Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Is It OK to Lie?

Is It OK to Lie?

Manners matter, but is it ok to lie? Many people think that telling lies is morally wrong, but what about when your friend asks you if you like his haircut and it looks like a child cut his hair. Would it be ok to lie to him so you don't hurt his feelings. Maybe, maybe not. I think it is ok to lie to prevent someones feelings from being hurt. Would you like someone to say something true and mean about your clothes or have someone lie and be nice? In the scholastic article "Is It OK To Lie?"it says " people who tell "polite" white lies are happier and more popular than those who prefer the brutal truth."

I think lying is bad. BBC Ethics agrees "There are many reasons why people think lying is wrong; which ones resonate best with you will depend on the way you think about ethics.
  • Lying is bad because a generally truthful world is a good thing: lying diminishes trust between human beings:
    • if people generally didn't tell the truth, life would become very difficult, as nobody could be trusted and nothing you heard or read could be trusted - you would have to find everything out for yourself
    • an untrusting world is also bad for liars - lying isn't much use if everyone is doing it
  • Lying is bad because it treats those who are lied to as a means to achieve the liar's purpose, rather than as a valuable end in themselves
    • Many people think that it is wrong to treat people as means not ends
  • Lying is bad because it makes it difficult for the person being lied to make a free and informed decision about the matter concerned
    • Lies lead people to base their decisions on false information
  • Lying is bad because it cannot sensibly be made into a universal principle
    • Many people think that something should only be accepted as an ethical rule if it can be applied in every case
  • Lying is bad because it's a basic moral wrong
    • Some things are fundamentally bad - lying is one of them
  • Lying is bad because it's something that Good People don't do
    • Good behaviour displays the virtues found in Good People
  • Lying is bad because it corrupts the liar
    • Telling lies may become a habit and if a person regularly indulges in one form of wrong-doing they may well become more comfortable with wrong-doing in general
  • Some religious people argue Lying is bad because it misuses the God-given gift of human communication
    • God gave humanity speech so that they could accurately share their thoughts - lying does the opposite
  • Some philosophers say lying is bad because language is essential to human societies and carries the obligation to use it truthfully
  • When people use language they effectively 'make a contract' to use it in a particular way - one of the clauses of this contract is not to use language deceitfully"
I challenge you to go one week without lying. Do you think you can make it? You should find out.

Thursday, February 6, 2014

Screw Twister

Intro

Screw drivers are an amazing tool. They help in so many jobs. Many people take this for granted. They don't think about how hard it must have been to create it. Now they are mass produced and use for many home handyman jobs. they can also be used as a chisel. Also, to break ice. They are one of the best tools.

How I Feel

The screwdriver has a history as shown by the-working-man.com.
1. The first screws are seen on suits of armor that date
back to the 1500's. And the first instance of a screwdriver
depicted on paper was in a manual for a military workshop
from the Sixteenth Century. But it is assumed that the
screwdriver is actually older than the 1500's because the
drawing of the screwdriver in the manual was so refined.

2. The screw actually predates the screwdriver. The first
screws were probably tightened with a knife.

3. The screwdriver uses applied torque to tighten down
screws and bolts.

4. The flat head or slotted screwdriver was the first known
head for a screwdriver.

5. A traveling salesman invented the Phillips or cruciform
head screwdriver that we are so familiar with today in the
early 1900's. 

6. The screwdriver is made up of a head or tip, which is
fitted to the screw or bolt. A cylindrical shaft connects
the handle and the head and can be any length depending on
the design and purpose of the screwdriver. The handle at the
other end of the head, usually cylindrical, is mounted
around the shaft of the screwdriver. The handle is usually
plastic or other molded material and textured or grooved for
easy gripping. 

7. In America the first handheld screwdriver appeared on the
market in the 1800's.

8. General Motors used the cruciform head screw in 1936 on
the Cadillac. 

9. There are specialized types of screwdrivers for special jobs. For
instance, there are very small screwdrivers that are used
for working on computers and PC boards. They are very small
and have a special shaft for applying the proper small
amounts of torque. Then there are very big and long
screwdrivers for working on engines with a larger and
thicker shaft so more torque can be applied without damaging
the screwdriver.

10. There are several screwdriver types, including: flat-
head, cabinet, Phillips, Frearson, Torx, clutch-head, hex,
Bristol multi-spline and square-tipped

Job Done

I want you to post some ideas. What's is the hardest job you've ever done?

The Best Music Experience

Intro

Headphones are great. They help you listen to your music without bothering everyone. They also can help gaming experiences. They can be used for stylish purposes. Beats are some famous headphones. Headphones are also used when recording music. They can be used for so many things. They can also be hooked up to a variety of things.

My Favorites

There are some pretty interesting things about headphones. Some facts are on tenrandomfacts.com "Headphones are sound projectors or speakers that are placed over the head and on the ears.Headphones normally have wires that connect to a music player or a communication or sound device, although sometimes they are wireless.Headphones are sometimes known as ‘earspeakers’ or ‘cans’.Headphones sometimes have a microphone included and these headphones are called headsets.In 1910, the first working headphones were created by Nathaniel Baldwin, a professor, among other things, but he didn't patent his invention.Some headphones have a padded area that fits around the ears and presses against the head, and these headphones are called ‘circumaural headphones’; or they have padding that sits and presses onto the ears, and these are called ‘supra-aural headphones’.
Nathaniel Baldwin’s headphones were designed for radio communication and he sold them to the US Navy.Headphones are often used to listen to the audio device in private, or to prevent distraction to others, such as in libraries.Using headphones with the volume on high, can cause deafness or other hearing problems.Wearing headphones while exercising can be dangerous due to less blood in the ear, which causes the ears to be more easily damaged by loud volumes during those periods.

