Re: Debate Club Application Thread

[Darth rogue]

Age/Introduction: I'm 19

Country: U.s.

Education: I am currently in collage

Topics of interest: Anything

I will try again...

As of 2005, nuclear power provided 2.1% of the world's energy and 15% of the world's electricity, with the U.S., France, and Japan together accounting for 56.5% of nuclear generated electricity.

There were also several other reductions and "unusual outages" experienced in Korea and Germany. Also, increases in the load factor for the current fleet of reactors appear to have plateaued.Nuclear energy policy differs between European Union countries, and some, such as Austria, Estonia, and Ireland, have no active nuclear power stations.

In comparison, France has a large number of these plants, with 16 multi-unit stations in current use.Many military and some civilian (such as some icebreaker) ships use nuclear marine propulsion, a form of nuclear propulsion.

International research is continuing into safety improvements such as passively safe plants,the use of nuclear fusion, and additional uses of process heat such as hydrogen production (in support of a hydrogen economy), for desalinating sea water, and for use in district heating systems.

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_power

Rejected.
Reason: You don't even seem to be arguing anything, just stating points, and I can see you have directly copied off wikipedia. Please try again with your own writing.

[Shadow]

I have added a sources section to the template. If you used any sources in your essay, please link directly to them. If you did not use any, please put in 'none.' If the sources section has been left out, your application will be ignored.

[Erik]

Well, DC told me to do this so...

Age/Introduction: I am 14, almost 15, and all my life have gotten into arguments with people.

Country: United States

Education: I am currently in High School. Honors classes FTW

Topics of interest: Nuclear Energy, Religion

Essay/Paragraph:
Since I was first in school, I always heard about alternate energy sources. The only things I heard were, "solar energy is the energy of the future", and "it is soon going to be used everywhere." That has not happened yet. As far as I have seen in the news and on the internet, no alternate energy is being put into use widely yet. The United States could continue to rely on fossil fuels, or it could change energy type. In eighth grade, I finally started to hear the good and the bad of nuclear energy, instead of just the bad that the media tries to put out. Nuclear energy is an energy source that is able to produce larger amounts of energy, with much less pollution than coal and other fossil fuels. Fossil fuels are also the cause of many other larger problems, such as global warming. On ieer.org, the author said that fossil fuels have a potentially catastrophic climate change risk. Wikipedia said that, "Proponents of nuclear energy contend that nuclear power is a sustainable energy source that does not create air pollution" to show that nuclear energy is a usable energy source that doesn't pollute the air as fossil fuels do. Fossil fuels have the possibility to cause global warming, and destroy the whole world, and nuclear energy has the potential to be a much more powerful energy source. It is my opinion that we need to switch energy source, to a cleaner, more efficient energy.

Source(s) used: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_power
http://www.ieer.org/ensec/no-1/comffnp.html

Approved.

I can't find the thread for the debate club, I think I have a problem with something. It doesn't appear in this topic, anyone have any possible reasons?

If you can't see the Debate Club section, then I guess nobody has added you to the Debate Club group yet. PM an Admin about it.
-Shadow

K, Thank you Shadow. :)

Ryzaa added me in when I pmed him ;)

[wwwtoy]

Age/Introduction:14 I got rejected teh last time so I shall try again

Country:United States

Education:High School

Topics of interest:Everything

Essay/Paragraph:Money,War

Money,this is what everyone wants. Who could blame though? We need money. People use it to buy food,cloths,etc. What do people do for money though? How desperate do people get just to get money? People get paid for working in jobs. Some people decide they could just rob it. So they do. Then they get thrown in jail. People,even police get bribed. Heck,if they get really desperate they even kill somebody. Is this how you want our world to work? Well,people getting paid for doing a job is fine. But people who kill somebody else just for money isn't ok. With the thought of money people get greedy.

Sources:none

Approved.
Additional notes: Try to work on the flow of your sentences a bit, some parts were a bit choppy.

Ok. :D

[Guest]

Age/Introduction: I'm 16 at the moment and... thats about it... OH! I have a Pet Rabbit!

Country: Sweden, But I watch so much TV i'm probably more American

Education: Not sure what the direct Translation to English is... If Kindergarden is Grade 0 then I'm grade 10

Topics of interest: I usually tend to rant about anything that comes up, If it interests me, I will be on the internet learning about it in seconds!

Essay/Paragraph: Pardon the irony but I would like to discuss video games. Video games have been around since the Cathode Ray Tube was patented in 1948 and have had a major impact on the development of our society. These video games have had a good effect on our society as they are capable of being used to teach, entertain, and socalize all at the same time. While there have in fact been a few cases where overuse of video games have lead to unpleasant circumstances, these are overshadowed by all the benefits video games give; not only to us individuals, but the major effect it has in balancing the world economy. If used correctly, video games will continue to have a positive effect on us for many years to come.

