Dick's Sporting Goods Gun Policy Changes

https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/02/28/589436112/dicks-sporting-goods-ends-sale-of-assault-style-rifles-citing-florida-shooting

Image taken from article

Dick's Sporting Goods, one of the major sports retailers in the country, has changed its gun policy in the wake of the recent Florida shooting. In addition to ending sale of semi-automatic rifles and high-capacity magazines, the company now requires all customers to be 21 or older in order to make a purchase. This change came after hearing that the shooter purchased a firearm from Dick's Sporting Goods last November, even though it wasn't the weapon that was used in the event. The company had already pulled assault rifles from the stores after Sandy Hook in 2012, but it will now also stop selling in its Field & Stream stores.

Questions:
- Do you think that this policy change at Dick's will do anything? Or is it just the sentiment that matters?
- Since the event, people have been "buycotting" Dick's Sporting Goods, as opposed to a backlash of boycotting that they expected. Do you plan on shopping there anytime soon, or are the nearest locations too far away from San Mateo?

Lowering the Voting Age

Summary: A recent study from Denmark highlights two reasons why the voting age should be lowered. First, lowering the voting age allows people to develop lifelong habits of voting consistently. Second, allowing more kids to vote encourages their parents to vote. Ultimately, allowing kids to vote at a younger age will "boost political participation" on two fronts since more young ones will develop the habit of voting regularly, and their parents will vote more as well. These studies were backed up by other countries, such as Austria and Scotland, where kids as young as 16 can vote in primary elections. While some believe that kids will not be able to make mature and informed decisions, the teens who are advocating for stricter gun legislation following the Parkland shooting are proving that kids can be articulate and powerful in the way they fight for what they believe in. Since the shooting directly affected them, shouldn't they have a voice in the kinds of laws related to guns that are passed?

Discussion Questions:
1. What do you think the voting age should be?
2. Is there a way to only allow some qualified teens to vote? Would this make more people open to allowing younger people to vote?

Link: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2018/02/28/the-surprising-consequence-of-lowering-the-voting-age/?utm_term=.f466e0cd46c9

Google Gets Sued Over Rampant 'Bro Culture'

Summary:
A former Google engineer filed a lawsuit against Google, claiming that it "failed to police an out-of-control 'bro culture'" that lead to her being frequently sexually harassed. Loretta Lee worked at Google's headquarters in Mountain View, CA for 7 years and throughout those years, she was often bullied and touched inappropriately by her male colleagues. They would regularly "spike her drinks with whiskey and laugh about it" and shoot Nerf balls and darts at her on a daily basis. They would send her disturbing messages, show up to her apartment with alcohol asking to help her fix her devices and hide under her desk. When she brought the issue to HR, her male coworkers retaliated by refusing to approve any of her work, which led to her being labeled a "poor performer" and her termination in late 2016. "We dispute the allegations made in Ms. Lee’s complaint. We have strong policies against harassment in the workplace and review every complaint we receive,” a Google spokesperson told The Post. “We take action when we find violations — including termination of employment.”

Questions:
1. Do you think this "bro culture" is apparent in places such as high school as well?
2. What do you think must be done to put an end to sexual harassment in the workplace?

Link: http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2018/03/02/google-gets-sued-over-rampant-bro-culture.html

New Fed Chairman Says Amazon Helped Keep Inflation Low

Summary:
When Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell was asked why inflation has been so low since the financial crisis, he stated that a big part of what has been keeping inflation low is the weakness of the economy. "You had a lot of slack and the economy has not been tight," he claims. He believes that there is "global slack" and this worldwide problem is what has affected the tightness of the US labor market. Additionally, Amazon has had an increase in US retail sales. It generated 44% of all US e-commerce last year, as consumers have gravitated towards online sales due to their low prices and wider selections. He also cited currency and energy commodity prices as factors for low inflation.

Questions:
1. Do you agree with Jerome Powell's beliefs on the cause of low inflation?
2. Are there any other factors that you think may have contributed to America's low inflation in the past decade?

