2022 – Joshua Noble's Blog

November 18, 2022Joshua Noble No Comments

TED Talk Reflection & Public Controversy Ideas

I did my TED-style talk on greenwashing where I discussed the problems of greenwashing as well as some examples and then provided solutions to the issue. Overall, I am happy with my performance. My delivery was strong, and I didn’t use many filler words. I think that I came across as though I was knowledgeable and had practiced, but not to the point of being robotic. There were one or two points that could have been smoother in my delivery, such as the transition points. As for my slides, they followed Victoria’s advice and met the needs of the presentation. I believe I hit all points necessary but could probably have expanded a bit more on my solutions as I only gave two or three sentences for each aspect of the solution.

My group brainstormed three main ideas before deciding on following through on one. The first idea that we ultimately decided not to use was the legalization of marijuana. This is controversial as some people believe it should be legal and those who are in jail on possession should be released, whereas the other side believes that as a harmful drug it would be irresponsible if it were to remain legal. Our second idea that we decided not to use was the OJ Simpson trial. This is very controversial as most people are unsure if the verdict was correct. We could also have connected it to racial issues in the legal system. The third idea, which is the idea we are choosing to go with, is the requirement of the COVID-19 vaccinations. This was and still is a serious ethics and freedom-based controversy in society. We plan on outlining both sides but structuring our questions toward allowing for greater freedom.

November 14, 2022Joshua Noble No Comments

Opening Games of the Qatar World Cup

The opening games of any World Cup are some of the most important games. Not only do they give your nation the opportunity to earn points which could lead them out of the group stage, but these early results have a huge impact on team morale and mental outlook for the tournament. The importance of these games cannot be overstated, and it often results in upsets due to the large rewards or consequences of winning or losing these games. I am going to be discussing a few of the opening games along with my predictions for them.

FIFA World Cup 2022 | Qatar vs Ecuador | Group A | eFootball PES Gameplay PC - YouTube

The first game of the Qatar World Cup will take place on November 20th at the Al Bayt Stadium. This game will be Qatar against Ecuador. Every World Cup is kicked off by the host nation playing and this one is no different. This will be a massive test for Qatar as they didn’t need to qualify for the World Cup, due to being the host country. Although they are not the favorites to win this game, their home nation advantage as well as the electric support from the fans could give them the edge in this one. This is compounded by Ecuador having few standout players and a predictable style of play. I think that this game will end with Qatar winning 1-0.

FIFA World Cup 2022 Viewing: USA vs Wales | The New York Public Library
The second week-one game I will be discussing is USA vs Wales, which will be played in the Ahmed bin Ali Stadium on November 23rd. This will be a huge game for both teams. They are in a very competitive group and this game could be the deciding factor on whether or not they make it through to the knockout stages. Overall, the USMNT has a much better team, but Wales has far better individual stars, including Gareth Bale. As a result, I think that neither team will gain an advantage in this matchup, leading my prediction to be a 1-1 draw.

Belgium vs Canada Prediction | World Cup 2022 ‣ Betiton™

The final first-round game that I will be talking about is Belgium vs Canada. This game is taking place on November 23rd in the Ahmed bin Ali Stadium. The reason I selected this game is that it will be one of the highest-quality games prior to the knockout stages. Canada is likely going to be one of the biggest underdogs in this competition. Although Belgium has an excellent team, they may underestimate Canada and be caught out. Nonetheless, this game is going to be very exciting even if you are not a fan of either team. Canada is certainly going to put up a fight regardless of the score, but my prediction for this game is 2-1 to Belgium.

These exciting games make up just a fraction of the first round. My fingers are crossed that my predictions are correct, but more importantly that you are able to watch these games and enjoy the competition. Thank you for tuning into my final post as we kick off the Qatar World Cup.

November 3, 2022Joshua Noble No Comments

TED Talk Slides

Here is the link to my TED Talk Slides.

November 2, 2022Joshua Noble 2 Comments

The Stars of the Qatar World Cup

The players of the World Cup are almost as important as the teams. Regardless of how well your country performs in the World Cup, the players make the games exciting and make the competition what it is today. I am going to highlight some of the best players at the World Cup who will be playing in the competition for the first or last time. Whether these players play for the nation you support or not, these players are ones you should keep up with.

The best players attract fans from around the world to watch, no matter what team you support or what country you are from. They are a joy to watch and make the beautiful game exciting and full of life. Two players who will have every pair of eyes on them are Messi and Ronaldo. They are arguably the best two players of all time and the only thing holding back their legacies is that neither one of them has won a World Cup. This will also be both of their last World Cups due to their increasing age. Other players whose last World Cup it’ll be are Manuel Neuer and Sergio Ramos. Manuel Neuer revolutionized being a goalkeeper and will be representing Germany in hopes of securing his second World Cup trophy. As for Sergio Ramos, he is arguably the best defender to ever play. He is extremely versatile and shows exceptional leadership on and off the field. He will be a key part of Spain’s defense as he also looks to win his second World Cup trophy.

