10. Empty Seats, Fewer Donors?

 College Football has been around for years- and many college students' say that football season is the most excting season all year. However, this article explains that 2014 has been so far the year in which the least number of students attend these football games. They do not enjoy siting in the chilly weather for hours(since the games are played in fall to mid-winter), and would much prefer watch the game at home. Many univeristies (like the Univeristy of Georgia, University of California at Berkley, University of Florida and Univeristy of Kansas) have reported that the numbers of tickets sold this year have significantly dropped compared to the numbers of previous years. College football depends on having a great number of students attending games because they need to capture them on camera. For some bizarre reason, they believe that showing students enjoying themselves at a game would attract more viewers to donate toward them. In other words, the less students attending the games, the less donors they are going to receive. In order to fix this issue, some colleges are providing different things to attract their students to go to games. The Univeristy of Nebraska has funded a significant amount of money towards the building of better sound systems and wireless internet inside the stadium, UC Berkley is offering cheaper tickets to its students, and most colleges are offering alcoholic beverages inside the stadium. Now colleges are almost certain that the numbers of students atendees will rise.
 The author of the article, Jake New, did a really good job explaining about the pros and cons of college football. He is not biased and does not show a hint of criticism in his article. He uses statistcs in order to show how much college football is earning and how the prices have dropped from one year to the other. He provides a visual image in the beginning that shows rows of empty stadium chairs- emphasizing the message he is trying to transmit to his readers. The length of the passage is perfect- not too long and tedious nor too short and abrupt. I believe he did a perfect job: he stated the problem, backed it up with specific evidences and concluded it with things that are being done to solve this problem. Overall, it was a really good article with valid vocabulary.

http://www.slate.com/articles/life/inside_higher_ed/2014/09/college_football_isn_t_attracting_the_audience_it_used_to.html

10. Fusion Power: The Case of the Wrong Competitor

Author and former physicist Amort B. Lovins explores in this article fusion as a form of renewable energy, as well as the economical implications of investing in fusion. Fusion is the act of joining together hydrogen atoms (or other light elements) to form a heavier element, which releases energy. Lovins points out several flaws related to fusion in the marketplace. First of all, most investors do not take into account other renewable resources, such as hydroelectricity, which are more cost-effective than fusion. Second, fusion power is unpopular and cannot compete with well-known and widely used processes like windpower, whose costs decrease as those of fusion generally increase. Also, the cost of all thermal-related power (which uses energy to eat steam) is too high to be effective. All of these, along with other smaller factors like location and potential danger, make for a tricky market when it comes to nuclear fusion as a power source.

Amort Lovins writes about both environmental science and economics in his article, which makes it difficult at times to keep track of which he is referring to. He uses formal, complex language tha applies to both areas; something that is to be expected considering the intended audience, but which makes the article hard to keep up with. Lovins also leaves a lot of transitions to the imagination, which again hinders the flow and consistency of the article. He does a good job, however, of breaking down the issues that he presents about fusion. His arguments are presented in a convincing manner, and he does a good job of providing counterarguments as well. Overall, his message is clear and well-detailed, but his structuring and organization of the article is found wanting.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/amorylovins/2014/09/07/fusion-power-the-case-of-the-wrong-competitors/

10. 36 Hours: Central Park, New York

Central Park is a verdant and flourishing place, where locals and tourists go for pleasure. Depending on the season people are outside sailing on a boat, sunbathing, listening to music or the birds, exercising, and eating ice cream. Central Park was designed by Calvert Vaux and Frederick Olmsted. It is filled with sculptures, monuments, and fountains; it has more than 840 acres. The park also has a castle, a zoo, tennis court, a carousel, countless playgrounds, and croquet greens. Around it are luxurious hotels, horse carriages, museums and much priced apartments. It is a place in the crazy city where people find a more timeless and relaxed Manhattan.

