Brooklyn's Finest

Brooklyn's Finest 

[Blu-ray] 

DVD — Richard Gere 

Fighting failed government policy with more police, guns, corruption, and endless loss of lives., March 8, 2010 I assume the title New York's Fr-lest" was avoided for trademark conflict. The "finest" motto is the subject of ridicule, as those poor cops have nothing [fine] going for them on any front. 

The Ex-NYC Police Chief Bernard Kerik's imprisonment is an example of the ugliness of working in a bureaucratically corrupt system. The charisma, ultimate sacrifice in securing, protecting, and helping society to conform to law and order, are rewarded with the ultimate despair of each policeman's family, poor health, contempt to their exceptional commitments by government officials, and suspicion and mistrust of the public. On its façade, the policemen are given figurative lip service and glorified for political gains. In reality, the policemen are left to the perils of excessive and outmatching fire power of criminals and drug dealers, the shear number of unemployed, uneducated, and troubled citizens, and the endless and complicated social decay. The profiteers are the career-thirsty state-officials, sitting on their Mahogany, shinning desks, isolated from the reality of urban warfare. Every fine cop portrayed in the movie, and fits perfectly real life scenario, is exposed to the ultimate death, yet compensate hourly and on overtime basis. 

Most cops work irregular shifts, smoke, and stressed to the end, could not support their family, and resort to prostitution to fill their missing human needs. 

 Furthermore, the perfect kids of this great Country of ours, who were raised to glorify the saintship of being on the right-side of the law, such as cops, are faced with the reality of political corruption that serves state officials. On the other side, the movie displays the endless blood battles that claim the lives of many innocent blacks, whose only crime was possessing, dealing, or using drugs. Not as if the government cares about eradicating drugs from society, since that requires creating economic situation conducive to financial security, but because state officials could play the PR game of staying in office and gaining more power. 

Most of the dead and dying, poor blacks, have no access to opportunities or any glimpse of hope that could brighten their future. The movie succeeded in questioning the rationale of trusting the government to solve any social or economic problem without the creative and proactive role of the public in holding its governments accountable in making and enforcing laws that could do good to the people.

Nuclear Fusion Query

Dealing with beam-based nuclear fusion compelled me to reexamine the values used in the following four conventional equations:

(1)

21D

+

31T

→

42He

(

3.5 MeV

)

+

n0

(

14.1 MeV

)

(2)

21D

+

21D

→

31T

(

1.01 MeV

)

+

p+

(

3.02 MeV

)

50%

(3)

21D

+

21D

→

32He

(

0.82 MeV

)

+

n0

(

2.45 MeV

)

50%

(4)

21D

+

32He

→

42He

(

3.6 MeV

)

+

p+

(

14.7 MeV

)

The following values are used to check the meaning of the terms in the above equations:

electron mass, kg:                  9.10938E-31
neutron mass, kg:                  1.67493E-27
proton mass, kg:                   1.67262E-27
deuterium mass, kg:              3.34449E-27
tritium mass, kg:                    5.00827E-27
eV in Joule:                           6.24219725343321E+18
unit of mass eV                     8.37185E+25
speed of light, m/sec:             299792458
helium 3 mass, kg:                 5.00823E-27   
helium 4 mass, kg:                 6.64648E-27

Mass Balance of Equation (1)

(1)

21D

+

31T

→

42He

(

3.5 MeV

)

+

n0

(

14.1 MeV

)

Mass difference       = 3.34449E-27+ 5.00827E-27-6.64648E-27-1.67493E-27
                               = 3.13563E-29 kg
Energy difference, J         = 3.13563E-29* sq(299792458) = 2.25318E-12 Joules
Energy difference, MeV   = 2.25318E-12*6.24E+18/E+06= 17.6 MeV



In the above equation, it was assumed that the fused nucleus was at zero velocity such that:
                               
0 = (mass of He-4)* (velocity of He-4) + (mass of neutron)* (velocity of neutron)

The above momentum conservation equation yields:

