Money and March Madness: Should the Players Get A Cut?

link: https://www.kqed.org/lowdown/16782



Summary: College athletes are considered "amateurs" by the NCAA, and therefore prohibited from collecting any kind of monetary compensation. As profits grow each year, a growing contingent of former players and advocates are calling on the NCAA to start allow student athletes earn their fair share. They say the NCAA, is exploiting students by profiting from their skill and celebrity status without providing appropriate compensation.

Analysis: I believe it is unfair that college athletes can't be paid or make money off their names. If they are good enough to promote for their school and good enough to make money for the NCAA, they should have the chance to make money for themselves.

Questions: 

1. Do you believe college athletes should be paid?
2. Should all college athletes get paid or only the best players get paid?  

US Charges 9 Iranian Individuals with Theft of Intellectual Property

The 9 Iranian individuals are associated with the Mabna Institute, an organization contracted by the Iranian Government to steal sensitive information. (Photo courtesy: Yuri Gripas/ Reuters)

After years of cyberattacks on government agencies, universities and companies within the United States, the Department of Justice has finally charged the culprits which successfully executed phishing schemes, deployed malware and took banking websites offline. Iran first employed the use of internet breaches to thwart political opposition in their own country and gradually turned their focus abroad to target companies inside and allies with the United States. 

Unfortunately for President Trump, the accusations of hacking come at a critical point for the life of the Iran nuclear deal President Obama negotiated in 2015. Trump has publicly stated he wants to withdraw from the agreement and wants to increase sanction, in direct contradiction to the terms of the deal which provide sanctions relief for compliance.

Personally, I don't believe Trump will go through with pulling out of the Iran nuclear deal because the negative global ramifications of abandoning ship at this point would be too great and more American companies might possibly be targeted with further cyber attacks. I do, however, think that officially charging these Iranian nationals is a step in the right direction when it comes to holding Iran accountable for their actions. Hopefully they misstep abroad and are subsequently turned over to the US.

What do you think about the Iran nuclear deal? Should we keep it intact? 

Will we see more cyber attacks on American companies if we drop the agreement?

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/23/us/politics/iranians-hacking-scheme-irgc.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fus&action=click&contentCollection=us&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=14&pgtype=sectionfront 

Starbucks says it has Achieved Pay Equity in the U.S.

Link to Article

Summary:

On Wednesday, Starbucks announced that it has achieved 100% pay equity for women, men, and all races. Starbucks’s executive vice president Lucy Helm announced during the annual shareholder meeting in Seattle that Starbucks’s is ready for a change in not only talking about the gender pay gap but addressing it. Starbucks has always made employee benefits a priority, but Helm wants to do more. They have created tools that allow them to approach this in an objective and consistent manner. The company wants to achieve and create a culture where employees can discuss wages without fear or discrimination or retaliation.

Analysis:

This is definitely a big step forward for pay equity for all genders and races. I do believe that this will prompt other businesses to do the same as Starbucks. As we learned in class, there are four tiers of human capital -- unskilled, semiskilled, skilled, and professional. Because of this, some people could have different opinions on how wages are determined. It is impossible to calculate one’s skill sets because there are endless factors that can determine how well an individual can carry tasks needed for the job.

Questions:

1. Do you think other companies will follow Starbucks in their efforts to achieve equity for all genders and races?

2. How do you think employees will respond to this?

3. How do you think employers should determine salary and benefits?

Truckers may not have to drive one day

Source: usatoday.com

Link to article

Looks like self-driving trucks are coming to us sooner than you think. Technologists promise a new advantage in by removing the driver which is a major cost of the trucking business. Many truckers are okay with this but are not super convinced that a computer can do everything. Many of them say they could spend more time with their loved ones but also are unsure of how well it would work. 

Analysis:

I get why people would think this is a good idea, but in my opinion it is not. It is not safe, you cannot rely on a sensor to sense if the truck is going to crash or hit someone. As we all know technology is not always reliable. Also, if something with the computer in the truck crashes will the truckers have the knowledge to fix it or how will that work? Personally, I would not want to be driving near these self-driving trucks. 

Questions:

Do you guys think this is a good idea?

How well do you think this will turn out?

Congress unveils $1.3 trillion spending package, includes background check bill

Summary: Congress unveiled a massive bipartisan $1.3 trillion spending package that will keep the government funded until the end of September. Lawmakers have agreed on funding levels for every corner of the government: with a $700 billion budgeted for defense and $591 billion slated for non-defense spending.The bill also contains policy riders that incentivizes state and federal authorities to report more data to the country's gun background check system.