Source(s) used:General knowledge, Newspapers, Discussions at School.

Approved.

[Alderos]

Age/Introduction: I am 14, i am in special education (the good kind for people with high iqs), im in boy scouts..., play trumpet, and wrestle for a school team

Country:USA, Tennessee

Education: Middle school

Topics of interest: Current news, military, death penalties, music (rock)

Essay/Paragraph: Personally, I believe that the death penalty should be allowed in every state simply because there are people that did just outright wrong things like, mass murder, treason (like giving away battle plans that result in americans dieing), or terrorism. This would get rid of "the bad eggs" and make sure they can't perform these horrible deeds again. This is simply how i speculate things and how they should be done.

Source(s) used: none

Rejected.
Reason: Please proofread your work better. Things like 'i' and 'dieing' show that you haven't put enough effort into your work. Please try again. (You can just put your new essay underneath this.)

[gryfinrider]

Age: 14. Love constructive debates, a proud member of the junior BETA club, and of TSA.
Country: South Africa/United States
Education: Middle School (8th Grade)
Topics of Interest:The ever raging war in Politics, The "Beginning" (Philosophy),The changes in S.A (South Africa)


Most of us have been grown on the thought of there being a higher being, God (or other higher beings in some religions). But, should we jump to assumptions and say, "It was God!", or do we relay the facts and look back towards early times? What did the early Chinese know about the world? Did they know why fire is hot? No, so they were afraid, therefor, religion comes into place. We say "It was God", because then we didn't know, we were ignorant to why and how. "It was God" sticked with us until present, even though we have learned why and how fire is hot. God is an idea of fear, made from fear and thought of, by fear.

Source(s):None but my thoughts.

Approved.

[Vampiric]

Age/Introduction: I am currently 17

Country: Australia

Education: Final year (Year 12) in High School

Topics of interest: Nothing particular, anything that sparks my interest

Essay/Paragraph:

There is an increasing threat of global warming and yet it seems we, as a global community, have not been able to grasp the enormity of this or continue to exist in a state of climatic denial. We have summits, international meetings and other smaller-scale tasks to try counter this problem but the truth is not enough has been done yet.

The majority of businesses and governments alike are reluctant to have the extensive costs of dealing with climate change impact on their profits, gross domestic product and economic growth respectively. It is a sobering fact to know that one of mankind’s most fundamentally flawed beliefs is the cause of all this – “Money makes the world go round”.

Self-advancement. Profit. Luxury. All these words carry with them a strong sense of well-being, of improving one’s living standards. But at what costs? How can some businesses fall so low as to ignore or dismiss the environmental repercussions of their actions? Government action and business cooperation are needed to counter the urgent matter of global warming.

Some critics may say that an economy runs on money and profits, that to divert funds into another area (such as environmental goals) is foolhardy as the costs are too great. In one sense, they are correct. The health of the economy is obviously determined by monetary figures, but the effects of not countering global warming are much more widespread. Not to mention, it should be in their interests to counter global warming as investing in greener energy could have some positive influences over the management of their respective businesses.

Source(s) used: None, just little tidbits I've garnered during some of my studies.

Approved.

[Dugel]

Age/Introduction: I am 16 and in high school.

Country: U.S.A

Education: High school

Topics of interest: Anything that I feel is interesting.

Essay/Paragraph: Should medical marijuana be legal in more states or even countries.

Medical marijuana (Cannabis) is a very controversial topic. There are millions of frequent cannabis users and even more infrequent smokers. Smoking cannabis has far fewer hazardous effects on life than legal drugs such as alcohol.

Cannabis is currently the largest cash crop in the United States, and cannabis is grown all over the planet. Any claims that cannabis prohibition is a successful policy are ludicrous and unsupported by the facts, and the idea that marijuana will soon be eliminated from America and the rest of the world is a ridiculous fantasy.

If cannabis were made legal, it would reduce the flow of money from the American economy to international criminal gangs. Cannabis' illegality makes growing cannabis world-wide and being smuggled in the US extremely profitable. This money is being sent over seas in a black market economy and being diverted from our struggling economy.

Cannabis has very few negative side effects, and can be considered medicine. Many people believe that marijuana can be used as medicine to treat certain illnesses. A major federal report on the the subject of medicinal use of marijuana concluded that there was evidence that marijuana could be useful for "pain relief, control of nausea and vomiting, and appetite stimulation."

