Today's Question Blog

November 27, 2013 2:35 AM

Are retailers ruining Thanksgiving?

“This year, several retailers like Target, J.C. Penney, Kohl’s and Macy’s have announced plans to open Thanksgiving evening for the first time. Others, like Toys R Us and Best Buy, are opening earlier on Thanksgiving than last year,” writes the AP’s Anne D’Innocenzio. Today’s Question: Are retailers ruining Thanksgiving?

by Michael Olson

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November 26, 2013 2:08 AM

Do you want to see the role of crowdfunding expand?

Kickstarter and other sites allow artists, authors, and inventors to fund projects through small donations from many supporters. But soon people may be able to actually invest — and see a return on that investment — through a similar model. NPR reports: The Securities and Exchange Commission is considering rules that, for the first time, Read more →

by Molly Bloom

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November 25, 2013 12:50 AM

Would lower executive salaries serve the public interest in the U.S.?

Swiss voters have rejected a proposal that would have limited executive pay to 12 times that of the lowest paid. 1:12 – Swiss referendum to decide whether to limit executive pay http://t.co/1v7MMcvSMU pic.twitter.com/2muedNBRW1 — BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) November 22, 2013 BBC News reports: The referendum saw 65.3% vote against the plan with 34.7% in Read more →

by Michael Olson

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November 22, 2013 1:00 AM

Should the FCC lift restrictions on cellphone calls during airline flights?

Rules against making cellphone calls during airline flights are “outdated,” and it’s time to change them, federal regulators said Thursday, drawing immediate howls of protest from flight attendants, airline officials and others,” write Joan Lowy and Scott Mayerowitz for the AP. Tom Wheeler, the new chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, said in a statement Read more →

by Michael Olson

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November 21, 2013 1:13 AM

Would you get behind the wheel of a self-driving car?

“Human beings make terrible drivers. They talk on the phone and run red lights, signal to the left and turn to the right. They drink too much beer and plow into trees or veer into traffic as they swat at their kids. They have blind spots, leg cramps, seizures, and heart attacks. They rubberneck, hotdog, Read more →

by Michael Olson

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November 20, 2013 1:02 AM

Are you working too much?

Image by Vik-Thor via Flickr “In 2013, Americans only used 10 out of 14 vacation days, leaving more than 577 million days untouched, according to an Expedia survey of 8,535 people across 24 countries. That’s more than twice as many as the year before,” writes Lauren Davidson in Quartz. What’s their excuse? More than a Read more →

by Michael Olson

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November 19, 2013 12:57 AM

How do you weigh equal treatment of gay couples against free expression?

“A New Mexico law forbids businesses open to the public to discriminate against gay people. Elaine Huguenin, a photographer, says she has no problem with that — so long as it does not force her to say something she does not believe,” writes in the New York Times. “In asking the Supreme Court to hear Read more →

by Michael Olson

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November 18, 2013 1:02 AM

How much of your trash gets recycled?

Food waste and other organic material made up nearly a third of what Minnesotans sent to landfills in 2012, according to a new study state officials released Monday, writes MPR News reporter Elizabeth Dunbar. The Waste Composition Report, released by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, found that organics accounted for 31 percent of the waste Read more →

by Michael Olson

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November 15, 2013 1:10 AM

What could the president or members of congress do to improve your view of government?

“The American public is clearly ticked off. Between the government shutdown, the troubled rollout of the Affordable Care Act, and the pace of the economic recovery, poll after poll reports signs of deep frustration and unrest,” Alan Yu writes at NPR. “Anger toward politicians and government isn’t exactly a new phenomenon. What is unusual, however, Read more →

by Michael Olson

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November 14, 2013 1:10 AM

Should sex offenders that have served time for their crime be set free?

“Gov. Mark Dayton has changed course on how to deal with sex offenders indefinitely detained under civil commitment. “Dayton today directed the state Department of Human Services to oppose any future recommendations that sex offenders be released.” (MPR News) Many of the nearly 700 people in the Minnesota Sex Offender Program have joined a class-action Read more →

by Michael Olson

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