Wikipedia

What is Wikipedia? Wikipedia is a kind of encyclopedia online. People can upload and edit information easily so that there is a lot of information, and it’s very useful. However, because of this reason that anyone can make information, some people think Wikipedia is unbelievable. There is an argument nowadays.

I think it’s not such a big problem that people can make some wrong information. Wikipedia is useful for people recently.

There are many users. According to Meredith Byers’ article (Byers, 2008), “Approximately 38 million people visited the English language version of the site in December 2006. Wikipedia is also easy to find; it frequently appears at the top of many goole searches and access is completely free” (para.3). It is used by many people for free, and it has kept changing because of these people. An important thing is that people keep using it usefully, and if there are some wrong information, it should be changed by people.

It is not necessary that all information is right. Jason Wolverton said that there is an argument that Wikipedia doesn’t have much correct information and it can destroy internet culture, among scholars (Wolverton, 2007). However, I think it doesn’t matter that some information is wrong, because information can change anyway. There is no eternal truth in the world.

It is a people’s choice. Nicole Martin said, “Seven per cent of all internet users now visit the site every day” (Martin, 2008, para.13). I know about that there are 200 countries using Wikipedia. It’s a very natural situation. People are not that stupid as your thinking, it is a reasonable that if many people use it.

In conclusion, Wikipedia has become popular in the world. People think it is a useful, and indeed, even though there are some wrong information. I think it’s the passage and needs of the period. Who can control to change the flow? Now, we have to watch the development of events.


Byers, M. (2007, March 8). Controversy over use of Wikipedia in academic papers arrives at Smith. Smithsophian. Retrieved April 23, 2008, from http://media.www.smithsophian.com/media/storage/paper587/news/2007/03/08/News/Controversy.Over.Use.Of.Wikipedia.In.Academic.Papers.Arrives.At.Smith-2765409.shtml

Martin, N. (2007, Sep. 20). Wikipedia clamps down on ‘unreliable’ editors. Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved April 23, 2008, from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/09/20/wiki120.xml

Wolverton, J. (2007, Jan. 22). Wikipedia Wisdom. Valley Vanguard. Retrieved April 23, 2008, from http://www.svsu.edu/clubs/vanguard/stories/1141

General Motors Moves to Green

In Bryan Walsh’s (2007) article, “Green Motors,” he discusses a GM’s green car. Before, they thought green car was not necessary, but it is. Toyota, a Japanese car company, made cars with hybrid engines, and it’s become popular, because people want environmentalism. GM also has high technology to make a green car, and they started to make a green car. They will release four for a new hybrid model in every year until 2009.

However, I don’t think GM is Green Motors.

First of all, they already have the technology, but they didn’t try to make larger. They already made electronic cars in the early 1990’s, and they didn’t get a bad reaction from people. However, they discontinued electronic cars, because they had a relationship with gasoline companies. It was their business, and it could take profit to them. They didn’t think about the environment.

Secondly, green cars are people’s needs, it’s not GM’s wish. Nowadays, people think much of environment, and they care about it in all their lives. It can be applied to buying a car. People want to buy green cars, more effective and economic. However, they ignored the fact that people want green cars, and now, they are about to hear people’s needs, because they need customers.

Thirdly, they are just business companies, not an environment organization. The earth is sick because of many problems. One of them is car pollution; it’s a big problem. There are some rules about making cars for environment, and it requires some high technologies. It is difficult for many other companies to make cars with these rules. If GM really cared about the environment, they should share technology with others. But they don’t, because they are not an environment organization, they are just a business company.

In conclusion, they are not green motors even though they are inventing in some green cars. They just follow their profit. We should not expect them to do something green. We can get the better if we think much of green from ourselves. They will follow us.


Walsh, B. (2007, Oct. 11). Green Motors. Time. Retrieved March 24, 2008, from http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1669723_1669725_1670578,00.html

Restrictions of Information Society

In Jo Twist’s (2005) article, “Controversy blights UN net summit,” she discusses what happened in a UN net summit. There was an assembly for a solution about information society in Tunisia, because poor countries do not have enough funding. The UN net summit announced a “Tunis Commitment” and “Tunis Agenda for the Information Society”. However, there are different opinions about freedom in cyberspace. The Chinese vice premier said some control was necessary, but the secretary general of International Telecommunication Union expressed the opposite point of view.

I think online restrictions are important for an information society, because it may be abused.

First of all, restrictions could be used to control online crime, which is increasing. There are many kinds of crime online. It is increasing more and more because we can contact with much information easily. We already have some serious problems, for example, many kinds of fraud, an infringement of copyright and sexual crime. We have to make a limit to control criminal act.

