Constructing Racial Boundaries Precis/Free Write

Chapter Two of Navigating Interracial Borders: Black-White Couples & their Social Worlds by an unnamed author is one called "Constructing Racial Boundaries and White Communities" is overall about whites accepting interracial relationships as well as the media and surveys support. The author uses compare-and-contrast with past history of interracial relationships as well as present day news stories to bring his point home. In order to further study the sociological view of a interracial society, this article was written to further shed light and explain. The intended audience are fellow sociologists and ones interested in the accepting of interracial relationships, like myself. I really like this article, although the argument is against mine. This will be helpful in my paper because I have something to counteract, that way I have a little 'they say' in my paper, and it can be a littler structured. It will add a couple paragraphs to my paper because I have to disprove the author's claim, and that can give my paper a little more ethos. This article made it clear that it was hard for whites to fully accept interracial marriages, because it was such a big deal and made such big change. "Many whites believed that desegregation and racial integration was the equivalent of promoting interracial sexual relations and marriage. These incidents reveal how sexuality, and even the potential for interracial sex to occur, influenced not only social interaction between blacks and whites but also the economic and political realms." The author further explains that people don't like talking about the subject, and the possible reasons why. "In my interviews with white community members, interracial relationships were rendered outside the realm of what is speakable; in other words, interracial relationships were not part of the available discourse or script that they as a group drew upon." Close knit societies don't want to step on other people's toes, and that's often a problem... Or is it?

Strengthing Connections: Free Write/Precis

"Strengthening Connections in Interracial Marriages Through Pre-Marital Inventories: A Critical Literature Review" by Monica Wong explains the connections needed for a interracial marraige to eventually work, and the challenges they often face. She references different studies, disproving them and demonstrating the way they don't work for these types of couples. Her purpose is to shed light on the problems that interracial marriages and the lack of studies on the subject; she wants to spark conversation. The intended audience is fellow cultural study researchers as well as researchers. The way Wong connects divorce rates and interracial marraiges astounds me, and I could really use it in my paper. Interracial often face some of the same problems as gay couples might have, to my surprise. The paper also stated the statistic that "These types of marraiges have doubled in that last 20 years" (252). That's amazing! So, at least they are becoming less uncommon. She also stated, "In fact, the United States Supreme Court did not declare as unconstitutional laws prohibiting interracial marriages until 1967" (254). What?! That's insane!!

Working Thesis

Interracial relationships viewed by cultures involved and especially by surounding media, still working on how to make this an argument. I do believe that there aren't enough of TV or movies, there is lack because of it maybe being too "taboo" or producers trying not to step on anyone's toes?

Free Write #2!

"Visual Ethnography and Racial Theory: Family Photographs as Archives of Interracial Intimacies" by Winddance Twine explains the enthography of interracial relationships through photography throughout the past decades. He explains that to understand the dynamics of interracial friendships and romances throughout time, pictures are required for full comprehension. Photos have often been discredited in social sciences and the author believes it should be the opposite. "Historically photographs were discredited as a legitimate form of ‘evidence’ in mainstream sociology journals, in part, because in the early twentieth century sociology was engaged in a campaign to establish itself as a ‘science’ and anxieties were generated by visual images because they were associated with photojournalism and ‘political’ activism rather than viewed as apolitical academic inquiry" (489). Twine not only sees the beauty in the photos, but also good references for his future and past enthographies about interracial families. He discusses how he learned so much from past photos of these families and friendships and how they should be credited as scientific references. He uses personal experience: "I have learnt from photographs how to ‘see’ the socio-racial world in which my research subjects operate" (491)

Free Write!

