Four For Friday

Q1 - Admission: Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, is considering whether to raise its academic admission requirements so that students earning non-honors high school diplomas wouldn't be accepted. Do you think it's okay for public colleges and universities to require such rigid entrance requirements, or, should public colleges and universities consider each applicant on his or her own merits regardless of whether they graduated high school with honors?

Q2 - Feelings: What matches your mood right now?

Q3 - Co-Workers: If you could choose anyone--dead or alive--as a co-worker, who would you like to work with and what position within your company would that person hold?

Q4 - Ownership: If you are with a small group of people (i.e., in a car or small conference room) and you initiate a silent-but-deadly flatulent emission, do you own up to it or simply ignore it and hope everyone else does the same?

FOUR FOR FRIDAY

Q1 - Notables: Many famous and noteworthy people died this year, including the ones listed here: Alexander Solzhenitsyn, Arthur C. Clarke, Michael Crichton, Beverly Garland, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Yves Saint Laurent, Christopher Bowman, Eartha Kitt, Sir Edmund Hillary, Jeff Healey, Bobby Fischer, Bo Diddley, Jeremy Beadle, Isaac Hayes, Paul Scofield, Heath Ledger, Guillaume Depardieu, Michael Lee, Paul Newman, M.C. Breed, Sydney Pollack, Charlton Heston, Albert Hofmann, W. Mark Felt, Sunny von Bulow, Odetta, Kenny MacLean, Tony Hillerman, Dee Dee Warwick, Don Haskins, Kevin Duckworth, Gene Upshaw, Stephanie Tubbs Jones, Sandy Allen, Bernie Mac, Skip Caray, Estelle Getty, Tony Snow, Bobby Ray Murcer, Michael DeBakey, Jesse Helms, Dody Goodman, George Carlin, Wilbur Hardee, Tim Russert, Charlie Jones, Jim McKay, Harvey Korman, Hamilton Jordan, and Brad Renfro. Which notable person's death affected you most in 2008?

Q2 - Credit: In the midst of the current global recession, credit card companies have cut back on credit lines even to good customers. In addition, according to The Atlanta Journal Constitution, some credit card issuers have gone beyond looking at how much their customers spend or how promptly they pay and are now evaluating where they live and where they shop. In other words, redlining is apparently alive and well, aided and abetted by the very companies which could not restrain themselves from blindly offering credit cards and balance transfers to anyone who opened the mailbox, even if they were underage and without visible means of support. Do you think credit card issuers should be able to adjust credit limits and rates based solely on your zip code or shopping habits?

Q3 - Hot: From California to Florida, an increasing number state departments of transportation are allowing single occupancy vehicles (SOVs) to pay a premium toll to use HOV (high occupancy vehicle) lanes. High-occupancy tolls (HOT) are criticized by some as being nothing more than "Lexus lanes" that allow drivers with deeper pockets to buy special treatment on highways built using fuel taxes collected from everyone. What do you think? Are HOT lanes a good idea?

Q4 - Theatre: When you watch a movie in a movie theatre, do you like the theatre filled to capacity, halfway full, or nearly empty? Does your answer change depending on the type of movie you're seeing or do you feel the same way regardless of the movie or genre?

Four For Friday

Q1 - Names: Here in the U.S., the parents of a three-year-old boy have branded a supermarket "intolerant" after it refused to decorate their son's birthday cake with his name: Adolf Hitler Campbell. The couple, from New Jersey, asked ShopRite staff to decorate little Adolf's cake with his name, which he shares with the deceased Nazi dictator, and were outraged after staff refused to on the grounds that it was inappropriate. Do you think the supermarket's bakery staff made the right decision or does every little boy deserve to have his name on their birthday cake regardless of what their name is?

Q2 - Grumble: What are your top five beefs?

Q3 - Layaway: As everyone knows, it's shopping season once again, but we all know times are a little tough this year. A new ABC News poll this week found that many Americans are feeling the financial strain, resulting in a lot of us spending a lot less on holiday gifts. So perhaps it's not a big surprise that we would see the resurgence of a more conservative way to shop... the layaway. If you could put one item on layaway for up to five years that you absolutely intended to incrementally pay for in full, what would you choose to put on layaway?

Q4 - Memories: How will you remember 2008?

Four For Friday

Q1 - Smokin': What do you think of President-elect Barak Obama's decision to smoke cigarettes... Who cares, it doesn't affect his ability to lead; I care because kids will smoke as a result of his example; it bothers me, but as long as he does it in private, I'm okay with it; something else?

Q2 - Books: Did you read any memorable books this year/books you'd recommend reading?

Q3 - Take Notice: What do you think people tend to notice about you? Related... Is there something else you wish they'd notice instead?

