Augusta Nationals - The Masters - Danny Smith

Mark O'Meara sure Tiger Woods is ready for next major at Masters
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/apr/02/tiger-woods-masters-major

Can Tiger cap comeback with Masters triumph?
http://worldsport.blogs.cnn.com/2012/03/26/can-tiger-cap-comeback-with-masters-triumph/

Masters Odds 2012: Tiger Woods and Rory Mcllroy Take on the Rest of the Field
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1129129-masters-odds-2012-tiger-woods-and-rory-mcilroy-take-on-the-rest-of-the-field

Augusta National
The Masters
By Danny Smith

All eyes are on Augusta National, this week, and Tiger Wood’s bid to win a fifth Green Jacket at the Masters Tournament. The stage is set for one of the all-time great Masters, with so many of the world’s elite peaking for the first major of the season.
Golfers worldwide know Augusta, Georgia, for one thing: the Masters, and the Augusta National course on which the renowned tournament is played each April. The course is arguably the most famous in the world and undoubtedly the most exclusive.
Tiger Woods' victory at Bay Hill last week was his 72nd on the PGA Tour. For the 36-year-old, that’s two victories for each year of his life. The Win at Bay Hill has sparked conversation as to weather Tiger is prepared to dominate golf leaderboards moving forward.
Woods has won four Green Jackets, although his last victory came in 2005. He has played here twice since returning from the scandal that knocked his career off the rails, finishing fourth on both occasions. In the circumstances, these stand as remarkable performances, given the state of his game at the time, and the turmoil that surrounded his private life.
Woods caused some controversy recently when he cried off injured during the final round the WGC-Cadillac Championship at Doral. The former world no. 1 put paid to the predicable speculation about his general health by participating in the Tavistock Cup team event and then showcasing his well-being and excellent form at Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill tourney, which he has now a record won seven times!
Tiger is now back up to sixth in the world rankings, his odds to win the Masters have reduced and he is the bookies' favorite. With Nicklaus’ record of 18 major victories seemingly out of reach for the newest golfing resident of Jupiter, Florida, all eyes have become more rigidly focused on those who represent the Tiger generation.
Woods' play at Bay Hill confirmed his status as the man who truly pushes the needle in terms of TV ratings, and his smile as the final putt went down showed to the world that he is where he needs to be: healthy and happy - and in pursuit of his passion of being the world’s number one golfer.

Questions to Consider:

1. Do you believe Tiger Wood’s Performance in recent events can justify how he will play under the microscope of the most prestigious golf tournament of the year? Do you feel Tiger is more prepared for this tournament due to the magnitude of the event?

2. If Tiger successfully dominates the field during the four-day tournament at Augusta and wins the Masters tournament, does this define his career as bouncing back?

3. Will a sixth Master’s win, the first since 2005, improve Tiger’s image? Tiger has been faced with scrutiny because of his personal life fumbles. Can a win at the Master’s begin to re-pave a new path for the previous number one golfer?

4. Do you feel the controversy that has surrounded Tiger Woods has been the cause for his excuses that have pulled him out of events? Tiger, before being faced with the scandal, had pulled out of events only twice due to physical purposes. Since the scandal, Tiger has removed himself from six different events due to injuries or sore muscles.

5. Will Tiger catch Jack Nicklaus’ current record of 18 major championships? Considering this is opinion based with no correct answer, please use examples to support your answer.

Trayvon Martin Case - Christina Graham

Websites used:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/mar/31/trayvon-martin-protest-march-sanford

http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/04/01/10963191-trayvon-martin-case-911-call-screams-not-george-zimmermans-2-experts-say

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jerry-lanson/critique-of-trayvon-martin-coverage_b_1393453.html

Trayvon Martin, shot and killed while walking home. Was this an act of racism or was he up to no good? This is an ongoing question that reporters and investigators are trying to figure out. Trayvon Martin a 17 year old Africa American male was shot and killed walking through a gated community in Sanford Florida, said to be wearing a hoodie, hundreds of protestors claim that this is in fact a hate crime. George Zimmerman was allegedly accused of murdering Trayvon, but was not arrested. This created a sense of rage among the community "We will use our marching feet, civil disobedience and every weapon in our non-violent arsenal until justice is served.” The articles that are provided shed light on many different aspects of this case. The first article is an introduction to the tragedy and the affect of the community. Second, is an article from MSNBC that says forensic scientists do not believe Zimmerman; the man accused of the murder, was the voice heard from the 911 call. Last, the article from the Huffington Post shows how the coverage of this case has led people to notice that Media firms need to examine their roles covering this story.

