Article Link
Basically what the article is saying is that President Obama is trying to take action not to provide amnesty for undocumented immigrants, but make it so that they are not being targeted for deportation. That means that they are not legal citizens but Obama certainly is pushing the limits of his power. The last time something like this happened was with resident Ronald Reagan 28 years ago. Clearly, Obama seems to be pro-immigration, but it's always seemed to be a controversial issue. I found it really interesting how we as a country went from being totally anti-immigration with the Chinese exclusion act of 1882 to being this accepting (some of us are, anyway) of immigrants. What would the pros and cons of a action like the one President Obama is making be? Do you agree or disagree with his policy regarding immigration? Is he overstepping his powers as president by trying to remove the threat of deportation from undocumented residents (even if temporarily)?
Monday, November 17, 2014
Teaching Civilized Dissent: All Backgrounds Welcome
This past week, 100 middle school students from 10 schools around New York meet together at Tarrytown, N.Y. for a monthly tournament in order to be taught about civilized dissent. Together they from the New York Debate League which is composed of students from elite institutions and a large amount of poor students. This league accepts any child of ethnic background and involves a distinct mix of students. The tournaments involve students being given a topic in which they have 20 minutes to study and then participate in a debate based on their given topic. Some of the students that have been involved in this league believe that it helps them prepare for the real world. Another influence that these tournaments have on the students is that it allows the students to grow an appreciation of research, debate skills, and other skills which they will need for real world situations weather it be for political or presentation purposes. Finally, these tournaments provide middle school students of a more diverse ethnic background and who's families are not as financially stable as others to pay for more elite schools, the chance to learn about civil dissent and acquire real world skills... So What? Do you think that these tournaments will have a good influence on the youth of America? What kind of outcome will these tournaments have on those who participate in them?
Wednesday, November 12, 2014
New court decision could end California's restrictions on conceal-carry permits
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/11/12/new-court-decision-likely-ends-california-restrictions-on-conceal-carry-permits/
In california Law-abiding Californians may not need to justify their need to carry concealed weapons, after the same three-judge panel that struck down restrictions on the permits earlier this year ruled Wednesday that it is too late for new opponents to join the fight against the ruling. The decision by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals would bar other law enforcement officials, including state Attorney General Kamala Harris, from gaining "intervener status" to join in further challenges of its ruling in a case originally brought by an independent journalist who sued the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department over its policy of requiring a specific reason for being allowed to carry a concealed weapon in public. Do you think its right for them to do this why or why not?
Sunday, November 9, 2014
For Super Bowl 50, NFL courts LGBT businesses
article
For the first time ever, the NFL is outreaching to businesses owned by lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgenders for the year of 2016. Robb Fleischer, president of the Golden Gate Business Association, claims San Francisco is going to be the best place to create history for the LGBT community. The NFL tries to target small businesses owned by minorities, women, and disabled veterans for their Business Connection program; the LGBT community is thrilled to be included in their organization. The Business Connection program helps get businesses become incorporated in presentations from representatives of the NFL and the Super Bowl 50 Host Committee staff and corporate sponsors. Nathan Ballard, a spokesman for the NFL, claims these outreach programs are not exclusively beneficial to the NFL, but the entire business world. Do you believe there will be backlash against the NFL for associating with LGBT? Does this make a progressive step towards equality? Do you think more companies should corporate with the LGBT community?
Thursday, November 6, 2014
Republicans seize Senate, gaining full control of Congress
http://www.cnn.com/2014/11/04/politics/election-day-story/index.html
The GOP, or the Grand Old Party, won the over the senate this year. The GOP is better known as the Republican Party which is one of the two major political parties in America today. Being the majority in the Senate is a good thing for the republicans. The senate is able to do many things which includes opposing/rejecting proposed treaties or laws, and they also help elect federal executive officials. Many republicans openly contested Obama's recent health care plan but were unsuccessful on rejecting this plan because they were the minority in the Senate. Now that the republicans have control of the Senate they have the power to reject any of Obama's bills. I am not if this is a good thing or not. Certainly having the upperhand in the Senate helps the republicans try to make America the way they want it. It may also help improve America overall; because now there will be two different point of views trying to push their points across, and thus, giving us all the best we can get from them.Do you think that the GOP deserved to win? How will this impact the US?
Wednesday, November 5, 2014
Teachers File Lawsuit Against Principal for Discrimination
Link
Three former teachers from Bailey's Elementary School are filing a lawsuit against the school's principal, Marie Lemmon, for discrimination against race, religion, and gender. It also appears that this isn't the first time any charges have been filed against Lemmon's discrimination, but none of the previous affidavits by other teachers have been acknowledged by the school system. Years have passed since the Civil War and women's rights movements, yet discrimination is still very much alive and active in this country. And often times, especially in the case of schools, the matter is quietly shoved to the side to hopefully be forgotten. I believe that the education system should properly punish those who display discrimination as much as Lemmon does instead of attempting to protect the school's image. What do you guys think? Do you think discrimination occurring in schools should receive more attention, or is it too minor of a matter to be worried about?
Monday, November 3, 2014
Mandatory Mandarin: Portuguese kids take compulsory Chinese class
The Portuguese town of Sao Joao da Madeira has recently made learning Mandarin compulsive for children 8 and 9 years old. This town has a large shoe industry and most of these children will end up making shoes or working for footwear companies. By mandating that children learn Mandarin, authorities hope that they will be able to work with or in China, whose footwear market is the biggest in the world. I think that it is good that these children are given this opportunity so early in their education, so that they can continue to use Mandarin throughout life and in their careers. The unemployment rate throughout Portugal is 13.6%, so it makes sense to give these children some way to succeed in the highly competitive job market. In early 1800s America, during the slave trade, slaves were forced to learn English and could not continue speaking their native languages. This could be seen as a historical connection because the children have no choice on whether or not they want to learn Mandarin. On the other hand, I think that this is much more like Reconstruction where the freedmen were finally allowed to learn English and most of them pursued it happily. What do you think? Is it right to make learning a language non-native to your country mandatory? Should the children be able to choose?
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