The Post Your Thoughts of the Moment Thread 2

[Brassman388]

Last weekend before the semester starts...

[Olimar12345]

^Same </3

[E. Gadd Industries]

CONTROVERSIAL

Australia Does Not Exist
By: E. Gadd and 3 others

With a population of 23.6 million, a distinct culture, and an original purpose of being a penal colony, Australia has been viewed as a peculiar country from the beginning. People have not only questioned its people's slang and its strange wildlife, but its existence as well. Australia does not exist because of its unrealistic creatures, lack of media coverage, and numerous discrepancies in facts.

Australia cannot existence due to the deadly wildlife found only on this continent. Some of the descriptions of the animals are very outlandish: spiders that can bite through toenails, an octopus that is considered the most venomous in the world, snakes with enough venom to kill several humans in one bite, jellyfish with a sting so painful that the victim's mind goes into shock, the list goes on ad infinitum, but they can all be described in one phrase: Anything living in Australia can and will kill any human that dares to cross it. Now, it would be logical to say that if these animals did exist, they would pose a severe threat to the population in the area, and that "even if a population existed in Australia, that population would be eliminated within years and thus, Australia would not host people to live on it." (Source F). Mashi then explains that its reality is impossible, since the country's existence would imply that its human population can live peacefully with such dangerous creatures despite them being capable of wiping it out.

Two words that are never associated are "negative" and "Australia." It's hard to ignore this fact when it is actually brought to light; very seldom does something there happen that has been broadcast on the news. The media hardly speaks of Australia for any respectable length of time, so how could any recent devastation be announced? This can be answered by looking at the trends of the news and media. If someone were to turn on the television or look at their phone on any given day through any given news- or media-related source, there will be an overwhelming majority of negatives, which leaves no room for any sort of notable positive. This trend alone can explain why Australia is never brought up: the media only cares about negative happenings, and if a place never really experiences anything negative, the media will abandon it quickly, never to be heard of again; because people are so closely bound to the media, they will follow suit, and soon, no one would remember such a place exists until an issue of this nature is brought into the light. Source E depicts this concept, saying "One of the many problems with this is that he's [the author of a quote used earlier in the source] in effect saying that believing in the existence of Australia would be easier if only the NY Times had the occasional story about the Great Australian Controversy."

Many websites that talk about Australia list information about its many attractions, and others discuss statistics about population, laws, etc. But there are multiple discrepancies in the information given. One such discrepancy is found in Source B. A population density map of Australia is shown with a section that consists of 90% of the country's total land mass with only 2% of the country's population being found there; this does not seem to add up. It is impossible for 98% of a country's 23.13 million population to be fit onto just the small coast that only makes up 10% of the country's total land mass. How can the majority of a country with a population this large have most of its total land mass just deserted? Source B also claims that a "Whitehaven Beach" has sand so pure that you can clean your teeth and jewelry with it. Sand can be both clean and pure but there is no way that the sand found on any beach can be so sanitary and pure that you can clean your teeth with it. It doesn't sound realistic in any sense of the word. One last discrepancy is the gun control policies found in Source D. Australia is home to many dangerous and exotic creatures. With the right to possess firearms not ensured by law, the Australians have no possible way to defend themselves. As previously mentioned, the creatures claimed to live in Australia are presumed to be extremely deadly. With no means of protection, an individual could not exist in such an environment, making the claim false. Given these discrepancies, Australia could not exist.

Most people argue that Australia has been captured in pictures and on maps, but that does not mean it is genuine. Due to major advances in technology, you can manipulate an image in any way you desire, showing any location or object imagined at your free will. Disney World serves as a prime example of this. At Disney World, with the help of the forenamed technology, there are several rides with imaginary creatures such as mermaids and talking fish. You can see and hear these creatures, so they are tangible, but that does not mean they are existing. In other words, they aren't real. This is the same case for Australia. People may reason that they have visited or seen this continent. Perception and mass hysteria come into play for those who hold these claims. According to Source A, perception is based on the way you want things to appear, so if an individual wants to believe they are in a certain place, they will believe it wholeheartedly, and it will affect their memory as such. Also, since the belief is so widespread and has been passed down through many generations, it led to a mass hysteria. "Mass hysteria is phenomenon that transmits collective delusions, whether real or imaginary, through a population in society as a result of rumors." (Source A) This mass hysteria has continued to be shared, leading to the belief of an imaginary continent.