(velocity of neutron)/(velocity of He-4) = - (mass of He-4)/(mass of neutron)

Squaring and multiplying by (mass of neutron)/ (mass of He-4) gives"

(Energy of neutron)/(Energy of He-4) = (mass of He-4)/(mass of neutron)

      = 6.64648E-27/1.67493E-27     = 3.968213597

       (Energy of neutron)  = 17.6(3.968213597/(1+3.968213597))
                                      = 14.0574792  MeV
           (Energy of He-4) =  17.6/(1+3.968213597)
                                      = 3.542520799  MeV

As we see, we did not include the kinetic energies of the reactants D and T. We only assumed that the binding energy is the net energy output. Recall that this reaction has peek fusion cross section at kinetic energy 100 KeV. The proper way to write equation (1) is therefore:

21D

+

31T

+ E(D-T)

→

42He

(

3.5 MeV

)

+

n0

(

14.1 MeV

)

+ E(D-T)

Where E(D-T) is the kinetic energy of the original projectiles D and T.  This raises this question:

How to determine E(D-T) in the case of beam-based fusion when either of the energies of D and T projectiles could be manipulated precisely?

For example, in beam-based fusion, one could either make both D and T have equal energies in the lab reference or make D possess greater speed, such that the net energy of D and T remains the same but the proportion of energies of D to T is different. I the projectiles D and T collide with net zero velocity after fusion, then:
How would we retrieve E(D-T) that was spent in energizing the projectiles?

Let us leave this question for now and turn to the next equation.
 

Mass Balance of Equation (2)

From the outset we must conserve the electronic charge by adding an electron on the right hand side.

(2)

21D

+

21D

+

E

(D-D)

→

31T

(

1.01 MeV

)

+

p+

(

3.02 MeV

)

+  e-  + E (D-D)

Mass difference   = 2* 3.34449E-27-5.00827E-27-  1.67262E-27 - 9.10938E-31                           = 7.17906E-30 kg
Energy difference, J         = 7.17906E-30* sq(299792458) = 6.45222E-13 Joules
Energy difference, MeV  = 6.45222E-13*6.24E+18/E+06= 4.03 MeV


                                                   (Energy of proton)  =  1.010647969    MeV

                                                           (Energy of T)  =  3.0219763  Mev
                                                (Energy of electron)   =  0.000550    MeV

Again, to determine E(D-D), in beam-based nuclear fusion, the kinetic energy for the projectiles D and D is subjected to manipulating the individual energies of each projectile.

Let us now modify Equations (3) and (4) so as to represent the real reactants:

(3)

21D

+

21D

→

32He

(

0.82 MeV

)

+

n0

(

2.45 MeV

) + E(D-D)

(4)

21D

+

32He

→

42He

(

3.6 MeV

)

+

p+

(

14.7 MeV

+  e-  + E(D-He3)

Query

What is the proper proportion of energies, of deuterium and tritium projectiles, in the laboratory frame of reference, that could peak the fusion cross-section, in beam nuclear fusion? 

(Hint: beam-based nuclear fusion refers to using beams of ions of D and or T to induce nuclear fusion. This differs from bulk plasma-based fusion where the temperatures of the two projectiles are dependent on the  temperature of the bulk plasma.) 

All help, suggestions, and questions are warmly appreciated.
 

