Social Chat

I recently spoke with a couple of students prior to one of my classes about drinking and drinking ages. One particular student was telling me she going to be celebrating her 21st birthday and was going to finally be able to drink legally. Another student sitting nearby commented that her 21st birthday was a bit disappointing. This student explained that the fascination with drinking decreased after her/his 21st birthday. I guess part of the fascination with alcohol lies in the fact that the behavior (when you’re under age) is considered deviant.

The ARTICLE I read this weekend addresses this topic, as it proposes that the USA should (as many countries do) allow teenagers to moderately (and w/ supervision) drink alcohol. Among others, the article proposes that such a practice takes away the fascination of doing something that’s forbidden. What do you think?

Now I’m well aware of the horrible affects alcohol can have on persons (and families) who abuse alcohol. Alcohol-related deaths are staggering in the US and this doesn’t even begin to address other issues (treatment costs, insurance rates, criminal justice costs, etc.). Still, I wonder if as many college-aged students would be so fascinated with alcohol if they had been allowed to drink in moderation at a younger age.

Any thoughts?

Today’s blog stems from an ARTICLE I found on CNN. The article focuses on Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s current visit to the United States. Recall Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is a man who has stirred up controversy both publically and privately.

Publically, he is president over a country that is arguably next on the USA’s hit list due to their alleged creation of nuclear weapons. Also the country has been a foe of Iraq for many years. Privately, Ahmadinejad has proposed that the Holocaust never happened.

My question is “Should we allow such a character into the US to give presentations at prestigious universities such as Columbia?

The ARTICLE I want you to check out this week focuses on the relationship between poverty and terrorism. The article is from a recent interview with Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

Here’s the main thing I’d like to hear each of you comment on: What’s the relationship between poverty and terrorism? More importantly, why does Tutu say we can never see an end to terrorism while extreme poverty still exists? I’ll read over your comments this coming week and make a general reply this coming weekend. See ya soon.

So I’m sitting at Panera Bread on this beautiful Sunday afternoon trying to craft my first blog for the semester. Nothing better than some java, sun, and blue sky to get the blogging juices flowing.

The ARTICLE here focuses on the professional football player Michael Vick and his recent dealings with the Federal government.

Recall Vick is a member of the Atlanta Falcons Football Team and had recently signed a multi-year and multi-million dollar contract with the franchise. Being the quarterback for the team, he’s also rec’d a lot of other lucrative endorsements that amount to no telling how much dinero. Still all that was evidently not enough…

Aside from his wealth and super-star status, Vick, admittedly became involved in yet another sporting event: dog fighting. This new endeavor has also proved profitable, but not for Vick. He’s the one now paying Fines, Atty Fees, and most probably restitution to the Federal Government for his involvement in dog fighting. This doesn’t even address the amount of money he may have to return to the Atlanta Falcons (and maybe his endorsers).

It seems one of Vick’s biggest problems was that he evidently owned the land where dog fighting and dog killing were occurring (oops). The question of whether or not Vick actually took part in the killing of these dogs is somewhat less certain (I believe he denies it, but others claim he did take part in the dog murders). And last, he’s been busted for wagering on the sport, which is evidently a “no-no”.

Now I must say I haven’t followed this story that close, but admit I’m a bit intrigued by it. Here’s the thing: How many people believe Michael Vick needs to spend prison time for his behavior? Don’t misunderstand I own two dogs (Finn and Champ actually consider themselves humans) myself but wonder if there might not be a better use for the 8×10′ cell. Still the killing of well over 50+ dogs is pretty bad. What do you think?