Discussion Post: Week 16

It’s been a great semester, everyone! One last time, if you missed one or two blog posts during the semester, this is your chance to make up one of those weeks. So, without further ado, let’s jump right into the thick of things!

The political scene is a worthy starting point this week. After several years of controversy, President Barack Obama attempted to end the “birther” debate by turning over a copy of his birth certificate to prove that he was, in fact, born in the United States. (If you’re unfamiliar with the controversy, according to Article Two of the U.S. Constitution, only natural-born U.S. citizens are eligible to be elected president.) The argument has since shifted, with some accusing Obama’s detractors of racism, while members of the GOP said that the timing of Obama’s birth certificate release only serves as “a distraction from the nation’s real concerns.” A number of individuals, though, are still questioning Obama’s legitimacy to serve in the White House, among them billionaire real estate tycoon and presidential candidate Donald Trump, who questioned the authenticity of Obama’s birth certificate and also asked why a number of other records from Obama’s past, such as his school records, financial statements, and passport, have not been released to the public. Consequently, Trump has been the biggest target of racism accusations in recent days. In the meantime, others on the right have fired back at liberals for “playing the race card” in order to deflect attention from the debate.

The racism debate is hardly the only political controversy surrounding Trump over the past few days. In an aggressive April 28 speech, he ubiquitously called U.S. political leadership “stupid” in the middle of a variety of other words not suitable for this blog. Mitt Romney, who many see as the top Republican candidate, has also seen some early attacks in the 2012 campaign cycle. And, in the odd political headline of the week, reports indicate that White House staff threatened to remove a San Francisco reporter from the Bay area press pool “for using now-standard multimedia tools to gather the news.” Somehow, none of this seems too surprising in today’s political scene. What do these developments mean to you? What are your thoughts on the political environment in which modern politicians operate? How about the “birther” and other records controversies, as well as the backlash in the form of racism accusations? For that matter, what trends do you see developing in the presidential election itself? With Obama almost certain to run for re-election, who do you think will challenge him, and what do you think the candidates’ chances will be?

The economy has also been a major concern as of late, with growth falling to 1.8%. The White House says that faster gross domestic product (GDP) growth is needed. Some analysts say this can be fostered through increased consumer spending, but the Obama administration has chosen instead to boost government funds by taxing the highest earners. At present, the dollar is still sliding, although officials don’t seem overly concerned about it, as stocks are climbing despite other shaky economic indicators. The oil industry appears to be one of the largest beneficiaries of the stock increases, as high gas prices have sent profits skyward. Both political parties are actively fighting over policies for the oil companies, although traders see little impact from the rhetoric. How do you feel about the economic situation, the actions that policy leaders are taking, and what needs to be done in the future?

While we’re on this political track, let’s take one last look at the big global issues. First, a number of conflicts have continued across the Middle East over the past few weeks. Fighting intensified in northwestern Libya within the district of Misrata, and a geographic error further west led to a number of Moammar Gadhafi’s troops being captured. As loyalists to Gadhafi attempted to retake an area near the border, the conflict progressed into neighboring nation Tunisia. The loyalists were subsequently captured by Tunisian forces after a 90-minute skirmish. Elsewhere, reports indicate Gadhafi’s soldiers have begun using child rape as a weapon to instill fear into their enemies. Aid workers told Daily Mail reporters that some children were held hostage for several days and, upon returning, were too traumatized to speak. The workers were especially concerned, however, about children in regions held by loyalist forces, such as Misrata, who might be facing prolonged abuse. In Syria, the bloodshed is only increasing, with a recent fight resulting in dozens of deaths. Death toll estimates are varied, but most estimates are giving number of at least 40 killed in government protest crackdowns. The crackdowns have not stopped thousands from voicing their anger with the government, ruled by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his family for 40 years, but the rising death toll on what has been called Syria’s “day of rage” is certainly stomach-churning. Not all of this news in the area is quite so graphic — the Palestinian factions of Hamas and Fatah agreed to a peace deal that some believe was a necessary precursor to any serious negotiations with Israel — but at the same time, Taliban forces struck against Pakistani security, and violence has also escalated in Uganda. I know that most of the comments on this subject have subsided over the past few weeks, so to keep this somewhat brief, what do you think about the ongoing battles being fought across the globe?