Mohamed F. El-Hewie

Salt

DVD ~ Angelina Jolie 5.0 out of 5 stars Well done. Will keep you engaged from start to end., July 23, 2010 After watching "The A-Team", I was left with deep contempt to action moviemakers. "Salt" restored my confidence that an action movie could be educational, entertaining, and spiritually uplifting. From the start to the end, the scenario appeared logical, smart, and ingenious. From North Korea, to Washington DC, to New York, and Moscow, you get a sense of reaching around the globe in a matter of minutes. The severe torture of a woman by the North Koreans will leave you traumatized until the next and more painful episode ensues. In those brief and intense moments, my mind was split between the agony and sacrifices of a women involved in acting as a way of living and the parallel lifestyle of real official government spies. Either way you look at it, the insult outweighed the gain. The tortured and patriotic American spy is transformed in a snap into a traitor and fugitive while the viewer was still recovering from her gruesome torture scenes. The apparently ruthless and calculated spy possessed a soft spot for building and guarding her love nest. The escape of the accused traitor and the chase by the feds occupied very good part of the action and never appeared boring or excessive. Without a single bone broken from jumping from the roof to the top of a moving truck, followed by another, and a third, the viewer will still be left gripped with dilemma facing an apparently innocent woman. The third episode of sneaking and disrupting a high level security funeral blended very well with the previous two episodes. You could easily forgive the moviemakers for exaggeration by making a lone and weak woman to cause such upheaval in such heavily secured settings. Then, in the wolves den, the weak and lone woman managed to take revenge for her lost love by eliminating those who did him and her harm. The scene of the Russian rebels in the Brooklyn harbor was as impressive as it could be. Dancing with wolves and getting out alive sounded within reach with smart planning. The questionable double spy or traitor will soon unveil other spies in her next assignment to steal the nuclear arsenal of America. In the White House, the long sleeper spy reveals his ugly face during a critical moment of nuclear survival. Putting a feeble yet determined woman at the center of action made the "A-Team" look miserably poor. The movie was filled with action, plotting, and twists of human nature that made is a real piece of art. Review by: Mohamed F. El-Hewie

The Social Network [Blu-ray]

DVD ~ Jesse Eisenberg 5.0 out of 5 stars Better than Facebook. Invaluable on legal and business issues., October 2, 2010 Watching the movies: Informant, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, the Middle Man, and My Sister's Keeper, this one gathered wider spectrum of knowledge on business and legal matters. The movie placed the legal deposition of the contesting parties as a placeholder in a structured plan to present their controversy from the point of view of jurors. The movie risked the chance of creating another legal action against its makers by plunging into the mindsets of the real actors of the controversy. The slightest doubt about intent of the actors could tip the balance in favor of one side or another. Inch by inch, email by email, the narration constructed the real motives of each party, in claiming intellectual rights to a flourishing business model. It started with a desperate, helpless, and isolated young man whose isolation and anger were transformed by his intuitive sense of potential glory. Casual encounters after encounters led to casual cascade of thoughts, all occurring in an institute whose members pride themselves in shaping the future of the world. The defendant proved his original ownership of the idea of making local Internet social clubs where people could immerse into gossip and immediate gratification while spending their money in building a global database of allurement and entertainment. Another plaintiff claimed the right to offering the means and refining the process of building such database. Yet, another plaintiff claimed his right to immediate assistance and advertisement to making the idea of Facebook mature. Amidst the liberal social decay of Harvard, where drugs, sex, and uninhibited behavior flourish, many innovative thinkers could transform such mess into golden treasures. The good and well meaning participants intermingled with the distressed ones, crushed by the social decay who sought other means to transform their social suffering into business success. Failed love and rejection obstructed the vision of the main player and led him to ignore the feelings of others. Despite his original ownership to his own idea, his hesitation to draw lines in his social interactions dragged him into endless litigation. The movie exposes the underlying theme of Internet transmission of intimate personal information on global scale in a manner that parallels international trafficking in drugs and sex. The high demand for sexual and addictive gratifications presented invaluable opportunities for Internet programmers motivated by the enormous potential to enrichment and equal high demands by consumers for exploring the myth of the social universe. The best of the movie lies in presenting all parties to the dispute in light most favorable to each party. The original owner of intellectual property was such that: original, talented, and meant no harm to anyone. The betrayed and violated plaintiffs were injured by transforming their Harvard's connection idea into global business model that deprived them from their ownership to their initial thought. They were there first but lacked the programming skill to move fast and excel in making their idea grow. Another Plaintiff was deprived from his immediate friendship and assistance that led to connecting the links to greater exposure. At the end, the three parties settled, with the original owner succeeding in his safe and secure Internet love and social and immediate personal loneliness. Review by: Mohamed F. El-Hewie