Analysis: This huge bill ends the government fight over a spending bill. After the government shutdown in February, this was a key step forward into coming together and creating change in America. This bill helps congress know how much they are able to spend to create a gun-control bill, fix relations with foreign nations and ensure child care development grants.

Questions: 

1.  Do you believe that the government did a good thing in stopping another government shutdown and agreeing on a budget?
2. What should be the first thing congress works on now that they have a budget.
3. Are you concerned that the new budget again puts us at a deficit?

Dowd resigns as Trump's lawyer amid disagreements on strategy

Link: https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/22/politics/john-dowd-white-house/index.html


Summary: President Donald Trump's lead lawyer, John Dowd, has resigned from the President's personal legal team handling the response to the Russia investigation. Dowd preferred a more refined response to the Mueller investigation and wanted Trump to lay off the attacks of Mueller and the FBI.

Analysis: President Trump and his lawyers often have falling outs due to political strategy. However, Dowd has been the most integral part of Trump's legal team to date. As we know, Trump has a very 'independent' personality and often does not take advice from experts. To me, this is a real problem with Trump, as he is not the most knowledgeable person in every facet of his presidency.

Questions: 

1. Do you believe Trump should follow the advice of his experts and legal council?
2. Do you think Trump's presidency will be hurt or helped by his 'independent' approach?
3. How do you feel about Trump's handling of the Russia investigation?

Gunfire in San Francisco Injures Officer and Bystander

Link to Article

Summary:

On Wednesday, March 21st at 4:30 p.m., a police officer and five civilians were injured during exchanged gunfire in San Francisco’s Crocker-Amazon Excelsior neighborhoods. Young students and pedestrians hid behind cars to avoid about 20-25 bullets. One officer was injured was wounded in the leg and taken to San Francisco General Hospital. Police are still investigating.

Analysis:

With the recent event that happened at Stoneman Douglas High School as well as other places, the right to carry firearms has been a prevalent issue. To me, it seems unnecessary to have this much ease in obtaining one. An incident like this one in San Francisco is a clear example of the misuse of guns and perception that all of these incidents are not that serious, but this needs to change. In my opinion, changing the way our government handles gun control should be an immediate concern especially with the rise of gun-related events like this one.

Questions:

1. What do you think can be done about this issue?

2. Will gun control laws actually prevent criminals from obtaining guns or breaking laws?

3. Do you believe that gun control laws deny individuals’ right to safety?

The End of Toys R Us

Link to Article

Summary:

Just last week, Toys R Us announced that they will be closing 735 stores around the U.S., putting an end to the iconic giraffe mascot as well as jobs for 30,000 individuals. Toys R Us has succumbed to debt that it has accumulated over the years and to the new trend of online shopping and mobile games. Shoppers moved to places like Amazon and huge chains like Walmart for their toy shopping.

Analysis:

It is important to understand that our generation relies on convenience rather than going to a store. Staring at a picture on a screen instead of walking through an aisle has its benefits, although many kids do not get to experience this. Furthermore, there will definitely be a high demand for jobs in retail especially because 30,000 people will be losing their jobs. Last fall, Toys R Us did mention that they would make their stores more interactive, but this had little to no effect, foreshadowing the closure of the store and a lack of public interest in their store.  

Questions:

1. How do you think the 30,000 employees at Toys R Us will respond?

2. Why do you think online shopping has more of an impact on our generation today?

3. Based on the outcome of Toys R Us, do you believe that other stores could potentially follow the same path?

Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School requiring transparent backpacks

Source: Amazon.com

Link to article

Earlier today, officials at Stoneman Douglas High School came to the conclusion that clear backpacks while now be required. This was enacted as new "safety protocols." Also, not only will they need to wear clear backpacks but they also must wear an I.D. badge while on campus. The school has enacted many new safety protocols since the massacre on February 14. Some of the protocols are: locking doors at all times, and "conducting emergency preparedness." 

Analysis: I don't think any of this will prepare these students for an intruder. I especially don't think the backpacks are helpful because they can just hide a gun on themselves, they don't need a backpack.  I also do not think the I.D. badges will help keep students safer because someone who really wants to do something extreme will go to extreme measures to accomplish it. I could see why they think of these things as "safety protocols" but I don't think a clear backpack or a badge will stop anyone from doing something to harm others, if they choose to do so. 

Questions:

Do you guys agree with these new protocols?

