Reading 11

I thought this article was pretty interesting to read because I have never seen this issue in a published article besides Hugh Heffner’s fiancés in the tabloids. I can appreciate that larger age gap relationships have been growing more and more popular, but the way this author with the creepy profile picture depicted her own relationship turned me off. Regardless, I agree with her main claim that age is really just a number. Especially her quote at the end of the article where is said that people are just older and younger. I thought that was interesting point that definitely made sense to me. I remember in high school, if a freshman started dating a senior, it was the talk of the town. But when I came to college I saw a major difference. People didn’t care as much about what others were doing or whom they were dating and were more concentrated on their own life and goals. High school was a secluded and sheltered environment where your personal life was less then personal. But when you venture on to a different chapter in your life, people are more concerned with accomplishing their goals they have set to fulfill what they want to do for the rest of their lives and who someone in your graduating class dates, no matter what age, is of little importance. I think age gaps will always be spoken about, but will become gradually less and less exciting. 

Reading 10

This reading was a bit of a stretch for me. It seemed like the author looked up two studies and then wrote this article about them and then rambled on into the cultural effects of headphones. I think any common person would be able to recognize that blasting music in their ears everyday when they work out or walk to work is not beneficial to their hearing abilities. However, I do not believe that if someone does that for an hour a day (like during their workout) that they will be deaf in five years. Reading a statement like that clearly made me question the credibility of this writer. Then stumbling into her next point about how music should be a communal activity was just as unappealing. It is obviously unrealistic for everyone to walk around with speakers to share their music with the world because everyone would go insane. Headphones provide a quiet and peaceful environment that I am sure also prevents a lot of conflict. The teenager on the subway does not want to “share” the music of an older woman listening to classics. Without a doubt, this would cause issues. This article seemed like a high school student wrote it. 

Reading 9

Finding out the kind of salaries professional athletes are receiving was definitely higher then I had originally thought. To read that A-Rod is paid $20 million a year is pretty crazy and I can see why people are outraged by it. However, that is the way things work. The economy necessitates a large range of incomes to remain balanced and functional. Everyone cries about their average income salary while athletes and celebrities are paid millions of dollars a year which makes me think about all the Americans living under the poverty line. There are thousands of articles written on the absurdity of professional athletes but what about the hard working manual laborers we pass on the side of the road everyday to work? Americans complain about their nine to five jobs when in reality, they sit behind a computer all day and push papers. I think that it is just as insane that workers who build are bridges and means of transportation are paid a quarter of the salary then those who only leave their desks for lunch breaks. I think that this article reveals the deep-rooted natural selfishness that we all have brewing inside. If anyone had the opportunity to receive those kinds of benefits that they write bitter articles complaining about, they wouldn’t even have to think about it.

Reading 8

I would not consider myself a techy person at all, and the beginning of this article lost me a little bit. But if I understood correctly, it sounds like some white house and house of representatives with little technological knowledge are being reeled in by crazies to go against the constitution in an internet war? The basis of this bill is ludicrous. I do not even understand how this bill got any backing whatsoever if any person with minimal knowledge of the Internet read it. It is clearly taking away privacy and property without any real proof. Anyone can go, write a letter, and then five days later can have an entire site (company) completely removed and out of business? This doesn’t seem right at all. I am shocked that bigger companies haven’t jumped on this anti SOPA train sooner considering their multi-million dollar companies could easily be swept away. This article made it seem as though the bill will never actually be passed, especially now that it is gaining more negative attention however the fact that it was proposed and even considered in the first place makes me uneasy. Representatives need to step up their game or else they will lose all credibility from citizens. 

Reading 7

Everyone has heard the stories in the media of college athletes and coaches being reprimanded for accepting inappropriate gifts in exchange for their talent. However I do not think I have ever read an article condoning the thoughts that college athletes should be paid. As most would probably agree, I believe that paid athletes should wait until the pros. Hence, “professional athletes”. College is supposed to be the highest level of amateur competition, and tarnishing that innocence with money would ruin it. Just because big football programs at certain schools generate substantial revenue for the college, does not mean that the players should be fiscally compensated. The article mentions that athletes are not the only students receiving scholarships from the school. I think this makes a good point. Just because basketball might be more popular then the mathletes doesn’t mean that the athlete should be paid and the scholar shouldn’t. The author said that even a mere fifty or hundred dollars a week would suffice. Why does a football player need that money and not any other student? I am sure that a student on an academic scholarship studies and works just as hard then the basketball players and would like an ipod as well. I believe the author of this article was extremely bias to athletes and completely disregarded all of the other students who work just as hard if not harder for their funding. 

Reading 6

With family all over the country, I fly a lot and reading an article like this makes me nervous. The different stories made it seem as if the captains and flight attendants didn’t have any control over the passenger’s actions on the plane. Not until after there were signs of the plane’s system failing could they take the proper precautions to fix it. After September 11^th, you would think that they have more control over the passengers on the plane and how it flies. And reading about people like Alec Baldwin who make and scene and complain about not being able to play a game on his phone makes me livid. I cant help but think about the three thousand innocent lives that were taken almost eleven years ago and all the families that I personally know that were destroyed because of five passengers on a plane. If a flight attendant asks someone to turn off their cell phone until they land, I do not think this should cause an issue for anyone. I would personally feel safer if the crew at the beginning of each flight held all cell phones so that there is no risk of any plane malfunctions. Knowing that one of those passengers could potentially be trying to tamper with the plane’s navigation should be enough to change the policy on the airlines.