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This public service announcement is a four-minute anti-texting while driving portion of a longer 30 minute drama. From what I've read, this four-minute version is the video being used in the United Kingdom. I'm not exactly sure about the details of it being shown, like if it's on during regular TV commercial breaks, being shown in schools, or whatever it may be.
The question is: Do you think that Anti-Texting while Driving PSAs such as these, and the live performances taking place in the United States, are effective and/or necessary in making sure teens -- and adults -- keep their eyes on the road and limit distractions?
(The video embed failed... so here's the link.)
writeFlash({"src":"http://www.youtube.com/v/KF0_7qC6YFo","width":"425","height":"350"});
Some say this video doesn't deter them from texting and driving, and they doubt it would for others. They say that it simply makes them sad, or mad, at the video for various reasons, as well as terrified to go out on the roads. I find this interesting. What is your opinion?
New technology in the field of social networking and innovative websites have changed the way people communicate.
People now have the ability to share their opinions and ideas over a wide audience, broadcast their current location and activity to the world, and create loose connections over the internet. Does such easy access to information and people make us more sociable, or does it allow us to sit in front of a computer and feel like we're socializing? We can find news from various sources and be notified of things faster, but all together, will this change us for the better or for the worse?
It may be too early to tell for sure, but what are some thoughts on whether social networking beneficial or detrimental to society?
There is a debate asking if the world would be a better place with only one culture, and I thought bringing this question up would be off-topic.
With people of all types spread across the globe, can there really be one culture?
Hey, try and help me out with this:
A while ago, and maybe still now, the activity notifier hasn't been working, and I've been asked to show a few examples of the arguments that this happened to. The problem is that both the arguments where I first noticed this were a long time ago and I can't remember which I were and weren't notified to responses, and if I wasn't notified of activity I don't know there was a reply in the first place.
I want to 1) Test and see if the notifier is working now in a semi-controlled way, and 2) actually know where to look if it's not. To do this, I'm going to post an argument here and then I'm going to check back every few hours to see if there was any activity I haven't been notified to. Also maybe vote the argument up and down or reply to the replies to see what's going on.
Oh, and whoever has experienced similar problems, feel free to use this debate for the same reason.
I found this classic debate today, with some 500-day old arguments. That's like a hundred years in CreateDebate time.
Unfortunately, this one was from the days before issue discriptions, so I don't have much to write here.
I decided to dig this question up and ask again, "What is the best type of Girl Scout cookie?"
Here's a link for you: Meet the Cookies
Today, both internal and external issues threaten the United States and the way Americans live.
Internal issues, those that originate from within the US, pose a large threat to the nation. Without the proper fixing, these issues have the potential to bring down even the strongest countries.
We all know of the external issues that threaten the United States, such as stateless factions that are difficult to prevent from attacking and radical nations like North Korea. Are these issues more threatening to the country than internal issues?
Both of these choices have their own unique aspects and are very different in the way that they act/will act on the country, but which, when viewed from a neutral standpoint, is the greater threat to America and Americans today?
An investigation into how Alaska Native corporations are landing billions in federal contracts found the companies have seen dramatic growth over the past eight years and said the contracting has totaled nearly $24 billion during that period.
The Senate Subcommittee on Contracting Oversight, headed by Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., released some of its early findings Tuesday, in advance of a July 16 hearing she plans to hold on Native contracting. From 2000 to 2008, only one-fifth of all contracts awarded to Alaska Native corporations were performed in Alaska, McCaskill's committee found.
It also found that last year Alaska Native corporations received 19 percent of all federal contracts awarded to small businesses.
Special contracting rules for Native co rporations have allowed them to "qualify for large contracts while circumventing the normal competition process," McCaskill's office wrote in its report. About 70 percent of those contracts were awarded through the Department of Defense, which gave Native corporations contracts for security and maintenance at military bases, among other services.
Read the whole story here.
Since Iran's disputed election, protests and violence have erupted and the fallout from the election has gained worldwide news coverage and importance.
There are two main outcomes to what is happening now in Iran, either these protests will prove to be successful and things will change in Iran, or the current government regime will emerge successful and squash the protests. Are the people of Iran strong enough and brave enough to lay down their lives to create change in their country? To what extent will the government of Iran fight to suppress these protests?
What do you believe the outcome of this turmoil will be?
I was thinking about this the other day, and it was just too conceptually gigantic/intense for me to wrap my brain around. So I brought it here.
