I’m pregnant and…

A new series on the Discovery Channel documents women who are in compromising situations while pregnant. The latest installment shows a woman who is incarcerated in a Nebraska female institution. This institution is 1 of 10 in the US that has a ward specifically for babies and their mothers. The entrance requirements are strict, but the ward separates new babies and mothers from the rest of the prison population. It also offers mandatory parenting classes, as well as OB-GYN and pre-natal services, paid for by the state.



What are the pros and cons of these programs? Is it acceptable to have the state pay for these services? Is this program encouraging women to get pregnant and then commit crimes in order to receive care for them and their baby?

Going overboard?

Last week, a California school banned copies of the Merriam-Webster dictionary after parents complained of an entry defining oral sex. While the school has since reinstated the dictionary, children must have permission slips signed by their guardians to use it.

The dictionary contains multiple entries which any number of people might find offensive. Is the school right in originally banning the dictionary and then treating it like the Satanic Bible, or have the parents in this town gone a little overboard?

Super Bowl goes pro-life

CBS has announced that it will allow “appropriate” advocacy ads, including one from pro-life group Focus on the Family, into the onslaught of multi-million dollar spots on Super Bowl Sunday.



While the ads might be deemed appropriate, it is appropriate for CBS to allow advertisements for non-commercial purposes? Should the ads stick to Coke vs. Pepsi, instead of Pro-Life vs. Pro-Choice?

Backtracking

The United Nations special representative in Afghanistan is calling for the removal of several top Taliban officials from the international black list. This is in hopes of opening up dialogue with the terrorist organization, and is supported by Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

After all of the work that the international community has done over the past decade to counter terrorist groups, like the Taliban, what sense does it make to begin taking names off of watch lists? How necessary at this point is dialogue with these groups? Does this just seem like two giant steps backwards in the fight against terrorism?

Campaigns and the 1st Amendment

Last week, the Supreme Court struck down a major portion of the McCain-Feingold Act. The Court ruled that it is unconstitutional for the Act to limit funds put towards campaign media, as well as monitor the amount of money corporations contribute to a particular campaign. The President has spoken out on the ruling, implying that it waters down the democratic process by allowing big business to significantly influence opinion.
How does the ruling change campaign processes? What sort of control was already existent before last week’s ruling, especially regarding campaign media and attack ads? Is the McCain-Feingold Act, or other limiting legislation, even necessary in campaigning?

The evolution of journalism

The National Enquirer has announced that it will be applying for this year’s Pulitzer Prize. While many would hardly consider the news magazine worthy of the prize, what does the announcement say about the evolving face of journalism?

With magazines like the Enquirer and websites like Gawker and the Drudge Report being able to publish stories faster, and sometimes more accurately, than their major counterparts, is regular print dead? Is investigative media failing to actually investigate, opting instead to be more sensationalistic than the tabloids?

Exploitation or humanitarianism?

Over a week into the coverage of the Haiti earthquake, several news agencies are still broadcasting live on the ground. For one in particular, the tragic events have become a showcase for their anchors, weathermen and doctors, who seem to do miraculous things while the cameras are rolling.

With the ongoing chaos in the area, is it appropriate to follow these people around with cameras in the hopes of finding a new heroic story to highlight? Does pulling someone from the rubble or saving a baby with a cut to the head seem just a little too staged?

Race to the finish

With last night’s win of Scott Brown in Massachusetts, many Democrats should be shaking in their boots. Their filibuster-proof super majority is now gone, and Dems need to examine what they were able to accomplish in the time they had. After this upset, as well as others in Virginia and New Jersey, it is safe to say that people are running a referendum on President Obama’s agenda.


What does this latest incident spell in terms of Obama’s agenda, especially healthcare? If you were a White House staffer, what advice would you give to the President? Should Congress push through the healthcare reform package prior to Brown’s confirmation, or will this create a further discord between Americans and the Democratic party?

Pride or prejudice?

Last week. the Long Island town of Huntington demolished a wooded encampment which served as makeshift shelter for the area’s day laborers, most of whom are in the U.S. illegally. With no homeless shelters in the town, and only one in the entire county (which does not accept applicants without proper papers), these immigrants have been forced out of shelter in the dead of winter. Many residents have been good enough to take people in.