Messi and Ronaldo will compete for the World Cup Trophy for the last time in Qatar (EUROSPORT 2019).

Unfortunately, the Qatar World Cup is missing some of the world’s biggest stars, either through injury or through their nation failing to qualify. Often smaller nations will have a superstar player who never makes it to the World Cup as he is unable to carry his nation to victory during the qualification rounds. This was the case with Erling Haaland who plays for Norway. Haaland has been a breakout star for Manchester City and his presence will certainly be missed. This is also the case for Jorginho and Chiesa who are both excellent players but won’t be playing at the World Cup. This was due to Italy failing to qualify, despite being the champions of Europe, which was a major upset. As for players that will be missing the World Cup due to injury, Calvin Phillips and Reece James are both out with injuries that require surgery. Both are key players for England and are some of the best players in the world in their respective positions. Other players unable to play because of injuries are Liverpool star, Diogo Jota, and German international, Marco Reus. Both players are really exciting to watch and bring life to the game, so they will be sorely missed.

The World Cup is always filled with ups and downs and the players involved experience the same. I am incredibly excited to watch the best players in the world play in Qatar and will simultaneously miss those who will not be there.

Works Cited

EUROSPORT. “Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.” FOOTBALL NEWS – CRISTIANO RONALDO: LIONEL MESSI RIVALRY HAS MADE ME A BETTER PLAYER, 22 Aug. 2019, www.eurosport.com/football/football-news-cristiano-ronaldo-lionel-messi-rivalry-has-made-me-a-better-player_sto7416173/story.shtml.

October 27, 2022Joshua Noble No Comments

Unit 2 Project Sources

Although I haven’t delivered my paradigm pitch elevator pitch yet, I have a good idea of where I am going to go with my outline and thesis. For some background, I am going to discuss the paradigm shift in corporate social responsibility. In the beginning I will touch on the lack of corporate social responsibility, including the environmental impacts as well as the complete lack of ethics in terms of taking advantage of employees and society. I then will define the shift as pivoting in 1971 when Howard Bowen proposed the idea of corporate social responsibility at the Committee for Economic Development. Then, I will discuss the shift that corporations made in becoming more socially responsible.

Due to the nature of this project as well as my topic, my essay is going to be very research heavy as well as include many statistics. Below I am going to discuss two different sources that I found that could be useful in my arguments.

Source one is titled, “EVOLUTION OF BUSINESS ETHICS: FROM GENERAL PHILOSOPHICAL PRINCIPLES TO CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY.” This source is a peer reviewed journal, and it aligns with the same line of thinking that I am planning for my essay. This article primarily takes social responsibility as an ideology throughout human history and highlights the transition to corporate social responsibility. This source will likely come into my argument by supporting the specific point I chose as the shift. I think that the information in this text will help me underscore the ideological shift that will in turn justify the tangible shift in corporate social responsibility.

Source two is titled, “HOW CAN WE SEE THE CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY WITHIN ITS APPLICATION IN BUSINESS PRACTICE?” This source is also a peer reviewed journal. This source will be used in the latter half of my essay as it highlights the results of my paradigm shift. It does a great job of utilizing statistics and charts, which are things that I want to implement in my essay. Overall, this will definitely be a source that I use for my essay as it has a different perspective to my own ideas, but also supports my line of thinking.

October 27, 2022Joshua Noble 2 Comments

Tickets and Accommodation

This post is specifically tailored to those who will be traveling to the Qatar World Cup, although it is relevant for anyone interested in broadening their understanding of this competition. I am talking about tickets and accommodation! Both are absolute necessities if you are planning on watching any games live. This should also help with avoiding any confusion and with budgeting when it comes to selecting the right hotels and games to watch.

Although you have a few options as for the type of accommodation you choose, including hostels and hostels, I will only be explaining hotels as these are the safest and most reliable places to stay in Qatar. When booking a hotel, I recommend using the Qatar 2022 Official Booking Site. This site has a very user-friendly interface that allows you to sort hotels through a series of filters. This is great if you are on a tight budget and are looking for a more affordable option. If this is the case, I recommend staying in the Fan Village Qetaifan Island North. This is an affordable option at around $200 per night. It will also give you the unique experience in staying in a large tent-style hotel that is very close to several of the stadiums. If you truly have an unlimited budget, then I am very jealous of you. Nonetheless, a perfect option for you would be the Paramount Residences, which is $6,200 per night. This property is a large, modern, apartment-style building. The hefty price comes from its great location at the heart of Doha as well as its facilities, including a swimming pool, gym, sauna, and coffee shop (Qatar 2022™).