On a very different international subject, the Kate Middleton and Prince William of England became husband and wife on Friday. In order to keep her arrival “lower-key,” Middleton went to Westminster Abbey in a Rolls Royce instead of the traditional carriage. (I never would have expected to use “Rolls Royce” and “lower-key” in the same sentence, but hey.) At this point, just about every aspect of the event has been thoroughly analyzed, whether reviewers are constrating its charm with its lack of passion, poring over the many short kisses (viewable in 3D!), critiquing the eight-tiered cake and the dress — possibly the item which underwent the most scrutiny, alongside other wedding fashion headlines like sister Pippa’s white dress, Kate’s reception attire, and all those hats — as well as less-obvious highlights like the royal matchmaker, the reception’s disco balls, and the cartwheeling verger. All that, of course, is apart from the withdrawal of Syria’s invitation, the private comments (subsequently lip-read and posted for the world to see), the 56 arrests, the record-breaking viewership, the distinct lack of sponsorship deals to take advantage of those viewers, and the tributes to the late Princess Diana.

Did the size of that paragraph terrify you? If so, then it did its job. Obviously, there’s no shortage of media coverage for this event, which has some viewers delighted and others infuriated. How do you feel about the media attention that this marriage has received? Is it an important enough event to monopolize multiple television channels (not just BBC) for more than a day, or is it just dramatically over-hyped?

Locally, much of the U.S. has been dealing with fierce storms over the last week. Not that I need to remind you of that. With the death toll nearing 300, searchers are still looking for tornado victims amongst the wreckage. Obama and his family recently visited the aftermath in Alabama and, shocked by the devastation, promised to help rebuild the region. The Red Cross is working here in Indiana, as well, and they’re calling for volunteers in their efforts. I doubt I need to pose questions on this topic, since you sat through the storms as they blew through the area, so just tell us what you think.

As you may have gathered, I happen to enjoy my share of sports from time to time. It’s still unclear whether we’ll see the NFL this year, though, as the order to lift the labor lockout has been held by the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis. This means that the lockout, which was set to be lifted on Friday, remains very much in place. It looks like the plans of the NFL and its players will have to wait, at least for the time being, even as the annual draft proceeds as scheduled. What are your thoughts about this court battle and its effects on all those affiliated with the league? If the lockout continues through the season, how will it affect the overall entertainment market? And what are the ramifications for the economy, given how much consumer and corporate spending (think: buffalo wings and million-dollar commercials) would otherwise be driven by Super Bowl XLVI?

Apple seems to have hit the jackpot as of late with leaping profits and projections, and they’ve now moved into third place among U.S. mobile phone brands. Meanwhile, Apple’s competition is suffering — Blackberry’s forecasts are poor; Nokia’s troubles forced them to cut 7,000 jobs; Verizon’s 4G network is dissatisfying customers and the Droid Charge release has been delayed; and Microsoft’s sales and weak projections, which were much weaker than Apple’s, have caused its sharpest stock drop since 2009. The recent purchase of iCloud.com, which Apple made to host its new cloud computing service, already has fans discussing what form it should take. The white iPhone 4 has also been selling well despite its chunkier shape, and some are already looking all the way ahead to the iPhone 6. Some are still concerned about the privacy issues we highlighted in last week’s post, especially given Apple’s apparent negligence in the matter, but a bit of insecurity with location data suddenly seems far less serious than the Sony crisis.

Oh yes, you knew we’d return to this. Sure, it seemed bad enough when the PlayStation Network was down for days on end with no explanation — some of us paid good money for that system! — but now that we know it was caused by a data breach that many are believe to be the largest of all time, everyone’s paying much closer attention. That includes multiple national governments — Congress has been questioning Sony about it, and Canada is conducting its own investigation — and since Sony actively hid the breach, it looks all the worse to the public. George Hotz, who hacked Sony several weeks back and was subsequently sued over it, blames Sony itself for the intrusion, saying that angering the hacker base was the surest route to being targeted. The story only gets worse, though. Some experts are now claiming that users’ credit card information was stolen along with their personal data and that the full database is up for sale. That amounts to several million accounts. There are still some questions about the incident, of course, including whether all the claims on hacker websites are legitimate and, much more frighteningly, whether similar havoc could be wreaked through Xbox Live. What do you believe actually transpired? If your information was on Sony’s systems, are you planning to take action to protect yourself? What can Sony and other organizations do to prevent future intrusions, and what can Sony do to make up for this, if anything? Are there any broader implications for electronic data transfers as a whole? How does this relate to Amazon’s own problems with their cloud computing network? How do you compare Amazon’s multi-day outage, and the way the organization subsequently explained and apologized for it, with how Sony handled its own incident?

Finally, I was going to talk about Friday’s Endeavour shuttle launch, as it represents the final trip for the “baby of the fleet.” Even Obama planned to be in attendance, demonstrating the significance of the event, but a problem with an auxiliary power unit heater forced a delay until Monday, at the earliest. Still, it remained an important day: House Representative Gabrielle Giffords, who suffered a near-fatal gunshot wound to the head on January 8, flew to Cape Canaveral to watch her husband, Mark E. Kelly, command the shuttle. She has amazed doctors with the pace of her recovery after a shooting that killed six and wounded 12 others. While the delay deprived her of the chance to watch the launch, Giffords ability to attend the near-event still proved how far she has come. In any case, here’s one last chance to talk about the event, including the future of space travel and where research will go from here. And for that matter, with SETI shutting down as well, how are we going to find aliens now?

