Read the article here about the Untied States and our right to free speech. 
The issue of freedom of speech is not a new one; however, it has recently been a major issue across the world as an American made anti-islam video has been blamed for numerous riots and deaths across the middle east.  Recently Washington asked google (who owns youtube) to take the video off of their site, but google refused.  Do you think google should have taken the video down? Or would this go against our 1st amendment right?
In the article Pitts says that freedom of speech in the wrong hands can can cause upset, and that in our world of facebook, youtube and twitter, the 1st amendment right has become even more dangerous as some "shlub in Fort Lauderdale could start a riot in Mogadishu".  Do you agree with this?  Should their be more oversight of what is posted on the internet to stop such problems?  Or is that allowing our government too much control over us?  Do you agree with what Newt Gingrich said, that we should use this episode to teach the muslim world about freedom? 
Comment on anything else you found interesting in the article also.

In her article "Redefining Success and Celebrating the Ordinary,"
Alina Tugend suggests that we currently focus too much on being
special and extraordinary, that we put too much pressure on ourselves and our
children to be the best. 

Read the article (by clicking on the title).  Respond by answering the quest
What is your opinion about the article?  Do you agree or disagree with Tugend?
What happens to our society when we are all striving to extraordinary all the time? 
What might happen to our society if all we strived for was the ordinary?
What is your definition of success? 
How does being extraordinary play into success?