Same Sex Marriage

Being that I have lived most of my life in the state of New Jersey, I try to keep up-to-date with what is going on politically. I'm was raised in a family that didn't care to much about politics so therefore I lack knowledge of what's going on politically sometimes. But what I do know is that our governor, Jon Corzine, divorced his wife and has promised to back gay marriage.

Recently I came across this article that caught my attention, Two Sides Spend Big in Battle Over Same-Sex, Marriage in NJ, that explained the race between two sides on same sex marriage. I'd figure to follow up on this political situation since I haven't heard about Jon Corzine ever since I have been at BC. The supporters of gay marriage are trying to get Gov. Jon Corzine to sign a bill for same sex marriage before he leaves the office, its there only hope. His successor is a Republican, Chris Christie, is totally against the idea of gay marriage and there is no chance he will pass the bill. Chris Christie vows that if the bill is passed he will do everything in his power to veto any gay marriage rights.

What really caught my attention was the details of this article. The amount of money that both sides have spent in order to advertise there beliefs is over the top. It's not clear but its said that those who oppose same sex marriage have spent more than $1 million in order to advertise through radio and TV ads and robo-calls. They took advantage of our tremendous use of technology such as the television and radio in order to get there point across about same sex marriage. It's crazy to see how far and how much money people would spend in order to band gay marriage.

On the other hand, those who go for same sex marriage are fighting a tough battle to pass the bill. The state Senate cancelled a vote recently because they did not reach the 21 votes they needed in order to pass the Senate. They also have been advertising for there campaign through the use of technology. Through radio advertisements they revealed how a gay couple have been rejected health care coverage and other legal and social benefits in New Jersey. It seems like advertisement is vital in this race since they need the people of the state to understand what they are crying.

I feel like same sex marriage is being somewhat being accepted but not were its safe to express freely and marry the same sex. This is wrong since gay couples value and participate in family activities, are committed to making their neighborhoods a safer and better place to live in, and honor the law. One of my neighbors back home is gay and I always see him contributing to our community, serving the local schools and volunteering in charities. Through media and advertisement the gay community can expand there battle for same sex marriage. However those who oppose are doing a good job of getting there point across through media. So it comes down to a battle through media. The radio, telephone and TV are being used to get to the people not only in New Jersey but the whole nation.

To follow up on the article click here.

Blogging?!?!?!

I have been surfing the web for almost all of my life and strangely I have never heard of "blogs". I never realized when I would skim through my daily soccer websites that blogs even exist but they were always there hiding in the little corner of the website. Well when we first started the course and the teacher explained that we would have to post blogs weekly on issues discussed in class or text, I was dazzled. What are blogs??

"Blogs" for me was a place to freely express and share to the world what I truly felt about any kind of topic. Blogs could be used as a place to argue political views or even scandals and controversies. Blogs give you an opportunity to write about any content that is unique to your personality. It's sort of an online journal.

I dread writing any type of long papers because there are guidelines and structures to essays but not in blogs. Here you can express anything that runs through your mind at the lengths and styles that you desire. No need to write a five-page paper on topics that don't interest me. In blogs when you feel that you have clearly described and argued your point of view, your done.

As the year went on I started to get the hang on blogging. I got used to gathering ideas that would run through my mind weekly and post them online for my classmates to view. What I liked about posting blogs is that my classmates would comment on what I had to say. It was nice to see other people agree or even disagree. Its good get a different perspective from different people. The feedback from my classmates made me more comfortable about posting blogs because I knew that they always would respond with reinforcing or sometimes even diverge points.

My favorite blog I've posted this year was about the Facebook scandal at the University of South California. In the blog I express how collegiate athletes are in the public eye more than any average student and what we post on Facebook could come back to hurt us. I got to write about how our soccer coach went crazy about what we post on Facebook. He wanted to make sure that we wouldn't be posting ridiculous pictures from parties that would embarrass the soccer program at BC. In the post I got to relate real life events to what we were discussing in class. I'm more on the shy side so when I don't feel like talking in class I can just post my thought online.

I would be lying if I said that I would continue to blog beyond this class but I did enjoy it while it lasted. It wasn't the best thing I've ever experienced but I had no complaints about it. I didn't dread writing blogs like I do when I have to write essays for my other classes. I would recommend it to people who would like to share there thoughts to the world sort of like journalists. For those who like to argue there points.

Talent V. Beauty

The question for me now a days is, do we truly like to watch tennis for the quality and for the elite competition? Even people who lack the knowledge of tennis often find themselves in front of the TV, watching women's tennis for the sexy apparel and erotic outfits they commonly wear now. I find it hard to believe that most of the nation tunes in to watch the sport of women's tennis for the great athletic ability. I feel that we watch it because of the great outfits and the great looking women that are dominating the sport of women's tennis. I enjoy watching tennis and I realized clearly that women’s tennis is starting to pick up interest from spectators more than men's tennis because it’s more exciting to see

Maria Sharapova. Serena Williams. Anna Kournikova. These names are blatantly linked with appeal and glamour that they are almost removed entirely from the sport in which the women proved themselves as elite competitors. They have been seen as sex symbols and their reputations added up on the court as well as off. Out of these top tennis players none have been seen as a more of a sex symbol then a tennis player as Kournikova did. She's one of the most recognized tennis players in the world but for what? Her only triumph was when shes was ranked number 8 in the world. She never even won two titles. But while she remained in tournaments, she ensured the women's matches were not overlooked.

When it comes to groaning in tennis, the women are focused on like no other. It's unlikely the same would be said of their male counterparts, some of them groan and moan as they power through a forehand. But then again the men are not blown up in the media for moaning like the women are. I think it's about time someone puts a stop to the grunts, groans and screams. Tennis should be a game based on class, and I don't think that includes sounds that make a tennis match out to sound like a wild orgy.

I don't think we should mix glamour and the wonderful sport of tennis. Tennis is a serious game and people should watch the match between the players not for their outfits and sex appeal. Glamour is not important, talent is important. What matters in tennis is the quality and quantity of the athletes not their sex.