Reading 14

The author starts out talking about china and how someone hit someone and drove away. Well china has a law that if you injury someone but they are still alive you have to pay them a large percentage of your pay check. People did not help her because they didn’t want to be responsible. I know this because my dad lives in china and told me he saw this happen there. I didn’t really like this reading just didn’t interest me. The author wants people to be better that’s all I really got from it. The author Peter Singer went in depth on the subject of morality by including a few experiment’s to see if it’s the person or are we designed to. I feel our brains chemistry is set by nature and not set by medical intervention. In the end, this reading was boring after reading it I did not gain anything.

Giants think Brady's parade 'story' is ridiculous

I don’t watch much football to begin with but what Tom said was just taken out of context. The media just needed a story to run so the made one up. What I find funny is when the media asked other Giants players they said that making a big deal out of this is worse than what tom actually said. All he said was he was going to have an even bigger party in three weeks meaning he would win the super bowl, but he didn’t so that makes this story even funnier. I can understand why New York made a big deal about these comments they had nothing else to talk about so why not run a BS story. I do not think it was trash talk more motivating his fans and teammates I am sure the Giants did the same thing.  In the end, I did not like this reading because it was about something that if I never heard about that would have been just fine by me. This story is just another example of the media overanalyzing stories. What I find funny is he lost the super bowl and after no one was talking about what he said before the game. 

Gay Marriage

The author knew for sure that gay marriage should be legal and that it’s just political. In my opinion I feel that gay marriage should not be such an issue what is the difference between gay marriage and a normal female male relationship. I don’t understand why people are against gay marriage what is the differences. Gay marriage is just a religious issue in my opinion.  They just want to be normal and have all the lectures that people who are married have. For example if your partner was in the hospital and you were married you could go see them but if you are not most hospitals won’t allow you. The author brings up polygamy which in my opinion is a terrible thing. Incest can result in odd DNA mutations. This means the new born will be coming out with server birth defects. In the end I didn’t really like this reading because I do not like writing about very controversial subject. Im for gay marriage because what is the difference between that and a traditional marriage. Homosexuals just want to be treated equally. They should legalize in all  states but I know that will never happen because of the religious beliefs towards  this subject. 

Age Gap

I agree with the author I don’t think age gap relationships are a problem. If they want to be together let them and leave them alone. There are some age gap relationships that just don’t think  is right, it’s when a 25 year old women is married to a 65+  the women are just clearly after the husbands money. My parents were 17 years apart and I never thought anything different till I went to school and told other people some people were shocked while other’s accepted it. So I agree with the author people can either agree with them or totally disagree with them.  This is a topic that you could expand a lot on. I do not agree with large age gap relationships I know I wouldn’t want to date someone 30 years older than me, but If I was 60 I probably wouldn’t think anything is wrong. This subject is very controversial and should be talked about, but they will never go away age gap relationships are here to stay. In the end, I liked this reading it gave me a better understanding of age gap relationships and some of the problems and the some of the solutions.

Against Headphones

This reading really opened my eyes to the dangers of headphones. I know I personally have hearing loss but I am not sure how it happened. I find it kind of interesting that the headphones were made just for listening to a Mormon sermon. It was made by Nathaniel Baldwin who used them to drown out the sound of a crowed. The ear buds were also used by artillery men to muffle the sound of the gun shots. That’s the main reason why I would use headphones is to drown out the outside sounds that interfere with your music. After reading this article I will defiantly not keep the headphones as loud as I normally does I don’t want more hearing loss then I already have. In the end, I liked this reading it gave me information that I would not thought to be true.  I am going to use headphones less and just let it play out loud it better than being blasted into your ears. I feel the author is using a claim of value because she is telling to do something in a different way. The author gives good evidence for the claim like studies related to headphones and the history of how they started.