Secretariat [Blu-ray]

DVD ~ Diane Lane
5.0 out of 5 stars

A story of passion, intrigue, and adventure.,

October 11, 2010

The movie narrates the challenges, risks, and lifestyle of those involved in breeding horses for race in the era of the greatest historical transitions in modern America. Horse Secretariat was named in dedication for the lone woman who served his owner and her master well until he and his wife passed away. Horse Secretariat was such a progeny that could stand tall on his four limbs within few minutes after birth. At the age of three, Secretariat has unconditional trust in his keepers who would risk anything to secure their living. In fact, the horse was spoiled to the extreme, with plenty of food, fresh air, unlimited rest, and plenty of love and attention.

The risks and unknowns in breading and training horses to win races were the greatest challenges accepted by the owners, the trainers, and the horse jockeys. Each braced his or her luck in making the right choices. The jockeys are axed first when failure looms. The trainer must have the know how of the horses, the jockeys, and the tactics of racing. The owner confronts the brutal financing challenges. All participants are gambling on the fitness and courage of the three year old horse. Each actor in the business of horse racing is blinded with inexplicable yet long established motives. When all modern technical means are taken away from man, the horse and hay are the engine and fuel of transportation.

The jockey has the utmost joy of fighting like many great heroes in the history of man. The trainer has the utmost joy of getting credit planning the fight. The owner has the joy for gambling and winning in an exclusive field of knowledge. Everyone else enjoyed the mysterious power of a baby animal that could gather such traits to run fast,long, and strong in calm and peace.

The puzzle of speed versus distance remains unsolved for horse as it is for men. Whether to train hard or to enjoy long rest, remains in dispute. The greatest joy of learning through curiosity might be the only hope for horses to escape extinction by keeping man's interest in their ability to remain attractive.

Review by:

Mohamed F. El-Hewie

Machete [Blu-ray]

DVD ~ Danny Trejo
5.0 out of 5 stars

Revolutionary, rich, and captivating.,

September 5, 2010

Aside from the long and annoying scene of a man with severed aorta who kept standing and talking, which sounded very naive and irritating, the movie gathered every imaginable element for entertainment and enlightenment. The soothing and comforting persona of Michelle Rodriguez is twined and contrasted with the rugged and disfigured character of Danny Trejo. Rodriguez retained her consisted role of anti establishment and conscientious bend she performed in Avatar in saving the Pandora population. Trejo depicted the endless suffering of illegal aliens and fitted perfectly in the role of a fearless underdog who could transform society with his serious and deep wounds.

Watching the two movies; Machete and The Lottery Ticket, in one week gave a sense of the disparities of the Black and Hispanic struggles for civil rights. The Lottery Ticket displayed the law abiding citizens of the black projects living under the poverty line and succumbing to the dominance of felons. Machete played the harsh realities of a society of law that would only uphold its laws when the public remains vigilant. The Hispanics must climb the hills frequented by the Blacks in order to gain justice and ward off the foul play of crooks with official power. They did so with the modern access to high tech firearms.

Machete kills and kills again and always comes back. But Machete's gathered hard evidence could easily be suppressed with the greater evil of corruption in a government that lacks conscience and motivated by greed and self enrichment. However, the network appeared a logical evolution of the suffering of the illegal aliens. Michelle Rodriguez was fortunate enough to find the Pandora clans on another planet, in parallel with her Hispanic Planet. Her people are described as cockroaches, illegal, and undocumented and marginalized from society, but she was blessed with gift of healthy soul and untainted conscience. From flying an exotic airship on Pandora, to running a taco truck in Machete, Rodriguez added a spine to a movie that already has many bright stars.

The movie succeeded brilliantly in touching the hearts and souls of the underdogs and oppressed, when the mass media wages incessant onslaught on illegal aliens without the slightest chance to represent the other side of the story. Machete did.