Kellner expressed many things in her paper about cross cultural dating. She makes a point of it being not all about race. In a cross-cultural relationship, the couple can be from different backgrounds as well as different social standings. She answers the question of how it got to be this way, after such a long time of traditional marriages. "Increased cultural movement, immigration, tourism, job training, and study abroad have created couples whose romantic choices reach across cultural, racial, and religious lines" (1). She discusses the challenges that people face when being in a cross cultural relationship- there are many extra hoops to jump through. From a procreation standpoint, what will the child be taught and by which traditions? It's only one of the many things that can get in the way of two people from two very different places. Gender views the subject from a respective standpoint- respect and equality within the two lovers. She uses an example through sexuality. "...Anna connected to the core belief system of her culture. During sex with Albert she assumed a traditional collective-culture female role in which she acted as if she was not entitled to her own pleasure...Albert was forced to regress to the role of a man who objectifies women, which made him feel as though he was a ‘'rapist.' The woman he cared about did not appreciate his evolved gender-role identity, and Albert felt undesired as a man" (4).

Oh, Hey Gender Perspective in Cross-Cultural Couples

Judith Kellner explains in "Gender Perspective in Cross-Cultural Couples" (2009) the physiological aspect of when two people of two different backgrounds fall in love, and how others see the couple. She uses references to studies, literary works in popular culture, and discussions on sexuality to bring her point home. In order to track the progress our country has made in discrimination and color identification, this article was written. The intended audience are ones interested in the growth of interracial couples and the representation of it in the media/ how people today view it.

Topics, duh.

Racism in the news
Racism in TV Shows
Mixed raved relationships in public eye
Racism in advertizing
Racism in education
Racism in movies
Racism in teen social gatherings
Racism in acting
Racism in casting
Racism in horror movies
Racism in modern literature
Racism in job hunting

700 Word Draft: Let's talk about S.E.X."

We see it everywhere, on every episode of One Tree Hill, Jersey Shore, and Gossip Girl. We've heard about it, talked about, and younger and younger kids are doing it. Yes, let's talk about sex. It's a tiring topic, especially one to have with kids when they ask about it, and of course, even if they don't. With the internet, TV, music, and TV constantly adapting and getting more and more accessible (and sexual) it isn’t hard to blame it all for the recent boom in young kids getting involved with sex. Even then, is it the media pushing this sexual revolution in young teens? We have to ask ourselves key questions if we want to stop this epidemic: What is the cause? Why is it happening? And how do we stop and prevent it? There have been a number of suggestions that have been debated for decades. In the seventies, some said that health education courses in schools were the answer; now that we’ve got those, some say we need better ones. Some answer the problem with religion and spiritual practices. Some say parents need to monitor the media impact on kids, blocks on the internet and TV for example. And finally, some say we can’t stop kids from having sex, they say it’s inevitable. Those say we need to make getting the proper precautions easier and more available, giving out condoms in schools and introducing contraceptives. All of these theories can be properly tested and could work, depending on several factors. But, what most don’t realize is that this problem really hits home-literally. The problem can be solved with that one word: Home. Talking is the best way to educate kids about the precautions, the emotional factors, and the consequences of having sex at such a young age, or, for that matter, having sex in general. Having a good home life, good relationships, and good understanding of the emotions of a teenager are all the key elements of sexuality especially in the developing minds of teens. Showing care for kids, showing parental guidance, and talking extensively with kids about sex is the answer to preventing such young kids having intercourse.
To understand the problem, we have to dissect the cause. Breaking it down, we have to eliminate the double standard aspect that so often gets in the way when talking about sex. Let’s zoom in on both boy and girl separately. First, what are some causes that could explain why young girls are getting involved with sex so early? “Pathway to Early Coital Debut” introduces this great statistic on the matter, saying, “…a study of 13-year-old Canadian girls (Brendgen, Wanner, & Vitaro, 2007) found a negative relationship between self-esteem and sexual intercourse, such that low self-esteem increased the chances that a girl would engage in her first intercourse experience by age 13” (Impett 15).
She also introduces another very startling statistic that goes even farther than just the United States:
“Another important indicator of mental health, especially during a time when most adolescent girls are undergoing puberty and its ensuing bodily changes, is a girl’s satisfaction with her developing body (Tolman, Impett, Tracy, & Michael, 2004). Research has shown that body dissatisfaction is associated with early coital debut. For Norwegian 10th grade girls 15 to 16 years old, negative feelings about one’s body were associated with earlier ages of engaging in first sexual intercourse (Valle et al., 2009)” (Impett 15).
It’s a sad truth, but, many girls (and grown women for that matter) rely on sex when they don’t have a proper satisfaction with themselves. This can be prevented; a good home and good relationships settle the problem of too low of self-esteem of a young girl. Every girl goes through this, but with a good talk with parents, support, and constant verbal connections with family can help this not be a problem. Talking with girls about their appearance, their insecurities is the best therapy.
Now, let’s put the spotlight on boys. Osborne says in her own paper on “Boys and Family Education” that talking is also a great solution when it comes to boys, especially about sex. Too many times having sex is relating to being a better man in their peers’ eyes, talking to a parent could be a great way to open further understanding on the matter.
  “Boys are inclined to think that sex is love and love is sex. The parts of our culture obvious to young people do little to disabuse them of this impression. They need to learn that sex can express hostility as well as love; that sex is only one of many avenues for the expression of love; and that often the most mature expressions of love are not sexual” (Osborne 51).