What would be a better way to make sure the school is safe, if any?

European Commission Plans For Tech Tax on Silicon Valley Companies

Apple's repatriation of cash from Ireland was deemed illegal and has
subsequently been required to pay $14 billion to the European Commission.

The European Union (EU) and the US are competing heavily for tax revenue from Silicon Valley tech giants such as Amazon, Apple and Google and have proposed a new plan to tax digital media companies based on where they generate revenue as opposed to where their headquarters are located. The battle for tax revenue had heated up after President Trump signed a $1.5 billion tax proposal last year which attempts to crack down on profit-relocation through the addition of a new minimum tax on overseas earnings with US operations.

Both entities argue that multinational corporations are not paying their fair share of taxes while the US raises import tariffs on steel and aluminum from abroad. 

An example from the article states how Amazon's headquarters being stationed in Luxembourg locks them into a roughly 9% digital business corporate tax rate as opposed to 23.3% for traditional businesses. Additionally, Google was ordered to pay $2.42 billion to the European Commission for using it's own search engine to favor their own comparison shopping service and demoting service results of their rivals.

To me it seems that the central European nations and those in charge of most regulatory commissions just want to milk as much money from the tech sector as possible and probably incentivize these tech firms to place an emphasis in their own nation rather than fringe EU partners which may flake on collecting taxes. The only true benefits for this plan would be the largest participants in the EU which are Germany and France, leaving the likes of Luxembourg and Ireland to fend for themselves or defend law suits against their respective governments for not complying to regulation.

Do you think the EU has the right to command such a high price tag on these tech cases?

Tech firms are smart and will always try to find the best deal because they know almost every city wants to host a massive corporation for it's implied positive externalities but, do you think they will no longer feel it is worth their while to have a headquarters in the EU as a byproduct of this decision? How will the EU collect if this becomes a reality?

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/19/us/politics/europe-digital-tax-trade.html 

Missing 16 year old found in Mexico with her friends dad

Source: newsweek.com

Link to article

Just yesterday a 16 year old girl was found in Mexico with her friends dad. She was reported missing last week after she did not come home from school. Now they know she was taken out of school by this man, posing to be her step-dad. They flew to Cancun and were discovered there. Her mom reviewed hundreds of text messages between the couple, she suspects that they have had sexual relations, which could result in a statutory rape charge. As of right now there is no kidnapping or rape charges, just custodial interference. 

Analysis: 

 She is a 16 year old girl, her brain is not fully developed and yes she knew what she was doing was wrong and still did it, but he is the adult. In this situation he needed to say this wasn't right and put a stop to it before they fled. She left with him willingly so I think she also is at somewhat fault and I think it should still be considered as kidnapping and if there is proof of sexual relations then statutory rape as well. 

Questions:

Do you guys think he should be charged with all three crimes?

Do you think the girl is at fault as well?

First Pedestrian Killed by Uber Self-Driving Car

Description of incident in Tempe, AZ on Sunday night at 10:00pm. (NY Times)

A woman in Tempe, Arizona was struck and killed Sunday night as she stepped out into the street in front of one of Uber's self driving vehicles. It is believed to be the first death of a pedestrian by an autonomous vehicle to date. The woman was walking her bike across the road when she was struck by a Volvo XC90 Sport Utility vehicle going 40 mph in a 45 mph zone. It was discovered that the vehicle made no attempt to slow down.

Uber immediately ceased all autonomous car testing after the incident. 

Unfortunately, this incident is not the first fatality related to autonomous cars. In 2016, an Ohio resident was driving his Tesla in Florida while his auto-pilot feature was enabled when his Model S travelled underneath a semi-trailer. Tesla claimed that it had warned consumers about how the current software versions are not intended to make your car hands free. Federal investigators later ruled that Tesla was not at fault in the crash.

Personally, I believe that fatalities of all types, although probably preventable, will inevitably occur whether a human is in control of the vehicle or not. Hopefully, in the near future we reach a point at which most people are either in an autonomous car or have another form of transportation to eliminate the mitigate the possibility of fatalities on the roadways. However, I believe it is dangerous that tech firms and their programmers are those with the final say on code as the decisions the car makes could possibly run contrary to our own morals. 

With the rise of autonomous cars throughout the United States and enormous leaps and bounds we have made towards a technologically connected world, do you believe that pedestrian fatalities will occur more or less often in the future?

How do you feel about computer programmers making the decisions based on their own ethics (ie. Trolley dilemma)? Should we/ should we not regulate what is coded?