We’ve covered quite a few big stories this week, but as always, if none of the above suit you, you’re perfectly welcome to comment on one of the below links or make a new post on a different subject. You’re also more than welcome to discuss what you’ve learned over the course of the semester and where you see yourself using those skills in the future — I always like hearing about the impact of this, so feel free! In any case, it’s been a pleasure seeing your contributions throughout the term. I can’t wait to see what you have to say during this final week of the COM 315 blog!

UPDATE: Given the timing, I’d be a fool not to add one last story to the list. According to a speech by Obama late Sunday evening, Osama bin Laden is dead. As CNN reported, “Osama bin Laden — the longtime leader of al Qaeda — was killed by U.S. forces in a mansion outside the Pakistani capital of Islamabad along with other family members.” By all means, feel free to use this as the topic of your comments this week. No matter how you look at it, no story this week is more significant.

Other articles of interest:
Yahoo says 1M users affected by email outage
Yahoo Finds Delicious Buyer
Hulu Plus hits Xbox Live April 29, free for a week
Three Foxconn workers arrested for leaking iPad 2 design
Sleep Can Wait. The Birds Are Angry.
Apple Rejects Immigrant ‘Smuggle Truck’ Game
Indiana Senate narrowly OKs ban on texting while driving
RIM shares hit in Toronto after profit warning
Barnes & Noble Accuses Microsoft of Patent Abuse
New Federal Guidelines Regulate Junk Food Ads for Kids
Advertisers Fire Back At Government Over Proposed Food Marketing Guidelines
Banning Barbie
Does Drinking With Parents Help Teens Drink More Responsibly? Not Really
5-Minute Screen for Signs of Autism Works in 1-Year-Olds
Homeless child enrolled in wrong school: What should happen to him?
8-Year-Old Sells Loaded Gun for $3 at Queens School: Police
Teaching turning into a rest stop on the MBA highway
Friendster to Erase Early Posts and Old Photos
Cuomo: NY law sheds 24,000 sex offenders from Web
South Africa photographer honored for Soweto photo
China’s One-Child Policy Brings the Challenge of an Aging Population
Obama’s Silence on Boeing Is Unacceptable
Civility on the Way Out? Add Dogs to That List
The new rules of sun safety
ER Visits Keep Increasing, Survey Finds
Manny Ramirez might play winter ball
MLB: 10,955 drug tests since ’07-08
Frank McCourt blasts Bud Selig, MLB
Dutch club VVV-Venlo sign 1-year-old child

Discussion Post: Week 15

Well, we’re reaching the end of the semester. I’ll be sorry to see you go when class ends for the last time, but at the same time, I’ve been delighted to see the skills you’ve showcased throughout the term. Remember, if you’re speaking in the last week, be sure to submit your outline to the SafeAssign link on Blackboard at least 48 hours before your scheduled presentation date.

Let’s jump right in! Earlier this week, a number of web servers connected to Amazon.com ceased to function, resulting in outages for a wide range of sites that were hosted by Amazon. Even popular sites like Reddit and Quora were negatively affected. Does this call into question the viability of a cloud computing infrastructure, or is this an isolated incident that could have been just as bad, or worse, under another framework? Do you think that this will affect Amazon’s credibility moving forward?

Apple’s winning big in the mobile phone market, as the company passed Nokia in the first quarter of this year to become the world’s largest mobile phone retailer in terms of earnings. It doesn’t seem to matter what carrier the phones use, whether it’s Verizon or AT&T. Apple phones just sell, regardless of carrier or even country. That success bodes well for the iPhone 5, slated to begin production this summer. Not that all the news is positive — recent reports revealed that a set of hidden files on iPhones record detailed information about the user’s location, store it on the device without any encryption and transmit that data to Apple as well as any other device with which the iPhone is synced (such as, for instance, a computer with iTunes). It is believed that the location tracking file is a bug that could be fixed in a future update. Curiously, law enforcement has been using the location data in criminal investigations for quite some time, but news of the tracking files has angered lawmakers who believe that the tracking function may represent an invasion of privacy and a personal security risk. What do you think about Apple in terms of its success as well as this new controversy? How did the company’s phones become so popular? What qualities of the phones, the company, or the marketing strategy attract customers? Do you think that the location-tracking revelation will dampen consumer trust in the Apple brand and allow competitors like the upcoming Droid Charge to gain ground, or will customers ultimately ignore such concerns? Has Apple committed any wrongdoing here? What are the ramifications for public policy? How about other privacy breaches and questions about other services, such as security flaws in the Android phone, Facebook’s ever-changing privacy policy or Dropbox’s ambiguous terms of service? For that matter, should we even be worried about our whereabouts or other personal information being monitored?

