Thanksgiving

For what do you have to be thankful this year?

Do you think that people who live on the street and have no money could possibly have anything to be thankful for? Why or why not?

Some people say that the two words "thank you" are the two most important words in the English language? Do you agree with this? Why or why not? What other two, three, or four word phrases might count among the most important words in English?

Do you think that stores should be open on Thanksgiving day? Why or why not?

Can you think of anything for which the whole world should be thankful?

George Bush and the Supercommittee

The Washington Post is running an article with the heading, "Supercommittee’s failure pushes Bush tax cuts to forefront of 2012 campaign." The article states, "(Bush's) tax changes have repeatedly provoked fiery partisan debate since they were enacted during President George W. Bush’s first term. Now, with the cuts due to expire at the end of 2012 and their fate left unresolved by the supercommittee, both parties are already positioning themselves to exploit the issue for maximum electoral advantage."

Questions for Discussion

1. Do you think that people with more money should be forced to pay more money in taxes than people with less money? Why or why not? Argue both the positive and negative sides of this question.

2. The Supercommittee is not expected to successfully reach an agreement. What can we learn about Washington, D.C., from the fact that the Supercommittee was unsuccessful?

3. Do you think that the leaders of Congress thought that the committee would be able to successfully propose ways to make the deficit smaller when they first created it? Why or why not?

4. If you could tell the members of Congress one thing that they most likely have not heard before what would you tell them? Why would you tell this to them?

McDonald's Eggs

The Chicago Tribune is running an article with the heading, "McDonald's drops egg supplier over animal cruelty report." The article reports, "MCDonald's dropped an egg supplier Friday, following reports of cruelty... A three-month investigation conducted by ABC News and Mercy for Animals, a non-profit organization devoted to animal welfare, produced a video alleging abuses at farms run by McDonald's egg supplier Sparboe in Iowa, Minnesota and Colorado."

Questions for Discussion

1. Why do you think that farm managers would allow animals to be mistreated? Psychological reasons? Economic reasons? Other reasons?

2. Do you think that this is a case of punishing an entire company for the behavior of a few people within the company? Is it appropriate to fire a company because of the poor behavior or lack of quality from a few employees? Why or why not?

3. Do you think that it is appropriate to eat food from animals that were mistreated during their lifetimes? Why or why not? Do you think that it is appropriate to buy food at restaurants that knowingly buy meat from farms that mistreat animals? Why or why not?

4. Do you think that executives at McDonald's really care how the animals are treated or did they stop using this farm company for other reasons? If so, what other reasons? Does it really matter why McDonald's stopped using this company? Why or why not?

U.S., Australia, and China

The New York Times is running an article entitled, "U.S. Expands Military Ties to Australia, Irritating China." The article begins, "President Obama announced Wednesday that the United States planned to deploy 2,500 Marines in Australia to shore up alliances in Asia, but the move prompted a sharp response from Beijing, which accused Mr. Obama of escalating military tensions in the region."

Questions

1. What is the difference between a country's ally and a person's friend? Should countries treat one another in the same way that people should treat their friends? Why or why not? (Give specific examples as to how friends and allies are similar and specific examples as to how they are different.)

2. What three questions would you ask in order to better understand the relationship between China and the United States as it relates to the Pacific Rim? Why do you think that these questions would improve your understanding of the relationship?

3. Do you think that the United States of America should try and develop relationships with Pacific nations with which China may not be pleased? Why or why not? Should the self interests of China matter to the United States? Why or why not?

4. What benefits might come to the United States as a result of having soldiers stationed overseas? What disadvantages might come to the United States as a result of having soldiers stationed overseas? If you had to develop one rule for deciding whether or not the U.S. should station soldiers in specific places what would the rule be? Why?

Gotcha!!

The Washington Post is running an article entitled, "On Libya, Herman Cain has his own ‘oops’ moment." The article begins, "This time the subject was Libya. The candidate was Herman Cain. The question was whether he agreed with the way President Obama handled the matter. The answer, drawn out over more than five awkward minutes, produced another “oops” moment in the race for the Republican presidential nomination."

Questions for Discussion

1. Do you think that the President of the United States should know the name of every world leader? (There are almost 200 members of the United Nations.) Why or why not? Do you think that you should know the name of every world leader? Why or why not?

2. Do you think that it is important for a presidential candidate to remember specific components of every policy proposal that he includes in his platform, or set of ideas explaining why he should be President? Why or why not?

3. Can you think of one common fact that it is important for all people to know? How many such facts can you think of? (What about common facts that all people living in your country should know?) Why do you think that these facts are so important?

4. What kinds of strategies do you think make it easier to remember things? (For example, when I fill up two cups with pop, for example from a self-serve machine, I never want to confuse whose cup is who. So, I tell myself that I am always right and keep my cup in my right hand. (I'm really not so arrogant in real life.)

The Innovator's Innovation

The New York Times is running an article entitled, "Google's Lab of Wildest Dreams." The article begins, "In a top-secret lab in an undisclosed Bay Area location where robots run free, the future is being imagined." It continues, "It’s a place where your refrigerator could be connected to the Internet, so it could order groceries when they ran low. Your dinner plate could post to a social network what you’re eating. Your robot could go to the office while you stay home in your pajamas. And you could, perhaps, take an elevator to outer space."

Questions for Discussion:

1. Do you think that it is more important to think about the past, the present, or the future? Why? Is it important to think about each of these time periods or just one or two? Explain!

2. If you could invent just one product to make your life easier, a product not mentioned in this article, what would you invent? Why?

3. If you were investing in a company what three characteristics would you consider the most important predictors of success? Do you think that a company must think about futuristic ideas in order to be successful? Do you think that a company must be innovative to be successful?

4. What is the difference between a bad idea and a good idea? Can one idea be both bad and good? What is the best idea that you have ever heard of in your life?

Wilson Ramos: Kidnapped and Rescued

The Washington Post is running an article entitled, "Washington Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos says police, kidnappers exchanged heavy gunfire in dramatic rescue." According to the article, Ramos said, "For a few moments...I thought I would never see my family and that was something painful, super painful.”

Questions for Discussion:

1. What is the most important thing about a family? Do you think that you can ever replace a family with friends? Why or why not?

2. If you had been in Wilson Ramos' place, what would you have been thinking on a moment by moment basis as you were driven from your home to the hideout? Would time have flown by or stood still? Explain!

3. The socialist country of Venezuela does not have warm relations with the United States. It's leader Hugo Chavez is not liked by the U.S. government. What questions would you ask to learn more about the relationship between Venezuela and the United States? Do you think that this event could prompt better relationships? Why or why not?

4. What strategies do you have for dealing with pressure when it is at its worst? Are there strategies for dealing with pressure that you would like to implement but find it very difficult to do so? Why do you find these strategies difficult to implement? Explain!!