Research Motivation

1. I am trying to learn about/study “cyberbullying”, which is bullying that takes place online.

2. I am trying to learn about/study “cyberbullying” because I want to find out when and how it started and why cyberbullying is so prominent in our society.

3. I am doing this in order to educate both parents and children about the dangers of the Internet and to prevent cyberbullying from taking place in the future.

Revision

Original

On the eve of my 16th birthday, I could barely sit still. In a mere few hours, I was going to embark on a whole new part of my life. I was going to learn how to drive. This birthday marked the beginning of the process to get my permit. Exactly one year later, I was excited beyond words. It was the eve of me getting my license. After a whole year of driving with stickler parents, I could almost taste the freedom I was about to possess. However a year after that, all excitement had gone out the window. On the eve of my 18th birthday, I couldn’t think of a single exciting freedom that this landmark age was about to give me. What did I have to look forward to, the ability to get arrested? No thank you. Had I lived in virtually any other country, I would have been able to go have a drink and celebrate with my friends. However the legal drinking age of 21 in the U.S. hindered this potential birthday celebration. I couldn’t help but question this law. If turning 18 made me eligible to do so many other things, why couldn’t I have a drink? Upon further thought, I came to a conclusion. The legal drinking age of 21 in the U.S. is unfair and should be lowered to 18.

Revised

On the eve of my 16th birthday, I could barely sit still. In a few hours, I was going to embark on a whole new part of my life. I was going to learn how to drive. This birthday marked the beginning of the process to get my permit. Exactly one year later, I was excited beyond words. It was the eve of me actually getting my license. After a whole year of driving with stickler parents, I could almost taste the freedom I was about to possess. However a year after that, all excitement had gone out the window. On the eve of my 18th birthday, I couldn’t think of a single exciting freedom that this landmark age was about to give me. What did I have to look forward to, the ability to get arrested? No thank you. Had I lived in virtually any other country, I would have been able to go have a drink and celebrate with my friends. Unfortunately, I live in the U.S. where the drinking age is 21. I couldn’t help but question this law. If turning 18 made me eligible to do so many other things, such as get a tattoo and live on my own, why couldn’t I have a drink? The legal drinking age of 21 in the U.S. is arbitrary and should be lowered to 18 because it is inconsistent with other laws, is not effective, and promotes dangerous drinking practices.

Religion Rules

I think that a good venue for my argument would be The Daily Collegian. This is because my argument, lowering the drinking age, is a topic that directly affects college students. I think that many Collegian readers would want to read an article about this. Therefore, upon getting this assignment, I decided to look in The Daily Collegian for an opinion piece.
I came across an article entitled “Preachers should show respect for others' beliefs” by Sam Kramer. This article discusses people, both on campus and off, pushing their religious beliefs on to other people. Examples used in this article include the Westboro Baptist Church, which is essentially a hate group, which protests things such as soldier’s funerals, and the Willard preacher. Kramer has an interesting take on this issue. While he completely supports the first amendment’s guarantee of freedom of speech, he feels that there is a difference between exercising this freedom and being rude. He says that everyone is entitled to their own opinion and views but they should not judge others for not believing in the same things, nor should they try to convert them.
Kramer’s piece is organized very well, with convincing arguments. He starts out with explaining the first amendment and showing his support for it. He then uses the example of the Westboro Baptist church and the Willard preacher to set up what he is going to be arguing. This shows the reader exactly what he is talking about. He then goes on to say that he feels people push their rights when they try to force their beliefs down other’s throats. Kramer uses the example of “the golden rule” and how it is applied in elementary school yet not in religion. He then gives another example involving the Westboro Baptist Church protesting a Foo Fighters concert, which is very effective. He ends with saying that while all people are entitled to their own beliefs, they should not try to convince others to share their viewpoints.
I completely agree with Kramer. I am not religious at all, yet it seems as though I can’t go a mere day without overhearing some conversation about Jesus or some other religious jargon. All I want to do is sit in the Hub and enjoy my book, but I have to listen to a conversation about the rapture? No thank you. Not only does it disturb my peace and quiet, it makes me very uncomfortable. This article especially hit home for me because the Westboro Baptist Church came to my school last year to “protest”. It caused quite a stir, with them holding up signs that read “God Hates Fags” and “Thank God for 9/11” right outside of my English classroom. I feel that religion should be a personal thing that can be discussed in private with friends, but not in a public setting. I also feel that people should not try to convert people to other beliefs.
I really liked the fact that Kramer used powerful examples such as the Westboro Baptist Church to show that his argument has substance. I also liked that he embraced the other side, freedom of speech, but said that a line needed to be drawn. I wasn’t crazy about his frequent use of one sentence paragraphs. In my own piece, I will try to incorporate effective examples like Kramer did. I will also maybe try to use a sarcastic tone, like the author did in the end about the rapture coming up. Overall, I thought this was a successful piece.

http://www.collegian.psu.edu/archive/2011/09/28/preachers_should_show_respect_for_others_beliefs.aspx

Argument Ideas

Jackson, Lucas. "States Weigh Lowering Drinking Age." usatoday.com. N.p., 1 Apr. 2008. Web. 27 Oct. 2011. http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/ 2008-03-20-drinkingage_N.htm.

