Obama's Dialect

The New York Times is running an article entitled, "In Reid's Comments, Hints of Obama's Own Words." According to the article, President Obama once said, "“We have a certain script in our politics, and one of the scripts for black politicians is that for them to be authentically black they have to somehow offend white people...And then if he puts a multiracial coalition together, he must somehow be compromising the efforts of the African-American community...To use a street term...we flipped the script.”

A previous New York Times article quotes Senator Harry Reid as saying, "Barack Obama could become the country’s first black president because he was 'light-skinned' and had 'no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one.'" This statement has generated a great deal of controversy and even calls for Reid's resignation. President Obama quickly forgave his Democratic colleague for any potential offense.

Questions to Consider:

1. Why do you think that Harry Reid's comments have generated controversy. Did he say anything rude or racial? Explain!

2. Do you think that people tend to speak in different ways in front of different audiences, or with different groups of people? Why would they do this?

3. Some people would argue that a sign of maturity is knowing how to behave in appropriate ways in different situations. Would you agree with this opinion? Why or why not? What does it mean to be mature?

4. Many have compared Senator Reid's comments to those made by Senator Trent Lott racially tinged comment made in 2002 when he said that the United States would be a better place if Strom Thurmond had won the Presidency. Strom Thurmond supported segregation when he ran for President years ago. Senator Lott was forced to step down from his position as majority leader because of his comment. Do you think that Senator Reid should suffer a consequence as a result of his statement? Why or why not?

5. Do you think that Republicans who are calling for Senator Reid to step down really believe that he did something terribly wrong? Why or why not?

Questions for Younger Children

1. Do you think that people should behave differently in different situations? Is it ever acceptable to run and scream? Why or why not? Is it ever unacceptable to run and scream? Why or why not?

2. Do you ever speak in different kinds of voices? Why might some people do this?

3. Have you ever done something and been punished for it but then seen somebody else do the same thing and not get punished? What did you do? Why do you think that you were punished but somebody else was not punished?

Gay Marriage

Newsweek is running an article entitled, "The Conscience of a Conservative." The subtitle asks, "The lifelong Republican who argued Bush v. Gore before the Supreme Court—and won—goes to court this week to overturn California's ban on gay marriage. Huh?"

Questions to Consider:

1. Why do you think that conservative friends have asked Mr. Olson when he decided that he was for gay marriage? Do all conservatives, or all liberals, have to agree on everything? Why or why not?

2. Think of a specific debatable issue? What are the different sides of that issue? If individuals are on the same side of the issue can there still be disagreements between them? What kinds of disagreements? (What does it mean intellectually to belong to a political party? What does it mean to take a particular side in a debate in the classroom? )

3. Define the term marriage? What are the most important things about a marriage? What parts of a marriage are unimportant? Why?

4. Do you think that there are things that a government should tell a person that he may or may not do? Why? In what kinds of ways, if any, should a government be able to govern the behavior of individuals? In what kinds of ways, if any, should a government not be able to govern the behavior of individuals?

5. The government of the United States allows married couples to receive certain tax benefits. Should homosexual people who marry be allowed to enjoy the same tax benefits as heterosexuals? Why or why not?

Gilbert Arenas

The Washington Post is running an article entitled, "Who is Gilbert Arenas? Even He Doesn't Seem to Know." Earlier this week, NBA Commissioner David Stearn indefinitely suspended Arenas from playing in the professional basketball league because he pulled out several guns in the locker room. Sally Jenkins the author writes, "Arenas bears a series of tattoos on his legs that he calls Black Rushmore: images of Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Nelson Mandela, and Barack Obama. When he first displayed them, they seemed nobler than the usual body art, more interesting than the inked tiger on his chest. They bespoke a guy who, beneath his teasing, was susceptible to meaning, conscious of things beyond himself. But now they just seem like costuming. The guy might as well have tattooed a feather boa onto his neck, for all the emblems seem to mean to him."

Questions to Consider

1. What do you think are the major reasons that people sometimes act foolishly?

2. If you could ask Gilbert Arenas one question in addition to "Why did you do it?" what would you ask him? Why?

3. Do you think that adults have tendencies to fall back on childish behaviors at times? Why or why not?

4. Do you think that professional athletes should be role models? See if you can answer this question from multiple perspectives.

