Leaked blood tests from the IAAF reveal that many professional runners that won Olympic medals and world championships between 2001 and 2012 are suspected of doping. The previous doping scandal happened in 2012 when Lance Armstrong was stripped of his seven Tour de France victories after it was revealed that he was guilty of doping. These doping news follow the FIFA bribing scandal that happened earlier this year which resulted in the resignation of president Sepp Blatter. With the integrity of professional sports in question, do you think that the doping allegations will hurt the Olympic Games?
Would Amy and Chuck Schumer’s plan for tighter gun control decrease mass shootings?
Amy Schumer has teamed up with her cousin, Senator Chuck Schumer, to call for tighter gun control. The actor has been vocal about her support of greater gun control in the wake of the shooting of two women at the screening of her own movie, Trainwreck. The shooter, John Houser, had a history of mental illness yet legally obtained his gun. The Schumers are calling for a three-part plan that will make it more difficult for violent criminals and mentally ill people to acquire firearms. The proposed legislation has a reward and punishment system. States that submit all required records into the background check system receive a monetary reward and states that fail to comply are punished. Sen. Schumer also asks Congress to continue funding for mental health and drug abuse programs. They believe that this plan will decrease mass shootings. Do you agree?
Are you more afraid of the political crazies or the status quo?
With socialist Bernie Sanders and unfiltered Donald Trump making headlines, New York Times Magazine chief national correspondent Mark Leibovich raised the question of whether we should fear political crazies. Leibovich writes that “Each party has always had passionate elements whom its (mainstream) leaders and candidates have decried as loony tunes.” However, views of what constitutes mainstream and loony can change over time (ex. Tea Party). Additionally, he notes that “it’s arguable that the political status quo is itself a big bag of calcified crazy” as our political process is broken.
So, are you more afraid of political crazies or the status quo?
To read the full article: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/02/magazine/should-we-fear-the-political-crazies.html
Do you support President Obama’s climate change plan?
President Obama has announced his climate change plan, which mandates a 32% nationwide cut of carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 on 2005 levels, a stricter reduction than the 30% that was previously proposed. States are also expected to comply by 2022. Obama’s plan also emphasizes on making renewable energy happen and will push for a switch from coal and natural gas to wind and solar power. While hundreds of businesses have lauded Obama on his policy that “climate change is not a problem for another generation, not anymore,” others criticize that the plan is impractical and too expensive to implement.
Do you support President Obama’s climate change plan?
Should Hillary Clinton be worried if Joe Biden decides to run for president?
Reports indicate that Vice President Joe Biden is thinking of running for president. While recent polls show Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton maintaining a commanding lead in the Democratic primary, a recent Quinnipiac University poll shows Clinton losing ground in favorability and trustworthiness (as Time notes "with 57 percent of Americans viewing her as neither honest nor trustworthy") in addition to head-to-head match-ups against Republican candidates. These negatives, which also came up in polls in key swing states, were not helped by her use of personal email during her tenure at the State Department being back in the news. It is not all doom and gloom for Clinton as a recent Marist University poll shows her beating all of the potential GOP nominees.
Do you think Clinton should be worried if Biden gets in the race?
Gisele Bundchen donned a burqa to evade the paparazzi. Offensive to Muslims or a reasonable attempt at privacy?
Model Gisele Bundchen put on a burqa to conceal her identity during her trip to the plastic surgeon in Paris. Hoping to evade the paparazzi, Bundchen was nontheless discovered by the photographers who noticed her longtime chaffeur. Bundchen and her sister were both dressed in burqas, but quite evidently did not research enough about Muslim culture as their feet were visible in their open-toed sandals - shoes that strict Muslim women are prohibited to wear. Do you think that Bundchen’s actions are offensive to Muslims or a reasonable attempt at privacy?
Is Aquila, Facebook’s aircraft that sends Internet access through lasers, the next big thing?
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?
Is Donald Trump appealing because of his policies or his ability to say “what’s on his mind”?
Noted businessman and owner of the Dallas Mavericks Mark Cuban voiced his approval of Donald Trump’s political campaign on his Cyber Dust messaging app. He explained the appeal of Trump, stating that “I don’t care what his actual positions are. I don’t care if he says the wrong thing. He says what’s on his mind. He gives honest answers rather than prepared answers. This is more important than anything any candidate has done in years.” Do you think Trump owes his popularity more to his opinions on issues or his unfiltered candor?