Q4 - Winter 2008/2009 Movies: Australia, Four Christmases, The Transporter 3, Nobel Son, Frost/Nixon, Punisher: War Zone, The Day the Earth Stood Still, Milk, Defiance, The Tale of Despereaux, Yes Man, Bedtime Stories, The Reader, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Hurricane Season, Marley & Me, Will Eisner's The Spirit, Revolutionary Road, Nothing Like the Holidays, Seven Pounds, Valkyrie, Bride Wars, Possession, The Unborn, The Brothers Bloom, Notorious, Paul Blart: Mall Cop, He's Just Not That Into You, Pink Panther 2, Push, Confessions of a Shopaholic, Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience... which movies are you most looking forward to watching this winter?

Four For Friday

Q1 - 180 Degrees: If you could suddenly proclaim that any one work of fiction (be it a movie, novel/book, short story, fable, fairy tale, play, etc.) was actually true, what would you choose?

Q2 - Airline Safety: According to a recent report, approximately 96% of people involved in airplane accidents survive the accident itself and, aside from a fear of flying, experience no long-term health problems. When flying, do you take certain precautions or care to increase your chance of survival in event of a crash (i.e., choosing a certain seat in a specific part of the airplane or counting the number of seats between yourself and exit) or do you not like to think about such things?

Q3 - Citizenship: Have you heard about this one? The latest effort to rewrite the election of 2008... an accusation that that President-elect Barack Obama is not a legitimate natural-born American, and therefore cannot be sworn into office. The argument, which is being taken all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, goes something like this: When Barack Obama was born in 1961, Kenya was still a British colony. Obama's father was from Kenya, and therefore a British citizen. That British citizenship automatically passed onto his son (President-elect Obama), and that means that President-elect Obama--who was born in the U.S.--was born with dual citizenship and should not be allowed to hold the Office of the Presidency. What do you think this? Should the President of the United States be allowed to hold dual citizenship? (By the way, for the record, President-elect Obama's dual citizenship expired when he turned 21.)

Q4 - Overrated: Who do you think is the most overrated (you choose... actor, politician, professional athlete, or musician)?

Four For Friday

Q1 - Art: A woman in the U.K. who was given a painting by Adolf Hitler as a birthday gift from her son in 2006, reportedly sold the painting at auction this week at an $8,900 loss because she disliked it so much. The painting, titled "The Church of Preux-au-Bois," bears the chilling signature 'AH' and dates back to a time when the future Nazi leader was stationed as a foot soldier (sometime between 1915-1918). If you liked this particular painting--which you can see here--and you had the means to own it, would you buy it and put it on display in your home or office, or would you never buy or display anything either created by Adolf Hitler or which came from his regime?

Q2 - Satisfaction: According to the latest figures from the U.S. government, one out of every six U.S. households (15.8%) do not have a landline telephone, but do have at least one wireless telephone. If you have a cell phone, how satisfied are you with your wireless service provider, and are you considering switching providers the next time your current agreement is up for renewal?

Q3 - On This Day: On this day in 1943, Franklin D. President Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet leader Josef Stalin met in Tehran during World War II. If you could put any three world-leaders in the same room and make them talk out their differences, whom would you put into that room? (Extra credit: Have more than three / more than one room? That's fine... do tell!)

Q4 - Open Tryouts: Pick a profession or job that requires extreme skill or training (academic or otherwise). Now read this: "One Day Only... open tryouts for [insert highly skilled job here]!" For what highly skilled job would you stand in line to tryout for?

Four For Friday

Q1 - Holiday Shopping: Where will you be doing the bulk of this year's holiday shopping... from a catalog, online, at the mall, shopping? bah humbug!, somewhere else?

Q2 - I've Had Enough: A few years ago, I could not get enough of a certain sandwich at a little deli near my office. For months, no matter what time of day, if you offered me that one specific sandwich and I was hungry, I gladly would have eaten it and thanked you for making me so happy. Then, out of nowhere, I lost my appetite for that sandwich (I guess I just got "burned out" of it). Has this ever happened to you, and if so, what specific food item was involved?

Q3 - Automobile: Would you consider buying a car from an automobile manufacturer who has declared bankruptcy?

Q4 - Hovering: A growing number of scholars, psychologists, educators and pundits think kids today have lost their resilience due to overly hovering parents. What do you think?

Four For Friday

Q1 - Work: If technology had not advanced to the point to where it is today (e.g. availability of the Internet, air transportation, telephones, satellites, etc.) what would you be doing for a living? Asked another way, you and everyone you know have been transported to the year 1841... what would you be doing for a living (note: you have no recollection of the fact that you were transported from the year 2008).