Jeff Immelt, who was appointed the U.S. “jobs czar” in January, has come under fire due to the unflinching unemployment rate and growing offshoring trend. With the value of the dollar falling and gas prices jumping, some analysts are saying that capitalism as a whole isn’t working for the middle class on the new global economic stage. The government has been having plenty of fiscal problems as well, but many deficit proposals continue to face fierce opposition from voters. President Obama has targeted the GOP in the midst of the crisis, apologizing to voters for compromising with Republicans on the issue and calling the GOP’s proposed budget “radical, not courageous.” In the meantime, ratings agency Standard & Poor’s changed its outlook on the U.S. economy from “stable” to “negative” for the first time in the group’s history, sending stocks spiraling downward. However, some analysts are hesitant to trust the S&P report given past conflicts of interest, as they may have skewed reports preceding the current recession. What are your thoughts on the ongoing economic calamity, challenges for both employees and the unemployed, and the way in which administrators are handling the situation? What does it mean for the upcoming elections and legislation in the near future? How will the crisis ultimately end (if, in fact, it is brought to a close)?

Expanding our gaze for a bit, Libyan rebels are fighting back and moving into territory long held by Moammar Gadhafi’s regime despite the relative lack of direct U.S. involvement in the conflict. While NATO has perhaps played the largest role in assisting rebel forces, President Obama has ordered the deployment of armed drones to assist in the battle, a development welcomed by Libyan opposition forces. The support won’t restore the lives of those who have fallen, including prominent photographers Tim Hetherington and Chris Hondros who were killed during a Wednesday skirmish, but rebel forces hope that overthrowing Gadhafi will restore some peace to the bloodied region and prevent similar tragedies in the future. Little has stabilized elsewhere; From Syria to Yemen, Turkey to Belarus, and Pakistan to Egypt, national unrest is leaving its mark on the international community this year. And, of course, Japan is still dealing with plenty of problems of its own. The latest nuclear recovery plan? Air conditioning. Contrast that with Kyrgyzstan’s leaders, who sacrificed seven rams before their Thursday morning meeting in order to banish “evil spirits,” and… well, you can decide for yourself how you feel about that.

Let’s lighten things up a bit. How would you like a singer called “Sweet Micky” running your country? Well, that’s who Haiti’s getting. In a landslide election, Michel Martelly won the presidency with 67.6% of the votes, handily defeating the country’s former first lady Mirlande Manigat. Having lost two of every three voters to the pop star, Manigat declined to contest the results. Do you think that Martelly will make a strong statesman, looked upon in the same way that some Americans remember former president Ronald Reagan, and aggressively tackle the challenges his country is facing? Or does this whole affair remind you more of the old Snickers “President” commercial? I’m not sure even that can beat North Las Vegas’ recent “high card wins” city council primary that was decided casino style.

Earlier this semester we spoke quite a bit about the space shuttle Discovery, so it’s only fitting that as we near the end of the term, we consider Endeavour’s last launch, scheduled for next Friday. The first family will be in attendance to watch the start of NASA’s second-to-last manned mission. How do you look upon the event? Now that you’ve had more time to think about it, what are your thoughts on the end of NASA’s manned spaceflights? What does it mean to you that the program will end 30 years after NASA’s original projection for a Mars mission? Do you think that such lofty goals are important in this day and age, or would we be better off to explore newly discovered lands on our own planet for awhile longer or just view the cosmos from afar? In light of the great difficulties in reaching Mars, does it make sense to seek alternative means of reaching that goal, such as corporate sponsorship?

Finally, given that the long-celebrated wedding between Britain’s Prince William and Kate Middleton will also be on the 29th, it’s about time it earned a place in our course blog. The nuptials have garnered tremendous media attention, whether viewers are scrutinizing Middleton’s dress or hats, the couple’s honeymoon or three wedding receptions, or the future princess’ vows and the prince’s quest for normalcy. Some are chatting about it every ten seconds, some wish that William would get to kiss the bride (it’s forbidden), some are scrutinizing Middleton’s inheritance rights, some are stunned by the $163,000 wedding bill handed to the Middleton family, some think that Middleton should have accepted the multimillion-dollar tabloid offers following the couple’s brief split three years back, and some are more interested in the broader trend of royal-commoner marriages. Perhaps most divisive, though, is that some see this as “the party for a generation,” filled with soon-to-be priceless merchandise (well, maybe not), while others just want the media frenzy to stop. What are your thoughts on the wedding? Is this as significant an occasion as the media coverage would indicate? What does all this mean for the future of Great Britain and the international community?