Still, under the Title 21 of the U.S. Code, Section 812 (part of the Controlled Substances Act or CSA), the U.S. federal government classifies marijuana as a 'Schedule One' substance which has no medicinal value, despite the evidence indicating therapeutic uses


Source(s) used: High Times Magazine

Approved.

[Rawness]

Age: 15
country: USA
Education: Highschool
Intrest: Bible, Theology, ad Death

Some people are totaly caught up in the flashy, glamorous side
of life. they Try and fill a void with wordly possessions and they never realize that what realy counts in the end is that eternal question. That is what impact have I made on the world that surrounds me. Because there have been many great influencers throuogh the histories you must make a fiat choice weighed you will have a positive impact or a negative impact. If at night you can ask your self weither or not you have made a positive impact in the world and be able to say yes to the question, that you have truley tried your hardest to live up to the expectations that God has set for you.

Rejected.
Reason: Please proofread your work better. Your many typos and other small mistakes show that you haven't put enough effort into your work. Please try again. (You can just put your new essay underneath this.)

[Satus]

Age/Introduction: Well, I'm 20.

Country: USA (from Canada)

Education: College

Topics of interest: Death penalty, Gay marriage, Affects of Gaming, and lots of others.

Essay/Paragraph: There is no reason why gay marriage should be illegal in the United States. In fact at least one part of the Constitution that defends the illegalization of it is null and void because of some overriding rules in that same document. First of all, there are two acts that were added to the Constitution that make gay marriage illegal; the Defense of Marriage Act(DOMA) and the Protection of Marriage Act(POMA).

The first one, DOMA, says that marriage is only legal between a male and a female partner, now there is nothing really illegal about this, but it is, however, unethical. Shouldn't we treat everyone the same, regardless of their, race creed, religion, or sexual preference? This aspect is part of the foundation of the Constitution, especially in this day and age. Everyone is created equal. Religion should not have a say in determining these laws because the United States is a country that has separated the church and State (I don't hate religion, I just don't think it should have a bearing on our laws).

The second one, POMA, states that no one can challenge and therefore get rid of both DOMA and POMA itself. Now, another part of the Constitution, one that was in there long before these two acts appeared on it, states that; the Supreme Court's "judicial power shall extend to all cases, in law and equity, arising under this Constitution, the laws of the United States, and treaties made, or which shall be made, under their authority". This basically says that the Supreme Courts can challenge any law or act within the United States. This Article conflicts with POMA, that act would be null and void.

Source(s) used: The Constitution of the United States of America.

Approved.

[Ryuu The Sly]

Age/Introduction: 13+
Country: USA

Education: High School

Topics of interest: Acid Rain and How to Prevent It

Essay/Paragraph:

Acid rain is now a serious threat to our environment today. Acid rain is not only affecting our specie’s cycle of life, but also damaging our ecosystem. The only way to resolve this life threatening problem is to act now and have others that care about our ecosystem work together to prevent this problem. In North America, there was recently some research founded on acid rain that gives us the general idea of what it is and how to prevent it.
Before we try to prevent this problem, we need to know the basis of acid rain. An organization called the US Environmental Protection Agency or EPA for short lets us know a more “precise term is acid disposition”, which means that is can be wet or dry. The “wet disposition” of acid rain is in the form of a rain, fog, or even snow which is highly acidic. The “dry disposition” of acid rain “refers to acidic gases and particles” which is spreaded by the wind. What mostly cause acid rain are large amounts of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide in the atmosphere. Also, most of the SO2 and NO2 comes from using fossil fuels for transportation, cars, and to generate electric power. Other types of sources that we use comprise of fuel combustion and our industrial activities.
If we have a better understanding and the causing of acid rain, we can figure out a solution to this problem and stop it once and for all. So, here are some ways to reduce the risk of acid rain and undo the damage that has been done to our ecosystem. But, before we can continue, we need to have everyone aware of the global situation and make sure everyone is willing to participate to prevent this problem. Now that we are aware, we know that generating electricity with fossil fuels is one of the major sources of acid rain. The solution to this is we can develop an alternative energy resource that is safe to our ecosystem. An article from EPA shows that “nuclear power” and “hydropower” are already widely used, but other useful and natural resources like wind power and solar power can have a better use. Not all of our sources of energy are resourceful or safe, but we must search for other resources that are “eco-friendly” in order to save our environment for future generations.
The damages and problems that acid rain is causing must be stopped in order to prevent future damages and to save our ecosystem. We as a society need to change our resources that are safe to use and without any risks involved. But in order to have everyone change, we ourselves must start it off so we can influence others into joining us to help out our ecosystem.