Why would the town council decide to destroy the encampment, which had been around for years in a non-descript area, during the harshest months of the year? Are they being cruel or are they right in following city fire codes? Said one volunteer, “…some people around here would have more outrage about a dog being left outside than a group of hungry, homeless human beings.”

Too close for comfort

24 premiered last night, and although I may be a die-hard fan there seemed to be something peculiar about this incarnation. In times past, the conflict resonated between the United States and a threat that was veiled well enough by the producers to avoid any real-world allusions. This time, that veil was certainly lifted as the US enters into a peace agreement with the nuclear power hungry Islamic Republic of Kamistan. All the bells and whistles will definitely follow.

Is such a real-world allusion to both Pakistan and Iran a little too close for comfort, especially given the evolving intricacies of the political realm? As the series evolves, what anti-Mid East sentiment could it drum up? In a time where the division between reality and television is muddled, what risk does this near direct political reference create?

Gang-bangin' on a bus

Alfred Lomas, a Los Angeles native and former gang member, opens up his LA Gang Tours business this weekend. The tour, much like those for post-Hurricane Katrina’s 9th Ward and Chicago’s mob, takes patrons through the streets of LA and across many of the sites which have made the city infamous.

Some say that the tour is exploiting the plight of the lower class in LA, while others claim that it is bringing their struggles to light. How is this tour different from others which tend to spring up from tragic events? Is it exploitative or productive?

Prop 8 goes viral?

After a local California judge ruled to allow delayed YouTube video of proceedings in the Proposition 8 battle, the Supreme Court has struck down the idea. The 5-4 split in the Court has many crying foul, saying that public discourse is being hindered in this nonjury trial. Supporters of Prop 8 have said that the video feed would be unfair to those testifying, while proponents of same-sex marriage want to ensure that people’s positions are made public.

Major court cases, even those with juries, have been televised in real time before. The OJ Simpson case immediately comes to mind. Regardless of one’s position on the issue of same-sex marriage, should the Prop 8 trial be available online for those who would want to view it? Does the viral broadcast in any way hinder proceedings? What sort of precedent does this set, if at all, for future court cases?

Pat Robertson's pact with the devil

Our favorite evangelical newscaster, Pat Robertson, is out helping to teach Americans some history we may have missed. In a broadcast of the 700 Club yesterday, Robertson claimed that the 7.0 Haitian earthquake was a result of the country’s “…pact with the devil…” made in the late 1700s, and that it was a blessing for the people.

One might excuse these comments from a crackpot on the street, but Robertson’s following numbers in the tens of millions. These comments, in addition to numerous other outrageous claims made in the past decade including the assassination call for Hugo Chavez and the destruction of Dover Pennsylvania, begin to tug on the fabric of free speech. The Better Business Bureau even claims that they are “….unable to verify the organization’s compliance…”

Should there be limits on what can be said to a television audience? The First Amendment does guarantee against hate speech, incitement to violence and slander based on US Supreme Court case Miller v. California. Has Robertson gone beyond the free speech line?

A sleeping dragon or a lame-brained dodo

After several sophisticated incursions into user accounts, some say by the Government, Google has decided to reconsider its position in China, up to and including the end of operations in the country. In the past several hours censorship by Google has ended, and Chinese are now able to view articles and pictures the Government deems inappropriate. These include pictures of the Dalai Lama, the Tiananmen Square protests and web pages devoted to Falun Gong. While the Chinese Government is yet to comment, it would not be surprising if they evicted Google altogether. Currently, all Google staff in China are on paid leave.
Given this latest development, is the sleeping dragon quickly ostracizing itself from the west? Is China’s unwillingness to give up a little control in the hopes of becoming a world power hindering efforts? Does China have more to gain than to loose?