Stephanie Rosenbloom, the author of this article, spent 36 hours or 3 days in the wonderful Central Park. Her article has the purpose to persuade people to go there and to help, specifically tourists, others to make the most out of their time there. Her language, although formal, was able to connect to the reader. Rosenbloom writes a summary for each day that she spent in Central Park; in a way influencing the reader to do the same. Friday is a more historical day, visiting the sculptures, monuments and fountains the park has to offer; also visiting close by museums and at night going a luxurious restaurant. On Saturday, the second day, the author learns to appreciate the nature by listening to the birds throughout the morning, walking around the trees, gardens, wildflowers and water-fountains of the park. After that she goes to a hotel to have a delicious lunch and next to this hotel is an Earth and Science Museum where people can just gaze at the stars. Stephanie then returns to Central Park to watch a concert. And she enjoyed a nightcap at the park with an indoor fireplace to relax during the night. On the last day, a Sunday, Rosenbloom had breakfast on the famous boathouse in Central Park and then went to the zoo to have some fun with the animals. The structure of this article was good and organized and the reader is easily persuaded and convinced to go there through her own experience in Central Park.

   

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/21/travel/things-to-do-in-36-hours-in-central-park-new-york.html?hpw&rref=travel&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&version=HpHedThumbWell&module=well-region&region=bottom-well&WT.nav=bottom-well&_r=0

10. The One Big Problem With the Enormous New iPhone

This week, Apple's next big thing was released, the iPhone 6 Plus. However, many probably felt a common fear as they stood in line to pick up their new "phablet", would it fit in their pockets? Although the author, who expresses his thoughts on the new gadget, had no trouble fitting the phone into his chinos, he found himself with another type of problem. There is no easy way to use to device with just one hand. Previously, with the iPhone 5, users were able to reach all corners of the screen with no trouble. Although its successor provides a larger display, users are no longer to operate the device single-handedly.  "Just typing in your password to unlock the 6 Plus requires either a second hand or a feat of manual acrobatics." The top buttons on the home screen are also no longer reachable, and even Apple is aware of this. When the device was announced along with the new versions of the iOS system, a feature was introduced that allowed users to "pull the top buttons halway down the screen by double-tapping the home button." Even though this facilitates reaching buttons that are out of range, it is still a struggle to reach the sides without fidgeting with the gadget. This might sound like a minor and personal issue, but if one uses their phones a lot, they will soon realize how inconvenient it has become. Although the device is hard to handle, the simple and obvious solution is to use both hands all the time. However, the new model is no longer like its ancestors which owners were able to use while carrying a grocery bag or hanging onto a subway pole.
Will Oremus, author of this article, express his thoughts on Apple's new iPhone 6 Plus. After getting his own device and experiencing the gadget himself, he writes about its inconvenient size. He adds a video at the very beginning of himself demonstrating the struggle that he mentions throughout his article. This makes it visually clear for the readers and also gives them an idea of what to expect if they plan on buying one. He also adds a picture of how the phone fits into one's pocket to also show his audience. Despite expressing his disappointment with the new release, he does not attack Apple nor the phone in any way; he even praises it for its positive aspects. He is very thorough in his explanation of why he felt unsatisfied and gives great examples of why he felt that way. The essay is easy to understand despite several uncommon vocabulary and is straight to the point. In conclusion, Oremus is able to both express his thoughts on the new device and alert the readers of an issue they might also encounter if they happen to buy the phone.

http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2014/09/19/iphone_6_plus_size_vs_iphone_6_why_i_might_return_apple_s_giant_new_iphone.html

9. Tech Has a Depression Problem

A study has shown that many tech workers develop mental illnesses, usually depression or anxiety. This is a result of the "long hours, late nights and an enormous amount of stress" that they face at work. With the competitive nature of the industry people feel like they can't be open about their problems which causes them to feel isolated. Of course depression doesn't just occur in tech workers but there are certain parts of their line of work that make them susceptible to it. Even with their high risk of depression, talking about it is not an open thing in their industry. This makes the situation worse because talking about it and identifying with people can really help them out.