Annotations! Dope!

Kirby, Douglas. "Abstinence, Sex, And STD/HIV Education Programs For Teens: Their Impact On Sexual Behavior, Pregnancy, And Sexually Transmitted Disease." Annual Review Of Sex Research 18.(2007): 143-177. SocINDEX with Full Text. Web. 11 Mar. 2012.
In "Abstinence, Sex, and STD/HIV Education Programs for Teens: Their Impact on Sexual Behavior, Pregnancy, and Sexually Transmitted Disease" by Douglas Kirby, he asserts that multiple approaches can be helpful when trying to prevent and educate teens about pregnancy, STD/HIV and sex. Kirby explains several studies that have been conducted in the last decade and introduces the statistics of that year of teen pregnancy and STD/HIV, he then states the correlation of the two, which explains if one of the five programs work or not. In order to improve the health programs in schools and prevent teen pregnancy, this article was written. The intended audience are United States parents, teachers, and advocates of abstinence and prevention of teen pregnancy. This will provide ethos in my paper, as well as a demonstration of the solution of the problem.

Emily A. Impett, et al. "Pathways To Early Coital Debut For Adolescent Girls: A Recursive Partitioning Analysis." Journal Of Sex Research 49.1 (2012): 13-26. SocINDEX with Full Text. Web. 11 Mar. 2012.
"Pathways to Early Coital Debut for Adolescent Girls: A Recursive Partitioning Analysis" is a study conducted by Matthew R. Pearson, Tatyana Kholodkov, James M. Henson, and Emily A. Impett claiming the factors that may lead to early involvement with sex in young girls. The group examined a sample size of 104 adolescent girls  and tried to identify which were at high risk of engaging in sex by high school by putting them in different groups by asking several sexual questions. In order to try to identify why young girls are having sex so early, this study was conducted. The intended audience are educated adults looking to prevent and understand the problem of young girls having intercourse. I will use this to bring ethos to my paper and relate the problem in the real world with numbers.

Atwood, Joan. "Mommy's Little Angel, Daddy's Little Girl: Do You Know What Your Pre-Teens Are Doing?." American Journal Of Family Therapy 34.5 (2006): 447-467. SocINDEX with Full Text. Web. 11 Mar. 2012.
In Mommy’s Little Angel, Daddy’s Little Girl: Do You Know What Your Pre-Teens Are Doing?" by Joan D. Atwood, she discusses the family aspect of young daughter engaging in sexual practices through chatting on the internet, their parents having no idea. She uses real world examples, and with each point expresses TALKING about it and bringing it up in family therapy. In order for therapists to further help families in family sessions, this article was written as a guide to how important talking and learning how easy it is for young girls to have sex and talk about it online. The intended audience is the authors' peers, but it beneficial to parents as well. This will further explain my point of young girls and sex, it will bring to light where this could come from and how the internet can play a huge part.

