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Question of the Week

admin — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 15:05:59 +0000

This week’s Question of the Week concerns a poll from Skyscanner, a travel fare-comparison Web site. To reduce noise and keep children in one place, sixty percent of more than 2,000 surveyed travelers said it would be a good idea for airplanes to have families-only sections on flights.

What do you think? Should airplanes have families-only sections?

Vote here:

Question of the Week

admin — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 20:29:36 +0000

This week’s Question of the Week concerns the issue of genetically engineered food. A firm in Waltham, MA, has developed a genetically modified salmon that grows during the winter as well as the summer, so it reaches an 8-pound market weight in 18 months instead of 36. Accomplished by inserting part of a gene from an ocean pout into the growth gene of a Chinook salmon and then injecting the blended genetic material into the fertilized eggs of a North Atlantic salmon, the FDA is in the process of reviewing what would be the nation’s first commercial genetically modified food animal.

What do you think? Should the FDA approve genetically engineered salmon? Yes or No?

Vote here.

Question of the Week

admin — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 14:58:46 +0000

This week’s Question of the Week concerns the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. According to recent news reports, BP said they may drill a new well in the Macondo reservoir — the source of one of the world’s worst oil spills. Proponents believe that BP’s earnings from drilling in the Gulf would allow them to pay the massive fines and costs for cleanup of the spill, while opponents believe the oil giant should sell the rights to the reservoir to another oil company and donate the proceeds from the sale.

What do you think? Should BP be permitted to continue to drill in the Gulf of Mexico? Yes or No?

Vote here.

Question of the Week

admin — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 21:29:21 +0000

This week’s Question of the Week concerns the battle between digital volumes and their printed counterparts. From Amazon’s Kindle and Apple’s iPad to Sony’s e-Reader and Barnes & Noble’s Nook, digital reading is obviously here to stay. This is especially true when you take into account how Amazon recently reported that for the first time, e-book sales have overtaken hardcover sales. And, because of their own plummeting sales, mega-retailer Barnes & Noble is currently looking for a buyer to purchase the bookstore chain.

What do you think? With the prevalence of e-readers, will e-books eventually replace printed books? Yes or no?

Vote here.

Is WikiLeaks a threat to national security?

admin — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 15:12:41 +0000

This week’s question concerns the recent story about the nearly 92,000 classified U.S. Military documents leaked by the Web site WikiLeaks.org. The organization’s Web site claims, “We believe that transparency in government activities leads to reduced corruption, better government, and stronger democracies”; however, critics of the site maintain that it jeopardizes military operations and endangers the privacy rights of others.

What do you think? Is WikiLeaks a threat to national security? Yes or no?

Vote here.

Should nuclear power play a significant role in America’s energy future?

admin — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 16:04:48 +0000

This week’s question concerns the U.S. and nuclear power plants. In his speech at this year’s Stanford Energy Seminar, Burton Richter, Ph.D., the director emeritus of the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and a Nobel laureate in physics, asserted that it is time for the U.S. to become a leader in the field of developing safe and efficient nuclear power. According to Dr. Richter, nuclear energy as a source of electricity is growing worldwide and should be a major component of U.S. energy policy.

What do you think? Should nuclear power play a significant role in America’s energy future? Yes or no?

Vote here.

Should brain scans be admissible as legal evidence?

admin — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 15:30:43 +0000

This week’s question concerns brain scans and the legal system. In 2008 a judge in India convicted a woman of murdering her fiancee based partly on brain scan evidence that gauged her ability to remember details of the crime. And in the US, fMRI scans have already found their way into courtrooms and more attempts are on the horizon. In response, two psychologists and a law expert from Stanford University conducted a study to determine how much information about memories can be seen in brain activity. Using fMRI to scan the brains of healthy adults, the researchers were able to measure how strong their subjects’ sense of a specific memory was; but they could not tell for sure whether the memories themselves were based on a recollection of an actual experience.

What do you think? Should brain scans be admissible as legal evidence?

Vote here.

Was the discovery of Russian spies still operating in the US surprising?

admin — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 16:00:14 +0000

This week’s question concerns the recent discovery of Russian spies still operating in the US. In June, authorities uncovered a Russian spy ring of 10 individuals operating in New York and Cambridge. Last week, the US and Russian governments completed a “spy swap” in Vienna.

What do you think? Was the discovery of Russian spies still operating in the US surprising?

Vote here

Will humans be extinct in 100 years?

admin — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 19:09:52 +0000

This week’s question concerns the world-renowned Australian scientist Professor Frank Fenner - who helped to wipe out smallpox - and his prediction that humans will probably be extinct within 100 years. His reasoning includes overpopulation, environmental destruction, and climate change. Fenner stated that homo sapiens will not be able to survive the population explosion and “unbridled consumption,” and will become extinct, perhaps within a century, along with many other species.

What do you think? Will humans be extinct in 100 years?

Vote here.

Does your online persona accurately reflect who you are in the real world?

admin — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 14:30:04 +0000

This week’s question concerns our online “personas”. While social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook encourage members to use their real identities, a recent study on the usage habits on these sites has shown there’s little correlation between how people act on the Internet and how they are in person. For example, if you’re the type who is overly chatty or arrogant on Twitter, this doesn’t necessarily reflect on how you may act in the real world.

What do you think? Does your online persona accurately reflect who you are in the real world?

Yes or no?

Vote here.