Websites

Effective
http://www.runnersworld.com
http://www.deseretnews.com
http://isitfridayyet.org
http://www.lds.org

Ineffective
http://theworldsworstwebsiteever.com/
http://www.coolrunning.com
http://wateronwheels.com
http://www.mrbottles.com

Solving the issues with my Issues Paper

The way I tried to solve my problem with using too many quotes was going back and really analyzing each one.  I tried to expound on the ideas that they were showing and tie it back to my thesis.   I don't know if I've completely solved the problem but I think it's better:)

With the solutions problem, it helped to think about who my audience is for this paper and see what would directly impact/help them.

I still haven't completely solved the procrastination problem though:) Any help or suggestions in regards to this would be great! Haha

Patchwriting and Issues Paper Struggles

Paraphrase: Many times people disregard myths and don't realize that they offer valuable insights into the study of history.

I think the hardest thing (well a couple hard things) for me with the issues paper was using my own ideas and not just filling the paper with quotes from the sources.  Another hard thing was coming up with a good solution to the problem I was addressing.  Oh, and the whole procrastination thing:) But I've resolved to be better at not doing that anymore! Sleep is a good thing I've realized.

Paper Proposal

My topic is (for now:) about sports vs. academics in America. I actually got interested in my topic after hearing the incredible forum address last Tuesday by Dr. Benjamin Carson, a very successful neuroscientist, professor, and author.  He said something that really stuck with me.  He said that America is more worried about sports than academics and that in a survey of the 22 leading countries of the world, America ranked second to last in academics.  He said something like "In the end, will it matter more if you can shoot 50 straight free-throws or solve a differential equation?"

I totally agree with his view and so my paper will address the consequences of America spending more energy and money into sports rather than academics.  I will take the stance that it is detrimental to our country and its standing in the world.  I will also look at online sports as well as normal athletic ones. My research questions will be:  How much has America spent on sports compared to academics?  How does this compare to other countries?  What is America's standing, academically in the world?  Why is it important to be academically strong/secure?

I haven't done a ton of research into this yet besides hearing the forum address and some basic information I've heard from different people.  I do know that professional athletes make an enormous amount of money while our teachers make barely enough to support a family on.  My mom is a 5th grade teacher so I've heard a lot about this:) I care about this because if we want America to keep its freedom and stay as strong as it has been in the past, we need to be able to compete academically with other leading countries.