Scales, Peter. "The Context Of Sex Education And The Reduction Of Teen-Age Pregnancy." Child Welfare 58.4 (1979): 263-273. SocINDEX with Full Text. Web. 11 Mar. 2012.
Written in 1979, "The Context of Sex Education and the Reduction of Teen-age Pregnancy" by Peter Scales  explains the positive aspects of health classes in that time period. To explain his thesis, he goes on a timeline through statistics of teen pregnancy in the past decades, then comparing them to what is going on in the present time the article was written. In order to give insight on the positive effects of health classes in schools, this article was written as a dimensional opinion. The intended audience could be concerned school administration, parents, and US patrons trying to prevent teen pregnancy. This will be a great addition to my paper, saying that the problem with young teens having sex has longtime been a problem, even in the seventies!

Osborne, Ruth Farnham. "Boys And Family Life Education." Marriage & Family Living 23.1 (1961): 50-52. SocINDEX with Full Text. Web. 11 Mar. 2012.
"Boys and Family Life Education" by Ruth Farnham Osborne (1961) explains the importance of a boys understanding of feelings, how it's not unacceptable to express them, and the utter importance of talking about sex and the realness of it all. She uses plenty of pathos to express her points and quotes boys of her age. Her purpose is to bring light to the double standards of views of sex by both sexes, but shedding light on the often missed boy point of view, especially in her time period. The intended audience are her peers and parents. I will use this to explain the mind of young people when it comes to the injustice of the double standards that come as the consequence of young people having sex.

Little, Craig B., and Andrea Rankin. "Why Do They Start It? Explaining Reported Early-Teen Sexual Activity." Sociological Forum 16.4 (2001): 703. SocINDEX with Full Text. Web. 11 Mar. 2012.
"Why Do They Start It? Explaining Reported Early Teen Sexual Activity" by Craig B. Little and Andrea Rankin explains the causes of early coitus in young teens. Using statistics, statistical models, and the correlation of the time period (2001) the pair make their own conclusions. In order to further understand and possibly treat the problem of youngsters engaging intercourse, this article was written. The audience are oens interested in young people having sex and finding and extinguishing the cause. I will use this as a reference to my own theories as to what the cause of kids having sex is.

Working Thesis

Seems like today, there are more and more young people getting involved with sex- and that's not the only factor wrong here; not only are young people getting more familiar with sex, younger than young people are getting involved with sex. How is this happening? What's contributing? And how can we stop it?

Zoomin' in on the Prollem

There seems to be something going on with the way safe sex is being promoted, or rather, how it isn't being promoted well enough in schools and homes. Teenage kids are the ones being affected due to the absence of knowledge of condoms, birth control, and other forms of protection against teen pregnancy and STIs and STDs. Or, is the problem the absence of careful sex due to apathy of teens when engaging in sexual practices? Is it the cost of condoms and birth control? The cause in unclear. Studies have tried to clear that up, but it could be due to a number of controllers. There are a number of different programs implemented in high school health classes, but there are arguments that it promotes sex rather than promoting abstinence, and if that isn't true, ithat it isn't promoting it the right ways. Is sex saved for marriage even possible these days? The statistics of kids getting pregnant will only rise if this issue keeps getting put off.

Zoomin' in on the Prollem

There seems to be something going on with the way safe sex is being promoted, or rather, how it isn't being promoted well enough in schools and homes. Teenage kids are the ones being affected due to the absence of knowledge of condoms, birth control, and other forms of protection against teen pregnancy and STIs and STDs. Or, is the problem the absence of careful sex due to apathy of teens when engaging in sexual practices? Is it the cost of condoms and birth control? The cause in unclear. Studies have tried to clear that up, but it could be due to a number of controllers. There are a number of different programs implemented in high school health classes, but there are arguments that it promotes sex rather than promoting abstinence, and if that isn't true, ithat it isn't promoting it the right ways. Is sex saved for marriage even possible these days? The statistics of kids getting pregnant will only rise if this issue keeps getting put off.

Whattup, "Willingness to have Unprotected Sex"?!

