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Thursday, May 5, 2011

My First Debate

I believe the debate went quite well. I also think I did very well as well. I liked how I dealt with the cross examation questions espicially. Mostly I think I just answered the questions well. I don't think that anything I did was too terrible in the debate, but I defeantly could improve all around. I would change my groups  opining statement a bit so it would be a little less incriminating to my own group. I would improve my beggining reaserch so I wont waste my time as much rooting through the useless information I fine. No, I think the Rubric is fine as it is. I would like to debate ...
A.
Resolved: The United States federal government should substantially reduce its military and/or police presence in one or more of the following: South Korea, Japan, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Iraq, Turkey.
B
Resolved: That the United States should intervene in another nation's struggle for democracy.

Sunday, February 6, 2011

What a Survey Can Say About You

More specifically, what can a survey of your own values tell you? Aperently nothing you didn't already really know. Most of man knows what is important to them. It's a cobination of all that makes a person who they are. By extension, you could say a person's values make them who they are. When you think about it, it's not a terribly out there idea.

I have allways valued honesty and accountabilty. Not only that, friendship is one of the most important things in my life. I value it almost above anything else. I beleave you can't have one without the other. If you are not honest, how could anyone ever trust you? Friendships are born out of that mutual trust. Without it, relationships die like a sick dog.

Anyways, I already knew what was important to me, so it was no surprise when the survay said the same thing. In other words, it only refirmed my assassment of myself.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Outliers ch. 7

In this chapter, Gladwell talks about how ones ethnical origins have a affect on a flight crews ability to fligh a airplane. For example, Korean air had a long list of crashes to its name. One crashed into a hill in Guam, another was shot down in Russian airspace, while many others simply crashed. This is absolutely terrifying. No airlines have this many crashes. If you listen to the flight transcrips, you can see a real lack of communication between the captain and the first officer. The first officer never says anything in a forceful way, he only voices a opinion. This even occures when the captain is dead wrong. Gladwell chalks this up to Korea's culture. In Korea, there is the man in charge and he is right. The man under him is extreamly deferential. This has caused many problems in the cockpit. In the air, the flight crew have to check each other. That can't work togther when one is afraid to make a suggestion. Korean air brought in specialists and the company turned itself around. The biggest change it made was the opinning of conversation between the flight crew.

You can learn many things about the importance of good communication from this chapter. Most of these crashes are caused through one slight technical malfunction followed by several human errors. The humen errors are made in quik succession because the first officer didn't point them out. So, in a work enviroment, you have to be willing to talk to your boss. It's extreamly important because otherwise you could end up in very hot water.

In America, we have no problem with communication. My family has been in America for countless generations. There is accually some question as to were my family originally came from. So, I have a very American approach to communication. We have no problem talking to the boss. This isn't accually much of a good thing. Sometimes it makes us Americans sound beligerent and sarcastic. I suffer terribly from that problem. Other then that though, we tend not to suffer from the "rich are better then poor" feeling you get in other countrys that tend to make people on lower rungs take less forefully. Though this is more of a blessing then a curse. This holds the rich and powerfull accountable. This has kept America the great country it is as it is.   

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Cultural Legacy

In the book "Outliers" by Malcom Gladwell, he devotes a chapter to cultural leagcy. In Kentucky, there is a small town by the name of Harlem. In the town, there is a long running fued between the Turners and the Howards. The fight was voilant and it all traced back to a simple poker game were the grandsons of the original Turners and Howerds accused the others of cheating.Gladwell then follows this with saying that this was a pattern followed by by many other small towns. He says this traces back to ones cultural legacy.

Ones cultural legacy is the idea that the way one behaves and reacts is due in part to were one's family is from. I don't really have a cultural legacy. My family has been in America since the late 1600's. Though, on my fathers side, who currently live in Arkansas but are originally from Wales, have the cultural legacy that traces back to the old country. They have a really close family. All the second cousins are on a first name basis and everybody supports each other.

Jack Williams

I am Jack Williams and I and my class have a assigment to post to this blog about whatever we happen to be studying at the moment. My class is a Gifted and Talanted program were we study everything from adolescence to bioethics. I myself am 15 years old and a ninth grader at Northern Burligton, New Jeresy. I hope you shall enjoy the posts.