Q2 - Thank You!: According to its Wikipedia entry, many people inaccurately assume the word "tip" to be an acronym for terms such as "to insure prompt service", "to insure proper service", "to improve performance", and "to insure promptness", when in reality it is derived from the English thieves' (which may be taken to mean "gambler") slang word "tip," meaning to pass from one to another unexpectedly. Do you tip the person who cuts your hair? If so, how do you determine how much to tip (do you base it on the total cost of the haircut, the outcome, a set amount each time, or something else entirely)?

Q3 - Video Conferencing: Forty years ago, about the only way you could witness video conferencing in action was to tune in to an episode of The Jetsons and watch George Jetson and Jane (his wife) converse over their video phones. Today, over 80% of the Fortune 500 uses video conferencing on a daily basis, and consumers regularly use Skype, iChat, AOL IM and other programs to video conference. Earlier this week, the CEO of Cisco Systems, Inc. said his company is about a year away from launching a consumer/home version of a high-definition (HD) video conferencing system. Putting your concerns about system price and subscription plan cost aside for a moment, would you be inclined to use a home-based video conferencing system?

Q4 - Bailing Out: According to media reports, President-elect Obama favors asking Congress to approve as much as $50 billion to save U.S. automakers. If you were a member of Congress, would you vote in favor of a measure that would result in bailing out the U.S. auto industry?

Countdown's Keith Olbermann (and I) Speak to Opponents of Gay Marriage

The following commentary -- almost word-for-word -- has been running through my head since last Tuesday's election. I know it's a cliche but honestly, from the depths of my heart and soul, I couldn't state how I feel (about the right for gay couples to marry and how the majority of Californians voted on Proposition 8) any better than as follows:

Comments are open... I'm not afraid of what people have to say on this subject. If you disagree with me and Keith Olbermann, by all means, respond and let's keep the dialogue going! And if you agree, be brave enough to leave a comment to that effect as well.

Four For Friday

Q1 - Lost vs. Won: Do you think John McCain lost the 2008 Presidential election, or do you feel Barak Obama won it from him? In other words, was this election John McCain's to win but because of his strategy, he lost; or, did Barak Obama "out perform" John McCain at every turn, thus winning this election all on his own?

Q2 - Church Security: In an era when threats and shootings at schools and churches have made headlines, religious leaders are rethinking their security strategies. Last Saturday, a minister was fatally shot and another man wounded outside of a church in Kentucky where the men went to attend a funeral. Such violence, while extremely rare, has many houses of worship hiring armed guards who keep a watchful eye over worship services. In some cases, churches are even turning to their parishioners to join volunteer security teams by carrying concealed weapons. Would you feel comfortable attending church services that were monitored by armed guards?

Q3 - Put em Together: If you could combine any two states, which two states would you enjoin and what would you name the new state?

Q4 - Extra Money: If you had no choice but to earn extra money in order to survive in this economy and were given the choice of doing any job in order to earn that extra money, what would you do (by the way, it has to be a real job, not some made up one)?

Four For Friday - The Election Edition

Q1 - Talk About It: Many of my friends have commented they cannot discuss politics with co-workers, family, friends and others without conflict rearing its ugly head. Do you feel you can talk with your family and friends about this particularly divisive Presidential election?

Q2 - And The Winner Is: Do you know who you're voting for in next week's Presidential election?

Q3 - Call It: A pollster is a professional whose primary job is conducting private pre-election surveys and advising candidates on election strategy. Put your pollster hat on: Who will win the Presidential election and by what margin (in percentages)?

Q4 - Issues: What do you think is the most important issue in next Tuesday's Presidential election?

Four For Friday

Q1 - Name It: Each of our fingers has unique cultural and functional significance. From right to left -- with the right hand in the "talk to the hand" position -- the fingers are commonly known as: thumb, index finger, middle finger, ring finger, and pinky. If you could rename any one of the fingers, which one would it be and what would you call it?

Q2 - Dress It: Much has been made this week about the Republican National Committee's $150,000-plus expenditure on clothing, hair and makeup, and accessories for Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin and her family. According to financial disclosure records, the accessorizing began in early September and included bills from Saks Fifth Avenue for $49,425.74, a Neiman Marcus bill for more than $75,000, and a $4,700 tab on hair and makeup. In response to the news, the McCain/Palin campaign issued a statement saying "The campaign does not comment on strategic decisions regarding how financial resources available to the campaign are spent." A few hours later, a campaign spokesperson said: "With all of the important issues facing the country right now, it's remarkable that we're spending time talking about pantsuits and blouses. It was always the intent that the clothing go to a charitable purpose after the campaign." Regardless of whether you support McCain/Palin, Obama/Biden, or someone else in the race for the White House, do you think its appropriate for campaigns to spend money like this?