You know the drill by now — you can comment on any of the stories in this post, or make a post of your own. Until next time!

Other articles of interest:
A Soccer Ball That Can Kick Start Your Cell Phone
Video: Watch Philadelphia’s baseball robot deliver the first pitch
The Psychology of Cheating
Indiana high court rules in favor of NCAA in Final Four ticket case
Yahoo! Sports Minute: NFL prospect’s hair color an issue
Bud Selig: Baseball playoffs likely to expand to 10 teams in 2012
New Tiger, old Tiger, they both sound the same
Man runs 99 miles home after completing London Marathon
Paralyzed Bride Jennifer Darmon Walks at Wedding
Sony blames ‘external intrusion’ for PlayStation Network outage
PlayStation Network Goes Down, Anonymous Is Not Responsible
Report: Sony, Microsoft Aren’t Launching New Consoles Until 2014
Wii 2 controller sports 6.2-inch touchscreen?
PCs Are Adopting Features from Tablets Like iPad
Quantum Teleportation Breakthrough May Pave the Way for Quantum Computing
For AP Students, a New Classroom Is Online
Amazon Kindle Library Lending to Roll Out This Year
Bergdorf Goodman Invites Consumers To Design Fendi Bag on Facebook
Greenpeace Criticizes Apple, Twitter, Facebook for ‘Dirty’ Data Centers
BP oil spill: Forgotten but not gone
CDC: Entire U.S. Will Have Non-Smoking Laws by 2020
DOT Requires Taxes, Fees Be Included in Advertised Prices
Blagojevich watches jury selection for corruption trial
Would U.S. voters tell Trump, ‘You’re hired’?
Army, Navy add citizenship option to boot camp
FBI investigating after pipe bomb found on Columbine anniversary
Lower IQ in children linked to banned insecticide
You Know Your Blood Type. What About Your Gut Bug Type?
Check out the world’s most advanced … toilet?
CIA Cover-Up Alleged in JFK’s ‘Secret UFO Inquiry’
McDonald’s Lawsuit is Three Fries Short of a Happy Meal
Taco Bell asks litigious critics: Would it kill you to say you’re sorry?
Russian leader dances to “American Boy”
Lady Gaga’s Ears Are Broken
Frey, Glass, and Blair: Where are they now?

Discussion Post: Week 13

Hello again, all! Just one more presentation to go. Please be sure to send in your topic before class on Tuesday!

We’ll return this week to the conflict in Libya, but let’s start with a different angle. Have you ever used the bit.ly URL shortening service? How about ow.ly, vid.ly, graphic.ly… the list goes on. But I’ll bet you never considered what the “ly” represented, did you? The suffix, which is ultimately controlled by Moammad Gadhafi of the Libyan regime, has long been attractive because of the adverbial potential (if you were hoping to register the smel.ly domain name, it’s taken). The Gadhafi link has caught a number of people off guard, including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, the Human Rights Watch, and the U.S. military and United Nations, all of whom are distressed by the connection. What do you think about it? How does this affect U.S. plans to announce terror alerts via Facebook and Twitter? Is the Gadhafi link as big of a problem as some seem to think? If you led one of the organizations that used or otherwise relied on a .ly domain, how would you handle this situation? Does control over the unique suffix offer any strategic advantage to Gadhafi in the Libyan conflict?

Speaking of which, the back-and-forth struggle between Gadhafi’s military and the rebel forces has hardly let up, most recently centering around Ajdabiya, a key city 60 miles south of the rebels’ interim capital, Benghazi, with sizable oil reserves. As we all know by now, the unending conflict has cost countless Libyans their lives and, in the global economic scene, has been pushing gas prices skyward for weeks, but perhaps the biggest fiscal shock is that during the U.S. government bailouts over the past few years, one of the largest beneficiaries was the Central Bank of Libya, which received “tens of billions in loans from the Fed.” What are your thoughts on the continuing conflict and the international community’s role in it? What about the set of friendly fire mistakes by NATO? Where do policymakers go from here? How can the conflict best be resolved, and what can be done to limit international consequences as well? For that matter, since nothing on the world stage happens in a vacuum, how does the Libyan crisis relate to those in Syria, Yemen, the Ivory Coast, Egypt, and even Japan?