Source(s) used:
Barron's Regents Exams and Answers - English
Pg. 236

Approved.

[Ghadia]

Age/Introduction: (No specifics here needed, just tell us if your 13+ and any other information you'd like to supply.) I'm 13, I'd like to join the debate group. I simply love the feeling of proving someone wrong, the thrill of debating logical topics with logical people.


Country: United States of America

Education: (Middle School? Highschool? Collage? Retired?) Middle School, Honor Roll, A and B student.

Topics of interest: Over-rated movies, Current Politics.

Essay/Paragraph: The Oil spill in The Gulf of Mexico, many people are mad about it. This is by far, the most discussed current activity in the USA. What I hate about it is, people who don't get all the facts before making accusations. Most people just assume it's BP's fault, when it isn't. I'm one of the few people who have taken the time to look at the facts.
I've seen, it's not entirely BP's fault. It was publicly announced as an Oil Spill, drilled by the Gasoline Company of BP. There were other companies involved, however. I've forgotten the names, but one of the companies was the maker of the Oil Drill and Containment Chambers. They made a major miscalculation in the Oil Containment Chambers, causing a massive error in the Oil Drilling System.
In my oppinion, the Oil Spill is Mostly the Governments fault. They failed to correctly inspect the Oil Drill. If they hadn't, the Spill could have easily been avoided.

Source(s) used: We discussed this in one of my classes, so I don't know the link my teacher showed us. I also did research on my own, but I can't find the links. They would be very difficult to find, because I did the research at least 2 weeks ago. And, I got the information from the news website, and people's different opinions/comments on them. I ruled out the one's that made no sense, of course.
Sorry, but I really don't know any of my links.

Approved.

[Tom Gaskarth]

About Me

Brief Introduction : My name is Tom im 16 from Wales and I Have ADHD
Location: Wales
Education: About to start Collage (UK Education system)

Topics: Anything I know about

Essay

My Essay will be about Self Harming, Suicide and attention seekers

To begin with I must state that I have NEVER self harmed or attempted suicide how ever I have many self harming friends and 1 who Attempted suicide.

Self Harming

There are 2 kinds of people who self harm, the people who ave genuine problems with them selves and attention seekers.
I will be addressing the people with REAL problems 1st.
Many of my friends who do this do it where no one can see and they normally regret it afterwards. They have told me that it makes them feel better at the time to hurt them selves but afterwards they are left with the scars which follow them everywhere unless they go away. This often causes them to become anxious and to cover up their bodies because they feel that the scars make them uglier causing them to self harm further in a devastating cycle which they often need therapy to escape from. For the record no one I have talked to about it can describe the feeling it gives them but some get a sense of relief after doing so. These people I feel have genuine problems and really do need help.

However, some people who self harm for attention can in my honest opinion be pathetic.
These people inflict pain upon themselves not as a cry for help in a hope that someone sees them and gets them that help but rather as a cry for attention. These people normally cut them selves where everyone can see or make it obvious that they have cuts or scars on certain places of their bodies. This in once again my opinion is low, these people have heard about the real issues some people have with their bodies or inner demons and have consciously decided to do the same to their own bodes to get attention.

However, there are 2 sides to this. A person could be feeling so alone and isolated that they have to do something drastic to get people to notice what's wrong with them and these are the people who need as much help sa the people with inner demons.

Suicide and Suicidal thoughts

This 1st section will be brief due to the trauma inflicted by the mentioned incident.

Last October one of my friends over dosed on prescribed medication and had to be taken to hospital. She did this because her friends were fighting and because she is bi-polar this was affecting her deeply. She did this in the morning and was in hospital by 2PM. She did survive the incident and has gone on to be one of my closest friends.

Now I shall talk about people who say they are suicidal for attention.

Some of these people claim that their lives are so unbearable that they simply cannot go on when as a matter of fact these people live in nice houses, have a loving caring family and are quite well off for money but they still claim to live unbearable lives. This is separated into 2 categories, Ignorant people and attentions seekers.
Ignorant people are the type of people who claim to live un-liveable lives simply because they don't have everything they want. They might have everything they need but thats not enough for these people and they claim their lives are un-liveable until they see true poverty but in some cases they continue to complain. These people can often be educated into being more thankful for what they have. People who claim to be suicidal but are in fact living perfectly happy lives are the lowest form of humanity in my honest opinion. They manipulate kind, caring people into giving them what they want manipulating their trust and using it to their advantage.

HOWEVER once again people who need people to pay attention to them because the are too scared to tell anyone about their problems are in dire need of help also...
This I can relate to on a personal level. I once threatened to take my own life after being dumped. At first I thought about it but I was too scared. I was crying out for attention and love and I got it and to this day no one else knew that I faked it all.