Fan Village Qetaifan Island North (Qatar 2022™)

That brings us to tickets. You have eight stadiums to choose from, three of which I touched on in a previous blog post. More important than the stadium are the teams playing in them. You have the option of watching group stage games as well as knockout stage games all the way up until the final. The cost of these games varies greatly. The group stage games are much cheaper than the knockout stage games which are much cheaper than the final. This is due to the importance of these games as well as the desire to watch better teams play. Regardless of the game you choose to watch if any you could be paying a pretty penny. The average price for a knockout stage game is $150 and a ticket to the final would be around $850. Residents of Qatar get a discount on these ticket prices, which will be a great experience for them to witness the World Cup in their home country (Sporting News 2022).

Overall, this can be a confusing process, especially given that Qatar has such a unique culture and governance. Given this, it is important to have a clear plan on your accommodations as well as tickets. Hopefully, my breakdown and advice help you plan your logistics as we kick off the Qatar World Cup.

Works Cited

“How Much Are World Cup Tickets? Price, Cost to Watch Matches at FIFA Qatar 2022.” Sporting News, www.sportingnews.com/us/soccer/news/world-cup-tickets-cost-price-fifa-qatar-match-2022/n0ylcazcagi9nuutapmwcmwy.

Qatar 2022™, www.qatar2022.qa/book/en/search.

October 20, 2022Joshua Noble No Comments

My Favorite TED Talk & Unit 2 Project Planning

After exploring Ted.com and watching several TED Talks I have found that my favorite TED Talk is “How to speak so that people want to listen,” which was given by Julian Treasure. Firstly, the topic of the TED Talk is very useful, especially given the amount of public speaking in this course. I found the message incredibly informative and helpful. Secondly, his delivery was excellent. He spoke clearly, used inflection in his voice, and was knowledgeable about the topic. Finally, the slides that he used were simple, relevant, and used little text if any to support his message.

My overall topic for the paradigm shift essay will be the shift in corporate responsibility for climate change. This embodies the shift from a severe lack of corporate responsibility in the late 19th and early 20th century when corporations took advantage of the Earth until the modern day when there is a focus on sustainability efforts. I will then look to model my TED Talk on a related topic in this area. So far, I am leaning toward addressing the Paris Agreement on climate change and its relationship with corporations becoming carbon neutral.

For my research, I plan on using the databases as they will provide me with primarily reliable sources. Statistics will likely play a large role in my argument, so finding accurate and relevant statistics will be a major portion of my research. Although the requirement is only one peer-reviewed source, I will look to find more so that I can assure I have strong information on which to base my claims.

To craft my arguments, I will plan an outline that is based on my thesis. Doing so will allow me to have a cohesive argument and will ensure that all of my writing flows well and builds off each point to form a strong argument.

October 20, 2022Joshua Noble 1 Comment

The Dark Horses of the Qatar World Cup

Everybody loves an underdog or a dark horse, and the Qatar World Cup has no shortage of them. As discussed in my last post, some powerhouses are traveling to the competition, but that doesn’t mean that one of them is guaranteed to win it. Often an unexpected team goes far in the competition. In the 2018 Russia World Cup, Croatia made it to the final and ended up coming in second place. Croatia wasn’t even in the top fifteen teams competing. I am going to break down the top three teams that I think are most likely to exceed expectations and go deep into the knockout stages of the competition.

The first dark horse of the 2022 Qatar World Cup is Senegal. Senegal won the Africa Cup of Nations earlier this year, declaring them the best team in Africa. This makes their ranking of 14th place far too low. Senegal has an incredibly strong defense and goalkeeper with the likes of Mendy and Koulibaly forming the spine of the team. They also have a very exciting attack with Sadio Mane, one of the best goal-scorers in the world, leading the team from the front. I can see Senegal going far in this tournament, so do not let their ranking trick you into thinking they will be facing an early exit.

The United States is not seen as a soccer nation as it has such a heavy involvement in other sports. As a result, the team has been lackluster in almost every previous soccer tournament. In my opinion, this year is going to be much different. This is by far the most exciting team that the United States has ever had. The excellent young players, including McKennie, Reyna, and Pulisic, make up the basis for the team and serve as a beacon of hope for fans. This has not gone unnoticed as this team has risen in the rankings to 15th, but I think that they will go much higher and will surprise a lot of fans at the Qatar World Cup.