Link: https://www.cnbc.com/2018/03/01/new-fed-chairman-says-amazon-helped-keep-inflation-low.html

Trump Divides the Evangelicals

Summary: With Billy Graham's (the pastor and evangelist) recent passing, the question of why some evangelical Christians support Trump has risen again. Since 2006, the number of white evangelical Christians has been decreasing while the number of non-white, younger evangelical Christians is increasing. Throughout his presidency, Trump's main line of support has come from white evangelical Christians who have stood by him despite his many personal failings to ensure that a culturally conservative nominee was appointed to the Supreme Court, "with the broader goal of keeping America an essentially Christian nation with the moral values that white Christians support." What has not been highlighted is that non-white evangelicals have been calling out their fellow Christians for hypocrisy. Some white evangelical leaders are listening. Russell Moore has called on evangelicals to support the Dreamers who are increasingly making up a big part of their congregations. Ultimately, the growing population of non-white Christians is giving "pastors a reason to reflect on what policies and politics best suit their congregants." 

Discussion Questions:

1. Will the growing number of non-white evangelical Christians force the broader evangelical community to rethink their support of Trump?

2. What more would it take for Trump to lose the support of the white evangelicals? Do you think evangelicals will become increasingly Democratic?

Link: https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/how-trump-and-race-are-splitting-evangelicals/

What Hollywood can Teach Trump About Trade

Summary:
Trump recently announced that he would be instituting steel tariffs, in an attempt to make good on his "America First" agenda. However, a smarter way to promote this agenda would be through the Hollywood industry, which employs 2 million people and produces $121 billion in income. These services are part of the "creative economy" and have allowed America to be the leading country in cultural exports. China has become America's largest export market for these items and had even yielded a trade surplus in 2012. Trump has always cited China as taking advantage of America through trade, but America would have the opportunity to make lots of money from China by using Hollywood as trade. In April, Trump made an agreement with the Chinese president to increase the number of American movies that are released in China from 38 to a "number to [be] determined later." If Trump works to raise this number to 100, America will be able to make a revenue of $10 billion, since 20 films created a revenue $2 billion. "Because of Hollywood's high visibility, such a deal with benefit President Trump's America First economic agenda by helping to narrow the trade deficit." However, Trump continues to criticize Hollywood stars, such as Meryl Streep, Whoopi Goldberg and Alec Baldwin, instead of taking advantage of the Hollywood industry for the country's economy.

Opinion:
I think using the Hollywood industry for trade is something that Trump should consider and possibly implement in the future. His decision to put in place steel tariffs has clearly caused a lot of controversy, as it will affect many steel companies and their employees negatively. However, using American Hollywood movies for profit will likely not cause any harm to anyone. I think mending his ties with the industry will allow him the possibility to take on this opportunity in the future.

Questions:
1. Do you think taking advantage of the Hollywood industry for trade would truly benefit America's economy?
2. Do you think this is an opportunity that Trump should/will take in the future?
3. Do you think that using the Hollywood industry for trade would be more effective than the steel tariff?

Link: https://www.cnbc.com/2018/03/02/what-the-academy-awards-and-hollywood-can-teach-trump-about-trade-commentary.html

Americans Borrow Record Amounts for Auto Loans Even as Interest Rates Rise

Summary:
Although interest rates are rising for auto loans, there are more people than ever that are borrowing to pay off the payment for new and used automobiles. The average new vehicle loan hit a record of $31,099 and the average used vehicle loan hit a record of $19,589. Melinda Zabritski, Experian's senior director of automotive finance solutions shocking, finds this shocking, since these payments are much higher than someone with the average individual income would be able to afford. However, there seems to be a trend where consumers pay more but pay it off over a longer period of time, generally 65 to 70 months. The reason people are spending more could be attributed to either the fact that people are buying more trucks and SUVs, which are more expensive, or because the interest rates have significantly increased. "We're starting to see a trickle-down effect from the rate increases happening at the federal level," said Jessica Caldwell, executive director of Industry Analysis for Edmunds.com.

