Friday, April 24, 2015

What I think about a good TED talk

As we all know, TED talk as known as a new kind of talking show becomes more and more famous. There are lots of good talkings, so I would share about how I think a good TED talk should be.
Generally a TED talk won't be that long, so it's possible for all the audiences to pay attention through all the talk and get all the information what the talkers want to share. So as the begining, a nice hook will catch most of the audiences' attention. Then turns into the time during they are talking. Mostly every good TED talk won't just let audiences to watch themselves talking all the time. They would bring some ideas supplemened such as imagines, videos, music and so on. Changing the form of a normal talking is the way to make it better and special.

Thursday, April 16, 2015

Dabate2 research

Lowering MLDA 21 would be medically irresponsible. Alcohol consumption can interfere with development of the young adult brain's frontal lobes, essential for functions such as emotional regulation, planning, and organization. When alcohol consumption interferes with this early adult brain development, the potential for chronic problems such as greater vulnerability to addiction, dangerous risk-taking behavior, reduced decision-making ability, memory loss, depression, violence, and suicide is greater.
Lowering MLDA 21 to 18 will irresponsibly allow a greater segment of the population to drink alcohol in bars and nightclubs, which are not safe environments. 76% of bars have sold alcohol to obviously intoxicated patrons , and about half of drivers arrested for driving while intoxicated (DWI) or killed as alcohol-involved drivers in traffic crashes did their drinking at licensed establishments. Neighborhoods with higher densities of bars, nightclubs, and other alcohol-selling locations suffer more frequent assaults and other violent crimes. 
The right to drink should have a higher age of initiation because of the dangers posed by drinking. Many rights in the United States are conferred on citizens at age 21 or older. A person cannot legally purchase a handgun, gamble in a casino (in most states), or adopt a child until age 21, rent a car (for most companies) at age 25, or run for President until age 35. Drinking should be similarly restricted due to the responsibility required to self and others.
MLDA 21 reduces traffic accidents and fatalities. 100 of the 102 analyses (98%) in a 2002 meta-study of the legal drinking age and traffic accidents found higher legal drinking ages associated with lower rates of traffic accidents. [19] The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimated that MLDA 21 decreased the number of fatal traffic accidents for 18- to 20-year-olds by 13% and saved approximately 27,052 lives from 1975-2008.

Monday, April 13, 2015

dabate research

More than half of teenagers in the study played a computer game every day

Playing violent video games for long periods of time can hold back the "moral maturity" of teenagers, according to a study in Canada.

In-depth research into the behaviour of about 100 13- and 14-year-olds found over-exposure to violent games weakened empathy for others.

More than half were found to play video games every single day, with violent games the most common.

Researchers warned of adolescents losing a sense of "right and wrong".

Brock University academics studied the behaviour of pupils at seven schools in Ontario, trying to understand the relationship between the type of video games played, the length of time spent playing and how it might affect their attitudes.

Lack of empathy

The study found that playing video games was highly prevalent among this age group, usually between one and three hours a day - and playing violent games was very common.

"Violent" games were defined as those where players acted out the killing, maiming, decapitating or mutilating of other human characters. 

Such was the widespread nature of violent video games that researcher Mirjana Bajovic said it might be unrealistic for parents to try to prevent their teenage children from seeing them.

Many teenagers could play these games without any evidence of a change in attitude. And non-violent games seemed to have no adverse effects on "moral reasoning", regardless of time spent.

But the problems arose with teenagers who spent more than three hours every day in front of a screen, continuously playing these violent games without any other real-life interaction.

'Right and wrong'

Empathy, trust and concern for others, which should develop as teenagers grow up, were found to be delayed.

It was the combination of the content of games and the amount of time that seemed to affect teenagers' attitudes.

The study said: "Spending too much time within the virtual world of violence may prevent [gamers] from getting involved in different positive social experiences in real life, and in developing a positive sense of what is right and wrong."

For these screen-obsessed teenagers, the researchers say that parents should try to put them in social situations where they have to see other people's perspectives or needs, such as charity work.

During the Cold War, American children played with spy toys like those on the television show Man from U.N.C.L.E., and talked to each other on walkie-talkies. Today, they play video games that allow them to blast away at terrorists.

More Americans have been embracing home and hearth since the Sept. 11 attacks, and retailers are reporting that videotapes, televisions and video games are flying out of stores. But parents are wondering whether the violent combat and destruction that are the staples of today's video games are a little too close to reality for their children.

Some of the video games allow children to stalk and kill bad guys on the screen, and even fly a plane into an image of the World Trade Center. A new game that can be downloaded off the Internet allows users to take virtual whacks at a cartoon figure of Osama bin Laden.

Echoing those concerns, some video game manufacturers appear to be backing away from scenes of violence that used to seem like pure fantasy, one toy industry expert said.

"I think that the major changes you're going to see in games are going to be cosmetic in terms of removing images of the [World Trade Center] towers, but they're also going to be storyline in terms of focusing on rescue or heroism," said toy analyst Chris Byrne.

Microsoft is changing its popular Flight Simulator game, removing depictions of the twin towers. Activision's yet-to-be released Spiderman 2: Enter Electro is being redesigned for the same reason. French company Ubi Soft Entertainment postponed its planned October release of Tom Clancy's Rogue Spear: Black Thorn to modify the game's content, which originally let players combat terrorism.


Tuesday, April 7, 2015

debate topics

  1. All students should have an after school job.
  2. Homework should be banned.
  3. Human cloning should be banned
  4. History is an important subject in school.
  5. Same sex marriage should be legal.
  6. The government should provide wireless service for everyone.
  7. Androids are better than iPhones.

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Blog

Today is the first day of school which is just right after Spring Break. It's very close to the end of the third marking period, which is seventy five percent of the Sophomore year, just about less than two weeks. So now it's a good time to do some reflection about the schoolwork that we did during this marking period. Unfortunately, I was absent about the classes for about a month, which brings me lots of troubles and also some grades down. But after I come back, I think that I have already brought my status better, and ready to do better schoolwork. As the last marking period that I talked about the goals in the new marking period, it was to bring better about writing skills and spoken language. Basically about Public Speaking this single specific class, I think the point is more skills about speech. During the project that we did these days, the graduate speech, I believe I can... This is the first topic about public speech and also the first time that I get in touch about public speaking. This is a really useful project which can directly help us about pupblic speaking skills. I think I already improved during this project. For example, the outline, thoughts , and the right way to think and write a kind of speech text. Then the speaking practise can make me find out the things that I can't do well durig speaking. For example, eye contact.  I think the work that I still need to work on more is about the speed control, and pronunciation. It's always great to speak more fluently like a native speaker. I think based on the video which we took about the speech, I may have to improve more about the way to do speech, how to show audiences more about us, the confident face. The things that I will do different compares with this marking period is that I will do more practise. Practices always help the most on every work, especially publicing speaking.