Socratic Seminar

On 26th of February, our class held a socratic seminar, a seminar that helps us think deeper into a topic.(For more information you can visit this website:http://www.greece.k12.ny.us/instruction/ela/SocraticSeminars/overview.htm)
I was picked as one of the twelve speakers in the seminar and our topic was: Who or what was the real "lamb" in the story of Lamb to the Slaughter. Different views on the topic were discussed during the seminar. Some people believed that Patrick was the one that was slaughtered while others had the view that Mary was the one. A few others on the other hand suggested that the child in Mary's womb was the one.



Today, I am a going to comment on this seminar via the hats that are issued to the observers. I am going to be using the yellow hat. The yellow hat suggests advantages and optimism. Under the yellow hat, one makes a direct effort to find the value and benefits in a suggestion or action.



For me, I think that the seminar was fruitful because everyone contributed to the discussion and I can see that everyone has put in a lot of effort to make this seminar a successful one. Everyone was able to bring up good points of discussion too. I was also impressed by our speaking ability. Most of us had the confidence to expess ourselves. The seating arrangement of the socratic seminar is such that it encourages us to talk.



I think the seminar was a well-prepared and organised one. Except for a few minor flaws, I think this seminar would be a perfect one. I do look forward to the next one.



(Cast your vote at the polls section)

Venus Williams Salutes Shaheer Peer

(shaheer Peer)

Powerful strokes after more powerful strokes. World number one woman tennis player Venus Williams eased pass France's Virginie Razzano. This piece of news is indeed a character-driven story. However,the main character of this news is not Venus Williams. It is a woman from Israel named Shahar Peer. Over the past week, she and the directors of the Dubai Masters Cup had dominated the headlines of not only the sports news but also the world section. This story turned a small sports story into a huge world issue in a matter of a few days. We all know the reason. One word...racism. There has been discrimination of the Israelites all over the earth...

If I have a chance to talk to the whole world, I would start with a question- What have the Israelites done wrong? All they have done is to produce top scientists that have made huge impacts on Earth. One such example is the famous scientist, Albert Einstein. Without his formula, E=mc^2, there would be no nuclear plants that can generate large amounts of energy that we need for our daily lives. Most importantly, without that formula, the Japanese might still be ruling half of the Earth! Why discriminate the Jewish? Must we really follow the wicked, cruel, notorious Adolf Hitler? I really hope this Earth has more people like Venus Williams, all vehemently against the discrimination of "lower" races. As the saying goes, 'Do unto others what you want others to do unto you.'. I am sure you do not want to have that terrible feeling.

I am impressed by the efforts that have been put in place to stop racism. Some examples of these campaigns against rascism are started by the football association. As you can see in the past world cup matches, huge banners that had the words'AGAINST RACISM' were placed across the fields. As such, in the newspaper article, the organisers have, against all odds, issued a visa to another male tennis player, an unknown player-Andy Ram, so that he can play in the men's tour next week. At least, that should be applauded. As for this incident, I hope it will never happen again. We can all do our part to stop racism.

However like Venus, we should also salute the discriminated Shaheer Peer.

Blog prompt 3: Silver Workforce

Blog Prompt: Imagine you are one of these older workers. You have been invited by the manpower ministry to give a short speech to a group of local businesses to encourage them to hire older workers. Write the speech that you will deliver.


Speech:Dear ladies and gentlemen, I am honoured to be standing in front of you delivering this speech. I am indeed grateful to you for sacrifising your precious tine just to listen to me.


Firstly, I would like to introduce myself, I am Mr Tan and I am 64 years old. Many of you will probably be shocked by the fact that I am still working. I work just like you all. In fact, I am leading a comfortable life, living in a three room flat and driving a car. Thanks to my boss, Mr Lim and the Manpower Ministry, all these are possible. I was given a chance and I did it well. I was even given the Best Worker Award!


Ladies and gentlemen, I ask that you give a chance to those older workers out there. There are countless reasons why they should be given a chance.

Comparing against the younger workers, the older workers tend to be more:
hardworking, experienced, careful, loyal, responsible, decisive and patient.

It is also an advantage to hire older workers because the government gives incentives to companies to encourage hiring older workers.

So I really urge all of you to think again before you reject a job application by an older worker.

Blog Prompt 2: World Largest Dam

Blog Prompt:Discuss the socio-economic impact of the Three Gorges Dam.

Firstly, before discussing the socio-economic impact of the Three Gorges Dam, I would like to give you a brief explanation of this large dam which is located in Hibei, China. Below is the essential parts of the dam you should know:
Length:
2,335 metres (7,661 ft)
Height:
101 metres (331 ft)
Width (at base):
115 metres (377 ft)
Construction began: December 14 ,1994
Construction Cost: Estimated 180 billion yuan, (39 billion U.S dollars)

In my opinion, I think that this dam which has huge impact on the social and economic development has both pros and cons.

Pros:1. The dam can help us generate more electricity.(The dam's hydropower turbines are expected to create as much electricity as 18 nuclear power plants!)

2.The Three Gorges project is seen as an important future source of energy for China's growing electrical consumption. It is also expected to tame the fabled Yangzi River. The Yangzi's notorious floods have been recorded for millennia and have claimed more than 1 million lives in the past 100 years.

Cons:1.Corruption and poor construction have led to disasters at major building projects. Notable among the reports was the collapse of a steel bridge in the city of Chongqing in January 1999 that killed 40 people.

2.Environmental disaster - accumulations of toxic materials in the river.

3.The social element of Three Gorges has generated more questions than answers. The dam would "drown" more than 100 towns once the water started to rise in 2003. Government estimates say 1.2 million people will be resettled and that new land is being provided for 300,000 farmers. Some observers say the government may be underestimating by as many as 700,000 the number of people who actually will be relocated. (adapted from http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/1999/china.50/asian.superpower/three.gorges/)

4.Archaeologists and historians have estimated nearly 1,300 important sites will disappear under the reservoir's waters.

Judging from the number of pros and cons listed above, I think the Dam has more harms than benefits.

(Remember to cast your poll at the polls section)