Kim-So

__Unit 1, Immersion 2, Discussion__

Questions: Answers:
 * 1) The invention of maritime technologies that allowed sailors to master treacherous and unfamiliar ocean environments is what really allowed for the Age of Exploration to occur. If you wanted to extend the Age of Exploration into outer space, what new space technology would need to be invented so that human beings could travel to other planets and solar systems?
 * 2) Think of some of the fears that existed amongst people during the 15 & 16th century when it came to sailing the open seas (monsters, boiling waters, falling off the edge of the Earth). Identify some of the fears that other people might have today if you had to convince them of traveling into the far reaches of outer space. What would you have to say or do to convince people that their fears are unwarranted and that they will be safe?
 * 3) Both Columbus and Magellan had a hard time finding someone to pay for their trips. If it wasn't for the Spanish monarchy, these men would never have been able to afford the financial cost of their adventures on their own. Finding someone to pay for your space expedition is going to be tricky too. Where would you go to gain the funding you need to pay for your space exploration trip? What would you say to the leaders of that nation to convince them of the benefits your expedition would have for their country
 * 1) If I wanted to extend the Age of Exploration into outer space, I would need a lot of new space technology. To travel to colder planets such as Neptune, we should be prepared with insulating space suits for colder temperatures, so we will need space suits that will regulate natural body heat. Perhaps we could come up with some decompression sickness medicine for astronauts as well. Also, we will need new communication devices that can send messages from longer distances so that those in a space ship can communicate effectively with mission control and the base. I guess that it would be also be cool to create suits from biodegradable materials as well so that we are not criticized for spending so much money on "wasteful" things.
 * 2) Some fears that people might have today if I had to convince them of traveling into space would be: aliens, black holes, supernovas, meteorites, the sun, oxygen, and other things. I would have to say that since we are in the 21st century of booming technology, they will not have to be worried about those things because of the great technology that is waiting to be invented for years to come. To assure people that aliens are not a problem, I would simply say, "Good luck," or "They won't hurt you."
 * 3) I would go to NASA or to the US government to fund my trip. To leaders of the US government and NASA, I would convince them the benefits of my expedition by explaining NASA spinoffs. Successfully commercialized products that came from NASA engineering were coined as NASA spinoffs. These include many useful items such as the lithium battery, polymer fabric, and smoke detectors. These spinoffs also include breast cancer detecting machines, CPR enhancing devices, and more. In short, these many spinoffs can be categorized to help health and medicine, transportation, public safety, consumer recreation, the environment, and computer technology. Seeing that these NASA spinoffs have brought such an influx of technology to our world, we should definitely continue with space travel.

__Unit 1, Immersion 4, Discussion__

Questions:
 * 1) Would you volunteer for the mission? Yes or No?  Why/Why not?
 * 2) What sort of people do you suppose would volunteer for this kind of mission?
 * 3) What would they have to gain?
 * 4) What if anything could go wrong?
 * 5) What technological advances would have to occur before this could actually happen?

Answers:


 * 1) Yes I would volunteer for this mission. I would volunteer for this mission because I could become one of the leading pioneers of space exploration in this new era! I would be proud to embark on this mission if it helps the well-being of mankind.
 * 2) I suppose that people who are daring and with some space-travel experience would volunteer for this kind of mission. Probably intellectual and curious people as well. Because without intellect or curiosity, how can anything new be discovered?
 * 3) These people would have to learn the basics of space travel. Then, they would have to go through a series of test to prepare them for the trip such as being lifted into a zero gravity chamber and whatnot. They would also have to stay fit, too. In addition, these people would have to be able to navigate space maps just like previous explorers who studied maps and such to navigate the seas.
 * 4) If anything could go wrong, they would have to be prepared. Just like other explorers in the past, this exploration will need lots of supplies and experienced crew members in order to not have anything go wrong. But if things do, the mission might be in vain.
 * 5) Some technological advances that would have to occur before this could actually happen are faster spaceships, better space equipment, and more storage place for food and other necessities. We'll need a faster spaceship because it will take too long and the volunteers for this mission will become too old during this trip. Like explorers during the age of exploration used caravels, ships with 3-sided sails, to sail faster, we will need faster ships as well.

__Declaration of Independence Activity__ __Research Prompts:__ (March 9th, 2010)
 * 1) //Research what speech laws are for South Korea and post on wiki page.//
 * 2) //Look up different points on the pros and cons of gun control. Summarize in a paragraph.//
 * 3) In today's society, every nation is ruled by its own sovereignty. Because of this, different governments govern by different laws. This can be seen in the case of different civil and human rights laws for different countries. For example, the South Korean constitution guarantees the freedom of speech, the press, petition, and assembly. But when it comes to anti-governmental sentiments, South Korea has a different stance. It can be seen that South Korea does not fully advocate its stance on the freedom of speech when it comes to behavior or speeches in favor of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) or communism itself. These acts are liable to punishment by the National Security Act. The National Security Act states its purpose //"to restrict anti-state acts that endanger national security and to protect// [the] //nation's safety and its people's life and freedom."// Under this law, citizens are not permitted to join an organization which aims to overthrow the government; to create, distribute or possess materials that promote anti-government ideas; and neglect to report others who violate this law. This law in particular has been the most common issue concerning the right to freedom of speech. The highest form or punishment for this crime is the death penalty. Besides this, another law has been place a few months before elections of national officials take place. This law prohibits speeches that support or criticize a particular candidate or party. This law is very strict and when committed, one is even liable to prosecution for political parodies and wearing a particular color of a party/candidate. Censorship can be seen a lot on South Korean internet especially when it comes to DPRK as well. The government blocks access to North Korean websites and, sometimes, to major overseas web sites that host blogs.
 * 4) According to the 2nd Amendment to the Constitution of America in the Bill of Rights, allows citizens the right to bear arms. Here are some different viewpoints on how people interpret this amendment with regards to the issue of **gun** **control**.
 * **FOR** GUN CONTROL: Some people argue that gun control is constitutional. They believe this because they think that the 2nd Amendment qualifies to do its job. They argue that the language itself seems to indicate that the arms specified were intended to be kept as part of a "well regulated militia." They argue that now, our society requires more drafted guns . They believe that this Amendment does not prohibit the government from restricting or regulating that right for the people's safety as much as it does the rest of the individual rights Amendments. People who are pro-gun control also think that gun control actually reduces the number of crime. One such advocate has quoted: "Certainly they should be aware of the foolishness going on in places such as San Francisco [to ban all guns ], and they might even consider a boycott of Pizza Hut [their delivery staff can't carry guns for protection] if that's how they want to make their point. But more important than that, they should be actively engaged in promoting a better understanding of why violence occurs. They should be seeking out programs that reduce it, leading the way in this good fight. That is how they can really win the gun debate."
 * **AGAINST** GUN CONTROL: People against gun control believe that most regulations on gun control are unreliable. They understand that the gun law being proposed are not intended to overturn the rights of citizens to own and carry guns, but they cannot believe that these restrictions being proposed would cause harm to hunters or gun collectors. In addition, they believe that gun control actually increases the crimes committed annually. They have quoted that: "In summary, the committee concludes that existing research studies and data include a wealth of descriptive information on homicide, suicide, and firearms, but, because of the limitations of existing data and methods, do not credibly demonstrate a causal relationship between the ownership of firearms and the causes or prevention of criminal violence or suicide."