Professional athletes are overpaid and selfish

I liked this reading and I do agree with its claim that athletes are overpaid and selfish. The author Matt Lefebure makes a very one sided argument he doesn’t talk about the history of baseball and all the good players there were. That the athletes didn’t just play for the money they played for the game of baseball.   I do agree that athletes today are getting over paid like Alex Rodriguez who gets 22 million a year just to play a game. That money could go to building a park and not to a selfish athlete. This is an old posting so I’m sure there are higher paid athletes then A Rod now.  I think NFL players are the most selfish Ty Law complained about getting underpaid when you make 7 million a year. According to the author Matt Lefebure Law could buy a small island in the Pacific Ocean.  I do think baseball players and NBA players should be looked upon as role models to the kids. It allows the kid to dream about him becoming a famous NBA star; everyone needs dreams in their lives. In the end, I liked this reading made me think about what we could do with all this money that comes in for sports teams.  

What is Sopa

­I liked this reading a lot it argument and had a great claim. The claim is Sopa danger to society and should not be passed and stopped at all cost. SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) is a bill that would give power to big business owners that could shut off a web site and just claim it was infringing on their copyrights. This would create an internet black list which means no one can go to that site anymore it doesn’t exist.  There is one flaw with this reading it only gives one side it does not go in depth on some of the good of the bill like it would mainly target foreign companies and leave Americans alone. Personally I think they would abuse this power and just go after everyone. I always hear bad about this bill I never see any good things that could come from this bill. In the end, I would agree with this author that SOPA is a terrible thing and should never be passed. Sad to say Harry Reid drafted another version of this bill under the name cybersecurity. I think it Is just another name for SOPA . Congress wants something like this to pass and is going to do anything they can to pass a bill. 

College Athletes Should be Paid

This argument made a good claim that college athletes should get paid to play. I personally don’t think athletes should be paid because most of the athletes have scholarships to go to the school. Couldn’t you call that getting paid? They do make a lot of money for the school but most of the students are going to the school free while others have to pay. Because of that I don’t think they deserve to get paid. Spending money in college is an important thing these athletes do not have time to go get a job because all their times going into the sport and what is left goes to schooling.  The might be entitled to some money not a lot but some. They do a lot of work for the school and there is a lot of money that comes out of sports. The players should get a cut of it so they have some money to live off. I have mixed emotions about this subject as you can tell.  College players do deserve some money but not a lot because the school is paying for all their classes. In the end I liked this article it open my eyes of the thought of paying college athletes.

Fliers, think before turning on electronics

This was a very interesting article it made me think about flying and why we have to turn off our electronics. Whenever I would go flying I would always leave my phone on not expecting it could do any harm. There has been some instances where the pilots indicators were going crazy which took the plane off course, and once they asked the passengers to turn there electronics off and it stopped.  I completely understand now why they make us turn our electronics off now.  I find it interesting that not every seat affected the instruments only seats near an antenna outside the fuselage or an electronics hidden away inside the plane. They give lots of examples of electronics affecting the pilots gear which backs up the authors claim. Before reading this I didn’t think electronics really affect plain, but they do a lot more then I would expect. If every passenger just put their cell phones and ipads in Airplane Mode they would have no problems because when it is in airplane mode it shuts off the transmitting part of the phone or Ipad. When this is done it cannot affect the pilot’s instruments. In the end, This was a good article and it opened my eyes to the dangers of electronics and flight.  

Reading 5

This was a very interesting reading it brought a topic I am not very familiar with hazing. After reading this editorial open my eyes to the dangers of hazing and the number of deaths it has caused. This editorial was totally against hazing but is optimistic that it could change into something that promotes the brotherhood but in a safe manor. Sports teams, clubs, faternaties and sororities would benefit from doing team building activities. When I was in high school I played baseball and the coaches would make us do stupid tasks that would bring the team close. Hazing could be stopped if the university and police stepped up  and in enforce the rules and prosecute the people that do any act of hazing. The act of hazing is not necessary and the people who do it to recruits should be punished. I feel this was an effective claim. It is a shame that an innocent band member was killed from the acts of hazing. It’s sad that people think beating people with their fists and a medal ruler is okay. Sadly hazing is always going to be around and causing emotional and even physical scaring. Even though the schools say they have a strict hazing policy it is still going to happen in some schools.  

Q.U.B.E.