"Willingness to Have Unprotected Sex" (2012), an article of research by Diana Greene Foster, Jenny A. Higgins, M. Antonia Biggs, and Christy McCain, compares different cultures and backgrounds to discover the amount of people who engage in unprotected sex in the United States. Using 1,497 men and women, the article uses the tie of logos and ethos with statistics, methods, and extensive research to examine a point. In order to present and extenuate the rising number of unsafe sex, and to see why people participate in it, this research experiment was conducted. The intended audience are sociologists, Americans, and educated people looking for an answer on how many people in America engage in unprotected sex and why.

Annotations!

Aiken, Katherine G. "Superhero History: Using Comic Books To Teach U.S. History." OAH Magazine Of History 24.2 (2010): 41-47. Academic Search Premier. Web. 15 Feb. 2012.

"Superhero History: Using Comic Books To Teach U.S. History" (2010) by Katherine Aiken asserts that comic books are a source of popular culture from American history, and can be implemented in the classroom to teach children. Aiken uses visual aids of comic book covers from several war time periods, shows several different super heroes in action against popular real-life villains, and ties them together with how they could teach History. In order to put new and exciting ways to teach in action, Aiken wrote the article. The intended audience is her peers: teachers, professors, and history buffs. This will be an example of the number of ways comics educate kids in a way they will remember.




Clarkson, Alexander. "Virtual Heroes: Boys, Masculinity And Historical Memory In War Comics 1945 - 1995." Thymos: Journal Of Boyhood Studies 2.2 (2008): 175-185. SocINDEX with Full Text. Web. 15 Feb. 2012.

"Virtual Heroes: Boys, Masculinity And Historical Memory In War Comics 1945 - 1995." (2008) by Alexander Clarkson claims that though comics are for the most part directed to boys, it carries on with men, making them question the world around them, making them want to make the world moral again, like their friendly Marvel heroes did, inspiring masculinity. To prove his point, Clarkson makes a timeline of comics from the forties to the nineties, making the moral values of each one and comparing each with boyhood and the underdog. In order to understand the male persona through comics, this article was written. The intended audience is sociological studiers, psychology buffs, and historians of culture. I will use this to implement the ideas of long term positive effects comics have on readers.

Dittmer, Jason. "Captain America's Empire: Reflections On Identity, Popular Culture, And Post-9/11 Geopolitics." Annals Of The Association Of American Geographers 95.3 (2005): 626-643. SocINDEX with Full Text. Web. 15 Feb. 2012.

Jason Dittmer comments on the popular comic avenger Captain America in "Captain America's Empire: Reflections On Identity, Popular Culture, And Post-9/11 Geopolitics." (2005) stating that the hero was a statement on nationalism after 9/11. He uses the occasion of the comic books written, visual aids, excerpts of panels from Captain America, and explanations of Cap's actions with how they affect the way national identity is represented. In order to further explain nationalism and its vision in my media, preferably in comics, this article was written. The intended audience could be history buffs, 9/11 researches, and comic inspired individuals. This article will help prove the point in my paper that comics represent a big picture of moral standings throughout history and help children understand what has gone on in the past.

Dubose, Mike. "Holding Out For A Hero: Reaganism, Comic Book Vigilantes, And Captain America." Journal Of Popular Culture 40.6 (2007): 915-935. SocINDEX with Full Text. Web. 15 Feb. 2012."

"Holding Out For A Hero: Reaganism, Comic Book Vigilantes, And Captain America." (2007) written by Mike Dubose analyzes superheroes in the eighties and asserts the hero ship of the decade using popular characters such as Captain America. To prove his point, he breaks down popular comics such as Watchmen and Batman and brings out the deep meaning of vigilantes, heroes, and how it was reflected onto the faith America had in itself in the eighties. In order to educate readers of the state of America in the eighties, this article was written. The audience is clearly for historians and/or comic buffs, though professors and students could find it a good read. This will further represent the popular culture being represented and the story it tells for history, and how students can dig deep to find the meaning, enhancing history skills, as well as literacy.