U.S. Soccer Official Website | USWNT & USMNT
The third underdog of the 2022 Qatar World Cup is the Canadian National Team. Canada is certainly not widely considered to be a powerful soccer nation, but don’t write them off yet. With the likes of Davies and David leading the team with their exciting attacking presence, Canada will likely outperform the low expectations. They have competitive group stage games, which will be a test for them, but if they make it out into the knockout stages, there is no telling how far they’ll go. They will prove their 24th-place ranking out of the 32 teams to be an underestimate of their abilities.

These dark horses and underdogs make watching the World Cup as exciting as it is. While rankings can help determine who statistics believe should win, these games rarely go to plan, making it all the more exciting. These are just three of the dark horses that you should be keeping an eye out for as we kick off the Qatar World Cup!

October 12, 2022Joshua Noble No Comments

Three Paradigm Shift Ideas

The first paradigm shift that I am considering is the shift in ideas on climate change including carbon emissions. This is a paradigm shift because in the beginning of the 19^th century the environment was seen as purely an expendable resource and carbon emissions were not considered important. Today, the environment is starting to be prioritized and large corporations are moving toward becoming carbon neutral. As for background knowledge, my audience would need to have a solid understanding of what carbon emissions are as well as why global warming and climate change is important. The key players in shaping this idea over time are large corporations, governments, and climate activists. Key events include the discovery of the greenhouse effect as well as Earth Day and climate summits. This idea is very complicated due to controversial views on whether this is an important issue and how severe of action should be taken. From my analysis people can better understand the journey of this issue and what needs to happen in future discourses.

The second paradigm that I am considering is the idea of gender equality. This has positively changed over time, which has been in large part due to social activism from feminist groups. This idea is very complicated as it involves many aspects of society and faces friction when discussed. Some key events in this paradigm are women gaining the right to vote, women gaining more respect in society, and we are now looking into the future to resolve further issues like the gender-pay gap.

The third paradigm that I am considering is the idea of gender. Up until recent decades people have only consider there to be two genders, but that idea has changed and now there are many that allow people to better define themselves. This is a complicated paradigm as there are strong opinions on both sides of the topic. My audience would learn more about gender identity and its importance and change over time.

October 11, 2022Joshua Noble 2 Comments

The Powerhouses of the Qatar World Cup

Now we’re getting to what the 2022 Qatar World Cup is all about; the exciting teams from around the world playing against one another. Although the teams needed to qualify for the World Cup, there is still a large gap between the capabilities of the best team and those of the worst. I am going to be discussing the three teams I believe have the best chance at becoming world champions, bringing pride, honor, and the World Cup Trophy back to their nation.

The first team is ranked #1 in the world in FIFA’s Men’s National Team Rankings. They are also favorites to win the World Cup. This team is none other than Brazil. They have won the most World Cups in the past, and their current team is certainly at the level to add one more World Cup to their trophy cabinet. Their attacking stars of Neymar Jr, Vinicius, and Richarlison are arguably the most dangerous strike force in the competition. Paired with a creative midfield and a solid defense and goalkeeper, they have an excellent shot at winning the World Cup.

File:Brazil men's football team 2016 Olympics.jpg - Wikimedia Commons — The Brazil national team has the most promising team at the Qatar World Cup.

The team that I think has the second-best shot of winning the World Cup has won the competition twice before and is the reigning World Cup champion after winning the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Can you guess what team it is? It’s France! They are currently ranked #4 in the world in FIFA’s Men’s National Team Rankings and are predicted by sports betting companies across the board to be the third most likely team to win the World Cup. I believe that these ratings are slightly low. The young and exciting team that won the World Cup four years ago is just as exciting this year. In fact, they’ve added many young players to the squad as well. France has an attack that is extremely close to the standard set by Brazil. It also has a better midfield than Brazil, but a slightly worse combination of defenders and a goalkeeper. It will be a close match-up between these two teams; it would make a great World Cup Final.

Le capitaine des Bleus Hugo Lloris soulève la Coupe du monde — France won the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

Finally, the team I believe will take home the bronze medal at the Qatar World Cup is… Argentina! Currently ranked third in the world by FIFA’s Men’s National Team Rankings and is the second favorite to win the World Cup. They have the best player in the world, Lionel Messi, at the heart of this team. They won the most recent Copa America tournament, which is a competition between all South American teams, giving them momentum coming into this tournament. They have great midfielders, defenders, and goalkeepers, but the chemistry between them lets them down at times, leading me to put them in third place.

Copa America winners list: Know the champions — Argentina won the Copa America competition in 2021.

With teams like Brazil, France, and Argentina competing to win the World Cup, it is guaranteed to be a spectacular event. There will very likely be underdogs (I’ll try and predict those too) and other great teams, which will all challenge for the World Cup Trophy.