Oral topics 2.

U.S. goal:
Fuel cell cars for masses in 2020
Energy department, industry formalize partnership

MSNBC staff and news service reports
Updated: 1:31 p.m. ET March 31, 2005

WASHINGTON - Fuel cell cars for the rest of us starting in 2020? That's the goal that the Bush administration emphasized as it formalized "learning demonstration teams" with carmakers and energy companies.
Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman spelled out the team members at an industry conference on Wednesday.



“If our research program is successful, it is not unreasonable to think we could see the beginning of mass market penetration by 2020,” Bodman said at the National Hydrogen Association’s annual conference.

"The idea is eventually to offer consumers cars and trucks that perform just like today’s and don’t cost any more," he added. "The only significant difference is they will run on domestically produced, clean, safe hydrogen rather than gasoline from imported oil."

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Drop the mouse and step away from the PC
Frustrated consumers make things worse after computer crash
By Bob Sullivan
Technology correspondent
MSNBC
Updated: 4:53 p.m. ET March 31, 2005
The first few moments in any crisis response are critical, and mistakes can be costly. So it is with misbehaving computers.
Yet the first step for many users after a computer crash is to hit or yell at their machine, according to a new survey. The helpless feeling of data slipping away into a black hole seems to be more than many computer users can bear. According to the survey, more people commit some act of computer violence than call for help when faced with a crisis, according to a survey conducted by New York-based Ontrack Data Recovery.
Fortunately, violence isn't the only response. About 13 percent of survey participants said they attempt to sweet-talk their computers into coughing up any lost data, said Todd Johnson, vice president data recovery at Ontrack. Another non-violent response is the most popular, he said -- about one-third of respondents said they immediately just resign themselves to loss of the data.
But 7 percent said their first reaction is the hit the computer, Johnson said, a step that's rarely productive. Another 13 percent yell at the computer first.
"It's hard when people lose data," he said. "People do begin to panic."
The Ontrack study results parallel a study conducted recently by the University of Maryland's Laboratory for Automation Psychology and Decision Processes. A full 10 percent of respondents to that poll indicated that had committed violence against the computers in frustration, said Dr. Kent L. Norman.
"There was one restaurant manager who was so upset with his laptop that he threw it into deep fryer," Norman said. "That destroyed the laptop ... and deep fryer, too."
That might sound extreme, but few computer users haven't considered tossing a misbehaving PC out an office window at one time or another. One respondent in Norman's study did just that, but left out an important step.
"His mistake was he forgot to open the window," Norman said.
Besides the obvious physical damage, such overreactions can have an even higher cost, Johnson said — often, lost data can be saved by experts, but not if a computer has already been deep-fried.

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Books vs. computer


In spite of the superior role of the business of producing computer programs, we must emphasise the importance of books. There is no doubt, web sites can be more easily brought up to date, and they have the ability to insert hyperlinks for moving between topics. In practice it is not clear that either of these compensates for the ease of use of a book. Do you remember how many nights we spent on reading an adventurous book with a torch under our blanket?

Our whole life is accompanied by long-life-learning, so we should not miss the ways of learning. What is more I wouldn’t separate or distinguish books and computers, because if we take this into consideration we will soon recognise that the two are completely connected with each other. In fact, most books really are printed out of computer files!

We have chosen not to recommend any particular book, although we do admire one or two. We should also state that modern books frequently contain enough information on everything to satisfy most readers.  A book has a special atmosphere, and we can enter into the spirit of the main character’s role easily, then we will spend days thinking about them.

On the other hand, I don't believe that books will be entirely replaced by computers either. In addition, they will have a different role in the future. For instance, when televisions hit the market, radios focused on music and talk shows instead of providing series dramas.  People were afraid that television would completely eliminate the need for radios, but radio stations were able to adapt. I see the same thing happening with the books in the near future.

To sum up we need both of them, completing each other and we should not separate them sharply.

My favourite book or film is the following:
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy: The Fellowship of the Ring

Short Summary:
The Fellowship of the Ring is the first book in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. This story is set in the world of Tolkien's invention, known as Middle Earth. A specter of evil is looming over Middle Earth as the Dark Lord, Sauron, seeks to consolidate his already immense power, by reclaiming the One Ring that he has lost. Most of his power is held in this ring. With this power, he can enslave Middle Earth and unleash an incredible evil with little opposition. In the story of The Hobbit, a hobbit called Bilbo Baggins has stolen the ring from a hideous creature called Gollum. Somehow, this ring ends up with Frodo Baggins, Bilbo's nephew and all of a sudden, Frodo is at the center of this epic drama involving the ring that he knows very little about.
The wizard, Gandalf, warns Frodo that he should leave the shire and keep the ring out of Sauron's hands. They meet a fellow named Tom Bombadil who helps them get out of trouble when they are faced with the Nine Black Riders. Later, they meet Strider/Aragorn and they continue safely to the country of the elves. Frodo recuperates from a wound and he is healed by Elrond. At the Council of Elrond it is decided that the ring must be destroyed at the Cracks of Doom. This is many miles away, deep inside the evil lands of Mordor. The Fellowship of the ring is established, including nine individuals in all.
Gandalf meets his end on the Bridge of Khazad-dum, attempting to defend the company from the evil Balrog. The group must continue without him, heading south, into Lorien, a forest of elves. Here, the Lady Galadriel offers comfort and security for a time. Frodo grows in knowledge and maturity and he becomes more resolved to fulfill his mission. His resolve is further tested when Boromir tries to steal the ring from him. In the end, Frodo knows that he must fulfill his duty but he does not want to endanger his friends any further, nor does he want to solicit their opinions for he knows that they will change his mind. In the end, Frodo continues alone - though Sam soon finds him and refuses to do anything other than accompany him, heading towards the evil land of Mordor.