1) What was your first reaction after learning about this case, were you surprised issues like this continue to appear in the twenty-first century?

2) Do you agree with the Sanford Police Department for not initially arresting George Zimmerman?

3) Do you think racial profiling is an ongoing issue that is often over looked?

4) If this was a Caucasian teenager, do you feel the coverage would have been different? How?

5) If you were the media involved in covering this story, which aspect would you focus most on?

Chris Brown - Jermel Walker

Chris Brown, arguably the hottest R&B was not always on top of the music charts. In 2009 he was faced with a scandal that stemmed from argument with Pop singer Rihanna. The two were said to be leaving a Grammy after party and got into a physical altercation inside of a rented vehicle. This scandal took Chris Brown from the top to the bottom in a matter of days. So many questions have yet to be answered involving what happened on that awful night. Although this incident does have to do domestic violence, I would like for the discussion to be based on the issues and consequences for such actions and the results. In this video it gives the overview of the situation and also provides a graphic picture of the damage caused by Chris Brown.

http://getitfromboy.net/chris-brown-rihanna-abuse-scandal/

It took weeks for Rihanna to come out and be open about the situation regarding her former boyfriend, but in an interview with CNN she broke her silence. As you can tell in this interview she is very hurt by the situation. She still does not describe in detail of what exactly happened, and it was never said exactly what happened in the car on that night.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNnVd7yMPvQ

His response and public apology...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAVo8nHNmJs&feature=related&noredirect=1

Now in 2012 Chris Brown and Rihanna have songs together and are rumored to be performing together in upcoming award shows.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/22/arts/music/rihanna-and-chris-brown-appear-on-each-others-songs.html

Please take the time to read the article and watch the video responses. Focus on his and her responses regarding the situation.

1. How was Chris Brown able to bounce back from such a drastic incident?
2. Do you believe his apology had anything to do with his return?
3. What is your take on Rihanna? Do you feel like she did the right thing by allowing Chris Brown on her song after such an incident?
4. What message does this send out to the public?

Yahoo Sues Facebook! - Cam Munger

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOoc38Zacashttp://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/12/us-yahoo-facebook-lawsuit-idUSBRE82B18M20120312http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/12/yahoo-sues-facebook-patent_n_1340032.html

Yahoo! is filing suit against Facebook for allegedly stealing ten patents that are owned by Yahoo!. The lawsuit included allegations on Facebook’s advertising model, news feed, and messaging features. The world’s largest social media giant was shocked, especially because of the fact that the two companies are business partners. The news of the lawsuit has experts wondering what Yahoo!’s tactics stem from. Yahoo! already has a history of using these aggressive business tactics. One example; when Yahoo! filed a lawsuit against Google supports this notion. Other experts are also questioning if these aggressive tactics stem from Yahoo!’s new CEO who started earlier this year. Scott Thomson came into Yahoo! with a new company restructure plan. His aggressive tactics started with his restructure plan laying off thousands of Yahoo! employees and outsourcing to Boston Consulting Group. In my opinion, Thomas is being forced to maintain such an aggressive strategy because he is facing a recent failed turnaround from his CEO predecessor. The unfortunate issue within this article remains to be that Yahoo! could be looking at the Facebook lawsuit as being a serious financial funder to Thompson’s new restructuring strategy. Facebook has received countless lawsuits in the past and won. The world’s largest social media network is looking to fight Yahoo!’s lawsuit in full.

Questions:

1. After reading up on the issue at hand do you feel that Yahoo!’s tactics are immoral or overly aggressive? Explain.
2. Do you believe this lawsuit will be reflected on the Yahoo! brand image? How?
3. What do you think the outcome of the lawsuit will be?
4. Do you think Thompson’s aggressive tactics will turn Yahoo! around for the better?

KONY - Allison Souza

One week ago, Facebook and Twitter were buzzing with reappearing posts and shared links regarding KONY 2012. Many people found themselves curious about what this meant and would click to find out more. Others would simply ask those who posted about it and would receive an answer and then gain interest.

