Articles written by Philo Gabriel

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About me - Philo Gabriel

At present, my passion is making "personal history" films for people, which can be anything from a three minute photo montage of a child set to music, to a multi-DVD retrospective on the life of an elderly person, constructed from countless hours of interviews

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Arts & Humanities > Philosophical Concepts Is truth absolute or conditional?: 1 of 32
"Absolute truth" is redundant, because "conditional truth" or "relative truth" are confused or meaningless notions. Truth is a property of sentences (statements, propositions, claims, beliefs, assertions, etc.) whereby they correspond to reality. You can add "absolute" in front of that for emphasis if you like, but substantiv... More..
Arts & Humanities > Ethics Why moral relativism is wrong: 2 of 27
There are many, many things that different people seem to mean by "relativism," all of which have serious problems, or don't have the implications their proponents think they have, or both. Rather than simply pick out one possible meaning for "relativism" and argue against that, I will discuss several possibilities, so as to ... More..
Politics, News & Issues > US Economy The facts about the 2006 Internet gambling ban in the US: 1 of 11
The most important "fact" about the "2006 internet gambling ban in the U.S." is that there was no such ban. There is an enormous amount of misinformation about the legal status of U.S. citizens betting by phone and online with offshore sportsbooks and casinos that are legal in the countries in which they are located. Even sto... More..
Entertainment > Movie Reviews Movie reviews: Rocky Balboa: 3 of 30
Though this is the sixth film in the "Rocky" series, it only has the feel of a sequel in a qualified way. It heavily references the characters' past- -indeed, more than any other movie in the series- -but those references and clips are almost exclusively to the original "Rocky." This movie could have been nearly identical if ... More..
Arts & Humanities > American Literature Book reviews: To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee: 3 of 21
In Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird," children Jem and Scout Finch, along with their friend Dill Harris, learn about life, racial prejudice, moral character, courage and more in a small town in Depression-era Alabama. At first focused on childhood concerns such as the mystery of their reclusive, possibly insane, possibly m... More..
Entertainment > Movie Reviews Movie reviews: This is England: 2 of 10
Shane Meadows's "This is England," set in the Thatcher era, tells the story of twelve year old Shaun (Thomas Turgoose) who falls in with a gang of skinheads, becoming something of a little brother figure to the members, and especially the unofficial leader Woody (Joe Gilgun). When a much older former member Combo (Stephen Gra... More..
Arts & Humanities > International Writers & Literature Book reviews: The Brothers Karamazov, by Fyodor Dostoevsky: 1 of 5
"The Brothers Karamazov" tells the story of family patriarch Fyodor Karamazov - a repellent crooked voluptuary - and his four sons. Three were raised primarily away from his household, and have only recently returned to his town. These are Dmitri, as debauchery-loving a sensualist as his father, but more of a tortured soul st... More..
Hobbies & Games > Hobbies & Games (Other) Best places to bet online: 2 of 9
Having been involved in one capacity or another in the sportsbetting industry for much of my life, including playing in offshore sportsbooks for well over a decade, I know the importance of choosing wisely and carefully when you pick an online sportsbook, casino, or poker room. Though I could easily provide a list of such sit... More..
Entertainment > Movie Reviews Movie reviews: Savage Grace: 2 of 9
"Savage Grace" is based on a pretty bizarre true story about the heirs to the Bakelite plastics fortune: Husband Brooks Baekeland (Stephen Dillane), wife Barbara Daly Baekeland (Julianne Moore), and their only child, son Tony (Eddie Redmayne). It certainly has the potential to be interesting, at least on a tabloid level, as i... More..
Sports & Recreation > Sports & Recreation (Other) How to make money betting on sports: 3 of 12
I made enough money to support myself sportsbetting (mostly on NFL football) for about a decade, and during that time I interacted with a lot of folks on both sides of the counter who helped me learn what it takes to win at sportsbetting. Here are a few factors I would highlight: 1. Bet with your head, not your heart. There a... More..