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HEALTH AND FITNESS TODAY

Health and fitness are very much in the news. More people these days are concentrating on eating sensibly and staying in shape. "We try to prevent problems," says Jane Roberts, manager of the Eat Right and Stay Fit Health Club. "We encourage our members to eat nutritious meals and to exercise daily.  'Do it now,' we tell our clients.  So many of the people who come to us say that they should have joined sooner." In recent years, health clubs like Eat Right and Stay Fit have been opening all over the country. Most of these clubs offer flexible hours and
a wide variety of activities.  People who wish to exercise before going to work can do so early in the morning, and many health clubs do not close until late at night.  Most health clubs offer a large and well - equipped gymnastics facility with weight lifting equipment, where club members can work on developing their muscles and getting into shape.  Another popular activity is tennis, and members who are willing to give up eating lunch on their noon break can be seen carrying rackets to the office.  Is too much exercise harmful?  Recent studies have shown that people can get hurt from doing exercise that's wrong for them.  Heart specialist Marvin Kane, who is in charge of the Health and Fitness Research Program at Cedars General Hospital, advises checking with a doctor before beginning any fitness program.  "People should choose programs that have been designed to match their physical abilities and needs, and follow them at their own pace," says Kane.  "If we had known in the past what we know now, many injuries caused by overexercising could have been avoided."


ADVERTISING:BEWARE!

Nathan Atkins, president of the National Society for Consumer Protection, spoke at the Consumer Affairs Convention last night.  He tried to convince his audience not to be influenced too much by advertising.  Atkins pointed out that many people buy things that they neither need nor really want, just because they have been influenced by advertising.  He referred to objects that have no real use, but which people buy because of the emotional appeal of the advertisements.  Teenage consumers are particularly vulnerable, according to Atkins.  Many ads that are oriented towards teenagers emphasize a product's relation to social success.  Atkins believes that this is not really honest.  Young consumers actually believe, for example, that if they buy a certain brand of soft drink, they will improve their relationship with the opposite sex. "These ads, in fact, appeal not only to the teenager's need for social acceptance, but also to his or her self-image," Atkins claims.  Atkins feels that this kind of approach is not fair because it takes advantage  of young people's insecurities.
In his talk, Atkins also claimed that because of advertising, many people were buying luxury goods that were outside their budgets.  "People buy things that they should never have bought and get themselves into trouble," he said.  "If advertisers weren't constantly trying to persuade consumers to buy luxuries, then they would have more money for food and other necessities." According to Atkins, advertising also raises the price of a product.  Therefore, consumers are paying not only for the product, but for the commercials as well.  "Consumers need to listen to advertisements with care, and not believe every word that's said," Atkins concluded.  "Always consider whether your money couldn't have been better spent."


DOES HOMELESS MEAN HELPLESS?

One of the most controversial issues in today's society is that of the homeless.  At present, thousands of youngsters and elderly people live their lives on the streets, and the situation is not  improving.  Indeed, it is expected that by the year 2000, ten percent of the country will be living on the streets.
Some people believe that if the government had taken more steps to help the homeless, perhaps by providing low - rent housing, then there would not be such a problem today. Mrs. Flory Jacks, a senior citizen who is living at Waverly Retirement Home, gave her point of view . "Our government should have done something about this problem years ago.  In my opinion, no positive steps have been taken to offer these people an alternative life."
Mr. Willy Burns, whose life for the last nine years has been spent on the streets, is not so negative. "I can't help wondering why people want to help me.  If I had wanted to make it in the city, I could have.  I chose not to.  I am not capable of living like other citizens.  I prefer to depend only on myself." However, this is not the attitude in every case. Fourteen - year - old Kevin didn't have any good comments to make about his life.
"I came from a home where there was a lot of violence.  After a while, I couldn't stand it anymore, so I left.  Since then, I've been on my own.  I guess I could've either gone to some government place or back home, but it wouldn't have made any difference.  Wherever I went, I'd still feel like I didn't belong."


NOTICE TO EMPLOYEES

FROM:Corporation management      DATE:January 14 Yesterday evening, a sharp decrease in production was noticed.  Experts were called in, and a virus was found in the main computer system.  Since a computer virus can erase data, we have had to close down production on all machines handled by computer.  Not only is the chief assembly line  down, but also the two smaller assembly lines connected to it.
Employees whose work is on the assembly lines will be moved to the warehouse, where they will work until further notice.  Unfortunately, the computer system may have been damaged beyond repair.  In this case, employees will be moved to our plant in Daleville until further notice. Thank you for your cooperation.


TOWN MEETING

A town meeting will be held tonight to discuss housing alternatives for the elderly.  Senior citizens , many of whom are alone and without any family, have been living on our streets as a result of rising rents and a shortage of affordable apartments.  Something must be done!  Joe Franks, whose activities for the homeless are well known, will be the guest speaker at tonight's meeting.  If the right steps had been taken to turn the situation around, there wouldn't be so_many homeless in our society today.  So make a difference for their future and yours by joining us tonight at City Hall, at 8:00 p.m.
IT ALL DEPENDS ON YOU!