Question:
1. Why do you think there has been an increase in the number of people that are buying vehicles, despite the rise in interest rate?
2. What do you think of the trend among consumers to pay more for a vehicle but pay it off over a longer period of time?

Link: https://www.cnbc.com/2018/03/01/americans-borrow-record-amounts-for-autos-even-as-interest-rates-rise.html

Apple and Other Phone Companies Struggle to Sell As Many New Model Phones

Summary: As Apple, Samsung, and other big name phone companies are coming out with new models, they are finding that their customers are not willing to upgrade their phones as frequently. Apple's newest iPhone X was about $1000, and while some may be willing to pay to have the latest technology, others are doing a cost benefit analysis and making the decision that the upgrades do not justify the price tag. Instead of paying for the latest phone, many are turning to buying refurbished phones, leasing phones, or holding onto their phones longer (8 months longer this year and an estimated 33 months next year). This has led to decrease in demand, with the article stating that "new smartphone shipments plunged to historic lows at the end of 2017." Anticipating the decreasing demand, phone makers had "banked they could compensate for slowing volume by pushing up prices." However, the increase in price may have been too much since not as many customers seem to be showing interest in the new models. According to CNBC, the demand for iPhone X models since the holidays has "slowed dramatically."

Analysis: This article highlights the fact that consumers make some very practical decisions. Even though we seem to be inundated with messages that we must get the latest and greatest technology, there appears to be definite price points that change the behavior of consumers in a way that companies do not anticipate. The companies then have to change their strategies to continue to meet their financial goals, or they will face the consequence of a steep decrease in their stock prices. Samsung is looking into whether they should "push refurbished flagship devices...over new releases" and Apple is continuing to grow their services like the "App Store and its music and payment services." 

Discussion Questions:

1. Do you  think it is worth the money to keep updating your phone models each time a new one comes out? Why? Is there a price point that would change your behavior as a consumer?

2. What do you think phone companies will and can do in order to increase the demand for new phone models when they come out?

Link: https://www.wsj.com/articles/your-love-of-your-old-smartphone-is-a-problem-for-apple-and-samsung-1519822801

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/02/02/apple-gets-two-downgrades-due-to-dramatically-slowing-iphone-x-demand.html

Corporate Impact of #BoycottTheNRA movement

Summary: 
The aftermath of the Parkland School shooting has lead to scrutiny of many gun lobbyist groups, most notably the NRA. Protesters have called for the boycotting of the NRA, its programs and its membership, starting the online hashtag #BoycottTheNRA. Because of this social movement, as of Feb 28, 24 major companies, including United, Delta, and Hertz, have withdrawn support of the NRA and in effect joined the #BoycottTheNRA movement. The Washington Post analysis details how companies are effectively riding social movements to reap the publicity benefits, and to paint themselves as being "the good guys." 

Opinion: 
The support of social movements is without a doubt a smartly calculated cost benefit analysis that I argue is ultimately beneficial to corporation. I believe the 5 million membership of the NRA has exaggerated importance economics wise, and a company making the choice to support anti-NRA social movements likely acknowledges this too. Far more than the 5 million customers lost are gained simply by not being labeled one of the big, bad NRA supporting corporations. Even those who have never explicitly had a position on the NRA get  "'free rider' publicity benefits" if a rival company continues to support the NRA.

Of course, there is a ceiling to how far a company should go to ride social trends. Consider Pepsi ad controversy of 2017, where Pepsi was accused of pandering to activism in an incredibly non-genuine way. I suspect advertisers brand leaders have learned from this over extension. 

Questions:
1. Do corporations joining social movements ultimately help or hurt the movement as a whole? Are grassroot movements more genuine?

2. Are you personally more likely to support a product if they have come out as being for a policy you agree with? Would you accept an inferior good in order to support said company?