The issue discussed in this article is whether or not the current drinking age of 21 should be lowered. Many feel that it should be 18 because in America, when you are 18 you can fight in the war, get a tattoo, and live on your own, however you can’t drink. others feel that lowering the drinking age would increase alcohol related deaths, including driving incidents. I feel that the drinking age should absolutely be lowered. It is ridiculous that you can die in combat but can’t have a beer at a bar while watching a football game. I plan to use this topic for my argument.



"Same-Sex Marriage, Civil Unions, and Domestic Partnerships." newyorktimes.com. N.p., 25 Aug. 2011. Web. 27 Oct. 2011. http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/s/ same_sex_marriage/index.html.

The issue concerning this article is gay marriage. It states how in recent years, the gay marriage debate has been heavily focused upon. Several states have leagalized gay marriage and recently, Don’t Ask, Don”t Tell was repealed. I think that gay marriage should absolutely be legal. If two people love each other, why not? It is not fair for gay people to be told who they are allowed to love. I think that gay marriage is frowned upon by conservatives who are stuck in older times. If people were always this close-minded, we would probably still have slavery. This controversy is one that gets me very angry.



"Marijuana and Medical Marijuana." newyorktimes.com. N.p., 13 Oct. 2011. Web. 27 Oct. 2011. http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/ m/marijuana/index.html.

This article debates the issue of legalizing marijuana. 15 states and D.C. have legalized medical marijuana. However many citizens believe that all types, not just medical, marijuana should be legalized. Personally, I think it should be legalized. If cigarettes, the number one cancer causers, are legal, why isn’t marijuana? The government could tax it, as they do with cigarettes, and make tons of money. Alcohol has the same kind of effects and that is legal, so marijuana should be legalized.



*note: lionsearch did not let me view the online articles, so I used articles I found on Google.

Shoe Structure

All shoes have pretty much the same function; to provide feet protection, warmth, and support. However there are countless different styles and designs of shoes. In fact if you were to go on the street, it is highly likely that everyone has a different pair. How does one pick what shoes to wear when there are so many options? Is it due to style, comfort, warmth, or a mixture of all three? I decided to review the design of shoes that have the same function but very different appearances; an UGG boot and a high heel.

UGG Boot: Perhaps the first thing I notice when looking at an UGG boot is how flat the sole is. There is virtually no arch at all. In fact, the design overall looks like the type of shoe that one might draw on a stick figure. The design is very simple. Aside from the flat sole, there is a rounded toe. There is a slight curve up until the first seam is reached. Then the shoe is designed to cover the wearer’s calf. The calf is approximately 10 inches long. The boot is practically straight from the heel to the back of the calf. UGG boots are made of sheep skin. If you rubbed the boot, you would be able to see the change in direction on the surface. The seams are emphasized with visible piping and stitching. The bottom of the shoe is made of a rubbery material with a carved out design on the bottom. The inside of the shoe is a totally different material. The entire boot, including the foot part and the calf, is lined with fur. In this case, this fur is cream colored. The outside color is best described as “chestnut”. Finally, there is a tag on the heel, revealing the brand of the shoe.

High Heel: Unlike the UGG, the high heel has a very prominent arch. The ball of the shoe is flat but gradually curves up along the instep. At the heel, the arch abruptly curves back down, helping to form a thick heel of about three inches. The heel is narrowest at the ground and gets thicker as it gets closer to where the foot is placed. The heels are made of black suede, with a rubber bottom. Like the UGG, there is a design carved out on the bottom of the rubber. The top of the shoe almost appears to be made of two separate strips of suede, meeting together at the back. In the front of the shoe, these two strips cross over each other, forming an X like shape. This leaves the toe of the shoe open. This also leaves a medium sized open triangle on the side of the shoe. The suede fabric bunches to form a line in one of the strips of the X, giving the shoe more texture. There is a small black zipper at the heel of the shoe for ease of putting it on and taking it off. On the onside of the shoe, there is a foam-like material. This material is black like the rest of the shoe, making it virtually unnoticeable. The brand name is not visible during wear of the shoe, but is written on the inside of the heel in silver letters, standing out from the black inside.

