Reaction #11 - Housewives Paid?

Reaction #11 - 1/3/08

Topic: Should housewives be paid for their work?

Background Info: The ideas of traditional family roles have changed markedly since the entry of women into the labor force. As the notion of 'natural' family roles has decreased so the awareness of the vital and sizable quantity of unpaid work home-keepers (still predominantly women) do has increased. This raises questions about how voluntary and unpaid, or contractual and marketized the divisions of labor in family life should be.

Directions - go to the following LINK and read over the arguments.

YOUR REACTION: Based on your research, develop an argument FOR or AGAINST housewives being paid for their work. Be prepared to discuss your argument with the class.

Reaction #10 - White Christmas?

Reaction #10 - 1/2/08 Topic: Should I be dreaming of a white Christmas?

Background Info: Many people’s ideal Christmas day involves snowy weather. Christmas cards often feature snow-white landscapes, along with polar bears, penguins and other cuddly animals from arctic areas. Christmas decorations and displays often involve fake snow or snowflake designs. And the song, “I’m dreaming of a White Christmas”, written by Irving Berlin in 1940 and sung by Bing Crosby sums up the Christmas spirit in music for many people. This wish for a white Christmas is especially strong in parts of the world, like Western Europe and much of the USA, where snow on December 25th is possible but actually quite unusual. In the UK there is a great deal of speculation in the media each year about the chances of snow on Christmas Day, and many bets are placed on the possibility. Of course, in other parts of the northern hemisphere they expect snow for several months of the year and so it is not such a big deal. This case is most relevant to those places like the UK and much of the USA where white Christmases cannot be taken for granted. However, it also has relevance in many other countries, including even sunny Australia.

Directions - go to the following LINK and read over the arguments.

YOUR REACTION: Based on your research, develop an argument FOR or AGAINST a dream for a white Christmas. Be prepared to discuss your argument with the class.

Reaction #9 - Assisted Suicide

Topic: Should assisted suicide be legalized?

Background Information: Assisted Suicide, also called Voluntary Euthanasia, is currently a contentious issue in many countries. The question in the debate is this: if a terminally ill person decides that they wish to end their life, is it acceptable for others to assist them? This would normally take the form of a doctor administering a lethal injection, which would end their life painlessly. A clear distinction must be made with involuntary euthanasia, by which someone is ‘put down’ against their wishes, and which is simply murder by another name. In the United States, Dr Jack Kervorkian – nicknamed ‘Doctor Death’ for his actions beliefs – has been campaigning for a change in the law for many years, and has assisted in the suicide of at least 45 people; he was recently found guilty of second degree murder and imprisoned after a widely publicized trial. In the Netherlands, on the other hand, voluntary euthanasia has been legal since 1983, with some 3,000 people requesting it each year. In Australia, assisted suicide was legalised in the Northern Territories with the backing of a substantial majority of the local population, but was then overthrown by the Federal Senate before anyone could actually use the new law. As a great deal hinges on the practicalities of this debate, it is imperative that the proposition provide a fairly specific set of criteria to explain when assisted suicide would be legal and when it would not. It is worth looking at the legal procedures proposed in Australia and those in use in the Netherlands, as examples of the kind of safeguards which may be needed.

Directions - go to the following LINK and read over the arguments. YOUR

REACTION: Based on your research, develop an argument FOR or AGAINST assisted suicide. Be prepared to discuss your argument with the class.

Reaction #8 - Stem Cell Research

Topic: Should medical research involving the use of human stem cells be permitted? Should clinical treatments that utilize these cloned cells be allowed?

