This is the slide that appeared for the final debates.
When all is said and done, what does the 2nd Amendment mean to you?
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NFL to fine players who don’t stand…
In a new wrinkle to our 2017 debate topic, the NFL may start to fine players who refuse to stand for the national anthem.
Private Prisons, Revisited
Our 2015 final debate topic was “Should private prisons be legal?” The New York Times published an article describing some of the serious issues related to a private prison in Mississippi.
Woman Killed by Driverless Car
Tragedy struck when a woman was killed by a driverless car. The car was an Uber taxicab, and there was a person in the car (though not driving at the time).
Uber plans to suspend its driverless car project for the time being.
Virtual Currency, Revisited
Back in 2014, our debate topic was “In the future, all currency should be virtual.” Well, Israel took a step in that direction, when it passed a law to limit cash transactions between people and stores. They did it to stop different kinds of economic crimes, as well as to make sure the goverment collects all of the taxes to which they are entitled.
At the same time, bankers around the world met to discuss whether the countries’ central banks (the main governemnt banks) should issue virtual currency at all. They were afraid it could ruin economies and contribute to financing terrorism.
Debaters, Start Your Engines!
This morning is the start of Round 2. Here is the opening slide:
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What About Self-driving Trucks?
As we delve deeper into the topic of automated (aka self-driving) cars, we keep running into questions about self-driving trucks. Would the same rules apply? Do we need different laws for trucks than for cars? Which should come first? What about all the trucking jobs? We are curious to hear what the teams found out in their research. Round 2 begins next week. Are you ready?!
NY Times Magazine Hits the Road with our Topic!
A November 2017 issue of the NY Times Magazine was almost 100% devoted to thoughtful articles about driverless cars. The subheading was “What happens to roadkill or traffic tickets when our vehicles are in control?” If you are interested in deep thinking, then follow the link below.
Go Army!
This soldier plays on the Pittsburgh Steelers. He is the only one on his team to stand for the National Anthem. Here is his story:
What would my therapist say?
It seems that even psychologists are interested in our first debate topic. An article in Psychology Today magazine suggests that we consider each side of the “stand or kneel” debate before making up our minds. That way, we won’t get into any fights on or off the playing field.
To Kneel or Stand: The National Anthem
Digital Currency a Reality
Well, the kids debated it in 2014, and three years later it is a reality. Look at this sign in a Japanese restaurant on 31st street in Manhattan. They only accept credit and debit cards…no money allowed! Which means that if you wanted to pay for your meal with dollars and coins, or if you are not old enough to have a credit/debit card, or if your credit card was turned down, etc., etc., you have to go to another restaurant. Bad luck if you are craving sushi!
Sanctuary Cities
The debate is over, but we just now came across a map showing some of the major sanctuary cities in the U.S.
D.A.P. Still in the News
The D75 debate is over, but the Dakota Access Pipeline is still in the news. This report states that a federal judge ordered the Army Corps of Engineers to do more environmental testing, which could shut down the pipeline in the future.
Federal judge orders more environmental analysis of Dakota pipeline
Still Debatable
The recent issue of Scholastic Upfront Magazine had an article on whether college athletes should get paid, which was one of last year’s topics.
Seasoning
This cartoon appeared in Monday’s Wall Street Journal newspaper. Who do you think the “they” refers to?
Fake News in the News
Here is a story from today’s New York Times about a man who wrote fake news stories during the presidential election. Do you think he will continue to write fake news in the future? Why or why not?
Hoax Photos
Can you tell which photographs are real and which are fake? Some pictures are realistic-looking, but are still false. Maybe a graphic artist used the program Adobe Photoshop to make changes to a photograph on the computer? Download this file, from Authentication Beyond the Classroom, for examples.
Jackalope picture from http://www.legendsofamerica.com/photos-wyoming/Jackalopepc.jpg
NY Times Re-Tackles Electoral College
The NY Times republished a 2000 debate about whether the electoral college should be abolished. Read it here.
Debate Graphic
We present the latest live debate background!
Thank you Adam for the colorful image.
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Round 1 Topic Announcement
The Round 1 Topic has been announced:
Schools should not give homework.
Get busy people. You have your homework cut out for you! (Oh, wait….)
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