Retail Stores Sales Up

The New York Times is running an article entitled, "Retailers See Holiday Sales Rebound from Grim 2008." The article reports, "Retailers as varied as Costco and Saks posted robust year-over-year increases at stores open at least a year, a crucial measure of retail health known as same-store sales. Some chains — TJX Companies, Ross Stores and Aeropostale — reported double-digit increases. And a number of retailers raised their earnings estimates, suggesting the nation’s stores are in the early stages of a turnaround." However, the article also states, "Mid-priced department stores, a sector that has been struggling for a while, posted some of the month’s weakest numbers. Sales declined 7 percent at Dillard's, 3.8 percent at J.C. Penney, 2.6 percent at Bon-Ton Stores, and 2 percent at Stein-Mart."

Questions to Consider

1. Why do you think that sales typically increased at high end stores but stagnated or shrunk at mid-priced tiers?

2. Within your community have you seen any evidence that the economy is rebounding? Explain!

3. Explain the difference between discretionary spending and non-discretionary spending?

4. If you could do one thing to try and promote consumer spending what would you do? Why?

RIP Brittany Murphy

Newspapers across the English speaking world are reporting on Brittany Murphy's death. The Washington Post is running an article entitled, "Hospital: Actress Brittany Murphy Dead at Age 32." The article begins, "Brittany Murphy, the actress who got her start in the sleeper hit "Clueless" and rose to stardom in "8 Mile," has died in Los Angeles. She was 32." According to the Washington Post, "She is best known for parts in 'Girl, Interrupted,' 'Clueless' and '8 Mile.'"

At this holiday season, what can we learn from the death of a young woman of only 32 years old?

Ashton Kutcher tweeted, "2day the world lost a little piece of sunshine..." What does it mean to be "a little piece of sunshine?" What does it take to be "a little piece of sunshine?"

Brittany Murphy had a dream to become an actress. She achieved it. What is your goal? Is it OK for adults to have dreams similar to a child's dream of entering a specific profession? Why or why not?

Brittany Murphy's mother sold her home in New Jersey so that she could move with Brittany to L.A. Do you think that parents should make major changes in their own lives if it benefits their children? What changes should parents make? What changes should parents not make? Why?

60 Votes

The New York Times is running an article entitled, "Democrats Clinch a Deal on Health Bill." The article states, "The legislation, the most sweeping overhaul of the nation’s health care system in more than a generation, seeks to extend health benefits to more than 30 million uninsured Americans by expanding Medicaid and providing subsidies to help moderate-income people purchase private insurance." It continues, "The bill also imposes tight new regulations of the health insurance industry, barring insurers from denying coverage based on pre-existing medical conditions and limiting how much extra they can charge for people based on their age."

Do you think that states should have the power to prohibit government funded health insurance from paying for abortions? Why or why not?

Do you think that Senators Barbara Boxer and Patty Murray, two strong proponents for abortion rights, are betraying abortion rights advocates by supporting legislation that allows states to prohibit the funding of abortions? Why or why not?

Imagine that the year is 2060. Do you think that there will still be U.S. citizens who do not have insurance? Why or why not? Do you think that there will still be private insurance companies that are not incorporated into a government program? Why or why not?

Winston Churchill reportedly said, "It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried." When it comes to information discussed in this article, do you think that this statement is true? Why or why not?

Copenhagen

The New York Times is running an article entitled, "U.S. Offer of Long Term Aid Pushes Climate Talks Forward." The article begins, "With time running out on the stalled Copenhagen climate negotiations, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton gave new hope that an agreement might still be reached when she announced Thursday that the United States would help raise $100 billion a year by 2020 to enable poor nations to combat climate change."

The United States has long led the world as the leading emitter of carbon dioxide. However, China has not caught up. Though the United States continues to have the world's largest economy, China's economy continues to grow. Do you think that that the United States has a greater responsibility to ensure that the levels carbon dioxide emissions lowers in the coming year? Why or why not?

Do you think that wealthier nations should pay less developed nations in exchange for reducing carbon dioxide emissions and maintaining the sustenance of trees? Why or why not?

Do you think that the leaders of the world will actually be able to slow pollution? Why or why not? Do you think that world leaders believe that they can accomplish this feat? Explain!

What one question would you like to answer about the Copenhagen Conference? Why would you like to answer this question?