Emad, Mitra C. "Reading Wonder Woman's Body: Mythologies Of Gender And Nation." Journal Of Popular Culture 39.6 (2006): 954-984. SocINDEX with Full Text. Web. 15 Feb. 2012.

Mitra Emad explains how comics reflect cultural meaning of the present day and demonstrates specific nationhood with "Reading Wonder Woman's Body: Mythologies Of Gender And Nation" (2006). Through Wonder Woman, Emad demonstrates how American mythologies are being represented through the super hero with a time line of Wonder Woman's adventures (and what occasions in was published during) and visual aids of Wonder Woman panels. In order to dig into America's nationalism throughout the years, Emad uses this unconventional way to represent the topic. The intended audience is historians and social media analyzers. I will use this to my advantage to bring something besides Marvel to the table, to bring a balanced dynamic of examples of comics representing nationalism and nobleness.

Genter, Robert. "'With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility': Cold War Culture And The Birth Of Marvel Comics." Journal Of Popular Culture 40.6 (2007): 953-978. SocINDEX with Full Text. Web. 15 Feb. 2012.

In "'With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility': Cold War Culture And The Birth Of Marvel Comics" (2007) Robert Genter explains the coming of Marvel and how it relates to the Cold War. Genter explains how Lee developed the characters of Marvel and gives background information in order to further explain the correlation with the Cold War. In order to educate people on the deep roots of Marvel reading, this paper was written. The audience is comic buffs and/or historians, due to the deep background of the two. This will be used in a number ways in my paper; it will give the background information on Marvel so my reader knows what I am talking about, and it will help my opinion that comics are educational and are deep rooted sentimental reads.

Porcaro, J. P. "The Pokémon Generation." School Library Journal 56.5 (2010): 24-25. Academic Search Premier. Web. 15 Feb. 2012.
"The Pokémon Generation" (2010) by JP Porcaro expresses that using Pokémon in the classroom could turn out to be a valuable teaching tool. He implements several ideas on launching the curriculum in a school setting, giving examples and classroom applications. His apparent purpose is to introduce new and effective ways in reach children in primary schools. The audience is clearly teachers, librarians, and his collogues, due to his job being a librarian and the curriculums he introduces in the article. This will be a reference in my paper to the unlikely heroes of the boring teaching style, going along with my thesis that comics have a positive effect on children in a number of different ways.

Wanzo, Rebecca. "Wearing Hero-Face: Black Citizens And Melancholic Patriotism In Truth: Red, White, And Black." Journal Of Popular Culture 42.2 (2009): 339-362. Academic Search Premier. Web. 15 Feb. 2012.

Rebecca Wanzo writes a comic response in "Wearing Hero-Face: Black Citizens And Melancholic Patriotism In Truth: Red, White, And Black." stating that the African American Captain America in "Truth: Red, White, And Black" represents a citizen that inspires and represents black males of the time period. She makes her point comparing the occasion of the time period (World War II) and goes through the comic and the pathos of the main character, a usual white man, who is turned into a black Captain America. In order to express her opinion on African Americans in the media in history, she wrote this article. The intended audience is history buffs, and ones interested in the unusual African American branch of it. I will use this article to prove that comics have had a valid influence (and an educated one) on not just kids, but many; the influence being educated and one of moral standards, inspiring all.

Oh, Hey, Working Thesis

Comic Books give a positive affect on children in a number of ways, contrary to popular belief. They teach proper morals, bravery, and when reading comics of the past, they teach of the social climate of America during past wars, depressions, and elections.

Kids Get a Taste of Live Action History with Captain America, Wonder Woman, and Spider Man

Katherine G. Aiken purposes a history teaching strategy unlike any other through her article, Superhero History: Using Comic Books to Teach U.S. History, asserting that Captain America, Wonder Woman, and Spiderman mirroring american society during the time periods being studied. Aiken uses several comic references including cover pages of past issues, connecting the issue's story line with the occasion of the time period, the writer's past, and as well as the illustrator's. Aiken wrote this article in order to bring something new to the table with fellow teachers looking for a certain edge to keep their students' minds sharp. The audience is fellow teachers.