Review by:

Mohamed F. El-Hewie

Due Date [Blu-ray]

DVD ~ Robert Downey Jr.
5.0 out of 5 stars

Unexpected triumph of two egocentric actors,

November 11, 2010

Getting Robert Downey and Zach Galifianakis to share a successful film was far beyond my expectation. Downey's past paranoid roles and Galifianakis' past silly acting out have always inconvenienced my joy of going to the movie theaters. Watching the previews of this movie did not help either. Yet, getting to see the real movie was quite a surprise.

In the early part of the movie, I got a taste of unease from the artificial and fake conversation of the two actors at the airport. Strange people would not indulge in such smooth chat and in-depth dialogue within seconds of their encounter. Of course, there were few other fake and artificial scenarios in the movie beside the bad start. Those were mitigated by the compromise made by Downey to behave as normal person, as opposed to his past egocentric mannerism, and by Galifianakis to pretend to be an absolute moron, which he fits in perfectly.
 
The extreme diversity of two characters; one immature, illiterate, doped low lifer, bordering insanity; the other objective, well mannered, and prospering, made the movie a great success. As the conflict unfolds between an insane, immature, hysterical, and dependent character and a realistic, objective, and focused adult, there come moments when the two strange folks needed each other in order to survive through many twists of fate.
 
The two extreme characters are well represented in society as were the circumstances that gathered them in one unlikely ordeal that ended in attending the birth of a newborn.
The comedy exposes the casual and prevalent social and intellectual decay in society. From state officials who could not perform the basic requirements of their duties that exposed an innocent citizen to life and death situations as he was assumed guilty on mere suspicion, to the wide spread addiction to marijuana and illicit drugs to transform its addicts to deviant actors. 
 

Review by:

Mohamed F. El-Hewie

Alpha & Omega

5.0 out of 5 stars

A masterpiece of art and literature. Probably,

the best animation movie ever made.,

September 23, 2010

The artist carved his masterpiece with packs of wolves, caribous, birds, grizzly bears, forests, mountains, steam train, full moon, and plenty of wolves howling styles.

Each element blended gracefully in an old fashion narration of love, family, marriage, and unity for the good of the whole. From the remote forests of Idaho and Canada, to the remote cultures of tribal marriage that strengthens the bonds between families, to the intriguing elements of nature such as mud slides and downhill skiing, to the stampedes of caribous that frighten ferocious wolves, the movie touches on the issue of real love founded on genuine choice.

The alpha wolf, Kate, was struck with two choices. One, was uniting the packs and marrying the alpha wolf, Garth, which would have pleased their fathers, Toni and Winston. Two, Kate already experienced the fun and joy of the omega wolf Humphrey during their capture and dislocation ordeal. Kate dared to go against her father's wish and chose the omega wolf, which engulfed the wolf packs into war.

Fortunately, for Kate, the forest took care of its own inhabitants. As the packs of wolves engaged in rage and fight, the birds were sacred, which alerted the caribous to stampede. The stampeding caribous brought greater dangers on the wolves, which forced them to cease fighting.

Humphrey was also fortunate to have missed the train in his effort to break away from the pack. Both Kate and Humphrey were presented with one in life time opportunity to save their elderly wolves from the stampede of the caribous.

The wolves' love story ended peacefully with Kate marrying Humphrey, and Lilly marrying Garth. Both were mixed marriages between alphas and omegas.

At the end of the movie, the different artistic elements were displayed to represent the basics thoughts that gathered in the artist's mind in the making of the movie. The howling of two stranded wolves, befriended by two two birds, on the background of train wheels knocking the rail transitions, added extra sense of serenity to the milieu.

Living the peaceful and tranquil nights in an open train car, zipping through the Rocky mountains and valleys, under the majesty of open space, full moon, and captivating nature, were the best experience the viewers will enjoy by sitting in a movie theater. The hawling
 

Review by:

Mohamed F. El-Hewie