Week of 11/15

Happy update!  This week seems to have flown by.  I am pretty sure I missed following the biggest news stories this week, for sure, so below are some items of interest.  Given the fact that free time is at an all time minimum for me these days, I welcome any mid-week updates for ME that you all might want to send my way.

Starting with one of those-- I feel like there is a TON to say and consider in thinking about the use of "smartbombs"-- this piece examines some of the ethical dilemmas of weapons that are designed to work without human involvement or oversight.  Will this allow for wars with less civilian casualties, create weapons that can pick victims via robot, or turn war into a real life video game?

And shall we talk about Bill Cosby?  Cliff?  I had actually heard nothing until this recent media outbreak about Bill Cosby's rape allegations-- was I under a rock, or were they kept completely discrete? 

As for politics:  The last time the Republicans had a majority this big was 1928.  This article gives historical perspective that I thought was pretty interesting-- from the 1928 elections to prohibition and the Great Depression.

And I'm curious to see the answer to the question posed in this piece about Obamacare:  Republicans have to make a decision: Do we go forward with a blind opposition or try to find some way to improve the system where it is flawed? 

Moving on- did you know that psychotopic drug use in children has gone up over 44 percent in the past four years?  And at the same time, studies have barely been done on their impact on non-adults.  More here about this hugely challenging parenting dilemma.

If you are like me, sometimes people talk about a concept around you and you smile and nod but don't let on, right at that moment, that you're not fully sure what they are talking about.  Anyone? C'mon, be honest!  Well, if net neutrality is one of those things, this sums it up quite nicely.  I'd be interested to hear if there are any more compelling arguments that just those based on profit for internet service to be run like cable.  What do you all think?  Is internet a right?  A basic need?

You have probably heard about the Ohio women suing the sperm bank for mistakenly giving them black donor sperm.  There are several interpretations in blogs and cyberspace, but I thought that this piece in the Nation is compelling-- though obviously biased and even inflammatory.  (And the weekly update gave you the backstory referenced in paragraph one just a couple weeks ago!)

And a topic that hits close to home- stay at home dads.  These guys say that they have to band together to overcome the social stigma.  True?  Untrue?  Varies by location?