Secondly, restrictions can protect us from a large amount of fake information. People can make some fake information because it’s easy to make information online. Actually, there are many fake pictures, made with computers, and rumors. Some people make information to publish their thinking even though it’s not true. They think that people don’t know who made this information.

Thirdly, restrictions will help us control hacking. Internet hacking really can make big problems. Sometimes, companies do hacking for themselves, and some people do that for money or pride. Anyway, it’s very dangerous and serious. We should protect ourselves from hacking.

In conclusion, we need some online restrictions. Sometimes, bold acts can create development, but freedom always goes with responsibility and control. If we want freedom in cyberspace, we should make something to control ourselves. Ironically, it will protect our freedom.


Twist, J. (2005, November 18). Controversy blights UN net summit. BBC News. Retrieved March 19, 2008, from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4450474.stm

PREMARITAL SEX

1. Introduction

Have you ever had sex? Did you get married? Do you think premarital sex is immoral? What do you think about that? Nowadays, we are exposed to many sexual things, and many people have sex before marriage. In “Trends in Premarital Sex in the United States, 1954-2003” the author says “Data from the 2002 survey indicate that by age 20, 77% of respondents had had sex, 75% had had premarital sex, and 12% had married” (Finer, n.d, p.1). There are many problems physically and emotionally. It causes many kinds of disease, and it can be considered immoral behavior with religions.


2. Purpose

Our group, Erika, Jinshu, Mamdouh and I, decided to find out how American feel about premarital sex in Carbondale. I wanted to know the relationship between gender and what people think about premarital sex. Moreover, I wanted to know how many people already had sex, and who influenced them.


3. Hypotheses

I had some hypotheses about having premarital sex in US. Usually, when we think about Americans, we think they are cool, and have an open mind because of the media. Therefore, we thought most American don’t care about premarital sex; they have free thinking about sex. And on average, we thought they have sex relatively early. Moreover, we thought there is no difference between men and women.


4. Methods and Procedures

Our group was supposed to ask twenty males and twenty females in Carbondale. And we didn’t care about that respondents are students or not. However, we only asked nineteen males and twenty females because we missed one paper. Almost all were students, probably, even though it’s not our intention. We prepared a survey that had ten questions, and it only included choice questions.


5. Data + Chart

http://eap1.blogspot.com/2008/03/practice-survey-results.html


6. Results

As a result, fifteen out of nineteen males, 76%, had sex, and twelve out of twenty females, 60%, had sex. Only six out of nineteen males, 31%, said that premarital sex is immoral. 36% of males and 40% of females said they were influenced by their friends. Ten out of nineteen males, 52%, disagree with religions that ban sex before marriage, but twelve out of twenty females, 60%, agree with them.


7. Conclusion and Discussion

I believed that people thought premarital sex didn’t matter, and it’s true. Most Americans had sex before marriage. I was surprised that females had sex earlier than males. However, females more concern about premarital sex than males even though they had sex earlier than males. I believed that there is no difference between males and females. In some part, it’s true, and in another part, it’s not true. They already have had sex before, they don’t think that it’s immoral and a number of them were influenced by their friends. There is no difference. However, males don’t care about chastity, but females do. It’s a difference.
If I can do this survey another time, I would like to ask another question about disease, because it is also important and is a problem. I think females worry more about that than males.


8. Reference

Finer, L.B. (n.d.). Trends in Premarital Sex in the United States, 1954-2003. Public Health Reports. Retrieved February 28, 2008, from http://www.publichealthreports.org/userfiles/122_1/12_PHR122-1_73-78.pdf


9. Appendix

Copy of Survey

http://eap1.blogspot.com/2008/03/having-premarital-sex_03.html

Alcohol Survey

1. Introduction

I like alcohol very much. How about you? What do you think about drinking? How many times do you drink per week? Should the drinking age be lowered to 18? Nowadays, alcohol causes many problems such as violence, traffic accidents and sexual assaults, especially, among young people. In “The National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA) Report” the author says that “nearly 70 percent of underage persons who drank any alcohol in the past month had at least one occasion in that period when they consumed five or more drinks” (2003, p.3). It shows that many minors can drink even though it’s illegal. Therefore, many people argue about legal drinking age. We should consider whether changing the legal drinking age to 18 is right or not.


2. Purpose

Our group, EAP1-A, decided to find out how drinkers feel about legal drinking age in Carbondale. I wanted to know the relationship between gender and when people start drinking. Also, I wanted to know the relationship between gender and how people feel about alcohol. Moreover, I wanted to know the relationship between gender and thinking about legal drinking age.


