Gruff billy goats against the lowlifes under the bridge or below the article

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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?

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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…

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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

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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

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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?

Sod Codger

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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...

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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?

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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

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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

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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?

No more Mr. Bad Guy

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This article actually consists mostly of a transcript of a conversation about the recent Pixar film Turning Red, which is currently showing in Slovak cinemas (dubbed of course).  While it may help to have watched the film, you can easily comment on the trends which this film exhibits without having seen it.  What do you think about the fact that fewer of these animated films for children have an evil villain at their center or that more of them are about the immigrant experience?  What effect might these trends have on the new generation that has grown up watching films like this?

Big Bill Bruising

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It seems to me that this article from New Zealand might not reflect how Slovaks see this issue.  What do you do when you go to a restaurant with others and need to figure out who pays what?   What do you think of the author's recommendations? (By the way, I think the Friends clip serves as a good illustration of this situation.)

Taking the Fast Track

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This is a seasonally appropriate article given that Catholics have just gone through Lent and Muslims are still in Ramadan, but it also covers political and medical implications of fasting.  What are the advantages and possible disadvantages of fasting?  Do you fast, have you fasted, or would you ever consider fasting?

Precolonial Multiculturalism

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Here is a history article for a change.  Was early modern Europe more multi-racial and multi-cultural than people imagine or admit?  Does this apply to only Western Europe or could it apply to places further east as well (see Pushkin's great-grandfather for example)?  Does European history as taught in school take this presence into account or even mention it? If it is true, as is often claimed, that racism became official or crystallised as a justification for colonialism and the slave trade, is the author correct in advocating more awareness of an African presence in early modern Europe to help combat racism and the idea of a purely white Europe? This article is mainly based on the travels of Zaga Christ, but to get a sense of the evidence for the larger argument being made here, I would recommend that you click on some of the hyperlinks (which you can also refer to in your comment).

What your kids might want

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

Does the author just use her (future) children as an excuse to hoard?  Are you a hoarder? On the other hand, have you ever regretted throwing something out?  How important is it to keep objects in order to keep a connection to our past?  Does a wealthy capitalist culture tend to encourage throwing away things to buy new ones, or does it tend to encourage hoarding by promoting the purchase of more space?