A million dollar drug habit

“It’s a little black eye on baseball, but it’s hard to fault a guy for doing it to bounce back from a heavy workout or to be better…”

Davy Johnson-former major league player

In the light of not-so-shocking revelations of Mark McGwire’s steroid use, Johnson’s remarks excuse the use of the drug in the hopes of fair play. It seems to set a pretty high (no pun intended) standard for sports stars to live up to. What example is this setting for future athletes? If performance-enhancing drugs are just a black eye, what could be considered a deep wound?

A dying economy

With the economy slumping in many parts of the country, families have had to find ways to tighten their belts. In many places, this means turning their loved ones over to indigent burial services. These state-funded funeral services are primarily for those who have no family, but more and more bodies are going unclaimed in deposit facilities. Overcrowding in Oregon’s morgues is posing a problem, and Michigan is reporting a near doubling in indigent burials over the last year.

What public policy implications does this increase pose? Is it the responsibility of the state to provide for unclaimed bodies, no questions asked?

A miracle drive-thru diet?

Commercials advertising a new Taco Bell diet drive-thru menu have begun to air in the past week. It features a women claiming to have lost nearly 60 pounds by simply eating from this menu. She does claim, however, that her results were not typical. Interestingly, I saw the commercial again last night and it omitted that final caveat.

Given that obesity is now the number one killer of Americans, is it prudent for Taco Bell to run such an ad? Is it a blatant falsification of information, or should caveat emptor reign supreme? How does this campaign compare to that of Subway’s Jared? Will this become a PR blunder for Taco Bell?

When synching becomes lethal

Last week, Ford’s CEO unveiled plans to include on-board technologies to allow drivers access to twitter, movie times, maps and internet radio through an 8-inch touch screen. This comes as an attempt to make the brand viable in the coming decade, even as the U.S. car industry is faltering in the current economic climate.

How necessary is it, though, to twitter while driving? Or to check the latest movie times? If humans cannot be trusted to talk on a cell phone without getting distracted from the task at hand, driving, how can they be trusted when in-car capabilities actually take their eyes off the road?

Spare the rod...

Presenting at a conference of the Society for Research in Child Development, Marjorie Gunroe gave findings which indicate that adults who were spanked “…do better in school, perform more volunteer work and are more optimistic than others…” This goes against conventional wisdom on the practice, including claims of detrimental consequences.

Taking into account increased violence and misbehavior among children, should a little punishment be reintroduced? Is it necessary for government to get involved in this matter by banning the practice, or should it be a parent’s choice? What experiences do you have with this, and how do you think it has created who you are today?

A new, third tea-party?

NY Times columnist David Brooks articulated in a recent article that the tea party movement, if positioned correctly, could become a major third party in the coming decade. His justification comes from what could simply be put down as the “dumbing of America” in that the movement bases itself on what it is against…namely, the educated majority. Brooks cites that “…every single idea associated with the educated class has grown more unpopular over the past year…” including issues of global warming, foreign policy and abortion. These are the issues the movement is aiming to address, with a 41 per cent approval rating from the American public.

How can we then synthesize this information? Is the tea party movement a growing electoral force, or farce? How much of it is based on policy, and how much on simply being against anything the current administration puts forward? Being that it is populated by the less educated, how far can the movement realistically go?

Burj Khalifa…monument to a bygone era?

Yesterday marked the much anticipated opening of the new Burj Dubai, wait, make that Burj Khalifa in the United Arab Emirates. After several hiccoughs along the way, including the near collapse of the local economy, how should the public view this mega-structure? In a time post-global economic crisis, is the building simply a vanity reminiscent of insider Wall Street power deals?

Reactionary state of terror?

In the wake of major terror plots and threats over the past few weeks, a man crossing the wrong way through an exit at Newark International Airport yesterday caused the evacuation of over 10,000 people. While his ability to follow directions can certainly be called into question, there is a deeper issue here. How was someone able to enter through an outside “non-sterile” area of the airport without any security monitoring him? Granted, there were cameras that caught the entire incident, but where were the actual TSA attendants? Add this to the recently leaked TSA manual, which specifically cites a lack of security at terminal exits, and it is amazing that breaches of security do not happen more often.

How is it possible, then, to move from this series of reactionary attempts at preventing wrong-doing to something more proactive? What steps will be necessary to increase security, while decreasing a state of panic and fear?