WEEK 9 BLOG (10/10 - 10/16)

It was reported this week that, in response to a new more strict crakdown, illegal immigrants in Alabama have been signing power of attorney for their children over to friends, neighbors and even employers just in case they get deported...

http://www.myfoxal.com/story/15673653/some-immigrants-signing-over-power-of-attorney-amid-deportation-fears?clienttype=printable

Do you think that this is a good idea?  If you were in this situation, would this be something that you would consider doing?  Does this law go too far if people are considering allowing others to potentially raise their children?  (Part I due by 10/13 ; Part II due by 10/16)

WEEK 8 BLOG (10/3 - 10/9)

Palestine recently submitted a bid to the United Nations to become a member state, even though they have not been officially granted statehood by Israel...

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2094673,00.html

Israel and the United States have both come out in opposition to this happening, with the U.S. going so far as to say that they would use their veto power to stop it from happening...

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/09/08/obama-quote-used-by-palestinian-ad-to-push-un-statehood-vote/

Because of how all this has played out, it has brought the influence of the U.S. in today's political world into question...

http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/3208338.html

Should Palestine be granted membership into the U.N. if they are not officially a country?  Should they be allowed to use this type of tactic to potentially force Israel to negotiate with them on the issue of statehood?  Is the U.S. making the right decision by going so far to back Israel by offering to veto the vote?  Does the U.S. still have the political power to be able to dictate what happens around the world?  (PART I due by 10/6; PART II due by 10/9)

WEEK 7 BLOG (9/26 - 10/2)

This week we covered a story about a bake sale that was held by a Republican group at the University of California at Berkeley...

http://articles.cnn.com/2011-09-27/us/us_california-racial-bake-sale_1_bake-sale-baked-goods-cupcakes?_s=PM:US

It was also highlighted on Channel One...

http://www.channelone.com/video/your-turn:-diversity-bake-sale/

The prices of the goods at the sale were based on race to draw attention to a new law that is set to pass that would allow state schools to make admissions decisions based upon race.

What are your thoughts on the bake sale?  Was it a good idea or a bad idea?  Do you think that this achieved it's purpose or was it a waste?  Was this an appropriate way to gain attention to the issue?  Is it reasonable for people to be upset over this and view it as racist?  Would you have been offended by it if you had been confronted with it?  Should race be a deciding factor in admission to college?  (PART I due by 9/29 ; PART II due by 10/2)

WEEK 6 BLOG (2/19 - 2/25)

It has been revealed that Wendy's has taken been going through the process of re-evaluating it's menu.  In particular, they are looking into changes that they can make to their hamburgers...

http://www.courierpress.com/news/2011/sep/19/wendys-finds-you-cant-reinvent-burger-you-can-rema/

Since they are doing this, then let the "burger wars" begin...do you think that Wendy's needs to make changes to their burgers / menu?  If so, what changes should they investigate?  Are there other restaurants that should be doing this on a more consistant basis?  Who ultimately has the best burger on the market today?  (PART I due by Thursday 9/22; PART II due by Sunday 9/25)

ROUND TWO INSTRUCTIONS

Don't forget that we are now in Round 2.  You will continue to post an answer to the question, but it will now be due by Thursday each week (this will be called PART I).  You will also be required to make two additional posts responding to someone else's answer (this will be called PART II).  This needs to be done in two seperate posts (not two comments on the same posting) and is due by Sunday each week.

WEEK 5 BLOG

With last Sunday marking the 10th anniversary of the September 11th tragedy, the question here is simple...

Being that you were very young at the time, what are your memories of the event?  Where were you?  What were you doing when you found out?  How did you feel about it at the time?  What has changed about your thoughts since then?  As you reflect back ten years later, what are your feelings about what happened?  (DUE BY SUNDAY 9/18)

WEEK 4 BLOG (9/5 - 9/11)

Sorry to go sports again, but...

It was revealed by the Colts that Peyton Manning underwent another surgery on his neck and will now be out indefinitely.  Some have speculated that it may take 2 - 3 months to recover, others are estimating that it may threaten his career.  There are certainly those out there who think that this means the end of the Colts run of success...

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/836328-indianapolis-colts-predicting-how-the-colts-will-play-without-peyton-manning

There are others who think that things might not be quite as bad as it would appear...

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/842654-colts-can-still-reach-nfl-playoffs-without-peyton-manning

So what do you think?  Are you ready to "jump ship" and say that the Colts season is over before it begins?  Are the Colts really that reliant on one player or can they overcome this injury?  Is it realistic to think that the Colts can still be successful with Kerry Collins running the offense?  Ultimately, do the Colts have a shot at making the playoffs?  If he is able to recover half way through the season, should the Colts let Manning return or should they just hold him out all year and let him get healthy?  (DUE BY SUNDAY 9/11)

WEEK 3 BLOG (8/29 - 9/4)

Eight football players from the University of Miami (Florida) have been suspended for a variety of games by the NCAA for accepting illegal benefits from a university booster...

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/football/ncaa/08/30/miami-eligibility-ruling.ap/index.html?sct=hp_t2_a7

While these allegations are certainly bad, this is not the first time that the University of Miami has faced charges such as these.  There are some that feel like the university simply is not a place where honesty can rule the day and have suggested drastic measures...

http://www.sportsillustratedeverywhere.com/issues/protected/com.timeinc.si.web.inapp.08292011/16-years-later-its-time-to-get-real-9198.html

Still, there are others out there who view this from a different angle.  There are some who feel that the players should be compensated and that the whole idea of punishing them for taking money / gifts is absurd...

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/michael_rosenberg/07/25/ncaa.pay/index.html

Do you think that the punishments handed out by the NCAA were fair?  Is this enough, or should the overall program be punished as well?  Is Alexander Wolff's suggestion that football be dropped a good idea or is it tooo severe / extreme?  What can be done to stop problems like this from existing?  Should we even care that things like this are taking place?  (DUE BY SUNDAY 9/4)

WEEK 2 BLOG (8/22 - 8/28)

Over the past couple days, the rebels that have been fighting to end Muammar Gaddafi's 42 year reign as the dictator of Libya, took control of the capitol of Tripoli and have ransacked the longtime leader's headquarters. 

http://news.yahoo.com/gaddafi-run-rebels-fight-tripoli-010729502.html

Typically, in a war situation, when the opposition takes control of the opposing capital, it spells the end for that country and it's leadership.  While many news outlets around the world are reporting that Gaddafi is finished as leader and that the rebels have been victorious, the tone tends to usually be that this is a positive thing.  While this is certainly a great thing for the rebels who have been fighting, there is an old saying for situations like these that applies to the rest of the world..."be careful in trading a known commodity for an unknown one."  Put simply, Gaddafi was a known commodity...you knew what to expect.  You can't say that about the rebel leadership because no one knows what kind of government may come out of all this, or how it might react to situations.

Should this be a more of a concern for the nations of the world?  Should we simply be happy for the nation of Libya or should we be concerned with what might become of the new government / leadership?  Since countries like the U.S. played a role in the success of the upheaval, should we expect some sort of compensation since they are an oil-producing nation?  (due by Sunday 8/28)