Creator of Facebook Mark Zuckerberg has announced the project that his Internet.org effort has been working on for a year. It is an unmanned solar powered aircraft that has the wingspan of a Boeing 737 and weighs less than a car. The name of the aircraft is “ Aquila,” and it will be equipped with lasers that can send internet access to communities below the aircraft. As Zuckerberg explains on his Facebook page, “This effort is important because 10% of the world’s population lives in areas without existing internet infrastructure. To affordably connect everyone, we need to build completely new technologies.” Do you think that Aquila is the next big thing for technology?
Has the footage of Samuel DeBose’s death shown that police officers be required to wear body cameras?
Earlier this month, University of Cincinnati police officer Ray Tensing pulled a man, Samuel DuBose, over for an alleged missing front license plate. Tensing shot and killed DuBose after pulling the man over, claiming that he was being dragged by DuBose’s car and feared for his life. Tensing’s body camera footage shows Tensing asking DuBose to remove his seat belt and DuBose replying that “I didn’t even do nothing” before restarting his car up. Before DuBose has a chance to pull away, Tensing reaches into the car and shoots DuBose in the head. Prosecutor Joe Deters has since commented on how the footage vastly differs from Tensing’s claims, saying “It’s an absolute tragedy that anyone would behave in this manner. It was senseless. It’s just horrible.” Deters added that the footage shows that Tensing "was making an excuse for a purposeful killing". Tensing has been indicted for a murder charge, to which he has pleaded not guilty. The body camera footage that goes against Tensing’s story may prove crucial in this case. In light of how vital the body camera on Tensing is proving to be, do you think it is necessary for all police officers to be required to wear body cameras?
Should Planned Parenthood lose its federal funding?
The women’s health care provider Planned Parenthood has gone under fire for a video that was posted online that involved a Planned Parenthood worker discussing the sale of fetal tissue to an anti-abortionist disguised as an interested buyer. Planned Parenthood has since then released statements explaining that anti-abortionist group “heavily edited the footage to make false and absurd assertions about our standards and services.” The organization has admitted to obtaining organs from aborted fetuses and given the tissue to researchers with the mother’s consent, a practice that they say is legal. At the moment, Congress is considering defunding the organization. Many Republican lawmakers have said that obtaining fetal organs for research is morally incorrect, and have also accused Planned Parenthood of selling the tissue for a profit. Those in support of Planned Parenthood have pointed out its decades-long service to providing health care to those that had no other access to birth control, STI testing, and such. These services would no longer be available without funding. Do you think that Planned Parenthood should lose its federal funding?
Should Hillary Clinton state whether or not she supports the Keystone XL project?
“I refuse to turn my back on what is one of the greatest threats and greatest opportunities America faces,” said Hillary Clinton on her position on climate change, generating approval from environmental activists. Yet, she has also received criticism for her refusal to talk about the Keystone XL Pipeline project. When asked if she supported the project, Clinton replied, “If it’s undecided when I become president, I will answer your question. This is President Obama’s decision. I’m not going to second-guess him.” She cited that she is “in a different position than any other candidate,” because she played a part in putting the project together during her role as Secretary of State. This statement caused many to criticize her for her wariness to offend different parts of the democratic party. Should Clinton stop avoiding the topic and state her position?
Is Walter Palmer’s apology statement for killing Cecil the lion sincere?
American Dentist Walter Palmer has sparked outrage after the news came out that he is responsible for killing the beloved lion Cecil. Palmer flew to Zimbabwe and paid $50,000 to a couple of locals to help him lure the lion out of the park sanctuary. The dentist then shot the lion with a crossbow, a method of killing that lead to a slow death. Palmer has since released an apology for his action, which you can read here. Do you think Palmer’s apology is sincere?
Is Mike Huckabee's new position re. Iran sincere or trying to make headlines?
Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee expressed his dislike of the Iran Nuclear Deal in an interview on Saturday. He compared his forecast of the deal to the Holocaust, saying that Obama’s deal will ultimately “take the Israelis and march them to the door of the oven.” Huckabee’s stance against the Iran Deal is very different from his foreign policy back in 2008 when he was also running for president. At that time, Huckabee had argued for engaging with Iran rather than confronting the country. He argued that the US should approach containment when it came to Iraq, because if “we do not put other options on the table, eventually a military strike will become the only viable one.” Huckabee’s new position on approaching Iran makes us wonder - do you think Huckabee is sincerely making these comments or just trying to make headlines?
After the rejection of #Boston2024, does the US have a chance of hosting the Olympic Games in 2024?
The bid for the 2024 Summer Olympics to be held in Boston died on Monday. Read more about the “accumulation of mistakes and missed opportunities” that lead to the collapse of the bid here. Do you think the US still has a chance of hosting the Olympic Games in 2024 by choosing a different country?
Should all universities and colleges drop testing requirements for freshman admission?
George Washington University announced on Monday that it was dropping testing requirements for its freshman admission process, meaning that students are no longer required to submit their SAT and ACT scores when applying for the university. Dean of Admissions Karen Stroud Felton explained their decision, saying “Although we have long employed a holistic application review process, we had concerns that students who could be successful at GW felt discouraged from applying if their scores were not as strong as their high school performance.” By removing the testing requirements, Felton hopes that the university will attract “outstanding students from all over the world and from different backgrounds - regardless of their standardized scores - to recognize GW as a place where they can thrive.” Do you like the idea of all universities and colleges adopting this policy?
Boyan Slat has an idea to clean up the oceans. Is this the next big thing for the environment?
Engineering student Boyan Slat has come up with a way to clean up the oceans. Specifically, he is trying to clean up the eight million tons of non-biodegradable plastic that ends up in the ocean every year (The New York Times). Slat is aware that this trash circulates in five systems of rotating water currents (otherwise known as gyres). He has come up with the idea of taking advantage of the gyres by creating a shipless system that allows floating borders (anchored in place in attachments to the bottom of the ocean) to catch any trash pushed in by the currents. This system would also allow sea life to pass safely below. Slat’s Ocean Clean Up Foundation raised over $2 million by June 2014, but the first of Slat’s floating structures will not be released until 2016. Do you think Slat is onto something?
Rick Perry wants to address the Lafayette Shooting by allowing people to bring guns into theaters. Agree?
On CNN, Rick Perry was asked what he thought the government can do to keep guns out of the hands of people with mental and emotional problems. “I think we have the laws in place,” replied Perry. “There were individuals that I think, somewhere, somebody didn’t do their job in the standpoint of enforcing the laws that are on the books.” He then stated that “I would suggest that the concept of gun-free zones are a bad idea,” explaining, “I believe that, with all my heart, that if you have the citizens who are well trained, and particularly in these places that are considered to be gun-free zones, that we can stop that type of activity, or stop it before there’s as many people that are impacted as what we saw in Lafayette.” Do you believe that Perry is correct?