I shall never be able to wash this carrot juice off my hands and my heart

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This is a two-page article, so make sure you read both of them.

Is capitalism ruining our relationship to what we eat, as Marder contends?  Are plants “intelligent”?  Do they have “souls”?  Is how one eats more important than what one eats?  How can we eat ethically?  How can we eat with respect? 

Losers are horses too…

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There is apparently a debate going on in Australia about horse racing regulations.  What do you think of the sport?  Is it a noble tradition that helps to create a bond between horse and jockey, or is it cruelty to animals and an encouragement to gamble?  Is part of the problem that the focus is on money and winning, rather than on the horses themselves?  When are second-best and also-ran good enough?

No controversy in the classroom please

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How much should teachers avoid controversial topics?  Should teachers be able to express their opinions in the classroom, or to make them public through something like Twitter?  Should the money that students and investors pay to support the school have an influence on what is taught and how it is taught?  If money’s influence on education is negative, what can be done to minimize it?

Lawns full of bloody body parts

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Is there too much gore and horror in Halloween?  Would you decorate your house and lawn like this?  Would you prefer a grisly costume to a white sheet with two holes?  What attracts people (especially young people perhaps) to disgusting images of death and disfiguration? 

What do you think of celebrating a British/American holiday like Halloween in Slovakia?  Is it taking over All Saint’s Day?

How much do you love me?

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This is an article close to my heart since it is about a Slovak/American couple.  What do you think about America’s policy that a pair must prove their love for each other in order to immigrate?  What do you think about this couple's response?  Could the machine that they have invented work, or is it impossible to quantify love?   Are long distance relationships sustainable?  How much can Skype help?

Is Twitter killing journalism?

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There have been a lot of debates in Slovakia lately about who owns the news media.  Does ownership affect the quality and objectivity of reporting?  Are the internet and social media helping to dumb down journalism?   How can newspapers survive in this new environment?  Is in-depth investigative journalism on its way out because it is too expensive?  Is this type of journalism important to our society?  Is it personally important to you?

But if everyone got a one…

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What is the purpose of grades?  What do you think causes grade inflation and how can it be solved?  Should we abolish grades altogether?

Evil is live backwards

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Should people be allowed to own guns in order to protect themselves and their property?  Or does more guns simply mean more innocent people dead?  Is part of the problem our conception of evil or our fear of it?   Where does this idea/fear come from?  Movies and television?  Religion? 

This writer is obviously for gun control.  Can you find any holes in his arguments?