reflection

So this week we talked about Machiavelli, watched Blood Diamond, and learned about fair use rights when making videos. The class discussion of Machiavelli was not a very good debate for either side. Both sides had weak rebuttals and not the best arguments either. Furthermore, about 1/3 of the argument wasn't even centered around what Machiavelli was arguing but whether or not his argument was valid because it was anecdotal.
The movie, Blood Diamond, was an interesting movie and showed how countries interact with one another. Whether that interaction is conflict diamonds, torture, war etc. It also shows how hard it is to bring down smuggling and rebel groups that use child soldiers. It is a hard life for them and not a good one.
In the use of fair rights I learned that it is ambiguous and mostly left up to interpretation. For example, you can only use a video segment, length doesn't matter, so long as it backs up a point. The use of music, after the 1920s is illegal, unless it backs up a point or sets a mood that is talked about. So basically what I learned from that is it is fair use so long as it helps back up the point that you are trying to make. Otherwise it is illegal and you can be sued for the use of the music, video clip etc.