   There is no possible way for Australia to exist. The animals make Australia unfit for peaceful settlement, since they are capable of killing and/or harming citizens in a serious manner. There is hardly any media coverage informing us over the current events on the continent, and that is the only one we do not receive information about.  The facts regarding demographics, geographics, and even politics do not add up. With so many discrepancies, Australia's existence is simply impossible and illogical.

[close]

Prompt

English Language and Composition
Reading Time: 15 minutes
Suggested Writing Time: 40 minutes

Directions: The following prompt is based on the accompanying six sources. This question requires you to integrate a variety of sources into a coherent, well-written essay. Refer to the sources to support your position; avoid mere paraphrase or summary. Your argument should be central; the sources should support this argument. Remember to attribute both direct and indirect citations.


Introduction:
Australia is known as a country with mysterious creatures and strange climates that juxtapose with ours, almost as if it were a fantasy. But just how real is this peculiar country? What do the proponents for the existence of the continent say about the issue?


Assignment: Read the following sources (including any and all introductory information) carefully. Then, in a well-written essay that synthesizes at LEAST three sources for support, take a position that challenges, defends, or qualifies the claim that Australia does indeed exist.

Sources:

Source A (Perception)
Source B (Nomadsworld.com)
Source C (Debate.org)
Source D (GunPolicy.org)
Source E (Angry Bear Blog)
Source F (NinSheetMusic)

[close]

[Dudeman]

This is pure genius and needs to be archived for all time.

[mikey]

Nice 5 paragraph thesis essay there

[AwesomeYears]

no

[Nitro Indigo]

I just realised last night that the Ballad of Gales is a shorter version of the recorder theme from Zelda 1.

[Olimar12345]

I just realised last night that the Ballad of Gales is a shorter version of the recorder theme from Zelda 1.

I don't think that's quite right...

[WaluigiTime64]

CONTROVERSIAL

Australia Does Not Exist
By: E. Gadd and 3 others

With a population of 23.6 million, a distinct culture, and an original purpose of being a penal colony, Australia has been viewed as a peculiar country from the beginning. People have not only questioned its people's slang and its strange wildlife, but its existence as well. Australia does not exist because of its unrealistic creatures, lack of media coverage, and numerous discrepancies in facts.

Australia cannot existence due to the deadly wildlife found only on this continent. Some of the descriptions of the animals are very outlandish: spiders that can bite through toenails, an octopus that is considered the most venomous in the world, snakes with enough venom to kill several humans in one bite, jellyfish with a sting so painful that the victim's mind goes into shock, the list goes on ad infinitum, but they can all be described in one phrase: Anything living in Australia can and will kill any human that dares to cross it. Now, it would be logical to say that if these animals did exist, they would pose a severe threat to the population in the area, and that "even if a population existed in Australia, that population would be eliminated within years and thus, Australia would not host people to live on it." (Source F). Mashi then explains that its reality is impossible, since the country's existence would imply that its human population can live peacefully with such dangerous creatures despite them being capable of wiping it out.

Two words that are never associated are "negative" and "Australia." It's hard to ignore this fact when it is actually brought to light; very seldom does something there happen that has been broadcast on the news. The media hardly speaks of Australia for any respectable length of time, so how could any recent devastation be announced? This can be answered by looking at the trends of the news and media. If someone were to turn on the television or look at their phone on any given day through any given news- or media-related source, there will be an overwhelming majority of negatives, which leaves no room for any sort of notable positive. This trend alone can explain why Australia is never brought up: the media only cares about negative happenings, and if a place never really experiences anything negative, the media will abandon it quickly, never to be heard of again; because people are so closely bound to the media, they will follow suit, and soon, no one would remember such a place exists until an issue of this nature is brought into the light. Source E depicts this concept, saying "One of the many problems with this is that he's [the author of a quote used earlier in the source] in effect saying that believing in the existence of Australia would be easier if only the NY Times had the occasional story about the Great Australian Controversy."

