Times Reading Log

NY Times 10/12/11

I found the article “A Year out of the Dark in Chile, but Still Trapped” to be unbelievable. The 33 minors that were rescued from a mine last year after being stuck underground for 69 days are all jobless and struggling. What I find crazy is that people raised money for them to travel the world, go on vacations, etc. due to their heroic efforts and then when they come home to face reality, there are no jobs. Many of these minors have no place to turn. Did no one think about this while they were on vacation? I understand that the workers deserve a luxury like a vacation after their rough experiences but the money used to fund the trips should have been put towards a better use – say, a nicer house, or something better in the long run. Everyone knows the state of the economy and no minor should be in shock that they couldn’t find a job when they returned.

After reading this story I decided to turn to the Business section in hopes of finding more lighthearted stories. The NBA is cancelling the first two weeks of the season, pushing back the first game to Nov. 14. There is a divide on how to spend billions of dollars; some want to restructure the NBA so that more teams have equal opportunity to win. The teams want “shorter, smaller contracts so that teams can overcome injuries and mistakes”. The NFL and NHL are structured this way, and in my opinion it is fairer to everyone involved. Who wants to see the Lakers win the title for the third time in five years? I know I don’t. Let’s give the Knicks more of a chance.