IS ARRANGED MARRIAGE REALLY ANY WORSE THAN CRAIGSLIST?

The issue of arranged marriage is one I never really understood. As part of Indian's culture I guess I can see why they do it and can accept it. I think in the end though it should be the son or daughters choice in who they marry. Your parents cant pick who you will love and be happy with for your entire life. Sure, maybe their marriage turned out good, but in todays day things are different. More and more we see people getting divorce, and what if the person they chose for you didn't really love you and left you. I think the feeling of being dumped is worse then just not being able to find somebody who loves you. I can't believe that there are websites dedicated to arranging indian marriages. It is just a weird thought to think you can find your husband or wife over the internet. Maybe it's just me but I'm a firm believer in what's meant to be will find a way, I don't think you can pay somebody to love you. 

TO RESIST HILTER AND SURVIVE

I never really thought about the issues brought up in this article. Like how in our history we focus more on the problems then the solutions. We learn so much about Hitler in history classes and all about his brutal ways and the concentration camps, but we never hear the other side of the story. We don't get to learn about the heros or the ones who tried to stop it. It makes me sad to think that there is more recognition for the bad then the good. The story about the husband and wives who were Jews and non-Jews and how they were able to resist power and live, and they only got a small statue to commemorate it was horrible. I think more recognition should go out to those small groups who resist these horrible figures. 

WHEN YOU HAVE TO SHOOT FIRST

This article gave me conflicting thoughts as to how to react to it. Each story was one of a person put in pressure and had to decide whether to shoot or not. In both cases they did present feasible reason why they should shoot, but was actually killing the other person necessary. I guess you have to be put in that type of situation to understand what its like. In the first story with Eldad he was in war state of mind. As harsh as it is, killing is what they are trained to do. His motives were probably not 100% correct but being his situation to him it seemed right. The second story about the police man killing the innocent man was a little different, but in many ways the same. The man was asked to stop, he didn't. I think the police could have handled it differently then shooting him, but at the same time they could have been preventing a bigger tragedy. It's scary to think we're at a day and age where all of this happens so frequently. 

IRAQI KIDS PLAY MAKE-BELIEVE WAR GAMES

It surprised me how even the teacher/mother was able to accept the fact that the war games were normal for the children. It's scary to think that a country would make it acceptable for young children to participate in such games, and that parents are allowing it, but I guess it is not that different then the United States. The only video games kids like are the war like ones, and games involving shooting. The problem in Iraqi is one that we can also share in some ways in our own country. It is just a scary thing to think about that these terrorist groups are having children training at such a young age. I find it also weird that the kids find it fun to "kill" their friends. The whole article was just kind of eye opening to read. 

AN INCONVENIENT THRUTH

I must say I enjoyed reading the article as I had also seen the movie, An Inconvenient Truth. I find it amazing how little the United States has done thus far in trying to prevent global warming. I believe Gore's film depicts the truths that many Americans don't really notice. We are all too wrapped up in our own lives to see the big picture. I also think his film has nothing to do with politics. He plainly states that in the introduction of this article. Gore's reasoning behind making this film was to spread awareness of the problems we are creating in our environment. I think it is time that major steps are being taken to lower CO2 emissions and extend the quality of life on Earth. I find this whole topic very interesting, seeing as it has become major issue in these recent years. I feel like its our generation that has to make a change. Companies have already began to start taking steps to cut emissions, but I think our government needs to take larger steps in restricting energy use. Overall this is an area that will not go away. We must all take charge and realize the seriousness of this problems. 

"DNA TEST GIVES STUDENT ETHNIC SHOCKS"

As much as I belive that knowing your ethnic background is important, I agree with the decesions of the people in the article when they stated they didn't feel the need to change after finding about their DNA make up. I too am curious to know what percentage of each ethnicity i am, but if i were to find a percentage of me to be black or asian my actions would not change. As Americans race has always been an issue. Everybody has been judged on it throughout the years, and even though it is getting better we still see the stero-types out there. Americans as a whole are so judgemental, that even knowing a "black" person or a "white" person had a higher percentage of the other, the color of the skin is all we look at. The only gain that the DNA has is that of personal knowledge and satisfaction. People don't act a certain way becasue of the color of their skin, they act the way that they do becasue of how they were brought up.

"YOUR GAMETE, MYSELF"

The idea of using an egg or sperm donor versus adoption is something that people will argue over for years. In reality I believe it is up to the women or family to make a decision of which would they would handle best. Though adoption does seem more favorable and less controversial, in many ways having a child through childbirth is an experience most women hope to have in their lifetime. If they are willing to spend the money and do the research, I don't see any problem in using a donor. Though the child may not carry the same genes as the mother, they still live inside the women for the 9 months prior to being born. It is easier for families to have a child that is born into their family rather then adopt one after they have already had a connection with their birth mother. Personally, I would not use a donor, because the expenses of having it are not worth it to me. I think any being you raise, and that can accept you as their family is good enough. It shouldn't matter whether you gave birth to them or not, but the love and care you show for the child. But if a family is willing to pay the price, then that is their own opinion and they have every right to do so. Either way adoption or using a donor, as long as both the child and the parents are happy their is no reason one should be used over the other.

"FACEBOOK: WHY I HATE IT..."

Even though I myself have and use my facebook on a daily basis, I did find myself agreeing with the main points that this article had. All in all facebook has become a major waste of time for all of its users. It is crazy to think about how many times a day each of us logs in just to check for a new "notification" or new pictures that were added. Nothing of any real importance, just a form of entertainment that in many cases gives us something to do besides our real work. I realize that many argue that it is an excellent form of communication, but how great are the relationships we have if they are based on a student website? If you're telling me that you rather talk to your friends via facebook, rather then a more personal way, like a phone call, then how genuine are your friendships? To me it is just crazy when I realize how much this website has taken over the life of so many people. Even parents have it now...weird. It has become an addiction that people can't seem to let go of. Overall this article has made me really think about how much time I waste on facebook, but at the same time I couldn't imagine what life would be like without it. The entertainment it gives is just something we have all learned to live with, and as pathetic as that is to say. It's the truth. So while I strongly agree with this article, if it's not facebook, there's always another site that will be created that will keep the attention of people off their work and onto the lives of eachother.