I really don't know what brought me to this question, but I find that acting out both possibilities in my head is a bit like trying to stay on the cutting edge of time. The basic question is: Do you know what is happening the instant it happens, or do we require time, no matter how small an amount it is, to know what is going on? Can we infer what is happening from the events of the past of a few seconds ago, and do we instantly recognize things and understand them as they happen? Or, do we constantly lag behind time, our real selves ahead of our brains in time, in a short span of time where we are in a state of utter confusion? Speaking of confusion, I'm confused.
Help me out with this:
With respect to modern piracy, should crews of civilian maritime vessels be armed?
Should the ship have other defenses besides this?
What do you think?
Whether or not you agree with Global Warming / Climate Change, have you experienced effects of it?
If you don't agree, explain why not, most likely because of the climates you have seen. If you do agree, explain why, again, most likely due to the climates that you have recently experienced.
A high school principal and his security staff shut feuding students in a steel cage to settle disputes with bare-knuckle fistfights, according to an internal report by the Dallas Independent School District. The principal of South Oak Cliff High School, Donald Moten, was accused by several school employees of sanctioning the “cage fights” between students in a steel equipment enclosure in a boy’s locker room, where “troubled” youth fought while a security guard watched, according to the confidential March 2008 report first obtained by The Dallas Morning News. The district referred the matter to its police force, the report states, but no charges have been filed.
From The New York Times
Should charges be filed against those who ran the school and these fights? What should be done if not?
Many people have debated on either side of the issue, some saying that AIG is too big to fail, and some saying that it's best for the country if we let it fail.
Is AIG "Too Big to Fail?"
For the first time since May 2008, there have been two consecutive weeks of positive movement in the stock market. Does this signify the end of the economic recession and the turnaround of the economy? Is the worst over? Or are we still in store for more falling prices?
But, the most important question: Is it time to buy? ;)
link
Sen. Grassley quoted the other day that AIG Executives should either resign, or commit suicide. What would your advice be for the executives?
MSNBC
Note: I don't actually want them to commit suicide. I am making fun of the quote and the senator. Sorry if there was any confusion.
The new downvoting policy:
Each downvote costs the downvoter one reward point, and,
The downvote is displayed in the Reward Point history.
From the CreateDebate blog.
What do you think?
NBC's new host, Jimmy Fallon, has taken over the role of Conan O'Brien in hosting the Late Night show. It's been a while; so what do you think? Do you approve or disapprove of the choice of Jimmy Fallon as host? How is the show going so far?
Google has unveiled a new behavioral targeting system that'll read your browsing history, then cater ads based on where you've been. While Google sells the concept as an user-oriented improvement that'll bring you "more interesting" and "useful" content, you may want to consider the privacy implications of having your surfing habits monitored and monetized.
Taken from PC World
North Korea has informed an international organization that it plans to launch a satellite April 4 to 8, South Korea's state news agency reported Thursday, citing an unnamed intelligence official.
U.S. and South Korean officials have long said the communist nation is actually preparing to test-fire a long-range missile under the guise of a satellite launch.
The missile, Taepodong-2, is thought to have an intended range of about 4,200 miles (6,700 kilometers), which -- if true -- could give it the capability of striking Alaska or Hawaii.
Taken from CNN Asia.
Satellite or missile? What do you think?
Many people enjoy the Iditarod, but many people feel that the Iditarod is unethical towards animals.
Mushers and supporters say that the dogs love to run, and they love to run the Iditarod.
Others say that the dogs are forced to run and races such as the Iditarod are unnecessarily stressful and cruel to the dogs.
This year, in the beginning of the Iditarod, a dog died on the trail.
What do you think about the 'Last Great Race?' Do you approve or disapprove, and why?
I just logged on to CreateDebate after about half an hour of trying to access the site, each time being rejected by a message saying that the site was down for maintenance. When I am able to get on, there is a new minimum length for an argument. Yes, a new minimum, it's not a simple 14 characters anymore.
If you don't believe me, go ahead and try it. The new minimum argument length on the site seems to be 50 characters, and if you try to submit an argument less than 50 characters, this message is displayed:
The minimum length for an argument is 50 characters. The purpose of this restriction is to cut down on the amount of dumb jokes, so we can keep the quality of debate and discourse as high as possible.
I, for one, know of a few people that might disagree with this new minimum. I'll be nice and keep them nameless.
What do you think? Do you agree or disagree?