In Conclusion

I want you to post your favorite headphones. Also, what headphones do you think have the best quality?

Crunch

Apple Intro

Apples are an interesting fruit. They contain no fat, sodium, or cholesterol and are a good source of fiber. Also, apple trees take four to five years to produce their first fruit. A good tip is that Apples ripen six to 10 times faster at room temperature than if they are refrigerated. A fun fact is that it takes about 36 apples to create one gallon of apple cider. Apple varieties range in size from a little larger than a cherry to as large as a grapefruit. The largest apple ever picked weighed 3 pounds. Apples are a member of the rose family. The top apple producers around the world are China, United States, Turkey, Poland and Italy. Apples account for 50 percent of international deciduous fruit tree production.

My Opinion

I think apples are cool and tasty fruits. This website says it too "The first apple trees were planted by Pilgrims in Massachusetts Bay Colony.The world's largest apple peel was created by Kathy Wafler Madison on October 16, 1976, in RochesterNY. It was 172 feet, 4 inches long. (She was 16 years old at the time and grew up to be a sales manager for an apple tree nursery.)
An apple tree will start bearing fruit 8-10 years after it is planted. A dwarf tree starts bearing in 3-6 years.
Apples are not self pollinating. They need bees to pollinate the flowers to form the fruit.
Most apple blossoms are pink when they open but gradually fade to white.
One apple has 5 grams of fiber, no fat, sodium and cholesterol free.
But wait, Don’t peel your apple! Two-thirds of the fiber and many of the antioxidants are found in the apple peel.
Americans eat an average of 50.4 pounds of apples and apple products each year.
The largest apple picked weighed three pounds.
Apples are a member of the rose family of plants along with pears, peaches, plums and cherries.
25% of an apple’s volume is air;  that is why they can float. (Ever dunked for an apple?)"

The Seeds At The Core

What's your favorite apple? comment below and add your own facts.

Frozen Treat

Ice Cream

Ice cream is the best. Ice cream is a frozen dessert that is normally made from dairy products. Ice cream is not called ice cream everywhere. Some of the names are gelato, sorbet, frozen yogurt, or frozen custard. In the past there have been different variations of ice cream. For example, in the Persian Empire people would pour grape-juice concentrate over snow for a frozen dessert. This was done in the summer using snow from a yakhchal, these were cool-keeping underground chambers. The main ingredients are milk/cream, sugar.

What I Think


Ice cream is an interesting food and I think Icecream.com agrees.
"It takes 12 lbs. of milk to make just one gallon of ice cream. Wonder how they fit it all in one carton? 
The U.S. enjoys an average of 48 pints of ice cream per person, per year, more than any other country. Maybe we should make ice cream the fifth food group!
It takes an average of 50 licks to polish off a single-scoop ice cream cone. Challenge your family to a Lick-a-Thon, and see who finishes first!
The biggest ice cream sundae in history was made in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, in 1988, and weighed in at over 24 tons. You can't order that in an ice cream parlor! 
In 2003, Portland, Oregon bought more ice cream per person than any other U.S. city. Looks like everyone else has a lot of catching up to do!
The ice cream cone's invention is linked to the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis. An ice cream vendor reportedly didn't have enough dishes to keep up with the demand, so he teamed up with a waffle vendor who rolled his waffles into cones!"

Dessert Time

I want you to comment your favorite ice cream flavor. And what do you think I can do better?

Saturday, January 11, 2014

Basketball

BasketBall

Basketball is a sport played all around the world. From the East to the West. It is played with your hands. The objective is to get the ball in the opposing teams hoop and not to let the other team score in your basket. There are two teams of  at least 10 people. There are five people from each team playing at once. A point guard, shooting guard, power forward, small forward, and center. Each has a specific job.

What I Think

I think basketball is a fun and active sport. According to Wikipedia"Basketball is a sport played by two teams of five players on a rectangular court. The objective is to shoot a ball through a hoop 18 inches (46 cm) in diameter and 10 feet (3.0 m) high mounted to a backboard at each end. Basketball is one of the world's most popular and widely viewed sports.
A team can score a field goal by shooting the ball through the basket during regular play. A field goal scores two points for the shooting team if a player is touching or closer to the basket than the three-point line, and three points (known commonly as a 3 pointer or three) if the player is behind the three-point line. The team with the most points at the end of the game wins, but additional time (overtime) may be issued when the game ends with a draw. The ball can be advanced on the court by bouncing it while walking or running or throwing it to a team mate. It is a violation to move without dribbling the ball, to carry it, or to hold the ball with both hands then resume dribbling.
Violations are called "fouls". A personal foul is penalized, and a free throw is usually awarded to an offensive player if he is fouled while shooting the ball. A technical foul may also be issued when certain infractions occur, most commonly for unsportsmanlike conduct on the part of a player or coach. A technical foul gives the opposing team a free throw, and the opposing team also retains possession of the ball.
As well as many techniques for shooting, passing, dribbling and rebounding, basketball has specialized player positions and offensive and defensive structures (player positioning). Typically, the tallest members of a team will play "center", "power forward" or "small forward" positions, while shorter players or those who possess the best ball handling skills and speed play "point guard" or "shooting guard"." This explains more in depth how to play. It takes a lot of work to play this, but it's fun and rewarding.

Top Ten Basketball Players Right Now

1. LeBron James
2. Dwight Howard
3. Dwyane Wade
4. Chris Paul
5. Dirk Nowitzki
6. Kevin Durant
7. Derrick Rose
8. Deron Williams
9. Blake Griffin
10. Kobe Bryant

Overtime

Basketball is a fun sport. Everyone should play it. There are many people in the NBA (National Basketball Association) right now, and there were many people in the NBA. So I challenge you to find who you think is the best player of all time. Good Luck!