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)