Students Buying Class Notes Online?

For the college student who has trouble writing notes while listening to a professor talk, or has skipped class and missed an important lesson, take heart — someone out there is taking notes for you. (7/22/10 ABCNews On Campus, Amy Rigby) … Read Article

1. A 2008 lawsuit claims that Class Notes violated copyright laws. Do you agree or disagree with the claim? Why or Why not?

2. “Founders of both GradeGuru and Notehall say their sites are meant to be a supplement for students who are serious about their studies.” Discuss what might be the pitfall of these sites for “serious students.”

A Russian Milestone: 1st Black Elected To Office

In a country where racism is entrenched and often violent, Sagbo’s election as one of Novozavidovo’s 10 municipal councilors is a milestone. (7/25/10 Associated Press, Kristina Narizhnaya) … Read Article

1. The media in Russia has dubbed Sagbo “Russia’s Obama.” Discuss the implication of this title for racial politics in both the US and Russia.

2. Discuss the reasons many blacks are attracted to go to Russia in spite of the entrenched racism and violence, according to the article.

Massive War Log Leak: Who Is Wikileaks?

The Army specialist allegedly behind one of the most massive intelligence breaches in U.S. history likely did not act alone, according to the man the soldier approached to publicize the more than 90,000 reports of classified information. (7/26/10 ABC News, Martha Raddatz and Lee Ferran) … Read Article

1. The White House has condemned the leak as “irresponsible” disclosure. Do you agree with this characterization or do you think this leak falls under the public’s right to know? Explain your answer.

2. Do you agree with Assange, founder of wikileaks, that this war log leak will help the American public to “take steps to address the problems” going on with the war? Explain your answer.

America’s Recovery Cities: Is Yours One of Them?

Looking for a place to take advantage of the recovery? Try Texas. The Lone Star state’s major metro areas — Austin, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Houston and San Antonio — are all emerging from the recession better than their counterparts in many areas of the country. (7/25/10 Forbes.com, Brian Wingfield in ABC News) … Read Article

1. Discuss the reasons why job growth in the Northeast is likely to be more depressed in the next few years than in other regions of the country.

2. Discuss the factors contributing to the rapid recovery in Texas according to the article.

(Video)Is America Top Secret Agencies Too Big To Work?

Dana Priest, investigative reporter for the Washington Post, spoke with Jan Crawford on the ever increasing size of the government’s intelligence community. (7/19/10 CBSNewsOnline)

1. According to the video, one of the most shocking discovery from the investigation is the existence of overlapping agencies doing the same thing. Discuss the consequences of this problem for the American tax payers.

2. A high level intelligent official is quoted as saying that “the only entity in the entire universe that has visibility on all Special Access Programs is God.” Discuss the implication of this “confession” in terms of the effectiveness of federal government agencies.

(Video)Politics of Presidential Vacations

Presidential vacation criticism is a time-honored tradition and President Obama could not escape it when he took his family to Maine for the weekend. (7/19/10 CBSNewsOnline)

1. Discuss why presidential vacations are essential according to Doris Kearns Goodwin.

2. Why did the Clintons change their vacation destination from Maine to Wyoming.

(Poll)Polisci Students’ Opinion On UnEmployment Benefits

In a recent poll, we asked MPSL students if Congress should vote to extend unemployment benefits. The result: about 78% of the students said yes; about 20% said no; while about 3% said they’re not sure. In a similar nation-wide poll by Bloomberg Poll, 47% of Americans said they are in favor of Congress extending unemployment benefits; 49% said they oppose; while 4% said they’re unsure. Results were retrieved on 7/26/10, 8:00 PM PST.

Senate Republicans oppose extending unemployment benefits because it will increase the nation’s debt. What do you think?

Lincoln Electric Guarantees Employment

With unemployment hovering just under 10 percent, millions of Americans can only dream of having a guaranteed job.Wells, a tool and die maker, is one of thousands of employees at Cleveland’s Lincoln Electric, which promises that even in the worst of times, no one will be laid off. (7/17/10 ABC News, David Kerley and Felicia Biberica) … Read Article

1. According to Lincoln Electric CEO John Stropki, how is the company able to keep its commitment of guaranteed jobs to its employees , even during a recession?

2.  Discuss the lessons to be learned from Lincoln’s management philosophy.

Is the Stimulus Plan Working?: The Result

The Obama administration said in a report last week that its stimulus plan is working to bolster the economy, but Republicans fired back that Americans aren’t feeling what Vice President Joe Biden calls a “summer of recovery.” (7/18/10 ABC News, Mark Trumball) … Read Article

1. Just 23 percent of Americans said the stimulus has made the economy better. Discuss why Americans say they are not feeling the recovery. What specific evidence substantiates this claim?

2. What evidence does the Obama administration have to show that the stimulus is working?

President Obama’s Bet on Battery Technology

President Obama’s trip last week to a battery-manufacturing plant in Holland, Mich., was his fourth automotive-battery-focused stop since being elected. To riff off of President Clinton’s mantra “it’s the economy, stupid,” it’s almost as if Mr. Obama’s catch phrase about what’s important could be, “It’s the battery, bozo.” (7/17/10 ABC News, Mark Clayton) … Read Article

1. Discuss the price the US has to pay to get into the battery technology game, according to Professor Sastry.

2. In what ways have federal government funds contributed to the emerging electric vehicle industry?