Thanks for your time,

Approved.

[Snukems]

Age/Introduction: I am 14. Also, I am Conservative.

Country: United States.

Education: Middle School - I am in ninth grade.

Topics of interest: Whatever is easy to debate that will produce lulz.
Please note that the following would be unleashed on MRN only if I had the opportunity. When I posted a challenge to debate him, he deleted the comment.
Essay/Paragraph: I'm just making the Maoist Rebel News list of so-called "Deaths caused by Capitalism" https://www.youtube.com/maoistrebelnews2
First, the Second Boer War? That, though I, admittedly, know little to nothing regarding it, appears to be the British Empire expanding the South Africa colony. It has little to nothing to do with Capitalism directly.
Japanese Massacre of Singapore? Wasn't that in WW2 or something?
The Burma-Siam railroad was for Japan to get military supplies distributed, and it also used enemy PoWs.
Japanese Germ Warfare in China; once more, what does this have to do with Capitalism? You're just using World War Two deaths as an excuse to call Capitalism a huge massacre.
Rebelling Shia killed by Saddam - Well, it's a Socialist state, and it's killing rebels. I also like how your followers that I know are, like you, unreasonable, and will often debate me on Venezuela, and, after I mention how he shut down the media, a "HE STOPPED A COUP!" card will be pulled. Later on, I will not be surprised if you seriously bash Capitalism for killing rebels. Aswell, you will, undoubtedly, deny Iraq's former Socialism, if I ever debate you on it.
US bombing of an unstable Communist state, and then occupation of Bosnia, O, how terrible that we also declared mission complete and withdrew from the independent Republic in 2002!
US bombing of Iraqi water? Weren't we in a war?
US Civil War...that was just a load of crazy slavery fanatics rebelling over them not having a majority. I will get to slavery later, however.
Iran and Iraq were just...in a war. Are you going after almost every death you can possibly do so you can say Capitalism killed 1.4 Billion?
Suharto, as far as I know, just killed a Communist rebel group. Either you're contradicting yourself or you're being honest about hating military action altogether here. O wait, I already said what you're doing!
Irish Potato Famine? That was just a disease and low temperatures, wasn't it?
Japanese Democides? World War Two, again?
A famine during a global depression...
Bengal Famine of 1943? Is this World War Two, again?
Famine in British India...I'll give you this, but weren't charities and many rich Communists like yourself out there, MRN? Why didn't you give to the poor?
US intervention in the Congo was probably Cold War stuff. Cold War stuff..caused by the USSR building up their military, North Korean invasion of South Korea, Chinese Communism, North Vietnam, the Eastern Bloc, the Berlin Wall, a Soviet creation, mind you, and Capitalism keeping up and, in fact, surpassing the Soviets, as we went to the moon in 1968, we won the war at the USSR's fall at the hands of the people, evidenced by the Polish elections in 1993 or so. Though, I will hand you the fact that the Congo may have been while Communism was building strength, however, it was probably for stability and whatnot.
Hurricane Katrina. Well, I knew this would be on the list, so huzzah! I have proved you to be without any sort of credibility, though you didn't have much trouble ruining it on your own.
Indonesian Anti-Com purge. As far as I know about this, there was a bit of a Communist rebellion.
STATELESS, CAPITALIST, SOMALIA! So terrible that private businesses could still sustain the economy without government, while your videos will frequently say that bailouts are necessary for Capitalist systems to survive! Also, Somalian Civil War.
Industrial Revolution - A global event. No Communist states existed for it, and, if you really want me to prove that this wasn't restricted to Capitalism that people would die from an Industrial Revolution, look at China after being Communist and building industry. MAO, EH?
1898 war PHILIPPINES AND US V. SPAIN. We worked with Filipino rebels to defeat Spain and then we occupied the Philippines after buying it for $15 million.
Palestinians killed by Israel; one question, are you referring to Israel attacking defensively, offensively, or was it a Palestinian-declared war on Israel? I believe that Palestine and the anti-semites within (Don't bash me on the technicality with that by saying Arabs are semites in themselves, please)
The country? Mention cause kthx. (Guatemala) (And DON'T make it that Capitalism caused it, either. You've already contradicted your own videos by double-standarding against Capitalism)
Nanking Massacre? This sounds awfully Chinese.
Gas sales? To a Socialist state? Who knew!
1. Iraq invades Kuwait.
2. Kuwait's friends save Kuwait.
3. You bash us for saving our friend and killing enemy troops only until they withdrew.
Invasion of a former territory which we peacefully granted independence to? Whaa?
Feudal Russia? How is this...I don't even know.
Afghanistan was a terrorist attack by terrorists who I personally believe to be Communist and Islamic Extremist that we had a military response to in their own home land to prevent further attacks from the enemy on our soil.
Iraq was a state sponsor of terrorism, believed by the UN to have WMDs. They refused to admit to having WMDs, so we invaded, found none, and rebuilt the country. The Socialists took it the hard way.
Khmer Rouge? You mean the old Cambodian empire...? *no idea*
The South African wars by Britain are assumed to be this. I honestly know not why this is leading to Capitalism-caused deaths.
Nazi Holocaust. The Nazis, if you compare their works to those of Marx, are virtually similar. Aswell, Marx and Mao, indeed, were anti-Semitic. Aswell, didn't the USSR kill Jews?
US Aggression in Latin America? Are you talking about the Contras? The war with Spain again? What?
World War Two and the events leading up to it with regards to Japan, yeah, so many reasons to blame Capitalists.
For once, you're giving small explanations! Too bad, it's just (CIA PUPPET)!
North Vietnam invades South Vietnam. Any questions?
Similar situation to Vietnam, but the Capitalists won. Move along. (Korean War)
British Occupation of India? Ok, we conquered India from Afghanistan and others. Questions? I don't think so.
The Great Depression! So you've counted it twice in your total! Good Work, making a recession that was escalated by US socialist tax and spend policies into a giant depression into an evil Capitalist massacre!
World War One. Nothing to do with Capitalism, and has Communists killing Capitalists in Russia, during the era? Good work!
World War Two. This has nothing to do with Capitalism, in fact, the Nazis, who are De Facto Communist anyway, and the Communist Russian regime, along with several other Axis powers, i.e., Japan, Italy, etc., started this, though Hitler turned on his Russian allies and invaded them, dreaming of controlling Moscow and beyond to unite "Greater Germany," which, in the first place, makes no sense.
Anyway, the Native American genocide was just natural process. Why, you ask? Well, naturally, there is natural selection, and the Indians just could not be advanced enough to survive the occupation by the more advanced humans, and thus, were nearly killed off, as they are now so insignificant in the population. This is not to say that Genocide is right, but it was, excusably for the people of the past, not the fault of the Capitalist system. I am personally sure, that if America were Communist, they still would have committed genocide against the Native Americans. Thus, your argument is invalid, due to Charles Darwin's theory. Nice weakness.
Is that like everyone who died in India? Because in your video that makes fun of how Capitalists are pitiful at debate, you say that we do that to Communism, even if unrelated to economic system, due to bias, because our whole world is supposedly nothing but Capitalist propaganda, while I view it otherwise, with Communist propaganda being everywhere, including schools.
When a true free market was introduced, the slave trade slowly began to collapse. The entire Marxist theory was made in the 1840s or something, which isn't exactly far from the end of slavery.

