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Test Your Ishaan Knowledge

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AAHHHH....

The NFL draft is on Thursday. That's cool.

I think that I speak for everyone when I say that the NFL draft is on Thursday, and that the NFL draft is cool. I'm pretty pumped. What should teams look for?

Atlanta looked great last season, and they were real contenders to win the Super Bowl (I hate you just a little bit for that, Green Bay.) However, they need to work on their passing game. One of their main problems is that defensive coordiantors can double-cover Roddy White, and they really have no equivalent weapons. If the Falcons can draft a great wide receiver, they can leave defenses scrambling. However, the Falcons' general manager has already said that he is looking to find a better third-string quarterback. Really?

I'm going to take a lot of heat for this, but I think that Jacksonville has real potential. They finished 8-8 in 2010, a solid finish for a team that was just founded in 1995. However, a star team needs a star quarterback, and I'm sorry, but Jason Garrard isn't going to cut it. I think that a truly great college quarterback picked up in the draft could really propel Jacksonville to a win, particularly in the passing department, since Jacksonville is blessed with Mike Sims-Walker, a very strong player.

The Vikings are going to need a new quarterback as well, after Brett Farve finally retires (bye, I don't miss you.) Unfortunately for them, they don't have a particularly good spot in the draft, so Cam Newton will probably be gone at that point. A nice alternate choice might be the former Washington Huskies quarterback. On the other hand, their offensive and defensive lines aren't looking particularly strong either, so they might go with a linebacker.

-Ishaan

PlayStation Network 'Suspended'

Millions of gamers are unable to play online as the Playstation Network remains unavailable.
Users are seeing error messages stating the network is "undergoing maintenance" or is "suspended".

The message received while attempting to log-in. 

In a blog post, makers Sony thanked users for their patience but warned the downtime, which has so far been for over 48 hours, could continue for "a day or two".

So far Sony has not released further information on the outage and is angering the gaming community which can be seen throughout Twitter and Gaming Forums. 

Not only is this a setback because of the 70 million plus users Sony has, but also comes on the most anticipated video game release week this year; and if you're trying to access other features including Netflix, then you're also out of luck as those services require you to sign-in.

Long Live the... Government?

If you remember, the first article that I wrote was about Libya, and now I want to revisit the situation in Libya. 

Since my original article was written, the situation has changed quite a bit. In light of the government forces using heavy artillery and tanks to fight the rebels, the UN has finally approved the use of air strikes on government forces in an attempt to help even out the situation. However, the air strikes came too late as the government already had taken back almost all the cities claimed by the rebels. Only the eastern cities of Libya remain in rebel hands and Misrata, the only western city held by rebels, has been under heavy attack by the government forces.

                                

Fierce fighting continues between the rebels and pro-Gaddafi troops

So, where is Libya heading? After the initial air strikes, the rebels launched a counterattack but where quickly beaten back as air support can only do so much. It seems that despite NATO's air support destroying 30%-40% of government forces and weapons, the rebels remain unable to effectively push toward Tripoli and bring an end to the Gaddafi rein. Gaddafi has managed to weather the initial storm and most importantly this army remains devotedly loyal to him. Compared to the rebels, they have the superior weapons, tactics and training.

                                  

Rebel walks past a burnt Pro-Gadaffi truck 

Currently, Gaddafi has been concentrating all his firepower on the last western city held in rebel hands, Misrata. It has under attack for over 2 weeks and it is unclear how long the rebels can hold out. There are evidence of cluster bombs being used in the city, which has been declared illegal and inhumane by over 100 countries around the world. This just goes to show how far Gaddafi is willing to go to defeat the rebels. 

                                    

A doctor's gloved hand covered in blood at a Misrata hospital

Sadly, it appears that the rebels won't win this war at the current state. Air strikes can only do so much and at this point, it's not enough. Already, all priority targets for the air force have already been destroyed, yet Gaddafi's army still functions. In response to this, Britain, France and Italy are sending teams of military advisors to try to educate and improve the rebel fighting forces, signifying the deeping of foreign involvement. The outcome of the fight at Misrata will determine whether or not the rebels lose or not. If Misrata falls, then short of NATO troops coming into Libya, the rebels will lose. Otherwise, they stand a chance at victory with more foreign involvement. 

The future is very unpredictable and volatile. For a review of what happened in Libya thus far, check out this timeline. Do you think that the rebels can win and overthrow Gaddafi, or will they lose?