual tricks: "Fey showed no mercy on Saturday night as she skewered Palin with her colloquialisms, gestures and northern accent." Overall, it was a pretty fun opener.

http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/10/05/snl-slices-dices-palin-biden-debate-send/

Omision, Deception, and Politics

In almost every presidential election since Jefferson v. Adams, political tactics have been used to advance one's cause in becoming president. Throughout the years, candidates have used omission and deception to get elected. Whether its an economic liberal avoiding the issue of taxes or a social conservative avoiding the issue of personal freedoms, the tactic of omission is popular...as long as the topic is never debated. It crucial that a candidate not do this because of the importance of every issue. Deception, one might say, is as dirty as it gets. When your competitor begins to falsely speak of your record, twist your words, and unfairly bring your personal affairs into the race, he/she is resorting to 'do anything, say anything politics.' It is a shame that a race can come down information that includes anything, but the most important, critical issues. Unfortunately, that's just human nature and it will never stop.

To relate those points to an article I recently read, Sarah Palin claimed, "Barack had 94 opportunities to side on the people's side and reduce taxes, and 94 times he voted to increase taxes or not support a tax reduction — 94 times." Although this is true, one must dig deeper to determine the truth of the statement. When one does dig deeper, he or she will find that about twenty percent of those ninety-four votes included tax-increases for some, but tax cuts for others. A great majority of the votes included votes on amendments that "could not have resulted by themselves in raising taxes, though many were clear statements of approval for increased taxes. Also, the total included duplications. This is an example of how politicians, be they running for president, governor, or mayor, will try to deceive the public. And by no means do these actions only occur on one side of the aisle.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/10/02/fact-check-94-times/#more-22199

Homer: Early Feminist or Old-Fashioned Sexist?

Although The Odyssey may sometimes hint at Homer being a sexist, he leans more closely to early feminism. A sexist would downplay the success of women whereas a feminist would emphasis a women's equality to men. Homer doesn't necesarily do either of these things, but by giving an important role to a female and by choosing to have females profoundly affect the plot, Homer doesn't show women to be inferior. When Odysseus washes up on the land of phaeacia, he is told to go to the king's residence, but he must be very careful in doing so as the phaeacians don't receive foreigners very well. Luckily, Athena serves as an aide to Odysseus and shrouds him in mist as he travels to meet the queen. In this scene, Athena, who is a goddess, is shown to be extremely helpful. She repeats the act of helpfulness throughout The Odyssey. If Homer were truly a sexist, he would do one of two things: Make Athena seem foolish or use a man to guide Odysseus safely to the king and queen's residence. Because he does not do this, he supports the female cause. Another example which helps to portray Homer as a feminist occurs throughout Odysseus' story of the hardships he went through during his time on the seas. Odysseus talks of how his men were turned into swine by Circe, how the Sirens had the power to hypnotize anyone with song, and how Calypso kept Odysseus on her island for a very long time. Each of these stories had to do with women or a woman who yielded a tremendous amount of power in their craftiness. Certainly beautiful song is not to be looked down upon and the ability to use magic for one's enjoyment is not a quality one would not want to desire. The fact that Homer gives women these astonishing powers indicates that he did not look down upon women. Women, in Homer's eyes, could have any power and any quality that would be desirable to all.

Just as Homer values women through their abilities and actions, he also shows his value for them through description. In The Odyssey when women are compared to men, they are never described as being inferior and are sometimes portrayed as being greater than men. As Odysseus was seeking a way to reach his home, he was told that the intelligent and influential Queen Arete had the ability to set wrongs to rights. For anyone, a description like that of Arete would be wished for. Not only does Homer speak of the queen's attributes, he talks about the great skill she possesses. To give a description like that shows Homer was not a sexist and valued the qualities of women. When Homer describes what Odysseus' wife, Penelope, is going through, it completely proves the point that Homer was not a sexist and can be considered a feminist. While Odysseus is away, Penelope remains devoted to her possibly dead husband. When it would have been very easy to marry one of the many suitors, she decides not to, longing for her husband. This shows that Homer believed that women could be committed to anything they set their mind to. It is quite obvious that Homer was definitely not a sexist, valued women, and was most likely an early feminist.