Reaction Article #12

Macao gloomy as more layoffs hit once-booming casinos

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According to Mark McDonald in “Macao gloomy as more layoffs hit once-booming casinos,” The Venetian, Macao’s biggest gaming company, fired half of its gondoliers two weeks ago. Casino operators and gaming experts believe that the reason why casinos are mostly deserted is that China controls the visa by the new regulations. People said the layoffs are brutal and afraid that it is just a starting.

In these recent years, the gambling market is growing fast. Since Macao is the only legal place for gambling in China, it attracts lot of tourists from mainland China. They travel around, visit the heritage site and experience the life of the city. Gradually, casinos and hotels were built everywhere and tourism has become Macao’s main industry. However, the global economy crisis causes big problems. Those companies which in financial difficulty are planning to have agreement of cutting the salary with their staffs in order to cut down expenses. Besides, some massive hotel and casino construction projects stand half-finished. Many labors were laid off and sent home. The gambling Mecca is depressed and has become quiet.

As I concerned, gambling causes many social problems. More and more teenager dropped out of school to become dealers. Casinos do not require a high education degree and they offer a high salary. But, they would be weeded out soon after a few years since they are not competitive enough. What is more, gambling addiction is also a serious issue. It is a type of impulse-control disorder. It can hurt a person’s family and ruin his/her life.

Reaction Article #11

Bush attacked with shoe in Baghdad visit

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According to Jennifer Loven in “Bush attacked with shoe in Baghdad visit,” President Bush was attacked while he was having a joint press conference in Iraq on Sunday. The protester hurled two shoes at him and shouted loudly. However, Bush ducked, and avoided the kiss of the shoe.

In my opinion, to attack someone with shoe is extremely impolite. He should not do something like that even though he was really angry. It was good for him to express his opinion in public, but it was better to express it in peace. In Arab culture, throwing shoes at someone is considered an insult. But, in some opinion, that guy is regarded as a brave man since lot of people do not agree with Bush’s policy in Iraq.

In 2003, the U.S. troops invaded Iraq because citing intelligence claimed that it hided many weapons and it might cause a big destruction. Actually, the weapons were never found. What we see is that more than 4209 members of U.S. military were sacrificed in the war. Besides, the high cost of projecting troops is proving to be unsustainable and it cost U.S. taxpayers around $576 billion in the past five years.

Reaction Article #10

A Gay Marriage Surge

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According to Arian Campo-Flores in “A gay marriage surge,” people are debating on the legalization of gay marriage since the measures were banned in California last month. It shows the datum of surveys and we can see how people think of these issues by the rate. Generally, there are more people disagree with gay marriage than the opposite and it seems that the younger you are, the more likely you are to support same-sex marriage.

In my opinion, being gay or lesbian is not guilty. They have the right to choose their own life and be respected. Some people are stubborn that they cannot accept homosexuality because of their deep-rooted traditional concept---marriage is sacred and only between men and women. Actually, marriage is not only an institution like this, but the everlasting promise with your true loves. In some religions, homosexuality is unacceptable because it is considered to be immoral and to against their religion understanding. However, some people still believe that both heterosexual and homosexual are a gift from god and I am totally agreed with this. I think what they should do is to fight for their right by expressing their will freely.

Reaction Article #9

One man's 3-year experiment in eating organic food - all the time

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According to Tara Parker-Pope in “One man’s 3 – year experiment in eating organic food - all the time,” Dr. Alan Greene was inspired to be 100 percent organic after knowing that livestock got sick less by a switch to organic practices. He wanted to know whether becoming organic might improve his health or not. Therefore, he has insisted on eating organic foods everyday for three years.

In my opinion, the organic routine is not easy to hold out because organic foods are more expensive than conventional foods. Consumers always have to pay higher costs to buy organic products and it stops people from trying organic foods. As it has been available in many places, people can buy it easily and that is why it is becoming more and more popular. For me, I will choose to eat organic foods because there are lots of advantages. Organic food means that crops were grown without the use of pesticides and artificial fertilizers. People believe that organic fruit and vegetables contain up to 40% more antioxidants than conventional food. Besides, it is also said to benefit the environment since the organic farms use less energy and produce less waste.