Background Information: The manipulation of the human embryo and the application of cloning technology are relatively novel developments. Research involving human embryos has only been permitted in the United Kingdom since 1990. In 2001 the United Kingdom Parliament narrowly approved the cloning of human embryos for a limited range of research purposes. In August 2001 President George Bush is reported to be contemplated a similar degree of freedom for US biotechnology programs. The issue was thrust upon the public conscience by the landmark achievement of the Roslin Institute in Edinburgh in 1997. The successful cloning of ‘Dolly’ the sheep from an adult cell utilized the technique known as ‘somatic cell nuclear transfer’. The nucleus from a somatic cell was fused with an unfertilized egg from which the nucleus had been removed. Human ‘therapeutic’ cloning concerns the applications of nuclear transfer technology that do not lead to the creation of an entire human. The scientific object is the cloning of embryos in order to produce identical cell lines, the removal of which destroys the embryo. The passage of an electric current across each cell should allow development as a specified somatic or body cell. The purported medical benefits reside in the possibility of bodily repair. Neurons killed by degenerative diseases such as Huntingdon’s Chorea or Alzheimer’s Disease could be replaced by genetically identical cells. Transplant operations are currently hindered by the risk of potentially fatal rejection of the transplanted organ. Cloned cell lines could eliminate this hazard by operating as a ‘solvent’ between the foreign organ and the body. Removal of the rejection reaction may facilitate the process of ‘xeno-transplantation’ whereby animal organs can be used in human bodies. One of the ethical focuses of this debate concerns the loss of thousands of embryos, and thus the creation and destruction of future human life, which is inevitable in any program of research or treatment involving human life.

Directions - go to the following LINK and read over the arguments.

YOUR REACTION: Based on your research, develop an argument FOR or AGAINST stem cell research. Please submit your response to your blog.

Be prepared to discuss your argument with the class.

Journal 12/10

Thinking back over your Christmas/Holiday history, which Christmas stands out as the best one?  What made it the best one?  Explain why.  (Keep in mind the discussion we had last week about the commercialization of Christmas.)  

If this topic challenges you, then describe what you think your ideal Christmas/Holiday season would look like.  Why would this be so "wonderful" in your mind?  Explain.

Journal 12/7

Is Christmas and the holiday season too commercialized?  Have we lost the true holiday spirit?  Explain what you think and relate it to your life and your observations.

Reaction #7 - 12/5 Smoking

Topic: Should there be further restrictions on the advertising, selling, and smoking of tobacco? Should it be banned?

Background: Tobacco is one of the most widely-used recreational drugs in the world; mainly in the form of cigarettes, but also in cigars and pipes, and in combination with cannabis and marijuana in 'joints'. Although most countries put age restrictions on its use, over a billion adults smoke tobacco legally every day, and supplying this demand is big business. As well as having serious health consequences for smokers themselves, the pollution of other people's atmospheres with cigarette smoke also makes this an environmental issue.Attitudes have changed rapidly over the past twenty years. In the developed world, public opinion has shifted against smoking. By the 1990s, the sheer weight of evidence had forced major tobacco companies to admit that their products are both harmful and addictive. Many governments have substantially increased taxes on tobacco in order to discourage smoking, and often to alleviate the economic costs of smoking-related illness. However, while smoking has declined amongst some groups, it has increased amongst others - particularly young women. Meanwhile restrictions on the industry in the developed world have seen a new emphasis on developing nations, and new markets.Key questions for this debate are: Is it the proper role of government to legislate to protect citizens from the harmful effects of their own lifestyle decisions? Does tobacco advertising increase tobacco consumption? Do health warnings, however much of the cigarette packet they cover, reduce consumption? What would be the effects of banning smoking in all public places, or even completely?

Directions - go to the following LINK and read over the arguments.

YOUR REACTION: Based on your research, develop an argument FOR or AGAINST the restriction or banning of tobacco products. Please submit your response to your blog.

Be prepared to discuss your argument with the class.

Reaction #6 - 12/3 Biodiversity and Endangered Species

Topic: Biodiversity and Endangered Species - Should we be trying to prevent species becoming extinct? If so, why?

Background: 'Biodiversity' means the variety of bacteria, plants, and animals that live on our planet. This includes the unique behavioral patterns and activities of each species. Biodiversity is an ecological concept discussed in many scientific circles. Many debates about biodiversity will ultimately boil down to how important this diversity is, either for its own sake, or for some specific human benefits. International agreements such as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) aim to protect biodiversity. Issues linked to this debate about biodiversity will also arise in debates on genetically modified food and on animal welfare.

Directions - go to the following LINK and read over the arguments.

YOUR REACTION: Develop and argument FOR or AGAINST the prevention of species extinction. Please utilize the data and research included in the above link.

Please submit your response to your blog. Be prepared to discuss your argument with the class.