We haven’t talked much about the prospect of a government shutdown, which Congress seems to avert anew each week. That’s a particularly dangerous prospect when you consider that the U.S. military is presently scattered in various ongoing missions around the globe, and a shutdown might make it impossible to pay them or to keep other government departments running. Considering that the most recent act by Congress will only keep the government functioning through Friday and that its implementation just over an hour before the deadline required “painful cuts,” is such a failure ultimately unavoidable? Was the hurriedly-made deal at the center of this most recent aversion as much of a catastrophe as some experts suggest, or is President Barack Obama correct that it was a laudable step that will benefit the country’s future? What will happen if the U.S government closes its doors for the first time since the dual shutdowns of 1995-1996? What would the ramifications be for the 2012 elections, particularly given reports that the 1995-1996 shutdowns and restorations under a divided government boosted President Bill Clinton’s approval ratings?

Let’s again try to close with a story that’s a little less depressing. In the wake of Sony’s lawsuit against hacker George Hotz, the group Anonymous attacked and successfully shut down several Sony websites. I won’t explain all the details about what “Anonymous” actually is in this post, as a complete explanation could easily span a full book (or just a Wikipedia article), but in this most recent attack they also “‘played’ with” the PlayStation Network (PSN), causing system instability which affected a number of users over the past week. However, the diffuse group has now announced the suspension of attacks against PSN, as their first efforts were detrimental to gamers as well as Sony. Just because their first efforts have been halted hardly means that Anonymous is done, however, as their next move is apparently an April 16 boycott of Sony stores. Do you think that the offline actions will be more effective than the PSN attacks? Do you think that they can successfully attack Sony without further inconveniencing gamers, or for that matter, is that in fact the group’s priority? How should Sony or, for that matter, law enforcement react to such activities? Do you think that Anonymous is correctly fighting for the people, or are they a menace that needs to be stopped? What about other individuals and groups that support Anonymous’ efforts? Finally, what are the ramifications of groups like Anonymous, and what does it mean that a group of individuals who do not even know one another beyond their common claim as “Anonymous” can be so effective in their efforts?

That’s all for this week’s post. As usual, feel free to post about any of the above or below stories, or make your own post on a new topic, if you like. Keep working on those final presentations, and I’ll see you in class!

Other articles of interest:
How one Oregon lawmaker convinced his colleagues to ‘Rick Roll’ the state legislature
Vote count ‘human error’ shadows Wisconsin Supreme Court election
Google’s Size Pertinent to Broad Antitrust Case
3 Ways Social Media Can Wreck Your Career
PlayStation chief: Nintendo makes ‘babysitting tools’
New book reveals Apple’s Steve Jobs mentored Google co-founders
The Sleepless Elite
Texas Speed Limit Raised: Is it Safe?
Is Your Brain Liberal or Conservative?
Six industries hurt by an NFL lockout
Purdy: Defense threw the better pitches at Bonds trial
Ramirez was a huge talent, colossal waste
Charlie Sheen Tour: What the Critics Say About the Disastrous New York Show
The New Commodore 64, Updated With Its Old Exterior
Video Games Help Stroke Victims Rehab Motor Functions
Your commute is making you stupid, study suggests
Is it a new particle, or just a fluke?

Discussion Post: Week 12

Another week down, with a dozen more presentations in the books! Hopefully this week we’ll finish up Persuasive Presentation I. Our odds are certainly quite a bit better now, at the very least.

Let’s start this week’s discussion with a bit of controversy. A recent archaelogical find is already being called “the major discovery of Christian history.” A set of 70 lead codices — basically, stone books — were discovered in a remote Jordanian cave five years ago, and some scholars now believe they could hold clues to the last days of Jesus’ life. Of course, a tense conflict is brewing over ownership of the credit card-sized codices, but given that initial metallurgical tests indicate that they are about 2,000 years old, they could be landmark finds indeed. Or perhaps they’re just a two millenia-old shopping list. What are your thoughts on these scrolls? Do you buy the claims that they have deep religious significance? How about scientific tests of their authenticity? For that matter, what do you think about the interaction between science and religion in general? Are they mutually exclusive entities or easily blended? What is the role of the scientist, as you see it, pertaining to religion?

In Spain, researchers from a small company called Bio Fuel Systems are working on mixing carbon dioxide and algae to promote the production of fossil fuels identical to those naturally created millions of years ago. According to engineer Eloy Chapuli, “We are trying to simulate the conditions which existed millions of years ago, when the phytoplankton was transformed into oil. In this way, we obtain oil that is the same as oil today.” There is speculation that this alternative fossil fuel could be available for public consumption in 5-10 years, representing an alternative to limited natural fossil fuels, electric power which demands lengthy vehicle charging, and nuclear power which, given the ongoing crisis in Japan, the public is less apt to support. Do you think that this alternative is as promising as many seem to think? How might it change the world around us and the subjects of major concern to us? By the same token, is this an ideal solution to possible energy crises, or are there problems with this alternative? What do you think should be done in the energy industry — and what plans do you think will actually be implemented?