Will the roads be safer in the long run with more autonomous cars?

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-03-20/video-shows-woman-stepped-suddenly-in-front-of-self-driving-uber 

Six Months After Hurricane Maria, Rebuilding Continues in Puerto Rico

Article link

                                          Artist: Michelle Garcia

Villages in Puerto Rico are rebuilding slowly and in some cases still waiting to get electricity restored from the damage Hurricane Maria inflicted six months ago. The author of this article has her masters degree studies interrupted as her rural town proceeds with recovery efforts. 1,500 houses were destroyed and another 2,400 sustained significant damage in the town of Comerio alone. Donations and volunteers have helped, but the damage was extensive and Puerto Rico is still short of the resources they need.

Discussion Questions
1. Should the U.S. be providing more humanitarian aid to Puerto Rico?
2. What else can nations and NGOs do to help Puerto Rico's recovery efforts?
3. Does the Trump administration deserve blame for not prioritizing a response to this natural disaster?

Snapchat is going downhill

Source: Google Finance

Link to article

Snapchat has been under fire recently for a post which was making a joke out of domestic violence. Last week, a snapchat story was posted asking whether they would slap Rihanna or punch Chris Brown. Rihanna's response was not great, as you can imagine. She basically told her huge fan base to "throw away" the app. Since Rihanna posted that apparently Snapchat's stock has now gone down immensely, losing $800 million in market value. People were already questioning whether to continue to use the app because of the new update, which already lost them many users.

Analysis: People were already upset over the update and I think this drew the line for them. I don't think it was okay of Snapchat to do this, but I don't think it was intended to be malicious. Even though, I don't think many domestic abuse victims will keep using it, personally I don't think Snapchat will be going away any time soon just because some people will continue to use the app.

Questions:
Do you guys think Snapchat will regain their stock value?
Will you guys stop using snapchat because of this?

The forgotten side of the accusations

Link to article

Facts of the news: This was a February 2018 case of a man that was put on a black list made by a group of students saying that they should stay away from these people, all of the people on that list were men. Apparently, they said it was a hoax but it did not stop the damage that was already done. The news outlet describes the accused side of the case and what his experiences was like.  He told that he was shunned from most of his peers as a result of this to the point where he thought of committing suicide. He thought of moving colleges to finish his education as a result of this.

Analysis:  This is an ongoing issue that is still relevant to this day. This topic is of course rape accusations; the accusation of rape should never be taken lightly. Although we have been doing progressively well in getting more people to come out and tell us there story but, there is still a lot to do in doing cases like this, I feel that it needs to be more confidential before it being released into the media Why? Because what were to happen if the accused is innocent? Colleges tend to go for the *innocent until proven guilty method of handling these kinds of situations. Which I feel is not the best method of handling these kinds of situation as the accusation alone can ruin an accused life.

Questions;
How do you think cases like these should be addressed?
How can we help both the accused and the accuser have a fair judgement?

'Black Panther' Powering To 5th Weekend At The Top Of Box Office Charts

Link

Summary: "Black Panther" continues to find success in the box office becoming the first movie since "Avatar" to hold the number one spot for five consecutive weeks. the movie in total is aproaching $1.2 billion dollars and is expected to surpass both the "Avengers" in highest grossed superhero movie domestically as well as being the highest grossing solo superhero movie of all time above "Iron Man 3".

Analysis: Representation in media is crucial for how one perceives themselves in relation to the world. Movies such as "Black Panther", "Moana", and "Call Me by Your Name" are some recent portrayals of minorites by major producing companies that bring light to stories that are often times overlooked or made into secondary plots of other movies. "Black Panther" derives success from it's portrayal of an African superhero, but also with his supporting cast of female heros. The portrayal of women being fierce worriors as well as extremely intelligent inventors adds depth to a genre that is not known for inclusivity.

Questions:
1)Why do you think "Black Panther" has been so successful?
2)Why do you believe representation in the media is important?
3)What further steps do you believe media should take to further integrate different minorities into films?

Lyft to Bring Diverless Car Tech to Broader Auto Industry

Link
Summary: Lyft a ride share company has taken further arangements to secure dirverless car tecnology with recent aiance with Magna International. They plan on jointly developing and manufacturing self-driving car systems to be in the future intergrated in Lyft's current netwok of rideshare vehicles. Magna said it would invest $200 million into lyft raising the companies valuation to $11.7 billion. Magna is the latest in Lyfts alliances where they have already made partnerships with Ford and General Motors. Lyfts main competitor has also been working on self-driving technology, but independently.