Bridesmaids Breakdown

I decided to review the movie Bridesmaids. This movie is just one of several comedies produced by Judd Apatow including Knocked Up, Step Brothers, and Superbad. While Bridesmaids includes the same type of humor as these other Apatow movies, there is one key difference; the movie is centered around a female character. Bridesmaids surpassed expectations at the box office, making an estimated $32,500,000. This beat Apatow’s former most successful film Knocked Up. I waited a while to see it until I could not silence the burning question; what is all the hype over?
I decided to take a trip to the movie theater to find out. After 125 minutes I am to the conclusion; I wasn’t that impressed. As much as I wanted to rave over this film like many critics and friends had, I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. While yes, there were funny scenes, I couldn’t help but wish I was viewing Pineapple Express or Superbad instead. For some reason, it felt like I wasn’t watching the same movie that everybody else deemed so special. I couldn’t help but wondering; why is it just not doing it for me? I realized that this movie is a perfect thing to evaluate so that I can figure out what it is about this movie that makes it fizzle.
Bridesmaids can be put into several categories. Of course, it could be classified as a comedy. However it could be put into more specific classifications such as female comedies of Judd Apatow movies. There are hundreds of movies that it could be compared to if it was put in the category if “comedies”. If it was classified as a female comedy, Bridesmaids could be compared to movies such as Mean Girls, Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion, and Bring It On. Of course, if the movie was put into the category of Judd Apatow movies, it could be compared to his movies mentioned above.
No matter which category Bridesmaids is put in, there are certain criteria that could be used to evaluate the movie. The first would be plot. In order for any genre of movie to be good, there has to be an interesting plot. Plot is often crucial in comedies as sometimes it can be stupid and unrealistic in funny movies. The second criteria that could be used to evaluate this movie would be how funny it is. This could be evaluated by the type of humor included in the movie or how many times it made the audience laugh. Another criterion could be the casting. The evaluator could ask, “were the characters portrayed by the right actors?” Along with casting comes the actual acting, which would be another benchmark for evaluation. The actors should make the humor seem effortless and realistic, not forced. Finally, a comedy could be evaluated on impact or overall expression. The evaluator could ask; did the movie keep me talking afterwards? Do I find myself wanting to watch it again? Am I going to recommend it to my friends? Bridesmaids has many criteria could be used to make an interesting and worthwhile evaluation.

Makeover Takeover

When I first created this blog in the beginning of the year, I was totally new to Blogger. I did not even know how to set up the design and layout of the page. At first I tried to set a Penn State background, but nothing seemed to work out. So I ended up using one of the preset templates. While I picked the one that most appealed to me, I am not crazy about it. I am not a pink girl at all, and I don’t particularly like birds. However I felt that this layout gave out a feminine yet sophisticated vibe. It even incorporated my favorite color, blue, in the headlines. As for the font, I think it is appropriate. Even though according to NFG, serif fonts are used for academic writings, I prefer sans serif type face. I feel that a blog is casual enough to have any font and I want my blog to reflect me and my preferences. I feel that my blog is appropriate for my English class because it is colorful and appealing without being obnoxious and over the top. I do wish that I could include more images in my blog. I feel the images spice up a page and make readers more interested in the content. However I find that with most of the blog assignments, images would not be appropriate. I hope to use more images in the future as I did with the Cady Herron cafeteria picture in the post about lunch. If I can figure out how, I would love to make my blog more reflective of my tastes.
After reevaluating my blog design, I made several changes. First I decided to change the template of my blog. I tried several but couldn’t find one that I liked. So instead I decided to change my background. At first I felt that I should upload my own image, but I couldn’t think of any that would describe me. I started going through the preloaded images and was feeling defeated. That was until I came across the ribbons background. I immediately knew this one was the right choice for my blog. I wanted a background that represented my style preferences. This ribbon background did just that. It was colorful, clean, and creative. After changing the background, I realized that the makeover was not yet complete. The text was boring and black. I decided to make it colorful. Instead of picking just one color for every post, I decided to make each post one of the colors of the ribbons in the background. A blog that inspired mine is Perez Hilton (http://perezhilton.com/). Another blog that I enjoy the design of is Hypable (http://www.hypable.com/). I feel that both sites use bright colors and bold headlines that make the blog look clean but colorful and interesting. I think both blogs use pictures very well and I love the color schemes of both. I wish that I knew how to use Blogger better and that my blog could be on the level of Perez Hilton and Hypable.