In other world news, Libyan rebels are trying to hold recent gains after six weeks of fighting against Moammar Gadhafi’s forces, although the U.S. says it has no plans to send ground troops as support. NATO air strikes have had mixed results; a recent effort against Gadhafi’s army accidentally killed 13 rebel troops instead. The violence in Syria has also continued, with dissidents being seized from their homes and at least nine demonstrators killed and dozens more injured by security forces on Friday. That hasn’t slowed down protests, which continued on Saturday, inspiring some shops to close “in solidarity with with the protesters.” Attacks in Afghanistan have also recently increased, with seven U.N. staff killed on Friday and a suicide attack in Kabul on Saturday. The Taliban in claiming no responsibility, with a representative instead saying that “it was a pure act of responsible Muslims” in response to a March 20 Koran burning by Florida pastor Terry Jones. As for the Japanese nuclear crisis, Japan’s Prime Minister says that officials may have discovered why radiation has been leaking into the sea: according to Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO), a crack in a concrete pit at the No. 2 reactor in Fukushima has been leaking water, releasing radiation at a rate of 1,000 millisieverts per hour. TEPCO staff have begun pouring concrete into the leak in an effort to limit further damage.

Okay, we’ll talk about the NCAA tournament one last time (unless Butler wins it all, in which case I’ll be obligated to at least mention it next week). Let’s return to the student-athlete dilemma first. Consider the superstars of college hoops who ultimately use the NCAA as a minor league of sorts on their way to professional basketball (or other sports, for that matter). What does that mean for the college scene that they leave behind (especially if they enter the pros before finishing four years of school), both on the court and in the classroom? As a student-athlete, how do you weigh the money from immediately jumping to the pros against the education of the last 1-3 years in college? On the university level, do the millions of dollars earned from collegiate athletics outweigh the (probably slight) decline in graduation rates or any social phenomena that may unfold around student-athletes who have little intention of finishing their degrees? What about coaches who make more money than anyone else at their university? Taking it to the larger organizational level, does it benefit the NCAA or the NBA to establish a minor league system akin to that of Major League Baseball? Why or why not? What about allowing NCAA athletes to be paid, as some have suggested? Would the benefits of such a change outweigh the drawbacks? And what about renewed allegations of NCAA rules violations by staff on two of the Final Four teams?

Finally, in stupid-internet-posting news, on Thursday a New Jersey first-grade teacher was suspended without pay for saying that “she felt like a warden overseeing future criminals.” Apparently the post spurred a large group of parents to demand her removal from what is, to be fair, one of New Jersey’s most troubled school systems. She’s hardly the first teacher to be suspended for online comments; a Pennsylvania high school teacher was recently suspending following similar comments on her blog, and a Chicago second-grade teacher is facing disciplinary actions after posting and mocking one of her student’s school photos on Facebook. What are your thoughts on these recent incidents? Should internet activity be used against employees in their real-world lives? I know that some of you have expressed interest in primary education, so what do you think about these teachers and their behavior? For that matter, how does the crossover between online activity and real-world consequences relate to the Rebecca Black story we discussed last week?

As always, please feel free to discuss any of the above or below stories, or post on another topic of your choice, if you prefer!

Other articles of interest:
Snooki Earns Higher Speaking Fee Than Toni Morrison
Google v Microsoft: Oi! You looking at me?
One-Armed Surfing Star Says Upcoming Biopic Is ‘Spot On’
BCS conducts shallow probe as party rages on
How did the tradition of cutting down the nets begin?
Israel, The Third Nation on the Moon?
AP-GfK Poll: Americans souring more on economy
President Obama intervenes in budget standoff
More US Women Having Children With Different Biological Fathers
Loophole means Utah sex offender set to be freed
New census data shows which areas of America are growing, shrinking
No ring? Will and Kate break from tradition, along with more couples
Rebecca Black’s Not To Blame: Meet The Man Who Wrote “Friday”
Stephen Colbert & Jimmy Fallon Sing Rebecca Black’s ‘Friday’

Discussion Post: Week 11

Well, we’re now a week into Persuasive Presentation I! If you’re one of our remaining speakers, just make sure you submit your outline to the SafeAssign link on Blackboard by 4:30 today.

Given that we’ve been talking about international crises like those in Libya, Japan, Yemen, and now Syria and the Ivory Coast for a number of weeks, we’ll try to add some new topics on top of those global issues this time around. They’re important, certainly, but I get the sense that many people want some more options at this point, so we’ll try to accommodate those desires.

