What do you
think about pop star fan groups being mobilized for political and charitable
causes? Once a star becomes famous
and influential, do they have a moral obligation to use their influence to
make the world a better place, or should they just stick to what they know
best? What about all of the politicians
like Trump or Zelenskyy who were known as entertainment celebrities and had
little political experience when they came to power?
Sunday, November 26, 2023
Swift and sure
Tracing the Romani Studies learning curve
Are Slovaks
learning enough about national minorities in the current educational
system? To what extent can education
about Roma help to create better mutual understanding and undermine
racism? What do you think about how Ort
describes Romani studies and its theory of knowledge (arrggh, TOK...) and
research methods? Would you be attracted
to this field of study? What do you
think about Ort’s critical stance toward the concepts of “adapting” “integration”
and “harmony”?
The power of politicians, protestors, or the pen?
Is politician
a dirty word in Slovakia like it is in Vietnam or Pakistan? Should it be?
To what extent can anger help or hinder us in pushing for political
change? Do we have solo protestors in
Slovakia? Do we need more of them? Is a journalist’s vocation to tell (their)
stories? Which role is the most virtuous or most effective: elected official,
activist or journalist?
Degrees of Uselessness?
This piece
is a bit longer than the others, but there are lots of interesting
thoughts to tackle here. What is the
point of studying the humanities (like literature, culture or philosophy)? Is too much or too little emphasis placed on
them in the IB program? In the Slovak
educational system? Should they receive less state funding than
STEMs since they are supposedly less practical?
Are governments right to be wary of their influence? Can they help make democracy stronger?
Nicking Cave’s style
This is the
last entry you can comment on for mid-November to mid-December
What do you
think about how Nick Cave describes the creative process? Is he right about the limitations and dangers
of AI technologies like chatGPT? Can
chatGPT be used as a creative tool, or is it destined to always produce something
inauthentic and derivative?
Saturday, October 21, 2023
Gruff billy goats against the lowlifes under the bridge or below the article
Do you read
the comment sections on websites (besides this one of course)? Is the comment section the voice of the
people (as opposed to the elite: the paid journalists and columnists)? Do you
agree with this writer that the voice of the establishment is often the “West,”
those who look down on African and Asian nations as though they are on the edge
of collapse? How do you differentiate
between trolls and commenters if you do?
What is your own netiquette?
Is the 8 track next?
Does all “obsolete”
technology eventually make a comeback?
What do you think about these pro-CD and anti-streaming arguments? What is your preferred means of listening to
and/or collecting music?
Global anarchy does not seem like it's working too well…
Is some type
of world government one solution (or perhaps the only solution) for the global
crises we now face, such as nuclear proliferation and climate change? To what extent could the UN fulfil this
role? Why do you think the idea of world governance
was more seriously considered 70 years ago than it is today?
In camp's camp
How do you
feel when commercial companies pay lip service to social causes like LGBTQ
rights? Is this just the price one pays
for becoming accepted and mainstream?
What do you think about using humor as a means for a sub-culture to
fight against a dominant culture? Do you
appreciate camp?
Teas, Spices, Oils and X
This is the last entry you can comment on for mid October to mid-November.
What do you think about alternative medicine? Do people have a tendency to want to take drugs that they feel are natural or traditional, ignoring the fact that these can also be harmful? Could this be seen in responses to the COVID epidemic? Does it bother you that X (ex-twitter) is blocking the tweets of people like Dr. Philips?
Sunday, September 17, 2023
Sod Codger
Are the old ways better?
What is lost when traditions like turf cutting disappear? What should be done when tradition runs
against ecology?
That is where it is, so that is where I have to go...
Do you understand the draw of a particular geographic
location for spiritual or personal reasons?
Might the danger in this case be part of the appeal? To what extent should pilgrimages be supported
by governments, NGOs and/or religious organisations? Have you ever gone on what you would
consider a pilgrimage?
Just the guy who sells you groceries or an economic exploiter?
We often think of racism as something between whites and
minorities, but what if it is between two minority groups? What may be the causes
of such racial conflict? Is it a legacy of colonialism for example? What can be done to help ease tensions when one
group has economic advantages? Is the
author right in claiming that organisations who help certain religious and
ethnic groups defend their interests can make the situation worse?
Headbangers
What is the appeal of dangerous sports, for atheletes and
for spectators? Can such sports be made
safer? Would you discourage those you
care about from participating in such sports?
Who is responsible when a player is repeatedly injured? To bring this closer to home, do the same
concerns apply to hockey?
Librarians as superheros
This is the last entry you can comment on by mid-October...
This article seems to side strongly with librarians and against parents and community members who would like to restrict what is found on library shelves. Who should decide and on what basis in terms of which books are selected and/or culled? Are school libraries any different from community libraries in this regard? What do you think about the changing role of the librarian? Are you interested in such a career?
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