Many websites that talk about Australia list information about its many attractions, and others discuss statistics about population, laws, etc. But there are multiple discrepancies in the information given. One such discrepancy is found in Source B. A population density map of Australia is shown with a section that consists of 90% of the country's total land mass with only 2% of the country's population being found there; this does not seem to add up. It is impossible for 98% of a country's 23.13 million population to be fit onto just the small coast that only makes up 10% of the country's total land mass. How can the majority of a country with a population this large have most of its total land mass just deserted? Source B also claims that a "Whitehaven Beach" has sand so pure that you can clean your teeth and jewelry with it. Sand can be both clean and pure but there is no way that the sand found on any beach can be so sanitary and pure that you can clean your teeth with it. It doesn't sound realistic in any sense of the word. One last discrepancy is the gun control policies found in Source D. Australia is home to many dangerous and exotic creatures. With the right to possess firearms not ensured by law, the Australians have no possible way to defend themselves. As previously mentioned, the creatures claimed to live in Australia are presumed to be extremely deadly. With no means of protection, an individual could not exist in such an environment, making the claim false. Given these discrepancies, Australia could not exist.

Most people argue that Australia has been captured in pictures and on maps, but that does not mean it is genuine. Due to major advances in technology, you can manipulate an image in any way you desire, showing any location or object imagined at your free will. Disney World serves as a prime example of this. At Disney World, with the help of the forenamed technology, there are several rides with imaginary creatures such as mermaids and talking fish. You can see and hear these creatures, so they are tangible, but that does not mean they are existing. In other words, they aren't real. This is the same case for Australia. People may reason that they have visited or seen this continent. Perception and mass hysteria come into play for those who hold these claims. According to Source A, perception is based on the way you want things to appear, so if an individual wants to believe they are in a certain place, they will believe it wholeheartedly, and it will affect their memory as such. Also, since the belief is so widespread and has been passed down through many generations, it led to a mass hysteria. "Mass hysteria is phenomenon that transmits collective delusions, whether real or imaginary, through a population in society as a result of rumors." (Source A) This mass hysteria has continued to be shared, leading to the belief of an imaginary continent.

   There is no possible way for Australia to exist. The animals make Australia unfit for peaceful settlement, since they are capable of killing and/or harming citizens in a serious manner. There is hardly any media coverage informing us over the current events on the continent, and that is the only one we do not receive information about.  The facts regarding demographics, geographics, and even politics do not add up. With so many discrepancies, Australia's existence is simply impossible and illogical.

[close]

Prompt

English Language and Composition
Reading Time: 15 minutes
Suggested Writing Time: 40 minutes

Directions: The following prompt is based on the accompanying six sources. This question requires you to integrate a variety of sources into a coherent, well-written essay. Refer to the sources to support your position; avoid mere paraphrase or summary. Your argument should be central; the sources should support this argument. Remember to attribute both direct and indirect citations.


Introduction:
Australia is known as a country with mysterious creatures and strange climates that juxtapose with ours, almost as if it were a fantasy. But just how real is this peculiar country? What do the proponents for the existence of the continent say about the issue?


Assignment: Read the following sources (including any and all introductory information) carefully. Then, in a well-written essay that synthesizes at LEAST three sources for support, take a position that challenges, defends, or qualifies the claim that Australia does indeed exist.

Sources:

Source A (Perception)
Source B (Nomadsworld.com)
Source C (Debate.org)
Source D (GunPolicy.org)
Source E (Angry Bear Blog)
Source F (NinSheetMusic)

[close]

I'd love to disprove this, but I'd rather just point out that you forgot to claim satellite technology as a government conspiracy.

[Nitro Indigo]

I don't think that's quite right...

It sounds like the last four notes. And also 0:58 into this music, for some reason:

[E. Gadd Industries]

I'd love to disprove this, but I'd rather just point out that you forgot to claim satellite technology as a government conspiracy.

D: We did, didn't we? Well crud. It's too late now to make any fixes.

[Olimar12345]

It sounds like the last four notes.

They are by no means "the same" though. The flute from the Legend of Zelda ends with three half steps descending to create the total interval of a minor third, while the Ballad of Gales moves down a perfect fourth, major third, then back up a perfect fifth (compare Deku's flute sheet on the site with my Ballad of Gales in the WW topic). While they do both spend most of their time descending, they are too different to be called "the same thing,"

[E. Gadd Industries]

IM AT AN ACADEMIC TEAM MATCH, AND ONE OF THE QUESTIONS WAS ABOUT POKÉMON AHHHHH!!! (The answer was Gym, and I got it! >: D)

[Nitro Indigo]

Okay.

I realised earlier that my two favourite video games are both overlooked dream-themed platformers released in 1997, with a protagonist whose name begins with K.

[Bloop]

Okay.

My boyfriend and I finished our cute-owl-plushie collection :D All families are together now!