3. Hypotheses

I had three hypotheses about drinking. First, I believed that males would say they started drinking earlier than females. Next, I believed that males didn’t care about drinking more than females. Third, I believed that males were more likely to agree to changing the legal drinking age to 18 than females.


4. Methods and Procedures

Our group was supposed to ask thirty-three males and thirty-three females at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. However, we only asked twenty-five males and twenty-four females. Almost all were students, probably. We prepared a survey that had nine questions, and it included a subjective question.


5. Data + Chart

http://eap1.blogspot.com/2008/02/practice-survey-results_27.html/


6. Results

Actually, females said they began to drink earlier than males. 61% females started drinking before 19 years old, and 48% males started drinking before that age. 66.3% people who are eighteen to twenty years old already started to drink. 70% people who are more than twenty years old disagreed that drinking age should be lowered.

http://eap1.blogspot.com/2008/02/practice-survey-results_27.html/

7. Conclusion and Discussion

I believed that males started to drink earlier than females. However, it was not true, because our survey showed that females began to drink earlier than males. And most people disagreed with changing the drinking age to lower, even young people, even though they already began to drink. It might mean they reason that drinking causes many problems. Moreover, about 15% people said that too much drinking was a problem in Carbondale. It is more than I thought. I’m interested in this survey, and I wonder that what kinds of facts could affect them.


8. Reference

Alcohol Use by Persons Under the Legal Drinking Age of 21. (2003, May 9). The NHSDA Report. Retrieved February 14, 2008, from http://www.oas.samhsa.gov/2k3/UndergeDrinking.htm/


9. Appendix

Copy of Survey

http://eap1.blogspot.com/2008/02/practice-survey-results.html/

Legal Drinking Age

When I was young, I thought alcohol was a very good friend, because it was always together with me, and it always heard my stories; I loved that so much. However, my love with it didn’t last a long time. I had been making many problems with it, until I found out that it isn’t only my good friend, but also a bad apple. It doesn’t like to lose, and it reveals its true character if I am absent-minded.

I agree with the legal drinking age being 21. Alcohol causes many troubles, such as assaults and traffic accidents, and it is easier to happen to teenagers because they often lose self-control.

First of all, when drinking happens, violence happens. It is a very serious problem. Actually, it isn’t only underage people’s situation, but it occurs with underage people more than overage people. More than 500,000 college students have become victims of assaults by drunken students a year, according to the Center for College Health and Safety (Angelo, 2008). Alcohol abuse can make people violent, and minors are easier to change, because they are more sensitive and susceptible. It must be dangerous.

Secondly, It’s fatal to drive with alcohol. They can drive from when they are 16 years old in the U.S. About 1,900 minors die from traffic accidents with alcohol every year, and it’s one of the biggest reasons for minors’ deaths (Federal Trade Commission, n.d.). Young people are very confident, and it causes accidents when they drink. Unfortunately, alcohol affects their driving skill even though they are confident.

Opponents of keeping the legal drinking 21 say that it is easy for them to get alcohol and drink even though it’s illegal. However, this argument doesn’t become a reason for changing the legal age. I also drank when I was a teenager, and adults tried to control. How about them? They might have drunk when they were young. And I will stop minors from drinking. It’s very common. I am here because of those adults. It’s necessary, even though they still drink. To control minors is very important.

In conclusion, it is dangerous that minors drink. Alcohol is not bad; it depends on the person who drinks. We should prepare or develop a mind for drinking before drinking. We need to just enjoy it. Underage people can’t control alcohol, and it is easy for them to lose self control. It’s dangerous to themselves and others.

Angelo, J. (2004, June). The wasted years: college presidents say that changing the culture of drinking on campus has been their gravest challenge: Whether they are up to the task is another question altogether. Bnet. Retrieved Feb. 1, 2008, from http://www.findarticle.com/p/articles/mi_m0LSH/is_6_7/ai_n6054435/

Federal Trade Commission. (n.d.). Dangers of teen drinking. We don’t serve teens. Retrieved Feb. 6, 2008, from http://www.dontserveteens.gov/dangers/

The Stress

Nowadays, we are exposed to many kinds of stress. It has become a matter of grave concern because stress will cause disease, and this may result in death. So it’s important that we learn how to cope with stress. In order to deal with stress, I shall begin with causes of stress. There are many kinds of stress in life, but in my case, I can divide them generally into three parts. These are immediate causes, indirect causes and unconscious causes.