Onto your deaths by hunger, Communism will have food lines you need to wait in to get food rations. In Capitalism, you work, you buy your food with your own money, you eat, you work, you move on.
So every death since 1960 that had a smoker (I am personally against smoking, anyway, but you have personal freedoms) involved is a Capitalism caused death and you only have 300 million. Surprisingly low, isn't it?

And lastly, your total is vastly exaggerated.

Source(s) used: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Boer_War and others, which I already knew about. You can find this stuff on Wikipedia. Go on.

Approved.

[Veonyx]

Age/Introduction: I am 17.

Country: United States

Education: Final year of High School.

Topics of interest: Anything I see interesting

Essay/Paragraph:

Drugs and the Issue of Enforcing Them

Today's youth are taught at a very young age that there are some things in the world that are bad for you. These can a variety of things such as peer pressure, alcohol, drugs, etc. We learn that if you smoke "pot" you can do damage to your body. If you drink too much alcohol, you can do damage to your body. We bombard this thought into the minds of the youth to hopefully discourage the temptation that may arise later in their youth. However, we have taken unnecessary steps to making this point.

If you are familiar with American history, you know of the Eighteenth Amendment otherwise known as the Prohibition Act. This made the buying, selling, manufacture, import, export, and transportation of alcohol strictly illegal. The Act was considered a good law, and was seen as a help to the people. This however, was not true. Crime rates involving alcohol increased, and notorious crime bosses were born. Al Capone was one of the most known crime bosses from this era. The Amendment was repealed years later to correct the mistake the government had made.

