Blonde Bias?

Gracie Gold could feel herself crooked in the air and knew she was about a second from splatting on the ice.

"No way," she thought. "Not here."

Showing instincts that would impress a cat, Gold managed to save the landings on not one, but two of her jumps in the short program. They may not have been the prettiest landings she's ever had, but they did the trick, keeping alive her chances for a medal at the Sochi Olympics.

Following the short program, Yuna Kim, Adelina Sotnikova and Carolina Kostner make up the top-three with Gold a hefty 5.49 points behind Kostner for third.

So how come so much of the coverage has focused on Gracie?

Is NBC's coverage suffering from 'Blonde Bias?'

Which TV Network do you trust the most?

Are other news networks any less Biased?

How does our media differ from Cold War Russia?

How can you detect 'bias' in the news?

Whats going on in this picture?

Can you answer the 5 Ws and H about this picture?

What is the history of this symbol?

Why didn't the  Russians see this picture?

Is the American Media biased?

Remember the good old days of the Cold War?

Black Widow

Of particular concern to Russian authorities at the Sochi Olympics are the "black widows," frequently young women whose husbands have been killed by Russian forces. Last month, Russian security forces published photographs of three such women allegedly planning to bomb the Olympic torch relay, and another of a 22-year-old woman called Ruzanna Ibragimova, who they said might be in the Sochi area.

How common are female suicide bombers?  What motivates them?

Are suicide bombers Crazy?

Sochi's Terrorism Problem

A Man suspected of trying to hijack plane to Sochi was detained in Turkey as passengers were evacuated.

A Ukrainian man tried to hijack a Turkey-bound flight to Sochi, Russia, as the Winter Olympics were kicking off Friday, but the pilot tricked him and landed in Istanbul instead, where he was stealthily detained after a four-hour stand-off on a plane full of passengers, an official said. The hijacking drama came as the Winter Olympics opened in the Russian resort city, with thousands of athletes from around the world pouring into the tightly secured stadium amid warnings the games could be a terrorism target.

Just how big is Sochi's Terrorism Problem?

What is the connection between Sochi and the Boston Marathon Bomber?

Have terrorist attacks been carried out on the Olympics before?

Same Love

Call her Queen Commish.

Queen Latifah said she was sworn in as a temporary commissioner by the state of California on Sunday, so the 33 marriages she performed from the Grammy stage during a performance by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis and Madonna were legal.

The landmark nuptuals took place during a medley of the rap duo's breakout hit "Same Love" — an anthem for same sex marriage advocates — as Latifah stage to officiate the simultaneous wedding of 34 couples of varying ages and sexual orientations. The ceremony continued as Madonna took the stage and performed her own classic "Open Your Heart."

What is the difference between a Civil and Religious marriage?

Would these weddings be legal in Ohio?

Which States besides California recognize Gay or Same Sex Marriage?

What about the rest of the World?

Who wasn't at this year's Grammys?  Why?

Exponential Times

We live in an 'information age' and yet the more informed we are the less we seem to know. Watch this video and then answer the questions below.

1.) Do you believe that the last statement about the New York Times is a good or a bad thing? Why or why not?

2.) Is there such a thing as ‘news overload’? (Getting exposed to too much news). How might this affect how people view their news sources?

3.) Twenty years ago, the primary form of the news was the newspaper. Today, the primary sources are websites. How might this change in your lifetime? (Example – getting the news from social networks like Facebook, Twitter, etc.)

4.) How has technology changed in your lifetime? In what ways have these changes been good or bad?

5.) How have these changes affected the way you communicate (both through oral and written language)?

6.) Predict three technological advances  that you believe may happen in the next twenty years that will affect how we communicate with one another.

What In the World?!

What should the title of this map be?  Make a key.

Check your answer here.


What kind of bias is evident in this data?  Do you agree or disagree with the conclusions?  Why?