How about we start with the brand-new Nintendo 3DS? It’s hard to say what today’s release will bring but Isaiah-Triforce Johnson (real name) has spent about a week waiting at a Manhattan Best Buy in anticipation of Nintendo’s official release party. With Johnson’s goal of the first 3DS finally upon him, experts are sending mixed messages about the device. Some claim that it’s truly innovative, particularly with the adjustable 3D effect for which it is best known. Others argue that the 3D quality is inconsistent or even dangerous for young gamers and that its low battery life represents a serious flaw. (One might harken back to the old Sega Game Gear, my first handheld system, which was technologically far superior to Nintendo’s competing handhelds but which drained batteries almost as quickly as you could load them.) What do you think about all this? Will the 3DS be Nintendo’s next big hit, following in the footsteps of the groundbreaking Wii, or will its limitations keep it from grabbing the market share that Nintendo desires? For that matter, do you buy claims that the 3DS could be used by optometrists as a diagnostic tool? Either, you have to feel sorry for reviewers desperately trying to figure out how to convey 3D depth in 2D screenshots. Perhaps it will be easier once we all have 3D computer monitors… that day may be closer than you think.

In national news, potential candidates in the 2012 presidential election are already posturing for position. Obviously, this story isn’t nearly as well developed, since the elections are so far in the future. While Barack Obama looks to be the likely Democratic candidate, though, his counterpart in the Republican party isn’t nearly so clear. Some speculate that Mitt Romney’s second bid will be more successful than his first, while others think that Mike Huckabee holds the advantage over Romney, Sarah Palin, and others. How do you think the sheer number of Republican candidates could affect the race? Do you find the fact that campaigning begins (at least) a year and a half before an election to be a good thing for American politics or a problem? Relatedly, how could the race change in the next 19 months? What about speculation that some states will cut their presidential primaries to save money?

Next, you knew it was coming… March Madness is in full swing, with the Final Four to be finalized before the weekend is done. The public places a great deal of value on making it to the Final Four, even though three of those team will ultimately lose — it’s certainly more value than we place on a semifinal finish for almost any other major competition. Do you think that the players and coaches feel the same way, or are they as devastated by losing in the final weekend as they would have been on day one? Do you think it’s different for a national powerhouse like Ohio State than an underdog like Virginia Commonwealth, the eleven seed now one win away from the Final Four? Looking at it another way, why are many people so much more inclined to watch the men’s tournament than the women’s tournament? It’s certainly not based on the results, since Purdue lost both in the second round this year. What do you think about the disparity, and how do you think the competitors feel about it? Has the Title IX legislation to equalize athletic opportunities been effective, or are there any problems with it? What about our obsession with the mythical perfect bracket? Will anyone ever get closer than Alex Herrmann did last year? And what do you think about laws in some states that prohibit bracket competitions?

I’m adding one last topic to this post at the last minute. My fiancee, Becky, who also teaches COM 315, forced me to watch Rebecca Black’s Friday video on Youtube.

I don’t want to unduly bias you by sharing my opinion, but let’s just say that as of this writing, the viral video has 109,169 “likes” and 910,327 “dislikes.” Despite the ratio of over 8:1 against the video, though, it has quickly accumulated well over 54 million views since being posted to Youtube on February 10. What do you think it means that a video which so many people appear to dislike is nonetheless garnering so much attention and, some speculate, making Black a millionaire? Are viewers being too aggressive in their criticisms of the 13-year-old’s tune? On the other hand, is it possible that the general public is overlooking something important about Friday? Lady Gaga called Black a “genius,” after all. If “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery,” as some might suggest, then should we conclude that all the spoofs (my favorite example below), including ones by Conan O’Brien and the Jonas Brothers, mean that Friday is actually a special, pure piece of music?

(Feel free to follow the other COM 315 discussion on this topic as well, once the link becomes active later today.)

As always, any of the above or below topics is fair game, as are other items of interest beyond those listed here. Have at it, and I’ll see you on Tuesday!

Other articles of interest:
Approval For Drug That Treats Melanoma
Plosser: Fed must tighten in not-too-distant future
Wisconsin union law published despite court order
Researchers Plan to Drill Deepest Ever Hole in the Earth
NASA Investigating Shuttle Worker’s Death at Launch Pad
Judge to music industry: ‘Worth trillions? Forget it’
Bret Michaels Sues — The Tonys Almost KILLED Me
‘The Book of Mormon’ Hits Broadway
LOL, OMG, FYI Added to Online Oxford English Dictionary
Qatar: Robo-clouds to cool World Cup
Qatar stole its artificial cloud idea from The Simpsons
Defense: Trainer misled Barry Bonds
Let’s Play Few: MLB’s Half-Baked Opening Day
Cleveland Browns fan sues NFL in attempt to end lockout
The box scores from ‘Space Jam’ for a nostalgia kick
Zero G on Ford’s factory floor
Flying robots swarm to the task of disaster rescue
Japan nuclear crisis gives Earth Hour added poignancy