Now, we know drinking too much alcohol can damage your body. The thing is, so can drugs. Drugs such as heroin and cocaine are illegal in the US just like alcohol was back in the 1920s. These laws restricting drugs actually do more harm then good. They have done the exact same thing as the Prohibition Act, spawned crime bosses (Drug Cartel), gangs fighting for selling territory, and overall violence. Cartels constantly try and smuggle these drugs across the Mexico/American border and many border patrol officers are killed every month as a result of the violence.

In creating these laws restricting products, you bring forth the violence of people calling for a freedom. A freedom to choose what we should put in our bodies. If a government can tell you that you can't use drugs, what else can they tell you? Can they tell you what to eat? Can they make you exercise everyday or tell you when you can't go outside?

I am calling for a legalization of drugs. Countries that legalize drugs in Europe show that there is no increase of drug users, and that crime related to drugs actually goes down. The fact is, restricting freedom is not, and never should be a law. We must choose the path of our lives. If we want to "get high" and shorten our life span, it should be our choice, not someone Else's.

Source(s) used: None. Mostly knowledge I have picked up over the years.

I would approve this... If I could. Anyway, it's pretty well written, and you show a fundamental understanding of the subject. I guess I've pseudo approved you. x3
-BAdmin Styx

Approved.

[Thoru]

Age/Introduction: 15

Country: USA

Education: (Middle School? Highschool? Collage? Retired?) Dead... High School

Topics of interest: Games, Arguing/Debating

Essay/Paragraph:
Gay Marriage. One of the most talked about subjects in the news today. chances are you already have an opinion of it. Most likely you are against it. It is likely because you have been raised that way. But I am here to change your mind. I have done research on the subject and its impact on society. There are 3 main arguments: Religious, Political, Historical. I will touch on the Religious and Political ones.

Government and Church are to separated, according to the Constitution, and some of the greatest opposition to the Marriage of Same-Sex couples come from Churches. So, then why, does the Government seem to be supporting the church? There are those that say it come from the argument of “It is needed for the procreation of Man, that we keep marriage between a man and woman.” This is not true, there has never been a time that a couple has been asked to prove they can produce children before being allowed to marry. (Balkin) There is also a benefit to this, seeing as Same-Sex couples cannot have children, if they wish to have a child they can adopt, reducing the number of children in orphanages.

Another common argument from churches is that it is an abomination. Many things, according to the Bible, are also just as sinful. Murder and Idolism are considered just as bad, however, Murderers and Idolists are allowed to marry without any restrictions. Also, there is no rule that says a Clergy or Religious figures has to be present for a Marriage to be valid. In fact, some states say only a figure, such as a member of the Town Hall, or qualified figure, has to be there. So, Religious reasons are valid for an opinion, but as facts there is nothing they can do to stop marriage. “Believers ought not force their laws on people of different faiths or people of no faith at all. Marriage is a civil right. If you don't want gay people to marry in your church, all right. But you cannot say they can't be married in city hall because of your religious beliefs.” (Balkin)
Also, Statistically Christians are the most opposed to same-sex marriage. As with Proposition 8, Most Non-Christians, were for it or not opposed. It was shown almost all Christians were opposed to it. 84% (This needs changing, too lazy to access Noodle tools). It was 85% support for Non-Christians. The Bill Was opposed with a final vote of 52% to 48%. (Torr.)
Politicians are opposed to this. It is most likely that they do not with to upset people, or that they have an idea of what is needed to avoid offending the majority. But this is not a majority thing, it is an individual opinion. The Politicians do what they think will get them votes and opposing this will most likely get them votes. With something like Proposition 8, “When a law does not directly restrict religious activity or expressly endorse religious expression, it is exceedingly difficult for courts to sort out the "real" motivations behind the law.” (Torr.)
Same-sex couples want to be married for many reasons. “They not only want the legal rights and benefits of marriage; they also want to be regarded as married by society. It is all too easy for the rest of society to ignore same-sex relationships, and to assume that they are only sexual, or involve no serious long-term commitment or sharing of finances and household responsibilities. Many gay and lesbian couples want to make it clear to everyone that they have a relationship of the same general kind as society expects of married couples. Domestic partnerships are just less effective for this purpose.” (Balkin). People may also wonder, if when you introduce someone as your “Domestic Partner” people will question if it is the same level of commitment.
There are those who may say that even though the world hasn’t stopped spinning because of the Gay Marriage law in Massachusetts, it is still to early to use that as an argument. It is not to early, wouldn’t you agree? Some will say it IS though.
Churches sometimes say being Gay is against society normality, but, as Joesph Franklin said “As long as society is anti-gay, then it will seem like being gay is anti-social.” This says that so long as we MAKE it wrong, it will appear to be wrong. So, by making Gay Marriage legal, would it not solve all of our problems? Are WE not the ones who cause all of the “problems” with gay marriage?
I hope that you all have been enlightened to both sides of this debate now. I hope you can go home and think about he facts you learned and now make an informed opinion. So, as I said, are we not the cause of the Gay Marriage “Sin?”

