Abercrombie Blitz

Why do stores play music and why do some of them play it too loud?  Does music enhance your shopping experience or just annoy you?  What should be done to protect employees or others?

You can leave your hat on

 (The original title simply couldn’t be improved upon.)

Should religious expression through clothing be allowed in secular schools?  Is the religious indoctrination of children to be deplored, or simply a part of any child’s education, just as non-religious parents would also teach their children certain values and ideals? 

Bad chemistry with your partner?  Try a chemical solution.

This is the last entry you can comment on for the month of February.

Does the view of love which this article conveys seem too reductionist to you?  Is the failure of relationships today purely based on a clash between biology and societal factors, or is there something the writer is leaving out?  Is it fair to compare this drug to anti-depressents and other drugs which help relationships?  (You can also look at the author’s own discussion questions at the end of the article.)

Better than the majority is the majority

 Do you agree with this writer’s assessment of the advantages and disadvantages of a (perhaps overly) self-confident attitude?  Why, in your opinion, is such an attitude on the rise?  What do you think about the survey that gave us this information?  What would the results be if such a survey was given in Slovakia? 

Free, free, set them free!

 

We have already discussed this issue once in class, but now it has become relevant to the Slovak context.  Is having a presidential pardon a good thing, or should it be entirely up to the justice system whether prisoners get released?  What are the advantages and disadvantages of releasing prisoners early?  Should it be considered one possible solution to prison over-crowding?   Should it be done at once or only gradually?  Do you agree with which types of prisoners were chosen for this pardon?

Is Tumblr more than just orthographically challenged?

 

How can the format of social sites on the internet influence their content?  If you would like to encourage creativity and thoughtful expression, what are some of the best ways to do it?  Is the dumbing down of internet interaction inevitable?  Do you agree with this articles negative view of tumblr?  What is your preferred site and why?

The four-month-old teacher

Do you agree with the glowing description that the article gives of this educational programme?  Could all ages of students benefit?  What might be the downsides?  Would you be willing to donate your baby to the cause?

Give and take

 

Do you agree with the definitions of happiness and meaning given in this article?  Does looking for happiness ironically make one less happy?  Is everyone happier with meaning in life, or do some find meaninglessness more attractive?  Does this have anything to do with religious belief?  Is there meaning in suffering, or can looking for meaning in bad things cause more pain?  If some philosophers are right in that life has no intrinsic meaning, are we just deluding ourselves when we look for one?

Uncaring or uncarring

This is the last entry you can comment on for January.

How do you feel about cars?  If they are bad for the environment, how can we help people become less dependent on them and use them less?  Do attitudes need to change about cars, or do government policies?  What do you think about the solutions proposed in this article, both for urban and rural areas?  Is Slovakia become more or less like America in terms of being automobile-centered?

Mind the gap!

Are gap years just for spoiled, lazy, rich kids in wealthy countries, or should more students have this experience?  Do gap years hinder academic progress?  If you take a gap year, how should you spend it?  How should it be financed?  Do you agree with this writer’s assessments of the benefits of taking a gap year?

Don’t blame me.  I’m sick.

Here is another article on gambling.  Can gambling addiction be considered a disease?  Does this author do a good job of assessing the pluses and minuses of considering an addiction a disease?  Does it depend on whether you are the person with the addiction or the person who is trying to help someone get over the addiction?

Sportsmen or showmen, athletes or actors?

Does professional sports still have anything to do with sports, or is it mainly a business (and a business based on entertainment at that)?  Do you agree with this writer, who sides with the coach, or does the commissioner have a point?  Would your answer change if you had paid for tickets and did not get to see the star players?

Making them pay

  
How can countries effectively tax multinational corporations, if they should indeed be taxed?  What do you think of the idea of making their tax offences public, perhaps with the aim of informing customers so that they can feel free to boycott or take their business elsewhere?  Do you think Cameron’s claim that this would violate their confidentiality valid, or is this blurring the line too much between individuals and corporations?

Oops.  So maybe that joke wasn’t so funny.

 

There are a lot of interesting points made both in this article and in the comments which follow. (You are free to reference those too.)  A sample:  Do companies have a right to censor their employees?  When is it legitimate to judge others for what they say on social media?  Does this case show that protecting one’s privacy in the world of the internet is a lost cause?  Is this issue about censorship, freedom of expression, or being civil?

Gonny say guid bye to the Sassanachs?

This is the last entry you can comment on for December.

Do you agree with the author that the chances of other countries forming in Europe due to secession are next to none?  Why do these regions want independence?  Is it just emotional, or are there other important motivations?  What would it take for these countries to successfully split off, as Slovakia did about 10 years ago?  Does every nationality have the right to its own nation, and if not, what special privileges and protections should be given to minorities?  If you were from Svidnik, would you be interested in creating an independent Ruthenia?