This reading to­ me was kind of confusing I did not understand what the writer was talking about. Why would someone want to play a game where you just move blocks around. I don’t really enjoy puzzle games I feel like there just a waste of time. I can however sit down and play a first person shooter game for hours and enjoy every minute. I guess it would makes sense for people who like playing mind games like Sudoku or word searches. This game sounds like it came from a fantasy novel. This could just be the start of how games will be played in the future. I feel this reading was a claim of value because the author is explaining how this product is more desirable then other puzzle games. This reading did not convince me to go buy this product. This was not very persuasive and was really hard to grasp what the author was trying to convey. I was not sure how you would play this game I’m guessing on a computer. This game resembles another game called Minecraft where you go around in a fake world and build with cubes. In the end, this was an odd reading for an odd game. 

Reading 3

I liked this reading, I have seen all the movies but never read any of the books. I never heard before that the movies were changed so much from the books. I figured there would be small changes like that of “Harry Potter. I think this reading is classified as a claim of fact. This is so because all of the data the author Erik Wecks presents could be proven by watching reading the books then watching the movies.  I think the author gave the title “Why the Hobbit Trailer Creeps Me Out” is because he is worried that like the other books this movie will have some substantial changes to the plot.  The author was very knowledgeable on this subject which made this reading very interesting.  One thing I don’t understand is why there making the Hobbit now when you know the most of the story from the previous movies. The author of this article was upset that the filmmakers changed the motivations of the characters, which I can totally understand. When filmmakers change the motives then they change the story. In the end, this reading was very interesting to read and opened my eyes to the fraud that some people feel like Gary Appenzeller. Who made websites after the movies came out pointing out the changes the filmmakers made. 

Reading 2 Augmentative Photos

The first image was taken during the great flood of 1937 and in the photo you see a food line. This was also during the end of the depression. The claim I think this photo is making is that America is a place where everyone can find a job and live comfortably. I think this photo is a contradiction because you have a huge line of people waiting for food yet there is a sign saying America has the highest standard of living.  Another contradiction I see is the people in line are all African American and the picture behind them is all white people. So is the photo saying that only white people can live this American dream?  The evidence that led me to my conclusion was the line of African Americans waiting for food. In the second photo the claim I think they are trying to reach is that the African American race was most affected by Katrina. My evidence of this is that in the photo they are all African American. I remember very clear that day and they days following this tragedy. This tragedy affected a large number of African Americans. Everyone blamed FEMA and the president for not reacting the way they should. 

Religion in Harry Potter by Ari Armstrong

This reading by Ari Armstrong was kind of a waste of time. I have read all the books and seen all the movies and not once did I think that there was any kind of religious intent. I saw it as a fairy tale world where magic was real and Muggles exist. I find it kind of pathetic that religious figures like Pope would say that a novel could corrupt the Christian faith. The novel was made entertainment purposes only and wasn’t intended for people see it a religious book. The novels were intended to instill values of friendship and triumph over evil. Before reading this I never thought of Harry Potter to be seen as religious more like just a way for production companies to make money aka the movie sales.  There were some parts that could have been seen as religious but I don’t think Rowling expected it to be. In the end this article made me think about the subject and it was very interesting. I do not think J.K. Rowling’s novels promoted religion or undermined religion. These books are made up and should not be compared to the bible. This reading opened my eyes on how dumb some people could be.   

The High Price of Materialism by Tim Kasser

The reading by Tim Kasser was about a psychological test on the effects of materialism on people and society’s. Kasser preformed the experiment on a group of people to test who is more materialistic and what makes them materialistic. I think this was a good test but I feel they should have used a diverse group of people and test it that way. I became very interested when the test reviled that most people are mainly focused on financial problems. They came to believe that when people focus on financial success there usually unhappy and stressed. So the American dream can be defined as a stressful unhappy dream. So why would we have the dream if we are just going to be stress? I think it’s because people just want to be happy and they think by achieving this American dream they will be happy. This does not always work out in their favor. In the end, this was an easy read because I’m so fascinated with the study of psychology so I could really relate to the subject; which made me want to read it. I would like to do what Tim does for my career.