Source(s) used: Please don't make me. Will supply my bibliography on request

You must post your sources before you can be accepted.

Works Cited
Balkin, Karen F, ed. Civil Rights. San Diego: Greenhaven, 2004. N. pag. Gale Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 16 Nov. 2010. <http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/ovic/ViewpointsDetailsPage/ViewpointsDetailsWindow?displayGroupName=Viewpoints&prodId=OVIC&action=e&windowstate=normal&catId=&documentId=GALE%7CEJ3010125272&mode=view&&userGroupName=cary81451&jsid=7a77fdf639be53a513513060c4d807f>.

Bond, Julian. “Discrimination.” Gale Opposing Viewpoints in Context. N.p., 2008. Web. 17 Nov. 2010. <http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/ovic/ViewpointsDetailsPage/ViewpointsDetailsWindow?displayGroupName=Viewpoints&prodId=OVIC&action=e&windowstate=normal&catId=&documentId=GALE|EJ3010125272&mode=view>.

Burns, Kate, ed. Gays and Lesbians. San Diego: Greenhaven, 2005. N. pag. Gale Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 17 Nov. 2010. <http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/ovic/ViewpointsDetailsPage/ViewpointsDetailsWindow?displayGroupName=Viewpoints&prodId=OVIC&action=e&windowstate=normal&catId=&documentId=GALE%7CEJ3010359217&mode=view&userGroupName=cary81451&jsid=a243007ab30a9912acc64c410c16d172>.

Gannon, Heather Ann. Hohonu: A Journal of Academic Writing. Hilo: Board of Student, 2004. Gale Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 17 Nov. 2010. <http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/ovic/ViewpointsDetailsPage/ViewpointsDetailsWindow?displayGroupName=Viewpoints&prodId=OVIC&action=e&windowstate=normal&catId=&documentId=GALE|EJ3010136208&mode=view>.

Musgrave, Marilyn. Homosexuality. Ed. Auriana Ojeda. San Diego: Greenhaven, 2009. N. pag. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 15 Nov. 2010. <http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/ovic/ViewpointsDetailsPage/ViewpointsDetailsWindow?displayGroupName=Viewpoints&prodId=OVIC&action=e&windowstate=normal&catId=&documentId=GALE%7CEJ3010143280&mode=view&userGroupName=cary81451&jsid=362c9f9aef315a7fd4de618055de2995>.

Torr, James D, ed. How Does Religion Influence Politics? Detroit: Greenhaven, 2010. N. pag. Gale Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 17 Nov. 2010. <http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/ovic/ViewpointsDetailsPage/ViewpointsDetailsWindow?displayGroupName=Viewpoints&prodId=OVIC&action=e&windowstate=normal&catId=&documentId=GALE%7CEJ3010411225&mode=view&userGroupName=cary81451&jsid=48221f60a71f9fbf0430bc5b9d7c0689>.

There ya go

Approved.

Additional Comments: Great essay! It's nice to see people putting that much research into their applications. A few gramatical errors, but that can be easily fixed with a quick proof-read next time.

[Alderos]

Age/Introduction: 15, Highschool

Country: United States of America

Education: Going through high school.

Topics of interest: Government, economics

Essay/Paragraph: Fascism, associated with people like Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler. Is It so bad? Perhaps it shoudln't be practiced, perhaps it should.
Fascism is when the state has an authoritarian government. People may be discouraged to believe it may be an alternative. Sometimes you need that one leader to make the decisions. In some cases it may be better to have one leader to make the decisions because those decisions may need to be made quickly and efficiently. Fascism's effectiveness is determined by the leader, for example. Hitler was an effective leader,(I do not condone the genocide of the Jews.) and lead his nation out of a depression. This was because of fascism. If he didn't have the power he did it couldn't have been done.
Fascism is also based off of one's loyalty to the state, and extreme nationalism. If you are a country like Finland, who has a low immigration rate, this would be fine. In a country like America it could prove troublesome due to the many ethnicities. It is all determined by one's situation. With extreme nationalism and loyalty to the state, the country may increase morale and boost the work ethic. With the increased morale and work ethic a country may perform better, become self efficient, and remain stable for many years.

Hopefully this has been enlightening and given people a different view.

Source(s) used:
Hitler, Adolf. Mein Kampf.

World history, college prep class.

Personal ideals

[Sponsored content]