Pack rats and their kids

Are you a hoarder or a neat-freak?  What are the advantages and disadvantages of each personality type?  How often do people’s personalities and values reflect those of their parents and how often are personality traits the result of reacting against parents?

Be sure to read all four “pages.”  (They’re short…)

Replicating just about anything

Do you think this technology will catch on?  Will it replace the way factories work?   If so, how should business, education and government adjust to the new situation, one which, according to this writer, will mean even fewer jobs and higher qualifications for them?

Triple A: Adolescents,Automobiles, Alcohol  

Why do you think young people sometimes drink and drive, or abuse alcohol in general?  Is this more common for teenagers than for adults?  Is it more serious when a young person does it?  What do you think about some of the solutions proposed in this article?  How are the situations in New Zealand and Slovakia different?

The dual citizenship dilemma

How should the Slovak government have reacted, and how should the new government react, to the Hungarian law which makes it easier for Hungarian Slovaks to become Hungarian citizens?  How do you see the future of Hungarian-Slovak relations?  Is Fico or Orban (or both) a threat to these relations?  Is nationalism just a political tool?

You can change her outfit but you can’t comb her hair

 Was it a good idea to make a cancer Barbie?  Do you blame the manufacturer for keeping it off the shelf?  Read the first comment below the article for another perspective.  Who do you agree with more?  This is hardly the first time that Barbie dolls have sparked a debate.  Why do you think Barbie generates so much controversy?  What’s important about Barbie, if anything?

Which side is he on?

What should be done about people who impersonate police or about retired or off-duty police who wear uniforms?  Is this man exercising his right to free speech, or by wearing a uniform, is he speaking as a member of an organization rather than as an individual?  Are the reactions against him excessive?  And, to make the issue a bit more general, is it a good idea to protest even when this gets you in trouble with authority?

This is the last entry you can comment on for the second half of May.

Olympic mud-slinging

Do you agree with this commentator’s extremely negative view of the Olympics?  Is it only about politics and unbridled consumerism?  Are you happy or sad that the Olympics have not taken place (and likely will not) in Slovakia?  Was all the hubbub over the hockey championship worth it, for instance?

Show me the ring first

Is an engagement ring sexist, since men dont wear one?  Is it just a jewlers’ scam, or a time-honored meaningful tradition?  Is it a good idea to have a prolonged engagement, or a short one, or is there really no point at all in getting engaged in the modern era?

Online veggies

Are you careful to eat local?  Do you prefer Mileticova over Tesco?  Do you trust either one?  Can the internet be the answer for connecting farmers and veggie lovers?  Can organizations like Foothills Connect help to revive rural economies?