In class, we have talked about how useful social media can be, whether you’re starting a business and looking to get your name out there, or on the prowl for a job. Social media has deemed itself to have a very powerful affect on the way we, as humans, operate. The creators of the KONY 2012 video, and the Invisible Children campaign, have realized the power of social media and one week ago, they put the human race combined with social media to the test. In one day alone the KONY 2012 video, which mind you is not short (30 minutes long), had accrued more than one million views. In one week alone, the video now has an astonishing 83,121,241 views.
Since the video has first aired, though, the cofounder of the Invisible Children campaign, the filmmaker of the KONY 2012 video, was detained for being out in public naked with the possibility of public masturbation. Not only are we dealing with viral videos now, but also with the concept of how this campaign will handle the backlash of this incident.

Video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4MnpzG5Sqc
KONY Article: http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/conserving-freedom/2012/mar/7/kony-2012-bringing-joseph-kony-justice/
KONY 2012 Filmmaker is detained: http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/jason-russell-san-diego-invisible-children-kony-2012-142970255.html

Things to consider for your responses:

Where did you first learn of the KONY 2012 video and did you watch it?

What about this video gave it the power to go viral?

Do you feel that the backlash of the filmmaker getting detained will affect this campaign? If not, why? If so, how would you try to restore the campaign from a PR stand point?

Do you think that this campaign has the power to stop Joseph Kony based on the publicity and support the campaign has gained in one week alone?

Assisted Suicide by Dr. Death - Katie Bettano

Human suicide is a very controversial topic to say the least. It primarily depends on human sympathy or the impulse toward mercy. It is the desire to ease what seems like pointless pain and suffering. Why shouldn’t the terminally ill meet death on their own terms? Shouldn’t these people who already have the fate of death be able to leave this world with dignity, or should they stay on this world and suffer the pains of death. When people think of assisted death they usually go straight to the infamous Dr. Kevorkian also known as Dr. Death. Dr. Kevorkian is famous for assisting suicide to over 130 people. Some of those people terminally ill but over 60% not, Kevorkian was tried repeatedly and convicted of second degree murder. Some feel that Dr. Kevorkian is humanitarianism rather than a criminal because his clients asked to die, “that may be the free choice that separates assisted suicide form murder” his defenders would insist. This would mean that assisted suicide depends more on our respect for people own will to die rather than the law. This goes back to the main question of do the terminally ill really occupy a completely different moral category from the rest? Is a cancer patients suffering more unbearable then the agony of someone living with multiple sclerosis, quadriplegia or manic depression. Or even the unbearable agony of parent who has lost their only child? Dr. Kevorkian spent his entire career following these practices, that if someone has the choice to die, he would honor their wishes. After his release from jail in 2007 Kevorkian went on to do interviews with 60 minutes, 50,000 speaking arrangements, and a hagiographic HBO biopic starring Al Pacino. Only 3 states currently allow this form of physician assisted suicide, the Supreme Court in a unanimous 1997 decision declined to invent a constitutional right to die. In Switzerland however the case is different Dr. Minelli currently charges 6,000 dollars for his services. Unlike Kervorkian however Minelli is free to kill the suicidal without fear of prosecution. In the last 15 years he has killed more than 1,000 people who have chosen to exit this world under his supervision. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/06/opinion/06douthat.html?ref=assistedsuicide


Questions
1. Where should the line be drawn between murder and physician assisted suicide?
2. Do you think Dr. Kevorkian was a murderer or a doctor that cared for his patients requests?
3. Do you believe there should be a right to assisted suicide? And what should the requirements be for this to happen?
4. Would you support your state in offering physician assisted suicide?

Rush Limbaugh's Latest Gaffe - Devan Maher

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jfb9f7yFYgw

http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/03/05/rush-limbaugh-sandra-fluke/

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/03/04/7th-advertiser-pulls-out-limbaughs-show/

Rush Limbaugh, a nationally syndicated radio host, recently called a law student, Sandra Fluke a "slut" and a "prostitute". This because of her part in the debate over women's rights to birth control. Many advertisers then left his program almost immediately. He then offered an apology, which you can read about in the two articles that I provided, and decide what you think about it...(don't worry, since this is a "political" argument, I made sure to get a point of view slanted from both directions). And here's where my questions come in...but please try to make sure that we don't debate the issue (women's right to birth control) that he comment surrounds, we can talk about that in class, but I want the discussion here to focus on the reactions of the advertisers and Rush Limbaugh.

1. How do you think the advertisers (including AOL, Tax Resolution Services, and Citrix) handled to the comments? Would you have dropped your ads from his show?

2. What do you think about Limbaugh's apology? Was it sincere?

3. How well did Premiere Radio Networks handle the issue? Would you have handled it differently? The same way?

4. Do you think that Rush Limbaugh's reputation/radio program will suffer because of his comments?