Questions on Comic Books!

1) How have comics changed throughout history?
2) What have the influences of comics been?
3) How have children been affected?
4) Has there been any research on if comics have helped improve reading scores?
5) What audience is interested in comics?
6) What occasions have inspired certain comics?
7) What troubles is the comic industry facing present day?
8) Who is the real Captain America?
9) Is there enough racial diversity in comic books?
10) Who is Stan Lee?

Putting Good Reason into Action Makes My Writing Feel Like Superman

Faigley and Selzer are at it again in "Good Reasons" (2012) asserting multiple approaches to giving the purpose of a paper along with the structure of an argument and using several types to give a paper a good edge for the reader. The authors use bullet points of good topics to add conversation to, to inspire the college writer to get the creative and assertive juices pumpin'. The authors wrote this article to improve college student writing. The audience, of course, is college students and professors.

Oh, What's Up, Chapter Four?!

Chapter Four of "Good Reasons" by Selzer and Faigley (2012) describes drafting and revising arguments using outlines and careful inspection. The notorious authors use examples, steps, and strong breakdown of the proper augmentative paper. The purpose of the chapter was to inform and teach college kids like me, looking to improve writing and make my very nice professor happy with the works I create. The audience is scholarly professionals and up-and-coming college students looking for some guidance and an A on all their papers. :)

Response to Recent Articles

I would just like to say that the internet is a grand thing. There are literally millions of links and information at the  will of my fingertips. School is easier to stay interested in, homework is easier to do, and it's almost too easy to keep in touch with my fellow humans around the world. But, how can something so useful, be so detrimental to the world of stealing, learning, and composing your own thoughts? Back in my pops day, the closest thing he had to a computer was his type writer and the library, there was a lot of work involved with research, plagiarism wasn't as big of a problem. Today, there is just too many resources for kids these days NOT to take advantage of. I mean, if there is a website I found, what is the chance that my professor will know to check this website out of ALL of the millions on the topic on the internet? Piracy, for example, is just another way of taking too much advantage of the internet. That video that was just for "promotional use" is now at my disposal and has taken a sit on my computer for the long haul. Is it fair? No. But it's just like leaving a car unlocked in front of a car thief. If you wanted it so badly, you would've kept it locked. Direct that mentality to all the articles, music, and resources on the internet. It' just too good and easy for us to pass up, especially since easy is all college kids and students want. Is there a way to stop it? Even in my scholarly article pick, it explains that any way we try to censor out the plagiarism and piracy, it violates basic rights. Looks like this stuff is in it for the long haul, no matter what these authors have to say.

Policy and Issues in Deploying Automated Plagiarism

Chi Hon Cheong's "Policy and Issues" (2011) describes how automated plagiarism detectors could be adding to the problem, and are a waste of funds/how plagiarism makes things difficult in a learning environment. The author (and partners) use recent examples, heavy logos, and explanations of how to detect plagiarism without a automated system. The article was written to give the author's peers something to consider and learn about how to make a better learning setting. The audience is for fellow teachers/professors.

Good Reasons Chapter Three

Faigley and Selzer are back at it again in this thrilling chapter in their book "Good Reasons" (2012) this crazy pair are inspiring in the most educated way possible, asserting the ways to find things to argue about. The duo build up this chapter with examples of ways people can get mad at each other, and saying obvious things that are naturally assumed if you're a human functioning in society- if you know how to have a conversation, you don't need this chapter. In order to educate students on how to speak like a robot, the pair wrote this excruciating chapter which seems like it is meant for small children. The audience, of course, is college students- although, I could be convinced it's for elementary school kids just learning how to pick up a pen... In a nutshell, the dynamic duo didn't stir up much thought in this chapter- it was dull and painly obvious.

Digital Age And Sampling The Product-- How Do They Tie Together?