Analysis: AI has so many different uses and with transportation this would be extremely convenient expecially in city settings where parking is limited. If cars were able to make rounds picking up people on their own while an indiidual was at work it would be mutually bennificial with the cost of the ride decreasing and the individual making a profit where they woud of had to pay for parking before. The only downside would be the potential loss in employment, but there is sure to be a lack of trust in an automomous trust so there would still be demand for human drivers.

Questions:
1) Would you trust an autonoumous car that is not yours to drive you?
2) What other drawbacks would you anticipate to self-driving cars?
3) Is there a line to where we should restrict AI from taking over human jobs?

NYPD sued for forcing Muslim women to remove headscarves in arrest photos

Link to article 

Two muslim women, Arwa Aziz and Jamilla Clark, who say the New York Police Department forced them to remove religious head coverings after they were arrested have sued the city. The two women, including the non-profit group "Turning Point for Women and Families", sued the NYPD for violating freedom of speech,  the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act and New York state law. This incident began on January 2017, when Ms. Clark's ex-husband complained that she violated an order of protection. As the police officer took an arrest-photo, she wept and begged to put her hijab back on. Later on, sources reveal that the officer ignored Ms. Clark and showed the photo to other police officers. In August of 2017, Ms. Aziz was arrested after her sister-in-law filed a a protective order against her, and with this the incident began again. 

Analysis: I honestly find the behavior of the NYPD, regarding this issue, to be disrespectful and inconsiderate. They should have allowed the women to wear their hijab, because all-in-all in the picture both of the women's face would be clear enough without the hassle of removing their hijab. Regarding the original officers behavior, he should have respected Ms. Clark's photo and not have shown it to other officers, especially since his intentions weren't regarding the case. 

Questions:
What's your opinion on this matter? 
What do you think the NYPD should have done?

A Storm is Brewing over the White house

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2018/03/16/stormy-daniels-lawyer-says-porn-star-physically-threatened-remain-silent-over-alleged-affair-trump/431167002/

Summary:
For some background, porn star Stormy Daniels claims to have had an affair with Donald Trump just months after his son Barron was born, starting in 2006. There is proof that shortly before the 2016 election, Daniels was paid 130,000 dollars by Trump's lawyer, Michael Cohen, and asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement. Daniels is suing Trump, saying that the non-disclosure act is void because his lawyer discussed certain elements of the agreement. She is also willing to give back the 130,000 dollars.


Daniels has already taped a 60 minutes interview, scheduled to air on the 25th, wanting not only to tell the public her story about the affair, but also explain the "attempts made by the president and        Mr. Cohen to muzzle her and prevent her from telling her story." Now, Daniels is claiming that she      was  physically threatened to remain silent. Though Trump has denied any sexual relationship             with Daniels, she is sure that she has enough evidence to prove her claimed story.

    Bill Clinton had an affair while in office, and wasn't removed as President. However, given Daniels Claims to be physically threatened, and the proceedings in silencing her seem illegal, coupled with Trumps past remarks about assaulting women, this seems more severe. On the 25th in the 60 minutes showing, Daniels is "going to provide very specific details about what happened," giving further information about her side of this further developing story. 

Questions:
Do you think she is telling the truth? Or trying to catch publicity?
Given there is evidence of the Trump Administration trying to silence the story, may she be credible?
What information do you think she will provide the American public on the 25th?
Is there any information at this point that could be damaging to Trump?

US appeals court upholds Texas’ ban on ‘sanctuary cities’

Article

A win for the Trump administration's fight to strengthen immigration laws occurred in Texas this week as the appeals court approved a ban on sanctuary cities. After the U.S. justice department supported Texas for suing California for 'protecting' immigrants, they passed this ruling as, "the toughest state law in the country." If law enforcers fail to comply with this ruling, they can be removed from office and even be criminally charged. However, Lee Gelernt who is an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union, is disappointed in the ruling and will closely monitor the implementation of the state law.

This ruling was in response to the increasing Hispanic population in Texas that has grown three times faster than the white population. Sanctuary cities are cities that limit their enforcement on immigration laws which can be seen as either a safe haven or a law-breaking havoc - depending on which side of the spectrum you stand. It will be interesting to see how this law will be implemented With a close eye on the law from the American Civil Liberties Union and if the Trump administration will have success.

1. Do you think sanctuary cities could potentially be banned across the nation?
2. Are sanctuary cities a problem with the law?