Abortion is too Complex to Feel all One Way About by Anna Quindlen

I agree with Anna Quindlin on the subject if abortion. I think it should be the person’s right if they want to abort or not. We live in America shouldn’t we have a choice if we want to keep a baby or not. There are certain circumstances that could call for an abortion for example a rape, incest, unplanned they should be able to abort it if they truly felt they need to. I can say I’m about 100% for abortion. Living in the United States we should have the right to do so. The government should not step in an block this because it is a right that every women has the option. Would the mother be happier with a child that she actually wants not a mistake child. In the end there will be less unwanted children in the world. There will be fewer kids in foster homes because the parents will be able to take care of their child. In the end I like this reading and learned a lot on the subject of abortion.

The dog ate my disk and other tales of woe by Carolyn Foster Segal

From the beginning I knew this was going to be a very interesting reading. Carolyn Foster Segal is a very smart woman and has been teaching for a very long time. This reading is about the times where is Segal got very stupid but funny excuses why students could not show up or was going to turn their work there late. Some of them where just so absurd it makes them funny, then some are just pathetic. Segal wrote this with the intension of being funny in my opinion. Most of the excuses would never be okay with your employer why do people think it will work for school. School in some ways is my job all I have to worry about is getting good grades. To me my report card is my paycheck if I am doing good means I will do well in my career. I felt Segal was sympathetic for her students but I am sure she got to a point where she could tell when the student is lying and when they are telling the truth. In the end, I liked this reading it was very funny to me to read all the excuses college kids use. 

Food Product Design by Eric Schlosser

At the beginning of this story I knew it would be about food, and Eric Schlosser knew what he was talking about. I know this because of the number of different books that are food related. This story really opened my eyes to how bad the fast food industry is. How unhealthy it is and he convinces me never to eat any more fast food. One thing I don’t understand is why they have to put meat flavoring into French fries. It makes them so much worse for you. Schlosser really made me think about what I should eat. I think I’m just going to eat vegetables and fruits that’s one thing they can’t fake. Eric described bunch different foods that all have fake ingredients like McDonalds and Dannon yogurt. They both use chemically altered ingredients. It makes me second guess going and eating at McDonalds. I never knew all these foods I love are all man made. I want to eat stuff that is naturally the flavor it is not a chemically produced flavor. In the end I learned a lot from this story I learned not to eat at McDonalds and stay away from anything that has artificial or natural flavors.

How to say nothing in 500 words By: Paul Roberts

By just reading the little intro to this reading I know that Paul Roberts is a very smart man when it comes to writing. He has written about four books all pertaining to writing techniques. So before I even read I know this is going to be about writing. I liked this reading because I could really relate to it I love the game of football. The story is about a guy who had to write a paper to his professor about having football at their school. In about 500 words he did not accomplish anything. It was 500 words of nothing. So Roberts tries to explain how you should do persuasive writing. I learned a lot in this reading that I will use in future persuasive writing. Roberts shows us some examples of how you can stop writer’s block and let the words flow. I like the subject of football so it mad this reading very entertaining for me. I leaned new things and got entertained at the same time what a good reading. In the end, I will take all Roberts points into account when I plan to write my next paper. I enjoyed this story a lot.

"Serving in Florida" from Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich

This story by Barbara Ehrenreich is a story about the lives of people who work in restaurants. It’s about how hard it is to live off a 6-10 per hour wage. This life seems to be very hard they all have issues with the places they live. Barbara Ehrenreich has a PhD from Rockefeller University. She is known for being a very outspoken woman. Barbara went to work at a restaurant as an experiment to see how the life of people in poverty really was like. She found out that the managers got everything and the workers got nothing. The management had the power to make you do anything that they didn’t want to do. For example, Barbara’s manager made her vacuum the whole restaurant with a broken vacuum. Waiter’s always seem to be happy and full of joy when they take our orders but sometimes I wonder what’s really going on in their lives. What’s making them work at a restaurant why can’t they go get another job? We will never know why people do what they do. In the end, I did like this passage it showed me that I should cherish what I have now. It showed me that I don’t want to work at restaurant and make very low money.