October 1

Lone wolf Catalan independence

Have you ever heard the term “lone wolf”? What does it mean? Are you or anyone you know a lone wolf? Give examples. a person who likes to do things on their own without other people

country music festival What’s the story? Mandalay Bay hotel Las Vegas lone wolf country music festival 520 59

How frequent are these shooting incidents Read and check. How frequent are these shooting incidents in the USA and in your country? “The authorities have yet to provide a motive for Stephen Paddock, 64, who killed at least 59 people and injured more than 520 others on Sunday when he unleashed a rapid-fire hail of bullets on an outdoor music event, the Route 91 Harvest country festival, in Las Vegas. Armed with at least 23 firearms, Mr Paddock, whom the police have described as a “lone wolf”, stationed himself in a 32nd-floor luxury suite of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino and fired into a crowd of thousands of people. The police found Mr Paddock dead in his room at the hotel.”

Do you believe Mr Paddock worked on his own? “The federal authorities said there were no indications that Mr Paddock had ties to any international terrorist organisation, despite a claim of responsibility by the Islamic State.” Do you believe Mr Paddock worked on his own? Why would ISIS claim responsibility for the attack even if they didn’t have any involvement in it?

“Paddock was declared a “lone wolf” before analysts even started their day, not because an exhaustive investigation produced such a conclusion, but because it is the only available conclusion for a white man in America who commits a mass shooting. What we are witnessing is the blatant fact that white privilege protects (…) an alleged mass murderer, not just from being called a terrorist, but from the anger, rage, hellfire, and fury that would surely rain down if he were almost anyone other than a white man. His skin protects him. For people of color, and especially for Muslims, the treatment is often different. Muslims often get labeled as “terrorists” before all the facts have come out.” What do you think of it?

How easy is it to buy firearms in the USA? What about where you live? Where do you stand on the gun control debate? Why do you say so? Mr Trump says gun-control debate 'not for now' in wake of Las Vegas shooting. How do you see his remark?

How much can protests and strikes achieve, in your opinion? What were the latest protests and demonstrations in your country you remember of? Are they the best way of fighting for changes? Why do you say so? What were they against / supporting?

“Catalonia’s separatist government has staged a referendum on leaving Spain – against the wishes of the national authorities. With a population of 7.5 million, its capital is the proud city of Barcelona. The Spanish leadership has rejected the vote as illegal and the courts have ordered a halt. Spanish police have arrested senior Catalan officials, seized ballots and raided key regional buildings, as well as polling stations, in an attempt to stop it going ahead. Then, Catalans have taken to the streets in protest.” What do you know about the conflict happening between the Spanish government and Catalonia? Albeit unconstitutional, should Catalonian people be allowed to carry out the referendum?

Are there any similar secessionist movements where you live? What do you think of them?

from investment in services. Secessionist advocates often claim their region contribute in taxes more than they get back from investment in services. How valid do you think this claim is? How can a government tackle social inequality without collecting taxes?

Slide 6: if sts can’t come up with any Brazilian shootings, you may remind them of what happened at a McDonald’s a short time ago: http://www.jornaldebrasilia.com.br/brasil/bandido-pede-40-sanduiches-de-graca-no-mc-donalds-ouve-nao-de-gerente-e-metralha-loja/. Slide 13: some current secessionist movements in Brazil: Movimento São Paulo Livre, O Sul é Meu País, Grupo de Estudos e Avaliação de Pernambuco Independente, among others.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/03/us/las-vegas-shooting-live-updates.html https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/oct/02/las-vegas-shooting-what-we-know-so-far https://theintercept.com/2017/10/02/lone-wolf-white-privlege-las-vegas-stephen-paddock/ http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-41483943 http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-41487593

https://www. theguardian https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/oct/03/catalonia-holds-general-strike-protest-referendum-violence http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-29478415 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8-kyBQLifA