Q3 - Extend It: On October 2, 2008, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced that he would seek to extend the city's term limits law so he could run for a third mayoral term in 2009 (in NYC, two consecutive four-year terms is the limit). Bloomberg's reasoning: a leader of his caliber is needed during the Wall Street financial crisis. Well, the Mayor got his wish yesterday when the City Council voted 29-22 in favor of extending the term limit to three consecutive four-year terms, thus allowing Bloomberg to run for office again (take note: almost two-thirds of the Council's membership is currently in their second term). If you were casting a vote in this matter, how would you have voted: keep the term limits as they are or extend them to three consecutive four-year terms?

Q4 - Medicate It: According to a recent report, about one-half of American doctors in a new survey admitted they regularly give their patients placebo treatments (usually drugs or vitamins that won't really help their condition). If you found out your doctor was doing this to you, what would you do?

Four For Friday

Q1 - Ouch, That Hurts!: Who do you think hurt the United States of America more... Osama bin Laden and Al-Qaeda on 9/11 or the people responsible for the current state of the economy?

Q2 - Advice: If you were asked to deliver the commencement speech at your high school: A) Would you do it? B) What would you talk about?

Q3 - Event: "Hello! Is this [insert your first and last name here]? My name is Peter Gadwa and I'm calling from Ticketmaster. By a strange twist of events (pun intended), your name has been chosen to receive four tickets to any event in the world -- past, present or future. What event would you like to attend and who will be joining you?"

Q4 - Commute: If a high-speed or local rail line was available to take you to and from within seven blocks of your home to work or shopping, would you use it at least four times per week or are you too attached to your automobile?

Four For Friday - The Economy Edition

Q1 - Cutting Back: The rising price of consumer goods is driving shoppers from all lifestyles to use coupons for food, beauty aids and pharmacy products at an increasing rate, according to some of the country's largest purveyors of manufacturers' coupons. Has the current state of the U.S. economy forced you to take a second look at your spending habits? If so, are there any areas in particular where you are consciously cutting back?

Q2 - Installment vs. Lump Sum: A winner of a $42 million lottery in Michigan may do something almost unheard of: receive the money in installments rather than getting smaller, one-time cash payment. The unnamed winner of the October 3 jackpot told state lottery officials she would be taking the annuity (lottery winners typically take a lump-sum payment with plans to invest it, but confidence in the stock market has dropped with the current financial crisis). If you won a $42 million lottery tomorrow, would you take the money in installments or one lump sum?

Q3 - Worries: Just prior to Congress' passing and the president's signing of the Treasury bailout legislation on Oct. 3, the percentage of Americans saying they worried about money the previous day hit a new high for the year at 48%. Since that time, worry has declined, with the percentage of Americans worried about money falling to 39% in Gallup Poll Daily tracking from Oct. 4-6 and 42% from Oct. 5-7. Are you worried about money (asked differently, do your current worries have anything to do with money)?

Q4 - Fund That Cause: Billionaire investor and businessman Warren Buffett is again the richest American, deposing Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, after Forbes magazine recalculated the fortunes of some of the 400 wealthiest Americans. If you could compel Buffett to give away 50% of his $58 Billion net worth for a single cause, to what cause would the money go?

Four For Friday

Q1 - Email: We've all probably done this: Composed what we thought was an innocuous email or instant message, hit the send button and sat back to await a reply. When you finally do hear back, you learn the recipient of your message is upset with you. You thought what you sent was a very clearly worded message that could not possible be misinterpreted, but the recipient completely misunderstood. As a rule, do you read or reread email messages before you send them? Related: When you attach a document or file to an email message, do you open the file after it has been attached (to make sure it is indeed what you want to send)?

Q2 - It's a Dogs World: If you were reincarnated as dog, what breed would you like to be and what one person--either dead or alive--would you choose to be your master?

Q3 - Debates: According to political pollsters, there are very few instances in which Presidential or Vice Presidential debates had a substantive impact on election outcomes. In other words, most voters choose to vote for a candidate regardless of what takes place during a debate. Has either of this year's debates influenced whom you think you will be voting for in November?

Q4 - City Ordinance: Beginning this Wednesday, Los Angeles pet owners must comply with a city ordinance that requires most dogs and cats to be spayed or neutered by the time they are four months old. Dog and cat owners not complying with the law will receive information on subsidized sterilization services. If their pets are not "fixed" within 60 days, they could face a $100 fine or eight hours of community service. A third offense could result in a $500 fine or 40 hours of community service. The ordinance exempts a number of animals, including service dogs and animals that compete in shows or sporting competitions. Do you like this ordinance or do you think the government has no right to legislate whether your cat or dog can have kittens or puppies?