The author does a very good job in proving his point throughout the article. He introduces what he will be talking about, the main idea of the article, in the first few paragraphs. After a break in the article he begins to back up his main idea with may examples and explanations. He uses many quotes form CEO's and other people in the tech industry who have struggled with depression. He explains how the come to the point of depression and how talking about it can really help. He refers to people like Steve Jobs who was very important and influential. The author also includes important sentences from his article in bold on the margins to emphasize their importance.

http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/09/tech-has-a-depression-problem/380004/?single_page=true

9. "We're All Nerds Now"

     With the vast growth of technology in our society, one cannot go a day without being influenced by technology. This week people have realized that technology has become an even greater part of our society. Apple has released its latest flagship this week, the Iphone 6. However, the Iphone 6 wasn't the primary attention-getter of Apple. Its revolutionary iWatch got the attention of people all around the world. Such wearable tech has brought several new revolutionary ideas to people on how far technology will be a part of our existence. Those who are constantly updated with the latest technology has been viewed as "nerds" or "geeks". However, now this concept is completely changed given the fact that tech has become so seamless in our lives that we are constantly wanting to know more about them and being updated to them. Now, we are all nerds. The world seems to becoming increasingly advanced. However, that does not mean the world is getting smarter. With the increasing growth of technology in our society, one could say the world is not getting smarter, but it is trying to.
     The author of this article, Noam Cohen, was very effective in his writing and expression of words. The article is kept at a reasonable length, keeping readers interested until the end. Cohen uses very good examples and quotes several famous people to support his argument which gives his article a lot more credibility. Several times he uses a very strong vocabulary that would be uncommon to the vocabulary span of regular people; however, it does not difficult the understanding of the main point of his article. He is very straight-forward in his essay constantly supporting his argument. I enjoyed reading his article as I could relate myself to what he was talking about. Likewise, Cohen empathizes with the readers so that they can relate to his argument. I personally was very engaged to his article and many of his examples and claims got me thinking about the influence of technology in today's society. This way, he succeeds in what he aimed to do: get people to think about further influences of tech.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/14/sunday-review/were-all-nerds-now.html?mabReward=RI%3A14&src=rechp&WT.nav=RecEngine&module=ArrowsNav&contentCollection=Sunday%20Review&action=keypress&region=FixedLeft&pgtype=article

9. How did a New York nanny become one of the great photographers of the 20th century?

In 2007 John Maloof, bought for $380 dollars a case full of picture negatives, in a Chicago auction house. After the chess lingered in his house for two years he had a few of the negatives developed. What he discovered was astounding, powerful pictures out run of the mill people that according to the article; “that, once seen, can never be unseen.” Perplexed by the conundrum before him, why these pictures where never shown to the world, John quickly tracked down the photographer, Vivian Maier. Vivian was a quiet, secluded and rather odd person who worked as a nanny. Never going anywhere without her camera hanging around her neck. Very secretive she had a padlock placed on her door, regardless of the house she was working at. Also a compulsive hoarder who collected everything from receipts to newspapers. This talented woman who only now has been seen by the world is being called one of the best photographers of the twentieth century.    

The author of this exquisite article, Deborah Ross, not only is informing people about a photographer, but of a genius that until recently was invisible. The article starts with the discovery of such a talent, a “detective story”. How John managed to get more negatives, talk to the people that hired Vivian, talk to the people she raised. Then the article changes gears and hones in on Vivian herself. “She was tall (nearly six foot), her self-portraits show, with a strong, certain face. She also made audiotapes of her own voice which, when played, will send chills down your spine just as, interestingly, in the circumstances, the true voice of P.L. Travers sent a chill down my spine at the end of Saving Mr. Banks.” The article then wraps up with how very little is known about Vivian, not even her father’s name. As well as how she almost went unnoticed by the world.      

http://www.spectator.co.uk/arts/cinema/9265021/raw-true-and-powerful-on-the-trail-of-vivian-maiers-photographs/