First of all, we most often feel stress because of immediate causes. An immediate cause is something which happens near you right now. For example, I have an exam tomorrow, so it becomes a stress for me. And I feel stress from learning English. I have been studying English here for six months, already. Now there are only four months left before I leave, but my English is still insufficient. It’s very stressful.

Secondly, we sometimes feel stress because of indirect causes. An indirect cause is something which will influence you in the near future. I will graduate from my university next year, and I should find a job quickly. Then, maybe I will marry someone. However, everything is uncertain right now. It is also very stressful when I think about that. I don’t know exactly how I can do all of these, and whether I will or not.

Finally, we are affected by unconscious causes. Maybe we don’t know whether it affects us or not, but I think it also is one of the causes. Let me see; I have very traditional old thinking, and it affects my mind. I worry about something wrong happening, I worry about that my parents are disappointed in me and I worry about if I am different from other people. Of course, I don’t always think about that, but maybe it makes me feel stress.

In conclusion, we are exposed to many kinds of stress, and there is no way to avoid the stress. So we should find another way, and cope with stress. We can have some good habits for coping with stress, and it will be good for our health. In the past, general Douglas MacArthur said that we should just enjoy something if we can not avoid it.

In Order for Our Security on The Road.

In Kyoko Altman’s (1997) article, “‘Road Rage’ runs rampant in high-stress U.S. society,” she discusses what the problem is on the road. There are many accidents because of ‘road rage’, and most of these are caused by stupid reasons. Those, who drive very fast and rashly don’t know that it leads to a terrible result. Recently, there are many cars on the road more and more, it’s very stressful and it makes people impolite. Therefore, many states try to solve these problems in many different ways.

Traffic accidents are very serious these days. In order to solve these problems, we should think much of that right now. Education, law, and security are necessary to fight ‘road rage’.

First of all, we need to educate people about driving more seriously. We need to pass two examinations to get the drive license. One is a examination on paper and other one is a practical test. But it’s not enough to drive a car. Driving isn’t only a technical problem, but also a mental problem. We should learn about a good driving attitude and we should be responsible.

Secondly, we should make stricter laws. People who drive a car need to recognize that it’s different from video games or something like that. They must think about the result of their wrong driving. It helps people to drive more seriously, and to drive tensely is good for drivers and others. Whenever people drive, there is no reason to drive recklessly.

Finally, a security system is necessary even though people drive very carefully. Some dangerous situations always exist in the road even though people don’t want that. So we need to prepare something before accidents happen. For example, we should check road conditions, develop traffic signal systems, and make a round of inspection. Somebody should hold on to people’s security because we are imperfect humans.

In conclusion, we should try to prevent accidents with each other. It’s not only our own problem but also it injures other people. It’s a very terrible situation. We should be responsible. We have to drive safety for ourselves and others.

Altman, K. (1997, July 18). ‘Road Rage’ runs rampant in high-stress U.S. society. CNN interactive. Retrieved January 28, 2008, from http://www.cnn.com/US/9707/18/aggressive.driving/

Summary of "College students ..."

According to the article, "College students screaming for stress relief" a number of college students need to cope with stress. They feel lots of stress from exams and they deal with stress by some breakaway like 'primal screams' or nude runs. Recently, it is very important how universities cope with students' stress. For example, New York University offers students some place to talk to a professor about their mind, and a number of colleges and universities provide "midnight breakfast" with students during exams. And it's very helpful to students for study.


College students screaming for stress relief. (2007, Dec. 12). The Associated Press. Retrieved January 21, 2008, from http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22219591

What can I cope with stress.

When I feel stress by something like exam or love, I usually drink. Most Koreans like to drink and I like to drink, too. When I drink, I can talk with my friends more honestly and seriously than in ordinary times. Then it makes me feel pleasurable. After I drink, I can sleep as if there is no worry, and I can sleep over until the next afternoon. That is really good for relief. But I know it isn't good for my health. It just affects me for a short-time. I know that I need a hobby which is healthy. I will find that.

Summary of "Cash flow..."

In Ed Ewing and Rachel Jasper's (2005) article "Cash flow not debt causes student stress, scientists told," they explain that university students feel stress, depression and anxiety because of the daily cash flow, because they have not enough money for their needs and they have no experience with money management. In order to solve this problem, first, they need to train for money management before they get into the university. Second, the universities should offer students "early support". Finally, tutors should teach students about how to deal with their finances early on in the first term and emphasize the university's money management services.


Ewing, E. and Jasper, R.(2005,April 4). Cash flow not debt causes student stress, scientists told. Guardian Unlimited. Retrieved January 21,2008,from http://education.guardian.co.uk/students/finance/story/0,12728,145200,00.html