3. Consider the 5 million NRA members who have in effect been boycotted against... is unification with them possible?

Washington Post Article

Slate Article

Olympics Brings Awareness to Dog Meat Farms

Summary:
The Winter Olympics, which was held in Pyeongchang, South Korea, has shed light on the very controversial issue regarding South Korea's dog meat trade. Some South Koreans make the argument that those who are trying to implement regulations against eating dogs are placing the value of dog life above human life. These same people also view dog meat as a cultural food and claim that they know the difference between "dogs being raised for companionship" and those that are raised for the sole purpose of being food; however, many people take issue with the way the dogs are treated at the dog farms. They are forced to live in cramped areas with no room to walk or sometimes even stand, and they are not fed nearly enough. The Wall Street Journal article states that in South Korea, "some 20,000 dog farms raise the animals for human consumption" and that "last year, about two million dogs were raised and killed..." Many Olympians from the Winter Olympics, including Gus Kenworthy, have adopted dogs and have begun to speak out about the "inhumane" ways the dogs are treated at the dog farms in hopes of pressuring dog farm owners to close down.
Attitudes, however, are changing. The younger generations of Koreans are beginning to look down upon the trade and many only see the dogs as pets. The president of South Korea, too, has tried to change the attitude about the status of dogs and has adopted a black rescue dog. Many dog farmers are attempting to get out of the trade, and their dogs have been brought to western countries to be adopted. While we have to be sensitive to cultural differences, we can definitely demand that animals that are raised for human consumption be treated humanely. In a country like South Korea that is becoming richer, the population probably does not need to rely on a cheap source of meat like dog meat, and they can begin to get rid of the practice.

Discussion Questions:
1. Do you see the validity of some of the arguments supporting the practice of eating dog meat?
2. Do you think there is a difference between dog meat and other types of meat like beef or pork (pigs are considered to be very social and intelligent animals)? Should we be eating them?
3. Is there anything else that the Korean government can do other than completely getting rid of this practice?

Link: https://www.wsj.com/articles/olympics-puts-spotlight-on-korean-practice-eating-dog-meat-1519555641

Communications Director, Hope Hicks, Resigns

Summary:
On Wednesday, Hope Hicks, President Trump's communications director, said that she is going to resign. Hicks is one of Trump's closest employees, and following her resignation, a couple of people in the White House were quick to compliment her, saying that she is "strategic, poised, and wise beyond her years." She is liked by the president, and she knows how to deal with his temper. However, despite the positive way the people in the White House view her, she has recently admitted to telling "white lies." As communications director, she is ostensibly someone who communicates with the American public. If she is telling "white lies," the trust that American people have with respect to the  White House is fundamentally eroded. Part of the reason why she may have told "white lies," is due to her inexperience in how government officials should conduct themselves. This pattern of inexperience, where many of the officials do not adhere to the normal behaviors of typical government employees, is seen especially in the Trump administration. It is probably appropriate that she is resigning in order to give the appearance that the administration is taking care to repair the image of the White House.

Discussion Questions:
1. What really counts as a white lie?
2. If the president's communications director is telling these "white lies," how can we trust anything else the government is saying?
3. How much does a White House employee's experience really matter in how effective they are?
4. How might this affect the Trump administration?

Link: https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-communication-director-hope-hicks-to-resign-1519854372

Ethics Be Damned

https://www.apmreports.org/ethics

Poll: how corrupt are different US institutions?

According to ethics experts, including the acting director of US Office of Government Ethics David Apol, the actions of Trump's administration are decreasing the already low trust in our government. He was interviewed for the article the same day that Trump nominated someone to replace him. More than half of the members of his cabinet have been found to have engaged in questionable conduct, and according to multiple experts, Trump is sending out the message that it's okay for political appointees to do so.

Discussion Questions:
How has the current administration affected your trust in the American government and our governmental system?
Do you find the administration's corruption to be overstated, or would you generally agree with the article?