In the age we and my peers grew up in, it's really difficult to know when something is stolen, or just simply borrowed. Everything is so available to us, it's hard to tell when stealing is stealing. Internet, netflix, hulu, and databases make it all to easy for the line of Plagiarism to be blurred and crossed. The internet makes everything way too available and out there, and with us growing up with it, it's a natural occurance. I'm getting this CD for free online, but I don't really think twice about it being stealing for the record label because it's so easy to do, and I've been doing it for so long. Millions of kids think this way, I have since I was in middle school. All this transfers into academics, when students get their information, they feel they don't need to site it because it's so easily found. Just like I didn't think twice about that free CD, I didn't think twice about quoting that article, either. What's the point? If it was that important to own (and for people to buy), it wouldn't b posted so freely on the internet. Th article by Gabriel even states, "Digital technology makes copying and pasting easy, of course. But that is the least of it. The Internet may also be redefining how students — who came of age with music file-sharing,Wikipedia and Web-linking — understand the concept of authorship and the singularity of any text or image." Everything is business, every website, every article we read, every illegal track we download is all apart of one big grand scheme of things- all about making money. It's difficult to transfer that mindset in the intangible world of the internet. It doesn't feel like this "sample track" that is only for promotional use being downloaded to my computer is exactly like taking a CD from Target. The same for articles we don't cite: It doesn't feel like I'm copying from this person because it's so freely put right in my face, on the internet. It doesn't feel as if I'm ripping out an article from a magazine at the supermarket and turning that paper in for a grade at school. The internet is the most free and easy thing ever created, with that, we're going to have to deal with the strings.

NCAA plays God, Says Taylor Branch

In the article by Taylor Branch, "The Shame of College Sports" gives numerous examples of unjust treatments and conditions for college athletes in higher learning sports. The article explains that the NCAA is all about gaining more profits, sometimes at the players expense. Colleges make money off of numerous chains of their sports- with tv endorsments, sports gear, and selling tickets. College athletes do not see any of this money, they can only get a simple scholarship. Players may have a full ride scholarship, but they don't even have enough money to fly home to see their families or even put gas in their car. College sports aren't about the game anymore, it's all about the cash. Everything is being endorsed- a lot of the time it's by players- players do not see any of that hard earned cash they helped the university of choice recieve. The NCAA plays God constantly, being above any team and every university. But, in this case, God with no money is just a rule book with no reenforcement. Taylor Branch argues that a simple scholarship is not enough.

What up, Jane of Azeroth?!

So, there's this woman Jane. She's from the great state of California and she believes video games can change the world, and how young people can do it. She explains that nerds focus hardcore when they're tuned into their wicked game of World of Warcraft, sort of like Mountain Dew'd up zombies. These nerds are all in search of one desperate EPIC WIN! That's when they nuke the noobs, defeat some evil dark magic queen, achieve a ridiculously awesome high score, etc. The more the focus on that goal, the more ":D" to the gamers. Gamers play video games because reality is too damn boring, and they want to be something else. A mighty demi-God riding around with a gold sword and a ripped body, for instance, is the electronic life for Hector, a bug collector who has never lifter a weight or kissed a girl in his whole entire life. Young people, in total, have spent 5.93 million  years of gaming, and that's about as long as it took for man to stand up. According to theries by cool scientists, if you spend over 10,000 hours of doing something, you'll become a total pro at it. Jane believes we can incorporate this facts into the real world, putting our issues into the virtual world of video games. If young people can figure out how to save Zelda, Princess Peach, AND kill Nazii Zombies, they can damn sure figure out our oil crisis and economic issues. Dope.

Get Psychedelic!

I've always been ridiculously into the music of the past. Tammi Turrell, Etta James, Stevie Wonder, Four Seasons all come to mind when I think of what eases my ears, so when i found this blog, Psychedelic Lion, I was instantly amazed. Full of music that trips your mind and eases your soul, it's the perfect blog to intrigue your senses. Finding it helped me connect to the history of music all the more! Check it out, I bet you'll think of some famous artists today who have been influenced by the artists mentioned!