World Baseball Classic (Week 6- Ben Kalal)

March 5th marks the start of the 2nd annual World Baseball Classic. The Classic is an event that originated in 2006. Its original intention was to showcase the game of baseball on a world level. Essentially players are selected by their home countries and asked to represent their country in the competition. The idea sounds fairly good in principle, right? Problems come into place when these players want to play, but the major league club that they belong to do not want them to play. So they go out in the open and adamantly campaign against their players participating in the Classic, or in some cases petition Major League Baseball so that they can block players from playing in the classic. Is it right for these parent clubs to simply deny their players the opportunity to represent their country on the one of the biggest stages the game has to offer? Furthermore, it is sad to see that some players are simply refusing to represent their country because they feel like if they participate in the Classic, they will lose out on playing time to their fellow teammates in the upcoming regular season. Should these players have an obligation to represent their countries if asked to play? Or should these players only have an obligation to themselves, and simply worry about getting themselves ready for the upcoming season? The clip I have included, (sorry you have to click on it, I couldn't figure out how to embed it), talks with team USA manager Davey Johnson and USA team member David Wright. In the clip, the two discuss team USA's chances, their excitement on representing their country, and briefly touch on players who could not play in the Classic.
http://web.worldbaseballclassic.com/media/player/mp_tpl.jsp?vid=1&pid=&fid=300&cid=mlb&v=2&flv=http%3A//mediadownloads.mlb.com/mlbam/2009/01/19/mlbtv_1437243_800K.flv&id=898864&streamType=Progressive%20Download&domain=worldbaseballclassic.com&adUrl=http%3A//ad.doubleclick.net/pfadx/mlb.mlb/mlb%3Bpage%3Dmedia%3Bsect%3Dplayer%3Bmatch%3Dvideolanding%3Bpos%3D1%3Bsz%3D512x288%3Btile%3D1%3Bord%3D1235586527879&adBannerUrl=http%3A//ad.doubleclick.net/adi/wbc.mlb%3Bpage%3Dmedia%3Bsect%3Dplayer%3Bmatch%3Dwbc%3Bpos%3D1%3Bsz%3D728x90%3Btile%3D1%3Bdc_seed%3D197548186%3Bord%3D1235586527879&adType=flash&_mp=1

Nationalization of Banks? (Week 6 - Kelly Gibbs)

As worries about possible bank failures have intensified, the Obama administration is working on creating a plan that would give the government ownership of some banks without scaring away private investors. In order to restore confidence in the financial markets and to jump start lending, the Treasury said it would buy preferred shares of stock in the U.S. banks, savings and loans. The plan promises shares that taxpayers will own will be paid back with an alleged "reasonable return". The hope is that this will create an incentive for banks to remove themselves from the plan or the government will take a larger portion of the returns. The Treasury Department insists that banks that participate will have to abide by rules which prohibit large golden parachutes to corporate executives when the tax payers money is at risk.

This is an extremely important issue to consider especially since our generation will be paying the deficit that is created during this administration. Do you think this 'bank bailout' will be effective? And if not, what options do we have as citizens to stop these kinds of decisions from being made in Washington?

This clip from Fox News is extremely informative and outlines ways in which our tax money may be spent on this plan.

http://www.youtube.com/watchv=5Tluf7OSR-Q

Michael Phelps Caught Taking Bong Hit

Earlier this year Michael Phelps was photographed taking a bong hit at a University of South Carolina college party. The story was first reported by a British tabloid with the headline, “What a Dope.” Below there is a video of reporter Shelly Palmer reporting the story. He states that he could argue for both sides of this event, but he definitely takes the stance that this was entirely overplayed and blown out of proportion. This is one of many videos that take the side of Michael Phelps doing nothing wrong. However there is another side that argues Michael Phelps was completely out of line by smoking pot. Other articles talk about how he lost his sponsorship from Kellogg’s and banned from the USA swim team. I chose this video because I like the comparisons to other athletes and criminals Palmer uses to describe the Phelps incident. There are two clear sides to this argument. Was Phelps wrong in his actions or did the media make a mountain out of a molehill?





http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V91RNzUya3E&feature=related

Current Event Assignment (Week 5 - Brendan Murphy)

On January 26, 2009, Nadya Suleman gave birth to octuplets, through In-Vitro fertilazation. Suleman was already a mother to six children at home three of which are disabled. In this video, which was on the Today Show,Suleman is interviewed by Ann Curry of MSNBC's Dateline, regarding the octuplets. This video touches on all the issues of controversy; single mother parernting, unemployment, and In-Vitro fertalization. Do you think this mother is being selfish? What are your views on the doctor that allowed such a procedure?

This is only a short clip from youtube that highlights the interview, for the full video go to: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29129311 and click on the link to the hour long segment.

Current Event Assignment (Week 5 - Catie Wojciehowski)

On January 22, 2009, President Obama issued three executive orders requiring that the Guantanamo Bay detention facility be closed within a year. With the closing of Guantanamo Bay, the controversy lies in where the United States will send these detainees. One solution is for prisoners to be brought to the United States and held in jails or on military bases. Other prisoners could be set free and return to their home countries due to inadequate evidence. Should the Guantanamo detainees be sent to the United States? Is it safe?

Codex Alimentarius Current Event Assignment--Week 4--Ryan Widerberg

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5266884912495233634

While it would be beneficial to watch this entire clip, as my current event will include details from its entirety, these segments are the most important: 3:30-10:00, 11:00-15:00, 20:00-23:00.

Codex Alimentarius is a list of food standards and guidelines and if passed will be a global law under the UN. It is an important piece of legislation because it trumps the sovereignty of our national law, yet includes groups for and against its passing.

Sorry I initially posted this on the wrong blog...sorry if you didn't have a chance to watch it.
http://codexalimentarius-ryanwiderberg.blogspot.com/

Current Event Assignment (Week 4 - Valencia Moore)

The Controversy over Michael Phelps Bong Picture



This is a video about Michael Phelps and a picture of him smoking marijuana from a bong. He acknowledged regrettable behavior after a photo in a British newspaper showed this picture and also gives a background of the situation he is involved in after this photo being taken. What do you think about his behaviors and loosing deals with Kellogg's becuase of this photo?

Week 4 CE - Katerina

The clip below shows American citizens' reactions to the rise in stamp prices, when it occurred in May 2008. Last year, the stamp prices only raised by one cent and May 11, 2009 they are set to rise again by another 2 cents, making the price 44 cents. These reactions will still, most likely, hold strong today and will probably be even heightened because of the economic crises. All of the three reactions make strong points regarding the postage stamp increase and are worth looking into. What do you think about the rise in stamps for the fourth consecutive year?

Current Event - Week Four (Brian Mayer)

Current Event Assignment- Week 4, Alex Eckhout

The video below is an ESPN interview with New York Yankees third basemen Alex Rodriguez. In the interview he admits to using steroids from 2001-2003 while he played with the Texas Rangers. The confession was spurred by the leak of formerly confidential test results from 2003 which showed A-Rod and over 100 other players testing positive for steroids. Steroids have been banned from Major League Baseball since 1991, but there were no penalties for positive test results until 2004. So should A-Rod be punished his crime, even though it did not have a penalty when he committed it?