Armed social studies teacher arrested after shooting at Georgia high school

Summary: Today at 11:15 a.m., Social Studies teacher in Dalton, Georgia fired shots at Dalton High School, and was soon arrested. Jesse Randall Davidson shot multiple shots, and the Dalton Police Department responded immediately letting parents know to pick up their students at the Northeast Georgia Trade Center where the students were transported. The Dalton Police Department notified the public through twitter sending out multiple updates about the shooting. Although no one was hurt this morning, this could have been a major affair in America especially after the Florida shooting not being that long ago.

Questions:
1. How do you think Trump will respond to this incident?
2. Do you think teachers should be armed at school?

Link: http://wgno.com/2018/02/28/armed-teacher-arrested-after-shooting-at-georgia-high-school/

150 arrested in Northern California immigration sweep; ICE official says others eluded authorities after Oakland mayor's 'reckless' alert

Summary: In the last three days, ICE has made an appearance in the Northern California area and arrested 150 people suspected of violating immigration laws. Once the community was aware ICE was in the community, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaff alerted the public on Saturday night and decreased the amount of arrests that were intended to be made. Schaff tweeted, "I do not regret sharing this information. It is Oakland's legal right to a be a sanctuary city and we have not broken any laws. We believe our community is safer when families stay together." The ICE Deputy Director Thomas Homan thought that the mayors announcement was a "reckless decision based on her political agenda with the very federal laws ICE is sworn to uphold". Homan stated that there are 864 immigrants in the San Francisco, Stockton, Sacramento, and Bay Point area who need to be arrested and deported. In 2017, 20,201 arrests were made due to immigration violations, and 81% of them had criminal convictions. I think that from the ICE perspective they are aiming to arrest immigrants with a criminal history, and not just to break up a family.

Questions:
1. Do you think it's right for ICE to pursue immigrants with a criminal history?
2. Do you think that the Mayor should be able to warn the public and protect her city?

Link:
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-norcal-immigration-arrests-20180227-story.html

Summary: It has been projected that by 2026 many jobs will only require a high school diploma. It has also been projected that these jobs will be taken by immigrants because they have become very vital to the American economy. Currently only 63% of American jobs require a high school diploma, and in the near future, that number will increase. Right now, 52% of immigrants account for maids, and 40% account for construction workers, and laborers. All together immigrants take up 17% of the overall workforce, but Trump's current administration are doing everything they can to lower those numbers. The administration has begun to support the Cotton-Perdue bill, which limits jobs to immigrants and will eliminate 1.3 million jobs by 2027, and 4.6 million by 2046. I think that this can be a step forward in the pro-DACA direction, and can turn into a positive outcome for America's future. Some main points from this article expanded on how immigrants are more willing to work jobs that many Americans would not be willing to do, and if this is the mindset of our society I do not think anyone can really be upset unless they are willing to do the jobs themselves.

Questions:
1. With these new statistics do you think that the overall college graduate percentage rates will drop over the next decade?
2. What do you think the Trump administration will do in order to keep the increasing number down?

Link: https://wtop.com/business-finance/2018/02/why-trumps-effort-to-curb-immigration-could-hurt-us-economy/slide/1/

How Inflation Works (or Why Your Chicken Is Going to Cost More)

Summary: Currently many nations in the world have successful economies and are concerned with inflation. In the last decade most nations were in a deep recession, and this affected everyone's economy differently. After this, central banks did what they could to lower interest rates, and increase investments for all nations. By 2009, the United States was successfully recovering, and by last year positively grew at a 2.3% rate. While a growing economy means well for the U.S., this also means there is a higher demand for essential needs for different businesses. In class we learn how the demand curve shifts depending on how high the demand for a certain product is, and in this case if the economy is increasing, the expectations for future prices will be at a higher demand and the demand curve will shift right.

Questions:
1. How do you think the supply/demand will be affected by this?
2. Do you think the U.S. can maintain this increasing rate?

Link:https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/02/14/business/economy/inflation-prices.html

A woman was stabbed to death with a 10-inch hunting knife in a library reading room

Summary: 23-year-old Jeffrey Yao stabbed a 22-year-old woman over 20 times on her head and chest in a Massachusetts library last Saturday, causing the woman to later die in the hospital. When a 77-year-old man stepped in to try to help the woman, he was also stabbed, but luckily his wound wasn't fatal. The attack was done with a 10 inch hunting knife that was brought into the Winchester Public Library undetected, and Yao's motive and possible connection to the victim are currently unknown. When Yao's neighbors were interviewed after the attack, many of them noted that he "exhibited plenty of mental health issues" since at least high school, and his behavior became "increasingly erratic in recent years," one neighbor citing an attempted break-in into their house and others sharing fears that he would "kill someone." Yao has plead not guilty in court today, as his attorney claims the stabbing was due to Yao's mental illnesses and hopes Yao will be put in a maximum-security hospital instead of jail.

Questions:
1. In wake of recent pushes by the public for stronger gun control and/or background checks, should other weapons, like knives, face similar restrictions? Is there another, better way to make sure that similar stabbings and deaths will be stopped or controlled?
2. How can we ensure that people with mental illnesses will receive the proper treatments and care they need in the future?
3. What do you think Yao's punishment should be, and how does that compare to what you predict Yao will actually receive?

Links:
Washington Post
Fox 25 Boston
ABC News

Register to Vote! CA has a Senator and Governor to choose in the 2018 midterm election

Article link

In the race for CA governor there will be a primary election on June 5, 2018 (you'll be graduated, so no excuse not to vote!) and general election on November 6, 2018. The Democrats have 13 declared candidates, the Republicans 12 declared candidates, and more options are on the table with third parties and independents. Two of the leading candidates (Gavin Newsom & Antonio Villaraigosa) have been involved in high profile affairs in the past as pointed out by candidate John Chiang.

In the race for CA senate, the incumbent, Dianne Feinstein, has occupied one of the two CA Senate seats since 1992, and will be running for another six year term despite turning 85 this summer! Kevin de Leon is challenging her and did well at the statewide Democratic Convention, although Feinstein leads in the polls.

Discussion Questions
1. Which gubernatorial candidate will you vote for in the June 5 CA primary (its an open primary)?
2. Which US Senate candidate will you vote for?
3. Should Feinstein's age be an issue in the Senate race?
4. Newsom (the leading candidate for Governor) had an affair with a previous campaign manager's wife--should this be an issue of concern to voters?

US ties any North Korea talks to nuclear arms

Summary: As the Olympics concluded in South Korea, discussion between the U.S and North Korea revolves around the removal of their nuclear weapons. North Korea maintains that they are willing to engage in talks, however, many are skeptical of their agreement to give up their nuclear weapons. After the Olympics, where North Korean presence was felt, both South Korea and the U.S were hopeful as their talks continued.


Questions:

1. Do you believe that the U.S. will be able to coerce North Korea into giving over or limiting their nuclear arsenal?

2. In your opinion, does North Koreas presence at the Olympics give insight to possible compromise?

Article Link: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-43189691

Opioid addiction and death mail-ordered to your door

Summary: As prescription opiate pills become harder to obtain, more users are turning to artificial or street produced opiates. Recently, fentanyl, a drug 50 to 100 times as powerful than morphine, has entered the U.S, marked by a rise in overdoses. Fentanyl usually is shipped from China and enters the U.S. through the postal service. In recent years, intake of packages into the U.S. has increased greatly and the 498 million packages containing fentanyl seized by the DEA in 2017 was a minor percentage of the drug passing into the country.

Opinion: As the amount of drugs shipped through the mail grow, security to check for the drugs can only prevent so much from entering the U.S. In my opinion the solution to the overdose problem lies in education and acceptance of addiction as a true problem. Educating addicts about the power of the artificial or substitute opiates. Additionally tools such as test kits and clean needles could help prevent spread of diseases or possible overdoses.

Questions:

1. What action should the United States take limit the amount of these drug entering the country?

2. Should the opiate crisis in the U.S. be a priority currently?

Article Link: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-43146286